After Transmigrating into a Book, I Finally Have an Omega - Chapter 4

Cen Xin set up the laptop and projector. Chao Nanxi operated her phone, and a row of folders—neatly organized and named after each staff member of the studio—appeared on the screen.

“Let me see,” Chao Nanxi said, her tone slow and light with a faint smile. “What exactly has my high-paid assistant, who somehow never knows where I am, been up to?”

She double-clicked the mouse, and a news screenshot appeared.

It was a post from the previous year exposing Nanxi for carrying a fake designer bag. It had severely damaged Nanxi’s commercial value and permanently linked her name to the “fake bag” keyword in search results.

Scrolling down, there was a photo of the assistant showing off her own real version of that same bag, posted right when Nanxi was besieged by critics and left isolated without help.

Chao Nanxi smiled while admiring the assistant’s guilty expression. As the girl opened her mouth to defend herself, Nanxi clicked to the next slide.

“This is the bag purchased in my name for a shoot. It was charged to my card, and you were the person in charge of the transaction.”

She leaned against the side of the projection screen, a half-smile on her face. Her sudden, imposing aura was so heavy that the assistant couldn’t find her voice.

“Swapping my real bag for a fake one, making sure I look like a fool while you show off… talk about adding insult to injury.”

“What else is there…”

“Ah, the birthday party you organized for me. The reported expenses were astronomical, but the reality? It was so shabby I was mocked by the entire internet. The actual cost was dozens of times less than what you pocketed. Quite an appetite you have; I’m impressed.”

The images began to auto-play, showing everything the assistant had embezzled in Nanxi’s name. Every image was accompanied by irrefutable evidence.

In the silence, the final slide appeared. On the left was the ledger; on the right were the legal sentencing standards. The bold red numbers instantly terrified the assistant into bursting into tears.

“Nanxi, please, forgive me just this once!” The assistant stumbled toward Nanxi, her arrogance completely gone.

“Sure.”

Chao Nanxi nodded with mock sincerity. “Considering you’ve been by my side for so long, I’ll give you ‘once.'”

Hearing this, Cen Xin felt an uncontrollable wave of disappointment. Was history about to repeat itself? If it goes on like this, I still won’t escape…

“I’ll waive the cost of that designer phone case you stole. I’ll clear the small change as my good deed for the day. How does that sound?”

Chao Nanxi sneered and let the mouse glide randomly over the other folders. No one knew what “surprises” lay inside. Every time the cursor slowed down, the person involved broke into a cold sweat.

“Miss Makeup Artist, shall we have a chat?”

She selected the file but didn’t open it immediately. Even Nanxi didn’t know exactly what ‘surprises’ were inside, but she relished the feeling of holding the timing of the blade in her own hands.

Whether it was out of empathy for the original Nanxi or a pure hatred for betrayal, she felt that while making these people pay, she shouldn’t forgo her privileges as their creditor.

“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” The makeup artist trembled as she blurted out several names. “I took their money to sell your schedule.”

She paused to gasp for air like a fish out of water, tail thrashing wildly in the mud, finding no way to save herself. “Including the leaked costume tests from before—that was me too.”

Chao Nanxi felt a sharp pang in her heart—the lingering consciousness of the original Nanxi acting up. A memory surfaced: it was the film Nanxi had wanted to do most, but she had been recast because the materials were leaked.

Chao Nanxi looked at the makeup artist and then scanned the room. Except for Cen Xin, the defeated looks on everyone’s faces seemed like a mockery of the trust Nanxi had once given them.

“You have one hour to list everything you’ve done.”

“You have until noon tomorrow to turn yourselves in. I only want cash for what you owe me. And don’t forget to issue a public apology to me on social media.”

“Don’t even think about half-assing it. If a single item is missing, I’ll personally ensure you all become ‘legal case’ celebrities.”

Her tone, as cold as a death knell, was the brief silence before the blade fell. With one stroke, Chao Nanxi cut through their hypocritical relationships.

Chao Nanxi gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white. This score wasn’t just being settled for her, but for the Nanxi who had spiraled from brilliance to brokenness.

She and Cen Xin walked toward the parking lot in silence until Cen Xin pulled a set of car keys from her bag and handed them over. Nanxi suddenly realized something.

“So… even the driver was scamming me?”

Unsure whether to laugh or cry, Chao Nanxi sincerely felt that aside from her acting talent, the original Nanxi lacked every other life skill imaginable.

Although Cen Xin didn’t want to discourage her, she nodded truthfully.

“This is such a failure,” Chao Nanxi muttered to herself as she tossed the keys back to Cen Xin.

“I think so too…” Cen Xin replied instinctively, only to receive a resentful glare from Nanxi.

“Let’s just take a taxi back,” Chao Nanxi said. Since no one was paying attention to her anyway, she decided to let herself go. “I’ll drop you off.”

She quietly observed Cen Xin. She had seen the capabilities of Nanxi’s elder brother; there was no way he would investigate everyone and miss Cen Xin. When she hadn’t seen Cen Xin’s name on that “debtor list,” a sudden spark of joy had risen in her heart.

She was relieved that even in this new world, her instinct for identifying allies was still working. Although she didn’t know Cen Xin well and the original Nanxi’s memories were useless, the facts proved she had trusted the right person.

“Sister Nan,” Cen Xin said, pulling an envelope from her bag. The word ‘Resignation’ was starkly visible under the streetlights. “I want to resign.”

Resign?

Chao Nanxi was bewildered. Cen Xin went through all this effort just to quit?

Seeing no response, Cen Xin quickly explained, “Actually, Sister Lan already fired me verbally today, but please… give me the chance to leave on my own terms.”

This was the dignity she needed to protect.

Chao Nanxi didn’t say a word. Instead, she reached out and pushed the envelope back toward Cen Xin. Her fingertips pressed against Cen Xin’s knuckles, stubborn and persistent.

“Cen Xin.”

The hostility around Chao Nanxi had vanished, replaced by a gentle tone. “Aren’t you curious why I trust you?”

Trust. It was a beautiful word, one that could be catalyzed in an instant by some unpredictable detail.

Earlier that morning, Nanxi had stood by the window, watching the argument between Wang Lan and Cen Xin from a third-party perspective. Wang Lan was overbearing, while Cen Xin, in that moment, looked like a cat caught in the rain.

She had used up all her strength to smash that window; she didn’t even know how to fight back when bullied. Seeing her with her head down made Nanxi really want to scratch her under the chin.

Why? Cen Xin had certainly asked herself this question.

Before today, she was the assistant furthest away from Nanxi. she did all the errands and chores, but she didn’t even have a name in Nanxi’s presence. When others were scamming Nanxi, it wasn’t that Cen Xin hadn’t tried to warn her, but time and again, Nanxi had continued to trust the wrong people.

Yet today, Nanxi had not only protected her but trusted her firmly. But this trust was sudden and, to her, seemingly unstable.

“I’ll send you home. As for your questions, I’ll answer them tomorrow when you come to see me.”

Seeing Cen Xin waver, Chao Nanxi quit while she was ahead. She walked a few steps forward, and the little assistant followed as expected. They sat in the back of the taxi, one on each side.

“Breaking news: popular actress Nanxi is reportedly involved in a criminal case…”

The news flash on the radio mentioned Nanxi’s name. Cen Xin immediately asked the driver to turn it off.

“Don’t worry,” Chao Nanxi said, looking out the window, using this time to familiarize herself with this strange city. “Let the rumors fly for a bit. I’ll handle it.”

To be honest, after everything that happened on her first day here, Chao Nanxi was exhausted. Too many knowns and unknowns were piled up in her mind, waiting to be sorted.

Back at home, Chao Nanxi turned on the lights. Seeing a house of several hundred square meters with almost nothing inside, she felt a sudden pang of sadness.

At this moment, she finally understood why she kept projecting herself into Nanxi’s experiences. At their core, they were the same kind of person. They had no sense of belonging, but they shared a powerful resonance regarding their dreams. Although their journeys were different, in the end, they were just two poor souls with nothing to their names.

Sitting by the window, Chao Nanxi looked into the distance. The lights of the city looked like a bustling galaxy from afar, while she and the original Nanxi were adrift outside the excitement.

She closed her eyes and recalled Nanxi once more. She saw the family’s opposition when Nanxi said she wanted to act. She saw the crushing frustration when there were no auditions to be found.

At this point, she somewhat understood why Nanxi trusted Wang Lan so much—when the whole world disrespected Nanxi’s dream, Wang Lan told her: “You are a born actor, destined for the stage and the camera.”

In that despair of having no one’s validation, Wang Lan had accidentally hit the mark, using the most flamboyant words to voice Nanxi’s deepest longing.

“So silly,” Chao Nanxi stood up, her perspective shifting. Replacing the gloom of the memories, a light returned to her eyes.

“From now on, I will protect our dream!”

Cen Xin tossed and turned all night, but in the end, she chose to go find Nanxi.

The moment she rang the doorbell, the door flew open. A slender, fair hand reached out, grabbed Cen Xin’s wrist, and pulled her inside with urgent impatience.

“Cen Xin, I need you.”

Author’s Note:

Little Assistant’s Work Diary:

She wasn’t a “Holy Mother” (overly forgiving pushover) today. Unexpected.

Chao Nanxi: I’m taking over Nanxi’s life.