Ruby Rowland's lips curled upward as she secretly scooted a little closer to her father.
When he sat down, she scurried over to pour him a glass of water.
"Drink some water, Dad."
"Sit down. It's time to eat."
Ruby hummed obediently, grunting with effort as she pushed her chair closer to him before settling down quietly.
Shawn Russell took it all in. His heart softened, yet he also felt a strange pang of sympathy. She was so insecure, which was why she tried so desperately to get close to him. At the thought of the woman who caused all this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Dinner was a lavish spread. Ruby had actually been hungry for a while. The old butler had urged her to eat several times, but she had insisted on waiting for her father to come home so they could eat together. She had figured that if he wasn't back by nine o'clock, she would eat by herself. Fortunately, her father had returned. Now she could eat with him, and she was thrilled.
The soft Little Mochi's eyes curved into crescents, her entire being radiating a cheerful sense of happiness. She held her bowl and shoveled rice into her mouth with utmost seriousness. Having experienced starvation before and having survived on low-grade nutrient pills for so long that they made her want to throw up, she now cherished real food exceptionally well.
Focused on her meal, Ruby didn't notice her father's gaze landing on her several times—especially on her snow-white, soft cheeks that bulged roundly from the food stuffed in her mouth.
Having someone eat with such relish right in front of you naturally boosted your own appetite. Take Shawn, for example. During tonight's dinner, he accidentally overate.
He was utterly speechless at himself. Although he was a bit stuffed, his expression remained unchanged. He merely pondered heading to the training room later to exercise a bit more.
After dinner, the father and daughter sat on the sofa. Shawn watched the national news on the television with a neutral expression. Beside him, the snow-white Little Mochi sat obediently less than half a meter away. Her knees were pressed together, her two small hands resting on them, and her clear, ocean-blue eyes earnestly watched the TV ahead.
After a moment of this quietness, Shawn couldn't help but feel that something was a bit off. Although he already had three sons, all three were highly intelligent, independent, and possessed formidable spiritual power. He recalled how he interacted with them. Every day, apart from training... it was more training. Father-son affection didn't seem to have much to do with them.
Shawn thought about it expressionlessly. However, that kind of interaction clearly wasn't suitable for a daughter. She was too small and too weak. If it were his soldiers who were too weak, Shawn would just deem their training inadequate and double it.
But a daughter...
She was such a tiny, soft, and pale little thing. If he made her train, she would probably cry. Thinking back to how miserably and pitifully she had cried this morning... never mind, military methods didn't seem to suit her.
And so, despite being a father of three sons, the novice girl-dad Grand Marshal Shawn Russell took out his personal terminal. With a solemn face, he posted the very first question of his life on Starnet to ask the netizens.
#How does a novice dad take care of a cub?#
[Hahaha... This is hilarious! I can't believe someone is actually asking how to raise a cub. Don't you just pick them up and give them a beating when they misbehave?]
Seeing this comment, Shawn's brows furrowed tightly. He glanced at the cub beside him. She was very well-behaved, so he could skip this one.
[As a father who has raised two cubs, I'm telling this netizen from experience: never, ever give them a good attitude. Cubs are creatures that will take a mile if you give them an inch. If you show them a kind face, they'll walk all over you. You absolutely cannot spoil them!]
[Heh... A novice dad, huh? Then you'd better watch out. Anyway, I really want to sell the cub currently riding on my neck by the pound. I have to go see a psychiatrist again this week. My spiritual power hasn't collapsed from pollution, but it's going to collapse from my own damn brat first.]
[Cubs? They're super easy to raise. Just find a relatively large yard, throw in some chew-resistant toys, lock the security door from the outside, and let them play in there all day. Just feed them at fixed times.]
[Holy crap, the guy above is hardcore. Is your cub feral or something?]
[Aren't all cubs raised free-range in the wild? Keep them company? Heh... It's either he 'dies' or I 'perish.']
[I'd suggest the novice dad buy insurance first, friend. We offer life insurance, property damage insurance, and cub insurance here. Please be sure to consider it!]
Shawn was speechless. This was just absurd.
He suppressed the urge to reach through the network cable and beat someone up, continuing to read in hopes of finding a little useful information. However... the Starbeast cubs were ultimately too formidable. There wasn't a single useful piece of advice. The first post he had ever made in his life had turned into a cub-bashing convention and a venting ground for various exhausted parents. Their resentment practically rushed at his forehead through the projection screen.
After reading nearly a hundred comments, Shawn was at a loss for words. Not a single piece of advice was usable. After reading them, he even began to doubt whether this obedient, soft little cub beside him actually existed.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Because Shawn had been staring at her for a bit too long this time, Ruby twisted her little neck and looked at him with watery eyes, asking in her sweet, milky voice.
That soft little voice could melt anyone's heart.
"It's nothing." He calmly withdrew his gaze. These guys on the internet were unreliable; it was better to ask a professional.
So, he found a highly-rated parenting specialist online for a consultation.
R: "Novice dad here. I don't know how to interact with my daughter. What should I do?"
Parenting Master: "How old is your daughter? What is her personality like?"
R: "Four years old. Very quiet."
Parenting Master: "...Quiet?"
Did that word have even the slightest relation to the cubs of their Starbeast Clan?
R: "Yes, and she's very clingy. For example, today she insisted on waiting for me to get off work so we could eat together. Right now, she's sitting next to me watching TV, but I don't know how to talk to her."
He typed these words with a serious expression, merely stating facts as examples, but to the other party, it read like a joke.
Parenting Master: "Are you messing with me, bro? Delusions are a manifestation of mental illness. I'm afraid you've been tormented by your own kid to the point of hallucinating. Let me recommend a psychologist for you to try."
R: "..."
Everything he said was true. Why didn't anyone believe him? For the first time, Grand Marshal Shawn Russell experienced a feeling called absolute speechlessness.
The netizens were unreliable, and the parenting specialist was unreliable too. Shawn turned off his personal terminal and looked at Ruby.
"I'm going to train. Do you want to come?"
Ruby's beautiful blue eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
"Yes!" Her voice was soft, sweet, and incredibly pleasant to hear.
She hopped off the sofa, looking at her father with expectant eyes. Shawn stood up. Meeting her sparkling gaze, he reached out a hand.
Ruby immediately placed her small hand over his, firmly grasping one of her father's fingers!
She was so happy!