“But… I’m a little scared of the pain.”

I stared at the knife that was about to enter my body, my palms covered in sweat. Just then, the door to the operating room suddenly knocked. A person in a white coat barged in. “Stop! Mr. Qiao said the procedure can’t go ahead!”

I froze. Qiao Yunshen found out? Suddenly, I heard his panting voice in my ear—his inner thoughts. “I just took a shower, and now my pregnant spouse has run off to get an abortion?”

“My silly spouse, don’t they know a beta getting an abortion without their partner’s pheromones is dangerous?”

“Run faster, I need to go faster! Quick, quick, quick!”

I sat dumbfounded on the operating table, hearing those thoughts getting closer, until they became deafening. “Li Que!” “Li Que!”

A figure rushed in from outside, throwing himself at me and hugging me tightly. The moment our bodies touched, I could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. A strange emotion slipped from the depths of my heart, familiar yet fleeting.

“Li Que, are you okay?”

“Did you go through with it? Are you hurt? Did it hurt?”

I shook my head. Qiao Yunshen visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and without another word, he carried me out of the operating room.

He took me to another hospital—one owned by the Qiao Corporation.

They applied a cold gel on my stomach, and an instrument with small appendages glided slowly across my abdomen, revealing a faint outline on the screen.

I’d never seen this kind of ultrasound before, so I unconsciously craned my neck to look. But Qiao Yunshen quickly covered my eyes. “You’re not allowed to look.”

“Holy crap! It’s an egg! Not a fetus—my spouse is carrying an egg!”

An egg? I was confused. I began doubting this whole “hearing thoughts” thing. How could there be an egg inside me?

Could it be from the boiled egg I ate this morning that hasn’t digested yet?

“But look how round this egg is. The child of a Siberian tiger and a canary turns out to be an egg—what kind of bird is this?”

Huh? Was he taking his roleplay a bit too seriously?

The “canary” was just a nickname for a kept lover!

“But how am I supposed to tell Li Que about this? He probably thinks he’s human. Guess I’ll just wait until the egg hatches and explain later.”

I was speechless. This was getting ridiculous. I had done a normal ultrasound before, and it clearly showed a small embryo.

“But if this egg hatches, will Li Que even survive? I told him I didn’t want a child of his.”

At that moment, the doctor who was doing the checkup spoke. “Don’t worry, Mr. Qiao and Mr. Li, the baby is healthy. There won’t be any problems.”

Although my eyes were covered, I could sense some kind of exchange of looks between Qiao Yunshen and the doctor.

Because the chaotic thoughts inside Qiao Yunshen’s head exploded once again. “The egg can be safely delivered! It can be born!”

“Not everyone’s reproduction is the same. What others can’t do, we’ve managed to do. What’s so strange about that?”

“But how do I explain this to Li Que? Forget it, I won’t. Once it hatches, I’ll just put it in the incubator, and by the time he wakes up, it’ll have turned into a baby.”

“Hehehe, my little bird—I’m going to have a baby bird!”

I was utterly confused. Who were the “others”? Did he have other lovers? Was he keeping me because the omegas and betas couldn’t bear his child?

I couldn’t hold back any longer and yanked Qiao Yunshen’s hand off my face. His excitement drained the moment our eyes met. He remained as cold and composed as ever. “What’s wrong?”

“Is Li Que angry? Oh right, he came here for an abortion, and he tried to hide it from me.”

“He knows that a beta might only have one chance to have a child in their lifetime.”

“Little bird… Do you not want our child?”

Qiao Yunshen’s voice was hoarse. “Li Que, if you don’t want the child, I’ll stay with you through the surgery. I have plenty of pheromones.”

“I can’t believe it—after all this time, Li Que still doesn’t like me.”

Without thinking, I blurted out, “No!”

Qiao Yunshen blinked, surprised. “What?”

“I do not want it,” I quickly corrected myself. “It’s just an internal exam, not an abortion. Betas have shallow reproductive cavities, so it might be a false pregnancy. I just wanted to check and then tell you.”

He gave me a skeptical look but couldn’t help the smile creeping up on his face, which he tried hard to suppress. He looked like his face was twitching. “I can’t hold it in! I really want to laugh, but why is it harder to control my face than an AK?”

“I need to stay cool. I’ve already overdone it today. I can’t let anyone see how much I like Li Que—it could raise suspicion in the organization.”

I tightened my grip on his hand. Did he just say he really liked me? Qiao Yunshen gave a cold snort and grabbed my chin. Forced to meet his gaze, I saw nothing but tenderness in his eyes. He clenched his teeth but spoke in a soft voice, “I cherish you. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Otherwise, it’ll break my heart, Li Que. I never want to see you hurt again.”

“I’ll protect you forever. I’ll wait for you, until I can destroy anyone who covets you, and finally hold you without fear.”

---

On the drive back, I closed my eyes to rest.

The events of today were too bizarre, giving me a strange, unreal feeling.

In fact, I barely remember anything before meeting Qiao Yunshen. But I knew it was love at first sight with him.

Having a beautiful face has caused me a lot of suffering.

People came after me, treating me like a toy, and no one ever helped me escape that life.

But that day, Qiao Yunshen descended like a god from the heavens. He fought off anyone in his path and carried me out of the dark prison.

My battered skin, red and broken, was wrapped in his warm coat as I curled into myself. Qiao Yunshen knelt down and raised his hand to touch my face.

When I flinched instinctively, he ruffled his hair in frustration. He asked if I would be willing to be his one and only canary from then on.

Over the years, Qiao Yunshen has treated me very well. Aside from being a bit cold, he’s given me almost everything I wanted. I couldn’t help but fall deeper.

But now, I realize I’m not even a good lover.

I’ve only satisfied Qiao Yunshen’s physical needs. I never considered that he might have psychological issues.

After all, what kind of normal alpha thinks he’s a Siberian tiger, believes his lover is a bird, and that their baby is an egg?