Ruan Xiao looked at her expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. He raised his hand to pat her little head, his tone assertive and full of authority.
“No one dares talk about us. You only need to remember that you are part of the Ruan family. Just don’t let anyone push you around.”
Ruan Shu clutched her father’s hand and nodded firmly. She would do her best, even if… even if she was considered a “waste,” she wouldn’t let anyone insult her father or brothers.
Ruan Shu quickly put the matter with Xiao Yuanyi behind her, but the case eventually found its way online. Because it was gossip about Marshal Ruan, it spread at lightning speed, as if it had grown wings.
A lot of people had already been paying attention to Ruan Shu, and now, knowing her background, many felt sympathetic.
[Online Comments]
– “You’ve got to admit, she’s got guts! Stealing Marshal Ruan’s genes? What was she thinking, watching too many naive TV dramas?”
– “Clearly, she’s crazy about becoming the Marshal’s wife. There are so many noble ladies on the main star who’d love to marry the Marshal, and this woman thinks she stands a chance?”
– “The poor kid was born just to be a tool, and on top of that, they treated her badly.”
– “My god, this is honestly a bold crime. People barely want to have kids as it is, and she stole the Marshal’s genes to have a child, only to neglect and mistreat her. What was she thinking?”
– “Apparently, it’s because the kid’s star beast form is some kind of ‘defective beast.’ Does anyone know what that means? Also, her Jingshen is supposed to be at F-level, right?”
– “Uhh… the Ruan family has a strong Jingshen, so why does she only have F-level?”
– “‘Defective beast’? Could it be a physical defect?”
– “Am I the only one focused on this? That means she’s an illegitimate child! The Ruan family has three sons—do you think her life will be easy in the Marshal’s household?”
– “No way, no way. I don’t believe the legitimate children would like an illegitimate child.”
– “But hang on, didn’t the trending livestream show that the Marshal’s eldest son seems to have a good relationship with her?”
– “If they didn’t get along, would he let her near his star beast form, even allowing her to groom it? Some people here are just guessing wildly. That’s the Marshal’s family business.”
– “Maybe you all got it wrong? Who said that was definitely the Marshal’s eldest son?”
The debate among the online community went on for a while, growing increasingly heated.
But soon, all those discussions disappeared.
Any new topics that appeared were also swiftly deleted, clearly showing someone was suppressing the matter.
Without anyone talking about it, the issue quickly died down.
When Ruan Shu returned home that evening and browsed StarNet, the situation had already been resolved. She didn’t think much of it and went online to look up videos of her father.
There was barely any entertainment-related information about him, but there were still some videos and photos available.
For example, videos of her father in combat.
Some of the impressive combat footage was posted online to present him as a hero of the nation or to serve as exemplary battle cases.
Even his combat maneuvers were analyzed in detail.
Her father was exactly that type.
Many military academy students loved watching his combat videos.
Her third brother had told her about this.
Ruan Shu couldn’t wait to watch every single video she could find related to her father.
“Hm… this person looks familiar.”
She was watching a national news clip featuring her father and an Uncle He, and leading the group was a young man with black hair who looked oddly familiar.
As she kept watching, her eyes widened in shock.
This… this… wasn’t that Almer?!
Ruan Shu checked the caption again: “His Majesty of the Star Beast Empire, accompanied by several Marshals and Earls, pays a visit to the Sea Kingdom…”
Ruan Shu: “???”
Ruan Shu: “!!!”
His Majesty?!
Afraid she was mistaken, she checked again and again to be sure.
So, Almer was actually the emperor of this nation!
She pouted slightly and scratched her cheek, feeling a mix of awe and disbelief.
After the initial shock, she realized it all made sense—no wonder Almer had mentioned in his letter that he knew her father. How could he not?
Once the surprise passed, Ruan Shu didn’t feel much else, assuming they probably wouldn’t have much to do with each other in the future anyway.
She yawned, glanced at the time, and reminded herself not to stay up late. Staying up could stunt her growth.
With that, she turned off her personal terminal and snuggled into bed.
…
Her third brother had only taken a two-day leave, so he quickly returned to school.
After spending three days with her eldest brother at his company, Ruan Shu started to miss working on her wool felt ball project and insisted on staying home alone on the fourth day.
“I’m almost five, you know! Plus, I have Xiaomi with me, so I won’t wander around the house. Don’t worry, Dad and big brothers—Shushu isn’t some fragile porcelain doll.”
Ruan Fengsi chuckled. “What are you talking about? Even a porcelain doll could handle more than you.”
Ruan Shu: “….”
Big Brother, that’s a little harsh!
With her cheeks puffed up in a pout, she pushed him toward his car and made him leave.
The old butler also had a lot of work to do, so soon, it was just her and Xiaomi left in the spacious mansion.
Armed with some of her brother’s tiger fur, she eagerly resumed her crafting.
Ruan Shu had quite a knack for handicrafts. While her wool felt ball had looked terrible at first, with practice, she could now shape it pretty much how she wanted.
However, making a full representation of her big brother’s star beast form would still take a lot more practice.
An hour later, feeling a bit tired, Ruan Shu stood up and stretched.
Xiaomi brought her a cup of warm water.
“Thank you, Xiaomi.”
“No need to thank me (^w^)”
Ruan Shu looked at the wool felt ball, which now had a rough outline of a tiger’s body. Her eyes curved into soft, sweet crescents as she smiled.
She decided to set it aside for now and go for a walk to stretch a bit before continuing.
With a slight touch of neat-freak tendencies, Ruan Shu tidied up every item on the table before clapping her hands and moving on to water her little potted plants.
Oddly enough, despite so much time passing, they hadn’t grown at all, almost as if time had stood still for them.
The small pots, only showing tiny sprouts, were inconspicuous and tucked into a corner, so hardly anyone noticed them.
After thinking about it, Ruan Shu decided to bring them back to her own room.
Her room had been newly renovated, with a bigger, softer bed and a small study. The desk, sink, and everything else were custom-sized to fit her height.
On the balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows, she hung a string of white wind chimes she made herself, along with her plant stand.
The stand held a pot of “Starry Flowers,” a plant with tiny blossoms that bloomed in clusters, silver-white with hints of sky blue, seeming to glow at night—a truly beautiful sight.
Ruan Shu had looked up the price of these flowers once, and it was as impressive as their beauty.
Not that she had gone out of her way to look it up—it just popped up while she was browsing StarNet.
One pot of Starry Flowers, auctioned at a price of twenty million.