Mu Shen first took Ruanruan to wash her hands before they went downstairs.
As the pair descended the stairs, little Ruanruan's small hand was holding onto one of Mu Shen's fingers, occasionally sneaking in silly giggles, prompting Mu Shen to glance at her several times.
This little tyke sure is silly.
The dining table was laden with an abundance of food, and once Mu Shen sat down, Ruanruan huffed and puffed as she pushed a stool up beside him.
"What are you doing?" Mu Shen stared at Ruanruan.
"I want to sit next to Daddy," she said before the little tyke climbed onto the stool. She didn't even need the butler to lift her up - she was quite capable on her own.
After Ruanruan was seated, she turned to Mu Shen with a smile.
"Daddy, hurry up and eat. Aren't the butler and the others eating?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Miss, we'll eat in a little while," the butler replied with a smile to Ruanruan's question.
"Oh, okay then." Ruanruan stopped asking and focused on eating with her chopsticks, occasionally putting some delicious food into Mu Shen's bowl.
"Daddy, this is delicious, you should eat more so you can stay healthy," she said.
Mu Shen stared at the green vegetable that had suddenly appeared in his bowl.
Butler "......"
He broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that the young master was a cleanliness freak who disliked others touching his things, especially his food.
The surrounding servants all drew in a sharp breath.
It's over, the young master might scold Miss Ruanruan. The butler was thinking about how he might have to rescue Ruanruan later when he saw Mu Shen remain silent for a moment before picking up the green vegetable from the bowl and starting to eat it.
Butler "!!!"
He even doubted his own eyes, thinking it was a hallucination. He rubbed his eyes but, no mistake! The young master really ate it!
He immediately clutched his chest, his gaze towards Ruanruan becoming even more complex.
Ruanruan, unaware of the butler's internal turmoil, was just happy that Mu Shen ate the vegetable she gave him, and ate her own meal with even more gusto.
Little Baibai was also nibbling away at its variety of tasty vegetables under the table, squinting its eyes with joy as it ate.
After finishing their meal, Mu Shen went back to his business, and Ruanruan, along with the butler, began tidying up Little Baibai's things downstairs.
The butler had already had people buy a whole range of dog supplies, of course, excluding dog food since Little Baibai didn't eat dog food at all, only meat and bones.
The remaining dog bed and toilet toys were of the particularly luxurious kind, so luxurious that even Ruanruan felt envious.
"Awoo…"
Little Baibai hopped into its luxurious dog bed.
The cushion inside was so soft that it rolled around several times, not wanting to leave at all.
"Move all these things to the guest room next to the little miss," the butler instructed.
After the butler's order, everyone got moving. Ruanruan followed them upstairs, curiously watching as they pieced together and shifted items, and then the room was completely transformed.
"Miss Ruanruan, this will be Baibai's living space from now on."
Ruanruan's eyes widened.
"Baibai gets to live in such a big place?"
So… so envious.
The butler said with a smile, "Your room is next door. You've arrived so suddenly that you'll have to make do tonight, and tomorrow I'll have someone change the decor style of the room for you."
"Can I go see it?" Ruanruan's eyes shone brightly as she looked at the butler, suddenly filled with anticipation.
"Of course you can." the butler immediately led Ruanruan there. Little Baibai, who had been gnawing on a toy bone, abandoned its new toy without hesitation and followed Ruanruan, trotting on its short little legs.
Ruanruan's room was next to Mu Shen's master bedroom, second only to Mu Shen's bedroom in terms of lighting, and was decorated in Mu Shen's style.
The room was large, with a dark tone that dominated its aesthetic, whether it was the bed or the curtains, each exuded a serious and stern air.
However, the floor was incongruously covered with a layer of snow-white, fluffy carpet that seemed out of place with the overall decor of the room.
Ruanruan left her slippers at the door, stepping barefoot onto the plush carpet with her tender little feet.
The Butler also took off his shoes and followed inside, while Little Baibai went straight in, for it had no shoes.
Ruanruan carefully stepped on the carpet, as if testing its texture.
Ruanruan's toes were plump, like little lovely pearls, and her nails clipped neat and tidy.
Her slightly pink toes curled up against the carpet, rubbing against the soft surface; she looked especially endearing, just like her person.
"Haha... this feels just like stepping on Dabai and the others," she chuckled.
Ruanruan hopped a few times, speaking of Dabai, she somewhat missed them.
"Ao ao..." Little Baibai rolled under Ruanruan's feet, and Ruanruan gently pressed her own small feet against its belly.
"Little Baibai's is soft too."
The Butler watched the cheerful pair, a smile brimming in his eyes.
"These carpets were prepared on the young master's orders today, so that if Miss Ruanruan were to accidentally fall, she wouldn't feel pain," he explained.
When Ruanruan heard that it was Mu Shen who had arranged for this, her eyes shone frightfully bright. She dashed over to the Butler, tugging at his sleeve and gazing up at him with eager anticipation.
"Did Daddy lay this down for Ruanruan? Daddy likes Ruanruan, right, Uncle Butler?"
The Butler crouched down to look Ruanruan in the eye, his fingers stroking her smooth little head.
"Miss Ruanruan is so endearing, how could the young master not like you? He just doesn't know how to express his affection," he reassured her.
On hearing this, Ruanruan immediately became happy, her fighting spirit bolstered as she clenched her little fists.
"Mhm, I'll make Daddy like me even more in the future."
The Butler's smile grew even wider. He walked to the French windows and drew them open, allowing the moonlight to spill in.
The moon was full that night, the sky extraordinarily lovely, with stars twinkling against the black canvas, clearly visible through the French windows.
Ruanruan gasped in awe, her small mouth open in a perfect circle as she pressed up against the clear glass, her round eyes marvelling at the sight outside.
The glass fogged up where her breath touched it, and her glossy eyes seemed to take on the reflection of the starry sky.
"Would Miss Ruanruan like to go out for a look?" the Butler offered.
Outside was a balcony, upon which a few pots of meticulously tended flowers and plants were placed.
The balcony, like the bedroom, was covered with a soft carpet. Ruanruan, smiling joyously, ran out and stood on her tiptoes to glimpse the plants perched on the balcony railing.
And the view beyond.
From this vantage point, one could see the villa's garden below, where a few flowers in bloom could be slightly discerned, swaying gently with the breeze under the moonlight, as if waving to her.
"So many flowers, how beautiful," she exclaimed.
The flowers she saw in the mountains were wild, and of course, also beautiful, but these were different from any she had seen before, especially since they had been pruned and planted with care, presenting an even more spectacular and attractive sight.
"Does Miss Ruanruan like it here?"
"Mhm, this master also has it, so pretty, and it smells nice," Ruanruan said, pointing to the orchids on the balcony. The master had planted many orchids in the mountains, right behind their little wooden house.
After frolicking with Ruanruan for a while, the Butler left her to sleep in the bedroom by herself, heading out.
He softly closed the door behind him and turned to go to Mu Shen's room.
At that moment, Mu Shen stood by the French window, holding a paternity test report, gazing out at the night sky with deep and somber eyes.
Seeing him, the Butler noticed Mu Shen's fingers, white at the tips from gripping the paternity test report, his lips slightly pursed, as if suppressing something.
"She really is my daughter, but... how can this be?" Mu Shen murmured, his brows furrowed tightly as if facing a problem of epic proportions.