As Almer finished speaking, the snow cave fell silent.
Though his words were blunt, he was actually being tactful. The truth of Shushu’s background was that she was, in a sense, an illegitimate child. In any world, children born to the primary spouse tend not to be overly welcoming toward children brought home from outside affairs.
Sometimes, they’re treated even worse than strangers.
Yet here, in the Ruan family, each brother doted on her more than the last. Wasn’t it stranger for a stranger like Almer to be so fond of her?
The three of them found themselves at a loss for words against Almer’s logic.
After all, this was the same Ruan Fengsi who would bury his own brother alive without hesitation.
The same Ruan Xinglan who would throw bombs at his elder brother and wouldn’t think twice about tricking his younger brother.
And Ruan Qingran, indifferent to everything around him.
If anyone were to call these three ‘kind-hearted,’ not even Almer would believe it—and they themselves wouldn’t buy it either.
So if they could all be so affectionate toward Ruan Shu, why couldn’t Almer feel the same way?
Ruan Fengsi opened his mouth, but no retort came out.
Almer shrugged with a grin. “See? Even you all feel this way. This just proves that Shushu is inherently special, and she deserves it. She simply caught my attention, and I like her—that’s all there is to it.”
Of course, the fact that he wanted to whisk her away and keep her to himself was also true. But there was no need to tell them that little detail.
When Ruan Shu woke up, the fierce wind and snow outside had finally stopped.
Her three brothers and Almer were already awake. As a group, they crawled out of the snow cave.
However, their means of transportation was gone.
“We’ll have to walk.”
And with that, Ruan Shu was scooped up. To avoid burdening everyone, she quickly transformed into her cat form.
Small and lightweight, the little fluffy cat nestled in their arms. If possible, she could even curl around their necks, turning into a soft, cozy, cat-scarf that was impossible not to adore.
This wasn’t a burden at all—it was a warm, fuzzy little heater!
The men then subtly started competing for the honor of carrying her.
In the end, they decided to settle it in the most direct way possible—by fighting. Her three brothers began brawling.
Almer held the plush, soft ragdoll cat to the side, cheering them on while mercilessly pointing out each other’s weak spots.
The three of them, bloodlines of the qilin pulsing in them, clashed, sending fur flying everywhere.
Ruan Shu: “… …”
Would you just keep quiet already!
The ragdoll cat straightened up and placed a small paw on Almer’s mouth.
Taking advantage of the moment, Almer gave her soft, pink paw a quick kiss.
And then he tucked the little cat snugly into his neck.
“Meow, meow, meow!”
The ragdoll cat tried to act fierce, but her adorable attempt wasn’t intimidating at all. Meanwhile, the three men finally settled their fight, with Ruan Fengsi ultimately subduing his two younger brothers through sheer force.
The three of them turned their annoyed gazes toward Almer—this guy clearly had ulterior motives!
Just as Ruan Fengsi was about to reclaim Shushu, a distant howl echoed down from the snow-covered mountain.
Almer shouted, “Beasts are coming! Run!”
Without another word, he bolted, holding the little cat close. He pulled a snowboard from his storage space, tossed it onto the snow, and, with a swift glide, left the three brothers with only the view of his effortlessly cool departure.
Ruan Fengsi: “…”
Ruan Fengsi: “!!!”
“ALMER!!!”
He was so furious he didn’t even call him by his title anymore.
Peeking over Almer’s shoulder, Ruan Shu poked her tiny head out but was quickly nudged back down.
“Meow, meow…”
‘My brothers!’
Almer glided over the snow with a relaxed grace, showing no concern for the pursuing wolves. To him, it was just as leisurely as a casual game.
“What’s the rush? They’ll catch up.”
Sure enough, the three Ruan brothers were closing in, now in their beast forms, each a large cat hot on Almer’s trail, eyes locked on his back with unbreakable determination.
Behind them was a pack of snow wolves, their white fur blending into the snowy landscape. While the average snow wolf couldn’t compare to the Ruan brothers in size, the pack leader and two other head wolves were formidable, their bodies covered in icy blue crystal spires. The largest spire on the leader’s head resembled a crown, marking it as an S-rank alpha wolf.
The wolf pack was large, with over twenty wolves racing forward, and Ruan Shu started to feel nervous.
“Meow, meow, meow!”
‘They’re getting closer!’
The little cat was so tense that her claws extended from her soft paws, clutching Almer’s clothes tightly.
From Ruan Shu’s perspective, it seemed impossible to defeat so many wolves head-on. Despite her brothers’ and Almer’s strength, they were still only four against more than twenty large, fierce wolves!
Noticing her anxiety, Almer paused, a small smile forming. Truthfully, he wasn’t afraid of the snow wolves. Their sudden appearance had merely given him an excuse to keep holding the little cat without handing her over, letting him indulge in her company a little longer.
He hadn’t intended to run away with her permanently, knowing that she’d worry about her three brothers.
“Shushu.”
His voice, lighthearted with a hint of laughter, came from above her.
Ruan Shu’s fluffy ears perked up as she looked up at him inquisitively.
Her big, round blue eyes sparkled beautifully.
“Want a mount?”
“Meow?”
After that, Ruan Shu could only stare in shock at what unfolded.
As soon as Almer said those words, he spun his snowboard in a sharp, stylish turn, drifting across the snow in a wide arc.
Before she knew it, her mushroom-patterned little backpack, along with the fluffy cat herself, was handed over to her eldest brother.
Almer, meanwhile, dashed straight into the pack of wolves, leaping onto the back of the alpha wolf and engaging it in a fierce battle.
Ruan Fengsi held his sister, huffing disdainfully at the audacity of a certain emperor’s antics, thoroughly unimpressed and a bit annoyed.
But now wasn’t the time for squabbles among themselves—Ruan Xinglan and Ruan Qingran quickly joined the fray.
In mere moments, the wolves that had been chasing them were now yelping and scattering as the tables turned completely.
Soon enough, their roles were reversed, and now it was the brothers who were chasing down the wolves.
At last, the battered and bruised alpha wolf, along with a few of its largest packmates, were brought back, tails tucked submissively between their legs.
“Shushu, come on up.”
Almer sat with an elegant confidence atop the alpha wolf, a slight smile playing on his lips as he patted the wolf’s back, as if proudly showing off his prize.
Ruan Shu’s eyes sparkled in amazement—she hadn’t expected the wolf pack she was so worried about to be handled so quickly by her brothers and Almer.
But…
If they could handle them so easily, then why did they run in the first place?
Her suspicious gaze fixed on a certain someone.
Reading her expression, Almer coughed awkwardly.
“I just didn’t want to stir up trouble earlier, but since you seem to ‘like’ these wolves, I thought having one as a mount would be nice.”
Ruan Shu: “…”
From what angle did you ever think I liked them?
Alpha Wolf: …Oh, so high and mighty, are you?
With all that strength, why did you even run in the first place? You gave us the wrong impression—we thought you were easy prey!
In the end, the real prey turned out to be us!