“Hand it over.”
Ruan Xiao’s voice was cold and firm as he uttered the three words.
Somewhat reluctantly, Ruan Fengsi passed the cat in his arms over to him.
After all, Ruan Xiao was the head of the family and, more importantly, Ruan Shu’s biological father. No matter how much he wanted to keep the cat, he simply couldn’t compete.
For the first time, an inexplicable feeling of jealousy stirred within Ruan Fengsi.
Holding his freshly-bathed, sweet-smelling daughter, Ruan Xiao turned to leave.
Peeking out from his embrace, Ruan Shu’s pure, clear eyes—free from any trace of impurity—looked at her elder brother, who stood at the doorway with his head bowed.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of softness in her heart. She thought her big brother seemed a bit unhappy.
As she anxiously gnawed at her little paw, which was now all wet from her mouth, a hand gently pulled it out.
“Don’t bite your paws.”
“Meow~”
Got it, thought Shushu.
The two cats, one big and one small, lay on the bed together. Ruan Shu casually sprawled herself over her dad, feeling as though she could blend in perfectly. If her dad didn’t shake himself off upon getting up, it’d be hard to tell where the fluffy, white little dumpling was hidden.
In the early morning, when her dad got up and shook her off onto the bed, it didn’t hurt one bit. She yawned as she rolled over in the soft blanket.
It wasn’t until someone nudged her that she groggily opened her big, watery eyes.
The little cat saw a pair of deep blue eyes, huge and close, like mirrors in which she could see her own reflection clearly.
Tilting her little head, she dumbly stared at the large face before her for a long time, until the big head nudged her.
Immediately, Ruan Shu extended all four paws to cling onto the big tiger’s nose, crawling up with her soft, milky, fluffy little body.
“Roar.”
‘Climb up.’
The big tiger gave a low roar. The somewhat dopey-looking little cat obediently continued to scramble her way up along her dad’s forehead.
When she finally reached the top of his head, she shifted her body around, facing the same direction as her dad. She spread out all four limbs and flopped down on his head like a boneless puddle of fluff.
With his daughter perched on top of his head, Ruan Xiao walked out. The white qilin tiger seemed to be in a very good mood.
“Master of the house,” the butler greeted, standing straight as a rod in his suit at the bottom of the stairs.
Even though his hair was white and his face lined with wrinkles, he exuded an air of vibrant energy.
Perched on her dad’s head, Ruan Shu lifted a tiny paw to greet him.
“Meow~”
‘Good morning, Grandpa Butler.’
The soft, milky meow was utterly endearing.
The butler’s eyes crinkled further as he smiled. “Young Miss is up early to join the master for a morning run, I see?”
Ruan Shu bashfully covered her face with her paws. Not exactly; it seemed like she was only here as a little accessory, tagging along to cheer for her dad.
The butler was merely joking, but seeing this harmonious father-daughter interaction brought him joy as well.
“Would the young miss like some milk juice?”
“Meow meow,” Ruan Shu responded.
Just a little, then.
While the tiny kitten sipped from the bottle the butler had prepared, Ruan Fengsi came down from upstairs.
Right then, Ruan Shu’s heart was flooded with regret. She never should have nodded! Who would’ve thought the butler had a bottle ready in advance?
He’d claimed that drinking from a cup wasn’t ideal for cats, insisting that she needed a bottle.
She…she had initially planned to refuse.
But then her dad just held her up, pressing the bottle directly to her mouth. With no choice but to drink, what else could she do?
And, truth be told…it tasted pretty great. She might even be a little hooked.
After one time, there came a second time. It’s okay, it’s okay—she was just a little kitty right now, and kitties don’t have any sense of shame!
But the moment she spotted her big brother, the little kitty curled up in embarrassment.
Still…still so embarrassing.
Ruan Shu pushed the bottle away with her little paw, looking up at her dad with big, watery eyes.
No more, no more; Shushu was full.
Ruan Fengsi walked over, arms folded, and looked down at the kitty pretending to hide her face with her paws.
“Oh, drinking milk, huh?”
Ruan Shu’s ears twitched as she hugged her face even tighter, trying to cover her ears too in an attempt to disappear from view.
Her little gestures were so easy to read, filling the room with warm, amused laughter.
The gazes of all three people in the room softened as they looked at her.
Xiaomi, the household AI assistant, rolled over to Ruan Xiao’s side.
“I’ve recorded it, recorded it! Master, would you like to save this?”
Xiaomi was responsible for documenting Shushu’s growth, capturing amusing photos and videos.
Like the time when her body stretched out mid-air in Ruan Fengsi’s hands, her little legs flailing and barely reaching the tabletop. Or when her short little legs caused her to stumble as she walked. Or her earnest attempts at crafting handmade items.
So many memories.
Ruan Shu: “!!!”
“Meow meow meow!”
Xiaomi, you recorded me drinking milk? Delete it, delete it!
But Ruan Fengsi was quicker, already lifting Xiaomi and opening its memory storage.
Nearly all the memory was filled with photos and videos of Ruan Shu.
Even in her most embarrassing moments, her cuteness was enough to melt anyone’s heart. As a human child, she had been so quiet, gentle, and delicate, like a tiny elf who had accidentally wandered into the mortal world, with a smile that could heal the deepest wounds. As a little cat, she was soft and adorable, making people want to hold her in their palms and keep her close at all times.
“Send me a copy,” Ruan Fengsi said, barely suppressing a grin as he scrolled through a few pictures, his mouth already curving with amusement.
Ruan Xiao cast his eldest son a sidelong glance. This change of heart happened faster than he’d expected. Just yesterday, Ruan Fengsi had been stubbornly resisting, yet here he was now, unable to hide his joy.
Ruan Shu wanted to sneak over to see just how much “blackmail material” Xiaomi had on her. But once her dad instructed Xiaomi to send the files, they were promptly deleted.
In a low, cool tone, Ruan Xiao explained, “Xiaomi is a robot, and its memory must be cleared periodically. If someone were to get hold of it and decode too much information, it wouldn’t be safe for you.”
In his position, caution was a necessity in many matters.
Though Ruan Shu didn’t fully understand, she knew her dad wouldn’t do anything that might harm her.
With this little diversion, Ruan Shu completely forgot her original plan to check the photos and videos, joining her dad and brother for a morning run instead.
Yesterday, she had hitched a ride on her dad, but today, after some thought, she trotted over to her big brother, wondering if he might let her catch a ride with him this time. She remembered how he looked yesterday as they left, and her soft heart couldn’t help but want to comfort him, to stay with him a little longer.
Ruan Fengsi’s eyes widened in surprise as he glanced down at the little cat by his feet, then looked at his dad.
Ruan Xiao gave him a cool, indifferent look, saying nothing.
The tip of Ruan Fengsi’s tail flicked in obvious delight. He quickly bent down and gave the soft little kitten a gentle nudge.
Ruan Shu was sent tumbling, rolling shakily on the ground before looking up at her big brother in a daze.
If you’re not going to let me ride, you don’t have to push me over!
The little cat huffed softly, getting up and padding away with tiny steps, while Ruan Fengsi, feeling a bit guilty, watched her retreat.