Ruan Linzhan’s emotions were complex at this moment. He could feel his Jingshen on the verge of collapse, yet the morning he opened his eyes, he felt a remarkable lightness, as if everything before had been a dream.
But Ruan Linzhan knew it hadn’t been.
Even in the moments when his sanity was teetering, he could clearly remember the instant he regained consciousness, seeing that young girl, who, despite her terror and tears, walked firmly toward him.
She clung to his neck in fear, crying while healing him.
Ruan Linzhan had never imagined that Jingshen could be healed. But his little cousin had truly created this miracle.
And it seemed his Jingshen had returned to its peak state.
After waking up, he managed to suppress the storm of emotions within. But his greatest concern was for his little cousin, who had collapsed alongside him and still hadn’t regained consciousness.
He was worried something might have happened to her and was filled with guilt and self-reproach. If it hadn’t been because of him…
“Thank you, little cousin.”
The girl in Ruan Xiao’s arms was still in the form of a plush, soft kitten, and when thanked, she responded with a gentle meow.
“Meow~”
Ruan Shu’s big, round eyes stared at her older cousin without blinking, as if to make sure he was truly okay. Recalling everything that happened, the little one was still frightened.
Ruan Linzhan could see the fear and worry in her eyes, which made his heart ache and feel immensely complicated. He approached and gently tapped her nose with his finger.
“I’ve really recovered, and I’m better than ever. It’s all thanks to you.”
In truth, he had never shown her as much care as the rest of the family did. He only fulfilled his role as an elder brother to her. But he never expected that this typically gentle, timid little cousin would walk toward him so resolutely in a critical moment, to save him, even at the cost of exhausting her own Jingshen.
Ruan Linzhan really wanted to tell her that he wasn’t worth her risking so much.
Ruan Shu meowed and nuzzled her head against his hand, seeking affection.
She was so afraid, so afraid of losing her brother or any other family member.
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
Her entire tiny, kitten-like form, about the size of her brother’s palm, gave a little shake, and her small white paw patted his hand.
It’s okay, as long as her brother had returned, all was well.
Then Ruan Shu learned that she had been unconscious for three whole days, and that her family had stayed with her out of worry for that entire time.
Feeling sorry for them, she quickly meowed, urging them to get some rest.
Over those three days, Ruan Shu had only consumed nutrient fluids, which her father fed to her little by little, so her stomach wasn’t empty.
She thought the crisis was over, but soon Ruan Shu discovered a serious problem.
She couldn’t turn back into a human!
“Meow, meow, meow!”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ruan Shu scrambled to find someone, her tiny paws pattering in a hurry.
The only person Ruan Shu could find at the moment was her second brother, who, compared to everyone else, was notably more composed. He still managed to get proper rest since the household relied on him to handle things temporarily.
Ruan Shu found him and clung to his long leg, meowing anxiously, waving one soft little white paw to get his attention.
Oh no, brother, I can’t change back into my human form!
Ruan Xinglan held the little fluffy ball and calmly squeezed her tiny paw, his voice gentle but with a hint of lazy amusement.
“Slow down; you’re moving too fast, I can’t understand.”
Ruan Shu had to slow down, letting out a pitiful meow, worried that she might really be stuck in this form forever.
After finally understanding what Ruan Shu was trying to convey, Ruan Xinglan’s expression grew serious.
A star beast unable to revert to human form was a big problem.
He immediately called Ruan Qingran.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen with Shushu again?”
Ruan Qingran, who was in the lab, immediately thought of Shushu when he received the call, and sure enough, it was about her.
Ruan Xinglan’s voice was grave. “Shushu can’t change back into her human form.”
“What?!”
Dr. Ruan, usually calm, nearly lost his composure.
“I’m coming over right now!”
After hanging up, Ruan Xinglan looked down at the dejected little ragdoll cat sitting on his lap and ran his slender fingers through her soft fur.
“Don’t worry; your cousin will be here soon to figure this out.”
“Meow,” Ruan Shu replied, nodding as best she could.
She tried to reassure herself—at least her older cousin had recovered, and that was already very fortunate.
Suddenly, she remembered the intense headaches she’d felt while unconscious, likely due to overextending her Jingshen. She wondered how her own mental sea was doing now.
Eagerly, Ruan Shu nestled on her brother’s lap and turned her focus inward to examine her mental sea.
To her amazement, her mental sea seemed… much larger than before!
Everyone’s mental sea has a different size, determined by their level of Jingshen. Previously, her mental sea had been about the size of a small, one-bedroom apartment, with only a single fluffy cloud serving as a cozy nook for Qiuqiu, her mental companion.
But now, her mental sea had expanded to the size of a luxurious apartment, spanning nearly 300 square meters, with unlimited height and a much brighter space. The big, fluffy cloud was more prominent than before and somehow even cuter.
Ruan Shu began looking for Qiuqiu, calling for it several times in her mind, until finally, a chubby, creamy-yellow little puffball emerged from the large cloud. It had a little cloud perched atop its head and a tiny tail trailing behind it, looking absurdly adorable.
Just as Ruan Shu was about to greet Qiuqiu, a second, bigger puffball suddenly popped out beside the first one with a soft “plop.” This one was noticeably larger, with two swirls for eyes, like pencil-drawn spirals.
Ruan Shu was shocked.
What’s going on? How did Qiu Qiu turn into two, and why is one of them so much bigger?!