A Heartless Omega Regrets It When I’m Dying - Chapter 9

During the lull while Lin Wantang stood in a daze, the tiny kitten had timidly left Wen Zhiqing’s warm ankle and was wobbling toward Lin Wantang’s feet.

Lin Wantang looked down at the small ball of fur, her eyelid twitching involuntarily. Though the kitten was tiny, she could tell from its black-and-white pattern that it was a “cow cat.”

Is this the cat Wen Zhiqing brought home?

Lin Wantang looked toward Wen Zhiqing with suspicion. Wen Zhiqing was looking down, leaning over to extend a hand to block the stumbling kitten’s path. She then gently scooped up the meowing, protesting creature and placed it back by her feet.

“You can’t go over there.”

Wen Zhiqing stroked the kitten’s black-and-white head. Her tone wasn’t as cold as when she spoke to Lin Wantang; it even held a trace of imperceptible tenderness.

The cow kitten shrank back timidly by Wen Zhiqing’s feet, curling itself into a tiny black-and-white ball, though its clear eyes remained fixed on Lin Wantang without blinking.

Lin Wantang looked around and, sure enough, saw a cat bed in the corner of the living room, next to a massive cat tree covered in toys.

Even though Wen Zhiqing treated her poorly, she had always been patient with small animals. Lin Wantang noticed the kitten’s fur was clean and its claws had been carefully trimmed.

It seems Wen Zhiqing really intends to raise this kitten? Lin Wantang glanced at the tiny fluff ball again, confused by Wen’s sudden urge to have a pet. Or was it a gift from someone?

Lin Wantang knew very well that the people in Wen Zhiqing’s social circle wouldn’t gift her an ordinary cow cat. Besides, even if someone did, Wen Zhiqing usually wouldn’t accept it.

Unless… unless that person was Qi Yishu. If the “White Moonlight” gave it to her, Wen Zhiqing would surely accept it and care for it meticulously.

But that had nothing to do with her anymore.

Lin Wantang let out a soft sigh, thought for a moment, and looked back at Wen Zhiqing. “Do you have time tonight? I want to talk to you about something.”

Wen Zhiqing remained lazily reclined against the sofa cushions, her neck slightly arched, her jaw and throat forming an elegant line that disappeared into her loose collar. Upon hearing Lin Wantang’s voice, the corners of Wen’s lips curled slightly. Without much thought, she guessed what Lin wanted to talk about.

Lin Wantang was shallow and vain. She undoubtedly wanted to use the events of today as a pretext, putting on a show of deep affection just to calculate some benefit for herself.

Usually, Wen Zhiqing wouldn’t even deign to look at her, letting her talk to herself, but now Wen suddenly felt a spark of interest. She certainly wouldn’t give Lin Wantang a single benefit, but she wanted to see this overreaching clown beg for mercy.

Only then could she repeatedly strip away this superficial liar from the image of the sun-bright junior in her memories.

Wen Zhiqing lifted her eyes to Lin Wantang. Indeed, Lin no longer looked anything like her high-spirited university self. Under the warm light of the living room, Lin’s features remained lush and exquisite, but she looked far too exhausted—leaving an impression of hollow silence. Like a piece of precious porcelain covered in hairline cracks; beautiful, yet lifeless.

Wen Zhiqing had forgotten when Lin Wantang had started turning into this, but she didn’t care.

“Wen Zhiqing, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things these past few days.”

Seeing Wen Zhiqing look at her, Lin Wantang knew it was a sign she was willing to talk. She tried her best to speak calmly. “Actually, I’ve realized that we aren’t suited for each other. My previous thoughts were foolish and seemed to cause you a lot of trouble. I’m very sorry.”

Wen Zhiqing raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn’t expected Lin Wantang to take a slant approach instead of using today’s events as an entry point.

Lin Wantang took a short breath and continued softly, “And perhaps you have someone you would rather be married to, so… do you want to divorce me?”

She had intended to say she wanted the divorce, but then she remembered Wen Zhiqing hated feeling controlled. If she were the one to propose it, Wen Zhiqing would definitely be dissatisfied. She didn’t want to argue with Wen anymore; she just wanted a smooth exit.

After speaking, Lin Wantang looked at Wen Zhiqing candidly. Surely Wen was the one who wanted the divorce more. Once Wen’s lawyers drafted the agreement, they could separate completely after the 15-day observation period. Since she had never marked Wen Zhiqing—not even a temporary mark—the 15-day period was essentially a formality.

Wen Zhiqing listened, a trace of faint mockery curving her lips. She rested her chin on her hand, lounging on the armrest, looking at Lin Wantang with the high-altitude pity one might show to a fish on a cutting board.

She thought that Lin Wantang’s elaborate circuitousness was just a probe. The liar wanted to test whether she was truly going to be discarded.

—How pathetic.

But it was impossible for Wen Zhiqing to pity Lin Wantang. She withdrew her gaze, her tone casual: “What does that have to do with you?”

“If you want a divorce, I will agree. Once the agreement is drafted, just give it to me to sign.” Lin Wantang added after a thought, “I won’t take any of your assets. After the divorce, I’ll move out of this villa immediately. I won’t cause you any more trouble.”

Wen Zhiqing slowly sat up straighter. After a moment, she gave a nonchalant scoff. “What? Found a new person already? Or is this just a ‘retreat to advance’ tactic?”

She had almost been fooled by Lin Wantang’s candid gaze again. For a split second, she was almost willing to believe Lin truly wanted a divorce, proving that Lin was indeed a born liar.

Wen Zhiqing reasoned that Lin Wantang had no work and couldn’t find any in the short term, so she literally couldn’t afford to leave her. Meanwhile, the rumors between herself and Qi Yishu were rampant; she wouldn’t divorce now and push Qi Yishu into the line of fire. Lin Wantang must have analyzed all of this, which was why she felt bold enough to ask about a divorce.

Lin Wantang listened to the ridicule in silence, her face showing no surprise or sadness. She stood there quietly, like a tangerine tree that had long since withered and snapped in the cold winter.

Her gland began to throb again. Lin Wantang slowly pressed her hand against it, trying to remember where she had put the painkillers when she came home.

Wen Zhiqing said something, and the kitten meowed, but Lin Wantang didn’t have the energy to listen. As the dull pain in her neck suddenly intensified, Lin swayed and grabbed the wall for support. She finally remembered the medicine was in her coat pocket.

Fortunately, it wasn’t far. She could get it herself.

Lin Wantang leaned against the wall, slowly shuffling toward the coat rack. The pain made cold sweat seep from her fingertips, leaving wet fingerprints across the expensive decorative wall.

But no one helped her. No one even looked at her.

Wen Zhiqing had already stood up and was personally heating goat milk for the kitten. The milky scent soon filled the room, making the cow-spotted kitten meow excitedly.

By the end, Lin Wantang was practically staggering. The uneven texture of the wall material scraped against her fingertips, bringing bursts of sharp pain. Her nails turned white, then the skin broke and bled. The wet fingerprints she left behind slowly turned into a blurred, watery red.

At last, she grabbed the coat and fumbled out a bottle of gland painkiller.

Lin Wantang collapsed to the floor. After a few gasps, she picked up the medicine. Her trembling fingers could barely hold the vial; she had to grip her own wrist tightly with her other hand to steady it before slowly injecting the medicine into her gland.

As the agony finally eased, Lin Wantang couldn’t help but let out a whimper—it was hard to tell if it was from sadness or relief.

The kitten’s urgent meowing stopped. Lin Wantang sat dazed on the floor and looked over; the kitten was focused on licking the goat milk from a shallow dish.

She also saw Wen Zhiqing. Wen was leaning over, stroking the cat, her eyes overflowing with a tender, near-doting look that was entirely foreign to Lin Wantang. She knew; Wen Zhiqing was always gentle with small animals.

It was good. She hadn’t disturbed them, and they hadn’t disturbed her.

Her heart was already numb to such things. Lin Wantang looked down with a light smile and stood up slowly to find a band-aid for her fingers.

Her phone vibrated. She didn’t pay it any mind as she carefully bandaged the small scrapes on her fingertips. After she finished, it vibrated again. She took it out and saw a friend request from a stranger. The profile picture was a landscape.

It was an ordinary photo of a green lawn. Lin Wantang felt the lawn looked familiar but couldn’t place it.

[Junior, it’s Qi Yishu.]

[A friend of mine is preparing a new drama and can’t find the right actors for some roles. Would you be able to help out?]

Lin Wantang felt a flicker of interest, but also hesitation. She didn’t accept the request immediately. She knew that with her current physical condition and the frequent gland pain, she would only be a burden to a film crew.

After a moment, she accepted the request but edited a polite refusal to send back.

[I’m sorry, Director Qi. My health hasn’t been great lately; I’m afraid I’d let you down.]

After sending the message, Lin Wantang put her phone down. As she stood up, she noticed Wen Zhiqing staring at the faint, bloody fingerprints on the wall, her expression dark.

After a long silence, Wen Zhiqing finally spoke, her voice detached: “How disgusting. I’ll have to find someone to re-decorate this place later.”