Ruan He couldn’t stop admiring the little girl in his arms; he almost wanted to announce to the entire world how precious she was to him.
But seeing that she seemed a little timid, he restrained himself, afraid he might scare her.
“How old are you? Are you comfortable living here? Have your brothers been bullying you?”
A series of questions poured down on her, and though Ruan Shu’s voice was soft, she answered each one.
Then, the old man carried her into the villa.
“Don’t worry, my sweet granddaughter. Grandpa will protect you. In the future, even your father won’t dare to bully you.”
Ruan Shu replied in her gentle, babyish voice, “Daddy, he… he hasn’t bullied Shushu.”
“Alright, alright, our little Shushu is the best.”
Ruan Shu’s little face turned a bit pink at his praise, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Once inside the villa, Ruan Shu, though somewhat reserved, flitted around like a shy little bee.
She poured a glass of water for her grandfather, then brought him a plate of fruit. She even took out the blackberries she’d gathered yesterday.
“Grandpa, have some fruit,” she invited him in her soft, endearing voice.
Watching her busy herself, Ruan He’s heart nearly melted.
The Beast God had truly blessed the Ruan family—after five generations, they finally had such an adorable little girl.
She was so incredibly precious to him.
Considering that Star Beasts have long lifespans, five generations might only mean a few hundred years for shorter-lived beings, but for them, it had been thousands of years!
Ruan He quickly motioned her over to sit beside him and handed her a silver-white ring.
“This is a gift from Grandpa; keep it with you.”
Ruan Shu’s eyes widened as she looked at the ring, knowing it was no ordinary item. She blinked and asked, “A spatial ring?”
“Exactly! This is a rare item, so keep it safe.”
The materials needed to make spatial containers were hard to find; in the entire universe, there were barely two hundred of them.
Only truly extraordinary people could afford a spatial container.
“Grandpa, this…”
She knew she shouldn’t accept it. She had looked into spatial containers and knew how rare they were.
“You’ve already called me Grandpa, so take it.”
Ruan He gently patted her head, his face filled with warmth. “I just found out about you, and you’ve suffered so much. Grandpa hasn’t done his duty!”
As soon as Ruan He got the news, he rushed back to the main planet, receiving information about Ruan Shu on the way. Reading through her files had nearly broken his heart.
Their family’s treasure—how could she have gone through so much hardship?
Ruan He then took out various gifts from the spatial ring: not only exotic fruits but also precious materials and a combat-protection robot.
Everything laid out before her was priceless, and Ruan Shu’s eyes sparkled with amazement. Except for a few items, most of them were things she couldn’t even recognize!
“Come here, let’s enjoy these treats together,” Ruan He said, pulling her close to sit beside him and giving her all sorts of delicious food.
Compared to Ruan Xiao, this father and son duo couldn’t be more different in personality.
Ruan He was warm and cheerful; though he was old, his heart and spirit felt youthful. However, he might have been a bit too enthusiastic—Ruan Shu was feeling rather overstuffed from all his “feeding.”
“What’s wrong?” Ruan He asked, reaching for another treat to offer her.
“I… I’m already full,” she said, shaking her head and gently rubbing her little belly, both happy and a little overwhelmed. She was thrilled by her grandfather’s warmth, but she really couldn’t eat any more.
“How can you be full already? When your dad was young, he could polish all of this off as just an appetizer!”
Then, with a twinkle in his eye, the old man launched into a string of tales about Ruan Xiao’s childhood mischief.
“For instance,” he began, “when your dad was a boy, he was so possessive. He’d claim territories in the house and wouldn’t let anyone near them. But I, your grandpa, couldn’t stand for that—I reminded him that this was my territory! So after giving him a good, solid scolding, he finally behaved.”
“And another time,” he chuckled, “I actually thought there was something wrong with his brain! Every day, he’d hide in little corners and ambush me. He got caught hundreds of times but never learned. If it were me, I’d play it smart, hide out, and devise a clever plan! But him? Oh no, he’d just go head-to-head with me every time.”
“There’s more—back in kindergarten, he was famous for his stone-cold expression and his blunt way of speaking. On his first day, he managed to make a bunch of his classmates cry and ended up in a big group brawl. And he didn’t even realize what he’d done to upset them…”
Ruan Shu listened, utterly entertained. So, that was what her dad was like as a child!
But… watching her grandfather so enthusiastically recount these stories, Ruan Shu quietly sipped her water. Grandpa, are you really okay with throwing your son under the bus like this?
The old man clearly didn’t care about preserving his son’s dignity.
Later, he took his granddaughter out for a walk, transforming into his Star Beast form—a massive, majestic white Qilin-Tiger—so he could accompany her as a large, protective feline.
In his Star Beast form, Ruan He looked even more awe-inspiring—and, admittedly, a bit mischievous.
While “mischievous” might sound like an odd word for an elder, it was true; he was far more lively than one might expect.
After Ruan Shu had digested enough from their stroll, he crouched down, inviting her to climb onto his back. Then, with his head held high, he walked along with a spring in his step, practically bouncing along the path.
He even played ball with her, skillfully controlling his strength.
In less than a day, Ruan Shu found herself thoroughly enchanted by her grandpa.
“Grandpa, are you tired?”
“Grandpa, here, have some water.”
“Grandpa, these little fish snacks are really yummy—you should try one.”
By the afternoon, Ruan Shu had become her grandpa’s little shadow, her short legs shuffling to keep up with him as she ran alongside.
Hearing his sweet granddaughter call him “Grandpa” over and over filled Ruan He with joy and pride.
At that moment, he wished he could take his granddaughter to meet all his friends and show her off, making everyone else envious!
…
Since he hadn’t come home yesterday, Ruan Xiao returned a bit earlier than usual today.
What he didn’t expect was that, in just one day, there would be an unexpected guest at home.
The guest was none other than his father, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
At that moment, Ruan Shu was sitting cozily beside the giant tiger, her little hands deftly braiding a few sections of the fur at the tip of her grandpa’s tail.
The tufted fur at the end of the Qilin-Tiger’s tail resembled a long black ponytail and was a bit messy, but Ruan Shu’s braiding made it look neat and rather charming.
Ruan He, pleased, casually placed his tail in his granddaughter’s lap, letting her play with it as much as she wanted.
So, when Ruan Xiao arrived home, he was greeted by the unexpected sight of his daughter braiding the tail of a massive white tiger.
Seeing that familiar Qilin-Tiger, Ruan Xiao’s eye twitched.
Ruan He also noticed him, and as their eyes met, there was no warm reunion between father and son. Instead, they regarded each other like intruders trespassing on each other’s territory, the air thickening with tension.
Finally, Ruan Shu, sensing something, looked up and immediately spotted her dad. Her eyes lit up instantly.
“Daddy~”
She dashed over to him, and as soon as she reached his side, he picked her up, holding her securely in his arms.