Pei Chiyao rushed in quickly, disregarding the others' attempts to stop him. Although Zhi Yao wasn't in severe pain, her strength had reached its limit.
Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, and her face was extremely pale.
Seeing Pei Chiyao suddenly burst in, Zhi Yao was somewhat surprised. "You... how did you get in?"
Pei Chiyao, looking at Zhi Yao's exhausted state, felt a pang of heartache. "Are you in pain?"
Zhi Yao shook her head, "It's not very painful, but... I... I'm almost out of strength."
Pei Chiyao took a deep breath and gently rubbed Zhi Yao's head. "Be good, hang on a little longer. It'll be over soon."
It'll be over soon...
Zhi Yao nodded obediently. Although she was exhausted, for the sake of the little one she had been longing for, Zhi Yao felt she could still persevere.
Pei Chiyao's gaze darkened as he looked at Zhi Yao's swollen belly. Then, as if out of nowhere, the doctor in the delivery room suddenly shouted, "It's coming! It's about to be born!"
The little one seemed to sense the death threat from its father and didn't dare to linger in its mother's warm womb any longer. It hurriedly made its way out on its own.
Zhi Yao was in a complete daze.
Born...?
She, she hadn't even had the chance to push yet!
In her last memory before falling asleep, Zhi Yao remembered Pei Chiyao bringing the baby to her. She didn't even have time to see the child's face clearly before she passed out...
...
When Zhi Yao woke up again, it was because of the noise.
"Why hasn't Yao Yao woken up yet?"
"Is Yao Yao alright?"
"Doctor, please come and check on my daughter. Is she okay?"
Each voice was different, but they all conveyed urgency. Zhi Yao, disturbed by the commotion, finally opened her eyes in exasperation.
"Are you... going to let me sleep or not?"
The young girl opened her eyes and glared at everyone, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
She was just tired, not dead! Was all this fuss really necessary?
Seeing Zhi Yao awake, everyone crowded around her again. "Yao Yao, Yao Yao, you're finally awake!"
"Yao Yao, how do you feel?"
In her blurry vision, Zhi Yao saw Pei Chiyao, her Father and Mother, her brothers, and even Yan Mu...
And that fox — Xie Qinzhou.
After Xie Qinzhou was forced to return to his original form and lost his human consciousness, Zhi Yao had sent him back to Yan Mu.
Yan Mu was extremely grateful for this and had since treated Zhi Yao almost like a benefactor.
She was thankful that Zhi Yao hadn't killed Xie Qinzhou and had even returned him to her.
Yan Mu promised that she would take good care of Xie Qinzhou...
Zhi Yao didn't care how Yan Mu treated Xie Qinzhou. The reason she returned Xie Qinzhou to Yan Mu was because... Zhi Yao knew that one day Xie Qinzhou would regain his senses. When he did and remembered being kept like a pet, what would his feelings be then?
Admittedly, this was Zhi Yao's mischievous side at play.
Her thoughts were pulled back by the clamor of voices around her. Zhi Yao finally came to her senses and said, "I'm fine. I was just too tired and fell asleep earlier."
The young girl was nearly drained, but after her short nap, she felt like she had regained a bit of strength.
She looked up at Pei Chiyao and the soft little bundle in his arms. Before Zhi Yao could speak, Pei Chiyao proactively brought the child to her side. "Take a look. You've worked hard."
Zhi Yao eagerly reached out to take the baby. It was only now that she could finally see what her child looked like...
Unlike human babies who are often wrinkled when they're first born, her little one... was so damn cute!
So cute that Zhi Yao couldn't help but want to swear!
The little one in her arms had golden eyes identical to Zhi Yao's, bright and full of spirit. In an instant, they shimmered with a mesmerizing gleam. Its skin was very fair, with cheeks flushed as if naturally rouge, adorably so.
What made Zhi Yao feel utterly overwhelmed was... on top of its head, there was a pair of tiny dragon horns!!!
Heavens! Dragon horns!
Zhi Yao reached out and grabbed the pair of dragon horns, rubbing them vigorously. They felt warm and slightly smooth, completely different from Pei Chiyao's old dragon horns. They were much softer than Pei Chiyao's.
Zhi Yao simply couldn't let go.
She... loved them!
They were... so cute!
Especially when the baby blinked its golden eyes and stared at her unwaveringly, Zhi Yao felt like she would give her life for it.
"So cute!" Zhi Yao was so excited that tears came to her eyes. "How is it possible that I gave birth to such an adorable little one?!"
She actually managed to give birth to such a cute baby.
Zhi Yao excitedly raised her hand and grasped Pei Chiyao's hand, saying, "Pei Chiyao, quick... pinch me!"
She truly suspected she was dreaming.
Zhi Yao's undignified behavior left Pei Chiyao quite speechless.
He raised his hand and gently pinched Zhi Yao's cheek, applying just enough pressure for her to feel it. "Yes, you gave birth to it. If you didn't give birth to it, who else could have?"
At these words, Zhi Yao immediately became indignant. She hugged the baby tightly and said, "How could that be possible!"
The little one looked so much like her and so much like Pei Chiyao, it absolutely couldn't have been born to anyone else!
Zhi Yao stared intently at the baby in her arms, and the baby stared right back at her.
A moment later, the baby smiled and reached out with its soft little hands. The intention was clear — it wanted to touch Zhi Yao.
Zhi Yao leaned down, bringing her face close to the little one. Before she could even touch its small hands, the next moment, it nuzzled Zhi Yao's cheek with its tiny horns.
In that instant, Zhi Yao was utterly enchanted.
"Aww! It nuzzled me! It nuzzled me with its little horns!!"
Pei Chiyao: "..."
"Alright, stop being silly," he glanced at Zhi Yao, his eyes full of indulgent helplessness. "You just woke up. Do you want to sleep a bit more? Don't keep holding him; he still has some weight to him. You're weak right now and should rest properly."
As soon as the words were spoken, Pei Chiyao unceremoniously took the little one from Zhi Yao's arms. "Go to sleep now. You can play with him after you've rested."
He gently brushed his hand over Zhi Yao's eyes, and quickly, she felt a wave of drowsiness overcome her, drifting off to sleep...
Because of this, Zhi Yao failed to notice the look the little one gave Pei Chiyao—a glance full of dissatisfaction and disdain.
When Pei Chiyao lowered his gaze, he met the little rascal's scornful eyes directly.
He leaned in close, holding the child, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Heh, don't think your Mother truly loves you. You're just a novelty to her. The one she loves most is only me."
