At this moment, all pretense had faded from his face. His emerald-green eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness, and a faint, mocking smile played on his lips.
But his good looks and graceful demeanor gave him the air of an elegantly sinister mastermind—a touch of that cultured, dangerous genius vibe.
Ruan Shu: trembling with fear.jpg
“You… could you put me down? I’m not feeling well,” she murmured, squirming feebly in his grasp, her voice a soft plea.
Ruan Xinglan unceremoniously dropped her onto the floor, glancing at the carpet with a look of mild distaste.
“When did this house end up with this kind of decor?”
He ignored her entirely and strolled over to the sofa, looking calmly at the little one still dawdling in place.
“Come here,” he beckoned, curling his finger as if calling over a small dog.
Ruan Shu puffed out her cheeks, reluctantly shuffling across the carpet toward him, her feet dragging.
“Se-Second Brother…” she took a deep breath, finally obeying and calling him Second Brother as she’d been instructed.
Ruan Xinglan lazily acknowledged her with a slight nod, arms crossed, his head tilted just so—although he looked harmless, he gave off an unmistakable air of danger.
“Now, tell me. Why did you run off the moment you saw me? Do I look that scary?” His voice was gentle, almost tender.
Ruan Shu shook her head hastily. “No, it’s not that…”
She muttered in a small voice, “It’s just… all my brothers told me you’re dangerous and that I shouldn’t get too close to you.”
She snuck a glance at the young man before her, thinking to herself that her older and third brothers weren’t exactly wrong. But… but she still hadn’t managed to escape him! QwQ
“Oh? So I’m not your brother? You’ll listen to them but not to me, is that it, hmm?” he prodded, looking slightly offended.
Ruan Shu fidgeted, tugging at her fingers and stammering, “N-not really… It’s just that I don’t know you as well as them.”
Ruan Xinglan suddenly took on a mockingly hurt tone, dripping with irony. “True. After all, they did meet you first. If it weren’t for Eldest Brother putting a bounty on me on his mercenary network, I wouldn’t have come back so soon.”
Ruan Shu blinked, wondering if she’d misheard him. Bounty? Pursuit? Her eldest brother?
Ruan Xinglan gave her a look of feigned surprise. “What, you didn’t know? Eldest Brother put out a bounty to hunt me down. I’ve had several close calls, you know.”
Of course, he was exaggerating. While Ruan Fengsi had indeed placed a bounty on him, it wasn’t with lethal intent—and Ruan Xinglan was no easy target himself.
Ruan Shu’s face twisted in a struggle of emotions before she finally asked in a soft, hesitant voice, “Then… why did you send Eldest Brother a bomb?”
Ruan Xinglan’s smile widened ever so slightly. “Oh, we were just playing around.”
Ruan Shu: “???”
“So that was… just for fun? But it was a bomb!”
Ruan Xinglan suddenly leaned in closer to her. “If I truly wanted to take Eldest Brother’s life, the bomb would have detonated the moment he opened it, rather than giving a warning alert. If he couldn’t avoid a single bomb, all those years in the military academy and army would’ve been for nothing.”
Ruan Shu protested, “But… what if?”
Ruan Xinglan pinched her chubby little cheeks with a casual flick of his fingers. “There’s no ‘what if.’ You should have more faith in your brother. Besides, even if he did get hit, it would only be a superficial wound. Don’t underestimate the resilience of a Star Beast’s body; that bomb’s power was nothing compared to a full-force hit from a Star Beast.”
“Oh…” Ruan Shu mumbled, struggling to rescue her poor cheeks from Second Brother’s grasp—it was starting to hurt.
With teary eyes, the little dumpling looked up at him pleadingly. “Second Brother, let go of me.”
He released her, clicking his tongue in mild disapproval as he noticed the faint finger marks on her face.
“What kind of little misfit are you? You’re so fragile—can you even survive like this?”
Ruan Shu felt as if she’d just been stabbed in the knees. Second Brother’s words were vicious!
She quietly shuffled her feet a little farther from Second Brother, cupping her face in her hands and muttering a soft complaint under her breath.
“What was that?”
The gentle voice came from above, making Ruan Shu’s hairs stand on end.
She quickly shook her head, holding her face protectively. “N-nothing at all.”
“Come here. I won’t pinch your cheeks anymore.”
Ruan Xinglan had no particular affection or dislike for Ruan Shu; he was indifferent to her, really. But her chubby, soft cheeks were strangely tempting to squeeze.
Reluctantly, Ruan Shu moved closer, only to have her hand caught this time.
Ruan Xinglan began to toy idly with her small, delicate hand.
His own fingers were striking—pale and smooth, with well-defined joints, a touch of pink at the fingertips, and an elegant length that would make anyone with a hand obsession swoon. In fact, they were the kind of hands that could make someone want to call him “husband” on sight.
Right now, he was casually playing with her soft, boneless little hand.
“Truly beautiful. Once you’re a bit older, these hands would be quite suited for… collection.”
Ruan Shu: “!!!”
Why did it sound so creepy and sinister when Second Brother said that?!
Ruan Xinglan noted her fearful, wide-eyed gaze and obvious discomfort, which only made his smile widen with amusement.
“Of course, I’m just joking. No need to be afraid; your Second Brother isn’t that twisted.”
Ironically, his low-voiced reassurance with that smile made him seem even more like a deranged killer. Ruan Shu felt so scared her knees nearly buckled.
Just then, her Eldest Brother “descended from the heavens”—though he looked a bit disheveled. The moment he saw Ruan Xinglan, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
“Ruan Xinglan, what are you doing?” Ruan Fengsi’s voice was menacingly cold.
Ruan Xinglan met his gaze with unhurried ease, his smile widening.
“Eldest Brother, did you like the little gift I sent you?”
“Ruan! Xing! Lan!”
What happened next was beyond Ruan Shu’s control, as the two brothers took their fight outside, where they battled fiercely.
Ruan Shu never expected her Second Brother’s Star Beast form to be a black leopard with qilin blood.
Compared to a tiger, the leopard’s build was sleeker, but it was no less fierce in combat.
However, in a raw contest of physical strength, he was clearly no match for Ruan Fengsi and ended up being overpowered, with Eldest Brother practically pummeling him into the ground.
This showdown of “brotherly love” was far more intense than when he fought their Third Brother.
By the end, her Second Brother was half-buried by Eldest Brother, head down in the dirt.
Ruan Shu: “…”
Should she be worried about Second Brother suffocating?
But Ruan Shu’s worry was clearly unnecessary, as soon enough, the soil shifted, and the black leopard’s nose emerged from the dirt.
Ruan Shu wanted to go check on him, but Eldest Brother scooped her up and carried her away. All the way, Ruan Fengsi muttered about how Ruan Xinglan had actually dared to place a dangerous combat robot in his office.
“The wool felt you gave me almost got destroyed.”
At this moment, Ruan Fengsi was practically a big, sulking dog, looking truly disheveled, with some injuries and clothes that were wrinkled and a bit torn.
Ruan Shu cuddled him for comfort, nuzzling affectionately against his neck.
“Second Brother is bad. We won’t pay attention to him anymore, okay, Brother?”
Her heart ached for Eldest Brother.
Ruan Fengsi felt content, and even when he saw Ruan Xinglan walk in covered in dirt with a displeased expression, he found him much more tolerable.