Chapter 49: Her Boyfriend Could Slap a Flirt to Death (12)

The closed door was suddenly kicked open. From behind the counter, Mr. Shu instantly guessed who had arrived. He raised his hand to his forehead, troubled by the thought that the door would have to be fixed again.

Xue Yan, carrying someone in his arms, strode in from the darkness, a chill clinging to him. His expression was blank, his eyes, now vertical pupils, glimmered with an icy light. “Yao Yao had a nightmare. I brought her out.”

—

Though it was night, Bai Yao saw light.

She opened her eyes in a haze, and once her vision cleared, she realized she was staring at a white ceiling. This was an unfamiliar room. She tried to sit up, only to discover she was unable to move.

Now, only her eyes could move. She saw various unidentifiable instruments scattered about the room, and an entire wall made of glass. Outside the glass, a group of people in white lab coats—men and women alike—stood, their faces alight with excitement and a wild, indescribable frenzy.

A man spoke passionately: “He’s the first test subject to survive. This proves that adding the genes of other species to his cultivated DNA doesn’t always lead to failure!”

A woman, more rational, replied, “But we still can’t be sure whether genetic recombination in his body will cause rejection later. Based on previous experimental data, his lifespan can only be maintained for three years.”

The first man, still excited, said, “He already shows clear signs of mutation, but his physiological functions haven’t shown any decline. We should be optimistic and hope for a miracle. Yes, he will certainly be our greatest miracle!”

Another person chimed in, “Alright, we should think about the next steps in the experiment. Let him move freely for an hour. Let’s share this good news with our investors first.”

Outside the glass, the group departed, chatting and laughing as if filled with hope for the future.

Suddenly, Bai Yao felt the cold restraints on her body unlock. She sat up from the hard bed and finally saw its metal structure, designed to bind her—explaining why she couldn’t move moments ago.

Bai Yao couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Had she crossed over again?

Her head ached.

She raised her hand and discovered something even stranger: her hands were small and plump, nothing like those of an adult.

She climbed off the bed and hurried to the glass window, finally seeing her reflection.

A child in loose white clothing.

Black short hair, dark green vertical pupils, a pale face, white scales covering the skin on the side of her face, spreading down her neck. Her hand followed the scales downward, touching a metal collar around her neck.

The collar’s small green lights blinked rhythmically, giving off a sinister feeling.

She stared for a long time, certain that the reflection was a small boy—and those eyes were all too familiar.

Whenever Xue Yan lost control, he would look at her with those eyes, then cautiously test her by touching her ankle with his tail.

Bai Yao wondered if she was dreaming. She pinched herself and felt pain. She was confused, but only for a moment before she adjusted her mood. She was never one to sit and wait for doom.

She explored the room, confirming that the only exit was the door. She considered smashing the glass window, but the objects in the room were too heavy for her child-sized body to move.

Time passed. The door opened from outside, and people in lab coats entered.

A man, seeing the child keeping his distance, squatted and smiled kindly. “078, don’t be afraid. We’re just here to check your health.”

Bai Yao glanced beside her. A woman held a syringe filled with an unknown liquid. She wasn’t naive enough to believe they were here simply for a checkup.

The man pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. “Come here. After the check-up, this candy is yours. It’s sweet and delicious.”

Frowning, Bai Yao felt her body move uncontrollably toward him, her gaze longing for the candy.

She felt a craving for sugar within her body. It wasn’t her own desire, but the body’s.

As she approached, the man grabbed her shoulder, and the woman seized her arm, aiming the needle at her plump little arm.

Instantly, Bai Yao regained control of her body. She jabbed her free hand at the woman’s eye and kicked the man hard above his knee.

Cries echoed from the man and woman.

The man pressed a device on his wrist, and the door began to close automatically. He shouted, “Stop right there!”

Bai Yao, with her tiny legs, reached the doorway. As the gap narrowed, she summoned all her strength and slipped out before the door shut.

As her feet touched the world outside, she saw more lab-coated people rushing toward her.

The next moment, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

Time stopped. Everyone inside and outside the room froze, locked in their motions.

Mr. Shu slowly emerged from the shadows. He glanced at the woman in the lab, her eyes bleeding, and the man kneeling, clutching himself in pain. As a fellow man, Shu couldn’t help but feel a sympathetic ache.

He looked at the child lying on the ground with a remarkable gaze. “Such ruthless moves—truly worthy of being the one he chose.”

Mr. Shu had no intention of helping the fallen child. If Xue Yan sensed that her soul bore another’s scent, Shu suspected Xue Yan would tear him apart.

With a snap of his fingers, the world of the dream collapsed, and everything vanished.

Outside the dream, Xue Yan stared at the person in his arms. Seeing her tightly furrowed brow slowly relax, he too eased a little. He lowered his head and affectionately rubbed his cheek against hers, fearful she might be lost in the dream and never wake again.

Behind the counter, Mr. Shu opened his eyes. “If you’d come looking for me any later, she would have ended up on the dissection table.”

Xue Yan lifted his gaze slightly.

Mr. Shu said, “She empathized with you.”

Such empathy usually required a medium; otherwise, she couldn’t have entered his perspective in the dream and experienced what he had gone through.

Undoubtedly, that past was dark and bloody for him. Xue Yan never wanted Bai Yao to see his history. He didn’t want her to know just how many repulsive and horrifying things he had done to survive.

Xue Yan hugged the person in his arms tighter. He asked in a low voice, “What was the medium?”

Mr. Shu smiled faintly. “Your bloodline.”

Xue Yan’s brows furrowed. “Yao Yao has never drunk my blood.”

Mr. Shu sighed. “I mean, she’s pregnant.”

Xue Yan stared in confusion.

Mr. Shu was forced to explain, “Pregnant means she’s carrying your child. Or rather, she has your egg in her belly. But when it’s born, will it be human or snake? Or half-human, half-snake?”

Mr. Shu’s thoughts wandered. He rubbed his chin. “Human upper body, snake lower body? Or snake upper body, human lower body? Hmm, will it be live birth or oviparous…”

The dark, dangerous aura grew stronger, reaching a point Shu could no longer ignore.

He took a step back, smiling, “I was just speaking offhand—no malice. My parts are still in good shape, and I’m not planning to replace them yet. Fine, I’ll shut up.”

Xue Yan lowered his gaze. The girl’s sleeping face was peaceful and beautiful. He had never imagined Bai Yao would be pregnant. Of course, given his unique body, their union was never supposed to yield a child.

The unexpectedness of it was overwhelming.

Just the thought of Bai Yao dividing her love for another was unbearable; he fell into unprecedented confusion, followed by a suffocating sense of panic.

Though Mr. Shu had promised to stay silent, he couldn’t help himself. “Miss Bai seems to like children. If she gives birth, she’ll surely dote on it.”

With a crack, his neck was twisted.

Xue Yan hugged Bai Yao in silence and left, his somber silhouette resembling an abandoned young beast.

Mr. Shu raised his hand and straightened his crooked neck, twisting it a little more. Watching Xue Yan leave, he propped his chin and smiled cheerfully, “Could it be that he’s going home to cry in his den?”