16. Sixteen Whales

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Jing Chengyun took a few steps back in disbelief, wishing she could just throw Ruan Mianmian out.

“Master, master, you won’t abandon Mianmian, right? Mianmian is carrying your baby!” Ruan Mianmian’s eyes gleamed as he struggled desperately, eager to leap into Jing Chengyun’s arms. He really wanted his master to pet him endlessly.

After quickly considering the possibility of a male rabbit being pregnant, Jing Chengyun’s heart sank. Without hesitation, she dashed through the front door and shouted angrily at her family, who were sitting on the sofa eating fruit.

“Meeting! Meeting! Everyone come here for a meeting!”

After some explanation, the Jing family understood the situation clearly, though their thoughts varied greatly.

Little rabbit Ruan Mianmian was placed in the center of the coffee table, sitting obediently, lost in thought. He remained in his rabbit form, looking both well-behaved and adorable.

Jing Hong stroked her chin repeatedly and said thoughtfully, “How could such a bizarre thing happen in this world? A male rabbit getting pregnant?”

She was genuinely puzzled. With monsters and immortals already existing on Blue Star, was the possibility of a male rabbit being pregnant really zero?

Compared to Jing Hong, Jing Chengyun’s grandmother, Jing Zhao, was even more agitated. She slammed the coffee table loudly with her large hand.

“My Yunyun wouldn’t take responsibility for you! You better give up that idea immediately!”

Jing Zhao’s words seemed too harsh, and Ruan Mianmian couldn’t hold back tears, which began streaming down uncontrollably.

“No noise, and no crying!” Jing Chengyun was annoyed. She snapped the TV remote as if it were a judge’s gavel, then pointed sternly at the rectangular dining table in the dining room. “Everyone sit there. Court is in session!”

Jing Chengyun scooped up the little rabbit and twisted her body to head toward the dining room. But just a few steps out, her mother Jing Hong grabbed her arm and whispered a reprimand: “You little brat, do you want to sit in the judge’s seat? Get to the defendant’s seat.”

After speaking, Jing Hong stopped Jing Zhao as well. “Mom, you’re so biased. You should move aside and sit in the jury box.”

The whole family clattered about moving tables and chairs to position the dining room light perfectly over the “culprit” Jing Chengyun’s head, setting the stage for her trial.

Around the square table, Judge Jing Yan sat opposite defendant Jing Chengyun, with Jing Zhao and Jing Yan occupying the other two sides. Plaintiff Ruan Mianmian crouched in the center of the table, nibbling on a strawberry tip given by Jing Yan.

“First, we need to clarify one question: Can a male rabbit like Ruan Mianmian get pregnant?” Jing Yan spoke first.

“Isn’t a stomachache a sign of pregnancy? My stomach started hurting after practicing dual cultivation with my master,” Ruan Mianmian paused his strawberry nibbling and tilted his head toward the defendant. “Master, don’t you want our baby?”

Putting aside the question of why he called her “master,” Jing Yan coughed twice. From both personal experience and a mother’s slight bias toward her daughter, she said,

“As an experienced mother, I responsibly say that a stomachache does not equal pregnancy. You probably just ate too much... You must have eaten too much!”

Ruan Mianmian was unconvinced. This was his own stomach; how could he not know? He pursed his small lips and pleaded, “If no one accepts Mianmian, it’s okay. Mianmian can do without a title...”

Jing Zhao, unaware of his sincerity, smirked coldly. She had seen these lines many times while watching old melodramatic soap operas with her youngest daughter.

“Understand? Trying to trap our Yunyun. Appearing innocent and pure, but actually very cunning. Oh, and even shedding golden tears!”

Since Ruan Mianmian had entered the house, Jing Yan had remained silent, but now she spoke quietly,

“What could be born from a killer whale and a rabbit? A whale-rabbit? A rabbit-whale?”

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Jing Chengyun quickly held back her grandmother to prevent her from attacking her sister, who was nearly covered in bruises.

“Grandma, calm down! Think first—do you know of any secret technique that could make a male rabbit pregnant?!”

Her words snapped Jing Zhao back to calmness.

“There is such a technique, actually. If it really is caused by that secret method...”

Jing Chengyun’s spine grew cold. She did not want to be a mother at such a young age!

Anxious, she grabbed the little rabbit, saying, “Listen, we’re going to the hospital for a checkup right now. Don’t even think about running away!”

“Mianmian won’t run! I want to stick to my master and be with him forever!”

“Did your mother know you came to me?”

“No, she doesn’t.” Ruan Mianmian pouted. If he called his mother, he would definitely be dragged back home!

Jing Chengyun chuckled lightly. “It’s fine, I’ll make her know.”

Ruan Mianmian’s eyes widened, finally realizing his mistake. Heartbroken, he lowered his head, his ears trembling as golden tears began to fall again.

“Even if you cry your eyes out, no one will come to help you.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz—the phone was already answered. Jing Chengyun covered Ruan Mianmian’s sobbing mouth and began speaking to Ruan Hui.

“Sister Hui, Mianmian came to my house, don’t worry... Has he been feeling unwell lately? ...No?... Let him stay at my place tonight, okay? ...Good, good, it’s no trouble at all.”

What! He could stay at his master’s house tonight?! Overjoyed, Ruan Mianmian stopped crying immediately. How lucky was he?

After hanging up with Ruan Hui, Jing Chengyun pulled Wen Fan out of the blacklist and asked, “Is there any hospital in this city that can do obstetric exams at night? ...None of your business. Mind your own business. ...Just help me contact one. I’ll be there soon. Thanks.”

Wen Fan’s connections were indeed useful, but no matter how useful, Jing Chengyun was ruthless, tossing him back into the blacklist as soon as she finished using him.

Having packed everything, Jing Chengyun looked her family in the eye with determination and stepped out the door.

*

West City Hospital was renowned, both for its medical skills and treatment costs, ranking among the top private hospitals in Baiyun City.

If it weren’t for this bizarre case of a male rabbit possibly being pregnant, Jing Chengyun might never have set foot here in her lifetime.

Twenty minutes later, two taxis stopped simultaneously outside the hospital’s main entrance.

One passenger was a killer whale girl holding a pet. Perhaps because of her striking height, she barely took a few steps when a passenger from the other taxi stopped her.

“Miss Jing, are you Miss Jing?”

Jing Chengyun turned around in confusion.

The woman who called out was not tall, only chest-high to her. “I’m a friend of Xiao Jing. Gu Xiao Jing—you know Gu Xiao Jing, right? The penguin spirit you saved by the sea today! I saw you in the surveillance footage!”

Jing Chengyun suddenly understood. So she was a penguin spirit. No wonder she fainted from being scared by the killer whale.

“It was mainly thanks to my friend. I just helped a little…”

“No, no, no. You helped at least, didn’t you? Let me introduce myself. I’m Xiao Jing’s agent. You can call me Xiao Zhao!” The woman named Xiao Zhao pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and gestured politely, inviting Jing Chengyun to keep walking.

Jing Chengyun was puzzled. Who was Gu Xiao Jing that she even had an agent?

Could she be a celebrity?

Xiao Zhao said, “After Xiao Jing woke up, he’s been eager to find the person who saved him and thank them in person. Since you’re here, and if you’re not busy, Xiao Jing is also hospitalized here in West City. Would that be convenient for you?”

Jing Chengyun had urgent matters and didn’t care about unnecessary gratitude. She waved her hand and quickened her pace.

“Sorry, I have urgent business.”

Xiao Zhao’s eyes widened. “You don’t know Gu Xiao Jing? He’s very famous!”

After a few sentences of this pestering, Jing Chengyun grew irritated and spoke bluntly.

“I don’t know him. What’s so famous about him?”

Xiao Zhao said, “He’s the mysteriously disappeared ‘BW’ player from 100 years ago! It was a huge deal back then!”

Jing Chengyun replied, “I wasn’t even born 100 years ago, and his fame wasn’t big enough for a monster like me, born years after his disappearance, to know him.”

She stood against the light, her figure and expression intimidating. Xiao Zhao shrank back, no longer daring to follow.

“BW” was a game Jing Chengyun often played. From Xiao Zhao’s words, Gu Xiao Jing was probably a professional player of this game. Unfortunately, Jing Chengyun wasn’t interested in BW tournaments and didn’t know any esports players.

Free from Xiao Zhao’s pestering, Jing Chengyun briskly went to the hospital lobby to register, preparing to ask the obstetrician for blood tests.

“Do you need blood drawn?” Just as they left the doctor’s office, the little rabbit clung tightly to his master’s chest, trembling with fear.

“It hurts so much.”

After Xiao Zhao’s commotion and seeing Ruan Mianmian’s pitiful tears, Jing Chengyun’s temper flared.

She pointed at the little rabbit’s delicate nose and threatened, “Change back to human form quickly. Either you get the blood drawn, or I’ll draw it myself. Your choice.”

Ruan Mianmian squinted his eyes and actually considered it. Blood draw? For him? Both options would hurt. It was better to let his master draw his blood hard!

A slap from his master, no matter how painful, he could endure!

Surprisingly, Ruan Mianmian transformed instantly into human form. Before Jing Chengyun could react, he grabbed her hand and dashed into the stairwell, finding a blind spot from the cameras.

Then he faced the wall, placing his hands on it, and weakly said, “If you draw blood from a rabbit’s butt, you can’t draw blood again, okay? Master, go ahead and draw as much as you want!”