The Amnesiac Omega Who Reels Me In Every Day – Chapter 65
by Little PandaSad and Upset
“Don’t lie to me…”
At night, the hospital room was quiet. Jiang Ningshu sat by the bed and tentatively called the girl’s name. When she heard only steady breathing and no response, she rose and left.
A crisp, soft click of the door — and the girl on the bed slowly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling, her expression forlorn.
There were things she simply couldn’t understand.
She’d thought about it for days, and still couldn’t understand.
She couldn’t understand why, when she’d been hurt so badly, Jiang Youwan hadn’t come to comfort her, hadn’t come to coax her, hadn’t said a single caring word to her.
For days, she hadn’t been able to make sense of it.
She’d been doted on since childhood, coddled and sheltered, spoiled rotten. She just felt that the whole world ought to spoil her, that the whole world ought to revolve around her.
Not long ago, she’d learned the news that left her stunned — Jiang Youwan was not her biological sister.
She’d thought about it all night that night, and waited for Jiang Youwan all night too. She decided it didn’t matter. Whether Jiang Youwan was her biological sister or not, whatever her reason for coming to the Jiang family — as long as she didn’t do anything to hurt her, as long as she didn’t do anything to harm the family, she could accept it.
But why was it Jiang Youwan who started ignoring her first?
She had her pride. She was a tsundere. She thought, if Jiang Youwan wouldn’t come coax her, then she wouldn’t give her the time of day either. But after more than ten days in the hospital, Jiang Youwan really hadn’t come to coax her — they’d barely even spoken.
She started to wonder: could what Huo Qi said be true?
If Jiang Youwan wasn’t her biological sister, then who was she really? Should she tell her mother?
These questions swirled in Jiang Jinyi’s heart, keeping her awake for a long time. In that hazy state between sleep and waking, she sensed someone slip in through the door, sit on the edge of the bed, and draw her into their arms.
In an instant, every breath was filled with a familiar fragrance.
Jiang Jinyi’s consciousness was blurry. Her body shifted habitually, nestling more comfortably into the embrace.
She had not the slightest guard up against that familiar scent. She tried to open her eyes to see who it was, but sleepiness overpowered her, and she drifted off in those arms.
Whatever happened the rest of the night, she hadn’t a clue.
When she woke the next morning, Jiang Jinyi sat on the bed in a daze. The space around her was empty. She stared blankly for a while before the memories from that half-awake, half-asleep state surged into her mind. She immediately looked around, excited, wanting to look for any trace Jiang Youwan might have left behind — proof that it hadn’t been just a dream.
Sure enough, she found something.
On the pillow beside her lay a single strand of hair. Jiang Jinyi picked it up and examined it. Though it was black like her own, it was slightly different — finer, the color a shade lighter.
She was now about seventy percent certain that Jiang Youwan had been here last night. So she grabbed the pillow, buried her face in it, and took a deep sniff. Sure enough — every breath was filled with the distinctive datura floral scent that belonged to Jiang Youwan.
Raising the pillow high, Jiang Jinyi’s eyes sparkled with gleeful excitement. “Jiang Youwan was here last night!”
Jiang Youwan had sneaked into her bed while she was asleep and held her through the night…
Once the excitement faded, Jiang Jinyi felt ashamed of what she’d just done. How could she act like some kind of creep, sniffing someone else’s pillow…
She was mortified by her own behavior — yet didn’t find anything wrong with what Jiang Youwan had done at all.
Once she calmed down, she began to analyze why Jiang Youwan would do such a thing.
This woman, Jiang Youwan — on the surface she’d ignored her for over ten days, yet at night she sneaked into the hospital room to sleep beside her. Did that mean she didn’t actually want to ignore her, but rather…
…was afraid to?
It hit Jiang Jinyi all at once. She couldn’t wait to be discharged, to go home immediately and tell her that she didn’t care whether they were biologically related. As long as she treated her well, as long as she didn’t do anything to harm the family—
She could go on treating her as her own biological sister. They would still be family.
At noon, Jiang Ningshu came to pick up Jiang Jinyi and bring her home. When they arrived at the Jiang Family Villa, there was no sign of Jiang Youwan.
Aside from Jiang Youwan, the one Jiang Jinyi missed most was her little Xiao Yu. She headed straight upstairs, ignoring her mother’s advice to slow down and not rush.
“Xiao Yu, I’m back! Why aren’t you here to welcome me?”
“Xiao Yu!!”
“Strange, where did Xiao Yu go?” Jiang Jinyi searched the entire second floor without finding her, without hearing a single meow. She went back down and searched the first floor too — still nothing. She was getting anxious. Jiang Ningshu watched her fretting, pretending not to know, and asked casually, “What is Xiao Jin looking for?”
“It’s, it’s a cat. Mom, did you see her when you came home? A really cute cat — long fur, big eyes, pink ears, really short legs…” Jiang Jinyi gestured anxiously.
Jiang Ningshu thought for a moment. “A Napoleon dwarf kitten, right?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Jiang Jinyi looked at Jiang Ningshu worriedly. “Mom, have you seen her?”
Jiang Ningshu pursed her lips and shook her head. “I saw her a few days ago. She’s very cute, but I haven’t seen much of her these past few days. Mom’s been busy with work — I just come home to sleep, haven’t had time to pay attention. I was thinking I’d have you introduce us properly once you recovered and came home.”
“Haven’t seen much of her these past few days…” Jiang Jinyi grew scared. She murmured, “She didn’t run outside and get lost, did she…”
Jiang Jinyi ran around asking every servant in the house. They all shook their heads, saying they didn’t know — they hadn’t seen the cat much in the last few days, assuming she had been brought to the hospital to keep the young miss company.
Seeing how worried she was, Jiang Ningshu lovingly ruffled her hair. “Your sister should know. When she comes back, you can ask her.”
“Right, right, Jiang Youwan should know!” Jiang Jinyi clung to a sliver of hope. Maybe Xiao Yu had just been taken to the pet hospital or a pet salon for grooming?
She was about to call Jiang Youwan when the sound of a car came from outside. Jiang Jinyi looked over and recognized Jiang Youwan’s car. Completely forgetting about any cold war, she went out to greet her, calling out from afar.
“Jiang Youwan!”
Jiang Youwan lifted her gaze and saw Jiang Jinyi’s frantic, flustered state. A pang struck her heart. Truthfully, she hadn’t been all that sad herself — but seeing Xiao Jin this worried made her ache.
Afraid that Xiao Jin would be even more devastated once she learned the truth, she desperately wanted to make up for the pain.
Jiang Jinyi stopped in front of Jiang Youwan. Before she could even open her mouth to ask, Youwan spoke first, her voice gentle. “Xiao Jin, does your wound still hurt?”
This was the first caring thing Jiang Youwan had said to her since she woke from her coma.
Jiang Jinyi would never know that she had held those words inside for so long, rehearsing over and over what tone to use when she finally said them.
She had even prepared herself for Xiao Jin to give her the cold shoulder.
At last, she had found the perfect moment to say it.
But Jiang Jinyi’s attention wasn’t on whether her wound hurt. She asked urgently, “Jiang Youwan, where did Xiao Yu go? I searched for so long and couldn’t find her.”
Jiang Youwan pursed her lips and said, “Xiao Yu just got lost.”
“Got lost?”
This was the last thing Jiang Jinyi wanted to hear. She felt as though her world was crumbling. “When did she get lost? How did she get lost? Why didn’t you tell me…”
Her eyes reddened, those beautiful eyes of hers instantly brimming with tears. A dense, aching tenderness climbed up Youwan’s chest. “I’m sorry.”
Jiang Jinyi didn’t want to hear that. She cut her off. “How long has she been lost?”
Her voice was already thick with tears, each word stabbing at Youwan’s heart one after another. Youwan forced the words out. “Five or six days.”
Jiang Jinyi’s pupils dilated. “Five or six days… five or six days…”
It had already been five or six days.
Jiang Jinyi’s tears came flooding out. Xiao Yu had already been a stray once before. If she was lost again, was she suffering out there? Would she think her owner had abandoned her again, that she was a stray cat all over again?
She wouldn’t be able to find enough food. Her legs were so short — she would get bullied by other cats or dogs…
The thought made Jiang Jinyi miserable. She wiped away her tears and went to find her mother, asking her to hire dozens of professional pet searchers to comb the neighborhood.
She went out to search herself. Jiang Ningshu couldn’t talk her out of it, and neither could Jiang Youwan. All Youwan could do was follow behind her silently.
Jiang Jinyi still had a wound — she couldn’t exert herself too much. She hadn’t walked long before she had to sit down on a roadside bench. But she was stubborn, resting only briefly before setting out again. At dusk, Jiang Youwan received a phone call.
“Hello, we do have a cat here that looks very much like yours — similar coat, same age, both eight months old. Put the two side by side and you basically can’t tell them apart. When would you be able to come pick her up?”
“Alright. Tonight.”
Youwan hung up and immediately received photos from the cattery. The cat in the pictures did look remarkably like Xiao Yu.
Fooling Xiao Jin shouldn’t be a problem.
Youwan looked at the photos for a moment, then locked her phone screen. She walked over to Jiang Jinyi. Jinyi looked up at her — eyes red, glistening with unshed tears, heartbreakingly pitiful.
She said in a small, aggrieved voice, “Jiang Youwan, my wound hurts…”
“Then let’s stop looking for now, okay?” Youwan’s eyes were full of tenderness. She couldn’t resist reaching up and gently stroking the top of Jinyi’s head. Jinyi shook her head, mumbling, “I need to find Xiao Yu quickly. She’s so clumsy and silly — she’ll definitely get bullied by other cats. She won’t be able to find food. I don’t want her digging through trash cans…”
Her voice was thick with tears. The more she spoke, the more upset she became, raising her hand to wipe her eyes. Youwan bent down and gathered her into her arms, coaxing gently. “Don’t worry. Let’s go home and rest. Trust jiejie, Xiao Yu will come back tomorrow. She knows the way home, okay?”
“Really?” Jiang Jinyi lifted her head from Youwan’s arms, asking uncertainly.
“I promise you, okay?”
Jiang Youwan never made promises to Jiang Jinyi that she couldn’t keep. Jiang Jinyi trusted her deeply. With those words, her mood lifted considerably, and she obediently went home with her. After a bath, Youwan stayed beside her, coaxing her to sleep, and said, “When you wake up tomorrow, jiejie will take you to find Xiao Yu.”
Jiang Jinyi buried her face in the blanket, leaving only a pair of watery eyes visible. “Mm… don’t lie to me.”
“I won’t lie to you.”
Jiang Jinyi fell asleep — but when she next woke, it wasn’t morning yet. Outside the window was pitch dark. She received a call from Huo Qi.
She hadn’t slept enough and was groggy, her wake-up temper in full force. Her tone was utterly petulant. “Hello? Why are you calling in the middle of the night?”
“Xiao Jin, come meet me.” Huo Qi’s voice came through low and heavy from the other end — somber and subdued. Huo Qi rarely spoke in this tone. It sounded like something major was about to happen.
Jiang Jinyi snapped awake, her heart seizing. She asked urgently, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going abroad. Tomorrow morning, seven o’clock flight. I want to see you one last time, tell you some things.”
“Ab—abroad…?” Jiang Jinyi was stunned. “Why are you going abroad? I haven’t heard from you in days. What happened to you?”
Why? Huo Qi lowered her gaze. On her fair, tender cheeks were two glaring slap marks. She pursed her lips, her eyes dark with malice.
“I’d already decided to go abroad to study. I’d been hesitating because I couldn’t bear to leave you, so I didn’t tell you. Now that it’s decided, I just… wanted to see you one more time before I go.”
“Oh…” Jiang Jinyi felt a pang of sadness. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This is so sudden…”
“Where should we meet?”
“Come out now. I’m near your house. It’s late — don’t tell anyone else at home. Let’s just meet secretly.”
Jiang Jinyi checked the time on her phone — two in the morning. “Okay…”
She got dressed, didn’t tell anyone, and left the villa on her own. Following the address Huo Qi gave her, she met her at a garden not far from home.
Jiang Jinyi spotted Huo Qi from a distance, sitting on a bench, looking defeated with her head bowed. She hurried over. “Huo Qi, what’s wrong?”
Huo Qi raised her eyes and managed a strained smile. “Xiao Jin.”
Jiang Jinyi sat down beside her and noticed the slap marks on her face. “What happened to your face? Who hit you?”
Huo Qi forced another smile. “It’s nothing. Got into a fight with my dad. He slapped me twice.”
Jiang Jinyi felt a twinge of sympathy. “Your dad is so rough…”
“It’s normal. I’m leaving the country, but before I go, there’s something I need to tell you. Something very important. Something you have to know.” Huo Qi spoke with earnest gravity.
“Hm? Go ahead.” Jiang Jinyi felt an inexplicable unease creep up.
Huo Qi pulled out her phone, found a video, and played it for her.
In the video, Jiang Youwan was wrapping a blood-covered, gruesomely mangled cat in cloth and burying it in the dirt.
Jiang Jinyi’s eyes went wide, her expression trembling. “X—Xiao Yu…?”
“Is— is that Xiao Yu?” Jiang Jinyi whipped her head toward Huo Qi, grabbing her sleeve, her voice shaking.
“Xu An came back to China recently to visit her parents. You know how she loves feeding stray cats at the park. She happened to see this, recognized your sister and Xiao Yu, thought it was strange, so she filmed it. She didn’t dare send it to you — she sent it to me to ask about it.”
“I was shocked. Then I saw what you posted on social media yesterday, knew you were looking for the cat, so…”
Jiang Jinyi shook her head violently, tears streaming from her eyes. “Impossible, impossible. How could Xiao Yu be dead…”
If Xiao Yu was dead, then what was Jiang Youwan doing, out there searching with her all this time? Jiang Youwan said Xiao Yu would definitely come home tomorrow — what did it all mean?
Seeing her in such agony, Huo Qi played the gentle messenger, soothing her. “Don’t be sad. I showed you this video because I wanted to tell you — Jiang Youwan—”
Jiang Jinyi had no patience for this. She couldn’t accept it, pressing Huo Qi desperately. “Where is she? I don’t believe it’s Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu can’t be dead… Take me to see.”
Huo Qi took her to the spot where Youwan had buried the cat. Jiang Jinyi couldn’t think about anything else — she just needed to confirm whether it was really Xiao Yu. With a small shovel, hands trembling, she dug up the earth. The cat was already beyond recognition — its once-white fur caked with blood, a faint stench of decay rising from it.
She could barely make out that it was a long-haired dwarf cat. But the most damning detail was the collar around its neck — the custom collar Jiang Jinyi had made for it.
It was Xiao Yu…
How could this happen… how could this happen…
“Jiang Youwan said… she said Xiao Yu would come back tomorrow… Why did she lie to me…”
Jiang Jinyi broke down. Tears poured out, her speech falling apart. She turned her face away and coughed violently, gasping for breath. Huo Qi pulled her into her arms, gently rubbing her back, eyes downcast, her expression unreadable.
She knew that Jiang Jinyi had always had a special bond with cats. The Jiang family had once had one too, present from the moment she was born, cared for so well that it lived a healthy, active life until it died of old age naturally.
Even an old-age death had sent Jiang Jinyi into a grief that kept her out of school for nearly a month — let alone her cat being abused to death.
This was, for her, anything but a small matter she could simply move past.
Huo Qi thought to herself that, truthfully, she wasn’t entirely heartless about causing Jiang Jinyi this pain either.
The stabbing by that crazy woman — she had thought she could clear herself of responsibility. She never expected Jiang Youwan to investigate quietly and thoroughly, tracing it all back to her. They had connections at the police bureau. Her father already knew. He had slapped her several times.
She was being sent abroad tomorrow, on the morning flight.
So — what she couldn’t have, no one else would either.
“Jiang Youwan isn’t a good person. She can lie to you about something this important — don’t you think that’s terrifying? What you see is just the surface of her being good to you. Her true identity, who she really is, what kind of person she actually is — you don’t know any of it.”
“I’d bet Xiao Yu’s death is definitely connected to her.”
“Doesn’t your house have security cameras? You can check whether Xiao Yu left on her own, or was taken.”
Jiang Jinyi reburied Xiao Yu.
Huo Qi had to catch her flight. She said goodbye to her, then walked home alone, dazed and numb. At the gate of the villa, she unexpectedly ran into Jiang Youwan, who had just returned from outside.
Jiang Youwan asked instinctively, “It’s this late — where was Xiao Jin just now?”
“Jiang Youwan, Xiao Yu is dead. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Jinyi raised her eyes. In the dim light, her eyes were swollen red, her face streaked with tears, her voice hoarse and choked.
“You buried her, so why did you tell me Xiao Yu would come back tomorrow?” She had just finished crying, and now the tears came again. “You lied to me. You’re a liar!”
Jiang Youwan couldn’t speak. Her pupils reflected the image of Jiang Jinyi weeping in anguish, and her own eyes grew moist.
She was aching from Xiao Jin’s pain.
Jiang Jinyi wiped her tears. She remembered everything Huo Qi had told her — but she didn’t want to check the security cameras. She wanted to hear Jiang Youwan say it herself.
She was still willing to believe what Jiang Youwan said.
She sniffed, forcing herself to speak clearly. “I’m asking you — was it you who took Xiao Yu away?”
The words caught in Youwan’s throat. Her lips parted — and then a light came on in one of the villa’s rooms. A woman stood at the window, her gaze fixed on Youwan, pinning her in place.
Youwan lowered her eyes. Her hand hung at her side, fist clenching — then releasing weakly. A suffocating helplessness.
She said, “Yes.”
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