After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 22.1

What am I doing… Why am I actually competing with this human…

A dreamless night, she slept soundly until dawn.

Lan Ye woke up in a very good mood. While those previous dreams had been quite satisfying, waking up always left her with a sense of lingering, unfulfilled desire.

This was better, sleeping until dawn and feeling full of energy.

While washing up, Lan Ye lifted her clothes and looked in the mirror. There was no visible change to her abdomen. She wondered when it would start to change significantly.

She remembered hearing customers at the shop mention that one should start applying essential oils to prevent stretch marks before the belly gets too big.

Looking at her perfectly flat, toned stomach, Lan Ye wondered: Just how big will this belly get?

She was carrying a kitten, surely it wouldn’t be as big as a human baby? She’d have to look it up later.

After washing up, she went downstairs for breakfast. As she entered the dining room, everyone, human and cat alike, looked at her.

“Xiao Ye, you’re on the news!”

Yao Li spoke excitedly, gesturing for her to sit while handing over his phone.

Lan Ye was surprised. What news?

“Let me see.”

She hurried to her seat. Yao Li’s phone was playing the morning news. The news anchor was speaking clearly about the incident on Xuebing Street where a human robbed a lone kitten’s watch. On the screen behind the anchor were various photos of the event.

The photo of Lan Ye holding the “Bravery” certificate was in the top right corner.

Even though the phone screen was small and her photo was just one of many, her unique hairstyle and incredibly bright smile made her stand out.

As family members, Lan Shan and Yao Li knew what clothes she had been wearing yesterday, so they recognized her instantly as the “brave citizen.”

“What happened? Weren’t you going to class with Rin? How did you get involved in a robbery?” Lan Shan placed a bowl of porridge in front of Lan Ye. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Lan Ye thanked her and took the porridge, explaining the events of yesterday while watching the news. She really hadn’t expected this to make the news… Hearing the anchor praise her as a “warm hearted and brave citizen,” Lan Ye’s lips curled up. This “glow” was even bigger than she thought.

She’d have to send this news clip to Rin later.

Lan Shan looked worried: “Xiao Ye, you’re pregnant now. If you encounter danger, you should stay far away…”

Lan Ye: “Don’t worry, Auntie. I can judge the situation. If it’s truly dangerous, I’ll run faster than anyone.”

Lan Shan found it hard to be at ease. She knew Xiao Ye’s personality. She wanted to say something, but felt it wasn’t right, after all, it wasn’t a bad thing. The child did something good and deserved praise…

But privately, she really didn’t want Xiao Ye doing these “good deeds.” That’s how feelings are, sometimes it’s hard not to be selfish.

Finally, Lan Shan sighed: “You child… now you’re willing to accept awards.”

Lan Ye was puzzled: “Hmm?”

Lan Shan: “In the past, you’d do a good deed and never leave a name.”

Yao Li nodded: “True. Every summer you’d run into a few people drowning. You’d save them every time and leave before they could even thank you.”

That’s why she was so surprised when she saw the news. Not just that Lan Ye had acted bravely, but that she’d actually stayed for a photo and a certificate.

Beside them, the little kitten Xiao Xiao chirped from her high chair: “Meow~” (That’s right.)

Lan Ye understood. They were talking about the “original” Lan Ye. Her personality was so different, doing good deeds without leaving a name.

Lan Ye herself considered it “low-key” just by not using a loudspeaker.

Lan Ye explained: “I’ve changed.”

Lan Shan smiled while giving Lan Ye a pan-fried dumpling. “You haven’t changed. You just didn’t want your mother to worry, just like you didn’t tell us yesterday. If we hadn’t seen the news, we wouldn’t have known.”

Lan Shan remembered when Xiao Ye was still in kindergarten. One day, her sister called, saying Xiao Ye was missing. Just as they were about to go help search, Xiao Ye came home. She said she’d lost track of time playing and didn’t come home immediately after school.

The adults lectured her a bit and moved on. But after dinner, someone came to the door. From what they said, they learned that Xiao Ye hadn’t been “playing” she had found a child who had run away from home on her way back from school. Knowing the other child wanted to go home but was lost, she’d volunteered to walk them back. Because she’d left her name and address, the family was able to come and thank her.

Although it was a good deed, Xiao Ye was too small then. Her mother had strictly lectured her afterward, saying she couldn’t do such dangerous things again.

Lan Shan thought that was probably when Xiao Ye started being anonymous with her good deeds, though many times her mother found out through various coincidences.

Just like now, they only knew because of the news.

Lan Shan sighed: “You must prioritize your own safety. Especially now, you’re not alone.”

After handing the phone back to Yao Li, Lan Ye promised: “I definitely won’t do anything dangerous. Don’t worry.”

She valued her life very much.

Lan Shan remembered something as Yao Li took back his phone: “Oh, the phone you pre-ordered… a message came this morning saying it’s ready for pickup. I’ll get it for you later after I drop Xiao Xiao off at school.”

Xiao Xiao was on a “two days on, one day-off” school schedule, and today was a school day.

Lan Ye looked at Xiao Xiao, feeling as if she were the only person in the house with nothing to do.

“I’ll go get it myself. I’ve got nothing else to do anyway.”

Lan Shan was a bit uneasy. Over the past few days, every time Xiao Ye went out, she came back with a “surprise.” She had a bit of a bad premonition.

Seeing Lan Shan’s worry, Lan Ye immediately said: “Don’t worry, I’ll bring a friend along.”

Hearing the friend was a police officer, Lan Shan felt more at ease.

The warm sunlight fell into the car, illuminating Si Qing’s eyes, which were full of annoyance.

“Am I your driver?”

Si Qing looked at the human in the passenger seat who was smiling while fastening her seatbelt.

Lan Ye shrugged: “If you can convince a brave citizen to drive without a license, then you don’t have to be.”

Si Qing felt a breath catch in her chest. It was her day off, and she’d received a call from this human while she was still dreaming. Hearing that there was something “important” and she needed to come quickly, she’d rushed over.

And the “important thing” was just going to the mall!

Lan Ye had only called with the mindset of “giving it a try.” She hadn’t expected the cop to actually show up.

“You’re off anyway. Shopping is fun.”

Si Qing was suspicious: “How do you know I’m off today?”

Lan Ye explained: “I saw the duty roster at the station yesterday.”

Si Qing’s brow rose. This human actually noticed such details… She looked at her warily. Given the deep impression their brief interaction yesterday had left, she was really reluctant to be in a car with this human. She felt like something would happen…

“How much longer are you going to stare?”

“Hmm?”

“You know, generally speaking, what does it mean when one person stares at another for that long?”

Hearing the familiar opening to a question, Si Qing snapped back to her senses. She didn’t want to know. She looked away and resignedly started the car.

“Where are we going?”

Lan Ye gave the name of the mall, the one they’d been to a couple of days ago, supposedly the largest in the Central District.

The mall was as busy as it had been that day. After all, it was the King’s Birth Month, and the discounts lasted all month. The pickup point for the pre-ordered phone was in a mobile shop deep inside the mall.

Lan Ye wasn’t in a hurry. She strolled along, looking around, entering shops that interested her, and buying what she liked.

She was spending the money Rin had given her.

When she checked the transfer this morning, she’d doubted if she’d miscounted the zeros. She’d counted three times to be sure! Rin had transferred nearly another million! It was an exact amount, too, as if she really had handed over her entire net worth.

She really loves me, Lan Ye thought, her smile radiant. When Rin gets back, I have to give her a good kiss.

Even if she says “no, no,” Lan Ye would see through her tsundere exterior to her shy heart and let her experience a storm like kiss.

Kiss her until she’s dizzy, and then maybe more “gold coins” will drop~

The thought made her happy.

Lan Ye’s steps were light. Every time she left a shop, she had one or two more shopping bags, but they were all in Si Qing’s hands.

Si Qing looked at the things in her hands and thought of that little braided girl named Mi. In the past, she’d teased Mi for being a “little follower,” but Mi would always say with pride: “The number of people who want to carry my sister’s bags could fill a palace, but there are only a few qualified to do it.” She was proud to be one of them.

Si Qing really didn’t understand it then, and she understood it even less now. How could anyone be happy about carrying someone’s bags?

What she understood even less was how she’d ended up as a “follower” herself…

Let her think back… It seemed that when they entered the first shop, the human had carried her own things. But after they left, she asked Si Qing to hold them for a second so she could tie her shoelace. Then she’d just kept walking. At the second shop, seeing Si Qing was already holding things, the clerk just handed the new bags to her. By the third shop, the clerk automatically handed the bags to Si Qing after the human paid…

And that was how it went. By now, Si Qing’s hands were full.

Looking at the human walking breezily ahead, Si Qing quickened her pace, intending to ask why she was the one carrying everything. Just as she reached the human’s back, the other turned around. Si Qing braked hard.

“Look at that big screen.”

Si Qing followed the human’s finger and saw a photo of the King on the atrium’s giant screen.

“Don’t you think the King looks like someone?”

The suggestive voice of the human reached Si Qing’s ears, and she instinctively felt a sense of caution.

“Hmm?”

She turned to look at the human, only to see her smiling. An incredibly meaningful smile.

“Look at the King’s appearance, doesn’t he look like Rin?”