Lu Junhan didn't say a word. The lighter in his hand flicked open and closed silently, spinning between his fingers. His face was cold, expressionless—making it impossible to read his thoughts.
The butler glanced at him. Seeing that he hadn't stopped, he narrowed his eyes and continued, his tone mocking.
"This will annoy you completely. She was kicked out by you. Her family must've seen that earlier, but once they realized she was useless, they simply threw her away. That little girl probably has no value to them. Anyway, she's a girl—it's just a financial burden. Not a big deal."
Among high society, patriarchal families were the norm. Even the Lu family wasn't exempt. Girls were often considered inferior.
With a crisp "click," Lu Junhan snapped the metal lighter shut.
He sneered coldly, "What does her life or death have to do with me?"
But a shadow flickered in his eyes.
The butler, unaware, continued with growing boldness. "Death isn't the worst fate. What if she gets abducted and sold? Break her leg, make her beg in the streets… or worse, get picked up by someone with twisted hobbies…"
He was getting carried away, almost believing his own ominous narrative.
"Especially with all the Haicheng elites attending today's banquet. You know the kind of appetites some of them have. If a child is seen wandering around unattended—easy prey. What if someone already took her away in secret?"
Lu Junhan's gaze turned dull and distant.
He was no stranger to this world. He'd seen perverts who indulged in the vilest desires, using children as playthings—some even hurting them just for fun.
Suddenly, the memory of Lu Li emerging from the pool, drenched and beaming as she called him "Dad," flashed across his mind.
The thought of her being taken, abused, reduced to a toy for those monsters—it made his heart twist in agitation.
The butler delivered the final blow, "But really, it's her own fault. Who told her to show up in front of you again and again…"
Lu Junhan shot him a sharp look. The butler fell silent immediately, his eyes lighting up in hopeful anticipation.
"Master Lu, do you have any orders?"
Lu Junhan's expression darkened further. After a moment, he said coldly, "Go and bring her back."
He'd noticed it—his repeated abnormal reactions. And now, since he couldn't shake off this unease, he might as well bring the girl back and place her in a more secure house.
But let her enter the Lu family? Absolutely not.
He didn't want some brat clinging to him every day, calling him Dad.
Of course, Lu Junhan couldn't foresee that a day would come when he'd beg Lu Li to call him "Daddy," clinging to her every step like a paranoid guardian.
The butler was thrilled. He had merely been testing the waters, never expecting actual success.
Little girl, just wait—Uncle's coming to get you!
Just as he was about to leave, Lu Junhan's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, and his expression shifted—turning a shade darker, mixed with reluctant helplessness.
He clearly wanted to ignore it, but the persistent ringing wouldn't stop.
Only one person in the Song family could make him look like this:
His aunt, Song Qingwan.
After Lu Junhan's parents died in a car crash, only seven-year-old him and five-year-old Lu Anran remained in the Lu family's massive house. It was Song Qingwan who raised them.
Without her, there wouldn't be a Lu Junhan today. The Lu family had relied on her influence to survive in Haicheng before eventually rising to their current, untouchable position.
Now, though Lu Junhan held Haicheng in the palm of his hand, when it came to his aunt—he still showed deference.
The butler quietly exited. Lu Junhan answered.
Song Qingwan's temper had always been fierce. Her voice came sharp and commanding, "What took you so long to answer?"
"I was busy," Lu Junhan replied mildly.
She snorted, "Busy? Or avoiding my call because you're afraid I'll pester you about marriage again?"
Lu Junhan fell silent.
Seeing that response, Song Qingwan nearly laughed in exasperation.
She knew him—knew the cold, cruel, vengeful boy she'd raised.
When his parents died, the Lu patriarch's many heirs fought like wolves, leaving little Junhan and Lu Anran to fend for themselves. Song Qingwan had stepped in and raised them both like her own children.
Perhaps that's why Lu Junhan hadn't hung up yet.
She'd long accepted his distaste for women and children. Still, she couldn't help but long for a grandchild.
Everyone else her age had grandkids to hug. But she had no one. Lu Junhan refused to marry, and Lu Anran, with her frail health, couldn't have children. It made her anxious.
"I'm telling you now," she snapped, "if I don't get to hold a grandson by next year, you and I are done! Look at Old Wang next door—even his dog has a litter of puppies. Meanwhile, you haven't even produced a fart! Useless! What am I supposed to do with you?"
Lu Junhan pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "Who compares people to dogs?"
"If you're worse than a dog, can't I say so?"
Song Qingwan wasn't holding back. It was the fourth year she'd nagged him to marry. If she stayed polite, she'd die before ever seeing a wedding.
"Listen," she continued. "I don't care who it is. As long as you can give me a chubby grandson next year, I'll approve—even if his mother's a pig! We'll still carry her in with a grand procession!"
"…"
Was she completely insane over grandchildren?
Yes, yes she was.
Don't even ask why—inheritance, of course. Sons could inherit. She didn't care about granddaughters.
Take Lu Anran, for example. With her timid and fragile nature, Song Qingwan could barely stand her. Over time, this turned into a general dislike for all little girls.
She'd been researching ancient remedies for giving birth to boys. She even found one. But Lu Junhan didn't even have a wife to use it with. How could she not worry?
Lu Junhan's tone turned frosty. "Enough. I'm busy. Hanging up."
Song Qingwan, frustrated again, suppressed her curses and softened slightly.
"You brat, I'm not trying to make your life hard. I'm doing this for your sake."
"You remember your parents' accident."
"If they hadn't had you, everything your father built—the entire Lu family—would've been taken by your uncles."
"If anything ever happens to you, without a son, your empire will crumble!"
Lu Junhan, unfazed by her nagging, calmly replied, "I'm not interested. But if you want more uncles, I won't stop you from having a son yourself."
Song Qingwan was speechless. "If I could, do you think I'd need you?"
For years, she had played both mother and father to Lu Junhan and Lu Anran, devoting everything to them. Now that they were grown and independent, she had aged—missing her chance at love, at marriage… and at motherhood for herself.