The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 13
After receiving Li Dahai’s promise, most of the uneasy feeling in Li Ge’s heart instantly disappeared. She still believed that her father would not go that far. After all, even a vicious tiger does not eat its own cubs. She was, after all, Li Dahai’s only daughter.
“Since you’ve made a promise, I’ll trust you.”
“So, does this mean you’ve forgiven your father?”
Li Ge didn’t say yes or no. She hesitated for a moment and then said, “I’m forgiving you for now. But if you ever treat me badly again, or do something worse than slapping me, then I will never forgive you. Not only that, I will cut ties with you completely. We will no longer be father and daughter, and we will go our separate ways for the rest of our lives.”
Li Dahai felt guilty and didn’t dare say anything. Afraid that she might see through him, he quickly changed the subject.
“Xiao Ge, I forgot to tell you. President Wang came to see me just now…”
“Why did President Wang come?” Li Ge interrupted before he could finish, her heart suddenly on edge.
Even though she had always known the Li family worked with Shengshi Entertainment and that it was normal for Wang Fan to visit her father, after what had happened today, she couldn’t help but doubt that the visit was purely about business.
And she was right.
As expected, Wang Fan had come because of Chen Xin.
Li Dahai explained, “President Wang came by tonight and told me that because of a mistake made by his manager, Xu Qingyan, the current chairwoman of the Xu Group and someone you know, became furious. She has taken a very tough stance and wants the entire industry to blacklist the manager. It’s not just a small issue. It could involve banning her from all companies.”
“So what? Dad, are you hoping I’ll beg Xu Qingyan to forgive Chen Xin, like President Wang wants?”
“No, absolutely not. You are my daughter. How could I let you beg someone over an unimportant manager?”
Li Ge looked doubtful and asked, “If that’s not your intention, then why are you telling me all this?”
Li Dahai didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he helped her sit down on the sofa, personally poured her a cup of tea, and pretended the matter was extremely serious. He spoke with a heavy tone.
“Xiao Ge, I’m not telling you this because I care about that manager’s fate. She made a mistake and she has to face the consequences. President Wang came to me because of a new project. You know very well that I’ve had a long-term business relationship with Shengshi Entertainment. I’ve also invested quite a bit into this new project. The problem now is that President Wang is afraid Xu Qingyan might pull out of the deal if she stays angry. If that happens, all of my investment will be gone. I might even fall deep into debt. Xiao Ge, do you understand what I’m saying?”
Although Li Ge had just become an adult and still had much to learn, she had grown up listening to her father’s business conversations with his friends. Over time, she had picked up more than a little from being around them.
Also, when it came to business matters, Li Dahai was usually more patient and detailed in explaining things, so she felt that he was probably not lying this time.
“Is it really that serious?”
The situation was probably not that serious, but Li Dahai knew his daughter well. If he didn’t make it sound urgent, she would not willingly help.
“It absolutely is that serious,” Li Dahai said with excitement. “You haven’t dealt with her, but Xu Qingyan and her grandfather Xu Hong are both known in the business world for being ruthless. If something displeases them, they can easily destroy a business.”
Li Ge didn’t know much about these powerful business figures. But the first time she met Xu Qingyan, she had felt an unsettling gaze from the alpha. It was as if Xu Qingyan wanted to devour her. Li Ge couldn’t explain it, but something inside her warned her to stay away.
“If she really is as scary as you say, then even if I go and beg her, it won’t make a difference. Besides, it was Chen Xin who hurt her. The one who should apologize is Chen Xin.”
Li Dahai was secretly pleased to hear her begin to soften. He coaxed gently, “It’s different. Chen Xin is just a beta and she brought this on herself. Xu Qingyan is an alpha. It’s unlikely she would forgive her. But you are an omega, and she was injured while protecting you. If you go to visit her and express some concern, maybe appeal to her emotions, I believe she will be willing to let this matter go.”
“But what if all this is just your assumption? What if I go see her and ask for forgiveness, and she becomes even angrier?”
“She won’t.”
Li Dahai held her hands and patted them gently. He knew she would not agree so quickly, so he spoke slowly.
“I told you before, I’ve dealt with her for years. I know what kind of person she is. And some things in life, you’ll never know unless you try. Don’t you agree, Xiao Ge?”
That was true.
Li Ge wasn’t unwilling to help. She just didn’t want to face that alpha again. That look in Xu Qingyan’s eyes had been too intense, like a hunter waiting to pounce. She felt like prey being stalked, and she hated that feeling.
Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Li Dahai knew there was still hope. He pressed on.
“Xiao Ge, think of it as helping your father, just this once. I’ve never asked you for anything before. I’ve always given you whatever you wanted. This time I really have no choice. Please, just this once. Will you help me?”
Li Ge was still hesitant. But seeing her father lower himself like this made it hard for her to say no.
After a few minutes of silence, she finally nodded.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Li Dahai immediately smiled, but quickly hid his excitement and took her hands in his again with a grateful look.
“Xiao Ge, you’ve really grown up. I’m proud of you.”
Li Ge didn’t respond. She let go of his hands and stood up.
“I’m going upstairs, Dad. I’m tired and I want to rest.”
“Of course. Rest well,” Li Dahai said. “If you don’t want to go to the company tomorrow, I’ll send a message to President Wang and ask her to give you the day off.”
“Okay.”
Li Ge returned to her room with little energy. Lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, she still felt uneasy. She thought she had agreed too quickly. But once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. If this truly was a matter of bankruptcy, then as the Li family’s young lady, she did have a responsibility to do something.
It was strange, really. Even though she and Xu Qingyan were complete strangers, the first moment Li Ge laid eyes on her, she felt as if she had seen that alpha somewhere before.
Familiar, yet unfamiliar.
But no matter how hard she searched her memory, she could not recall ever meeting someone like her.
It was truly odd.
And Li Ge didn’t understand why. She had never been afraid of alphas, but whenever she saw Xu Qingyan, the only thing she wanted to do was run away.
Was it because of the aura alphas carried?
Or was it because of those piercing, predatory eyes?
Li Ge felt that neither was the real reason. After all, she had seen her share of the world. She had often accompanied Li Dahai to various family banquets and events. She had met all kinds of people and was not someone who would feel intimidated over such things.
After thinking about it for over ten minutes and still coming up with nothing, she simply gave up.
Later, after a hot shower, exhausted both physically and mentally, Li Ge lay down and fell asleep shortly after her head hit the pillow.
By the time she woke up the next morning, it was already ten thirty.
Still groggy, she heard the housemaid calling her from outside the door, asking her to get up and have breakfast.
Normally, she would set her alarm for just after seven to prepare for her schedules. The maid usually made breakfast for her around six and would come upstairs to knock on her door around seven, just in case she overslept. The fact that no one came until now was likely because Li Dahai had specifically told them to let her sleep in.
Li Ge rubbed her aching forehead. Once the dizziness passed, she threw off the covers and got up to open the door.
“Miss Li, please come down and have breakfast. Sir told me to let you rest longer today, but you can’t skip breakfast, so I came up to wake you.”
“Thank you, Auntie Yao.”
After thanking the maid, Li Ge returned to her room to wash up and get dressed.
She also took a moment to put on some light makeup. Her features were naturally delicate and youthful, so she did not need heavy makeup. A bit of foundation, some eyebrow shaping, and a touch of lipstick were enough.
But as she looked at herself in the mirror, the thought that she was putting on makeup just to face that female alpha made her suddenly annoyed.
She rolled her eyes hard at herself in the mirror.
Maybe she should have gone for ghost makeup instead. Something terrifying, something that would scare anyone away. That way, Xu Qingyan might stop looking at her like she wanted to eat her alive.
Still, that was just a thought. Li Ge could never actually bring herself to do something so childish. Looking clean and presentable when meeting someone was basic manners. She wasn’t going to embarrass herself just because she was feeling stubborn.
So she went downstairs like a good girl and sat down to eat breakfast.
She usually had a decent appetite in the morning, and the maid had made her favorite seafood porridge. But since she would soon be heading out to meet Xu Qingyan, she didn’t want to eat too much and risk a stomachache in the car. So, she only finished half a bowl.
By the time she was done, it was nearly eleven. She got up and was about to drive herself over.
Only after getting into the car did Li Ge suddenly realize a serious problem.
She had no idea where Xu Qingyan was right now.
Driving directly to the company would be way too abrupt. Someone of Xu Qingyan’s status likely required appointments to be made in advance for any kind of meeting. Showing up uninvited could easily backfire.
Li Ge leaned forward and slumped over the steering wheel, her head starting to ache again.
Just then, someone tapped on the car window.