After Becoming Pregnant With The Empress Cat's Cub - Chapter 45.1

But that relief only lasted a second. When Lan Ye suddenly turned around with a sharp gaze, they all sucked their breath back in!

Lan Ye looked at the people staring at her with wide eyes and smiled slightly. “I’ll start charging for spectators soon.”

Everyone instinctively looked away, some left, some right, some up, some down. It was a frantic, urgent scramble to find a safe spot for their eyes. But before they could find one, they heard Lan Ye speak again.

“Alright, bad babies, little eyes over here. Look at me!” The last three words were loud, forcing everyone, including General Li Hu, to look at the human.

Everyone: (Didn’t she just say she’d charge?)

General Li Hu met the smile in Lan Ye’s eyes and felt terrible. She wasn’t some “bad baby,” so why was she being so obedient! How embarrassing…

Lan Ye’s gaze swept over Li Hu and the group. She was in a hurry to get back to “business,” so she had to wrap things up here quickly. She shook the phone in her hand. “You bad babies, I have photos of all of you with your beast forms exposed due to unstable spiritual energy on my phone.”

Seeing their panicked expressions, Lan Ye continued. “According to the original rules, exposing your beast form means disqualification. But now, I’m in charge here, and that rule is officially scrapped.”

No one looked happy, they all waited quietly for Lan Ye’s next words.

“This matter ends here today. I’ll give you all one more chance. If anyone dares to stir up trouble or bully others again, I’ll print out everyone’s photos and post them at the entrance of this hall.”

Someone immediately felt it was unfair. “Why? If one person causes trouble, why should everyone be punished?”

Lan Ye looked at the speaker. “Ever heard of collective responsibility?”

The person asked weakly, “On… on what grounds?”

Lan Ye looked at her as if she were a fool. “On the grounds that I say so.” She swept her gaze over them. She didn’t have time to manage them one by one. From now on, they would monitor each other. If one person caused trouble, everyone would suffer, this would prevent any particularly brainless ones from being incited by others.

“Now, go and practice well. Show your best during the competition!”

Someone said dejectedly, “Is there even a point? Isn’t the champion already decided?” Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Hakimi on the floor.

Hajime looked back blankly. Who? Me?

Lan Ye laughed. “I can guarantee this will be a fair competition. If someone wins, it only means their skill level is that of a champion.”

Li Hu snorted. “Why should we believe you?”

Lan Ye looked puzzled. “Did I ask you to believe me?”

Li Hu: ?

Lan Ye smiled. “I’m just informing you.”

Li Hu: How arrogant!

Lan Ye finished speaking. She didn’t care if they believed her or not, nor was she stupid enough to make Hakimi withdraw just to appear “fair.” In short, it would be a fair competition, and she had no obligation to explain. She had more important things to do and didn’t plan on wasting more time here.

But as she turned to leave, Lan Ye remembered one more thing. She looked at Li Sha next to Li Hu and walked toward her. As she moved, the Princess who was holding her hand followed along.

Looking at the approaching Princess Rin, Li Sha’s heart pounded in her stiff body. Just as the person was about to reach her, something poked her on the head. She looked over instinctively, that annoying human had reached her… and was poking her head with a finger.

“Don’t poke people’s heads with your finger like this in the future,” Lan Ye said, poking her hard three times, just as she had seen this girl poke Hakimi earlier. “It shows a lack of upbringing.”

Lan Ye turned to look at Li Hu. “Right, General?”

A guard immediately stepped forward to inform General Li Hu that Miss Li Sha had poked the beastman on the ground before she arrived. With this explanation, Li Hu understood instantly. Lan Ye was sarcastically saying her Sha Sha had no manners.

“You!”

“No need to thank me. I taught her for you.” Lan Ye retracted her finger and wiped it on her clothes with a look of disgust.

Li Hu: !

A breath was stuck in her chest, aching. In her entire life, she had never felt so insulted, as if someone were pointing at her nose and calling her a failure at parenting! If this woman weren’t pregnant, she would have ignored her status and personally fought her!

She looked at Rin standing beside the human, her angry gaze asking if she would just watch her partner mock her elder like this. Rin looked at Li Hu. Under the other’s expectant gaze, she spoke.

“That behavior is indeed bad. Lan Ye was only demonstrating, she never does that.”

Li Hu: !

It felt like another stab. Li Hu even felt the breath stuck in her chest carry a hint of blood. She was indignant, truly indignant! She was about to retort when she saw the human smiling as she pulled Rin away, turning toward someone else.

“I’m leaving this place to you. Watch it closely. If anything else happens, you’re fired.” Lan Ye looked at the manager who had clearly neglected her duties. Her tone was serious, though she actually had no authority to decide the woman’s employment.

However, Li Di was already fully convinced that this human was the one in charge. She nodded hurriedly, promising to watch over the place.

With everything settled, Lan Ye looked at Rin with a deep smile. “Let’s go. We’ll head back and talk about my ‘wish.’ You said you’d satisfy me.”

Rin’s brow twitched. She had a bad feeling and felt a bit of regret. Why had she said that just for the sake of a little pride… It would have been better to just say she wanted to kiss…

Before leaving, Lan Ye told Lu Li to bring Hajime along.

Everyone watched Lan Ye leave, still finding it hard to believe she was actually gone. A few people who had been on edge collapsed onto the stage the moment Lan Ye’s group disappeared from the Golden Hall.

“She’s finally gone…” Their tone was that of survivors, as if the person who had left was some Great Demon King. And they weren’t far off, in their hearts, Lan Ye’s level of terror was equal to a demon king’s, the kind who didn’t value their own life but could end yours.

At the same time, they found it hard to believe. They thought the human would “go on a slaughter” with her arrogance, but she had let them go like this…

Li Hu watched the disappearing figures. She didn’t feel “let go” at all. The insults she received today exceeded the sum of her entire life! The breath in her chest was stuck tight. If she didn’t find a way to vent, she felt she wouldn’t be able to eat today!

No, she had to go see the King!

To Li Hu’s surprise, the King wouldn’t see her. He only sent back a message.

“Say that again?” Li Hu looked at Qiao Zi, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Qiao Zi repeated the King’s words exactly. “Don’t provoke that human for no reason.” After saying it, she nodded, feeling that this was truly the truth!

Li Hu looked as if she had seen a ghost. Were those words really from the King? What kind of background did that human have? Just because she was pregnant? Just because Rin liked her? The King’s words sounded so strange… Why couldn’t she be provoked?

Seeing that General Li Hu didn’t seem to take the warning to heart, Qiao Zi felt she would eventually suffer a great loss. She wanted to advise her, but then realized her position. She was only the King’s guard, she wasn’t in a position to counsel a General. She only hoped that human wouldn’t come looking for her again.

Lan Ye didn’t know she had become a “non-provocable” entity in the minds of many. After leaving the concert hall, she really wanted to discuss her wish that needed to be kept secret. But because Lu Li and Hakimi were behind them and they encountered patrolling guards from time to time, there were too many people, making her words inappropriate.

So, Lan Ye switched to small talk. “Did you wake up early this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“Are you full?”

“Yes.”

One asked casually, and though the other answered seriously, the short answers made it seem casual. Neither cared, their minds were elsewhere, and they knew this wasn’t what they really wanted to talk about. After some trivial questions, Lan Ye tried asking something serious.

“Did something happen? Lola said you went to the Military Council Hall?” Lan Ye wasn’t sure if this was classified. It sounded serious, and Lola had been reluctant to say much.

Hearing the question, Rin hesitated for a moment before summarizing the situation. “A large scale protest occurred in District 9, under the Central District.” Friction had occurred and some accidents happened. Worried about scaring Lan Ye, Rin didn’t go into detail.

Lan Ye looked puzzled. “A protest? Protesting what?”

Rin paused and looked at Lan Ye. She now believed that Lan Ye truly had forgotten many things. But this was complicated… it was a long-term accumulation of contradictions. The most direct trigger for the riot last night was the travel permits, but it wasn’t just for a permit. The protesters wanted to overthrow the management policies that had been in place since the founding of the Kingdom of Cats. It wasn’t a simple matter.

Seeing Rin hesitate, Lan Ye offered an out. “If you can’t say…” She lowered her voice and whispered in Rin’s ear, in a tone only the two of them could hear, “…then tell me quietly when no one else is around.”

Rin: She had thought Lan Ye would say “if you can’t say it, then you don’t have to.” She still didn’t know her well enough. “It’s not that I can’t say it, it’s just a bit complex.” It couldn’t be explained in a moment, she’d have to start from the beginning of when the policy was established.

Hearing it wasn’t classified, Lan Ye resumed her normal voice. “Then tell me when you have time.” She had plenty of time anyway. If it couldn’t be explained quickly, they could take as long as needed. “By the way, why did you suddenly rush to the Vinatta Golden Hall?” Clearly, she had come specifically to back her up.

Rin briefly explained that she had received news from Si Qing while at the Council Hall. Hearing it was Si Qing, Lan Ye recalled that she had been on a video call with her when she arrived at the Golden Hall. That partner was reliable! She’d have to praise her later.

After more idle talk to pass the time, Lan Ye finally saw the castle like princess’s palace. From a distance, she saw some cats lying near the entrance. As they drew closer, Lan Ye noticed that besides the orange cat and the tabby she had petted this morning, there were two more cow cats. One had a side fringe pattern, and the other had a middle parting pattern. They were about the same size as the tabby.

Lan Ye wondered if they were waiting for her. But when she left this morning, there were only two. Why were there four now? Were these two cow cats also princess cats? She turned to Rin. “Are those two cow cats also your sisters?” Asking this, Lan Ye laughed. This world was truly interesting.

Rin looked at the laughing human in confusion. Was this question funny? She nodded. “Yes.”

Rin found it strange to see her three sisters and one cousin at her palace gate. She wasn’t close to any of them, after all, she was already an adult long before they were born. Her gaze fell on the tabby. She had only met it once or twice before, and since she had just seen its mother, Rin naturally connected the two events.

In fact, the two events were unrelated. Rin didn’t know they had come looking for Lan Ye this morning.

The sleeping orange cat was the first to open its eyes when it felt someone approaching. Seeing the human it liked appear, it immediately meowed loudly to wake its companions. “Meow meow~ Meow meow meow meow~ Meow meow meow~”

Soon, all the cats were awake. Lan Ye turned to Lu Li, who understood and stepped forward as a translator.

“The Orange Princess to be cat says, ‘Human, the liked human is back!'”

Lan Ye arched an eyebrow. “Liked human”? Her? Before she could wonder, the orange cat dashed toward her, with the tabby a step behind. The two of them reached Lan Ye’s legs and started rubbing against them. Lan Ye laughed and crouched down, and they immediately rolled over to show their bellies.

Rin froze, a hint of confusion in her eyes. They came to find Lan Ye? Looking at the scene and hearing the purring, Rin felt something was off… Since when were they so close?

Lan Ye petted them both. “Have you been waiting for me all this time?”

Orange cat: “Meow~”

Lu Li: “Yes.”

Lan Ye smiled. She didn’t need a translation for that “meow.” The orange cat got up, its tail held high like an antenna. It meowed loudly at the two hesitant cow cats by the door. “Meow meow~ Meow meow meow~~~ Meow meow meow meow meow!”

Lu Li pinched her throat to imitate. “Sisters~ Come here quickly, this human feels so good to be petted by~”

Lan Ye looked at her. “Huh?”

Lu Li: “I didn’t say it, the Orange Princess to be cat did.”

Lan Ye looked at her, feeling a bit speechless… She thought her own sisters had come and wanted to be petted. “Listen, when you translate, use this hand gesture so I know you’re speaking for the cats.” Lan Ye spread her fingers and held them by her face, mimicking cat whiskers.

Rin hadn’t expected Lan Ye’s sudden action. Looking at her cute appearance, a flicker of amusement crossed her eyes.

Encouraged by the orange cat, the two cow cats hesitantly ran over. They didn’t go straight to Lan Ye, but went to Rin first and meowed loudly at her.

Lu Li made the hand gesture Lan Ye had just taught and shouted loudly, “Hello, Sister!”