The Villainous Female Side Character Pretends to Be an Omega in the Apocalypse and Raises a Cat - Chapter 15

The kitten lifted its fluffy head.

In its emerald pupils was reflected Chi Yingdong’s absent-minded expression.

The woman’s long, delicate eyelashes drooped, casting fragmented shadows beneath her eyelids while also obscuring the emotions in her eyes.

“Meow?”

What’s wrong?

The kitten gently patted the back of Chi Yingdong’s hand with its soft paw pads, its concern unmistakable, while its tail curled into a question mark behind it.

The kitten keenly sensed that Chi Yingdong was deliberately maintaining a calm facade, and this attempt to conceal only made the kitten more curious.

What had happened during the short nap it had taken?

Chi Yingdong steered the conversation elsewhere. “Rest a little longer, and then it’ll be time for exercise.”

The other’s evasive attitude saddened the kitten. There was something Chi Yingdong didn’t want to share.

Aware of this realization, the kitten drooped its ears and tail.

Weren’t they getting along just fine earlier?

Chi Yingdong had even risked danger to find instant noodles for it, so why couldn’t she share what had happened now?

The kitten’s heart ached with bitterness. It felt it wasn’t the most trusted companion to Chi Yingdong.

The sense of security built over this period seemed to be teetering on the edge.

The kitten was utterly aggrieved.

“Meow.”

Alright.

Chi Yingdong had braced herself for the kitten’s bristling fur and resistance, never expecting such a swift agreement.

The kitten’s cooperation raised Chi Yingdong’s eyebrows in surprise, leaving her to wonder what had changed the kitten’s mind.

There was still some time before the exercise session. Meng Qinghe leaped to the top of the cat tree.

Before the apocalypse, she would spend half her day on the cat tree, admiring the scenery outside.

But since the rain started, she had lost interest in climbing up there.

The relentless downpour battered the floor-to-ceiling windows, obstructing the view.

From above, the entire city was submerged in floodwaters, streets had turned into rivers, and buildings stood like isolated islands adrift.

Just as Meng Qinghe was recalling the plot and calculating how long it would take for the floodwaters to recede.

The overhead light suddenly emitted a sharp, crackling sound, startling the kitten. Its ears flattened like airplane wings, and it arched its back, staring intently at the light bulb.

The sound of electric current echoed through the room but didn’t last long. However, the light in the room went out.

The sudden incident dispelled the kitten’s melancholy.

With the floodwaters refusing to recede, it was only a matter of time before the electrical circuits were affected and short-circuited.

Chi Yingdong had long been prepared for this day. She retrieved a generator from her spatial storage.

The sudden appearance of such a large object made Meng Qinghe jump down from the cat tree, watching Chi Yingdong’s actions intently.

At first, the kitten was full of enthusiasm, eager to learn this new skill. But soon, it found the operation overly complicated and lost interest.

Fortunately, Chi Yingdong worked swiftly, and before long, bright white light once again dispelled the darkness.

“Once you’ve rested, it’s time to start exercising.”

The kitten eagerly approached the treadmill, a tiny figure not even as tall as the machine itself.

Chi Yingdong looked at the kitten with an amused smile. “Ready?”

The kitten lifted its head and responded in a drawn-out tone, “Meeoow.”

Its rising inflection was brimming with confidence.

Chi Yingdong chuckled lightly, pressed her fingertip to the control panel, adjusted the speed, and the low hum of the treadmill filled the room.

Meng Qinghe stared at the moving belt, tentatively extending a pink paw pad to touch it, only to retract it the moment it made contact with the rubber surface.

Chi Yingdong reassured, “It’s only on the third setting, not fast.”

Learning that the treadmill wasn’t set to a high speed, the kitten mustered its courage, leaped onto the machine, and began to run at a steady, unhurried pace.

Seeing the kitten gradually adapting to the current speed, Chi Yingdong increased the pace a bit, shifting to the fourth gear.

The kitten, being light on its feet, handled the fourth gear with ease and even let out a few “meows” toward Chi Yingdong, demanding a greater challenge.

Chi Yingdong hesitated. “Are you sure you want me to go even faster?”

“Meow!” The kitten let out a short, affirmative cry, its eyes resolute.

Chi Yingdong obliged and raised the speed by another gear.

The transition from fourth to fifth gear was a significant jump, the rubber treadmill belt spun noticeably faster.

The kitten worked hard to adjust the rhythm of its four paws, its tail standing upright like a flagpole behind it.

Chi Yingdong kept a close watch on the kitten’s condition. Once sure it could handle the pace, she changed into workout clothes and stepped onto the treadmill next to the kitten.

At first, the two ran independently, but gradually, it turned into a competition to see who had more stamina.

The kitten, still young and lacking exercise, slowly fell behind the speed of the treadmill belt, its small body being carried backward by the rubber surface.

On the verge of falling, the sensation of losing balance sent the kitten scrambling for something to hold onto.

Fortunately, being a feline, it quickly regained its footing.

Chi Yingdong’s lips curled into a smile as she teased the kitten, “What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?”

A true warrior never admits defeat.

Gritting its teeth, the kitten pushed on.

Chi Yingdong quickly warned, “Stop if you can’t handle it, don’t fall!”

No sooner had she spoken than the kitten’s paws slipped, sending it stumbling forward.

Its front claws frantically grabbed the front guardrail, leaving it in a comically awkward position.

Chi Yingdong hurriedly hit the stop button on the treadmill.

The kitten, now curled into a ball on the floor, buried its head tightly against its belly with both paws.

It looked as though it had been hurt, huddled in pain.

Chi Yingdong reached out anxiously to check for injuries, her voice urgent. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

The kitten remained silent.

Afraid of aggravating any potential injury, Chi Yingdong didn’t dare pull the kitten’s paws away.

She felt a wave of regret, she had considered the kitten might get bored and had left some toys for entertainment, but she hadn’t considered that it could get sick or injured and might need a vet.

Her mind raced through the list of residents in the community. She remembered that one of the residents in Building 6 was a doctor, though she wasn’t sure if they could treat a kitten’s injuries.

They probably could, the principles were similar, after all.

As Chi Yingdong was lost in thought, she didn’t notice the kitten stealing glances at her.

Seeing Chi Yingdong’s expression grow increasingly worried, the kitten decided it was time to stop the act.

“Meow, meow, meow.”

I’m fine.

The little furball stood up, and Chi Yingdong carefully inspected it from head to tail.

Once assured the kitten was unharmed, she felt both relieved and annoyed. “Don’t joke like that, you scared me.”

Meng Qinghe stared blankly at the kitten for a moment before leaping into Chi Yingdong’s arms.

In Meng Qinghe’s eyes, Chi Yingdong was practically an invincible superhero.

Hearing her say she was scared made Meng Qinghe realize that she might hold a tiny bit of importance to her.

Meng Qinghe didn’t want to admit she craved affection, but she was genuinely happy.

Resting its front paws on Chi Yingdong’s arm, the kitten nuzzled her cheek affectionately, full of trust.

“Meow, meow. Meow, meow, meow.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

The kitten’s fluffy head tickled Chi Yingdong’s cheek, sending a warm, fuzzy feeling straight to her heart.

Her frustration melted away, softened by the kitten’s coquetry. “I forgive you. Let’s call it a day for training, we’ll gradually increase the time later.”

Distracted earlier, the kitten only now began to feel the exhaustion.

It sprawled flat on the floor like a pancake, panting heavily.

Chi Yingdong glanced at the kitten, then checked the timer on the treadmill, deciding to finish the remaining workout.

After her exercise, the kitten dragged the tablet over and nudged it toward her, asking for help turning it on.

Unlocking the tablet, Chi Yingdong noticed the signal indicator flickering between “No Service” and a faint signal.

She took out her phone, it had no signal at all.

The WeChat group chat had been silent for the last 20 minutes.

The sudden power outage had once again thrown the residents’ group into chaos, with over 99+ unread messages.

Compared to the anxiety of running out of food, the lack of electricity was even harder for modern people to accept. The chat was flooded with wailing emojis.

Hiding at home during the apocalypse was already boring enough. Without electronic devices to entertain themselves, they’d go stir-crazy.

Knock, knock, knock.

The doorbell suddenly rang, someone was knocking on their door.

Who could possibly be visiting them?

Chi Yingdong leaned close to the peephole and saw Xu Luo.

Xu Luo was holding a large cardboard box, tightly sealed, making it impossible to tell what was inside.

Standing beside Xu Luo was Xu Chuyao. The little girl seemed much more energetic today than she had been yesterday.

Chi Yingdong opened the door.

Xu Luo was about to greet her when the brightly lit room behind Chi Yingdong caught her off guard, making her eyes widen. Her resolve grew even firmer.

This is a real lifesaver, I need to hold on tight!

Xu Luo handed over the box in her arms.

Chi Yingdong instinctively took it. “What’s this?”

Xu Luo scratched her head. “I’m not sure either. Someone delivered it this morning.”

Then she added, “Were you not home this morning? I came up earlier to look for you, but there was no answer when I knocked.”

Her words carried a hint of caution, worried that the other might misunderstand her intentions.

Chi Yingdong recalled Qiao Ying’s text message. This box was probably sent by Qiao Ying.

“Keep it,” Chi Yingdong said, pushing the box back into Xu Luo’s arms. “It should be food inside.”

“No, no, I can’t.”

Xu Luo hurriedly refused.

Their own apartment was on a low floor. Given the current rate of rising floodwaters, it wouldn’t be long before their home was submerged.

By taking them in, Chi Yingdong had indirectly saved them and solved their impending housing problem.

With Chi Yingdong helping them so much, Xu Luo had nothing to repay her with. How could she possibly accept Chi Yingdong’s food?

Ignoring Xu Luo’s refusal, Chi Yingdong turned to Xu Chuyao. “Are you hungry?”

“Not hungry.”

Xu Chuyao swallowed instinctively but shook her head firmly.

Her mother had repeatedly reminded her at home to thank Sister Chi for taking them in, and little Chuyao had taken it to heart.

Xu Chuyao peeked behind Chi Yingdong. “Sister, can I play with the kitty?”

“Sure,” Chi Yingdong nodded.

With permission granted, Xu Chuyao took off her shoes and carefully stepped inside.

When Meng Qinghe spotted Xu Chuyao, her eyes lit up, and her tail began to wag happily behind her.

Even though the other was just a child, having someone to chat with for a bit was more than enough to satisfy her.

A tablet was nowhere near as fun as a child.

Meng Qinghe abandoned the tablet and hopped onto Xu Chuyao’s lap.

Xu Chuyao gently stroked the kitten’s back, and Meng Qinghe closed her eyes contentedly.

Being petted by a child felt completely different from being petted by Chi Yingdong, but she loved both sensations equally.