The Villainous Female Side Character Pretends to Be an Omega in the Apocalypse and Raises a Cat - Chapter 9

The rain fell incessantly, and the lead-gray clouds hung oppressively low. The car moved along the chaotic main road of the city, and everything around felt dreary and suffocating.

As the tires rolled over the corpses on the asphalt road, the friction against the rotting flesh produced a sticky, bone-chilling sound.

Xu Luo gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

Chi Yingdong suddenly spoke, “Speed up.”

Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion, sending a shiver down Xu Luo’s spine. Her body reacted before her mind could process the command.

From the rearview mirror, she could see zombies rising from behind the toppled lampposts, their dull, gray eyes resembling those of dead fish in the rain.

Xu Luo slammed on the accelerator, the engine roaring as the car distanced itself from the zombies.

After shaking off the horde, the car came to a steady stop at the base of the residential building. Xu Luo let out a long sigh of relief.

Before she could fully recover, a silver arc flashed through the air, and Xu Luo hurriedly reached out to catch it.

When she finally had the object in her hand, she realized it was a set of keys.

By then, Chi Yingdong had already opened the car door and stepped out, heading toward the fire escape. Her boots made crisp splashes as they stepped into the puddles.

Chi Yingdong said, “I live on the top floor. If something major happens, you can come find me.”

Xu Luo replied, “Okay.”

Xu Luo clenched the keys in her hand, the lingering warmth still palpable on them.

It was similar to the impression Chi Yingdong gave, seemingly unapproachable, yet soft-hearted beneath the surface.

Chi Yingdong paused mid-step. Xu Luo might have her own little schemes, but those schemes were all for the sake of her wife and daughter.

Children without parental protection always had it harder, especially in this post-apocalyptic world.

Chi Yingdong clenched her fist, then slowly relaxed it, reminding her, “Things will only get more chaotic from here. It’s better to stock up on supplies now while fewer people are out searching for them.”

Xu Luo had already noticed Chi Yingdong scavenging through the mall earlier. Considering that factories had shut down after the apocalypse and supplies would become scarce, she had originally planned to settle her wife and daughter before going out to gather resources.

Chi Yingdong’s words solidified her resolve. “I understand,” Xu Luo said.

Xu Luo was grateful for Chi Yingdong’s reminders, but a simple “thank you” felt insincere. Instead, she just nodded.

In her heart, she silently vowed that if there was ever anything Chi Yingdong needed, she would do her best to help.

Meng Qinghe peeked at Chi Yingdong.

She knew the reason Chi Yingdong had let this family live on the 19th floor was because of Xu Chuyao.

But why had she reminded them to stock up on food afterward?

Returning home, Chi Yingdong tossed the keys into the celadon bowl in the entryway, the metallic clatter echoing through the room.

She set the kitten down on the floor and immediately headed to the bathroom.

Meng Qinghe quietly watched as the frosted glass of the bathroom door steamed up with white mist. She had noticed this before, Chi Yingdong’s first priority upon returning home was to shower and change into loungewear.

The waiting period before judgment was the most agonizing.

Meng Qinghe curled into a ball, her emerald-green pupils dilating and contracting with the fluctuating sound of running water. Her paws unconsciously clawed at the carpet.

Succumbing to a turtle-like mentality, she began to regret her admission. If only she had stubbornly denied everything.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Meng Qinghe felt as though she had been waiting for an eternity.

When she heard the bathroom door open and close, she lifted her head.

Chi Yingdong walked toward her, wrapped in a bathrobe. Her long hair, still wet, was loosely tied up with a hair ring, leaving two strands hanging by her temples and dripping onto her chest. Droplets of water traced a path along her collarbone, disappearing into the deep V-neck of her robe.

Watching Chi Yingdong walk barefoot across the oak floor, the faint blue veins on her ankles flickered in and out of view with each step.

Meng Qinghe instinctively retreated until her back hit the sofa, realizing with a start that escape was no longer possible.

With Chi Yingdong blocking the way ahead, she had nowhere to run.

Meng Qinghe felt utterly helpless.

Chi Yingdong crouched down, the hem of her bathrobe pooling on the floor, revealing the pale skin of her legs.

Meng Qinghe uncomfortably turned her head away.

Chi Yingdong lowered her gaze, her eyelashes casting shadows under her eyes as her slender fingers gently turned the kitten’s head back.

Her fingertips, still damp, lightly tapped the trembling nose of the kitten.

“Your name is Qinghe? Do you have a surname? Are you a cat demon?”

Three questions in a row bombarded Meng Qinghe, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Meng Qinghe: Huh?

She had considered that Chi Yingdong might suspect her of being a reincarnated soul or a time traveler, but she never expected her to jump to supernatural folklore.

The unexpected turn of events actually made Meng Qinghe relax a little.

“Meow.”

No.

Chi Yingdong frowned, she didn’t understand cat language.

But the topic she needed to discuss with the kitten wasn’t suitable for a third party to overhear.

As she pondered, Meng Qinghe nimbly leaped onto the TV cabinet, her emerald eyes quickly scanning the magazines on the table before her small paw landed on one of them.

Chi Yingdong looked at the spot where the kitten’s paw rested, right on the character for “no.”

Was it a coincidence?

Or could the kitten read?

Chi Yingdong asked, “Do you understand written words?”

Meng Qinghe nodded.

Chi Yingdong’s eyes darkened slightly. The kitten could read, this was getting even more intriguing.

Once she confirmed the kitten’s literacy, Chi Yingdong thought of a simpler and more efficient way to communicate.

She wrote the words “yes” and “no” on a piece of A4 paper and pushed it toward the kitten.

“I’ll ask questions, and you just answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

The kitten nodded.

Chi Yingdong asked, “When I spoke to you before, did you understand everything?”

Meng Qinghe hesitated for a moment, studying Chi Yingdong’s expression before her paw honestly landed on “yes.”

Suddenly, Chi Yingdong recalled the time she had taken the kitten to stockpile supplies and realized with a jolt that she no longer held her biggest secret in front of the kitten.

During her time surviving the apocalypse, Chi Yingdong had learned that no one could be relied upon, and no one could be trusted.

Meeting the kitten’s moist gaze, reason told her that the kitten knew too much and could no longer be kept. But swayed by her emotions, Chi Yingdong suppressed the thought.

Those who have never kept a pet might not understand the feeling of being depended on by a small life for a lifetime.

Having experienced it, Chi Yingdong refused to believe there was no bond between her and the kitten.

The days of companionship and shared moments couldn’t be fake.

Suddenly, Chi Yingdong felt there was no need to ask further. What was the point?

To get a “yes” or “no” answer?

Even if the kitten’s response wasn’t what she hoped for, she couldn’t bring herself to harm it.

She would keep a close watch on the kitten, and the kitten would remain hers alone.

So what if it knew her secret?

Understanding human speech wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it meant they could communicate from now on.

How sensitive were a kitten’s senses?

Meng Qinghe immediately sensed the flicker of killing intent from Chi Yingdong.

Remembering how she had clung to Chi Yingdong’s pant leg, insisting on following her out and learning about her stockpiling, Meng Qinghe understood the reason behind the murderous intent.

She was filled with regret.

But there was no cure for regret!

Meng Qinghe thought, if Chi Yingdong decided to kill her, what could she do?

Since there was no escaping it, she might as well resign herself to fate.

Meng Qinghe soon noticed that Chi Yingdong’s murderous intent had dissipated.

Once again, she found herself unable to grasp what Chi Yingdong was thinking.

This woman’s face showed no expression at all, yet her inner thoughts seemed to change every second.

Forget it!

Meng Qinghe decided that if Chi Yingdong asked her any more questions, she would need to answer more cautiously.

However, Chi Yingdong didn’t question her further about understanding human speech.

Instead, she reached out and gently scratched under Meng Qinghe’s chin. Instinctively, Meng Qinghe let out a contented purr.

Chi Yingdong asked, “What do you want for lunch?”

The sudden change of topic left Meng Qinghe struggling to keep up.

“One meow for canned food. Two meows for a sashimi platter. Three meows if you want me to make you cat food.”

Meng Qinghe: “???”

Is this my last meal or something?!

“Meow, meow.”

“Meow, meow, meow.”

Meng Qinghe gave up. Even if she were to die, she’d rather die with a full stomach.

She wanted both the sashimi platter and the cat food.

Normally, the kitten didn’t eat much, so Chi Yingdong asked doubtfully, “Sashimi platter and cat food?”

Meng Qinghe nodded, while quickly tapping her little paw several times on the word “yes” written on the paper.

Chi Yingdong’s lips curved into a slight smile. Her gaze briefly swept over the kitten’s belly as she teased, “Eating so much, aren’t you afraid I’ll go broke and stop keeping you?”

“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow!”

Back when you liked me, you couldn’t wait for me to eat more. Now that you don’t like me anymore, you’re complaining that I eat too much! You jerk!

Chi Yingdong couldn’t understand the string of meows, but she had a feeling the kitten was cursing up a storm.

“I don’t understand your meows. Why don’t you write it down?”

As she spoke, Chi Yingdong took out a children’s magnetic drawing board.

Meng Qinghe ignored her, jumped onto the sofa, found a comfortable spot, and curled up.

Chi Yingdong was both amused and exasperated. Had she been too indulgent? This little one was starting to get out of hand.

Seeing the kitten had already closed its eyes, pretending to sleep, Chi Yingdong sighed softly and resigned herself to preparing the cat food.

After waiting a while, Meng Qinghe cracked open one eye to secretly check if Chi Yingdong was still there.

Spotting the busy figure behind the glass door, Meng Qinghe’s pupils narrowed to slits.

Such a tough exterior but a soft heart.

She hopped off the sofa and sprawled out comfortably like a pancake.

She really loved the heated floors!!

When Chi Yingdong came out with the prepared sashimi and saw the kitten lying there like a lazy lump, she lightly poked it with her toe and said in mock annoyance, “Get up and eat.”

Meng Qinghe lazily rolled over, slowly got up, and followed Chi Yingdong.

Chi Yingdong placed the sashimi platter in the cat’s dining area. As she looked at the kitten’s belly, her brows gradually furrowed.

It seemed like the kitten was developing a little belly.

Recalling the kitten’s daily routine: eating, sleeping, and never exercising, Chi Yingdong pondered.

The kitten was, after all, a cat, so she couldn’t exactly make it exercise.

But since the kitten understood human speech and likely had a human soul inside, Chi Yingdong began to consider the idea of making the kitten work out.

Meng Qinghe stared at the sashimi platter, every ingredient was her favorite. Sometimes she even felt that Chi Yingdong understood her better than she understood herself.

After devouring the entire platter of sashimi and a small bowl of cat food, Meng Qinghe contentedly flopped down again.

Being a cat was truly more comfortable than being human!

Chi Yingdong reached out and poked Meng Qinghe’s little belly. The warm, soft sensation made her poke it a few more times. “Do you know how dangerous the apocalypse is?”

Meng Qinghe lazily cracked open one eye and glanced at Chi Yingdong.

Ever since she became a cat, she found herself becoming increasingly sleepy. After eating, she had no desire to move at all, she just wanted to lie still and rest.

“Meow.”

I know.

Her tone still carried a hint of righteous indignation.

Chi Yingdong sighed helplessly, “If you already knew, why are you still like this? Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to exercise with me.”

“Meow?!”

Meng Qinghe leaped to her feet in shock.

She wondered if her ears were playing tricks on her. Making a cat exercise, was that really something a human would say?

Chi Yingdong glanced at the kitten and retorted, “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Meow, meow, meow, meow!”

Of course I do! What kind of house cat actually exercises?

Chi Yingdong didn’t understand a word of the meowing, it went in one ear and out the other.

“I don’t understand. When you learn to speak human, you can voice your objections then.”

Meng Qinghe: “???”

Asking a cat to speak human, wasn’t he afraid she’d turn into a spirit?

Meng Qinghe regretted even more that she had admitted to understanding human speech in the first place.