Qin Guan, after nearly finishing reading the forum post, was left speechless.
He glanced at Ruan Shu and, noticing her confused expression, wiped his face.
“Alright then.”
He was now wide awake, realizing that just because one child was well-behaved didn’t mean others were the same. Thinking otherwise would be a fatal mistake!
Ruan Shu blinked. “???”
Why did this big brother keep looking at her with such a strange expression?
After they were well-fed, Ruan Shu and her big brother took a walk to digest their meal.
Soon, her big brother transformed into his qilin-tiger form and sprawled lazily on the grassy field, looking exactly like a large tiger resting after patrolling its territory.
Ruan Shu tiptoed closer, her ocean-blue eyes as clear and beautiful as the finest gemstone.
Standing next to her big brother in his star-beast form, she looked tiny, almost insignificant.
In truth, however, the little girl was like a glowing, snow-white angel, with her soft white hair and a delicately cute face that exuded a gentle, harmless aura.
The closer she got to the intimidating qilin-tiger, the more her presence became strikingly noticeable.
Aside from a few star beasts with poor eyesight due to their species, most of the other star beasts had excellent vision.
Because of their natural territoriality—especially carnivorous star beasts—most kept a distance of at least a hundred meters from Ruan Fengsi, even though this wasn’t his territory.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one who had shifted into his star-beast form. Star beasts fond of the grasslands had mostly transformed too, running freely across the prairie, while some bird-type star beasts were soaring in the sky.
There were clear rules in the city prohibiting casual transformation into star-beast form, so many people let loose once they were out, enjoying the freedom to run and fly on the grasslands, mountains, and skies in their original forms.
So, no one found it strange that Ruan Fengsi occupied a patch of territory this way.
However, they couldn’t help but glance over, their gazes mainly resting on the snow-white, soft little human cub.
Although Ruan Shu’s vision was good, it wasn’t sharp enough to see what the distant onlookers were doing. So, the unaware little rice dumpling didn’t realize that her every move was being watched by a curious crowd.
Quietly, she tiptoed over to the giant beast, lifting her tiny arm to touch the fur on its massive limb before quickly pulling back.
Hands behind her back, she leaned close to her big brother’s face, curiously peering at him.
Was he asleep?
Then, she gently touched the fur on his cheek. Her eyes curved with delight, and in the sunlight, she seemed to radiate a soft, warm glow.
“Big brother?”
Ruan Fengsi didn’t respond, but his tail twitched.
Ruan Shu thought for a moment, then gathered her courage and ran to find Qin Guan.
Just as she took a step away, Ruan Fengsi, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes, his tail swishing with much more force, displaying a hint of irritation.
He had expected the little one to climb onto him, but instead, she ran off!
He turned his head and saw Ruan Shu standing beside Qin Guan, nervously twisting her fingers together, her fingertips turning a bit pale from how tightly she was clenching them.
Ruan Fengsi’s ears twitched, catching faint snippets of her soft, hesitant voice.
“Big brother… a brush…”
Qin Guan was genuinely surprised that Ruan Shu would come looking for him.
This little one was incredibly timid, the shyest person he had ever met, someone who seemed scared by even the slightest rustle or movement. She had always stuck close to Ruan Fengsi, never straying far from his side, so seeing her come over to him was a real surprise.
It was easy to tell she was nervous. Twisting her fingers, she asked him in a small, quiet voice.
“Big brother Qin Guan, do you have a brush? I want to brush my brother’s fur.”
Brush his fur?
Qin Guan looked at her with a slightly strange expression, but seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
“Sure, I have one.”
It turned out that Ruan Shu had come to the right person. Qin Guan was rather particular about his appearance and always carried a brush with him.
Though it looked quite elegant and ornate, it was, in fact, just a standard brush.
Taking the brush, Ruan Shu thanked him earnestly, then hurried back on her short little legs.
Ruan Fengsi immediately resumed his “sleeping” act, even keeping his tail still.
The snow-white, obedient little dumpling walked up to the giant beast, leaning close to her big brother and gently touching his nose with her soft, tiny hand.
Her big brother was really huge! Then again, both her father and cousin Qingran’s star beasts were also enormous.
Murmuring to herself, Ruan Shu stood on her tiptoes and began brushing her big brother’s fur carefully.
She hadn’t expected it, but as she brushed, she realized that his thick coat, which seemed smooth from afar and only slightly messy up close, was actually shedding a surprising amount of black, loose fur.
It wasn’t dirty, but he seemed to be shedding quite a bit.
“Big brother, how long has it been since you groomed yourself?” she muttered softly, picking off the loose fur from the brush. Glancing around, she realized she had no idea where to put it.
The wind on the mountain was strong, and one gust could blow all the fur away. Not wanting her big brother’s fur to be scattered by the wind, she decided to tuck it into the pocket on the front of her overalls.
Then, she continued brushing.
Ruan Fengsi was still getting used to this because no one had ever brushed his beast form’s fur before!
It wasn’t just him—most star beasts would never let anyone but their closest loved ones come near their star-beast form. And even among family members, it was rare for them to groom each other like this.
Being a feline, Ruan Fengsi was naturally quite clean. He’d regularly groom himself, licking his fur to keep it in order, and shedding naturally.
Of course, none of them were true wild animals; everyone bathed daily, but they all chose the convenience of bathing in human form. Afterward, their star-beast forms would be clean too, but loose fur and a bit of messiness would still remain.
With each stroke, Ruan Shu managed to brush out a small clump of loose fur, yet her big brother’s fur still looked as thick as ever.
The areas she had groomed, however, felt noticeably smoother to the touch.
Ruan Shu: Achievement unlocked!
Nearby, several onlookers whispered among themselves.
“What is she doing?”
“Are you blind? She’s brushing her brother’s fur.”
“Wait, that’s a thing? Doesn’t he usually just lick it clean?”
“Well, yeah, but watching her comb out all that loose fur looks so satisfying. Every shedding season, I end up with a mouthful of fur every time I try to clean up myself. It’s the worst.”
Seeing her diligently brush her brother, a few of them began to feel a strange itch, a desire to try it for themselves. But who could they ask to brush them?
A stranger? No way.
Their dad? He’d probably smack them and wonder if they’d lost their minds.
Mom? Maybe, if they were still minors.
In some families, moms were even stricter than dads, especially once they reached adulthood. Their parents were constantly nudging them to become independent.
Siblings? Nope, not an option. They didn’t want their siblings getting close, especially not that close—it would probably end in a brawl.
In the end, it seemed the only option was that brushing like this might be reserved for partners.