After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 15.1
After hearing the Princess’s question, Si Qing was astonished. The Princess was actually asking about human customs.
When a human’s marriage partner visits the human’s home for the first time, what gifts should they bring, and how much is appropriate?
Si Qing felt the question was bizarre. What did this have to do with the Princess? A human’s marriage partner… Wait, human!
“Highness, who are you asking for? It couldn’t be… you, right?”
Ju Rin didn’t deny it: “Yes, I’ve registered a marriage with her.”
“Her?” Si Qing’s voice rose. “Who? That human? Lan Ye?”
Hearing that name, Ju Rin’s expression flickered slightly. She remembered when she wanted to call out to that human earlier, it was the first time she had spoken the name, but it felt exceptionally smooth, as if she had whispered it before.
“Yes, Lan Ye.”
Si Qing’s eyes widened: “When did this happen?”
“This morning.”
“Morning?” Si Qing jumped up from her chair. “Weren’t you just meeting this morning? Highness, why were you so impulsive? Did that human do something?”
Speaking of which, Si Qing remembered something important she hadn’t had time to say: “That human isn’t simple. She might be a spy, a top-tier one.”
“A spy?” Ju Rin was surprised.
Si Qing: “Yes, she said so herself. She’s from Military Intelligence Division 555.”
“MI-555?” She hadn’t heard of such an organization.
Si Qing: “It might be fake. I checked this afternoon and found no such organization, but in human historical records, there were MI departments. Perhaps they’ve gone underground now.”
Ju Rin frowned: “You investigated her?”
Si Qing immediately admitted her mistake: “Sorry, Highness, I just couldn’t help myself.”
She recounted the conversation Lan Ye had with her that morning.
After returning home, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity and violated the Princess’s instructions to privately check on the human. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, it was built into her genes, she couldn’t help it.
“But Highness, don’t be angry. I found something incredible while looking at that human’s files this afternoon.”
Ju Rin: “Hmm?”
“The Miao’an sinking accident three years ago, the one where you were involved that human was also on that ship!”
“She wasn’t on the list of survivors afterward. Since then, she was reported as missing.”
“After being missing for two years, the system declared her dead. Only half a month ago did she ‘return from the dead’ in the system.”
The more Ju Rin heard, the darker her gaze became. She looked at her hand on the steering wheel… on her wrist, the cat’s eye stone bracelet shimmered with a gemstone’s glow.
Such a coincidence… She was actually there during that shipwreck three years ago.
“Highness, don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence? This human was missing for three years, and the moment she reappears, she seeks you out!”
Si Qing speculated: “Could it be that during those three years, she was actually receiving training in some underground organization, and this appearance is specifically targeted at you! You know, humans wanting to overthrow Beastman rule isn’t a new sentiment.”
Those humans had even incited many Beastmen.
If it weren’t for those humans lurking in the shadows, the Royal Family wouldn’t have changed the rules during the previous King’s reign.
Royal descendants no longer appear in public. The Princess’s information is only released after death or upon ascending the throne.
The image of the human’s smiling face flashed through Ju Rin’s mind. That human… was a spy?
If she was, she was certainly excellent.
Ju Rin curled her finger and brushed her right cheek. At least she had succeeded in making her drop her guard regarding her proximity.
“Your Highness must be careful. That human definitely has a purpose for being by your side.”
Ju Rin had always known this.
Actually, it wasn’t just this human; everyone who came near her had a purpose.
Her status gave her so much that everyone wanted something from her.
Whether it was power, status, or money…
She was used to it and accepted it.
As she had said before, as long as what the human wanted was something she could give, she would give it.
“I know.”
Si Qing had said so much only to get an “I know” in return. She was anxious: “Highness, you should still stay away from that human.”
She thought of what the Princess had said before, that keeping danger close makes it controllable but what if it becomes uncontrollable?
That human is really strange; she looks very uncontrollable.
Thinking of Ju Rin’s question, Si Qing had another guess: “Did that human invite you to her home? Could her whole family be spies? Is this what humans call a ‘Hongmen Banquet’ (a trap)?”
She recalled the files she’d seen. Currently, the human’s guardian was her aunt, also an ordinary human. The aunt had a Beastman partner with a low spiritual power grade of B, and they had a small kitten who hadn’t successfully transformed yet.
The whole family looked completely harmless on the surface.
Ju Rin remembered the family the human had described in the car, it matched what Si Qing said.
She hadn’t lied, but it was also possible these identities were fake.
She recalled the human once saying “my current aunt.” If the identities were fake, it would explain that strange phrasing, her previous aunt wasn’t this one.
“Well? Highness? For safety’s sake, maybe you shouldn’t go to that human’s house.”
Ju Rin snapped out of it: “It’s fine.”
If it was a trap, it would be the perfect chance to see their objective.
Si Qing strongly disagreed but knew no one could change the Princess’s mind.
“Maybe I should go with you.”
“No need.”
The topic returned to the beginning. Since she had decided to go, Ju Rin couldn’t bring herself to be rude. She asked Si Qing if she knew about human etiquette.
Si Qing actually did know a bit.
“Humans have a very important rule in their social interactions that applies to any situation.”
“Hmm?”
“Light gifts mean light affection, heavy gifts mean heavy affection. Love is where the money is.”
Ju Rin’s expression froze when she heard “money.”
Where the money is… is where the love is…
She suddenly remembered the one million she had given the human. She recalled how excited the girl was, and how she said Ju Rin was the best person in the world…
Ju Rin: …There might have been a misunderstanding.
She had simply given money, it wasn’t love.
Thinking of this, her expression became even more troubled. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, she used the other to take something out of her pocket and held it up to her face.
It was the pull-tab from the soda can the human had given her. The human said it could be exchanged for a one carat diamond ring.
If she followed the human’s rules.
Light gifts mean light affection; heavy gifts mean heavy affection…
Love is where the money is…
Then the human’s feelings for her could be measured.
Worth exactly one hundred yuan.
Equivalent to… nothing at all.
“A-choo!” “A-choo!” “A-choo!”
Lan Ye sneezed three times in a row. Yao Li quickly pulled her inside: “The temperature has dropped. Your body just recovered; don’t stand in the draft.”
She closed the door as she spoke. Lan Shan hurriedly stepped forward and handed Lan Ye a tissue.
Lan Ye took one and wiped her nose: “I’m fine. Someone must be thinking about me.”
With that, she thought of Rin. She wondered if she had made it home yet. She unlocked her watch and sent a message.
Seeing this, Lan Shan asked: “Are you messaging your marriage partner?”
Lan Ye nodded: “Yeah.”
She had already explained the registration of her marriage with Rin.
She had also slightly beautified their relationship. Instead of the original [one night stand resulting in a kitten forcing a marriage], she changed it to [falling in love naturally, leading to a kitten, and logically wanting to marry].
Lan Shan and Yao Li were okay, mostly just surprised. Hakimi, however, seemed quite shaken.
Just now, she was at the door watching her leave.
Who would have thought that her marriage would hurt Hakimi?
When she left earlier, the tail beneath her skirt was dragging on the floor. Anyone who has raised a cat knows that means they’re unhappy.
Since Hakimi was there, Yao Li found it hard to ask certain things. This was all her fault, she had taken it upon herself yesterday to set up a blind date for the kids without telling Lan Ye.
She had assumed Lan Ye would have trouble getting married.
Thinking of Xiao Ye saying the marriage partner was the kitten’s other mom, Yao Li was worried. She and Lan Shan had previously analyzed that the other mom didn’t seem like a “good” Beastman.
Yao Li: “Is that person named Lin reliable?”
Lan Ye: “She seems alright. She has a house, a car, and no loans.”
Yao Li: “You can’t judge a person just by those things.”
Lan Ye: “She’s also quite good-looking.”
Yao Li and Lan Shan: …
As someone who had been through it, Lan Shan said earnestly: “You still have to look at the person’s inner character, temperament, whether they have a sense of responsibility, and most importantly, whether they treat you well.”
As a former non-believer in marriage, Lan Ye used to be skeptical of people who said their partners changed after marriage.
Perhaps they just never knew what kind of person the other was in the first place, people are very good at pretending.
It was better to look at these “external conditions” that usually couldn’t be faked.
In her view, marriage was a “gamble.” Two different people betting on whether they could stay together forever.
Nine out of ten bets are lost.
The experienced people had already summarized the lessons.
If it weren’t for her wanting to have this kitten, she would never have participated in such an irrational and unfun “gambling” game.
Fortunately, she had a marriage agreement.
If you want to avoid losing a game, the best way is to become the one who sets the rules.
Clever me, Lan Ye silently gave herself a thumbs-up.
“I know you’re worried about me. How about you meet her tomorrow? You have more experience, so you can help me see the ‘inner self’ I might have missed.”
“Fine,” Yao Li and Lan Shan said in unison.
Both felt a sense of mission. Tomorrow, they would have to thoroughly test that Beastman’s background. If there were any issues, they wouldn’t let Lan Ye move out.
After soothing the two elders, Lan Ye received a reply from Rin.
She was home.
In the dead of night, after finishing her wash, Lan Ye made a decision.
She wanted to cultivate some feelings with the kitten’s other mom.
After all, they were married, and they would be living together soon. It was better to get to know each other more.
【Are you there?】
Lan Ye used the standard conversation starter to send a message.
Then she hugged her watch and waited.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes…
She was getting a bit sleepy, and the other person still hadn’t replied.
Was Rin asleep? Or did she just not want to reply?
Lan Ye thought for a bit, lit up her watch, and typed quickly.
【Late night benefits about to be released. Press 1 to accept, press 0 to unsubscribe. Counting down three seconds, no reply will be taken as default acceptance.】
After clicking send, Lan Ye waited two seconds and continued.
【Three】
Wait another two seconds.
【Two】
Two more.
【One】
Lan Ye picked up the watch and snapped a photo of herself.
【A nude photo of myself is about to be sent. Please pay attention to your surroundings. Warm reminder: Restricted late night benefits, small screen viewing recommended.】
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
