Chapter 2: “Could He Be Pregnant?”

Chapter 2: "Could He Be With Child?"

Chu Yi slowly opened his eyes.

The sun was setting, its lingering light fading. Candles had already been lit on the nearby desk, casting a faint glow on the thin, gilded bed curtains.

Chu Yi stared blankly at the bed curtains, his thoughts hazy, his entire being somewhat dazed.

Hadn't he been captured by the guards and brought before the male lead...? Where was he now?

The air around him carried a faint floral scent, seemingly mixed with a subtle hint of wood. Chu Yi supported himself on the edge of the bed and slowly sat up. The soft bed beneath him felt as if needles were pricking his body the moment he moved, especially in *that* spot...

Chu Yi unconsciously hissed, his brows furrowing tightly, forcing him to lie back down.

The memories of noon flooded his mind in an instant.

He had actually willingly thrown himself at the male lead from the book and engaged in a passionate encounter!

Chu Yi subtly turned his head, his eyes searching the room for Sheng Qianheng. He didn't seem to be there? Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief...

He slowly shifted his body, attempting to alleviate some of the discomfort in his rear. But the soft breathing right beside his ear sent a chill down Chu Yi's spine, and he didn't dare move an inch further...

Chu Yi struggled to endure the pain and sat up, only to be immediately pulled back into place by the person sleeping on the inner side of the bed.

Sheng Qianheng, sensing Chu Yi's every movement, instinctively drew him back into his embrace. "Awake? Did you sleep well? I'll call the Imperial Physician to examine you."

Chu Yi cautiously glanced at the male lead beside him. Wasn't this man supposed to be a tyrant? Or was this the calm before he became one...

Seeing that Chu Yi did not respond, Sheng Qianheng propped himself up, quickly moved past Chu Yi, got out of bed, dressed neatly, and called out toward the chamber door, "Summon the Imperial Physician."

Only then did Chu Yi instinctively check his clothing. This tyrant probably wouldn't help others dress. Yet, to his surprise, the sleeping garments he wore fit unexpectedly well?

Just as he prepared to get up, Sheng Qianheng supported his lower back, helping him sit up. For now, the pain had subsided.

When Chu Yi remembered that the person before him was a tyrant, he instinctively flinched away. Trembling, he lifted his gaze, wanting to speak but unsure of what to say.

Sheng Qianheng assumed that today's actions had been too reckless, frightening Chu Yi and making it difficult for him to accept momentarily.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to feel Chu Yi's forehead, he heard someone outside report, "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Wang has arrived."

Sheng Qianheng quickly drew the bed curtains to cover Chu Yi's face, instructing him not to reveal himself or make a sound, before allowing the Imperial Physician to enter.

Chu Yi's thoughts were still preoccupied with the current situation. He had transmigrated into the book and would soon die due to false accusations by treacherous officials. For now, the tyrant treated him with care, likely because he hadn't yet been swayed by flatterers. According to the book's plot, he and the male lead could be considered close friends. As long as he continued to act like an elder brother caring for the male lead, perhaps he could move him, he thought...

Perhaps lost in thought, Chu Yi didn't even notice when the Imperial Physician had already left the room. It wasn't until Sheng Qianheng drew back the curtains and spoke to him that he snapped back to reality. "A-Yi, what are you thinking about?"

"Your Majesty..." Chu Yi feared that the slightest misstep might displease the tyrant. After careful consideration, he replied, "I am aware that I failed in my duties during the sacrificial ceremony, nearly causing harm to Your Majesty. I am willing to resign from my position as Regent. I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish!"

Sheng Qianheng frowned, never expecting him to bring up the sacrificial ceremony. Had he paid no attention to what the Imperial Physician said?

"You wish to resign?"

Chu Yi nodded. "Having committed a grave error, I must face punishment. I am willing to accept it. As for what happened between us... I will pretend it never happened..."

"Hah, Chu Yi!" Sheng Qianheng gritted his teeth. "Resigning means you want to leave me? I have always shown you nothing but kindness!"

The moment Sheng Qianheng finished speaking, the vast bedchamber fell into an eerie silence, with only the faint sound of their breathing audible.

Chu Yi seemed to detect the unspoken authority in his words, unconsciously swallowing hard. Having maintained the same posture for too long, he shifted subtly, but inevitably strained his soreness, discomfort showing between his brows as he put on a timid act. "Your Majesty has not yet taken an empress, nor any consorts. What happened between us was merely a mistake. It is entirely my fault. If Your Majesty is troubled by this, you may banish me to the frontier. I will hold no grudges. I only ask that Your Majesty remember our past affection..."

Sheng Qianheng naturally noticed Chu Yi's discomfort. He was not a heartless person, but every word Chu Yi uttered felt like a stab to the heart.

Past affection? Did past affection mean letting Chu Yi leave his side?

Absolutely not! He would not allow Chu Yi to leave his side!

"Chu Yi, I naturally remember our past affection. Since you no longer wish to serve as Regent, I grant your request!"

Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, a smile tugging at his lips. Without this high-ranking position, it should be easier to escape, he thought!

His relief lasted only a moment before the tyrant grabbed his wrist, pulling him stumbling off the bed. "So happy? So eager to leave me!"

Chu Yi had no time to react. The weakness in his legs nearly made him kneel, and his eyes instantly reddened from the discomfort throughout his body.

Seeing that Chu Yi still did not respond, Sheng Qianheng's long-suppressed anger made him seize Chu Yi by the throat with one hand, demanding, "Chu Yi, Chu Qingci! Tell me, where have I mistreated you?"

A sudden sense of suffocation overwhelmed Chu Yi. He seemed to hear the alarming crunch from his throat being compressed, as if oxygen was being drained away...

He stared at Sheng Qianheng, right in front of him, struggling to raise his hands and pull at Sheng Qianheng's arm, but to no avail.

Sheng Qianheng, realizing what he had done, immediately released his grip. Before he could comfort the frightened Chu Yi, the latter stumbled backward, falling to the ground and gasping for air.

His head was pounding incessantly. The moment he regained oxygen, everything before Chu Yi's eyes seemed swimming. He hugged himself helplessly.

Why did it have to be him who transmigrated into the book, and why did the male lead have to be a tyrant?

He only wanted to live peacefully. Why was it so difficult?

Sheng Qianheng had thought that over the years, he had learned to control his violent emotions during his rut, but he never expected to lose control in front of Chu Yi and accidentally harm him...

He slowly crouched down, raising a hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of Chu Yi's eyes, apologizing softly, "Chu Yi, I..."

Chu Yi lifted his tear-filled eyes, doing his best to calm himself. "If the ruler demands his subject's death... the subject has no choice but to die..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted.

Sheng Qianheng immediately caught Chu Yi as he fell backward and urgently summoned the Imperial Physician again.

When Imperial Physician Xu re-entered the room, his face was beaded with sweat. He knelt before the bed and once again checked Chu Yi's pulse.

Sheng Qianheng pressed, "Well? Why did he faint?"

The Imperial Physician, glimpsing the fingerprints on Chu Yi's neck through the gap in the curtains, roughly guessed that the Emperor wished to take the beauty on the bed as a consort, but the beauty refused, leading to a dispute.

Was there really someone in the world who didn't want to become a consort? A rare person indeed.

Imperial Physician Xu removed the cloth used during the pulse reading and replied, "Your Majesty, Lord Chu is suffering from exhaustion from their coupling, complete exhaustion, and additional shock, which caused him to faint. Your Majesty, I have something to say, though I'm unsure if I should..."

Sheng Qianheng took Chu Yi's hand resting by the bed and gently stroked it. "Speak."

Imperial Physician Xu, writing a prescription nearby, said, "According to Your Majesty, Lord Chu only presented as an Omega yesterday and experienced a heat. I boldly ask, how old is Lord Chu?"

Sheng Qianheng: "Twenty-nine."

Imperial Physician Xu's hand holding the brush paused. He thought to himself, *older than the Emperor?* "Presenting at this age, I judge that the cavity is likely underdeveloped, making future childbirth difficult. Additionally, I believe Lord Chu must have been given a powerful folk remedy to trigger differentiation! We should thoroughly investigate who did this."

Sheng Qianheng cared little about heirs; he was only concerned about Chu Yi's health.

"I did not form a bond. Could he be pregnant?"

"Your Majesty did not...?" Imperial Physician Xu stood up and handed the prescription to the apprentice. "There is certainly a possibility of pregnancy, as long as Your Majesty... *reached deep enough*. Generally, pregnancy can be detected through pulse reading after one month."

Sheng Qianheng: "You may leave."

Imperial Physician Xu thought and thought. An adult Alpha mating with an Omega in heat—it was almost impossible not to form a bond. Could it be that the Emperor had a medical condition? Or was *that part* too short/small?

Imperial Physician Xu couldn't help but feel deeply worried!!!