As soon as Pei Chiyao finished speaking, Ling Jue rushed out, leaving behind only his retreating figure and the words, "I'm going to find a doctor right now."
Everyone was left speechless.
Ling Jue was truly a hopeless fox-spirit enthusiast.
With Ling Jue gone, Zhi Yao's brothers turned their unfriendly gazes towards Pei Chiyao.
"Pei Chiyao! You've gone too far! How dare you get my sister pregnant before marriage! You scumbag!" Ling Si was the first to step forward and berate Pei Chiyao.
Although Zhi Yao herself often jokingly called Pei Chiyao a scumbag, hearing Ling Si say it like this made her feel uncomfortable.
She hurriedly spoke up in his defense, "No, no, Fourth Brother, don't say that about him. I was the one who wanted a child."
Her reaction made Ling Jue feel a mix of anger at her lack of fight and pity for her misfortune.
"Yao Yao! A responsible person would never let you get pregnant before marriage!"
Hearing this, Zhi Yi nodded, "Although Little Four is usually thoughtless, I have to admit he has a point this time."
"Pei Chiyao, you've really handled this poorly. Even if Yao Yao doesn't know better, shouldn't you?"
Faced with the family's accusations, Pei Chiyao's face showed just the right amount of remorse. "Aunty, you're all right. This is indeed my fault."
As he spoke, he took out a certificate of single status and a diamond ring from his pocket.
"This is my proof of being unmarried. I can go and register our marriage with Yao Yao at any time. I must confess, regarding the pregnancy... it was intentional on my part."
This statement shocked not only the Ling family but Zhi Yao as well.
What did he mean by intentional? Wasn't it what she wanted?
"The one thing I want most in this life is to marry Yao Yao. You don't need to worry about me not taking responsibility. My only fear is... that Yao Yao won't let me be responsible for her."
"So, you came up with this plan?" Ling Er naturally picked up where Pei Chiyao left off.
Pei Chiyao nodded slightly, "Yes."
Using a child to bind Zhi Yao to him, Pei Chiyao was really... something else!
Wasn't this kind of tactic usually used by women to trap men?
How had it been reversed with Pei Chiyao?
Hearing this, everyone fell silent, suddenly realizing that in this relationship, the truly humble one was Pei Chiyao, not Zhi Yao.
Thinking about it this way, they felt a bit more at ease about their naive sister.
Zhi Yao's heart stirred as she looked at Pei Chiyao's "certificate of single status".
She took a deep breath and said to Pei Chiyao, "Pei Chiyao, I'm willing to marry you. Let's go get our marriage certificate as soon as I'm discharged from the hospital."
She didn't want to wait anymore. She and Pei Chiyao had already waited for so long.
She really... didn't want to make him wait for her any longer.
The young girl's sudden words caught Pei Chiyao off guard.
He never imagined that the thing he had been longing for would come so suddenly.
"Alright."
He abruptly opened the ring box, but inside was not a diamond ring, but a scale.
"This is..."
Zhi Yao was slightly stunned.
The Ling family members all looked confused, except for Ling Er, who had an expression of sudden realization.
Without waiting for Pei Chiyao to speak, he said to the other Ling family members, "Let's step out. They need to talk privately."
Although everyone was reluctant, considering that the young couple might have some private words to exchange, they all stood up and left one by one.
After they had gone, Zhi Yao asked, "Why... why are you giving me your scale? How did you get it? Did it fall off naturally, or did you... pull it out?"
If he had pulled it out, it must have been so painful. Just thinking about it made Zhi Yao feel uneasy.
Pei Chiyao smiled slightly, "Darling, can you guess where this scale is from?"
As he spoke, Pei Chiyao gently took Zhi Yao's hand and guided her to touch the scale.
Unlike the scales on other parts of his body that were hard enough to be impenetrable, this scale felt somewhat soft to the touch.
How could this be?
She was momentarily confused, but when she came to her senses, she found that Pei Chiyao was holding her hand and placing it on his chest, right over his heart.
In that moment, Zhi Yao understood.
This was a scale from Pei Chiyao's heart...
That place was the softest part of a dragon's entire body.
Outside the heart, there were incredibly hard scales for protection, but underneath, there was a very special scale. It was the softest part of a dragon's body, and only their beloved could touch it.
Through that scale, one could directly reach a dragon's heart.
This was a dragon's vital point, and also Pei Chiyao's.
"I'm giving you my heart, and my life along with it, to you and our child. Will you accept them?"
He gazed deeply at Zhi Yao, his pitch-black eyes seeming to flicker with a mesmerizing light that could captivate one's soul in an instant.
Zhi Yao was deeply moved. She carefully took the scale into her palm and nodded, "I will."
...
Outside the room.
Ling Si was still pondering over Zhi Yao's injuries. He had repeatedly watched the video of Zhi Yao getting hurt, but couldn't understand why she seemed unharmed now when he had clearly seen her entire back hit that spot.
"I'm wondering if Yao Yao might have some internal injuries!"
That would be truly frightening, especially now that Yao Yao was pregnant. This kind of thing couldn't be taken lightly at all.
Hearing this, Ling San quickly agreed, "I think you might be right."
Ling Yi, who rarely spoke, also chimed in, "Don't worry, didn't Father already go to find a doctor? I believe the doctor will be here soon."
Ling Er remained silent, not saying a word.
Until... Zhi Yi stood up and said, "Er, come with me."
When they reached a secluded spot, Zhi Yi asked, "Er, do you know something?"
Ling Er had a guess, but it was only a guess, so he didn't voice it. Instead, he asked Zhi Yi, "Mother, when you were pregnant with us, did you experience any unusual situations or reactions?"
"Yes."
Zhi Yi still remembers how arduous pregnancy was. When she was carrying them, her belly grew enormously large, and her body became weaker than ever before. During childbirth, she even found herself teetering on the brink of death.
That's why when Zhi Yi learned of Zhi Yao's pregnancy, she wasn't particularly thrilled. Only those who have experienced it truly understand the anguish of pregnancy.
She was deeply concerned that Zhi Yao might suffer the same discomfort she had endured years ago. Moreover, she worried that this unexpected pregnancy might have adverse effects on Zhi Yao's health.
