Only after finishing her meal did Ruanruan's phone remain silent, causing the little one to feel extremely disappointed. Her enthusiasm for eating waned after that, and she slowly dawdled with her food, pouting her little mouth.
Seeing this, Mu Shen's eyes grew even darker, while the Butler and the cook were dying of heartache.
"It's okay, my tummy is full now! Look, Ruanruan ate so much, even more than Daddy, and my tummy can't fit any more."
Ruanruan didn't want Butler Uncle and Auntie to worry, so she started comforting them instead, leaning back in her chair and slightly lifting the corner of her shirt to reveal her round, snow-white little belly, full from eating.
Her little belly looked soft to the touch, just like her name, and Ruanruan stared up at them with wide, expectant black eyes.
Seeing Ruanruan like this, the Butler and Auntie Liu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Mu Shen's face turned dark as he reached out to pull down Ruanruan's shirt to completely cover the little one's belly.
"What kind of behavior is this!"
Seeing Daddy's face looking so serious and dreadful, Ruanruan timidly shrank her neck, her black eyes looking pitifully at him.
"Daddy~"
"Ao ao~"
Little Baibai also shrank his little neck under the table, obediently lying next to Ruanruan's chair, his round little eyes just as pitiful as Ruanruan's.
Mu Shen "...…"
His frustration diminished greatly under their gazes.
"You are a girl, you can't lift your shirt in front of others."
Mu Shen's face softened a bit, but he still sternly lectured Ruanruan.
Ruanruan nodded quickly like a pecking chicken, "Mhm, Ruanruan won't show her belly again next time."
Mu Shen stood up and flicked her forehead with his finger.
"There is no next time."
Ruanruan immediately covered her flicked forehead with her little chubby hand.
Seeing Daddy's face was not that scary anymore, she immediately hugged Mu Shen's hand, rubbing her little face against his palm, like an especially well-behaved little kitty, melting his heart.
"Daddy, Ruanruan will be a good girl~"
Mu Shen cleared his throat and withdrew his hand, glancing at the time.
"I have to go now, don't run around the house by yourself, and if you want to go somewhere, just tell the Butler."
Hearing that Mu Shen was leaving, a slight fear and panic appeared in Ruanruan's big eyes, and she quickly jumped down from her chair to latch onto Mu Shen's leg again.
"Daddy, are you not wanting Ruanruan again?" Ruanruan's eyes welled up, and her little mouth pouted in distress.
Looking at the little attachment on his leg, Mu Shen's icy expression almost cracked, and he gave the Butler a look that said, take her back quickly!
The Butler did not come to assist but instead kept to himself, looking like he saw nothing as the little Ruanruan clung to his young master.
Mu Shen "...…"
He shot the Butler a cold glance and looked down, his expression slightly tender.
"No, I need to go to work."
Ruanruan still clung on, "Then… will Daddy come back?"
She was genuinely afraid that Daddy would leave her here and run away, and then Ruanruan would become a child without a daddy again.
"I'll be back after work."
"Really? Then Daddy promise, if he lies to Ruanruan, he'll be a little dog."
"Woof~" Little Baibai opened its little mouth and let out a bark, then looked utterly confused; it wasn't a dog, was it!
Mu Shen's face stiffened as he watched Ruanruan extend her little finger towards him, feeling that this little one was truly bold, even increasingly so!
Mu Shen took a deep breath and reached out... a finger!
While the butler tried to hold back his laughter, Mu Shen shot him an annoyed glance, prompting the butler to immediately turn away, pretending he hadn't seen anything, yet his shoulders shivered uncontrollably, betraying his amusement.
With his handsome face darkened, Mu Shen swiftly hooked his little finger with Ruanruan's, intending to let go quickly, but Ruanruan caught it, curling her finger around his.
"Promise, Daddy has to come back soon to see Ruanruan, or he'll turn into a little doggy."
Then she looked at Mu Shen's clasped thumb, urging him on.
"Daddy, Daddy, let your thumb go~"
Under Ruanruan's eagerly expectant gaze, Mu Shen kept a stern face but extended his thumb.
Ruanruan, a bit scared by her daddy's expression, still summoned her courage, puffed out her little chest, and, with puffed cheeks, pressed her tiny thumb to Mu Shen's thumb.
Their big and small hands touching, if you ignored Mu Shen's scowl, they were the warm image of a father and daughter.
After making the promise, Mu Shen grabbed his suit and headed outside, with Little Ruanruan tagging along behind all the way out, holding Little Baibai and watching with unspeakable reluctance as he got ready to get into the car.
About to step into the car, Mu Shen looked back at Ruanruan nearby and felt like something warm had brushed his heart.
"Go back; Dad... Dad will be back very soon."
Awkwardly uttering the word "Dad," he didn't dare look at the butler or Ruanruan's expressions and hurried into the car.
Ruanruan watched the black car drive away, then turned her head, her eyes bright as if filled with stars.
Excitedly holding Little Baibai, she said, "Uncle Butler, Daddy just called himself Daddy to me, didn't he?"
Though the sentence sounded a bit awkward, the butler understood and his face crinkled into a grin.
"Yes, yes, the young master just called himself Daddy. You are so happy, aren't you, Little Miss?" The butler picked up Ruanruan.
Ruanruan did not resist and joyfully kicked her little legs.
"Hehe... Daddy admitted he is my daddy, Ruanruan is so happy."
As the two happily turned and went back into the villa, Mu Shen maintained his composure, except... his ears turned red!
The driver sneaked a glance at Mu Shen's expression through the rearview mirror. He also heard that "Daddy," and was quite shocked himself.
Mu Shen cast a cold glance in his direction, and the driver immediately sat up straight, keeping a serious gaze on the road ahead, as if he hadn't been the one sneaking peeks just moments before.
Looking away, Mu Shen studied his own palm, the one that had hooked fingers with Ruanruan, and the thought of the little one eagerly awaiting his return made the corners of his mouth lift uncontrollably.
Catching a glimpse of the driver in the rearview mirror made him think there was something wrong with his eyes!
Not long after Ruanruan and the butler walked back, the renovation team arrived to change the style of Ruanruan's bedroom.
Little Ruanruan and Little Baibai curiously watched from the doorway for a while before the butler had someone pick them up and move them away.
"Miss, it's dusty here. Would you like me to take you to play in the garden?"
Ruanruan nodded obediently. Although she was little, she knew she and Little Baibai might disturb the workers, so she obediently went with a maid to the backyard.
The maid who carried Ruanruan was ecstatic; Miss Ruanruan not only looked soft but was even softer to hold and had a particularly sweet scent of milk about her.
Once in the backyard, Ruanruan asked to be let down to walk on her own, and the maid reluctantly set the little Miss down.
"Thank you, sister. Here's some candy for you."