The Heartless Omega: I Only Want My Daughter - Chapter 5

Once Xiao Doubao returned to her room, the warmth left Pei Zhiyun’s face completely. She turned to look at the woman standing there. Wen Ying still hadn’t taken off her hat and mask, which covered nearly her entire face, leaving only a pair of clear, clean eyes that looked deceptively innocent.

In the book, the descriptions of Wen Ying were much like this: someone who understood little of the world’s sophistication, a piece of cannon fodder whom no one missed when she died.

After Pei Zhiyun had transmigrated and married her, she had merely treated Wen Ying as a useful background character. Wen Ying was obedient, followed every instruction, and stayed out of trouble. In some ways, Pei Zhiyun had been quite satisfied with her at least until Wen Ying started frequenting brothels while Pei Zhiyun was pregnant.

Pei Zhiyun sat on the sofa and flicked her eyes toward the space beside her, signaling Wen Ying to approach.

Wen Ying obediently removed her mask and hat and sat opposite Pei Zhiyun. Her posture was instinctively straight due to years of noble upbringing, and her eyes so much like Xiao Doubao’s stared directly at Pei Zhiyun. The scene looked very much like a headmistress disciplining a student.

Pei Zhiyun got straight to the point. “Whether in the past or now, a divorced couple cannot live together. However, considering you are new to this world and understand nothing, I will give you three months to adjust. After three months, you move out. At that time, I will give you visitation rights so you can see Xiao Doubao.”

Wen Ying only half-understood the terminology, but she understood the core reality: she was penniless, living under someone else’s roof, and had to follow orders.

“Understood,” Wen Ying said.

Since she agreed, Pei Zhiyun had nothing more to say. She led Wen Ying to the guest bedroom and gave a brief tour of the room’s facilities. She then went to the walk-in closet and picked out a set of pajamas and an outfit for the next day. Since she had already taught Wen Ying how to dress at the hospital, she didn’t repeat the lesson.

Beyond clothes, she meticulously explained the toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, scrubbing mitts, towels, and bathrobes. Wen Ying nodded along, memorizing everything.

Since it was late, Pei Zhiyun told her to wash up and sleep. She checked on Xiao Doubao, saw that the child was out cold, and then retired to her own room.

The next morning, Pei Zhiyun was jolted awake by a chaotic racket coming from the living room. She checked her phone: 7:08 AM.

Because of the chaos with Wen Ying, she hadn’t hit the pillow until 4:00 AM. She’d only had three hours of sleep, and Xiao Doubao hadn’t slept much longer. Why was it so loud so early?

“Ooh! Haha! I like this one!” “This is fun! Mommy, your turn!”

The living room was still buzzing.

Unable to sleep through the noise, Pei Zhiyun threw off her covers and stomped out. She opened the door to find the TV blaring and Xiao Doubao driving her toy electric train around a track on the floor.

Wen Ying was squeezed into the tiny train carriage behind Xiao Doubao. She was tall with long limbs, making her look incredibly cramped and awkward sitting on the toy.

As the train looped around, Xiao Doubao finally spotted Pei Zhiyun. She waved with a bright smile. “Mommy, you’re up! I had Wife make you breakfast. Go wash up and eat!”

Breakfast? Pei Zhiyun hadn’t taught Wen Ying how to use the kitchen last night.

Panic surged through her. She sprinted across the living room and dove into the kitchen to check the gas and electrical switches. She inspected everything frantically; luckily, everything was turned off, and the counters were wiped clean.

Pei Zhiyun let out a breath of relief and stepped out. The ding-ding-ding of the toy train had stopped. Xiao Doubao was standing obediently beside Wen Ying, her little head bowed looking exactly like someone who knew she was about to get scolded.

Pei Zhiyun looked at Wen Ying, who avoided her gaze and began nervously patting Xiao Doubao’s head.

“Who told you two to make breakfast?” Pei Zhiyun asked sternly.

This was no small matter. A four-year-old brat and an ancient person who just walked out of a storybook neither of them knew how to operate a stove. If they had made a single mistake, the consequences would have been disastrous.

The pressure Pei Zhiyun radiated was so intense that the “big” and “little” ones huddled together, practically trembling. After a moment, Wen Ying raised her hand tentatively. “I… I wanted to make it for you.”

“You?” Pei Zhiyun clearly didn’t believe her.

Sensing the mood was turning south, Xiao Doubao stepped forward to take the blame. “I told her how to do it! It was just fried eggs and sausages. We didn’t touch anything else!”

Frowning, Pei Zhiyun walked to the dining table to inspect the “breakfast.” It was sandwiches with bread, fried eggs, and sausages, simple fare. Back when she first brought Xiao Doubao home and didn’t know how to cook much herself, she used to make this when she was busy.

“Mommy, don’t be mad. I supervised the whole thing! It smells great, and I already ate mine,” the kid said, giving a thumbs-up and a cheeky wink.

As Pei Zhiyun walked over in exasperation, Xiao Doubao immediately scurried behind Wen Ying’s legs. “Mommy, I know I was wrong! Don’t be mean, I won’t do it again!”

She apologized with lightning speed.

“You!”

Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

Pei Zhiyun’s phone started blaring from the bedroom.

“Mommy, someone’s calling! Maybe Auntie Zhou is calling about work!” Xiao Doubao said cleverly.

“Auntie Zhou” was Zhou Jing, Pei Zhiyun’s manager. Pei Zhiyun had just finished a job and was supposed to be off for the week. Normally, her manager wouldn’t call during her rest time.

Ring, ring! The phone kept ringing. Pei Zhiyun headed back to the bedroom, but not before issuing a warning: “Don’t touch anything in the kitchen except the fridge. If you do, I’ll kick your ‘Mommy’ out.”

“Okay! Understood!” Xiao Doubao chirped.

Once Pei Zhiyun was gone, the child immediately grabbed Wen Ying’s hand and motioned for her to lean down. Wen Ying crouched and pulled her close. “What is it?”

Xiao Doubao whispered in her ear, “Mommy acts tough, but she has a soft heart. As long as you’re good to her, you can stay. I’ll help you!”

“But Miss Pei, she…”

“Shh! You have to call her Wife (Lao-po),” Xiao Doubao corrected her.

Wen Ying was confused. “What does ‘Wife’ mean?”

“It’s…”

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang suddenly.

Xiao Doubao looked toward the entrance and whispered quickly, “It’s a new word for a lady, but it sounds much better. Remember to use it, Mommy loves being called that!”

“I see,” Wen Ying memorized the tip.

The doorbell grew more insistent. Xiao Doubao pulled Wen Ying toward the door, but stopped her before she could open it. “Mommy, look at the screen up there to see who it is.”

Wen Ying stepped forward and saw a moving figure on a rectangular screen. The face was familiar, it was the lady who had been at the hospital last night. “It’s that ‘Wife’ from last night.”

“Ah!” Xiao Doubao was horrified. She grabbed Wen Ying’s hand. “Mommy! You can use the word ‘Wife’ because it sounds nice, but you can only call Mommy that! You can never call another woman ‘Wife,’ okay?”

“Oh… okay,” Wen Ying understood.

“Pei Zhiyun! Pei Lecheng! Open up!” Gu Yan shouted from outside.

Wen Ying pressed the handle and opened the door. “Pei—”

Gu Yan had expected to see either Pei Zhiyun or the child. She certainly didn’t expect Wen Ying to be the one answering the door.

“Morning, Auntie Gu!” Xiao Doubao waved. “Why are you here so early? Did you miss me?”

“Where’s your mommy?” Gu Yan pushed past her, habitually reaching for slippers in the shoe cabinet.

Xiao Doubao pointed to the bedroom. “Someone called her, so she’s in there. She hasn’t come out yet.”

“It must be Sister Zhou,” Gu Yan guessed.

Xiao Doubao’s eyes widened. “How did you know? Did Mommy get on the ‘Hot Search’ again?”

Hot Search? Wen Ying wondered. What is that?

Gu Yan let out a cold snort and rolled her eyes at Wen Ying. “You really are a smart brat. Your mommy isn’t just on the hot search, she’s on there with this mother of yours.”

“Ah!” Xiao Doubao covered her mouth, looking up at Wen Ying. “Was it from when we left the hospital last night?”

“Bingo,” Gu Yan said.

Wen Ying didn’t understand, but she could tell from their expressions that this wasn’t good news.

Just then, Pei Zhiyun emerged from the bedroom. Seeing no one in the living room, she was about to check the guest room when she spotted the three of them by the door.

Gu Yan stepped in. “What did Sister Zhou say?”

The two of them were under the same agency and shared Zhou as a manager.

“She wants me to explain who she is, a ‘new flame’ or an ‘old love’.”

Last night, a paparazzi had caught them leaving the hospital. At 7:00 AM, the news broke, and the topic exploded. The photos showed several angles, including one where Pei Zhiyun was leaning in to buckle Wen Ying’s seatbelt.

The headlines were everywhere:

• #Pei Zhiyun’s Wife Revealed
• #Pei Zhiyun’s Family of Three
• #Who is Pei Zhiyun’s Wife?
• #Pei Zhiyun’s New Romance
• #Pei Zhiyun Buckling a Stranger’s Seatbelt

Ever since Xiao Doubao appeared, Pei Zhiyun had faded from the spotlight. Aside from occasional work news, she hadn’t had this much “heat” in a long time.

Gu Yan sat down. “What did you tell her?”

Pei Zhiyun glanced at Wen Ying, switched her phone to her other hand, and walked toward the sofa. “I told her she’s Xiao Doubao’s biological mother and we recently got back in touch. I said we were at the hospital because she was admitted and I brought the kid to visit. I claimed I didn’t know we were being followed.”

“Are you going to clarify it publicly?”

This kind of thing needed a formal statement, or netizens would start wild rumors that could damage her reputation and affect the child.

Pei Zhiyun sat down and placed her phone on the table. “I have to. I told Sister Zhou I’d post a clarification on Weibo.”

Gu Yan sat beside her. “What are you going to say?”

Xiao Doubao led Wen Ying over just then. Pei Zhiyun looked up, her gaze meeting Wen Ying’s.

“I’m sorry,” Wen Ying said, bowing her head. “I have caused you trouble.”

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