One has to admit that as long as Ruan Shu isn’t feeling scared or nervous, she does possess a bit of a social charm in her own unassuming way. Her natural warmth is quite strong.
During her time at school, the kids who don’t really follow the news were unaware that the Li family, who had bullied her family before, had gotten into trouble.
The few remaining members of the White Deer clan joined forces with the Ruan family, exposing that the current head of the Li family had usurped his position. He had used drugs to cause Jingshen collapse among the talented members of the White Deer clan, suppressed talented branch family members, had the Li family’s sons and daughters steal research results from others’ medical research, and even framed classmates, causing them to drop out…
All kinds of evidence were posted online, and the netizens were instantly outraged.
Before the Li family could react, all the evidence and materials were trending on social media.
Even if they wanted to address it, it was already too late because the star police had already taken people into custody.
Before these pieces of evidence hit the trending lists, a copy had already been submitted to the star police. After confirmation, they moved very quickly.
This caught both the Li family and even Marshal Bruce of the First Legion by surprise.
> [If this is true, the Li family deserves it; they’re a bunch of ungrateful traitors, cursing the hand that feeds them.]
> [As soon as I heard the news, I looked up historical records, and it turns out that before the great cosmic war, the White Deer lineage was actually the main bloodline. The Abyss Giant Deer seems to be a branch of the sacred deer bloodline. During the war, the White Deer lineage suffered significant losses, paving the way for the Abyss Giant Deer to rise to power.]
> [This… The usurpation is quite obvious, isn’t it? And after the White Deer clan sacrificed so much, the Abyss Giant Deer clan not only seized power but treated the last of the White Deer clan members so horribly. Are they not afraid of karma?]
> [The use of drugs to induce mental breakdowns is absolutely unacceptable. And what kind of drug is this, anyway? Who knows if they’ll use it on others too.]
> [This drug is terrifying, and the Li family members are just as terrifying. Just because they feared the rise of the White Deer clan, they destroyed those geniuses who would have had brilliant futures—and did it so thoroughly.]
> [Feels like karma was long overdue. People like this should have gone to hell sooner.]
> [Stealing research and framing others—I can’t stand people like that. The Li family deserves to die!]
The Li family’s Abyss Giant Deer lineage quickly became a target of universal condemnation online.
By the time Ruan Shu heard the news from someone else, the Li family was already up on the military tribunal.
Since she rarely went online, Ruan Shu was a bit stunned to have missed the news. She knew of the Li family, of course—they were the reason she went looking for Edelweiss last time.
She’d already labeled them as villains in her mind, so it was surprising to hear that they’d actually gotten arrested for breaking the law!
She only glanced over it, saw all the bad things the Li family had done, mumbled “serves them right” as she hugged her little pink mushroom friend, and then moved on from it.
She had to focus on her drawing, homework, and even gym class!
After a month of classes, Ruan Shu felt a slight improvement in her physical stamina. She could now finish a 2,000-meter run! Though there might be some aftereffects?
After gym class, she felt dizzy and weak, so she quickly took out a nutritional supplement and drank it down.
Peach-flavored—super tasty.
After drinking it, she felt much better.
Recently, she felt hungry more often, so she carried nutritional supplements and filled her backpack with plenty of snacks.
Her family was quite pleased with her growing appetite.
After all, Ruan Shu used to eat far too little.
Nonetheless, Ruan Shu went to the hospital to have her brother Qingran check her health. Everything was perfectly fine; it was just that her appetite had increased a bit, and there didn’t seem to be any other changes.
“Ruan Shu, are you hungry again? Here, have an apple.”
Dora leaned over and, while the gym teacher wasn’t paying attention, secretly handed her an apple.
Ruan Shu: “Thank you, Dora, I feel much better now.”
“You get hungry so quickly.”
Ruan Shu thought the same. Every time she felt hungry, her body seemed to grow weak, with dizziness and an overwhelming sense of fatigue.
“Maybe I’m just growing,” she replied.
Even as she said it, something didn’t quite feel right to her. She decided she should tell her dad about it later.
After school that afternoon, it wasn’t her dad who came to pick her up but her older brother. She was just as happy, though.
With her little backpack bouncing, she ran over to her brother, who lifted her up in his arms.
“In a few months, it’ll be your birthday, Shushu. Have you thought about what you’d like?”
Ruan Shu’s birthday was on February 16.
When she came to the Ruan family, it had been just after her birthday. Since she’d never celebrated before, Ruan Shu had nearly forgotten that she even had a birthday.
Lying on her brother’s shoulder, she softly, yet eagerly, replied, “I’d like a birthday cake with candles on it.”
She wanted a birthday cake that was just hers.
Just this simple thing would make her feel incredibly happy.
“Alright.”
Ruan Fengsi gently ruffled her hair. “But aren’t you a little too easy to please? Is there nothing else you want?”
Ruan Shu shook her head, “Nope, Shushu already has so, so much now.”
Such a thoughtful child.
People often say that children who are too well-behaved can be easily overlooked, especially in large families. But in the Ruan family, this sensible little angel was the treasured darling of everyone.
In the car, Ruan Shu grew hungry again. Leaning against her brother with her eyes closed, her pale little face and pursed lips made her appear even more fragile.
She held her little tummy, feeling a bit anxious. Was she really sick?
“Hungry again?”
Her brother’s voice came from above her head.
He lifted her into his arms, placing her on his lap, his warm, dry palm pressing gently on her tummy.
Ruan Fengsi frowned. “Have you finished all the nutritional supplements?”
The supplements were designed to fill her up and provide various nutrients. Since she got hungry so quickly, they’d started putting three of them in her backpack each day.
Ruan Shu nodded. “I finished them all.”
The crease between Ruan Fengsi’s brows didn’t ease. He reached into a storage compartment in the car and pulled out a packet of dried fish.
“Have some of this for now.”
Ruan Shu nodded, taking a piece of the dried fish and nibbling on it.
“Big Brother, am I sick?” she asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry. We’ll go see your cousin and have him check you right now.”
Ruan Shu looked down, “But we just did a check-up five days ago.”
Nothing unusual had come up, but she still felt hungry so quickly. Simply eating food wasn’t enough anymore; she needed the nutritional supplements.
“It’ll be okay.”
Ruan Fengsi held the little girl close, trying to comfort her. Though he wasn’t sure if he was comforting Ruan Shu or himself.
Soon, they arrived at the hospital, where Ruan Qingran was already waiting, having received the news in advance.
“Brother Qingran,” she called softly.
Ruan Qingran squeezed her small hand gently. “Are you still hungry right now?”
Ruan Shu hesitated, then nodded.