After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 26

August 24th, Sunny with Strong Winds.

In the empty sky, no birds were to be seen. Only a single helicopter braved the howling winds, its rotors spinning rapidly as it flew from west to east. Simultaneously, on the ground, a sports car sped from east to west. From a distance, they looked like two opposing tracks in the universe, never intersecting, only passing each other by.

Inside the speeding car, Ju Rin hesitated as she saw the green light counting down, eventually stepping on the brake. According to the navigation, after this intersection and one more left turn, she would reach the boutique where she had agreed to meet Lan Ye. There was still time.

After stopping steadily at the line, Ju Rin turned to look at the handbag on the passenger seat. Her amber eyes flickered with hesitation. Should she give this gift? It had been an impulsive purchase.

Three weeks ago, that human had said she prepared a surprise. Ju Rin didn’t need to guess to know what it was. Later, through Si Qing, it was confirmed, the human had indeed only bought her a cheap diamond ring. Initially, she should have been angry, she had given the human so much money, yet the human dismissed her with a cheap diamond.

But later, knowing that the human had bought an identical ring for herself, the smallest one, costing only 88. Ju Rin’s frustration shifted. Especially knowing the human wore it so happily, in subsequent videos, Ju Rin could always see that tiny, cheap stone on her finger. It made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, Ju Rin took the handbag, pulling out a small jewelry box. Inside, a ruby ring sat quietly, radiating the noble glow unique to high-quality gemstones. This ruby was the finest Ju Rin could find, though its value was negligible compared to the gems she once owned, it represented everything she currently possessed.

Looking at the ring and thinking of the person she was about to see, she wavered again. The other person gave her a ring worth less than a thousand, wouldn’t this return gift be too “crushingly” expensive? It made her look… foolish.

Ju Rin closed the lid and put it back. As the red light counted down, her heart swung back and forth. To give, or not to give?

Amidst her doubt, she grabbed her phone from the armrest, unlocked it, and opened her album to the first photo. It was a picture of a hand, a fair ring finger adorned with a ruby ring, red and white complementing each other perfectly. It was a perfect fit.

When Ju Rin first got the ruby, she debated making it a necklace, as rings carry “special meanings.” During her hesitation, she remembered this photo she had deleted. Since it was only a temporary deletion from that night, she was able to recover it from the trash. Looking at the hand in the photo, she imagined the effect and finally settled on a ring.

When designing the style, she had even Photoshopped it onto that finger to check the look. The human’s fingers weren’t slender, they were somewhat plump with rounded nails. Such hands didn’t suit bulky rings, a delicate, minimalist design was better. From the photo, this design looked perfect, though the actual effect remained to be seen.

She was curious about the real result. Forget it… since it’s already custom-made, I’ll just give it to her. Consider it compensation, at six weeks of pregnancy, the kitten’s spiritual power should have been tested, but it had been delayed until today because of her absence.

Thinking of the kitten, Ju Rin’s expression softened. Having made her decision, she exited the album, stepped on the gas as the light turned green, and dialed a number.

On the screen, the name [Lan Ye] flashed. Through the car speakers, the ringing tone echoed.

“Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!”

In the dressing room of the boutique, a phone rang inside a black backpack. Unfortunately, its owner couldn’t hear it. Its owner was currently in the sky.

Lan Ye looked out at the blue sky and white clouds. If the situation weren’t so dire, she would have been thrilled to be on a helicopter. She never expected her first flight to be under “suspected kidnapping” circumstances.

“Suspected,” because Lan Ye looked down at her free hands and feet, no handcuffs or chains. But even without physical restraints, being thousands of feet in the air meant she was trapped.

Lan Ye looked at the row of people sitting opposite her. Even in the air, they stared at her intensely, as if afraid she would bolt. She didn’t have that kind of ability, she couldn’t skydive.

Lan Ye sighed and looked at the floor in the center of the cabin. There lay someone supposedly drugged with anesthesia, who hadn’t moved an inch. She wasn’t sure if they were telling the truth, but until she was certain Si Qing was okay, she couldn’t leave alone.

Seeing the handcuffs on Si Qing… Lan Ye blinked. Back in the dressing room, she thought those were for her. It turned out they were specifically for Si Qing.

Since they took both of them, the matter likely concerned both. The only intersection they shared was Rin. These people were here because of Rin.

Lan Ye had avoided thinking about Rin’s “other identity” because she knew it spelled trouble. And Rin looked like she wanted to handle her own problems. “Personal matters handled personally.” Lan Ye felt that was giving each other space. Now it seemed Rin didn’t have the capacity to handle it.

Thinking of the potential identity… if this trouble wasn’t handled well, it would be very troublesome. Lan Ye looked at the guards. She had asked in the dressing room, but they remained silent. Who sent them? What did they want?

Recalling Rin’s likely identity, Lan Ye felt the plot was heading toward a classic trope, forcing them apart. If that was the case, Lan Ye hoped for the “cool novel” scenario, being offered a check to leave.

She wondered: given Rin’s status, how much would they offer? She remembered a line from a drama: “I dated XXX, eight words, eight million.” That was just a CEO. Her partner was a Princess. If they wanted her to shut up, how much should she charge per word? Too little would seem like she was insulting them.

One hundred million per word? No, “Rin” is only one character in Chinese. That’s too little. Wait, if Rin is a Princess, that’s not her full name. Lan Ye recalled that the names of the princesses released online were very long. If they used those formal names… Lan Ye’s eyes sparkled. She was going to be rich!

Lan Ye was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the bewildered looks from the people opposite her. Especially Qiao Zi.

As the Captain of the King’s Guard, Qiao Zi had conducted many special missions. Usually, people she “escorted” were panicked or terrified. This human looked… excited.

She remembered the human’s strange behavior in the dressing room. She had actually asked to be handcuffed. Qiao Zi didn’t dare, this human belonged to the Princess. Even if she didn’t become the Queen, she might at least be a consort. If Qiao Zi handcuffed her, the human would surely complain to the Princess. Once the Princess ascended the throne, Qiao Zi would be finished.

Qiao Zi wasn’t stupid. Looking at the beaming, fearless human, she thought the Princess’s taste was truly unique. Previously, the Princess only had the eldest daughter of the Mi family by her side. Everyone assumed the Princess had high standards and only a super-S rank spiritual beastman like Miss Mi could catch her eye. Everyone expected a wedding announcement soon, they were a perfect match and childhood friends.

When she received the mission, she doubted the intel. The Princess had married outside? To a plain human? It was as absurd as hearing she had developed a taste for cilantro.

Before arriving, Qiao Zi imagined the human might have a special ability. But looking at her, she was just a normal human. If anything was “abnormal,” it was her level of cooperation. When told to come along, the human didn’t hesitate, she even walked ahead of the guards and asked for directions.

Qiao Zi had meant to ask if she wanted to change clothes, but seeing the human’s eagerness, she forgot. Ultimately, though they were there to “take” her, it felt like the human was leading them out.

Qiao Zi looked at the wedding dress. Perhaps the human wanted to wear it to assert her status. She learned from the shop staff that the human was set to have a wedding on the 30th.

Marriage on the King’s birthday… If that wasn’t intentional, Qiao Zi wouldn’t believe it. She was one of the few who knew why the Princess left the palace. The Princess was doing it to spite the King. Giving up her identity and finding an ordinary human was a way of sabotaging herself to get revenge.

Qiao Zi sighed. She truly hadn’t expected the Princess to be serious about discarding her royal status. But this time, she had no choice. The King…

Qiao Zi’s eyes reddened slightly. Fearing discovery, she turned her gaze out the window.

Amidst the roar of the wind, the helicopter flew for an unknown duration. Lan Ye was lulled to sleep by the noise, waking just in time to hear the landing announcement.

As the ground approached, Lan Ye grew alert. The sight of a magnificent castle surprised her. She thought she’d be taken to a secret location, not directly to the Imperial Palace.

The helicopter landed on a vast lawn. As the door opened, the guards jumped down one by one. The last one hoisted Si Qing over their shoulder and jumped. Lan Ye didn’t even have time to shout, “Wait, there’s one more!”

She looked at her dress. Jumping didn’t seem appropriate. These people were in such a rush they didn’t give her time to change. (Qiao Zi would have been speechless if she knew. Lan Ye had been so “cooperative” that they assumed she was ready.)

She looked at the slippers peeking out from under her gown. She had been so eager to leave she forgot to change shoes. These weren’t suitable for jumping.

Fortunately, someone brought over stairs and laid out a carpet. A hand was offered to assist her. Lan Ye leaned on the support and stepped down. Ignoring her wind-blown skirt, those two steps were almost elegant.

Those two steps confirmed for Lan Ye that the danger level of this “kidnapping” was zero. It felt more like a “cool drama” script. At least there would be no physical or mental torture.

Once on the ground, Lan Ye’s heart settled. The wind was strong, she hugged her arms and followed the guide. Her dress was strapless, while the bottom was thick and warm, her shoulders were freezing. Luckily, they soon left the draft of the rotors.

She looked around. The landing pad was surrounded by towering palaces with a lush green lawn in the center. In the middle of the grass was a massive cat-eared statue. Lan Ye recognized it immediately. Mao Liqiang! Her signature pose, left hand raised, right leg kicked back, a posture of leading a charge. Worthy of the founder of the Meow Kingdom.

The palace windows were all shaped like cat paws. It felt like a fairy tale world. So cute.

Once inside, Lan Ye warmed up. She let go of her arms and lifted her heavy skirt but stopped following the guide. She turned to the people behind her.

“Where is Si Qing? Where did she go?”

Qiao Zi was surprised that the human cared about someone else in this situation. “Don’t worry, she has a place to rest.”

Lan Ye: “And after she wakes up? What do you plan to do with her?”

Qiao Zi: “That depends on the person you are about to meet.”