Under the persuasion of his friends, Old Man Zhao didn’t say anything more to his grandson. As punishment, he simply ordered the boy to sit here and not go anywhere else.
The boy, looking thoroughly disheartened, sat down, only to then realize that, among the crowd of adults, there was actually a little girl sitting quietly.
He scooted over to sit beside Ruan Shu and asked in a low voice, “Hey, little sis, which family are you from? How come I’ve never seen you before? Were you punished by your parents too?”
Ruan Shu: “…”
So, in your eyes, being made to sit here and forbidden to leave is considered punishment?
“No,” Ruan Shu answered politely, “I’ve just been sitting here the whole time. My grandfather is here too.”
Even though Ruan Shu’s voice was soft, the fact that she dared to speak to a stranger at all was quite a delightful surprise.
The boy, however, wasn’t convinced. In his mind, kids around Ruan Shu’s age loved to play even more than he did. That’s why, generally, no one would bring such a young and energetic child to such a gathering.
Ruan Shu was probably the youngest child the boy had seen here, and he was sure he hadn’t seen her before.
In a soft, sweet voice, Ruan Shu introduced herself, “My name is Ruan Shu.”
The boy, Zhao Kuo, wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Though he’d been reprimanded by his grandfather in front of everyone, he had a thick skin, and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him anymore, he quickly let it go.
“My name is Zhao Kuo. Why does your name sound so familiar? And why do you look so familiar too?”
He pondered for a moment but couldn’t figure it out. Meanwhile, Ruan Shu, who had been sitting obediently, felt her personal terminal vibrate. She remembered that Almer had mentioned something to her before he left. She sneakily opened the message, and indeed, it was from him.
Almer: “Come find me in the presidential suite on the ninth floor.”
Ruan Shu: “…”
Almer, are you trying to make things difficult for me?
She didn’t even dare go out to play by herself—how could she go up to the ninth floor on her own?
As for telling her grandfather? She didn’t need to think too hard to know that he would never allow it.
Just as Ruan Shu was struggling with how to respond, Zhao Kuo beside her suddenly looked up. “I knew you looked so familiar! Your brother is Senior Ruan Fengsi, isn’t he?”
Ruan Shu looked slightly puzzled and then nodded.
“How do you know that?”
She didn’t remember meeting this person before.
Zhao Kuo immediately pulled up the school’s forum page. “Look, you have no idea how popular you are at our school. Especially that video of you cheering for your brother—it’s been shamelessly copied and edited by so many people.”
Ruan Shu leaned in to take a look. Under the forum posts, there were lots of comments discussing her, and various edited clips of her cheering for her brother.
Her face turned red. She genuinely didn’t know about any of this.
“A lot of people really like you. Could I take a picture with you to send to my friend? He even edited your cheering video into his own; he’s quite a fan of yours.”
Nervously clutching her skirt, Ruan Shu looked a little flustered, but under Zhao Kuo’s eager, sparkling gaze, she still nodded in agreement.
Then, Ruan Shu and Zhao Kuo took a picture together, in which she looked shy and well-behaved, while Zhao Kuo grinned broadly, showing off his big front teeth.
“Hehehe… A picture with my idol’s sister! No one else in my class has this!”
In the photo, Ruan Shu looked incredibly gentle and adorable.
As he looked at her, Zhao Kuo found himself growing increasingly fond of her and couldn’t help but ask a rather bold question.
“Can I pinch your cheeks? I’m not some kind of weirdo, I promise—it’s just… well, your cheeks look so soft.”
It wasn’t just her cheeks; her whole demeanor was soft and cozy, and even after sitting here for so long, she didn’t look impatient at all. Now, he really started to believe her when she said she didn’t find sitting here boring.
After a brief hesitation, Ruan Shu agreed but summoned the courage to make a request. “Sure, but can you go somewhere with me afterward?”
Zhao Kuo thumped his chest confidently, saying, “Just tell me where! There’s nowhere I can’t take you.”
Ruan Shu’s eyes curved as she smiled, her expression soft and sweet, with two adorable dimples. Zhao Kuo was overwhelmed by her cuteness—no wonder so many people liked her.
She was entirely different from the rowdy kids he’d met before. Initially, he’d scoffed at that cheering video, thinking people were just being childish.
But now, he couldn’t deny it: his idol’s little sister was truly charming.
And her cheeks were as soft as they looked. Zhao Kuo didn’t even dare to use much force, worried he might accidentally leave a mark.
“What are you doing, boy?”
A cold voice suddenly sounded from nearby, startling Zhao Kuo.
“Marsh-Marshal Ruan!” he stammered.
Not just Marshal Ruan—Zhao Kuo now realized that his own grandfather, along with all the other big shots in the room, were all looking his way.
Zhao Kuo: frozen.jpg
He quickly released Ruan Shu’s soft cheeks, but it was clear to everyone that his fingers had left slight, faint marks on her delicate, fair cheeks.
The looks he received grew even darker. None of them had gotten the chance to touch Shushu’s cheeks, and here he was, casually pinching them!
And he hadn’t even been gentle enough! Look at the faint red marks he’d left!
Zhao Kuo: I’m innocent! He truly had used the lightest touch—honestly, his softest!
Just then, Grandma Gong Min stepped forward, patting Ruan Shu’s cheek tenderly.
“Does it hurt, honey? That mark’s pretty visible.”
Ruan Shu shook her head, a bit confused. It hadn’t hurt at all—her skin was simply so delicate that even the slightest pressure left a mark.
Obediently, she let Grandma Min rub her cheek, not resisting in the slightest.
Marshal Ruan, meanwhile, watched his granddaughter’s chubby little face being rubbed and kneaded, his eye twitching. Don’t think he didn’t know what was happening—this was just an excuse to take advantage of his precious granddaughter!
“All right, that’s enough,” he finally said. “If you keep rubbing, Shushu’s cheeks will turn red.”
Grandma Gong Min reluctantly let go, while the other elders looked on with regret.
There was only one sweet and soft little Shushu, and with so many of them here, if they weren’t worried about scaring her, this group of old folks would’ve definitely swarmed her, each wanting a hug or a chance to pinch her cheeks.
None of them had even pinched Shushu’s cheeks, yet this young kid who’d arrived later got the chance first. How was that fair…
Receiving the resentful stares from all the prominent figures, Zhao Kuo thought: Please, please stop looking at me! QAQ
Ruan Shu came to his rescue, saying, “Grandpa, it’s because I have something I’d like Brother Zhao Kuo to help me with.”
Zhao Kuo nodded vigorously from beside her. Yes, exactly!
Grandpa Zhao gave his grandson a stern look, then turned to Ruan Shu with a kind smile.
“Whatever Shushu needs his help with, just tell him directly.”
Ruan Shu fiddled with her little fingers, glancing at her grandfather. “Grandpa, I… can I go out and play?”
Ruan He looked surprised. “Shushu wants to go out on her own?”
Ruan Shu shook her head. “Brother Zhao Kuo will go with me.”