Chapter 1 — My Cat is Pregnant, Neighbors Want to Take Responsibility

My cat Doan Tu got pregnant by the cat next door. When I discovered it, I almost broke the paintbrush in my hand. Doan Tu is a British shorthair cat that I've had for three years. He's usually so arrogant and cold that even his owner like me doesn't even respect him. How could he let another cat win? But the truth is clear right before our eyes, the veterinary hospital's ultrasound sheet clearly states: 5 weeks pregnant, the fetus is developing normally. I squatted in front of Doan Tu, pointing at his slightly protruding belly.

“Tell me quickly, who did it?”

Doan Tu tilted his head, showing an innocent expression. I asked three more times, and he finally stood up and walked proudly towards the main door. I followed him out the door, down the hallway, and then he stopped in front of room 205. I stared at the room number, my anger rising. Living here for two years, I didn't even know my neighbors had cats. I banged my hand on the door.

“Open the door!”

There was no movement inside. I smacked three more times, my voice raised eight octaves: "Your cat got my cat pregnant, come out here and talk clearly!" The door opened a crack. A gray-haired old woman poked her head out, her expression quickly changing from doubt to joy. She grabbed my hand, her hand was so strong it was startling.

“Pregnant?

Good story! Good thing!” She turned her head and shouted into the house: "Canh Tieu! Finally, your kid has done something great!" I was stunned. The old woman pulled me into the house, her steps were as quick as springs.

“The bride price of sixty million yuan will be transferred directly to your card tomorrow.

Don't worry, ma'am, our Tham family will absolutely not let anyone suffer!" I opened my mouth and still couldn't close it for half a day. Sixty million yuan? (about more than 200 billion VND) “Grandma, listen to me—” Before the words were finished, a person walked out from the end of the living room. Very high. At least one meter eighty. Broad shoulders, long legs, wearing a black quick-drying sports t-shirt, hair slightly wet, looking like he just finished working out. He looked down at me, frowning slightly.

“Who are you?”

The old woman happily tried to answer for me: "It's your wife! She's pregnant! Sixty million dowry is about to be transferred!" His eyes moved from my face to my flat stomach, then back up to my face.

“Pregnancy through the air?”

I stood in the middle of the large living room, being stared at by two pairs of eyes, momentarily not knowing which misunderstanding to explain first.

“It's not like I'm pregnant.”

I took Doan Tu out of my arms and placed him on the tea table.

“That's it.”

The pose of Doan Tu jumping on the tea table is still extremely elegant, not looking at all like an unmarried pregnant cat. The old woman's smile stiffened immediately.

“Cat?”

“Yes, my cat was bullied by your cat.”

I tried to sound as serious as possible, "Now that she's pregnant, I'm here to ask for an explanation." The man named "Canh Tieu" leaned his back against the dining room door frame, evaluating Doan Tu.

“My family's Anh Tu?

No way.”

“Why not?

Clear evidence!” He raised his chin: "Anh Tu has been sterilized." This sentence made my momentum immediately decrease by three parts. But it was clearly Doan Tu who led me come to this door. I tried to argue: "Maybe I remember wrongly." As soon as he finished speaking, a blue-gray cat rushed out from the direction of the bedroom. Pure colored fur, elongated appearance - Blue Russian Cat, excellent appearance. The moment Doan Tu saw it, the whole cat's state changed completely. It jumped down from the tea table, proactively approached, and used its head to rub the opponent's chin. I watched and froze. This isn't bullying, it's clearly a meeting after a long time. Tham Canh Tieu also saw this scene. He frowned, then looked at me.

“Are you sure you were ‘bullied’?”

I pretended not to hear. Grandma saw the clue and patted the back of my hand: "Okay, let's put the cat thing aside for now. Granddaughter, sit down and have a cup of tea." She warmly pulled me to sit on the sofa, then, as if by magic, presented a tray of fruit cakes.

“What do you do?”

"I'm still in school, fourth year, majoring in Fine Arts."

Her eyes sparkled: "Drawing? That's great, very talented. Canh Tieu's family lacks the most talent—" "Grandma." Tham Canh Tieu interrupted. She obediently kept her mouth shut, but her eyes looked at me even more satisfied. Tham Canh Tieu walked over and sat across from me, his fingers tapping on the table.

“I will be responsible for the cat.

Hospital fees, compensation, just give me a number."

"That's not necessary, I just want to ask clearly what happened in the end."

He glanced at me, stood up: "Follow me." He led me into the office. An entire wall of screens is lit, divided into six cells, corresponding to different corners of the house. It's a surveillance camera. I unconsciously took a step back. Tham Canh Tieu noticed my reaction and briefly explained: "I often go away for training, and my grandmother is alone at home, so I installed a camera to keep an eye on her." I nodded, but still felt a bit uneasy. He rewinds the timeline, fast forwarding to a month ago. On the screen appeared Doan Tu's silhouette - it crawled in from the gap on the balcony.

“There is a hole in the partition between your balcony and mine.”

He said. I never noticed. But looking at Doan Tu's familiar demeanor in the camera, it's clear that he has come here many times. No wonder he's often absent from home these days. The video continues to play. Anh Tu appeared and touched Doan Tu with his nose. Doan Tu did not run, but instead rolled over and exposed his belly. My face started to feel hot and tingly. Tham Canh Tieu fast-forwarded a bit. Then stop. On the screen, Doan Tu lay down on the ground, his tail high, emitting a cry that I had never heard before. Anh Tu jumped up and bit the back of its neck. I was startled and grabbed the nearest thing next to me. The image of the two cats was still going on, their posture so dark that they couldn't bear to look straight. My palms were sweaty. Tham Canh Tieu was silent for a few seconds, then cleared his throat.

“It should... not be forced.”

I know you're telling the truth, but on the surface, I can't swallow this anger.

“So it... it's also responsible.

Your cat has been neutered—” “I told Anh Tu to be neutered.” I was dumbfounded. He pointed to the blue cat on the screen: "But that's not Anh Tu."

“What do you mean?”

Tham Canh Tieu pressed pause and zoomed in on the cat's features. Looking closely, This cat is a round bigger than Anh Tu, and its fur color is also a bit darker.

“This is a stray cat that sometimes appears on the balcony of room 203.”

He said, “Not my cat.” My confidence was completely shattered. It turns out that Doan Tu is not pregnant with your family's child at all, she just borrowed your house as a date spot with a stray cat? I hugged Doan Tu and came here to cheat, I found the wrong person. Tham Canh Tieu looked at my red face, the corner of his lips curled up slightly.

"So about the sixty million bride price..."

“No!

No need! I'm back!” I turned around to find Doan Tu. Doan Tu was curled up next to Anh Tu, groaning in satisfaction. I hugged it tightly and walked quickly out the door. Grandma poked her head out from the kitchen: "Granddaughter, stay for dinner first, okay?"

"That's okay, there was a misunderstanding and it's bothering our family!"