The Cold Side Character from a Male-Lead Novel is Pregnant - Chapter 27

On the day Chen Kan transferred 89 million to Yan Yu, he was actually quite angry.

It wasn’t because of the money; money lost can always be earned back. Moreover, he knew that once Yan Yu emerged from his “heart demon” state, he would certainly insist on paying him back.

Chen Kan’s irritation felt baseless. Sometimes, a person does not need a specific reason to feel inexplicably restless. Tiny, trivial matters that usually would not bother him—things that would seem petty if voiced aloud—happened to cluster together at that moment, creating a suffocating sense of annoyance.

For instance, when he saw the bank manager staring blankly at Yan Yu, he wanted to curse. When he heard Old Zhu and Yu Jing teasing them about their relationship, he wanted to curse. Even when Yan Yu explained to his colleagues, “I’m the one pursuing him,” he wanted to curse even more.

He knew Yan Yu too well. Yan Yu only said that because he was weighing the pros and cons. Having just accepted 89 million, and considering Chen Kan’s dignity as a “monarch,” he was simply providing him a graceful way out. It had nothing to do with personal feelings; it was purely strategic.

Yet, he also knew that Yan Yu’s current persona was not innate. In his heart demon state, Yan Yu was a little money-grubber, surely because he had spent too many days being restricted by a lack of funds. Yan Yu was so afraid of instability, calculating every move and being so hard on himself, because it had become a learned habit.

But what about Yan Yu’s near-obsessive longing for Fu Guanqi?

Chen Kan and Yan Yu had been dating for six months. Previously, Chen Kan had been immersed in the pride of being Yan Yu’s first love, never questioning why someone as outstanding as Yan Yu—who was three years his senior—had never been in a relationship before him. It turned out there was a “White Moonlight” whom Yan Yu simply could not be with.

Yet, even during their most intimate moments, Yan Yu had never mentioned this. Whenever Chen Kan thought of this, he had no choice but to suppress the surge of irritation in his chest.

He told himself that once he helped Yan Yu resolve this heart demon, everything would be settled with interest. Whether the money was returned did not matter; it would be better if Yan Yu felt he owed him. However, the truth—every single word regarding Fu Guanqi and the nature of their relationship—had to be confessed in full.

For now, the most urgent matter was how to break Yan Yu out of this state.

Yan Yu had drawn a line around himself like a cage. Questioning him directly was useless because Yan Yu would not talk. Perhaps Chen Kan needed a different approach. He would slowly pry the puzzle pieces loose from Yan Yu’s subtle reactions and the real-world causes existing outside the “script.”

So for now, perhaps he should try his best to be good to “Little Yan Yu,” making it clear to him that there was someone else in the world who cared for him, not just Fu Guanqi.

Now that Yan Yu’s needs for money and territory were met, the only thing left was the matter of “sending the cubs to school.” Thus, Chen Kan decided to start with that, although he was unsure if it was the right move.

He remembered Yan Yu mentioning that Fu Guanqi would send his cubs to school. Although he did not know how Yan Yu and Fu Guanqi could possibly have “cubs,” and the seven kittens at home were not strictly “children,” if Yan Yu cared about it, then they would go to school.

Chen Kan searched for “pet schools” online and found most were for dogs. He then searched “cat behavior training,” and a few local institutions popped up. Courses ranged from “socialization” to “basic commands” at various prices.

Chen Kan made the first call. A sweet-voiced customer service representative answered.

“Hello, I would like to inquire about sending cats to school.”

“Hello, sir. We have single-cat courses and multi-cat family packages. How old are the cats? Are there specific behavioral issues that need correcting?”

“Seven of them. They are about two months old. There are no serious behavioral issues,” Chen Kan paused, then added, “I just want them to go to school.”

There was a two-second silence on the other end. “Seven? Are they from the same litter? Sir, we can only take a maximum of three kittens from the same litter for group socialization at one time, mainly to avoid…”

“They can go separately,” Chen Kan interrupted.

“If they go separately, the tuition and transport might be quite complicated. Also, for two-month-old kittens, we usually suggest they adapt to a home environment first. Frequent environmental changes can easily cause stress.”

Chen Kan frowned. “Is there anything full-time? I want room and board included, where they can actually learn something.”

“Are you referring to a pet boarding boot camp? Those are usually for dogs. We rarely do that for cats because their obedience and social needs are different. We recommend one-on-one in-home guidance instead.”

After hanging up, Chen Kan tried two more places. The answers were largely the same. The core message was that cats, especially kittens, do not go to school like that.

That was obvious, and Chen Kan knew it. The problem was that he needed to hire an in-home cat teacher.

Chen Kan put down his phone and decided to discuss it directly with Yan Yu. He walked into the living room where Yan Yu was kneeling on the rug in front of the sofa. Two kittens were curled at his feet, stretching as Yan Yu rubbed their fur. They let out little “mews” as if they were acting spoiled.

Yan Yu held a carrot in his left hand and a pack of tissues in his right. With a serious face, he asked the cow cat, Hanzhong Wang:

“Hanzhong Wang! Carrot!”

Hanzhong Wang was busy licking the fur on his front paw. His tiny pink tongue flicked in and out, ignoring him completely.

Yan Yu’s expression darkened slightly. He reached out to pat the kitten, interrupting the grooming session. He thrust the carrot and tissues forward and repeated more sternly:

“Hanzhong Wang! Carrot!”

Only then did Hanzhong Wang stop. His pink tongue hung mid-air as his round eyes first looked at the orange carrot. His pupils dilated slightly in confusion. Then, his eyes darted to the white pack of tissues. He reached out a tiny pink paw and gave the tissues a gentle pat.

The tissues rolled onto the rug. The kitten immediately grabbed Yan Yu’s hand and kicked it with his hind legs, having the time of his life.

Yan Yu picked up the tissues, looked at the kitten’s exposed white belly, and fell silent for two seconds. He looked deeply burdened. He turned to the orange cat next to him, Minnan Wang. Minnan Wang was currently trying to bite his own tail, chasing it in circles.

“Minnan Wang,” Yan Yu picked up his props. “Tissues!”

Minnan Wang, a delicate-looking orange kitten, leaned in to sniff the carrot. Then, he opened his mouth and bit down. He bit Yan Yu’s finger holding the carrot. He did not use force; he just held it, nibbling gently with his tiny milk teeth.

Yan Yu’s face fell further. He pulled his finger away, moved the carrot further back, and held up the tissues. “This is the tissue. Do you remember now?”

Minnan Wang’s gaze was incredibly clear. He was clearly uninterestied in both the tissues and the carrot. He turned around and pounced on Hanzhong Wang, and the two kittens instantly became a tangled ball of fur.

Watching the two fluffballs wrestling on the floor, Yan Yu’s expression did not change much, but his lips were pressed tighter than before. He was clearly displeased. At the very least, standing by the sofa, Chen Kan could see the subtle hint of frustration on Yan Yu’s profile.

At that moment, the long-haired “Green Tea” cat—the one Yan Yu had personally “given birth” to—strolled over slowly. It sat by Yan Yu’s leg, looked up at him, and gave a soft “meow.”

Yan Yu looked down at it, picked up the carrot again, and spoke more softly with a hint of testing: “Liangguang Wang, what is this?”

Liangguang Wang leaned in, sniffed the carrot carefully, then raised a front paw and pressed it gently against the carrot. Looking back up at Yan Yu, it called out again: “Meow.”

Then, it trotted elegantly toward the pre-set pet buttons. When the button was pressed, Yan Yu’s cold voice played: “Carrot.”

Yan Yu’s eyes brightened slightly. He put down the carrot, picked up the tissues, and asked the long-haired cat again: “And this?”

This time, Liangguang Wang only glanced at it without even leaning in. It went straight to another button. The blue button played Yan Yu’s indifferent voice again: “Tissues.”

It pressed it again: “Tissues.”

The room went silent for a moment. As Yan Yu pondered how the intelligence gap between cats could be so vast, a young man’s voice came from another button. It was a recording Fang Rong had made when training the cat, filled with exuberant emotion:

“Amazing! Smart baby! Amazing! Smart baby!”

It was pressed twice. Liangguang Wang, seeing that neither of them had reacted, had reached out to the button to praise itself.

Yan Yu remained silent for a moment, then took a piece of freeze-dried treat from the snack bowl and held it to Liangguang Wang’s mouth. The cat elegantly took it but did not eat it immediately. Instead, it rubbed its head against Yan Yu’s wrist, letting out a long, vibrating purr. While holding the treat, it repeatedly rubbed its cheek against Yan Yu’s fingertips, looking up at him with round eyes. The tip of its tail lightly hooked around Yan Yu’s hand.

After several rubs, it backed away slightly and began to munch on the treat with poise. It took two bites, then looked up at Yan Yu to confirm he was still watching before continuing.

Seeing this seamless sequence of maneuvers, Yan Yu was silent for a while before looking up at Chen Kan with a worried expression:

“Liangguang Wang’s intelligence is clearly higher than the others.”

Chen Kan walked over, picked up Liangguang Wang to move it aside, and sat cross-legged on the rug right next to Yan Yu’s thigh.

“Oh? How much higher?” Chen Kan asked, reaching out to scratch Liangguang Wang’s chin. The long-haired cat resisted his touch and nimbly slipped away.

Yan Yu looked at Minnan Wang, who was still chasing his tail, and spoke with even more gravity: “He is two levels higher than him.” He then looked at Hanzhong Wang, who was trying to shove his head into a slipper. “He is three levels higher than him.”

Chen Kan did not know how Yan Yu calculated these levels, but seeing Hanzhong Wang with half his head stuck in a slipper and four short legs kicking wildly, he said nothing.

Yan Yu’s brow furrowed slightly as that faint shadow of worry resurfaced. “I was thinking, if they keep developing with this gap, will they be able to handle the affairs of their territories in the future?”

He spoke very seriously, as if discussing a formal matter of inheritance.

Chen Kan looked at Yan Yu’s solemn profile and then at the group of two-month-old fluffballs on the floor, who could not even distinguish between a carrot and a pack of tissues. He fell silent for two seconds.

 

“It is still early,” Chen Kan said, his voice softening. “They are only two months old. Besides, intelligence varies from cat to cat, just as it does between people.”

 

Yan Yu did not respond.

 

Chen Kan followed Yan Yu’s train of thought to continue comforting him. “Do not be anxious. Regarding that Liangguang Wang you mentioned,” Chen Kan paused, frowning as he tried to fabricate a story.

 

Yan Yu let out a soft, inquisitive “Hmm?”

 

Chen Kan came up with an idea. “When Yu Jing was taking the entrance exam for Tsinghua University, Liangguang Wang sat behind him.”

 

Yan Yu looked puzzled. “?”

 

“In the end, Yu Jing failed, but the cat passed. It is quite normal.”

 

Yan Yu shifted his gaze away from the kittens. His brows furrowed tightly as he looked at Chen Kan with a cold expression. “Do you take me for a fool?”

 

Chen Kan was taken aback. “What?”

 

Yan Yu’s tone was quite sharp. “Yu Jing and that cat are from completely different generations. How could he possibly have sat in front of Liangguang Wang during the college entrance exam?”

 

“Right, okay,” Chen Kan said.

“My point is that you do not need to worry too much. I have contacted several pet institutions, and they said that sending a cat to school is unconventional. They suggested finding a one-on-one in-home instructor. Essentially, we would hire a professional to come to the house to teach them like a private tutor. This would cover ‘kitten etiquette’ such as adapting to the environment, using the litter box, and not scratching the furniture.”

He paused and added, “What do you think?”

Yan Yu had been stroking a cat, but after Chen Kan scared it away, Yan Yu’s hand naturally rested on Chen Kan’s knee. The posture was somewhat intimate, and he unconsciously patted Chen Kan as if he had just thought of something. “If we are looking for a private tutor, I have someone in mind.”

 

Chen Kan raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

 

Yan Yu’s choice was both expected and surprising.

 

“Mr. Fang,” Yan Yu said.

 

Chen Kan frowned. “Which Mr. Fang?”

 

“Master Fang,” Yan Yu said with narrowed eyes, as if it were obvious. “He taught your ‘dog son,’ did he not? Why would it be unacceptable for him to teach my cubs?”

 

Chen Kan was speechless. What else could he say? However, the moment he heard the name “Fang Rong,” his temples began to throb.

 

First of all, Fang Rong had a proper job. It was impossible for him to come to their house to act as a “resident master” for seven kittens, circling them all day long, let alone living there permanently.

 

Secondly, Fang Rong had an extremely gossipy, extroverted personality and was Yan Yu’s close friend. Inviting Fang Rong to move into their home was no different from asking Zhang Xingzhi to check the Feng Shui. It was like installing a 24-hour gossip radar in their living room. Chen Kan could already foresee Fang Rong’s curious eyes scanning the two of them every day, trying to dig up material for analysis from every subtle interaction.

 

Chen Kan tried to express his opposition diplomatically. “But he has changed careers and is no longer a private tutor. Staying here long-term would be quite inconvenient for him, would it not?”

 

Yan Yu’s hand remained on his knee, his fingertips tapping rhythmically. “I will call and ask him first. We can discuss the rest later.” His tone was steady; he had clearly already considered this.

 

Chen Kan remained silent for a few seconds, knowing he could not bypass Yan Yu on this matter. He allowed Yan Yu to take out his phone, find Fang Rong’s number, and dial it. Meanwhile, Chen Kan mentally calculated how to set conditions that would make Fang Rong back away voluntarily.

 

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. Fang Rong’s voice carried his usual vitality. “Yo, Xiao Yu! Are you looking for me? I was just about to ask you out for dinner!”

 

“Yes,” Yan Yu said, getting straight to the point. “I want to invite you to the house for a period of time to provide in-home guidance for seven kittens, a kitten private school.”

 

“Kitten private school?” Fang Rong’s cheerful voice sounded briefly confused. “You have cats now? What is a kitten private school? That sounds so cute! Did you lose a game of Truth or Dare and now you are playing house?”

 

Yan Yu sighed with displeasure and explained, “It is mainly for establishing basic habits, equivalent to teaching them etiquette and rules. Did you not teach the King of Mohe a few years ago?”

 

Chen Kan quickly added from the side, “He means Yuyuan.”

 

Yan Yu paused and began to list the conditions. “If you come, you will need to live here. It might last for a week or two, or even longer. There is a fixed daily schedule with interaction and training tasks in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The kittens are young and require a lot of patience; you cannot quit halfway. Additionally,” his tone grew heavy, “this is a private space. During the teaching period, no outside visitors are allowed, and it is best not to focus on matters unrelated to teaching.”

 

He intentionally made the requirements sound tedious and strict, adopting the air of a “Prince Consort.”

 

However, there was a brief silence on the other end of the line, followed by Fang Rong’s voice, which was clearly suppressed with excitement. “Holy crap! Are you serious? I have no problem with that! I happen to be on my annual leave anyway! Live-in guidance? Sure! Does this mean I get to live in your house and watch up close how you two are getting back together?”

 

Chen Kan’s brow furrowed. This was not the right reaction. Even if Fang Rong was on leave, he should still have his own things to do. He should be traveling or going to bars with friends; he should not be able to tolerate such an unusual request.

 

Fang Rong’s voice continued, speeding up with uncontrollable curiosity. “Wait, Xiao Yu, let me ask one more thing. How have you two been lately? Why did he suddenly transfer 90 million to you? Quick, tell me! I am dying of curiosity!”

 

Chen Kan’s expression turned grim. “How do you know about the 90 million?”

 

Fang Rong’s voice reached a fever pitch. “Oh my god, have you guys not checked Weibo? A bank manager posted a rant saying they served two handsome guys who did a private transfer of 90 million. They posted a picture of your backs. It was just a small discussion at first, but then someone recognized Chen Kan. Now the cultivation circle is going crazy! I wanted to ask about it when I took Xiao Yu to dinner!”

 

Only then did Chen Kan remember the message Zhu Que had sent him that morning: “Awesome,” followed by a thumbs-up emoji. He also remembered the voice message Long Zhanye had left, roaring at him:

 

“What are you two doing?” “Are you guys okay?” “If you are bored, go eat some plums or something!” “What is the meaning of this?” “One of you inexplicably asks me to dinner, I thought we were having an affair, then turns around and asks me for 25 billion. Ask your wife if I look like 25 billion!” “The other one stood me up for our duel, then turned around to coax his wife with 90 million and ended up on the trending searches. Now my girlfriend is asking me for money to see my sincerity. All my money is tied up in funds! I cannot even pull out a million! My girlfriend wants to break up with me!” “What should I do? Speak up!”

 

Chen Kan had seen the messages but ignored them at the time. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and glanced at Yan Yu, whose expression had changed; he seemed displeased.

 

Fang Rong asked, “Should I come over now? What do I need to teach the kittens? Is it still the same address?”

 

Yan Yu listened to Fang Rong’s overexcited voice. His expression remained unchanged. Once Fang Rong finished speaking, Yan Yu spoke calmly.

 

“Teacher Fang.”

 

The other end of the line went quiet.

 

“Those words you just spoke,” Yan Yu’s voice was low and steady, “exceed the boundaries of what a teacher and a friend should ask.”

 

Fang Rong’s voice immediately dropped an octave. “Xiao Yu, I was just curious.”

 

“Teaching requires professionalism and distance,” Yan Yu interrupted. There was no blame in his tone, only a statement of fact. “You cannot do it.”

 

“I can! I promise!”

 

Yan Yu’s voice remained faint. “I am sorry. The kittens are small and need a stable, quiet environment. You are too loud, and your mind is not on teaching them.” He paused. “So, you do not need to come.”

 

Without waiting for Fang Rong’s response, he rationally ended the call.

 

Chen Kan thought to himself, I did not even have time to use my little tricks before Yan Yu rejected him on his own. Is there such a thing as good luck?

 

Yan Yu put his phone down, and the screen went dark. The living room was quiet, except for the faint sound of a kitten struggling inside a slipper.

 

Chen Kan felt a massive headache coming on. He knew he would soon be bombarded by calls and endless questions from Fang Rong, asking what was wrong with Yan Yu and why he was making so many strange requests. To avoid this, Chen Kan took out his phone and immediately blacklisted Fang Rong’s phone number and WeChat account.

 

He could guarantee that he had no personal grudge against Fang Rong. However, he was not sure if a conscious Yan Yu would mind Fang Rong knowing about his current heart demon condition. Chen Kan decided to leave that choice to the sober Yan Yu. When the time came, Yan Yu could decide for himself what he wanted to say to his friend.

 

The problem now was the tutor.

 

“Since Master Fang is out, should I find a resident master?”

 

Yan Yu thought for a moment. Having no better ideas, he finally nodded. “Yes. Find one with good qualifications. I must see the resume first.”

 

Chen Kan nodded and took out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. Finally, his finger stopped on the nickname “Long Aotian.”

 

Chen Kan stood up and went to the bathroom to make the call. When the call connected, Long Zhanye’s annoying voice came through. “Hello? This is Long Zhanye. Who the hell are you?”

 

He sounded sarcastic, clearly still upset that Chen Kan had hung up on him and ignored his messages.

 

Chen Kan’s tone was calm. “Your name is not Long Zhanye.”

 

Long Zhanye was confused. “What?”

 

Chen Kan said, “Your name is now Fu Guanqi.”

 

Long Zhanye was about to explode. “No, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

Chen Kan replied, “I will give you one million. But your name is now Fu Guanqi, and you are going to help me see Yan Yu.”

 

Long Zhanye gasped. “What?”