“When your father and I were in school, we both attended the First Military Academy. He was exceptional in every aspect and quite well-known at school—just as cold as a glacier.”
Ruan Shu nodded quietly, thinking, So Dad was already this cold and aloof even when he was young?
“But back then, he was too proud—or maybe just overly confident in his abilities. He didn’t take anyone seriously and even liked to challenge the upperclassmen one-on-one, offending just about all of them.”
Ruan Shu grew a bit anxious. Did Dad ever get bullied?
In her double-standard way of thinking, young Ruan Shu didn’t consider that her dad wouldn’t have made enemies if he hadn’t provoked the older students in the first place.
What could Dad have done wrong? He just liked a good challenge!
“Then, during a field combat training session, the upperclassmen organized a little plan to teach the team he was leading a profound lesson…”
He Feng’s storytelling skills were quite vivid, perfectly capturing the tense atmosphere of that time.
Ruan Shu’s expressions shifted dramatically as she listened—worrying intensely when her dad faced danger, then grinning when he smartly outwitted his way out.
When Dad was cornered by the upperclassmen, he puffed up like an angry pufferfish. Even when surrounded, he refused to back down, and he stubbornly faced them head-on, leaving them helpless and frustrated. Oh, how proud she was of him…
In the end, his team took third place in that year’s exercise, but everyone knew he was more dazzling than even the first and second teams.
Ruan Shu’s bright, clear eyes sparkled with admiration for her dad.
He Feng: …
He felt like he wasn’t here to bond with her at all—more like he was boosting her loyalty to her father. Even the family butler looked at him with a peculiar expression, as if wondering why he was handing out such points to the other side.
Still, the little one didn’t seem so distant from him anymore.
That was a bit of progress, right?
“I still have the video of your dad from that competition. Want to watch it?”
The video was a compilation of footage from the academy’s surveillance system. After each competition, they would showcase students’ outstanding performances for everyone to admire and review.
Of course, Ruan Shu nodded eagerly, her eyes shining.
“Yes! I want to see it!”
She wanted to see what her dad looked like in his youth and how awe-inspiring he was.
“Come a little closer; we’re sitting too far apart for you to see clearly.”
The butler cleared his throat. “Ahem…”
He made his presence strongly known, subtly reminding a certain marshal not to deceive a child.
He Feng muttered internally, annoyed.
“Call me Uncle He.”
Let’s take it slow. Once she calls me uncle, it’s not so far from calling me dad, right?
He almost wished he could whisk her away to his own home.
Ruan Shu squeezed her little hands, shyly and timidly saying, “Uncle He.”
He Feng immediately broke into a goofy smile.
“Good girl, say it again, hehehe…”
He looked exactly like the Big Bad Wolf luring Little Red Riding Hood.
Ruan Shu thought to herself, This uncle is so weird. Should I scoot a little further away?
“Ahem…let’s watch.”
Ruan Shu’s attention was instantly captured.
He Feng opened the saved video, and Ruan Shu leaned forward with wide eyes, scooting just a little closer to him.
The screen displayed someone who looked exactly like her dad now, but younger and with a certain youthful innocence.
Ruan Shu’s eyes lit up. “Daddy.”
At that time, Ruan Xiao was clearly not as mature and composed as he was now. His every gesture held an aloof coolness, and his gaze was filled with unrestrained confidence.
With his arms crossed, He Feng commented, “Back then, he had a look that just begged to be taught a lesson, especially in the eyes of the older students.”
Of course, “other people” included himself.
He Feng had also been a school legend back then, equally arrogant and untamable.
He had participated in this very competition, leading his own team as well.
Ruan Shu mumbled softly, “Daddy is the best.”
In her little world, no one could compare to her father.
He Feng felt his teeth ache with envy—and his heart, too. Why didn’t he have such a soft, adorable child who worshipped him?
Why did the Beast God favor Ruan Xiao so much? He wasn’t that great either, was he?
Everything was fine—until He Feng’s younger self appeared on the screen.
He shot up from the couch like a startled dog, scrambling to shut off the video.
“Are you Ruan Xiao? People say you’re the number one—who the hell decided that? Did anyone ask me? Come on, let’s fight! I’ll knock you down today so you’ll finally understand what ‘the sky’s the limit’ really means!”
“Oh crap, oh crap, turn it off, turn it off!”
Damn it! He’d nearly forgotten that he, too, had been beaten to a pulp that day!
His intelligence must have plummeted just now. How could he have shown this video?
The video froze on He Feng’s younger, wild, and overconfident face.
Ruan Shu looked utterly bewildered and confused.
The steward, barely containing his laughter, nearly burst out.
“N-no, let’s not watch this one. Let’s watch something else.”
He Feng was all nerves—he had just, without thinking, exposed his own embarrassing past!
“Why not watch it?” Ruan Xiao’s voice rang out from above. He stood on the landing, looking down at He Feng, his gaze utterly emotionless.
He Feng thought, ‘Why? Don’t you have a little awareness? Are you really going to make me die of embarrassment in front of Shushu? Over my dead body…’
“Wait, Ruan Xiao, what are you doing?!”
Ruan Xiao didn’t respond; he merely resumed the video that Ruan Shu hadn’t finished, but this time, he cast it onto the TV screen.
Ruan Shu’s attention was instantly recaptured, watching He Feng’s middle-schooler bravado replay.
One was arrogant, the other icy, and ultimately, they clashed. But back then, He Feng was clearly more reckless and inexperienced. It was his first time leading a team in a real combat exercise, and the result was… him and his team being thoroughly thrashed.
Even in defeat, He Feng still had a rebellious spirit.
“This was just a fluke. Next time, I’ll make you call me grandpa!”
And then he got beaten up again, escaping with a bruised and swollen face. On that training field, he showcased an iron-willed, never-say-die spirit by challenging Ruan Xiao every chance he got—and getting beaten each time.
He Feng screamed, “Aaaaah! Ruan Xiao, come down here and face me!”
Though older now and somewhat more level-headed, He Feng still had a fierce streak running through his veins.
Ruan Shu: “…”
Uncle He Feng really did possess an admirable persistence… just not the kind worth emulating.
At that moment, Ruan Fengsi came home from work. Stepping into the chaos of the old mansion, he froze. Did someone ransack the house?
“Big brother?”
Ruan Shu cautiously peeked over the railing, clutching it as she stood on tiptoe.
“Big brother, come up here.” The little dumpling waved sneakily, looking utterly adorable.
Ruan Fengsi glanced disdainfully at the mess in the hall, then climbed the stairs to scoop up the little mischief-maker.
“What’s going on? Did you finally learn how to wreck the place?”
Ruan Shu’s cheeks turned pink. “N-no way!”
She was too well-behaved to ever destroy the house!