CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: NOW I HAVE YOU, BROTHER LU

In the dream, a third brother, whose face was somewhat unclear, handed her a chubby white Illusion Insect, muttering something.

She couldn’t quite hear, only vaguely recognizing that it was the third brother’s voice by her ear.

She took the Illusion Insect and smiled happily.

In the years following, the third brother never returned, but the Illusion Insect was always by her side, as if the third brother was accompanying her.

Until a few years ago, the Illusion Insect disappeared, and no matter how long she searched, she couldn’t find it.

With all three brothers away, the Illusion Insect, given to her by her third brother, was probably the only source of comfort by her side.

But the Illusion Insect vanished too, making her feel alone once more.

Her eyes glistened with a hint of tears, and Su Ruan bit her lip lightly, struggling to wake up from the dream.

"Ruan Ruan." A warm embrace pulled her close, with a familiar deep voice at her ear.

A light kiss fell at the corner of her eye, cold yet warm.

Su Ruan’s long eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing Lu Shinian’s familiar face, she lightly bit her lip, throwing herself into his embrace, her small hand clutching his shirt, her long lashes concealing the light in her eyes.

"Brother, are you done with work?" She spoke softly with a tiny hint of a nasal tone.

Lu Shinian responded gently, then asked, "Had a nightmare?"

"Mm." Su Ruan softly said through her nose, resting her head on his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, her beautiful pupils showing a hint of attachment.

Lu Shinian held her in his arms, his large hand securing her slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

"What did you dream of?" His voice lowered, slightly hoarse, and from a perspective Su Ruan couldn’t see, his deep eyes were full of possessiveness.

He uncontrollably wondered what sort of nightmare Ruan Ruan had that almost made her cry.

Did she dream of being caught after fleeing from his side?

It seemed to be the only thought in his mind; he couldn’t stop considering this possibility, his rationality stretched taut, teetering on the brink.

The possessiveness he usually reined in seemed to leak out a bit, as if he were a traveler walking on the edge of a knife, each step a nail-biting choice.

His Adam’s apple moved up and down, and Lu Shinian tried his best to restrain his aura, though his voice was even lower than before.

"Ruan Ruan doesn’t want to talk about it?"

Su Ruan replied softly with an "Mm," thinking that if he knew she almost cried over an Illusion Insect, he would definitely tease her.

But this answer nearly made Lu Shinian lose control and lock her away again.

Su Ruan keenly sensed something, lifted her small face to look at him, and said softly, "I just dreamed about the third brother."

Only then did Lu Shinian suppress his possessiveness, asking, "Did he bully you?"

"Not at all." Thinking of the third brother, Su Ruan chuckled softly, "The third brother is kind to me, but we seldom meet."

"The last time I saw him was eight years ago."

Eight years ago, Su Ruan was only twelve.

"Last time you mentioned, your third brother is a doctor." Lu Shinian squinted slightly, pondering how an ordinary doctor wouldn’t visit his sister in years.

At the mention of this, Su Ruan also felt a bit puzzled.

"That’s what the third brother said."

"Said he’s just a doctor."

Pausing for a moment, Su Ruan recalled that her eldest brother also claimed to be just an ordinary military cadet, and suddenly she felt the third brother’s words might not be so reliable.

"Cough cough." Su Ruan coughed softly, "The third brother shouldn’t be as unreliable as the eldest brother."

Lu Shinian raised an eyebrow but didn’t pursue further.

The best scenario was that the so-called third brother never showed up, so his Ruan Ruan would focus on him.

"Maybe I miss the third brother a bit, which is why I dreamed of him." Su Ruan said casually, already recovering from that despairing loneliness, she looked at Lu Shinian, raising a big smile.

Her small hand clutched his sleeve, giving it a gentle shake, her voice soft and coquettish, "Now I have Brother Lu with me."

"Brother Lu~" she called sweetly, "Since you’re done, can we go out for a walk?"

They had been busy purifying Energy Stones these past few days and hadn’t had much time to go out.

With the festival on Star River Star happening only once every three years, they should take this chance to explore!

Lu Shinian’s heart stirred slightly, and he lowered his head to give Su Ruan’s lip corner a light peck.

"Ruan Ruan just knows how to tease me."

Teasing aside, she doesn’t let him have her.

After teasing, she talks about going out; is she planning to do something outside?

Wait, why can’t something be done outside?

Lu Shinian’s eyes darkened; suddenly, something seemed clear to him.

"Alright." He replied softly, a smile hinted at the corners of his lips.

Both of them were action-takers, so when they talked about going out, they promptly set off.

During the festival, Star River Star was bustling, and as dusk approached, the decorated lights lit up, breathtakingly beautiful.

Su Ruan and Lu Shinian visited the famous food street, eating as they strolled, casual and carefree.

Afterward, Su Ruan dragged Lu Shinian to the nearby bar street.

It was said that the bars here modeled after ancient culture, with naturally fermented, expensive yet exceptionally flavorful drinks.

Having hardly ever drunk alcohol, Su Ruan eagerly pulled Lu Shinian into a bar called "Moonlight."

Contrary to her expectations, this bar centered around a circular stage, with nine booths veiled by hazy drapery, obscured by dim lighting, one could only make out faint silhouettes, unable to see what those behind the drapes were doing.

The bar played the most renowned interstellar dance music, loud enough to cover up many other ambiguous sounds.

When Su Ruan first entered, she didn’t notice anything peculiar until she found a booth to sit down, took a sip of drink with Lu Shinian, only then did she faintly hear teasing sounds from the next booth.

Su Ruan: ???

Is this a proper bar!

She looked at Lu Shinian, only to find him bowing his head, his expression unreadable.

The glass in his hand suddenly shattered into pieces, the red wine dripping from his fingertips onto her clothes.

Her fingertips twitched, and before she could say anything, a fluffy wolf tail emerged from behind Lu Shinian, wagging excitedly.

Su Ruan: !!!

The drapes could be pulled back at any moment, and from outside, one might see Lu Shinian’s ancestral wolf tail.

Before she could think, Su Ruan pushed Lu Shinian down onto the sofa, straddling his lap, one hand pressing down his wolf tail to tuck it into his clothes, and the other covering his emerging wolf ears, fiercely saying, "No excitement allowed!"

Lu. Return-to-ancestry. Shinian: Awoo?