"Apologies, my daughter may need a few more days before she can come to school," said Ruan Xiao, holding the little girl who was still silently crying in his arms.
Lu Lu quickly waved her hand, looking at Ruan Shu with a pained expression in her eyes.
How could there be such a tender and pitiable child?
She appeared visibly sad, yet she kept apologizing to her father. Ah, she was accustomed to encountering various children who resisted going to school, threw tantrums, and behaved poorly towards their teachers. Suddenly, this pitiful little girl appeared. Who could bear to scold her?
"It's okay for Ruan Shu to come to school when she's feeling better," Ruan Xiao nodded, taking Ruan Shu with him as they left.
As they left, Ruan Xiao informed the principal about Ruan Shu's situation and requested Ruan Qingran to bring Shen Yu to their home.
By the time they reached the car, Ruan Shu had stopped crying, but she was still sniffling. Her small hand was clutching onto her father's shirt, her face buried and unwilling to come out.
She felt embarrassed for embarrassing her father. She didn't want to go out and face people.
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Ruan Xiao held her in his arms without saying a word, gently patting her back as if to comfort her.
After a while, Ruan Shu sniffled and with a soft, muffled voice, said, "Daddy, I messed up."
Her emotions were very low. She had been so happy when she came out, and she had never felt this way before. But when her father stood by her side, all the grievances and pain suddenly surfaced, and Ruan Shu couldn't help but want to cry.
In her past life, she had wanted to cry many times, hiding alone in a small room, shedding tears under the covers. But she never dared to cry in front of her parents because she knew that doing so would not soften their hearts; instead, they would only be disdainful and impatient.
And now, she had a relative who cared for her. So, when the emotions from her past life surfaced, she couldn't control the tears of grievance. She was being so unreasonable, bullying her father who cared for her.
Ruan Xiao ruffled her hair, showing no blame, but with a pained look in his eyes.
"It's okay to go to school whenever you want." "If you don't want to go, then don't."
Ruan Xiao, a man who had never comforted anyone before, now hated himself for being clumsy with his words and not knowing how to comfort his daughter.
Ruan Shu leaned her head against her father's hand, much like a stray cat that had been wandering outside for a long time, finally finding its owner.
Fragile, soft, and wholeheartedly dependent on him.
Ruan Shu's face was still slightly flushed, as were her eyes. With her head hanging low, she looked like a cat that knew it had done something wrong, pitifully admitting her mistake.
"This isn't your fault," Ruan Xiao emphasized.
How could his daughter, who was still so young, have any faults? It was all the fault of others.
Due to the mismatch of information, Ruan Xiao had already attributed all the faults to Xiao Yuanyi.
But Xiao Yuanyi was not entirely innocent.
Upon returning home, Ruan Qingran and Shen Yu had already arrived.
Ruan Shu's emotions had significantly calmed down by the time her father carried her out of the car, but she still didn't look well; she appeared listless.
"Brother Qingran, Brother Shen Yu," she greeted the two of them, her voice small and hesitant.
Originally, she was supposed to go to school today, but it didn't happen.
"Shu Shu doesn't seem very happy today." "Did something happen?" Shen Yu asked in a calm and soothing voice, making it pleasant and not at all irritating, which encouraged people to listen attentively.
"Why?" Ruan Shu looked up, a bit curious.
"Because he thought he could do whatever he wanted at school." On the first day, he got into a fight with his classmates over something, and he lost. He had never lost so badly before. After that, every time he was sent to school, he would try various ways to escape. If he failed, he would cry. "No one could comfort him," Shen Yu explained.
From his story, Ruan Shu seemed to see a child trying to avoid going to school, using different methods to outsmart the teachers and parents.
As Shen Yu delved deeper, Ruan Shu clung to her father's hand, her expression conflicted as she hesitantly answered.
"I had a dream."
She looked down, tears glistening in her eyes as she said, "I don't know if it was a dream, but I remember it clearly." "It's as if I had a fleeting existence in another world, only living until I was twelve."
She was unsure, even now, whether it was a dream or if she remembered her past life because Meng Po forgot to give her the soup when she was reincarnated.
Ruan Shu slowly raised her head, nervously looking at her father and brother. Her eyes were red, but she gathered the courage to speak about those memories, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"After I was born into this world, my parents quickly divorced, and neither of them wanted me." Consequently, I was passed back and forth between them, with no stable home.
One month with my father, one month with my mother. Soon after, they both started new families, and my room became a very small storage room, a balcony.
"I took good care of my younger siblings, but they still didn't like me…"
Ruan Shu murmured, "I was obedient, didn't go out to play, didn't dirty my clothes, washed my own clothes, cleaned the dishes, and studied diligently, but…"
She looked at her father with clear eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension, tears streaming down her face.
Even though they were all minor issues, Ruan Shu's clear eyes were filled with bewilderment and incomprehension, and tears were already streaming down her face.
And sitting next to her, Ruan Xiao's eyes were dark and heavy, as if he had weathered countless thunderstorms. He was struggling to contain his raging emotions.