“If it weren’t for the pregnancy, it would have been difficult to locate him.” A few people in lab coats huddled together, whispering.

The effects of the drug hadn’t worn off yet, so I couldn’t move. “Oh, he’s awake.” The leader of the group came closer, looking at me with an admiring gaze.

“Sweetheart, do you remember what you originally looked like?” A mirror was held up to my face. Instead of the familiar face I expected, a different one appeared—beautiful and delicate, like a BJD doll. I was startled. The person in the lab coat gently stroked my hair.

“Don’t be afraid, darling. This is the real you. Have you forgotten how noble you truly are after being bewitched by Qiao Yunshen for so long?”

“I originally planned to match you with a more aggressive snow lion, but who would have thought that tiger would covet your beauty, and during the chaos, he took you away. We’ve been searching for you for so long. Now, welcome home.”

I remained wary. “Who are you? And where’s the person who brought me here?”

The lab coat looked at me disapprovingly. “Who am I? I’m your father, of course. I’m the one who gave you new life. You are my most beautiful creation. And don’t use the word ‘brought’—it’s so hurtful.”

“As for that person, I paid him off.”

“Qiao Yunshen is too troublesome, not someone we face head-on easily.”

“Allergies during a susceptible period combined with a suppressant can put him into a deep sleep, but since he never had a habit of getting injections when he was young, luring you here was the perfect way to capture you. Oh, sorry, I mean, to invite you home.”

“By the time he wakes up, he won’t be able to find you for the rest of his life.”

The lab coat smiled kindly. “So, little sparrow, give up.”

I raised an eyebrow, anger simmering inside. Despicable!

“Would you like to see your baby? The hospital’s technology is too crude, so you haven’t seen the baby in its truest form, have you?”

Before I could reply, the lab coat began operating the machine. On the screen beside me, the outline of my abdomen appeared. I tilted my head to look, and there, on the screen, was an oval-shaped white object. It was really…an egg!

The lab coat stared at me with eyes full of admiration. “Little sparrow, you’ve done well. You’re the first of all my experimental subjects to conceive life, even though you’re just a beta.”

“If you were an omega, I’d make you the most perfect breeding machine. I’d give you all my carefully cultivated alphas, and you’d give birth to one excellent specimen after another.”

“Little sparrow, become an omega. You have the talent for it.”

I responded firmly. “No, I don’t want to.”

The lab coat didn’t force me. He stuffed a vial of medicine into my pocket, casually saying, “If you ever change your mind, just take a shot.”

I closed my eyes wearily. In this society, alphas show off constantly, omegas are in heat all the time, and only betas remain calm and rational, always making scientific judgments. Like me right now, still able to analyze the situation with a clear mind.

If all of this is true, then Qiao Yunshen must have prepared for this over the years. Before he arrives, I need to protect myself.

14. To recover my memories, the lab coat forced me to undergo hypnosis again and again. After who knows how many days, I dreamt of a snowstorm that seemed to engulf the entire world. Everything was white, and at the end of the snow, a tiger stood tall, looking down at me.

Hundreds of years ago, the untouched wilderness of the Xing’an Mountains was invaded by a mysterious organization that captured animals showing signs of differentiation, taking over the land of the indigenous creatures and setting up camp there.

In countless experiments, I grew limbs and developed human consciousness. The tiger was locked in a cage next to mine. He had also turned into a boy like me.

The snow-covered mountains were reshaped into diverse habitats, suitable for the rest of various species from different climates. The boy watched everything with a blank expression, but his eyes were filled with pain.

Enduring the pain, I crawled through the bars into his cage, spreading my wings and covering his eyes with soft feathers.

Humans not only stole our original bodies but also took the land our kind had depended on for centuries. And so, in cages reinforced with steel, the birds and beasts huddled together for warmth. Later, for some reason, there was chaos within the organization, and many beasts were destroyed.

Through the black smoke, the boy carried me out of the incinerator. But during our escape, we were separated.

Because of this face, even though I wasn’t an omega, I became the target of others’ desires.

Those years, I was sold and transferred from place to place. The fragmented memories were too painful to recall, as if swallowing broken glass—bloody and raw.

I only remember at some point, someone held me tightly in a burning hell, wrapping me in a coat to cover my scarred body. His eyes were full of sorrow, repeatedly saying he was late. I felt I should have touched his face and told him it was okay, but when I opened my mouth, all I could say was: Who are you? Who are you?

The boy, now a grown man, broke down in tears. Later, he took me home. My appearance was hidden, my memories buried deep. He said his name was Qiao Yunshen, and he said I was—【Li Que!】

I shuddered and woke from the dream. 【Li Que, can you hear my voice? Where are you?】

It was Qiao Yunshen’s voice! He’s nearby!

15. I almost immediately woke up fully.

“What’s wrong?” The lab coat smiled at me. “Your brainwaves spiked just now. You must’ve remembered something.”

“Tell Daddy, quickly.” I kept my head down and didn’t answer.

The lab coat lifted my face and clicked his tongue. “I was going to say, if you made me happy, I might’ve told you where Qiao Yunshen is.”

I shot him a sharp look. “Oh, oh, oh, Daddy’s little sparrow is anxious now. Do you really love that tiger so much?”

“We never expected he would really come, let alone find you.” I gritted my teeth and glared at him. “What have you done to Qiao Yunshen?”

The lab coat started laughing, but then he grabbed my face harshly, his voice cold and vicious. “Speak!”

I had no choice. I clenched my teeth and said, “I remember! I remember you love gossip! Like that time you eavesdropped on the sugar glider and the llama’s love story under the durian tree, and Monkey Brother hit you on the head with a jackfruit!”