No one knew how they disappeared. Many speculated it was due to a wormhole.
Wormholes devour everything, and anything that disappears into one is never found again.
On the surface, the report was nothing special, but Ruan Xiao’s instincts were sharp. He felt certain that these disappearances were connected to the rebels in some way.
Shortly after the report was sent, Ruan He and Ruan Linzhan quickly responded.
They, too, didn’t believe it was a coincidence.
Ruan Linzhan: “After the Beast God Festival concludes, I’ll investigate this matter.”
Ruan He: “Don’t make a big deal out of it yet. We still don’t know if there are any rebel spies on the main planet, so we’ll investigate quietly.”
Ruan Xiao: “Understood.”
Ruan Linzhan: “Understood.”
For now, Ruan Xiao set aside the matter and patted his daughter’s fluffy little head.
“Tomorrow, I have to return to the military base. This time, it’s to oversee the military exercises for the Beast God Festival. I might stay there to rest, but if you miss me, just ask someone to bring you to the base to find Dad.”
Ruan Shu perked up her fluffy ears at him. Although she didn’t say anything, her gaze and expression spoke volumes.
Her clear eyes seemed to be asking, ‘Really?’
Ruan Xiao pinched her ear and said, “Yes, you can come.”
Ruan Shu instantly looked relieved. Although she felt a bit sad that Dad wouldn’t be home for a while, she was happy she’d be able to visit him.
She snuggled into Dad’s arms, making up her mind—tonight, the kitty would sleep with Dad!
This little bundle of clinginess was determined to stick close; even when Dad was busy, she would curl up in his pocket, perfectly demonstrating what it meant to be a “carry-me kitty.”
Before bed, after a bath, the damp little kitten trotted over to Dad to dry her fur.
He blew her fur dry and brushed it, making her a super fluffy, soft, and pleasantly scented ragdoll cat.
When it was time to sleep, she skillfully burrowed into the spot under the big tiger’s chin, circling around like she was claiming her territory.
After choosing her spot, she scurried out, grabbed a fluffy little cushion, and arranged it between Dad’s chin and front paws, creating a cozy nest.
Ruan Xiao helped her out occasionally, but most of the little items in her temporary nest were things Ruan Shu had brought herself—a small handkerchief, a fluffy ball made from Big Brother’s fur, and other trinkets.
Ruan Xiao noticed his daughter had a bit of a collecting habit. She gathered anything she found pretty and filled her room with cute little treasures. It was rather adorable.
Once her temporary nest was ready, Ruan Shu rested her head on Dad’s tiger paw, ready to sleep.
Before drifting off, she politely gave him a little meow as if saying goodnight.
The next morning, Ruan Xiao woke up early. To avoid waking the little one nestled in her cozy spot, he moved very quietly.
Being a Qilin Tiger, he was an apex predator; if he wanted, he could move without making a sound.
He stood by the bed for a moment, gazing at the sleeping kitten, gently pinched her little paw, and then left.
It was still dark when he left. In truth, if it weren’t for wanting to see his daughter, he wouldn’t have returned this time.
A year ago, he would never have believed it—that he’d one day become a complete daughter fanatic.
Although Ruan Shu felt a bit disappointed when she didn’t see her dad in the morning, she perked up, remembering that he said she could visit him at the base if she missed him. Giving her fur a quick shake, she got dressed in her room and then watered the plants on her balcony.
Some of the plants were gifts from Dad and her older brother, and others were from Grandpa, but her four little potted plants looked quite inconspicuous among them.
Still, Ruan Shu was pleased to see they’d grown a bit bigger. However, she noticed that the little vine seemed hostile toward them, always trying to sneak them away when she wasn’t around. If she hadn’t warned it twice, her hard-earned plants would’ve been gone by now.
As she watered the four pots, the little vine kept a wary eye on them. She gently tapped the tip of its vine.
“It’s only four little plants. Why are you so hostile toward them, little vine?”
The vine twisted and swayed, as if to say, “It’s because these four might turn into mutated plants.” The little vine was protective of its territory—its little master was its! The ugly little plants better wither soon!
After watering the plants, Ruan Shu took the vine and left, so she didn’t notice that, just as she closed the door, the leaves of the small, sapling-like plant in the middle gave a slight quiver. It looked like it was being blown by the wind, but there was no breeze at all.
Today, Ruan Shu had another project in mind: crafting a majestic big tiger from the felt made of Dad’s fur. She started by sketching a chibi tiger design with several little cats sprawled across its body.
She had plenty of white fur left from her last successful project, so she could make several little cats to surround the big tiger. She imagined one rolling on the ground, another hugging the tiger’s leg, one perched on its head like a dandelion puff, and another dangling from its tail.
If the cats weren’t supposed to represent herself, she’d want to squish them—how could there be anything so adorable?
Feeling a bit smug, Ruan Shu thought to herself as she focused on her project. The little girl was so absorbed, gently poking her needle, that she didn’t notice someone had approached.
If it were her little brother, Ruan Fengsi, he would’ve given her a slap for having such low alertness. “It’d serve her right; she’d learn her lesson,” he’d think.
But for his sister, he wasn’t planning on teaching her a lesson; instead, he was wondering how many bodyguards he needed to assign to her to ensure her safety.
Ruan Fengsi took a look at her sketch, his brows furrowing as he immediately became indignant.
“Why are there so many cats on Dad, but none on me?”
Startled by her big brother’s voice, Ruan Shu almost pricked her finger.
She looked up at him, her cheeks puffing in annoyance.
“Big Brother, don’t scare me like that.”
She accused him in a soft, pouty voice, “I nearly pricked my finger.”
Ruan Fengsi looked a bit guilty, but he wasn’t entirely at fault.
“You get too lost in your own world.”
Being so focused on your work is good, but having no sense of alertness isn’t.
But how could a little cat be blamed for that? After all, she was just a tiny, weak kitten with zero fighting skills.
Ruan Shu had already accepted this about herself and was happily going with the flow.
“Fine, I apologize, but tell me—why aren’t there as many cats surrounding my figure?”
Ruan Shu gave him a funny look. “Big Brother, did you forget? Shushu is a white kitty, and your fur is black. I can’t make kitties out of that!”
Big Brother seemed a little silly.
Ruan Fengsi: “…”
He’d been so busy feeling jealous, he’d forgotten about that.