Wen Ning crouched down to meet her eyes and said,
"Every sip, every bite—everything is heaven's will."
Zhou Wan jerked her head up, her eyes bloodshot, as though she had understood something, yet wanted to understand nothing at all.
"What do you mean?"
"Because miracles always come at a price."
He did not avoid her gaze as he spoke. He looked straight at her, every word clear.
Zhou Wan's pupils contracted slightly. Something exploded in her mind.
She looked down at her rosy palm, then at the cat in her arms, already cold.
Her hand and the cat—one burning hot, the other ice-cold.
"She used her life..."
Before she could finish, something seemed to block her throat, leaving her able to make only broken, choking sobs.
The kitten's mouth curved up slightly. There still seemed to be a trace of a smile on that small, furry face.
Zhou Wan suddenly remembered the sound the kitten had made in her throat that morning, when she had rubbed hard against her face.
At the time, she had thought the kitten was asking for affection.
Now, looking back, that sound had been nothing but a farewell.
She remembered the kitten burying her face against her neck, her warm breath brushing her skin. She remembered the tears brimming in the kitten's eyes when she raised her head. She remembered the kitten standing in the doorway, looking back at her one last time.
She remembered it all.
Those tiny, unnoticed details were now painfully clear, like dull knives cutting into her heart, stroke after stroke.
"How could she be so foolish?"
Zhou Wan buried her face in the kitten's cold fur.
"Why did you do this? It wasn't worth it."
Wen Ning did not try to comfort her. He simply stood beside her, keeping her