A Heartless Omega Regrets It When I’m Dying - Chapter 7

Lin Wantang did not sleep soundly that night. In her dreams, she was pursued by a hideous, terrifying monster. Eventually, the creature pressed close to her, its sharp fangs poised to pierce her neck.

She woke up gasping for air, only to see Wen Zhiqing’s stunningly beautiful face illuminated by the morning light.

They were pressed close together, Wen’s warm breath brushing against the side of Lin’s neck. Lin could feel Wen Zhiqing’s body heat and catch a faint, cool scent of galbanum.

Lin Wantang thought for a moment and began to get up with extreme gentleness and caution. She still felt a throb of excitement from their physical proximity, but she understood now that this tenderness would not belong to her forever.

She didn’t linger to trace Wen Zhiqing’s features with her eyes countless times as she usually did. Instead, she simply threw on a coat, grabbed her clothes, and left the bedroom.

Changing outside the bedroom was a long-standing habit. Whenever she had an early morning shoot, she would change in the dressing room to avoid making noise and disturbing Wen Zhiqing’s deep sleep.

Lin Wantang ate her breakfast in silence and hurried to the set. She was as calm as an Alpha who hadn’t just learned her wife wanted a divorce.

She used to believe that if Wen Zhiqing ever brought up divorce, she would lose all hope, living like a hollow shell—perhaps even lacking the courage to go on. But now that the day might actually be coming, she could go to work calmly and even memorize her lines while waiting for traffic lights.

Perhaps Wen Zhiqing would produce a divorce agreement for her to sign soon. Before that happened, she really needed to take on more roles and save some money—at least enough for a down payment on a small house in the suburbs.

Since she mostly played supporting roles anyway, she could surely find suitable work if she auditioned more frequently.

At the set, while waiting for her makeup, Lin Wantang scrolled through casting calls for other productions.

Li Wen tapped her shoulder and handed her a beautifully packaged egg yolk pastry. “Why did you leave so early yesterday? This is a dessert my girlfriend brought; I saved a piece specifically for you.”

Lin Wantang took the treat. “Thank you. It smells delicious.”

“It is! And I have a secret to tell you.” Lin Wantang leaned in cooperatively, hearing the irrepressible joy in Li Wen’s voice: “My girlfriend and I are getting engaged next month! I feel so happy, it’s like a dream.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.” Lin Wantang smiled, offering her sincere blessing. “I wish you both a long life together and eternal harmony.”

“Thanks! You absolutely have to bring your wife along for the wedding drinks when the time comes.”

“Sure.”

She knew Li Wen might just be being polite, but she couldn’t help but think of Wen Zhiqing. By the time Li Wen got married, she and Wen Zhiqing would likely be long divorced. There was no need to tell Li Wen that, though; she didn’t want to dampen someone else’s engagement joy with her own troubles.

“Lin Wantang, over here for the rehearsal!”

Hearing her name, Lin responded and walked to the marked position.

Lin Wantang was the most diligent actor in the crew. Her lines and movements during rehearsals were almost good enough for the final cut, and she could easily draw out the emotions of her scene partners. Consequently, scenes featuring her usually went very smoothly. This was why, despite her quiet nature, she was well-liked.

After a successful shoot, before she even had a chance to take off her makeup, Lin Wantang was quietly stopped by an assistant from the directing team.

“Teacher Lin, it seems you’ve been implicated in a kidnapping case. The police need your cooperation for an investigation.”

Lin Wantang was momentarily dazed. “What?”

A moment later, she remembered that she had been through a kidnapping. A few months ago, Wen Zhiqing had been abducted by a business rival. When Lin arrived, she saw the terrifying red welts on Wen’s slender, pale wrists, and her heart nearly stopped. Almost instinctively, she offered to switch places with Wen. The world knew their marriage was stable; after much hesitation, the kidnappers finally believed her absurd logic—that if she stayed as a hostage, Wen Zhiqing could personally return to the company to retrieve the confidential files they wanted.

When the cold handcuffs snapped heavily onto her wrists, what welled up in Lin Wantang was a strange sense of peace. Because Wen Zhiqing was finally safe.

When the police eventually rescued her, she had struggled to consciousness while being lifted onto a stretcher. She had used every ounce of strength to turn her head, but she was surrounded by officers and doctors—everyone except the person she most wanted to see.

Looking back now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

“Thank you, I understand.”

Lin Wantang assumed this was just a supplement to the previous witness statements and followed the assistant to the police car with a calm expression.

But it wasn’t until she was led into a secluded interrogation room at the station that she realized this was different from the previous sessions. The room was small, the walls covered in soundproofing material. As she looked around, she saw professional recording equipment on the only table. She felt a sudden, baseless chill.

“Ms. Lin, we apologize, but we need to inspect your handbag and personal belongings first. Please don’t be nervous.”

Lin Wantang froze for a second, then calmly handed over her bag. She still didn’t know what was happening; she simply cooperated mechanically.

“Ms. Lin, we’ve brought you here today to verify some discrepancies in the kidnapping case. We hope you will answer our questions truthfully and completely.”

“Alright.”

“Ms. Lin, the kidnappers succeeded so easily because they had precise knowledge of Ms. Wen’s itinerary. During that time, did you proactively contact anyone? Or reveal Ms. Wen’s travel patterns to anyone?”

“No. Her daily schedule is managed by the secretariat and the security team. I was never informed of it, so naturally, I couldn’t reveal it.”

“According to our investigation, your marriage to Ms. Wen exists in name only. Ms. Lin, what was your motive for proposing the hostage exchange?”

“It had nothing to do with the state of our marriage. I proposed the exchange out of a partner’s responsibility.”

“Ms. Lin, please state all your activities during the period you were held. Also, can you provide any witnesses or physical evidence to support your account?”

“I…”

A sharp pain throbbed in her gland. Lin Wantang could no longer process what the officer was saying. Her fingers curled unconsciously, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

“In my bag… the gland painkiller.”

Through her blurred vision, she could only see the blinding white light of the ceiling, scattering into a thousand points in her pupils. She blinked slowly; as her lashes fell to block out the white spots, she finally realized she had collapsed from her chair to the floor.

“Ms. Lin, Ms. Lin, wake up.”

When Lin Wantang opened her eyes again, she saw a bottle of gland painkiller on the table, with a bit of residue still inside.

A young policewoman poured her a cup of warm water. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lin. We didn’t know this would happen. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No need, thank you.”

Under the circumstances, she obviously couldn’t continue the interrogation. After Lin had rested in her chair for a while, the officer stood up. “Ms. Lin, thank you for your cooperation. We ask that you do not leave the city for the time being.”

“How long is ‘the time being’?”

Lin Wantang took back her bag, looking dazed.

Once this production wrapped, she needed to find more work. If she couldn’t leave North City, her options would be severely limited. With the gland pain appearing so frequently, she already sensed the medical results might be grim. She had to save money immediately for an emergency.

She needed money. She needed to act.

“Once we’ve identified the final suspect who is still at large, it shouldn’t be too long.”

Lin Wantang didn’t know how she walked out of the station. She stood at a crossroad waiting for a light when she received a notification from the crew: her scenes were considered finished.

Likely, news of her being taken to the police station had spread, and the production team had “wrapped” her early to avoid risk, even though she still had a few minor scenes left. Lin felt a pang of regret; she was supposed to get a bouquet of flowers and a small cake at her wrap party. Now, she had nothing.

She didn’t return to Wen Zhiqing’s villa. Instead, she found a public study lounge, sat down, and stared blankly at the sky through the gridded glass windows. She didn’t move until the sky turned from a dull grayish-blue to a heavy, ink-black.

She truly didn’t want to go back to that luxurious house, but she had no choice. She couldn’t bring herself to waste her limited funds on a hotel.

When she passed through the living room of the villa, she heard Wen Zhiqing on a video call, discussing donation details with a stray animal rescue organization. Wen Zhiqing donated ten million of her personal assets to charity every year; Lin had always known this.

She stood dazed for a moment. Previously, she had thought Wen Zhiqing might eventually change her mind about her because Wen was still as kind as she was in university—sponsoring impoverished girls and rescuing strays.

But now, Lin Wantang understood: she was not within the scope of Wen Zhiqing’s kindness.

Fortunately, she didn’t care anymore.

Lin Wantang didn’t stop. She walked upstairs, washed up briefly, and lay down in bed. She was too exhausted to spend even a fraction of her energy on future plans. She soon fell into a deep, thick silence of sleep.

Some time later, Wen Zhiqing finished her meeting. She closed her laptop, paused, and sat in silence before heading upstairs.

She knew the police had questioned Lin Wantang again regarding the kidnapping. She knew Lin might be affected. But she wasn’t sure if Lin was actually involved in the case, so she could only stand by and let things take their course.

Wen Zhiqing pushed open the bedroom door and walked to the Alpha’s side of the bed.

Lin Wantang’s brow was furrowed, appearing restless even in sleep. Wen Zhiqing stared at her for a long time. Finally, she released a trace of galbanum pheromones, hoping to soothe her legal partner. The scent was faint, and Lin’s furrowed brow did slowly relax. However, when Wen’s finger brushed the corner of Lin’s mouth, Lin turned away as if avoiding a terrifying monster.

Wen Zhiqing jerked her hand back. She realized Lin Wantang had buried her nose deep into the corner of the quilt, as if escaping a foul odor.

It must be because she’s still having nightmares, Wen thought. It’ll be better when morning comes.

It will be better when morning comes.