After searching for a while and not finding anything, Ruan Shu retracted her claws. Then, a soft, furry little head emerged, with the fur standing up on end like a dandelion.
The half of her face was mostly taken up by her gorgeous blue eyes, which scanned the room before finally settling on the ball she wanted in the corner.
At this moment, the cat, whose eyes were fixed solely on the ball, completely forgot about the previous embarrassment. After crawling out from under the blanket, she started playing with the ball in the hanging basket.
After rolling around and accidentally falling out of the basket, the cat instinctively flipped through the air, landed on her feet, and regained her balance.
She took a few steps on the ground before wagging her tail and chasing after the ball.
Finally, not satisfied with playing alone, she invited Xiao Mi to join her.
After running around and expending some energy, the cat started to feel a little lazy. She gracefully leaped onto Xiao Mi's head, a perfectly suitable mode of transport. The cat's tail swayed happily a few times.
In the bright weather, the cat enjoyed basking in the sun. However, she started feeling drowsy after a while.
Before falling asleep, she was lifted up by a large hand. This instantly energized the sleepy cat, who happily nuzzled and rubbed against the person's neck and chin.
Her voice was soft and sweet, creating a very pleasant sound. Ruan Zhan hugged the cat, who was almost like a neck scarf with her incredibly soft body, feeling bones that seemed as delicate as anything.
The cat clung tightly to her father, meowing incessantly, as if she had a lot to say.
Ruan Zhan's lips curved upward, and his stern expression softened significantly.
Watching from the sidelines, Ruan He felt a twinge of bitterness. Among all the family members, Shu Shu was the most attached to her father. As soon as he appeared, her granddaughter seemed to only have eyes for him.
Finally realizing that all her words had turned into a string of meows, Shu Shu leaped onto her father's arm and, in the next moment, transformed into a little rice dumpling adorned in a beautiful dress.
Her tail and ears were still intact, and her fluffy tail swayed from side to side. Her bright eyes met her father's gaze, revealing a smile adorned with dimples.
"Daddy, Shu Shu misses you so much."
The little girl's voice was tender and full of joy, and her wagging tail indicated her even greater happiness.
Ruan Zhan rubbed her soft and silky white hair. "I know."
Ruan Shu, noticing her father's somewhat tired state, felt distressed and maturely suggested that he get some rest.
She then left her father's arms and led him inside.
"Daddy, all my injuries are completely healed. Look, there isn't a single scar left." Grandpa gives me fruit juice every day, and Clear regularly changes my bandages.
As she chattered with her father while holding his hand and leading him inside, Ruan Zhan patiently listened, showing a surprising tolerance for these seemingly trivial matters.
Seeing her daughter's increasingly cheerful demeanor, his heart softened even more.
After a while, Ruan Shu realized that she had been rambling too much. She peeked at her father, who, instead of showing irritation, appeared to be listening attentively.
With an amused smile, Ruan Shu asked, "Daddy, have you eaten yet?"
Ruan Zhan replied, "I had a nutritional supplement."
While he was out fighting, he mostly relied on such supplements because they were convenient and quick, rapidly providing the necessary nutrients.
Ruan Shu still gave her father some fruit. She picked a blackberry straight from the vine and handed it to him.
She sat by her father and, after he finished eating, encouraged him to go upstairs to rest.
Though she wished to spend more time with her father, she didn't want him to tire himself out.
Ruan Zhan ruffled her hair. "You don't have to worry so much."
He then transformed into his star beast form, ready to go outside, bask in the sun, and take a break.
Ruan Shu's eyes lit up when she saw her father's grand and imposing appearance. She transformed into the cat again and rolled around beside him, boldly embracing her father's strong arm.
She even cast covetous eyes on her father's coat and started hatching a plan.
"Meow, meow, meow… Daddy, Shu Shu can comb your fur," Claire said. "It's very comfortable, and you can use the shed fur to make felt dolls."
After circling around, the doll-like cat finally sat quietly in front of her father. She wagged her fluffy tail toward him, gazing up at him expectantly.
Ruan Zhan lowered his head and gently nodded in agreement.
Happy to receive his approval, Ruan Shu nuzzled and rubbed against her father's mouth before going to get the comb.
It was a special comb used for grooming animals.
She excitedly ran downstairs with the comb to meet her father and the rest of the family, who were still outside and in good spirits.
Except for Ruan Linzhan, the others immediately understood her intentions when they saw her with the comb.
As expected, as soon as Ruan Zhan lay down on the lawn, the little rice dumpling with the comb went up and began grooming her father's fur.
Both he and his brother had the same issue of shedding a lot of fur.
Ruan Shu happily brushed her father's fur, diligently collecting the shed fur.
Ruan Linzhan was taken aback. What was she doing?
"I remember last time Shu Shu only braided my tail, which was quite nice, but she didn't groom me."
Ever since he found out how his grandson's shed fur was used to make felt dolls, he had been looking forward to when his granddaughter would groom him.
There was no question of not letting her approach him. Such a dangerously small creature threatened no one; no one could be cautious around her.
"She said she would groom me once her injuries healed."
Ruan Linzhan interjected.
He wondered if he was seeing things, while the other family members were stunned by the revelation.
On the other hand, the beast receiving grooming calmly showed no signs of nervousness. As long as the comb glided through his fur, it felt incredibly comfortable.
It provided not only physical but also mental comfort.
At that moment, Ruan Zhan embodied the image of a large cat as he relaxed on the lawn, enjoying a peaceful nap.
Ruan Shu took a quick peek at her father, smiled, and continued her work.
Wow… Daddy is shedding so much fur.
After grooming both sides, she panted and then climbed onto his back.
Even though he was a huge tiger, he remained completely still. It was evident that he had no intention of waking up.
While she was enjoying the satisfaction of grooming such a large animal, it was a strange rendition of "The wastrel groomed the animal's fur."
After delightfully smoothing her father's fur, Ruan Shu felt a sense of accomplishment but also had sore arms.