The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 20

“I had just gotten home when your dad called me. He said something serious happened at the company.”

“S-So, what exactly happened?”

The first thing Li Ge thought of was that Xu Qingyan had caused the Li family to go bankrupt, just so she would be forced to beg her.

But if Xu Qingyan really wanted the company to collapse, Li Dahai would have called her himself, not sent Gu Shi to find her.

“Please, just tell me. What happened to my dad’s company?”

After helping her sit back down in the chair, Gu Shi explained, “Didn’t President Li invest in several profitable projects recently? Over the past few days, those partners suddenly pulled their investments without giving any clear reason. Later, after doing some digging, President Li found out that this was all caused by someone named Xu.”

Xu?

Could it be the Xu Group?

Xu Qingyan?

Of course. It had to be Xu Qingyan behind this.

“Then what’s the situation now? How is my dad?” Li Ge held Gu Shi’s hand tightly, her voice trembling. “Is he okay?”

With Li Dahai’s temper, a crisis like this would definitely push him to the edge. He might even go after Xu Qingyan by himself.

But that alpha was incredibly powerful. How could her father possibly be a match for Xu Qingyan?

Gu Shi continued, calmly, “President Li is doing everything he can to convince the investors to return, but he found out they were actually working with that Xu person from the beginning. No one knows what she told them, but they all pulled their funds without hesitation. President Li said the only way to fix this is to find new investors to cover the financial gap. Otherwise, the Li family will not only face bankruptcy, but your dad might also be accused of intentionally defaulting on debts. He could go to jail.”

“What? My dad could go to jail?”

Li Ge remembered what Xu Qingyan had said to her the other day. She had considered believing it, even though Li Dahai clearly had certain intentions back then. Whether he acted on them was another matter. But later, he admitted his mistakes and his attitude seemed sincere. That made her doubt whether she had simply misjudged the situation.

No matter what Li Dahai had in mind, he was her only father. She didn’t want him to end up in prison.

Li Ge was becoming desperate. “Can he find new investors now?”

Gu Shi lowered his head and remained silent.

It was clear that with such a sudden withdrawal, no one would be willing to step into this mess.

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

Li Ge had never experienced anything so serious before. The biggest problem she had ever seen was when a partner backed out at the last moment, leaving unsold goods and causing losses. Even then, Li Dahai had been furious for days.

And she had been unable to help.

Just like now.

Suddenly, Gu Shi grabbed her hand. “President Li has already found a new investor. The investor promised full support, but there’s a condition.”

“A condition? What kind of condition?”

Gu Shi hesitated. His eyes showed a hint of worry and reluctance.

The more Li Ge looked at him, the more uneasy she felt. “Tell me. What does the investor want?”

After a long moment, Gu Shi finally looked up. But he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he placed his hands on her shoulders, his face full of concern.

“Xiao Ge, before I tell you, you have to promise me one thing. You must not act on impulse.”

Li Ge had a bad feeling, but she nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

Once she agreed, Gu Shi said, “It’s like this, Xiao Ge. The investor, President Chen, has always wanted to meet you. So…”

He didn’t even need to finish. Li Ge instantly understood what the condition was.

She pushed Gu Shi away, her face full of disbelief. “Gu Shi, I’m your omega. And you want me to go to another alpha? How could you do this to me? Did my dad send you just to convince me to agree to this?”

At this point, Gu Shi no longer tried to hide the truth. There was no avoiding it. He had to say it eventually.

“Xiao Ge, please hear me out first.”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Li Ge’s entire body was shaking. She couldn’t believe the person saying these words was her alpha. Her alpha actually wanted her to accompany another alpha.

“Xiao Ge, please calm down. Let me explain,” Gu Shi said as he stepped closer, trying to calm her. “You misunderstood. President Chen doesn’t mean it like that. He just wants to have dinner with you. That’s all. Your dad and I will be there too. It’s just a dinner, nothing more.”

Li Ge didn’t believe it could be that simple. How could it just be a dinner? The company was in serious trouble. No one would step in at a time like this unless they wanted something in return.

And miracles don’t fall out of the sky.

“You’re lying!”

“I’m not lying,” Gu Shi said gently. “Xiao Ge, you know I would never lie to you. I love you so much. I’ve always wanted you to be my one and only omega. How could I ever lie to you?”

Li Ge looked at him and said, “If that’s true, then mark me. Mark me for life. That way, we can be together forever.”

Gu Shi hesitated.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. It was that he couldn’t.

Even simple physical contact was something he had been warned against. Li Dahai had strictly told him what the consequences would be if he crossed the line.

“Xiao Ge, it’s not that I don’t want to,” Gu Shi said, pretending to be deeply affectionate. “You’re still young. We shouldn’t rush into something like this. Once you’re older, I’ll mark you. Is that okay?”

Li Ge shook her head. She didn’t want to hear any more excuses.

“Gu Ge, if you mark me for life, I’ll agree to go with you to have dinner with President Chen.”

An unmarked omega was always at risk in the outside world. Li Ge did not want anyone else to mark her. She did not trust anyone.

Even if she wore a bite inhibitor, there were still countless ways someone could remove it. Only a lifelong mark could truly make her feel safe.

Gu Shi realized that convincing her like this would not work, so he tried another approach.

“Xiao Ge, listen to me,” Gu Shi said as he gently held her hand. “Your father has already agreed to let me marry you. As long as the company survives this crisis, he will allow me to mark you for life. Then we can be together forever. Don’t you want that? Didn’t you once say that being with me was your greatest wish in life?”

Li Ge had thought so.

She had never known what love really was. Although Li Dahai was her biological father, he had never cared for her. He never gave her any warmth or affection. Every time she came home from school, he treated her with cold indifference. Even though they were family, they lived more like strangers.

Later, she met Gu Shi.

He gave her the warmth she had always longed for. He brought her extra clothes when the weather was cold. He stayed by her side when she was sick. He comforted her when she was sad and stood up for her whenever she was bullied.

All of this was something Li Dahai had never done for her.

“But… but…”

“Xiao Ge, you have me,” Gu Shi said softly. “I will always be with you. After the dinner, I will take you home.”

To Li Ge, Gu Shi felt like the only person in the world she could trust. Other than him, she truly did not know who else she could rely on.

If Gu Shi ever lied to her, even just once, she did not know if she would have any reason left to keep living.

“Alright. I promise.”

The moment she agreed, Gu Shi’s attitude changed completely. All his earlier patience vanished. He gave her a quick and emotionless hug, then immediately left the lounge. He found a quiet spot and called Li Dahai.

“President Li, Xiao Ge agreed. Okay, I will arrange it tonight.”

That night, following Gu Shi’s instructions, Li Ge carefully applied her makeup and put on a beautiful backless dress that she had never worn before. The dress sparkled under the lights. It was a soft shade of moonlight white and reached just below her knees. When she wore it, she looked like a graceful mermaid from the sea.

But now, she felt like a mermaid who had lost her tail, turned into a puppet on strings, with no joy left in her life.

“Xiao Ge, you look stunning tonight,” Gu Shi said as he swallowed hard, his voice full of desire.

On any other day, a compliment like that would have made Li Ge happy. But tonight was different. She had dressed up like this not for herself, but for another alpha to admire. No matter how much Gu Shi complimented her appearance, she felt nothing but emptiness.

“Thank you,” she replied quietly.

Gu Shi felt a growing urge inside him. If it were not for Li Dahai’s strict orders, he would not have held himself back. This was an A-class omega, and just imagining it made him restless.

He thought it was a real waste to hand her over to those old men.

After helping Li Ge into the car, Gu Shi followed the location Li Dahai had given him and drove her there.

The original plan was for him to stay in the private room with her, wait until she was drunk, and then quietly leave. But Li Ge refused to let go of his hand. She could not feel safe without him there. The group of older men inside was growing impatient, and their expressions were already turning unpleasant. Left with no choice, Gu Shi used the excuse of going to the restroom.

Li Ge was too scared to stay alone, so she followed him.

What she did not expect was to run into Xu Qingyan in the hallway after Gu Shi went into the restroom.

Panicked, Li Ge did not have time to take a proper look. She immediately found a place to hide.

After a few minutes, she assumed Xu Qingyan had already left. She hurried out, trying to find Gu Shi again. In her rush, she forgot to watch where she was going and accidentally ran into someone’s chest.

She looked up, about to apologize, but the moment she did, she caught a familiar scent. It was a rose fragrance, the kind that came from an omega’s pheromones. It was just like the one that came from Xu Qingyan.

“What are you doing here?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Ge quickly looked up. Her eyes met a pair of calm, cold eyes.

It was Xu Qingyan.