After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 17

“So you heard everything.”

That saved the trouble of repeating it.

Lan Ye looked at the person and smiled, a smile tinged with a bit of smugness.

“How about it? Nervous?”

The sunlight fell upon them both. Lan Ye faced the sun, her expression radiant. She hadn’t expected Rin to witness the scene of her being confessed to. Now, this person should know, right? She hadn’t lied, her “damn charm” really was that captivating.

In stark contrast to Lan Ye’s brightness was Ju Rin. Though she stood in the daylight, she was backlit, and a layer of shadow seemed to rest in the depths of her eyes. As she watched the person smiling so wantonly, that shadow felt as if it had settled into her heart. It was an uncomfortable, stifling feeling.

At a time like this, this person could actually laugh? Moreover, who was she asking if they were nervous? Shouldn’t the one nervous be the person standing right in front of her?

She had heard every word exchanged with that beastman! She had even seen her touch that beastman’s ears…

Rin had originally thought that no matter how outrageous this human was, she had a bottom line. Furthermore, in the marriage agreement drafted yesterday, there was one point Rin strongly approved of: neither party could commit adultery during the marriage.

She knew many beastmen lived in “open” marriages, due to their impulsive biological nature, they were often casual about partner relationships. Ju Rin, however, despised this. In her view, loyalty should come first. She thought she and this human shared that consensus. Now, it seemed she might have been mistaken.

Ju Rin looked at her and said deeply, “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Lan Ye looked at the solemn Rin and leaned in slightly. A breeze happened to blow past. The soft silk ribbon of her sun hat brushed against Ju Rin’s tensed face. Lan Ye laughed, tugged the flying ribbon back, and lightly grazed Rin’s nose with the tip of the fabric.

“Don’t be nervous. While my hidden charm makes it very easy for people to like me and there might be more confessions like today’s in the future, rest assured for these six months, I will definitely be devoted only to you.”

Ju Rin frowned instinctively. “Six months?”

Lan Ye nodded, her hat bobbing. “Yeah, isn’t the agreement for six months? During the agreement period, whether mentally or physically, I definitely won’t cheat.”

“And after six months?”

Lan Ye was surprised she was asking the obvious. “Well, that depends on how our feelings develop during this time and if we’re suitable for living together. If we aren’t, it’s better to split after six months.”

“And then you’ll go find that beastman from just now?”

As Ju Rin spoke, she glanced in the direction the beastman had left. So there really was a beastman named “Hakimi.” Previously, she thought Lan Ye had fabricated the person to increase her bargaining chips.

Lan Ye followed Rin’s gaze toward where Hakimi had gone. Thinking of those adorable cat paws that popped out when she was nervous, Lan Ye nodded.

“Yeah. Didn’t you hear? I gave her a tag. She’s Number 1.”

Naturally, she’d be first in line.

“Then why didn’t you just choose her from the start?”

Lan Ye blinked. What a question. “Well… because you moved faster, didn’t you~”

Ju Rin: “…”

So it was her fault? Her chest felt tight with frustration. The words “Then let me step aside for you” were stuck in her throat when the human spoke again.

“Even though you were faster, I did put thought into it.”

When Auntie Li called saying Hakimi had come to propose, Lan Ye had still asked Rin if she would sign the agreement. If she hadn’t, only then would she have considered Hakimi.

“Between the two of you, I definitely choose you.”

Lan Ye looked at Rin with a definitive gaze, as if Rin had won a grand prize. In reality, Rin had only won by a hair. Lan Ye said this to comfort her, seeing how “nervous” she looked.

Ju Rin felt the blockage in her chest grow worse. This human actually compared her to a low-level beastman who couldn’t even control her spiritual power. What was there to be happy about in winning that comparison?

Furthermore, their definitions of “cheating” seemed to differ.

“You said you wouldn’t cheat mentally or physically for six months. How do you explain your behavior just now?”

Lan Ye: “Huh? What behavior?”

“Touching that beastman’s animal ears. In your eyes, does that not count as physical impropriety?”

Lan Ye was stunned. “I’m not allowed to touch them?”

“A beastman’s ears in their animal form can only be touched by an intimate partner. Are you her partner?”

The implication was clear: Do you have any right to touch them?

Lan Ye’s eyes widened. There was actually a rule like that? Why didn’t Hakimi say anything? And looking at the person in front of her…

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Lan Ye recalled the first time she met Rin in the hospital. “When I wanted to touch your ears in the hospital, why didn’t you mention this rule?”

Ju Rin also remembered that. It seemed this human was a repeat offender.

Lan Ye felt a bit innocent. “I didn’t know you beastmen had this rule.”

She then made a serious promise to Rin: “Now that I know, don’t worry, I definitely won’t touch anyone else’s.” She looked at Ju Rin and raised a hand. “I swear, I’ll only touch yours.”

Ju Rin: “…”

After making the vow, Lan Ye reached out and placed her hand near the side of Ju Rin’s head, where she had seen the ears pop out in the hospital. Since the other person was “jealous” over her touching someone else, she had to coax her.

“Transform, little kitty. Perk up your ears and let me touch them.”

Ju Rin: “…”

What were they even talking about? How did it turn into this? Was this human doing this on purpose? She didn’t believe the human truly didn’t know the rule, this was likely an excuse after being caught.

Just as she was about to push the human’s hand away, a voice came from behind.

“Xiao Ye… why haven’t you invited her in?”

Lan Ye turned around. Yao Li and Lan Shan were standing side by side at the door, looking at her with confusion. Ju Rin also looked over and saw two women standing in the open doorway wearing complex formal dresses and exaggerated hats.

Upon making eye contact, the two older women gave her a very friendly smile. They stepped out together, their wide hat brims squeezing through the doorframe.

Lan Ye had almost forgotten her Aunt and Auntie Li were waiting. She retracted her hand from Rin’s head, putting the ear-touching matter on hold for now.

Lan Shan stepped onto the porch and whispered, “What’s wrong, Xiao Ye? Why not invite her in?”

They had been waiting inside for a long time, and their prepared smiles were starting to stiffen. Yao Li also lowered her voice and asked quickly, “Is this the beastman Rin you mentioned?”

Lan Ye nodded, acting as the intermediary. “Auntie, Auntie Li, this is Rin, my fiancee.” Then, she looked at Rin. “Rin, this is my Aunt, and this is Auntie Li.”

Ju Rin had already composed herself. After the introduction, she gave a polite smile and a nod. “Hello.”

“Hello, hello! Please, come inside.” Lan Shan moved aside to let Ju Rin through while sizing her up. Yao Li followed suit, gesturing inward.

Lan Ye felt the stairs were a bit crowded and stepped down to stand beside Rin. An exaggerated hat brim nearly swiped Ju Rin’s eyes, but she leaned back just in time.

Ju Rin glanced at Lan Ye’s hat. She had seen it when the human first stepped out of the house. Combined with the casual polka dot loungewear, it looked absurdly surreal. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from laughing then. If she hadn’t seen the “confession” scene later, she would have asked why she was wearing such a thing.

Now… looking at the human’s family on the porch, she hadn’t expected there would be two more equally flamboyant hats. She suddenly understood why this human was so… unique.

Regardless of her thoughts, Ju Rin maintained a polite smile. “I brought some gifts.” She turned toward the back of the vehicle.

Lan Ye remembered. She had been worried Rin wouldn’t bring gifts and had rushed out to remind her, only to be interrupted by Hakimi. She looked at the van parked at the gate. Was this Rin’s car? Seeing her head to the back as if to open the cargo hold, Lan Ye was shocked. What kind of gift requires a whole truck?

She followed her. Lan Shan and Yao Li, hearing about gifts, insisted it wasn’t necessary while following along. They didn’t know Rin usually drove a sports car and assumed this van was her daily driver.

Before Ju Rin opened the doors, they never imagined the cargo hold would be packed. Even less did they imagine the entire van was filled with gifts for them!

Ju Rin: “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just bought a few things.”

Lan Shan and Yao Li stared at each other in shock. Neither could make a sound for a long while. Lan Ye’s shock was no less than theirs. She looked at the mountain of items, her eyelids twitching. Is this a gift… or a house move?

Ju Rin asked, “Where should we put these?”

Lan Shan was bewildered. “These… are for us?” She even saw a massive refrigerator. Who brings a fridge to a first meeting? Yao Li spotted a massage chair from a brand that was clearly not cheap.

Ju Rin: “It’s my first visit. I hope you don’t mind that I chose gifts based on my own ideas.”

Lan Shan quickly explained, “No, no, we don’t mind, but this is too expensive! we can’t accept this.” She wasn’t unworldly, she’d heard of wedding gifts, but never a whole truckload of high-end brands.