Ruan Shu handed the letter to her father.
Ruan Xiao scanned it quickly, absorbing the contents in a flash, and his expression darkened.
Ruan Shu hesitated, “Dad, maybe I should… I should write him back. And… should I return this gemstone?”
After all, they’d only met once. Although they got along well… it still felt strange to receive such a large gemstone from him. Holding onto it made her feel uneasy.
Ruan Xiao gave a cold huff, “No need. Gemstones are the least of his concerns.”
Ruan Shu frowned, visibly torn, as her father continued.
“Just send him something simple in return.”
Ruan Xiao pinched the bridge of his nose. After all, it was the emperor they were dealing with—someone with a notoriously quirky personality. He couldn’t risk offending him, or he might really abandon his ministers, drop everything, and personally deliver the gemstone to Ruan Shu.
That would surely attract far more attention to her.
But what could Ruan Shu give in return? Thinking it over, she decided to send the red wind chime she had recently made.
While crafting the wind chime, she had strung golden beads in between, thinking of Almer’s eyes. He might like it, right?
Or, perhaps she could fashion a lovely cord to embellish the gemstone before returning it?
For now, she’d send the wind chime. If they met again, she could give the gemstone back herself.
Just as she was lost in thought, she noticed that her father had transformed into a large, white qilin-tiger.
Ruan Shu’s eyes widened, and she stared, a bit dazed, at her father in this form.
After learning more about their heritage, Ruan Shu now understood the nature of their family’s bloodline.
A blend of feline and Qilin lineage.
Those with stronger Qilin traits had more prominent horns and scales, along with greater strength.
Her father had two large, ice-blue Qilin horns, resembling antlers, on his head. If one looked closely, there were even scales near the corners of his eyes.
It was mysterious and beautiful.
Having already seen her big brother transform, Ruan Shu no longer felt afraid.
Instead, she lowered herself and transformed into a small, snow-white kitten, squeezing her little paws into the warm spot by her father’s neck.
It was the warmest place.
Ruan Xiao was indulgent, gently allowing the little cat to curl up around his neck. Feeling her soft breathing near his ear, his mood lifted.
However, the next morning, Ruan Shu awoke to find herself perched on top of her father’s head!
And they were outside—her father was still in his star-beast form, sprinting across the vast meadow of their estate.
The tiny kitten lay securely on her father’s head. She could sense the speed at which he was running, though she only felt a slight jostle.
The sun was shining, and the little kitten stretched out like a fluffy pancake, soaking up the warmth. Her large eyes shone with a simple, innocent gaze—a pure and silly look.
Her father’s swift pace made the wind whoosh past her ears, strong enough to feel like it could blow a hundred of her away.
Would she fall off? Quick, hide, hide.
So she tucked herself behind her dad’s ear, her tiny paws clutching the scales on the back of his ear, a bit nervously. Her initially dazed eyes gradually filled with curiosity as her little head poked out to peek.
However, the rush of wind soon scared her back into hiding.
But the little kitten didn’t give up. After the first peek, she tried a second, and her tiny bit of bravery grew a little more each time.
Finally, once she figured out a safe range, she felt bold enough to sit up—and even stuck her tail out to let the wind blow it.
The feeling of being carried along as her dad ran was incredible. Meow, meow, meow!
She lifted her little head and suddenly spotted her big brother running alongside them!
“Roar!”
A voice came from the black Qilin-tiger up ahead, and Ruan Shu understood her big brother’s beast-speak.
‘Dad, you’re getting old! You’re so slow now!’
There was no mistaking the taunting tone.
Ruan Xiao didn’t get angry; instead, he gave him a look full of hidden meaning, wondering if his foolish son would still be so pleased in a moment.
He wasn’t surprised that his eldest son adored Ruan Shu as well. After all, even he had grown fond of her—and, according to the butler, that boy’s stubbornness was only skin-deep.
“Meow~”
The kitten hidden behind her dad’s ear tried to call out to her big brother, but the wind was too strong, and her voice was too soft. Her call didn’t reach Ruan Fengsi.
However, Ruan Xiao heard it.
Since Ruan Shu was pure white and so tiny, when he perched her on his head, her whole soft, pudgy body nestled into his tiger fur. Ruan Fengsi hadn’t looked closely, so he hadn’t noticed that his dad had taken his little sister for a run.
When the morning run ended, Ruan Fengsi reached the villa first. As Ruan Xiao returned, he strutted around him confidently, his tail cheerfully raised.
‘Dad, you’ve lost your edge. You’re way slower than before.’
It wasn’t often he could outpace his dad; his competitive streak was in full bloom. He’d be boasting about this to his two younger brothers for years!
Ruan Xiao gave him a faint glance, twitching his ear, and the kitten hiding behind it poked her little head out.
“Meow~”
“Big brother.”
Ruan Fengsi: “………”
Ruan Fengsi: “!!!”
Wait—how had Ruan Shu ended up on their dad’s head? When did she get up there?!
The black qilin-tiger’s eyes widened, his furry face filled with disbelief.
Ruan Shu tilted her head, her tiny paws kneading softly on her dad’s head. Her big, round, crystal-clear eyes looked up at her big brother with pure confusion.
What was going on?
“You… you’ve been up there the whole time?”
Ruan Shu looked at him with innocent, wide-eyed confusion. Of course she had been! How could her tiny body, not even as big as one of their dad’s paws, have climbed up halfway?
Ruan Fengsi realized how ridiculous his question was, but his mood only worsened!
So that was it—his dad was still the sly old fox he remembered! This had all been a setup!
Ruan Fengsi fumed, his nostrils flaring with frustration. He was annoyed at himself for falling for it and even more annoyed that he hadn’t thought of such a clever trick earlier.
It felt like he’d wasted a fortune on missed opportunities!
Now, it was Ruan Xiao’s turn to stroll by him leisurely, casting a disdainful, unimpressed glance as he passed.
This sent Ruan Fengsi into an absolute fit. He couldn’t match his dad’s strength—he’d been traumatized by too many childhood defeats—so he took out his frustration by digging a massive hole in the ground.
Just then, Ruan Shu, now in her human form, ran out of the villa, her delicate little face filled with shock as she saw her big brother furiously digging.
“Dad, Dad, something’s wrong! Big brother seems sick!”
She spun around and sprinted back into the villa, her tiny voice louder than usual in her urgency.
Ruan Fengsi: “……”
This little one was spreading nonsense!
Feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration, Ruan Fengsi leapt forward and tackled the little rice-dumpling of a sister, who hadn’t gotten very far with her short legs.
But as she fell, he carefully cushioned her with his paw, so she landed gently on his soft paw pads.