She stood frozen, eyes wide, mouth agape, wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.
All she could do was watch helplessly as Third Brother was tossed into a pit, leaving only his head sticking out, struggling.
Despite the miserable situation, Ruan Ling’an’s unyielding spirit remained. His head squirmed as he cursed angrily at Ruan Fengsi.
Although Ruan Shu couldn’t understand his beastly language, his lion-like face clearly showed that whatever he was saying wasn’t pleasant—and he seemed to have a lot to say.
But Ruan Fengsi didn’t appear to hear him at all. On his way out, he even kicked a bit of dirt back with his hoof.
Ruan Ling’an: Expletives, expletives, expletives…
Having dealt with his brother, Ruan Fengsi walked cheerfully to his sister’s side, barefoot and light-hearted.
Returning to his human form, he dusted off the dirt on his hands.
Ruan Shu thought, ‘This scene looks so familiar, just like when Big Brother got buried by Dad the last time.’
“It’s time to eat, isn’t it? Let’s go inside.”
Ruan Shu hesitated. “Are we really going to leave Third Brother like that? He has so many injuries.”
As soon as she finished, Big Brother picked her up with one arm.
He looked a bit roughed up himself. Ruan Ling’an had grown quickly; from the days when he was always pinned down, he could now fight back and hold his own against Ruan Fengsi for quite a while.
Ruan Fengsi had some injuries too. Now that he’d taken off his suit, his wounds were more visible, but he clearly didn’t seem to care about them.
“I’m going to take a shower, then eat.”
Ruan Fengsi patted Ruan Shu on the head and headed upstairs.
At the dining table, a lavish dinner was already set. Grandpa Butler beamed, encouraging her to start eating.
Ruan Shu asked, “Aren’t we waiting for Dad? And what about Third Brother?”
“The family head will probably be back late today, and don’t worry about the Third Young Master, Miss. This is normal—Young Masters used to play like this often.”
Ruan Shu couldn’t help but twitch a little at that, questioning inwardly, ‘Are you sure this is just playing?’
She hadn’t fully adjusted to such bold scenes, so even as she ate, her gaze kept drifting toward the courtyard, her concern written all over her face.
Occasionally, faint howls echoed from the courtyard.
If Third Brother wasn’t injured, she wouldn’t be this worried. But the injury on his hand looked quite serious. Was it really okay to leave him like that…?
After glancing outside for a few seconds, a hand firmly turned her head back.
“Eat properly. When you’re done, help me bandage up too.”
He already knew that all the previous bandaging on Third Brother had been done by their sister.
Hmph…does he even deserve it?
How dare he say such things to Shu!
That’s right—Grandpa Butler had tattled, and he did it with the utmost righteousness.
As a butler, he couldn’t discipline the young master directly, but he could certainly tattle.
Ruan Shu nodded seriously and sped through her meal, stuffing her mouth full and feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Ruan Fengsi lightly tapped her head, saying, “I asked you to help me with my bandages, not to eat in such a rush.”
He got up and poured her a glass of water.
Ruan Shu swallowed her food, her ears tuned to the noises outside, guessing at what might be happening.
“Big Brother, do you think Third Brother might have realized his mistake?”
Ruan Fengsi shook his head calmly. “No, he’s still cursing me, calling me an idiot and saying he’ll eventually pin me down and beat me into a pulp.”
Ruan Shu: “…”
Alright, in that case, leaving Third Brother buried sounds like a good idea.
After finishing dinner, she tended to Big Brother’s wounds. Outside, the lion’s howling had finally ceased—perhaps he’d worn himself out from all the cursing.
Once she was done bandaging Big Brother, complete with a neat bow, she couldn’t help but dash outside to check.
Ruan Fengsi didn’t stop her.
Outside, she saw the once-mighty lion’s head, likely exhausted from all the yelling, resting quietly.
His golden mane was stained with blood, which had seeped into the dirt, making the scene quite frightening.
“Third Brother.”
Ruan Shu ran over, holding medicine, and began spraying it on his head wound.
Actually, Big Brother hadn’t added any new wounds to his head—this was an old injury that had reopened and worsened during their fight.
He really brought this on himself!
Ruan Ling’an glanced at her, the spray irritating his nose, causing him to sneeze.
Ruan Shu jumped, her hand trembling in surprise.
The sneeze from such a massive beast was so loud that she felt the ground shake.
She leaned in close, whispering, “Third Brother, maybe you should apologize to Big Brother? Ask him to dig you out. Your wounds have all reopened.”
Ruan Ling’an let out a cold snort, as if to say, Apologize to Ruan Fengsi? Are you kidding me?
Ruan Shu noticed his unwillingness and pouted. “But you were the one who started the fight, after all.”
Perhaps it was the sight of him buried with only his head sticking out, but she felt a bit braver now, daring to speak her mind to him.
This is real progress!
“You already had injuries, and you went looking for a fight. I just feel like, feel like…”
Her words trailed off as she hesitated, but Ruan Ling’an turned to look at her, his brown eyes conveying a single word: Speak!
Ruan Shu shuffled back a bit. “You’re the one asking me to say it, so no getting mad, okay?”
With her cheeks puffed up, Ruan Shu spoke in a soft, childish voice, “I kind of feel like… you’re a little silly.”
As soon as she said it, she scurried backward, afraid that his big lion head might lunge forward to take a bite.
Ruan Ling’an’s lion head stared at her blankly.
Why wasn’t he surprised at all? And yet…
And yet, he was furious!
Ruan Ling’an let out a loud roar at Ruan Shu, his howling starting up again. Just because he was buried, this little thing had grown bolder by the minute—she’d better watch out when he got free!
“What do you plan to do once you’re out?” came a cold, authoritative voice that sent a chill down Ruan Ling’an’s spine.
He hadn’t seen anyone, but he already knew who it was.
“Dad…”
Unlike Ruan Ling’an, Ruan Shu happily pitter-pattered over on her little legs.
“Daddy, you’re back! Have you had dinner?”
She stopped by the man’s side, the sky dimming slightly as she lifted her delicate face to look at him.
Ruan Xiao patted her on the head, “I had a nutrition supplement.”
He was still dressed in combat gear: a black short-sleeved shirt, tactical pants, and military boots. His short silver hair was brushed back, fully revealing his sharp brow and forehead, making him look even more imposing.
Though he was already four hundred years old, he retained the vigor of his prime, now tempered with a composed maturity that betrayed none of his inner thoughts.
“Let’s go inside.”
He didn’t even ask who had buried Ruan Ling’an—clearly, he already knew.
Ruan Shu noticed that since their father had spoken, Third Brother hadn’t moved a muscle, pretending to be completely dead.
So, he was still quite afraid of their father.
With his daughter in tow, Ruan Xiao headed back inside, while the butler finally strolled over and unearthed the “dead” Third Young Master.
Glancing at the mud-covered teenager, the butler sighed, “Was it worth it?”