Chapter 178 - 178: Lie
When Lin Xiaowan returned to the second floor, Little Chestnut had already been washed and dried. It had also been treated with flea medicine.
There was still a strong smell of disinfectant mixed with wormwood on the second floor, and the smell was a little pungent.
Little Chestnut had to move temporarily. All its daily necessities had been moved to an empty room on the first floor. It was originally a guest room, but now it had turned into Little Chestnut’s territory.
Lin Xiaowan asked nervously, “Is the infestation very bad?”
Aunt Wu was extremely dissatisfied with Lu Yingxin now. As soon as she sent the vet away, she looked for Lu Yingxin to complain. “It’s not that bad. The vet said that it was good that we discovered it early. Otherwise, we might even have to shave our heads if we were infected. Miss Lin, tell me. Little Chestnut has always been very clean. How could there be fleas? It must be that lady who brought her cat over previously. There must be a problem with her.”
Aunt Wu liked Little Chestnut a lot and would play it from time to time. Sometimes it was as though she treated Little Chestnut like her granddaughter. She was usually gentle and moderate. It was rare for her to complain and be impatient like she was now.
Aunt Wu knew Lin Xiaowan had dinner with Lu Yingxin earlier so she asked, “Miss Lin, you had dinner with her earlier, right? Did you ask her about the cat?”
From the moment Lin Xiaowan found out about the fleas, she had already suspected Lu Yingxin. Previously, she did not think too much about it. However, now that she thought about it carefully, she felt that her distrust toward Lu Yingxin had grown significantly, and she felt that something was very wrong.
Lin Xiaowan replied, “I did ask her, but I didn’t get any useful information.”
Then, she added, “Her answers were vague. Initially, I invited her to bring her cat over again. At that time, we can observe her and her cat. However, thinking about it now, fortunately, she didn’t agree.”
Aunt Wu was even more anxious than Lin Xiaowan. She said, ”1 hope she doesn’t come again. The first time, she brought fleas with her. Who knows what she’ll bring next? We have to disinfect the house properly. After all, fleas multiply quickly. I don’t think we should keep Little Chestnut’s things.”
Lin Xiaowan said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. She refused the invitation. She said that she was too busy to take care of the cat so she sent it to her friend’s house temporarily. However, I have a feeling that she no longer intends to raise it.”
Aunt Wu rolled her eyes. Her dislike for Lu Yingxin was obvious. She said, “It’s good if she doesn’t raise the cat. It’s so skinny and pitiful, and it even has fleas. She doesn’t know how to care for it at all.”
Lin Xiaowan went to the guest room to look at Little Chestnut. Perhaps it was suddenly caught and given a bath at night, it meowed pitifully, looking aggrieved, when it saw its mother. It rubbed against her leg as though it was asking to be comforted.
Lin Xiaowan picked Little Chestnut up and hugged it before she gave it a treat and said, “Little Chestnut, do you want a treat?”
“Little Chestnut is still the best,” Aunt Wu said.
At this time, Huo Zheng walked over and stroked Little Chestnut. However, Little Chestnut slapped his hand away with its paw before it pointed its butt at him, determined to ignore him.
“What’s going on?” Lin Xiaowan asked in confusion.
Usually, Huo Zheng did not play with Little Chestnut much, and he also did not feed it treats. Lin Xiaowan had always wondered how Huo Zheng could remain so stoic when faced with such a cute cat. Perhaps that was why Little Chestnut was not very close to Huo Zheng. In any case, Little Chestnut usually ignored him, but it would still allow him to pet it. This is the first time that it refused Huo Zheng.
Aunt Wu chuckled when she heard Lin Xiaowan’s question. She said, “Wasn’t she forced to take a bath earlier? It was Mr. Huo who caught her. She must be holding a grudge against him.”
Lin Xiaowan laughed.
When Little Chestnut was young, it did not resist bathing. However, ever since its fur had grown, it became resistant to bathing. Perhaps it was because its body would become heavy when it was wet. In any case, it did not matter since cats did not need to shower as frequently as dogs did.
Lin Xiaowan handed Huo Zheng a treat and said, “Here you go. You can bribe Little Chestnut.”
Huo Zheng silently extended his hand to Little Chestnut. Although it was dissatisfied with Huo Zheng, when it saw the treat, it did not stand on ceremony and began eating. It even meowed when it ate.
Lin Xiaowan laughed. “I wonder what she’s saying.”
Huo Zheng was both helpless and amused. “Perhaps she’s scolding me.”
When they went to bed, Lin Xiaowan voiced her suspicion to Huo Zheng. She asked, “Do you think it’s possible that Lu Yingxin doesn’t live in Xilin Imperial Garden at all?”
However, after she said that, she doubted herself again. She said, “However, that doesn’t make sense either. Otherwise, how could she come in and out so easily if she doesn’t live here? The security here is quite strict after all.”
In addition to access cards, there was a facial recognition system in place for owners. When visitors came, their information would be recorded, and the security guard would also call the owner they were visiting before they were let in. Otherwise, they would not be able to enter at all.
“Oh, right. Perhaps her husband lives here?” Lin Xiaowan said when she recalled the man she had seen with Lu Yingxin the first time they met.
Huo Zheng rubbed Lin Xiaowan’s head. More than once, he felt that Lin Xiaowan was really silly and cute. He said, “She doesn’t live here. I felt that something was wrong before so I…”
Huo Zheng hesitated for a moment before he said, “I asked around about her.” “Huh? Then why did she say that she’s living in Xilin Imperial Garden? No wonder. The last time it rained, she said she was not going home when we wanted to send her home. It was the same tonight. When I said I’d send her home, she said she had something to do.”
Lin Xiaowan could not figure out why Lu Yingxin lied. It was too tiring to lie, after all. One would have to come up with more lies just to maintain the first lie. With that, one would be lying all the time.
With this thought in mind, Lin Xiaowan began to feel like this was not the only thing that Lu Yingxin lied about. For example, the matter regarding the cat. If it was as Aunt Wu said, if Mimi was not the first cat Lu Yingxin brought to the house, what happened to the first cat?
Lin Xiaowan tried to be optimistic, thinking that perhaps Lu Yingxin had given the first cat to a friend.
“If I had known, I would have insisted on sending her back. At least, 1 would’ve known where she lived!”
Huo Zheng laughed. “What are you going to do even if you know where she lives?”
Lin Xiaowan froze.
‘Indeed. What can 1 do?’
After a moment, Lin Xiaowan clenched her hands and said, “If I see her again, I’m going to ask her directly about the cat!”
Although she could call Lu Yingxin, she preferred to communicate directly.
Perhaps it was the law of the universe, but when Lin Xiaowan wanted to meet Lu Yingxin, she could not meet Lu Yingxin at all. Until the end of May, she did not see Lu Yingxin again. Lu Yingxin did call her once, but she did not know what Lu Yingxin wanted because she did not answer the call..