The Cold Side Character from a Male-Lead Novel is Pregnant - Chapter 5

The saga of Chen Kan’s “driver” career fermented into the number one unsolved mystery within the Criminal Investigation Detachment. In less than half a day, the legend of “Captain Chen serving as Director Yan’s exclusive driver” and “the iceberg Director Yan actually cracking cold jokes” spread through half the building.

However, the two individuals at the center of the storm were each more composed than the other. Their “do not disturb unless it’s official business” expressions were welded onto their cold faces, as if the morning’s farce was merely a collective hallucination. They responded to scenes and reviewed reports with seamless precision.

It wasn’t until a homicide case involving a “Wicked Cultivator” in the West City District was reported that this fragile peace was shattered.

Yan Yu led his assistants to the scene. After thirty minutes of efficient investigation, he preliminary judged it as a crime of passion; the logic was clear.

But on the return trip, Yan Yu discreetly brushed off the others and specifically singled out Chen Kan, the leader of the First Detachment.

In a place with no one else around, Yan Yu’s tone was harsh: “You, go drive.”

Chen Kan gave him a deep look and sat in the driver’s seat as told.

The car door shut with a loud bang, isolating them from the outside world.

Almost simultaneously, the composure Yan Yu had been forcing himself to maintain completely collapsed. He was so angry he wanted to curse. The moment he got into the car, he could no longer hold it back. He yanked the seatbelt across and buckled it, the suppressed fire he had held all morning finally exploding.

“—Chen Kan, are you fucking insane?!” Yan Yu’s voice wasn’t high, but it carried an incredulous tremor. “Using my money and riding on my father’s influence to buy yourself a position in our detachment?! How dare you?!”

Chen Kan’s eyes, usually sharp as a hawk’s, instantly narrowed into the gaze of a speechless dead fish. His foot slipped slightly on the accelerator, causing the car to lurch forward.

No wonder this person had been simmering with rage all afternoon. It turned out he was convinced… that his position as Captain was bought with money?

Chen Kan had stayed up last night listening to that audiobook, Wealth is Finally Free, but the Money All Ran Away. He confirmed that Yan Yu’s memory regarding “interpersonal relationships” had aligned with the novel’s plot, leading Yan Yu to view him as a “phoenix man”—a social climber who takes but doesn’t contribute. After today’s actual work contact, Yan Yu had apparently “solidified” the idea that his job was purchased.

Who would have thought that the usually logically rigorous, humorless Director Yan would have his logic diverge to such an extent after being ensnared by an Inner Demon? A trace of indulgence, so faint he didn’t even notice it, flickered in the depths of Chen Kan’s eyes.

But Yan Yu was clearly in no mood for such things. Adrenaline made the corners of his eyes flush red; his cold, pale skin took on a thin rouge, but his gaze was cold enough to cut someone.

“Speak! Are you a mute?!” He was rarely this exasperated, and his wide eyes gave him a different kind of vividness.

Chen Kan appeared unmoved, though his Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, suppressing a dry itch in his throat. “I have that kind of capability?” His voice was deep and devoid of emotion.

This only added fuel to the fire: “Chen Kan! I’m talking about serious business! Stop being so sarcastic!”

“I’m not being sarcastic. Go check how much I spent, and I’ll pay you back double,” Chen Kan said, the veins on the back of his hand on the steering wheel bulging slightly. Under Yan Yu’s scorching gaze, he proposed in a nearly serious tone, “Should I get one for your younger brother too? Hasn’t he been out of university for half a year without a job?”

Yan Yu looked as if he had touched something filthy, his brow furrowing in disgust. “Even a dog wouldn’t do such a thing. You—go resign today!”

Chen Kan’s brow twitched as he forced down the urge to smile, continuing to tease this temporarily foolish Yan Yu: “But since this ‘dog’ took office, the ‘Cultivation Crime’ rate in K City has dropped by 95%. Director Yan, do you want to look over the detachment’s work reports before you decide whether to tear into me?”

Yan Yu let out a cold snort from his nose: “I’d rather believe Yu Jing is Qin Shi Huang than believe you.” No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Yu turned away, pulled out his phone, and ordered Yu Jing on the other end to send last year’s reports immediately.

Chen Kan watched him through the rearview mirror.

At first, Yan Yu’s brow was tightly knit as he reviewed every word, as if trying to stare through the screen. As he continued reading, the fire gradually died down. Yan Yu pursed his lips, his jawline incredibly tense, with only the slight bulge in his cheeks showing his frustration.

However, his back remained rod-straight. His clear, chilly gaze suddenly swept over, full of scrutiny:

“I didn’t hear you mention this last year.”

Chen Kan nodded, about to explain: “It’s normal that you didn’t know, since you were only transferred to your current position at the beginning of this year…” but Yan Yu interrupted him with a chilling tone:

“You probably told that ‘effervescent tablet,’ didn’t you? You two tell each other everything.” Yan Yu crossed his arms, seemingly not needing an answer as he arranged the schedule himself. “With the new case today, we definitely won’t be off by five-thirty. I’ll message you at seven to let you know the finish time. After work, make an appointment for me with a bank’s relationship manager; I want to check the family trust.”

Chen Kan wanted to say that with the few thousand dollars he had saved, there was no such thing as a family trust. But he knew that arguing now would only make things worse and might even worsen Yan Yu’s memory confusion. So, he responded in an exceptionally docile, deep voice:

“Fine.”

Without a single word of nonsense, they finalized the plans for the evening.

However, Chen Kan had two other things on his mind. One was getting Yan Yu to see a Daoist doctor; he had made an appointment with a friend who was a highly skilled Daoist physician who might be able to resolve Yan Yu’s Inner Demon problem. He planned to take Yan Yu there that night.

The other matter was like a tiny thorn hidden in Chen Kan’s heart. Since the Inner Demon episode began, Yan Yu had spoken to him quite a bit, and the “bloodline” maintaining a certain balance had presumably climbed higher, yet he… hadn’t been able to give the other party the proper “comfort” for a long time.

Yet now, not only was the timing completely wrong, but a more irritating doubt had surfaced: after falling into this Inner Demon state, did Yan Yu’s body—or rather, his instinct—no longer need him?

Deeper still was a hurdle Chen Kan himself couldn’t get over. In his view, taking advantage of Yan Yu’s confusion and memory loss to force intimacy based on a vague past “covenant” was essentially no different from the behavior he most despised: picking up drunks outside a bar. No matter how much Chen Kan craved it, he couldn’t bring himself to… take advantage of someone in such a position.

Despite his many thoughts, once they returned to the detachment, they each dove into their respective work.

Chen Kan had already handed the West City homicide case to Li Wan to lead. The case’s logic was initially clear, but subsequent interrogations, evidence chains, and report writing all required time. Chen Kan had originally worried Yan Yu’s autopsy would fall through, but it hadn’t. Yan Yu’s working ability was completely unaffected, and he issued the report quickly. By the time the most urgent matters were handled, the sky outside was pitch black, and the clock had quietly slipped past 8:00 PM.

The car twisted and turned, finally stopping in front of a secluded courtyard with a plaque that read “Xiaoyao Residence.” The environment was serene and ancient, certainly not looking like a bank branch, but rather a meticulously packaged, “New Chinese” style private club.

Inside a private room, a man wearing a modified Chinese robe and gold-rimmed glasses, looking both elegant and a bit transcendent, had been waiting for a long time. He stood up with a warm smile: “Mr. Yan, Mr. Chen, I’ve been expecting you. My surname is Zhang, Tony Zhang. I’m responsible for your wealth health management consultation.”

Yan Yu’s scrutinizing gaze swept over the man, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. This Manager Zhang’s temperament was too complex; his fingers were slender and fair, not looking like those of someone who counted cash.

As the parties sat down, Yan Yu ignored the exquisite tea and snacks, getting straight to the point in a cold, hard tone: “Manager Zhang, I’ll ask directly. I need to verify all the trust asset details under my name, or rather, my family’s name, especially the fund flow records for the past year. I want to know if there have been any unauthorized, large-scale abnormal outflows of funds.” As he spoke, he gave Chen Kan a cold, pointed look.

Chen Kan held his teacup, looking at his nose and then his heart, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Manager Zhang pushed up his glasses, his face wearing the professional expression of “I completely understand your concerns.” “Mr. Yan, relax. First, regarding the asset misappropriation issue you’re most concerned about, according to our comprehensive review, there is absolutely no record in the system showing the unauthorized transactions you described operated by Mr. Chen.”

Yan Yu’s brow furrowed tighter, and he remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he turned his cold gaze toward Chen Kan, his expression somewhat irritable and a bit confused.

“What is it?” Chen Kan put down his teacup and asked calmly.

“…I told you to find a bank’s relationship manager. What kind of person did you bring here?”

Chen Kan: “?”

“A Chinese-American?” Yan Yu asked in a low, cold voice.

Chen Kan leaned in, placing his lips near Yan Yu’s earlobe, seemingly inadvertently but actually quite intentionally, brushing against it. “…Not quite. I think he’s a Shanghainese who studied abroad.”

Yan Yu didn’t seem to notice Chen Kan’s touch. He just irritably crossed his arms and turned his head to whisper back to Chen Kan, “Then why does he like speaking English so much?”

Chen Kan gave his friend a cold glance, thought seriously for a moment, and also whispered back:

“I don’t know. Maybe a specific language area in his brain is damaged.”

Manager Zhang suddenly suffered a fit of coughing, glaring at Chen Kan with a raspy voice that sounded like he was gritting his teeth. He tilted his head slightly: “Hello, I can hear you, you know.”

“Oh,” Chen Kan looked at his friend calmly. “Good to know you’re not deaf. He didn’t pass his Level 6 English exam—speak Chinese.”

Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and gave Chen Kan a sidelong glance with a warning in his eyes. Chen Kan immediately fell silent.

Manager Zhang pushed up his glasses, showing an understanding expression, and translated his previous words with a smile:

“Very well, Mr. Yan. Regarding the asset security issue, you are concerned about, after a comprehensive review, there is absolutely no record in the system of any unauthorized transactions operated by Mr. Chen. You can rest easy.”

Yan Yu’s raised eyebrows suddenly dropped, and his whole state became tense. “So, you mean everything is normal?”

“Exactly!”

Yan Yu went straight to the point, asking about the fund flow and operational authority of the family trust. His questions were tricky and logically tight, befitting a technical backbone of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

Manager Zhang responded flawlessly, citing precedents and using financial terms with ease. He even produced several well-made “internal documents” with clear seals, which Yan Yu looked at with some suspicion.

Chen Kan sat by silently drinking tea, only chiming in with minor, harmless comments when Yan Yu’s questions became too sharp, appearing to smooth things over while actually steering the conversation in a direction more conducive to “diagnosis.”

After three rounds of tea, Yan Yu looked at the documents and fell silent, feeling that something was wrong but unable to say what. Before he could think further, Manager Zhang changed the subject, his gaze resting concernedly on Yan Yu’s face: “Mr. Yan, if I may be so bold, have you recently been feeling restless, with confused thoughts, or even… occasional memory confusion?”

Yan Yu’s eyes sharpened. “Manager Zhang knows how to read faces too?”

“I know a thing or two,” Manager Zhang smiled enigmatically. “Those of us in high-end wealth management sometimes need to pay attention to our clients’ physical and mental health. After all, wealth moves hearts and most easily stirs up ‘heart-fire.’ Looking at your complexion, your heart-fire is flourishing, showing signs of ‘external evils’ disturbing your spirit. If you don’t mind, allow me to take your pulse; perhaps I can offer some suggestions for adjustment?”

Yan Yu wanted to refuse, but the words “memory confusion” struck a chord. He looked hesitantly at Chen Kan.

Chen Kan put down his teacup and said faintly, “Don’t bother. He doesn’t look like a professional.” He specifically emphasized the word “professional.”

Yan Yu hadn’t wanted to do it, but hearing Chen Kan say that, he frowned and reluctantly extended his hand. “What’s the harm in taking a look?”

Manager Zhang placed three fingers on Yan Yu’s wrist pulse and closed his eyes to concentrate. After a moment, his brow moved slightly, and he looked at Chen Kan, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Chen Kan understood.

As Yan Yu revealed his left arm, his sleeve slid up, exposing a section of cold, white forearm. The dark red bloodline had quietly spread, crossing the elbow.

After Manager Zhang finished taking Yan Yu’s pulse, he immediately offered more tea: “Mr. Yan is indeed overthinking, and your heart pulse is unstable. I have an ancestral ‘Heart-Clearing Talisman’ and some tranquilizing tea bags blended from an ancient recipe that might help you settle your mind and spirit.”

As he spoke, he actually took out a yellow talisman painted with complex cinnabar patterns from an old-looking wooden box, along with several tea bags emitting a bitter herbal fragrance.

Yan Yu looked at the gear that clearly belonged to metaphysics, and the corner of his eye twitched. “…Manager Zhang, isn’t your bank’s value-added service a bit too much of a ‘crossover’?”

Trusts paired with talismans? That sounded like “cephalosporins paired with alcohol.”

Manager Zhang didn’t bat an eye, his tone remaining calm: “Mr. Yan, you flatter me. Providing a holistic solution for our clients has always been our pursuit. Some ancient methods, though seemingly mysterious, actually align with the way of mind-body harmony, especially for symptoms like yours caused by ‘wealth’ distractions; the effect is excellent.”

Yan Yu wanted to argue further, but Chen Kan had already naturally taken the talisman and tea bags, putting them away carefully and nodding to Manager Zhang: “Thank you, Manager Zhang. Just name your fee.”

“Mr. Chen is too kind.”

Manager Zhang withdrew the hand he used to add tea for Yan Yu and pushed up his glasses. His gaze swept meaningfully between Chen Kan and Yan Yu, and his tone became more intimate: “In addition to this ‘Heart-Clearing Talisman’ and the tranquilizing tea, I also suggest that you two engage in more active, positive energy exchange in your daily lives.”

Yan Yu was listening intently and subconsciously asked, “What energy exchange?”

Manager Zhang gave an “I think you know” smile, tapped his own lips with a hand wearing a luxury watch, and then pointed at the two of them.

“Just engage in more intimate contact. For example, kissing, hugging, or something deeper you know?” He spoke with an air of righteous solemnity. “In Daoist health cultivation, this is called the harmony of Yin and Yang, the meeting of water and fire. That is, exchanging breath through intimate contact to balance each other’s energy fields. This has unexpected miraculous effects on stabilizing Mr. Yan’s mind and dispersing Inner Demons! It’s more effective than any talisman!”

Silence fell in the private room.

Yan Yu’s beautiful eyes instantly frosted over, and he slowly moved his gaze inch by inch toward Chen Kan. His voice wasn’t high, but it sounded like it was made of ice shards:

“Is that so?”

With just those few words, the scrutiny was intense. He stopped looking at Chen Kan and turned to Manager Zhang, his voice terrifyingly calm: “Your bank’s ‘value-added services’ are truly eye-opening.”

Tony Zhang felt a chill down his spine from that look, thinking he might have said too much and revealed something. He looked toward Chen Kan for help.

Chen Kan’s fingers on the teacup tightened almost imperceptibly, but his face remained like an unshakeable iceberg. He even managed to respond solemnly: “We appreciate your kind intentions, but since you aren’t a professional doctor, you shouldn’t suggest things you shouldn’t suggest.”

A kind smile instantly returned to Manager Zhang’s face, and he let out a tiny breath as if amused by the statement: “Fine, then. Call it my meddling.” He calmly took out the vacuum-packed talisman and tea bags: “Do you still want the tea bags?”

“Keep them for yourself.” Yan Yu’s tone was thin. Without looking at the items, he stood up and straightened his lapels which weren’t wrinkled at all with elegant movements that carried a chill that kept people at a distance. He rose to leave. “Sorry for the intrusion today, Chen Kan?”

A cold look was thrown his way.

Hearing his name, Chen Kan immediately stood up and nodded to Yan Yu: “You go first; I’ll settle the bill.”

Yan Yu rolled his eyes, took a long stride, and left on his own.

Once Yan Yu had a lead, Chen Kan quickly took the talisman and tea bags, putting them away. He nodded to Manager Zhang: “Thanks. The fee is as usual.”

Tony Zhang watched Yan Yu’s departing figure and lowered his voice to say to his good buddy Chen Kan, “Kan… sigh. I didn’t expect you to really be dating someone behind our backs. Why is he so fierce?”

Chen Kan said nothing, his profile as tense as cold, hard jade. He turned his “do not approach” aura to the maximum, looking as if the word “begone” was written on his forehead.

His friend continued, “…And so beautiful. Do you even know how to date?”

Chen Kan would never tell these brothers that he and Yan Yu had dated three years ago and had long since broken up. “What about it?”

What about it, my foot. Zhang Xingzhi saw that Chen Kan was still acting like a high-minded person who didn’t understand human speech. Still pretending.

Remembering how this guy had just insulted him, Zhang Xingzhi spoke bluntly: “Heh, stop acting. You think I couldn’t diagnose even that much after taking his pulse? How long has it been since your wife touched you? Tell me?”

Chen Kan narrowed his eyes: “What business is it of yours?”

“Tsk, still stubborn?” Zhang Xingzhi looked at Chen Kan as if he were an idiot. “This Inner Demon of his you need to kiss more and do it more. Understand?”

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