A Vicious Female Rival Omega is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 5

After completing that main quest, Ye Yixi managed to enjoy a rare few days of peace. The System didn’t hand down any new missions. However, her “wine and meat” friends remained relentless, constantly badgering her to come out for dinners and gatherings. Initially, Ye Yixi didn’t want to have too much intersection with these people, but she did harbor a bit of a fondness for drinking. Back home, she would occasionally head out with friends for a few glasses, so unable to resist the temptation, she ultimately agreed to go out for a meal with them.

The club was, as expected, a paradise for the youth. The overhead lights shifted continuously in a kaleidoscope of colors, and a hot, sexy DJ spun tracks that had the entire crowd moving. Ye Yixi wore a leather jacket over a midriff-baring camisole, looking every bit the edgy biker babe. Jiang Li, the original owner’s close friend in this world, came straight toward her and threw an arm around her shoulder. This person was the second daughter of a massive food conglomerate. She cheerfully pulled Ye Yixi over to a booth, where the table was already stacked with an array of drinks and fruit platters.

The moment Ye Yixi sat down, a few beautiful Omegas crowded around her, startling her so badly she slid several seats away to the side. Jiang Li couldn’t help but tease, “Haven’t seen you in a few days, Miss Ye. Have you suddenly turned into a pure, innocent little Alpha?”

“These… aren’t my type.” Ye Yixi pulled her jacket a bit tighter, pretending to scan the surrounding crowd with a look of utter, arrogant disdain. The faces of those Omegas instantly soured.

“She just has a terrible mouth, don’t mind her, big sisters! Come sit with me instead!” Jiang Li smoothed things over with a curved, sunny smile. Sporting the face of a pure, sweet girl while being sweet-talking, wealthy, and incredibly adept at pleasing people, she was practically the reigning queen of popularity in this venue.

Seeing Ye Yixi’s clear resistance, no one else came over to ask for a snub. She had originally intended to strictly control her alcohol intake—the miserable hangover from before had left her with quite a psychological shadow—but as the night wore on, she got swept up in the fun. The constraint she felt initially gradually dissolved. By the early hours of the morning, Jiang Li was half-supporting a thoroughly intoxicated Ye Yixi out of the club’s entrance. She waved her hand, signaling that Jiang Li didn’t need to see her off; she could just wait for her driver right here. Ye Yixi felt she hadn’t quite reached the point of being unable to stand.

“Alright then, stay safe!”

With a flushed face, Ye Yixi nodded and leaned heavily against a metal pole. As she waited, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The night breeze carried a chill, scraping against her skin and making her shiver. Suddenly, her footing slipped, and she felt herself crash right into someone. In her dazed state, she couldn’t see clearly; her head seemed to bury itself into a spot that was incredibly soft and fragrant…

When she woke up again, she was back in her own bed. Her head was still dizzy and heavy, but overall, it wasn’t nearly as miserable as the first time. She had wanted to get some proper rest, but heaven gave her no breathing room whatsoever. Along with a new mission window popping open from the System, a bombshell piece of news appeared across the hot search boards of every major social media app on her phone.

【 Ye Yixi & Shen Qingran Romance Rumor (HOT) 】

The dizziness in Ye Yixi’s brain vanished instantly. She frantically tapped into the top-trending search topic, greeted by headlines from various marketing accounts: “Y Group Heiress Ye Yixi and S-Entertainment Princess Shen Qingran Secret Midnight Rendezvous; Two Entertainment Giants Suspected Alliance Through Marriage…” Below the text were several snapshots captured by paparazzi. Ye Yixi was leaning entirely against Shen Qingran, her arm wrapped firmly around the other’s waist in an undeniably intimate posture.

Ye Yixi felt like she was going to spit blood. Wasn’t that photo from when she stepped out of the club last night? Why on earth was Shen Qingran there? She tried desperately to remember, but her mind drew a complete blank. How was she supposed to know what happened when she had blacked out?!

“Host, last night you were standing drunk by a pole. Shen Qingran happened to pass by after finishing a gathering at a friend’s place. You plunged headfirst straight into her embrace, holding onto Shen Qingran for dear life and refusing to let her leave…”

Shut up! Ye Yixi was going absolutely insane. How could she have done something so utterly embarrassing? Her mind was in a tangled mess right now. Was this plot drifting further and further off course? Landing a romance rumor with Shen Qingran—she could bet anything that this segment absolutely did not exist in the original text! Was this the direction brought about by the butterfly effect…

After forcing herself to calm down for a moment, she opened the System’s mission tab:

“Please clarify the romance rumor with Shen Qingran within three days. Reward upon completion: 1 Point.”

So, clearing up this rumor was an absolute must; otherwise, how was she supposed to counterattack and become the official love interest? This kind of incident would completely tank her impression points in Zhen Xiaobai’s heart. Annoyed, Ye Yixi ruffled her messy hair and threw her phone to the side in frustration.

These past few days offered absolutely no peace. Messages from all sorts of relatives and friends exploded, asking if this matter was actually true. Even the original owner’s mother, who was currently abroad, called to inquire. Her other mother—the Chairman of the Y Group—was actually quite pleased upon seeing the news. After all, their families were a perfect match in status; if this worked out, it would be a beautiful arrangement and a massive boost to the company.

However, under Ye Yixi’s vehement denials, Chairman Ye finally dropped the idea and agreed to let her daughter immediately prepare a press conference for clarification.

In the lore of this book, wealthy second-generation socialites like them possessed a level of fame no lower than actual celebrities. On the eve of the press conference, Ye Yixi wanted to coordinate with Shen Qingran. But looking at Shen Qingran’s chat box in her messaging app, she kept typing and deleting, completely at a loss for how to open the conversation. After hesitating repeatedly, she finally plucked up the courage to send a sticker first, only to be met with a stark red exclamation mark.

…………So she had been blocked long ago.

Three days later, the press conference went ahead as scheduled. The venue was packed with journalists. On that day, Ye Yixi had somehow managed to clear her wardrobe only to wear the exact same color as Shen Qingran, making them look like they were sporting a couple’s outfit. Although both pulled long, sour faces to demonstrate they were completely unacquainted, when the Q&A segment arrived, Ye Yixi nearly had the powder on her face scraped off by the cluster of microphones thrust at her.

“Miss Ye, may we ask why you were at the club entrance with Miss Shen that night?”

“With such intimate movements, are you truly not together?”

“As the heiresses of the two largest companies in the entertainment industry, have you two considered a marriage alliance?”

…………

The room was a cacophony of overlapping voices, sealing them in completely. Ye Yixi had absolutely no idea what kind of nonsense she had spouted that day; all she knew was that she had denied her relationship with Shen Qingran in every way possible. Yet, the conclusion of this press conference did not lead to the resolution she had anticipated. Instead, the heat surrounding the topic only intensified.

The reason was that the paparazzi agency actually had leftover stock, pushing the matter straight to the absolute peak of public opinion.

Ye Yixi stared at the new photos appearing on the hot search. Every single one featured Shen Qingran stealthily escaping her villa that morning, with a ragged piece of cloth draped over her head. A wave of profound heartache washed over her. The paparazzi had captured that from so long ago? Does this mean she had been completely played by a syndicate of paparazzi?!

With the matter fermenting to this extent, even someone as wealthy as Ye Yixi couldn’t suppress the trending metrics. There was simply no blocking the gossiping hearts of the netizens. Under their relentless chatter, Ye Yixi’s mission was officially declared a failure. Denied her point, Ye Yixi felt a river of sorrow flowing backward within her. More importantly, Zhen Xiaobai was bound to find out. Did a version of herself like this truly stand a chance at pursuing the female lead?

With a chest full of fury and nowhere to vent, she wrote Shen Qingran’s name on her pillow and proceeded to beat it furiously with her fists. Yes, it’s all her fault, wuwu.

Over the subsequent period, Ye Yixi simply indulged in eating, drinking, and slacking off, adopting a total “flat-lying” attitude. She didn’t check on the female lead, nor did she bother with Shen Qingran. By the time the System handed down a mission again, a month had unconsciously slipped by.

As she made her way to the filming location, Ye Yixi was filled with anxiety. That xianxia film had already begun shooting. The new mission instructed her to rescue the female lead, which meant Zhen Xiaobai would face some form of danger today. Coupled with her total uncertainty about whether this romance strategy route could even continue, her confidence had taken a severe beating.

When she arrived on set, it happened to be a mid-scene break. Off to the side, Zhen Xiaobai was having her hair and makeup adjusted by an assistant. Sporting an adorable double-bun hairstyle, she looked bright and charming, very amiably chatting with her stylist.

Once Ye Yixi confirmed the female lead’s location, her gaze began to drift around the area. She had heard that Shen Qingran would also be visiting the set today. Having not seen her for a month, she felt a bizarre sensation that resembled… missing her? The moment Ye Yixi realized she was harboring such a thought, she was utterly shocked. Why on earth am I thinking about that woman? Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!

So, Ye Yixi settled herself into a shaded spot, leisurely enjoying a platter of fruit her assistant had sliced for her. Today was an outdoor location shoot, and the scenery was quite lovely, with a small river running out front. Ye Yixi’s gaze drifted aimlessly until she spotted figures down by the riverbank. Staring intently, she realized it was the very same Shen Qingran she had been searching for earlier.

Furthermore, Shen Qingran wasn’t alone. Standing right beside her was another person whose status bar was radiating a brilliant golden light. It felt like discovering a new continent; Ye Yixi’s eyes snapped wide open. Good heavens, the official love interest of the book’s female lead—Gu An—had actually appeared today!

Gu An was currently dressed in her costume, wearing a flowing white robe with her hair half-bound. Her somewhat cold, abstinent features gave her a distinctly immortal, ethereal aura when portraying the master. Ye Yixi truly hadn’t anticipated that the trending young actress starring alongside Zhen Xiaobai in this movie would turn out to be her official love interest…

Ye Yixi continued to watch the duo without blinking. Seeing Shen Qingran tuck a strand of hair behind her ear with a thoroughly gentle, soft expression, she suddenly remembered: Shen Qingran develops a deep, unrequited crush on Gu An later in the story. No wonder she acted so quiet and demure in front of this person—it was a night-and-day difference compared to how she behaved around her!

Heh. Who knew Shen Qingran possessed two different faces? She certainly knows how to put on an act! Ye Yixi ground her teeth, her grip tightening around her fork until her knuckles turned white. She proceeded to shove piece after piece of fruit into her mouth, as if venting some unspoken frustration.

It wasn’t until someone tapped her on the shoulder that Ye Yixi snapped back to reality. She looked up to find her assistant standing beside her, staring down with an utterly unreadable expression. After a long pause, the girl finally managed to squeak out a sentence.

“Miss Ye… how about I go cut another platter for you? Let’s… maybe skip eating the rind this time?”

Ye Yixi looked down at the watermelon rind in her hand, chewed down until only half a piece remained, then looked up at her assistant and glared fiercely.

“I happen to love eating the rind. Mind your own business.”