The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 6
To help Li Ge stop being afraid of her, Xu Qingyan followed Secretary Su’s suggestion. The next morning, she began practicing how to smile in front of the mirror.
This should have been an easy task. For most people, it was nothing complicated. All it took was lifting the corners of the mouth and showing a row of clean, white teeth. That alone was enough to form a perfect smile.
But for Xu Qingyan, this was anything but simple.
In fact, it was incredibly difficult.
When she stood in front of the mirror, she realized that she could not smile at all.
She tried lifting the corners of her lips, forming a gentle curve, and then slowly revealing her teeth. But each time she managed to do it, the smile would disappear in less than two seconds. Even after trying repeatedly, she could only hold the shape for three seconds before her mouth dropped back to its usual expression.
In the end, Xu Qingyan gave up.
This small and simple action felt like something she might never learn.
“I’m done trying.”
She put down the mirror and lowered her head, unsure of what to think.
The secretary looked confused and asked, “What happened, Director Xu? You’re giving up already?”
Xu Qingyan gave a soft reply. “I can’t do it.”
“Don’t you want to make a good impression on Miss Li?”
“I do.”
She wanted to. She wanted it more than anything else. But she really could not do it.
It was like expecting an animal to speak like a human. A sparrow would never suddenly become a phoenix. An awkward duckling would not magically be seen as a wild swan just because it looked different.
In short, Xu Qingyan felt she would never be able to learn how to smile.
The secretary watched her in silence for a moment, then said, “Director Xu, something like this should be easy for someone like you. Or are you really planning to surrender before even trying properly? That does not sound like the person I know.”
Xu Qingyan barely heard anything except the words “should be easy.”
It was true. Most things in her life came easily. She could finish a proposal overnight. She could adjust business plans at the last minute to meet a client’s expectations. She had even turned company losses into profits in a short time. Compared to all of that, smiling should be nothing.
But she just could not do it.
The phrase “should be easy” suddenly felt as impossible as climbing to the moon.
“What are you smiling for? What’s so funny? You need to understand this. You are the future heir of the Xu Group. If you keep laughing and acting carefree, how will you ever earn respect from the old veterans in the company? When they see you smiling like a child, how can they possibly take you seriously?”
“Ayan, listen carefully. From now on, starting this very moment, I do not want to see you laughing like that ever again. If I catch you once, you will stand in the corner for one hour.”
“If you do it again, the punishment will change. You will get fifty strikes with the cane. If you still disobey, the punishment will double. Only when you learn to control yourself will the punishment be lifted.”
Those harsh words from Xu Hong echoed in her ears like a nightmare she could not shake. They circled around her mind and made her heart feel heavy. In that moment, she understood why she could not smile.
Xu Qingyan slowly turned her hand over. Her palm was covered with thick, yellowish calluses. They were the result of Xu Hong’s punishments with the cane. Even though more than ten years had passed, and she had tried everything to care for her skin, the marks remained.
They were like shadows of Xu Hong, always clinging to her.
Even now, as the chairwoman of the Xu Group, Xu Qingyan still felt like Xu Hong was standing beside her. His strict eyes seemed to watch her work, judging everything she did. Whenever she finished a project, she imagined his critical gaze looking for the smallest mistake. If anything went wrong, even something tiny and unimportant, it felt like he would appear at any moment with that heavy cane in hand, ready to strike.
She had never met parents with such a strong need to control everything. Xu Hong was one, and her Omega father had been no different.
“Yes, I am giving up.”
The secretary was stunned. In all the years she had worked for Xu Qingyan, she had never seen her boss give up on anything. Xu Qingyan was stubborn, but she had real talent. Once she decided to do something, she always made it happen.
And now she was giving up over something as small as learning to smile?
The secretary had her doubts, but she knew her place. She was just a secretary, and she had to know what questions she could ask and which ones she could not. This might have seemed like a small thing, but judging by Xu Qingyan’s expression, it clearly was not.
“It’s alright. Some things just cannot be forced. Besides, I think the way you carry yourself with strength and distance is part of your charm.”
“But Xiao Ge does not think so.”
The secretary tried to comfort her. “Maybe that’s just because Miss Li is meeting you for the first time. I believe that if she spends more time around you, she will grow to admire you just the way you are.”
Xu Qingyan frowned. “I do not think she will.”
“Why not, Director Xu?”
“I know her. She does not like people who are too serious. She likes someone who can make her laugh, someone who can make her feel happy. But I do not know how to do that.”
The tone sounded unusually soft and aggrieved coming from Xu Qingyan, which felt somewhat out of character for her. Still, the secretary could understand it. People in love were always like this—gentle, unsure, and a little pitiful, like a cat afraid of being abandoned by its owner, constantly trying to prove its worth.
“That’s only because Miss Li hasn’t had the chance to get to know you,” the secretary said. “I’m confident that once she understands the real you, she’ll definitely like you.”
Xu Qingyan didn’t feel entirely convinced, but hearing the secretary’s words still brought her a little comfort.
Half an hour later, the secretary drove Xu Qingyan to the partner company’s building. As they arrived, they saw someone already waiting to greet them downstairs. It was the company’s deputy general manager.
As soon as the two women got out of the car, the deputy manager stepped forward to introduce himself and gestured politely. “Director Xu, please come inside. President Wang has been expecting you upstairs.”
Xu Qingyan gave a small nod and stepped ahead in her high heels.
Soon, she was led into the conference room, where Wang Fan was seated, sipping tea.
When Wang Fan saw her enter, he immediately put down his teacup and stood up to greet her. Then he walked over and said warmly, “Director Xu, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Please, have a seat.”
Xu Qingyan didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“There’s no need for small talk. You’re a businessman, Mr. Wang. Let’s just talk business.”
Wang Fan’s smile paused for a brief second, but he quickly recovered and sat back down.
He had heard many stories about Xu Qingyan—how tough she was, how immune to flattery, how ruthless in negotiations. He thought those were just rumors. But now, sitting across from her, he realized that the rumors didn’t even do her justice. She wasn’t just immune to persuasion; she was as hard to crack as an eggshell.
This completely ruined his original plan. If charm and kindness wouldn’t work, he had nothing else left to bargain with.
“Director Xu, here’s the thing. I know you currently have a major project in progress. One that’s guaranteed to be profitable. Coincidentally, I also have one. That’s why I invited you here today. I was hoping we could explore the possibility of a mutually beneficial partnership.”
“Are you referring to the project ‘Twin Beauties,’ Mr. Wang?”
“Twin Beauties” was a major historical production directed by the renowned director Zeng Ming. The story followed two highly skilled female swordswomen caught between good and evil, navigating betrayal, love, hatred, and loyalty, and eventually rising to dominate the martial world together. Director Zeng Ming had won several international film awards and was highly respected both at home and abroad. Any film he directed was practically guaranteed to be a box office success.
To date, Zeng Ming had directed seven major historical films, all of which had gained wide acclaim. The actors in his films always rose to fame. Even the least successful among them had managed to become third-tier celebrities, which spoke volumes about his influence.
It was indeed a very attractive project. Xu Qingyan felt tempted. Guaranteed box office returns meant that her investment was unlikely to suffer losses. At worst, she would break even. However, in business, she believed profits were a must. If something couldn’t guarantee a gain, she had to think carefully before moving forward.
“Your project is certainly appealing, Mr. Wang, but I still want to say…”
Before she could finish her sentence, there was a knock at the door.
After receiving a nod from Xu Qingyan, Wang Fan called out, “Come in.”
A talent agent from Wang Fan’s company stepped in. When the agent noticed that there was an outsider present, he didn’t speak right away but instead gave Wang Fan a look, signaling him to step outside for a moment.
“Director Xu, it seems something urgent has come up. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Xu Qingyan understood and gave a slight nod.
Once Wang Fan left with the agent, Xu Qingyan noticed that her seat was starting to feel uncomfortable, likely from sitting too long. She stood up to stretch a little.
Standing in place quickly became boring. She didn’t want to just wait around, so she walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the street below.
At that moment, a familiar figure entered her line of sight.
The person had their head lowered, so Xu Qingyan couldn’t be sure at first. She kept watching closely.
A few moments later, the person lifted their head, and Xu Qingyan finally saw the face clearly.
She hadn’t been mistaken.
That familiar figure was Li Ge.