The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 17
However, Xu Qingyan had underestimated how far Li Dahai was willing to go for profit. Not long after Li Ge left the building, Li Dahai called her office directly.
“Hello, Director Xu. What do you think? My daughter isn’t bad, right? Aside from her personality, I’m sure the rest suits your taste quite well.”
The moment Xu Qingyan answered the phone, her expression turned cold. “What are you trying to say?”
Li Dahai made no effort to hide his real intentions. He chuckled a few times, then said, “Director Xu, we’re both businesspeople. I made my intentions clear before, and now you’re pretending not to understand. It reminds me of an old saying, ‘we’re both thousand-year-old foxes, so why pretend to be innocent like the ones in ghost stories,’ don’t you agree?”
Just as Xu Qingyan was about to respond, Li Dahai continued, “These past few days, I’ve noticed it. The way you look at Xiao Ge is different from how other Alphas look at her. I don’t know why she’s so special to you. As far as I know, you two hadn’t met before. But that no longer matters. What I want is simple, just like I said before. As long as you agree to invest in my project, you can take Xiao Ge with you. Do whatever you want with her.”
“And if I refuse?”
Xu Qingyan’s tone was firm. She didn’t want Li Ge to become a pawn in Li Dahai’s game. Li Ge belonged to herself. She deserved to live freely, not be traded for profit.
But clearly, Li Dahai was more shameless than she had imagined.
“If you refuse… well, that does make things a bit difficult. Let me think, what should I do next?”
Li Dahai laughed again. “Judging from what you said, it seems you aren’t that attached to Xiao Ge yet. If that’s the case, I’ll just find her another match. A top-grade Omega like Xiao Ge is in high demand. Even if I can’t climb up to your level, I can settle for something close, don’t you think, Director Xu?”
Xu Qingyan’s grip on the phone tightened. Her expression turned even colder. She had always known Li Dahai was ruthless and would stop at nothing for money, but she never imagined he would go so far as to exploit his own daughter.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m not trying to say anything. Just reminding you that the only reason I haven’t acted yet is because I’m giving you a chance. If you don’t want it, that’s fine. I’ll find someone else.”
Li Dahai’s tone sounded like he was negotiating, but every word was laced with threat. Xu Qingyan felt deeply irritated. No one had ever dared to threaten her. Not Xu Hong. Not the old fools in the family who tried to hold onto power. And certainly not someone like Li Dahai.
She had already forced Xu Hong into early retirement and secured her position as chairwoman of Xu Group. There was no such thing as being threatened.
Besides, even if Li Dahai went ahead with his plans, she would find a way to protect Li Ge from it all.
“Li Dahai, she’s your biological daughter. Does she even know what you’re doing?”
It was clear Li Dahai had never thought about that. After hearing her question, he even burst into loud laughter.
“Director Xu, why do you care about things like that? If you truly care about Xiao Ge, you should just agree to my terms. Then none of this would happen. She’d still be my beloved daughter, and you would become my most respected son-in-law. Isn’t it better for us to be in-laws?”
Xu Qingyan was disgusted. She had never met someone so shameless. He could even say something like that without flinching.
“Give up on that idea, Li Dahai. The things you’re hoping for will only come true in your dreams.”
She had no intention of continuing the conversation and was about to hang up.
Li Dahai seemed to sense it. Just as Xu Qingyan was about to press the button, he quickly said, “Director Xu, I’m sure you’re aware that Xiao Ge has an Alpha, right?”
Xu Qingyan paused. Her hand stopped in midair. She didn’t understand why Li Dahai was suddenly bringing this up, but she knew it couldn’t be anything good.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she didn’t hang up. Instead, she placed the phone on her desk and switched to speaker mode.
Afraid she might end the call, Li Dahai quickly continued, “Xiao Ge grew up without a mother, and I hardly gave her any attention. She’s always lived on the edge of emotional neglect. And people like that, just a few sweet words and they’ll give you their whole heart. I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say now, Director Xu.”
Xu Qingyan not only understood, she was furious. Her bl00d boiled.
“So that Alpha by her side was someone you arranged?”
“What else did you think? You really believed I’d let just anyone get close to her? That would be impossible.”
Li Dahai went on. “She’s my golden goose. Even though her mother betrayed me and ran off with some random Alpha, putting a big green hat on my head, I still got something out of it. She gave birth to an Omega daughter with such a high rating. Not a bad deal, right, Director Xu?”
“Li Dahai!”
With a loud crash, Xu Qingyan knocked over the chair next to her in a fit of rage. Her clenched fists were trembling, her knuckles cracking with tension.
“You scum.”
Hearing her outburst, Li Dahai knew he had struck a nerve. He laughed with satisfaction.
“I already told you, Director Xu, if I can’t reach your level, I’ll settle for a smaller tree. The reason I’m calling is to give you one last opportunity. But if you choose not to take it, then there’s nothing more I can do. Sooner or later, Xiao Ge will marry someone. If I arrange a marriage for her with a wealthy family, she should be grateful to me as her father.”
“If you dare touch her, I will make you regret it.”
“That’s funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you, Director Xu.”
Without another word, Xu Qingyan hung up the call. She was so furious that she slammed her fist onto the desk.
Bang.
Secretary Su, who had been standing quietly nearby, was startled. Ever since Xu Qingyan had confided her feelings about that Omega, she understood clearly that Li Ge was her bottom line.
As long as no one crossed that line, Xu Qingyan was willing to negotiate. But if anyone did, there would be no compromise.
“Director Xu.”
“I want to know every project Li Dahai has been working on recently.”
Secretary Su had a good idea of what Xu Qingyan was planning. Given her current power, taking down someone like Li Dahai would not be a problem at all. The only thing it would require was time.
However, she still felt that Xu Qingyan might act on impulse and make a wrong decision. So she gently reminded her,
“Chairwoman Xu, are you planning to take direct action against Li Dahai’s company? I know you certainly have the power to do that now, but the issue is… do you still remember what Chairman Xu Hong said when he stepped down?
If you go too far, it might give him something to use against you. All the authority and control you worked so hard to gain could be taken back. And once you lose that, will you still be able to protect Miss Li?”
At the mention of Xu Hong, Xu Qingyan immediately calmed down.
Yes, Xu Hong, that cunning old man, said he had retired and would no longer pay attention to the group’s affairs. But every time something happened in the company, he was always the first to know.
That man always made things sound better than they really were.
He simply could not let go of his power in the group. His real goal was to turn her into a puppet he could control.
But Xu Qingyan had no intention of letting him get his way.
She slowly pushed her chair back up, turned around, and walked out of the office.
Secretary Su called out behind her, “Chairwoman Xu, where are you going?”
Xu Qingyan did not explain. She only replied, “You don’t need to follow me. I’ll be back soon.”
Even though she said that, Secretary Su still followed. As a responsible secretary, she had to stay close to her boss at all times. If someone suddenly came to see Xu Qingyan and she had no idea where her boss was, she could very well lose her job.
Xu Qingyan didn’t say anything more. She pressed the elevator button and rode it down to the ground floor. Earlier, she had looked outside from above and noticed that Omega was still there. She was likely waiting for that Alpha to come pick her up.
If she went over now and warned her to be careful of Li Dahai, could things possibly take a different turn?
But would Omega even believe her?
Xu Qingyan walked faster. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed clearly in the hallway.
Soon, she stepped out of the Xu Group headquarters building.
Li Ge was standing beside the building, eyes fixed on her phone. From time to time, she would look up, and when she didn’t see anyone coming, she lowered her head again.
“Xiao Ge.”
Li Ge paused for a moment when she heard the familiar voice. She quickly turned her head and saw Xu Qingyan standing there.
It looked like she had rushed over. Her breathing was still a little unsteady by the time she arrived in front of her.
Li Ge looked confused and asked, “Chairwoman Xu, is something wrong?”
Could it be that she had changed her mind?
But Xu Qingyan had said clearly that she would never go back on her word. If she did, it would be disgraceful for someone in her position.
Still, if it was not about that, why had she come down just to find her?
Li Ge could not understand. She had no idea what Xu Qingyan wanted.
“Chairwoman Xu, didn’t we already agree on everything? Are you saying you want to take it back?”
Xu Qingyan did not answer her question. Instead, she asked, “Are you waiting for your Alpha?”
Li Ge instantly tensed up. She was very sensitive to questions like that. She took a small step back and said, “Who I am waiting for has nothing to do with you, Chairwoman Xu.”
Xu Qingyan stepped forward and grabbed her hand, making Li Ge look her directly in the eyes.
“It does have something to do with me.”