Especially when those eyes landed on Ruan Jianguo, they scrutinized him unabashedly.
After giving him a full once-over, his gaze softened considerably when it finally fell on Ruan Jie standing beside Ruan Jianguo, and when it reached her, his look completely transformed, as if ice and snow had met the sun, melting all the frost and carrying a layer of warm affection.
He even strode forward, bypassing both Ruan Jianguo and the Ruanlin Family, and came straight to Ruan Jiaojiao. He crouched in front of her, his hands awkwardly lifting, as if he wanted to hug her but didn’t know where to begin, his voice filled with excitement as he asked, "Are you Jiaojiao?"
Ruan Jiaojiao placed the stray cat she was holding onto the ground. The cat, with round eyes, made a soft whimpering sound but dared not approach.
Seeing that he didn’t hurt the stray, she nodded at the man, already guessing who he was.
The original host’s mother, Shu Jiao, had a younger brother and sister; her brother, Shu Lang, was nine years younger than Shu Jiao, just ten years old when she went to the countryside, while her sister was only seven, so naturally, the responsibility fell on her.
And the man before her was clearly Shu Jiao’s brother, the original host’s uncle, the influential scientist in the research world—Professor Shu, Shu Lang!
However, Ruan Jiaojiao did not have many memories about this uncle in the recollections she’d inherited. Perhaps it was related to his work; she only remembered that this uncle was very fond of the original host and was a workaholic his entire life, never marrying until his death. When the original host was young, he used to send her many nice things every now and then.
"I’m your uncle, Jiaojiao. I have seen your photo; I am your mother’s younger brother, your uncle!" Shu Lang was somewhat incoherent, his eyes reddening as he looked at the little girl before him.
Because she looked so much like her mother, who was Sandwiched between books in his childhood memories.
Shu Jiao, in the past of the Shu Family, was an untouchable pain, the kind that could be fatal upon contact.
"You’re Shu Lang?" Hearing this, Ruan Jianguo looked at him in astonishment, well aware of who was in Shu Jiao’s family. When Shu Jiao first arrived, her favorite book contained a photo where she was smiling softly, with a child standing on either side of her. She said they were her brother and sister.
In his memory, Shu Lang was still around ten years old; he had not expected this grown man before him to be Shu Lang.
Yet, upon reflection, it made sense. There was a common saying in their area that a nephew often resembles his uncle, and this was indeed no exception. He and Ruan Hao looked so alike that he had been momentarily taken aback when he first saw him.
Upon hearing the words, Shu Lang finally stood up from in front of Ruan Jiaojiao and formally introduced himself to the Ruan Family, "Hello, I’m Shu Lang, Shu Jiao’s younger brother."
"You really are my uncle? And is that car outside yours too?" Ruan Jie, quick to adapt, felt excited at the news and asked expectantly.
"Absolutely certain, I’m your uncle, and you must be Xiaojie. Your mother told me you’re an incredibly mischievous boy, and she’s right. The car outside belongs to my institute; I just so happened to be in the area for some work, so I thought I’d drop in and see you. I hope I won’t be causing any trouble for your aunt," he said, his words clearly directed at the Ruanlin Family.
As for Ruan Jianguo, he was completely ignored throughout.
It wasn’t that he was intentionally ignoring Ruan Jianguo, but in his eyes, a countryman like Ruan Jianguo really didn’t deserve his sister, and acknowledging him as his brother-in-law was not so easy.