What an idiot.
Their breaths intertwined, intense yet tinged with tenderness.
As Zhi Yao neared suffocation, she suddenly felt a sting on her lips, followed by a rush of fresh air. She immediately took deep, gulping breaths, and once she had calmed down, Zhi Yao realized—Pei Chiyao had bitten her again.
Before she could get angry, Pei Chiyao laughed.
"Idiot."
He said in a low voice, "I turned you into a human, not because I dislike how you looked as a fox, but because..."
He wanted to kiss her.
His eyes seemed to conceal hidden stars, dazzlingly bright.
Zhi Yao felt her usually unremarkable heart suddenly pounding powerfully, "thump thump thump," with violent intensity.
She clutched her chest, staring blankly at Pei Chiyao, "Pei Chiyao...do I have heart disease? My heart is beating so hard."
Pei Chiyao: "..."
Exasperated, he had run out of patience with this fox, and could only say, "It'll pass. I'll carry you to breakfast."
For the entire morning, Pei Chiyao meticulously attended to Zhi Yao's every need, spoon-feeding her breakfast bite by bite. He had someone bring over many sets of clothes for her, helped her into a sweater, buttoned up her coat, and bundled her in a thick down jacket.
She looked like a round, soft, fluffy ball, especially with her two braided pigtails, making her even more adorable. She didn't seem like an adult, but a little child.
He wanted to devour her whole.
With the heating on indoors, Zhi Yao was sweating under her heavy layers. "Pei Chiyao, are we going out? Isn't this too much clothing? I'm going to overheat."
"Not too much."
Pei Chiyao turned off the house heating. "We need to go out for something."
As he spoke, he bent down and scooped up the round, fluffy ball, weighing her in his hands. "Hmm...now you feel a bit heavier."
Before, Zhi Yao was so light, like she barely existed at just ninety-some pounds. In his hands, she felt like cotton.
Unfortunately, the little girl seemed to have a metabolism that made it hard for her to gain weight. No matter how much Pei Chiyao fed her or how much Zhi Yao overate, she simply didn't put on many pounds.
Zhi Yao ignored Pei Chiyao's comment and continued asking, "So where are we going?"
"To see Jiang Zhu."
See Jiang Zhu?
...
Twenty minutes later, Zhi Yao and Pei Chiyao arrived at the First People's Hospital.
When they entered the ward, Jiang Zhu had just woken up, and Ling Er was also there.
The moment they stepped into the ward, they sensed the slightly tense atmosphere seemed to ease.
"Yao Yao, you're here."
Ling Er drawled lazily, taking off his gold-rimmed glasses to rub his temples.
This weary look immediately concerned Zhi Yao. "Second Brother, what's wrong? Are you too tired?"
"It's nothing."
Ling Er put his glasses back on. "Just some eye strain."
He gave Pei Chiyao an inconspicuous signal. "I'll go get some air first. You two keep him company."
As soon as Ling Er left, Jiang Zhu's expression changed. "What did you do to Yilian?!"
Although Jiang Zhu had indeed been controlled by Shen Yilian, his feelings for her were utterly genuine.
"Jiang Zhu, do you know what Shen Yilian did to you?"
Pei Chiyao pulled over a stool for Zhi Yao to sit on.
The young girl sat blankly, her bewildered gaze shifting between Pei Chiyao and Jiang Zhu.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhu's face immediately changed.
Although he had been controlled by Shen Yilian, this didn't mean Jiang Zhu was unaware.
He could clearly recall the feeling of his body suddenly being taken over, like a puppet on strings being manipulated.
"Jiang Zhu, do you know, if it weren't for the fact that I knew you were being controlled by Shen Yilian, just based on what you did, I would have killed you?"
Jiang Zhu remained silent until Pei Chiyao finished speaking, then he persisted, "Tell me what you did to Yilian!"
"That's not for you to know. Just tell me, do you know where Shen Yilian got that thing that allowed her to control you?"
Jiang Zhu bowed his head, saying nothing.
As Pei Chiyao was about to continue pressing him, Zhi Yao suddenly caught a familiar scent in the ward.
The young girl sniffed, puzzled. "Do you smell something strange?"
Something strange?
Zhi Yao kept sniffing, then seemed to realize something and leaned toward Jiang Zhu, sniffing closely.
Jiang Zhu was bewildered by her actions. "What's wrong with you..."
Before he could finish, Pei Chiyao's sharp glare silenced him.
Jiang Zhu swallowed his remaining words.
"It's here!"
Zhi Yao excitedly reached out and grabbed Jiang Zhu's sleeve. Immediately, a long, transparent strand emerged from within.
She recognized that odor.
It was that black, smelly stuff that had sprayed all over her.
Just what was this?
"Jiang Zhu, you'd better confess quickly." Pei Chiyao eyed the strand, unsurprised. "If you cooperate, maybe I'll be in a good mood and let you see Shen Yilian."
His words instantly ignited a spark of hope in Jiang Zhu's heart.
He had just spoken with the man who claimed to be from the Ling family, and although he didn't explicitly state that Shen Yilian was gone, Jiang Zhu could infer it from his demeanor.
At the time, Jiang Zhu's heart had plummeted, but now...he was hearing a different answer from Pei Chiyao!
Jiang Zhu was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
"You mean...Yilian is okay?!" He exhaled sharply. "That's good, that's good. Pei Chiyao, you should know, Yilian has always been your childhood friend. The bond between you two who grew up together can never be erased by anything or anyone."
He rambled on endlessly, and Zhi Yao couldn't help but feel that when he said "anyone," he glanced at her.
Pei Chiyao's patience had run out. "You'd better hurry up. My time is precious."
Jiang Zhu pondered for three seconds, but still decided to come clean. After all, it was Yilian who had made the mistake. If he took the initiative to confess now, he might be able to plead for leniency on Yilian's behalf. They all knew Pei Chiyao's methods, after all.
But just then, Jiang Zhu's phone suddenly rang. He gave Pei Chiyao an apologetic look and pressed the answer button.
However, the words coming through the receiver left him as if struck by lightning.
It was...
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