Compared to Mu Shen's disbelief, the Butler felt nothing but sheer joy upon hearing the news.
"Miss Ruanruan is really the young master's daughter! That's wonderful!"
"I knew it," he thought. "Such a cute little girl could only be born to a man as outstanding as the young master."
It's just that...
Who in the world is this little miss's mother?
Mu Shen glanced over the DNA report again, making sure he read every word accurately. There was no mistake, Ruanruan was his daughter.
For some reason, while he felt conflicted, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He realized he wasn't averse to the fact that Ruanruan was his own flesh and blood.
"Young master, what are you conflicted about? Miss Ruanruan is great, and you like her too. Isn't this the outcome you wanted?"
The Butler was somewhat disappointed, wondering where the young master's decisiveness had gone.
Now that it's confirmed, of course, they should acknowledge the relation. If the young master did not like Miss Ruanruan, that would be another story, but he clearly adored the little girl.
"Who said I liked her?" Mu Shen pressed his lips together, refusing to admit it.
"Fine, you don't, then let me rephrase the question. If today's results showed Miss Ruanruan wasn't your daughter, what could you do? Would you turn her away?"
Mu Shen's frown deepened. "She's just a child, all alone here. If I turned her away, what kind of person would I be?"
His personality was cold, but he wasn't heartless.
Moreover...
Just thinking about Ruanruan being kicked out to fend for herself, he felt he couldn't take it.
The Butler looked at his expression and smiled. "There you go, now that Miss Ruanruan has an identity and can stay here, isn't that cause for celebration?"
Mu Shen "....."
He was at a loss for words.
As for whether Ruanruan's presence would affect his young master's life plans, the Butler wasn't worried at all. If the young master could really come to his senses, would they even have to wait till now? Just look at the state he had put the lord and lady in.
"So... should we tell the lord and lady about this?"
Mu Shen waved his hand. "No need."
He wasn't ready yet. Suddenly having such a big daughter, he felt quite unsettled, more so than when negotiating a multi-billion dollar deal.
"All right, then I'll leave you be, young master." The Butler left with a smile on his face and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
Once outside, his smile grew even wider, wishing he could set off a string of firecrackers to celebrate.
It was a pity he couldn't share such joyful news with anyone else!
In the room, Mu Shen placed the DNA report on the table, originally planning to look at some documents to calm his mind, but after sitting down, he found he couldn't concentrate on work at all.
This was something that would never have happened before. If anyone found out that the workaholic could be so distracted by something that he couldn't even work, they would surely think it was an international joke.
Mu Shen leaned back in his chair, his body slightly tense, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the desk.
After a while, he pulled out a drawer and took out a photo.
It was the one Ruanruan had given him before, with words written by her master on the back. And since Ruanruan is now a Little Monk, does that mean she was raised by her master?
Mu Shen's eyes darkened.
What about her mother then...
Thinking about the well-behaved little girl who called him daddy, Mu Shen gradually relaxed. Perhaps... it wasn't too bad.
"Achoo..."
In the next room, Ruanruan lay on the bed and let out a loud sneeze.
She rubbed her little nose and muttered while holding her phone, "Is it Master thinking about Ruanruan!"
Opening the chat with her master, she had already sent several voice messages in a row, all from her, wondering when her master would finally reply.
Ruanruan hugged her phone, her cheeks puffed up like goldfish, wearing a fluffy, pale pink bunny pajama as she rolled back and forth on the spacious, soft bed.
"Dudu..."
Suddenly, the phone rang. Ruanruan, like a rabbit, sprung up with her eyes wide open, staring at the incoming video call request from her master on the phone screen.
She hurriedly tapped to answer, placed the phone on the bed, and a clear interface projected into the air appeared, revealing her master's handsome face.
"Ruanruan."
His voice was still so gentle and pleasant to the ear, only now it was somewhat hoarse and tired.
Looking at that familiar face, Ruanruan's eyes turned red, the corners of her eyes brimming with tears, ready to burst into crying.
She sniffled, her voice nasal as she softly called out, "Master."
"Ruanruan, don't cry. Your master is here. Who has bullied you to make you cry so pitifully? Tell your master, and I'll help you get back at them, okay?"
A slightly worried, clear voice came through, still the voice Ruanruan was familiar with.
On the other end, Jiu Yun's heart clenched as he watched Ruanruan's teardrops fall. He had raised Ruanruan himself; how could he bear to leave her? Yet, he couldn't risk taking Ruanruan with him on his adventures.
"No... no, Ruanruan... Ruanruan just missed Master. Ruanruan isn't crying, Master, don't... don't be sad."
The Little Monk wiped the tears off his chubby face with his little plump hands, his voice stifled between sobs, stubbornly insisting to Jiu Yun that he wasn't crying, for fear of worrying him.
Jiu Yun, witnessing this, felt an even greater ache in his heart as his slightly pale fingers lifted, wanting to pinch Ruanruan's little nose like he used to. But he stopped halfway and let his hand drop.
Now... he couldn't hold Ruanruan or pinch her little nose as before.
His slender fingers clenched into a fist, and Jiu Yun tried to smile as usual, his gentle eyes fixed on Ruanruan.
"Ruanruan, don't cry. You look like a little flower piggy. Do you like Daddy?"
Ruanruan pouted, whining playfully.
"Ruanruan is not... not a little flower piggy~"
She longed to cuddle up to her master's arm and act spoilt like she used to.
"Ruanruan loves Daddy, and Daddy is so good to Ruanruan. He's so tall too, and Ruanruan really likes Daddy. But I love Master the most. Daddy gives Ruanruan a big house and yummy food. However, the food Master cooks is the tastiest in the world..."
The little girl sat cross-legged on the big bed, counting on her fingers, telling the person on the other side about her day with Daddy in her soft, sweet voice. She also took care to attend to her master's feelings, saying how much she loved him.
Jiu Yun on the other side listened carefully with a smile at the corners of his mouth, his eyes never leaving Ruanruan, always full of indulgence.
After talking for a long time, Ruanruan noticed the dark circles and tiredness in Jiu Yun's eyes, and right away, her heart ached for him again.
"Master, Ruanruan has talked so much, and she wants to sleep now. I'll tell you more tomorrow, okay? Master, you need to sleep well too. No staying up late, and remember to eat on time. Cover yourself well at night and don't catch a cold."
Jiu Yun's eyes shone with an even brighter smile, knowing well that Ruanruan was worried about him. His little Ruanruan, still unable to lie as before.
His finger pointed in the air, as if touching Ruanruan's little nose as he used to.
Ruanruan happily held her little face smiling, not feeling her master's finger touch her nose, she lifted her chubby arm herself, and tapped her fingertip on her nose.
"Then Master, Ruanruan is hanging up now."
"Mmm-hmm, Ruanruan, you too take good care of yourself, and don't forget the homework I assigned you. I will check on it when I return."
His warm voice calmly instructed, and Ruanruan sat obediently, listening to her master's words.
Once her master finished speaking, she patted her little chest and promised.
"Master, rest assured, Ruanruan is very diligent."
Eventually, with reluctance, she ended the video call. The virtual screen hanging in the air disappeared, and so did her master. Ruanruan held her phone, staring blankly into the air, feeling utterly lost in her heart.
Actually... she still had so many things she wanted to tell Master, but Master was tired, and she couldn't make him even more tired.
On the other side, Jiu Yun looked at the photo he had taken on his phone, capturing Ruanruan in her pink bunny pajamas, sitting obediently on the bed.
He curved his lips and secured the photo with encryption, hidden so that no one else could see it.