Ruan Ling’an patiently coaxed her, his demeanor more like a doting father than a brother, with affection clear in his gaze.
Shushu nestled softly against her brother, mumbling in a small voice that she was thirsty.
“Brother, Shushu is thirsty~”
She looked up at him with big, pleading eyes, her tone sweet and tender—a total show of affection.
Who could resist such an adorable, soft little creature? Ruan Ling’an, as her older brother, certainly couldn’t.
He had already prepared some milk-fruit for her. The nanny robot brought it over in a glass, the warm juice quickly delivered.
Catching the scent of milk-fruit, Ruan Shu held the cup with both hands, took a sip through the straw, her pale cheeks puffing up as she drank. Her round eyes half-closed as she leaned against her third brother’s chest, contentedly sipping away.
So obedient, so well-behaved.
Ruan Ling’an, quietly smiling, took a few photos, preserving this moment.
Shushu, still a little groggy after just waking up, finally felt a bit more awake after finishing the milk-fruit juice. She looked up with a sleepy yawn.
“Brother, were you holding me while I slept the whole time?”
Ruan Ling’an nodded.
Shushu felt a bit embarrassed but was also worried about his arm. “Did it go numb?”
She reached out her small hand to massage his arm gently, speaking softly.
“Brother, you shouldn’t do that next time. I weigh a bit, and if I sleep on your arm, it might go sore and numb. If… if you really like holding me while I sleep, I can turn into a little kitty for you to hold instead.”
Ruan Ling’an lowered his eyes and gently pinched her soft, chubby cheek, touched by her thoughtfulness.
“Alright.”
Shushu climbed down from his arms, patting her round little cheek, especially the side that had been resting on his arm. She wasn’t sure if his arm was sore, but she was pretty sure her cheek had been squashed a bit.
Hopefully, she didn’t drool, right?
Shushu sneaked a peek at his arm—luckily, there was no sign of drool.
“There’s a fresh set of toiletries ready for you upstairs.”
Shushu nodded sweetly, “Then I’ll go wash my face first.”
“Go on.”
With a cheerful wave, Shushu trotted upstairs on her little legs.
She needed to wash up quickly, comb her hair, and get ready for school!
Watching her tiny figure scurrying away, Ruan Ling’an couldn’t help but smile softly.
Remembering the interrupted meeting, Ruan Ling’an reopened the terminal, finding the video feed had only been hidden. Silence settled over him.
The entire conference room fell quiet as well, a few moments of mutual, awkward eye contact.
After five seconds, Ruan Ling’an pressed his long fingers to his nose, his tone gravely serious as he issued a veiled threat to his trusted subordinates.
“Keep what just happened to yourselves,” Ruan Ling’an ordered sternly.
If word got out, with how thin-skinned Shushu was, she’d probably lock herself in her room for days out of sheer embarrassment.
Everyone in the video call nodded so hard it looked like their heads might fall off, though they hadn’t yet fully recovered from the shock.
One brave woman with short hair mustered up the courage to ask, “Chief, about your sister’s photo…”
Ruan Ling’an: “Get lost.”
The woman quickly replied, “Got it, say no more.”
An air of regret seemed to fill the virtual meeting as every participant looked like they were holding back their disappointment.
As soon as the video call ended, a few of them started a private chat, flooding the group with frantic messages within seconds.
[Chat Group Messages]
[“Oh my god, that’s our chief’s little sister! She’s so sweet and even worried about numbing his arm, giving him a little massage. I can’t believe how adorable she is!”]
[“AHHH! Do you know how hard it was for me to keep from squealing during the meeting? She’s just so cute and soft—why does the chief get such a precious little sister? I’m dying here!”]
[“The chief is so lucky! I’d only seen pictures and that little cheer-up video online, and I thought she was cute then, but seeing her like this… She’s beyond adorable!”]
[“Deep breaths, everyone, deep breaths. That little one is so soft and small; she’s like pure sugar. I’d take a whole litter of such cubs, no complaints here!”]
[“She was nestled in his arms, holding her little cup and drinking milk, all while being adorable and affectionate. I was THIS close to screaming—if only I could switch places with the chief for a minute!”]
[“I got a picture of the chief’s sister! Hehehe…”]
[“Me too… hehe…”]
[“Too bad, though, the chief’s photos are bound to be way clearer.”]
[“Aaahhh!! Someone, please share the photos before I die of cuteness overload! I was so focused on her that I forgot to snap any pictures. Why is the chief being so stingy this time!”]
[“Hahaha… None of you are as smart as me—I recorded a video!”]
[“Lady Ying, would you accept my humble kneeling as payment for that video?”]
[“Count me in—Lady Ying, please share the video…”]
…
Ruan Ling’an would never have imagined that his so-called “loyal” team members not only took photos but even recorded a video of his sister while he was busy with the call.
Meanwhile, Shushu noticed that more of her things had appeared in her brother’s room within just one day. Her room was almost fully set up too.
After washing her face and fixing her hair, she headed off to school!
As for what happened during her brother’s meeting, Shushu remained blissfully unaware.
The next day, she kept her promise and brought a carrot for Ali, and it was a big one, whole and uncut.
The carrot was thick, long, and quite heavy, so she had to hold it tightly with both hands to manage it.
In the end, her dad helped her carry it to the classroom.
Homegrown carrots taste delicious and have a wonderful texture, with no need to worry about any safety concerns. Shushu had eaten a lot of them during dinner the previous night.
The butler had even made white radish and pork rib soup, and the radishes soaked up the broth perfectly—it was absolutely delicious!
“Bye-bye, Daddy~”
On the third day of school, Ruan Shu was still reluctant to say goodbye to her dad.
She stood at the classroom door, watching him leave, and only then returned to her seat.
By this time, her classmates were already gathered around her desk, marveling at the enormous carrot.
Their usual lively personalities, which had been subdued by her father’s intimidating presence, were now back in full swing.
“Ruan Shu, your dad looks so scary, even scarier than when the teacher pretends to be a big dinosaur!”
The other students nodded in agreement.
“Ruan Shu, is this really a red carrot? Why is it so huge?”
“Ruan Shu, you don’t look anything like your dad. You look… like you’d be easy to bully.”
“Is this carrot a gift for Ali?”
With a dozen little voices all around her, each student was asking something different, and sometimes their questions would shift topics unexpectedly—keeping up with their train of thought was a real challenge.
Ruan Shu replied to each one patiently:
“My dad only looks serious, but he’s actually very nice.”
“Do I really look that easy to bully? What if I try to look fierce?”
“Yes, this carrot is for Ali, as I promised him yesterday. I also brought strawberries for you all.”
Ruan Shu managed to respond to every single question her classmates threw at her.