After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 42

The Venata Golden Hall took a century from design to completion, followed by numerous improvements to strive for perfection. Currently, it is undeniably the best concert hall in the Cat-Meow Kingdom, bar none. Through precise calculations, this hall, which accommodates over two thousand people, ensures a supreme audio visual feast from every single seat. The acoustics are such that sound can be amplified several times even without speakers, creating a 360 degree stereophonic surround sound environment.

Lu Li’s voice was naturally booming, her shout inside this hall was so shocking it felt like someone had struck a gong right next to one’s ear! While everyone was startled, they all winced and reached out to cover their ears.

Li Sha’s finger, which had been poking someone’s head, trembled from the fright. She didn’t have time to cover her ears, and the sound felt like it crashed directly into her skull, making her mental power feel momentarily uncomfortable. She withdrew her hand, clutching her head as she looked toward the distant door that had opened at some unknown point.

The seating in the Venata Golden Hall is tiered, and the door stands at the highest point at the end of the stairs. From afar, Li Sha saw a figure standing in the light streaming through the open door. Recalling the content of that “demonic roar” just now… Pregnant woman? Arriving? What on earth?

Amidst her suspicion, the person in the light moved. Walking against the light, Li Sha couldn’t see her face clearly, but she vaguely sensed an extremely powerful aura emanating from the stranger. Moreover, the newcomer looked like they were looking for trouble. Li Sha’s brow twitched, a faint, bad premonition bubbled up in her heart.

But soon, as the person approached and their features became clear, that bit of premonition vanished into thin air. Pfft, and here I thought it was someone important.

It was just an ordinary human. Li Sha laughed at herself internally, she probably felt the aura was powerful earlier only because the person was standing high up, creating an illusion. Now that the person had reached the front of the stage and stood on a lower level, they seemed completely non-threatening. This was just a common human.

“Who are you?” Li Sha looked down at the person below the stage from her elevated position.

This human wasn’t alone, behind her stood a beastman wearing a guard’s uniform. Lan Ye didn’t respond. Seeing the steps at the side of the stage, she walked straight over and stepped up, one foot after another, onto the stage to be at the same height as the beastmen.

Once she reached the person who questioned her, Lan Ye lowered her eyes and shot her a cold glance. “Hard of hearing? Didn’t you hear what was just said?”

Li Sha: “?” What was said? This human spoke? Wait, does she mean that roar?

“Pregnant woman?” Li Sha looked at the human before her with a look of confusion. The woman wore a purple formal dress, the waistline was indeed looser than typical gowns, but no prominent belly could be seen. Li Sha’s gaze shifted up to the human’s face, a very unfamiliar face she was certain she’d never seen. Her eyes landed on the woman’s somewhat silly-looking hairstyle. She found it strange, the entrance doors were all locked, so where did this person pop out from? How did she get in?

Meeting the other’s gaze, Lan Ye puffed out her stomach and took two steps forward, reaching out as if to push aside this person blocking her Hakimi. Seeing the human’s hand reaching out, Li Sha didn’t know what she intended to do, but as a beastman, how could she let a human touch her? She reacted quickly, reaching out to swat the hand away.

The moment her hand extended, she saw the human clutch her belly and let out an “Ow!”

Remembering the “pregnant woman” claim from earlier, Li Sha instinctively jumped back two steps, raising her hands halfway: “What’s wrong with you? I didn’t touch you!”

Lan Ye, seeing the other person move away automatically, let go of her stomach and acted as if nothing had happened. She ignored Li Sha entirely, looking instead at the Hakimi who was revealed once the woman moved.

From a distance, she had seen the girl crying, seeing her up close now, Hakimi’s face was covered in tears. Hakimi dizzily thought she had heard Lan Ye’s voice, but dismissed it as impossible. Feeling a gentle gaze on her unlike the ones from before, she slowly lifted her head.

Through her blurred, teary eyes, there was a very familiar silhouette, but she couldn’t see clearly. Hakimi wanted to use her hands to wipe the tears, but as she raised them, she realized her hands hadn’t changed back yet… the tears fell even more fiercely. She could only blink hard to clear them.

As large teardrops fell, there was a fleeting moment where Hakimi saw the newcomer’s exceptionally bright eyes clearly. “Lan Ye?”

Her choked voice was filled with utter disbelief. Lan Ye came? The heart that had just fallen into despair seemed to snap back to life, thumping wildly. “Lan Ye… you… you came?”

Lan Ye looked at Hakimi sitting on the floor. Her beast ears and claws were exposed. There were no visible injuries on her body, but the fur on those claws was clumped together in strands and looked a bit dirty. Truly, she looks miserable…

Lan Ye took a deep breath, trying her best to restrain her emotions. Hakimi looked quite shaken, she didn’t want to scare her further. She gave a slight smile, her eyes full of reassurance: “Yes, I’m here.”

Having said that, she turned to look at the person who had been blocking Hakimi, the one she saw poking Hakimi with a finger. Li Sha felt her heart skip a beat at the sudden “eye-dagger” thrown her way by the human, but she quickly regained her composure. What could a human possibly do to her?

She gave a snort of laughter: “You know this trash?” Li Sha glanced sideways at the beastman on the floor with an expression of extreme disdain. “Well, that’s perfect. Take her home quickly, don’t let her stay here and lose face.”

Hearing this, the tears Hakimi had managed to stop slightly upon Lan Ye’s arrival began to flow fiercely again. She wanted to explain, but didn’t know how. The moment she opened her mouth, she choked up. “Lan Ye… sob…”

Lan Ye turned back to Hakimi. Seeing her state, her brow furrowed tightly, but she didn’t say any words of comfort. “If you want to cry, cry out loud. Cry for a bit.” Seeing only tears, it was clear she was suppressing the sound.

Hakimi couldn’t hold back any longer after hearing Lan Ye’s gentle words and let out a loud “Waaah!” “You cry first,” Lan Ye said. She turned back again to face the person who had spoken. “Who are you calling a little piece of trash?”

Li Sha laughed. Who else? She glanced at Hakimi, who was crying like a fool: “Her, obviously.”

Lan Ye gave a cold huff: “So you are the trash.”

Li Sha frowned: “Who are you calling trash?”

Lan Ye: “Whoever answered is the one. Are you deaf?”

Li Sha suddenly realized she’d been baited into a trap and her face darkened: “Who exactly are you?”

Lan Ye: “I already told you beforehand. Nothing special, just an ordinary pregnant woman with a bit of a sense of justice.” As she spoke, she pointed a finger at the woman: “Keep your expressions in check. Be careful not to scare me, or I’ll sue you!”

Lin had previously educated her on the Pregnancy Protection Law and mentioned some actual cases. The person beside Li Sha, seeing Lan Ye’s words, grabbed Li Sha who looked ready to charge forward in anger: “Be careful, Shasha-jie… she’s pregnant…”

Lan Ye clicked her tongue: “No wonder you’re trash. So your name is Shasha (Silly-Silly). A silly piece of trash.”

Li Sha’s face turned from red to purple. The person beside her, sensing she was about to curse, quickly reached out and covered her mouth. Insulting a pregnant woman and causing her psychological harm was also illegal.

She looked at Lan Ye: “Who are you, and what is a pregnant woman doing here?”

Lan Ye looked at these people and was surprised they accepted her pregnant status so easily. She still didn’t fully realize the “lethality” of the status, it was like someone shouting “There’s a bomb!” and throwing an object. Regardless of whether it was true, the safest course was to treat it as such and be cautious.

Lan Ye looked at the speaker and clicked her tongue: “Another one with bad ears. Didn’t I say I’m a pregnant woman with a sense of justice? Naturally, I’m here to uphold justice.” As she spoke, her sharp gaze swept over the entire group standing opposite her, as if trying to memorize every single face. Many of them shrunk their necks under her gaze.

Lan Ye let out a cold laugh: “What were you doing just now? Engaging in bullying?”

A voice popped up from the crowd: “Which eye of yours saw us bullying?”

Lan Ye made fists with her hands, extending her index fingers to point back at herself. “These two eyes. The left is 5.0, the right is 5.1.” Then she looked at Lu Li.

Lu Li subconsciously said: “I’m 5.3.” After saying it, she felt something was wrong. Miss Lan Ye hadn’t asked about her vision. Just as she was about to ask if there were any instructions, she saw Miss Lan Ye give her an appreciative nod before retracting her gaze.

“Very well. Four eyes with vision above 5.0 saw it.” During her speech, she looked at the person who had questioned her. The person felt an ill omen being targeted by Lan Ye’s gaze and immediately took a step back into the crowd, looking toward the person standing at the very back.

Li Di, who was being stared at, felt things were going poorly. She was the duty manager for the Venata Hall today. Earlier, she hadn’t wanted to get involved in the conflict between the contestants, now, she also didn’t want to get involved with a suddenly appearing pregnant woman. But more and more gazes were turning toward her. Especially Li Sha, this was someone she couldn’t afford to offend. Her direct superior had instructed her to take good care of her, which was why she had “failed to see” Li Sha’s excessive behavior earlier.

Left with no choice, she could only step forward and walk up to Lan Ye. She let out an awkward cough: “Um, excuse me, pregnant lady, Venata Hall is currently holding rehearsals. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside.”

This time, before Lan Ye could speak, Lu Li spoke first. “Are you the manager here?”

Li Di nodded. She looked at Lu Li, she hadn’t seen clearly before, only noticing the guard uniform. Now she saw the insignia on the sleeves and collar and thought, Oh no, this is a Guard Captain. She asked back: “And you are?” She had to determine whose Guard Captain this was.

Lu Li revealed her identity: “Princess Ju Rin.”

Li Di: “Ah!” She let out a cry of surprise and quickly looked at Lan Ye. Is this the Princess? She was new and had never seen the legendary S-class beastman Princess Ju Rin. Wait, the person in front is clearly a human. How could a human be the Princess?

Similar whispers broke out in the crowd. “The one who came is Princess Ju Rin?” “How is that possible? Princess Ju Rin is an S-class beastman, how could she be so weak?” “Exactly, impossible!”

Lu Li frowned at the person who had gone silent with shock after she revealed her affiliation. She continued the introduction. “This is Miss Lan Ye, an honored guest of Her Highness Princess Ju Rin.” Before the Princess left this morning, she had instructed her exactly so, if an introduction was needed, say this.

Hearing this, Li Sha recalled the gossip she’d heard last night and realized. “You are Princess Ju Rin’s human lover?” Her expression was complex, a mix of curiosity, disdain, and contempt, yet hiding a sliver of envy.

Hearing this, Lan Ye turned to Lu Li: “What is the punishment for slandering the Princess?”

Lu Li: “Ten lashes.”

Lan Ye nodded and pointed a finger at Li Sha: “Arrest her.”

Lu Li immediately took the order. The Princess had said that Miss Lan Ye’s orders were equivalent to her own.

Li Sha was shocked and furious: “What are you doing?!”

Lan Ye gave a mocking laugh: “Did the Princess say she had a lover? Spreading rumors the moment you open your mouth… take her away and give her ten lashes!”

Lu Li immediately pulled out the handcuffs at her waist, ready to make the arrest. The guard disguised as Li Sha’s assistant immediately stepped forward to block Lu Li. “You misheard. Our Miss didn’t say anything just now.” As she spoke, she glanced behind her. Those in Li Sha’s clique reacted immediately, one after another claiming they hadn’t heard Li Sha speak.

Lan Ye looked at everyone with disgust: “Tragic. Every single one of you has ear problems.”

She didn’t expect Lu Li to be able to take the person away right now. Lan Ye just wanted to purely scare them.

Li Di, upon learning it was a Royal Guard, had been silently trying to retreat, but Li Sha noticed her and pinned her in place with a look. Helpless, she tried her best to politely remind Lan Ye. “Miss, rehearsals are in progress here. Non-related personnel cannot enter…”

Lan Ye looked at her: “Are you bigger, or is the Princess bigger?”

Li Di’s forehead broke out in sweat: “Naturally, the Princess is bigger.”

Lan Ye: “The Princess said I can go anywhere. Are you saying I can’t come here?”

Li Di wiped the sweat from her brow: “This… do you have a pass?”

Lan Ye raised an eyebrow. What’s that? She looked at Lu Li.

Lu Li’s brow was furrowed as she looked at Li Di: “Are you new?”

Li Di nodded honestly. She’d gotten the job through connections, and those connections happened to be related to Li Sha, so she was stuck. Lu Li patted her own face.

Lan Ye: “?” Why is she hitting herself?

Lu Li: “This face of mine is the pass.” The Princess had granted authorization to this face before leaving; that was why she could swipe through the Venata Hall’s security locks while walking in front of Miss Lan Ye.

Li Di understood the meaning and silently stepped to the side. She had done all she could. Lan Ye didn’t quite get it. She looked at Lu Li, who had a righteous face while saying such arrogant words and gave her a round of applause in her heart. I’ll bring her whenever I go out in the future. This face is high-end!

Having dealt with the manager, Lan Ye turned back to the troublemaker. “Why are you hiding behind someone, little trash?”

Li Sha: “You’re the trash.”

Lan Ye: “What were you doing when I walked in, little trash?”

Li Sha: “Who are you calling little trash? Open your 5.0 eyes and look clearly. It’s her! She’s the trash! She’s the one who affected our rehearsal!” Li Sha pointed indignantly at Hakimi on the floor.

Lan Ye looked back. Hakimi was still crying. Her eyes were already red and swollen, tears falling in large droplets. Her ears were flattened powerlessly, and her whole body was trembling. She looked as pitiful as a kitten with nowhere to hide on a rainy day.

Lan Ye’s nose suddenly felt sour. Too pitiful. I can’t let her keep crying like this. She turned, walked over to Hakimi, and crouched down, reaching out to stroke her head. Having promised Rin not to touch the ears, she just stroked the back of Hakimi’s head over and over. “Alright, stop crying. Tell me what happened?”

Shedding some tears when sad can help level out emotions, but one shouldn’t cry indefinitely, or they’ll sink into another kind of emotional spiral.

The moment she spoke, before Hajimi could answer, someone in the crowd shouted overbearingly: “What happened? You ask what happened? She exposed her beast form and affected the rehearsal, yet she refuses to withdraw from the competition! This is affecting all of us!”

Lan Ye turned and gave the person a light look, memorizing their appearance: “Did I let you speak?”

The person was very defiant. Ever since the last competition where she ranked below Hakimi, she had been indignant: “Can’t I speak? Just because you have the Princess backing you, do others not even have the right to speak?”

Lan Ye smiled: “You’re speaking too loudly, you’ve startled the baby in my belly. What’s your name?”

The other: “What for?”