When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive (Quick Transmigration)

When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 15

by Little Panda

Volume One: Those Years I Was a CEO

A Guaranteed Loss

Kong Yushu’s 《Once More, A Fluttering Heart》¹ was already in preparation, and Yixin Entertainment’s official Weibo account had posted about the variety show’s concept and the invited guest members. Instantly, it shot up the Weibo hot search rankings, with clicks rapidly surpassing several hundred thousand. Both topic discussion and traffic² heat were soaring rapidly³. Many viewers expressed anticipation for this kind of never-before-seen variety show, especially since the invited guests were couples who had publicly announced their relationships, and all were currently popular celebrities paired with non-celebrities⁴, directly maxing out⁵ the audience’s expectation and curiosity levels.

Especially the first and last guest pairings.

The first pair was You Jiayi and Xu Corporation’s CEO, Xu Wen Nuan. The last pair was the Film Queen⁶ Lin Shuyi and Qi Corporation’s CEO, Qi He, who were about to register their marriage.

All four were individuals currently generating high levels of topic discussion.

Qi He was participating in the recording because he felt the variety show would be a hit, so he invested a portion, considering it a second collaboration with the Xu Corporation Group.

You Jiayi and Wen Nuan’s recording for 《Once More, A Fluttering Heart》 had to be completed before the New Year, totaling two weeks. As soon as You Jiayi finished recording 《Crazy Saturday》, she would have to go record 《Once More, A Fluttering Heart》.

《Crazy Saturday》 was recorded in B City and was currently the hottest indoor variety show. It had three fixed MC⁷ hosts, was an entertainment variety program focusing mainly on game competitions, supplemented by singing and dancing.

No matter what tier⁸ of celebrity you were, getting on this show proved you were genuinely popular⁹.

This time, 《Crazy Saturday》 invited the main creative team and lead cast of the drama series 《Qing Yan》.

Director He Chuan.

Female lead You Jiayi, male lead Gong Yurao, second female lead Cai Zi, and second male lead Qiao Si¹⁰—five people recording together.

There were nearly five hundred people in the live audience, and it was also being recorded via live stream.

The recording time was nearly five hours, divided into song and dance performances, drama promotion and actor introductions, followed by game segments and punishment segments for the losing side.

You Jiayi had participated in a talent show before, so she performed a dance segment on the spot. The audience found it familiar and immediately recognized it as the theme song dance from that year’s 《Star Show Girls》¹¹, instantly flashing back to the frenzy of fan C-voting¹² back then.

They screamed from the audience seats: “Six plus One, Six plus One, top-notch looks and talent…”¹³

As You Jiayi danced, she felt increasingly awkward. This fan voting slogan had indeed sounded rousing back then, but hearing it now was truly mortifying.

Especially since the main cast of their 《Qing Yan》 drama team were all suppressing laughter beside her. It was utterly humiliating¹⁴.

You Jiayi quickly finished dancing, thinking the audience might forget after others performed.

But during the host interviews, it was intentionally brought up again.

“Wasn’t the dance Jiayi just performed the theme song dance from 《Star Show Girls》?” Host A teased.

You Jiayi felt helpless inside but put on a shy smile outwardly: “Yes, that’s the only dance I know. Please excuse my poor performance¹⁵.”

“Not poor, not poor at all! On the contrary, it made us nostalgic for those passionate days of fan voting,” Host B laughed, looking towards the audience. “Everyone, am I right?”

The audience immediately cooperated, shouting: “Yes——”

You Jiayi: “…..”

Infinite social death¹⁶.

There were three rounds in the game segment. Each round, one team member would be chosen for punishment, determined by spinning a large wheel to select the penalty item.

Three rounds of games, You Jiayi’s team lost all three. By the last round, You Jiayi was the only one left to choose the punishment.

Holding a dart, You Jiayi stared intently at the large wheel. With a flick of her wrist, she threw the dart, directly hitting the yellow section of the wheel.

Host C drew a slip of paper from the yellow box, opened it, and chuckled, “Eh? This punishment is quite interesting.”

Seeing the host’s gloating¹⁷ smile, You Jiayi’s heart dropped¹⁸.

“We all know Jiayi has recently hit a double harvest in career and love¹⁹, so this time the punishment is related to Jiayi’s love life,” Host C held the slip towards the camera. The large screen quickly captured the paper’s content and projected it behind them.

Everyone looked over, all surprised and excited.

You Jiayi looked, her eyes widening, her heart tightening abruptly.

On the large screen was written: Call your lover. You must compel him/her to say “You’re too annoying” within five minutes. Considered punishment task success. Otherwise, considered failure, and you must continue receiving punishment.

You Jiayi: “……”

Host A immediately called out to You Jiayi’s manager below the stage: “Come on, let’s have Jiayi’s phone brought up on stage.”

Shu Changning, seeing the staff member already in front of him, could only smile resignedly and hand over You Jiayi’s phone.

Host A handed the phone to You Jiayi, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, Jiayi, accept your punishment.”

You Jiayi took the phone, feeling utterly despondent²⁰. She opened her contacts; the first number was Xu Wen Nuan’s, but she had saved it as “CEO Xu.”

When it was broadcast on the big screen, the entire nation’s audience saw that the name You Jiayi saved for Xu Wen Nuan was too formal. It didn’t feel like a contact name appropriate between lovers; this kind of name felt more like one between a company superior and subordinate.

[Live Comments]

: No way, could You Jiayi and Xu Wen Nuan really be in a sugar daddy/mommy relationship? This contact name is way too proper, right?

Flowery Brocade: Told you long ago, how could the CEO of the Xu Corporation Group possibly fall for an actress²¹?

Little Cutie: The Xu Corporation Group is practically a super-rich family²², their CEO is destined for a power marriage²³ with another rich family. How could she possibly fall for a woman? It’s impossible between two women.

Heaven and Earth: Thought You Jiayi found true love this time, turns out, hehe, she’s nothing in the eyes of the rich.

Laughing Last: You Jiayi’s base nature is hard to change²⁴. That incident with the Qi Corporation CEO last time definitely had some hidden story. She probably couldn’t latch onto CEO Qi, so she went to hug the thigh²⁵ of the Xu CEO.

Hehe Smile: Agreed. After all, people climb upwards²⁶. Compared to the Qi Corporation Group, the Xu Corporation Group is much more powerful. CEO Xu’s net worth is in the tens of billions²⁷.

…..

In an instant, the live stream was flooded with negative comments²⁸, continuously scrolling.

The director saw the live stream feed and immediately signaled the host to quickly ease the atmosphere.

Host A gave an awkward laugh: “Aiya, the way you two save contacts is quite unique, hahaha.”

Shu Changning watched the live stream interface on his phone, his expression dark.

They were all scolding You Jiayi, saying she was clingy, had a terrible personality, that she was being kept by Xu Wen Nuan.

He hadn’t expected You Jiayi’s contact name for Xu Wen Nuan was still “CEO Xu.” Even if it wasn’t something intimate like “Dear” or “Baby,” it should at least have been “Xu Wen Nuan,” right?

What on earth were these two playing at?!

You Jiayi smiled slightly, “Mm, I respect her very much.”

Host A: “Shall we start dialing then? Timing starts the moment CEO Xu picks up. Remember to turn on speakerphone.”

“Okay.” You Jiayi took a breath and tapped dial.

[Live Comments]

Chirpchirpchirp: See that? You Jiayi looks panicked and scared. I bet this call won’t even connect.

Chrysanthemum Ground Sore²⁹: Sigh, another simp³⁰-level person, tsk tsk, the entertainment circle is truly dirty dirty.

Laughing My Ass Off: People nowadays, so dark, can’t stand to see others doing well.

Few Birds Slag Slag³¹: Aiyo, the person above is clearly one of You Jiayi’s simp fans, tsk tsk.

……

The bullet comments³² had already erupted into a flame war between You Jiayi’s fans and the general netizens, arguing incessantly.

Back at the recording site, You Jiayi’s heart pounded as she dialed the number.

It was already past 7 PM. At this time, Wen Nuan might still be handling business at the company. She was afraid of disturbing her work.

The phone rang three times (‘Du du du’) and was then answered. The moment it connected, the online bullet comments stopped their arguing, wanting to hear what the relationship between these two was like.

“Hello, what’s wrong?” Wen Nuan was still dealing with matters. Her phone rang, she saw it was You Jiayi, and thought, Isn’t she recording a variety show at this hour?

Why would she call me?

“Aren’t you recording a variety show right now? Why are you calling me?” Wen Nuan asked, surprised.

You Jiayi thought Wen Nuan was watching the live stream and asked in surprise, “Are you watching the live stream?”

“No, still handling things at the company.”

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. If Xu Wen Nuan had been watching the live stream, this punishment would lose all its meaning.

You Jiayi exhaled in relief. “Are you very busy? Did I disturb you?”

Wen Nuan chuckled. “Not disturbing. Have I ever not answered your calls?” She glanced at her computer screen. “It’s this late, have you eaten dinner? I didn’t receive your dinner photo.”

Still recording a show, how could she possibly have eaten dinner?

“Not yet, I’ll eat in a bit. I’ll send you a picture then, okay?”

“Alright. If you don’t eat dinner, just watch how I deal with you,” Wen Nuan said, pretending to be fierce.

The female lead needs to be disciplined when she gets disobedient!

You Jiayi blushed and stammered an “Mm.”

[Live Comments]

Got It³³: What the heck is this? Managing your three meals a day, isn’t this love?

Fairy Arrives: Dying! Dying! So sweet, CEO Xu sounds so gentle when she talks, even when threatening someone she sounds so gentle!

Fate³⁴: This clearly looks like true love, okay? Only people with warped views always assume relationships in this world are dirty.

……

Host A saw the two chatting hotly and immediately nudged You Jiayi, pointing at the screen, silently mouthing: Do the task, time’s ticking.

You Jiayi suddenly remembered she still had a task.

“Um, CEO Xu?”

“CEO Xu? How many times have I told you, what should you call me?” Wen Nuan felt the female lead just ate but didn’t learn her lesson³⁵.

You Jiayi got nervous and forgot about the address issue again. “Wen Nuan, um, when are you eating dinner?”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“Then… what did you eat?” You Jiayi didn’t know what to ask and could only seek help from her teammates.

“Ate broccoli and beef, not bad. Next time you come over, I’ll take you to try it.” The cafeteria made steak today, the taste was great. Wen Nuan tearfully ate two servings.

You Jiayi saw Gong Yurao shaking his head, signaling her to be deliberately unreasonable.

She said awkwardly, “But… but I don’t like broccoli and beef. You don’t understand me at all?”

“…..” Wen Nuan glanced at her phone. It was You Jiayi’s number, but those words didn’t sound like something You Jiayi would say?

“Haven’t you always quite liked broccoli? I’ve seen you eat beef too. Aren’t the things you dislike fish and eggplant? You won’t eat tomatoes still on the vine, find cantaloupe too sweet, and many others I remember?” Wen Nuan had thoroughly researched the female lead back when doing tasks. “What? Have your tastes changed now? Then tell me now, I’ll jot it down.”

The sound of Wen Nuan picking up a pen and paper transmitted through the microphone; everyone present heard Wen Nuan intending to record You Jiayi’s preferences.

[Live Comments]

Little Kid Here: Oh my god, what kind of heaven-sent fairy-tale love³⁶ is this?

Grave Digger: Aren’t CEOs supposed to be cold and awesome³⁷? How come this CEO Xu is so doting?

: CEO remembers You Jiayi’s preferences very accurately. As an old fan of You Jiayi, what the CEO just said was all correct.

Wind Stops, Heart Still Beats: Does this kind of love really still exist? I thought it was extinct?! My worldview was too narrow.

……

You Jiayi hadn’t expected Wen Nuan to remember her preferences, and so accurately too. Her heart filled with emotion and gratitude.

She felt she couldn’t continue the task anymore.

Host A immediately gave You Jiayi a suggestion, prompting her to guide Xu Wen Nuan to say that phrase.

“Um… I was kidding. My preferences haven’t changed.”

Wen Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. “See? The person who understands you best is me. How could your preferences change so easily?” My investigations are never wrong.

The System coolly interjected: 【Then did you investigate that the female lead would fall for you?】

Wen Nuan: “……”

“You’re still working, and I keep disturbing you like this,” You Jiayi asked under Host A’s urging gaze, “Do you maybe feel… I’m too annoying?”

“How could I?” Wen Nuan felt the female lead loved to overthink things day in and day out³⁸. “Didn’t I tell you? I like it when you take the initiative. Anytime, anywhere, you can ask me for anything, and I will satisfy you.”

“Even if you check my post³⁹ twenty-four hours a day, I wouldn’t find you annoying,” Wen Nuan chuckled.

The System sighed emotionally: 【No wonder you could play the field⁴⁰ in your original world, manipulating various men without being condemned. With these methods of yours, getting someone you want should be incredibly easy, huh?】

Wen Nuan sighed. “Circumstances forced me back then. It was a faster way to make money. At most, it involved saying a few sweet nothings⁴¹ to men, promising them they were the only one⁴². Lying is simple.”

And disgusting.

【Then are these things you’re saying to the female lead also lies?】 the System asked curiously.

Wen Nuan paused. “….No.”

Since I said I’d give it a try, there’s no need to deliberately resist or avoid some greetings and words of affection.

The entire national audience and everyone present were force-fed a huge bowl of dog food⁴³.

Host A looked at the timer and immediately shouted, “Punishment task failed!”

“CEO Xu, Jiayi failed the game just now, so the punishment was to call her lover and get the lover to say ‘You’re too annoying’ to succeed,” Host A quickly explained to Wen Nuan. “Unfortunately, you never said it, so Jiayi failed.”

You Jiayi said embarrassedly, “I kept trying to lead you on, but you wouldn’t say it.”

“What could I say?” Wen Nuan teased, “Shouldn’t you have known this outcome already?”

You Jiayi paused. “Known what?”

“That for this punishment, you were definitely guaranteed to lose.”

Footnotes

I’m changing the title, I’m really but at remembering these things.
流量 | liúliàng | Lit. “flow volume”; Internet slang for web traffic, engagement, or popularity.
蹭蹭上漲 | cèngcèng shàngzhǎng | Lit. “scrape scrape rise”; Colloquial phrase meaning to rise quickly or surge upwards.
素人 | sùrén | Lit. “plain person”; Refers to someone who is not a celebrity or public figure, an ordinary person.
拉滿 | lā mǎn | Lit. “pull full”; Internet slang meaning to maximize something or push it to the limit.
影后 | yǐnghòu | Lit. “Shadow Queen”; Prestigious title for a best actress award winner, signifying top status.
MC | Refers to Master of Ceremonies, or host, commonly used in variety shows. This is the first time I fully knew what an MC was.
咖位 | kāwèi | Slang term originating from Taiwanese Hokkien, referring to an entertainer’s status, ranking, or level in the industry.
实火 | shíhuǒ | Lit. “real fire”; Internet slang meaning genuinely popular or trending, not just hyped.
喬司 | Qiáo Sī
《星秀女孩》 | Xīng Xiù Nǚhái | Lit. “Star Talent Girls”. Chose ‘Star Show Girls’ as it flows.
打榜 | dǎbǎng | Lit. “hit the rankings”; Refers to activities aimed at boosting a celebrity or show’s position on various charts, often involving fans voting, buying products, or increasing social media engagement.
六加一，六加一，顏值實力一等一 | Liù jiā yī, liù jiā yī, yánzhí shílì yīděngyī | “Six plus One” likely refers to You Jiayi’s name (佳宜 Jiāyí sounds like 加一 jiāyī, “plus one,” and 尤 Yóu sounds vaguely like 六 liù “six”). “颜值实力一等一” means “Looks (face value) and ability are first-class.” This is a typical fan chant.
丢脸丢到家去了 | diūliǎn diū dào jiā qù le | Lit. “lose face until it reaches home”; An idiom meaning to be extremely embarrassed or disgraced.
献丑了 | xiànchǒu le | Lit. “presented ugliness”; A polite/humble phrase used when performing or presenting something, meaning “please excuse my lack of skill/poor performance.”
无限社死 | wúxiàn shèsǐ | “Infinite social death.” 社死 (shèsǐ), lit. “social death,” is popular internet slang for extreme public embarrassment or humiliation.
幸灾乐祸 | xìngzāilèhuò | Lit. “rejoice in calamity, delight in disaster”; Taking pleasure in others’ misfortune, schadenfreude.
心里咯噔一下 | xīnli gēdēng yīxià | Lit. “heart thumped once”; An expression describing a sudden feeling of unease, nervousness, or a sinking feeling in one’s stomach.
事业爱情双丰收 | shìyè àiqíng shuāng fēngshōu | Lit. “career love double bumper harvest”; An idiom meaning success in both career and romantic life.
心如死灰 | xīnrúsǐhuī | Lit. “heart like dead ashes”; An idiom meaning completely disheartened, discouraged, or hopeless.
戏子 | xìzi | An old, often derogatory term for actors/performers, implying low social status.
豪门 | háomén | Lit. “magnificent gate”; Refers to wealthy and influential families, old money, or powerful clans.
强强联合 | qiángqiáng liánhé | Lit. “strong strong join forces”; Often refers to strategic alliances or marriages between powerful entities/families.
劣性难改 | lièxìng nángǎi | Lit. “inferior nature hard to change”; Means someone’s bad character or inherent flaws are difficult to correct.
抱大腿 | bào dàtuǐ | Lit. “hug big thigh”; Internet slang meaning to latch onto someone powerful or influential for personal gain, to ride someone’s coattails.
人往高处爬 | rén wǎng gāochù pá | Lit. “people crawl towards high places”; Proverb meaning people naturally strive for higher status or better situations.
身价百亿 | shēnjià bǎi yì | Net worth of ten billion (百亿 bǎi yì = 100 * 100 million = 10 billion). This is roughly $1.37 billion USD as of early April 2025.
恶评如潮 | èpíng rú cháo | Lit. “bad reviews like the tide”; A flood of negative comments or criticisms.
菊花满地伤 | Júhuā mǎndì shāng | Lit. “Chrysanthemums cover the ground, wounded.” 菊花 (júhuā – chrysanthemum) can also be vulgar slang for anus, lol.
舔狗 | tiǎngǒu | Lit. “licking dog”; Derogatory internet slang for a sycophant, someone who fawns over another person (often unrequitedly or to curry favor), a simp.
几鸟渣渣 | Jǐ niǎo zhāzhā | Likely a trolling screen name. 鸟 (niǎo – bird) can be slang for penis. 渣渣 (zhāzhā) means dregs/scum.
弹幕 | dànmù | Lit. “bullet curtain”; Scrolling comments overlaid on videos, common on Chinese streaming sites.
磕到了 | kē dào le | Internet slang from fandom culture, lit. “knocked into it” or “hit it”.
冥冥之中 | Míngmíng zhī zhōng | Lit. “in the unseen world/darkness”; Implies fate, destiny, or some invisible force guiding events.
记吃不记打 | jì chī bù jì dǎ | Lit. “remembers eating but not being hit”; Idiom meaning someone doesn’t learn from past mistakes or punishments, incorrigible.
天仙配 | tiānxiānpèi | Lit. “heavenly immortal pairing”; Refers to a perfect match, often alluding to the famous folktale “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl” (where a heavenly fairy marries a mortal).
高冷牛逼 | gāolěng niúbī | 高冷 (gāolěng) means aloof/coldly elegant. 牛逼 (niúbī) is vulgar slang meaning awesome/badass.
一天天就爱胡思乱想 | yī tiāntiān jiù ài húsīluànxiǎng | Lit. “day after day just loves to think randomly”; Means someone tends to let their imagination run wild or worry unnecessarily.
查岗 | chágǎng | Lit. “check post/sentry”; Slang for checking up on one’s partner, monitoring their whereabouts or activities, often implies possessiveness or lack of trust, though here used playfully.
游戏人间 | yóuxì rénjiān | Lit. “play game human world”; To treat life like a game, often implies a carefree, detached, or even manipulative approach to relationships and life, drifting through without serious commitment.
甜言蜜语 | tiányán mìyǔ | Lit. “sweet words honeyed phrases”; Sweet talk, honeyed words, often implying flattery or insincere promises.
唯你不可 | wéi nǐ bùkě | Lit. “only you cannot lack/must have”; Means “you are irreplaceable,” “it has to be you.”
按头吃了好大一盆狗粮 | àntóu chīle hǎo dà yī pén gǒuliáng | Lit. “head pressed down to eat a large basin of dog food.” 狗粮 (gǒuliáng – dog food) is popular internet slang for public displays of affection (PDA) that make single people feel envious or awkward. 按头吃 (àntóu chī – head pressed down to eat) implies being forced to witness it. The whole phrase means being intensely subjected to a couple’s PDA.

Volume One: Those Years I Was a CEO

Footnotes

0 Comments