Bodyguard: "???"
Wait a minute!
Mr. Song, what happened to your principles?!
"Really?" The little girl's eyes lit up suddenly. Her white, plump cheeks were adorably round, and she nodded desperately. "Auntie, I really didn't lie to you, this cake is super delicious!"
Seeing her so happy, Song Qingwan twitched her lips, her heart completely melting. "Alright then, let me try a little."
She took a small taste of the cream. It was overly sweet, thick, and greasy—not her taste at all—but she still forced herself to say, "Mm, you're right. It's really delicious."
"Yes!" The little girl beamed, her eyes crescent-shaped with joy. "Auntie, I knew you'd like it! I don't lie!"
The cake, which Song Qingwan thought was unbearable, was given to her with such sincerity by this little girl—it suddenly became the best thing she'd had in years.
Song Qingwan looked at her little face, overflowing with joy, and couldn't help but reach out and pinch her soft cheeks.
Lu Li, eager to share more, tried to feed her again. Song Qingwan had no choice but to fib, saying she had eaten too much dinner and was too full now. The little girl believed her without question.
She sniffled, then stuffed the rest of the cake into her tiny mouth all at once. Her small face was now covered in cream like a little cat.
Song Qingwan gently wiped her mouth with a napkin, not the least bit annoyed.
Lu Li's cheeks were full, her voice muffled and milky as she asked with bright eyes, "Auntie, did you find my daddy yet? I miss him a little..."
"Auntie is still looking, sweetheart. But don't worry—when I find him, I'll bring him to you right away, okay?"
Song Qingwan's voice was gentle, but her heart felt sour and uncomfortable.
That scumbag father of hers is so heartless, and yet Lili still misses him!
And that little brat never once said she missed her!
Lu Li swallowed her bite and nodded sweetly, "Okay! Auntie, you're the best!"
Just then, Song Qingwan caught sight of her assistant approaching from the corner of her eye. She gently patted the little girl's head and said:
"Lili, Auntie's a little thirsty. Can you help me grab a bottle of milk?"
"Okay!" Lu Li ran off excitedly.
As soon as she left, Song Qingwan's warm and motherly expression disappeared completely, her face turning cold as ice. She said sharply to the assistant:
"Where is the person?"
The assistant stopped in his tracks. "We haven't found him yet."
Song Qingwan's brows furrowed deeply. "What are you people doing?"
The assistant looked distressed. "Miss Lu Li told us her dad is the most handsome man in the whole place and the best dad in the world. That's all. She wouldn't give us a name. It's… hard to go on that."
Earlier, they had tried asking Lu Li for a description of her father. But her vocabulary was limited, and all she could say was that he was "super handsome" and "the best."
When asked his name, she looked wary, refusing to say it, as if protecting her father from being harmed.
Song Qingwan pondered. "Alright. Pull up the full guest list from today's event. Narrow it down to families with the surname Lu. Check one by one to see if anyone's child is missing!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
President Song truly was impressive—sharp and logical, unlike the rest of them.
But in the next second, her cold, calculating expression shifted to one of fury:
"When you do find him, don't even let him speak. Just drag him out and beat the hell out of him. Tell him I said so. I'll take full responsibility!"
"..."
---
The Lu family villa was enormous. It took over three minutes just to walk from the study at the far end of the corridor to the top of the stairs.
But Lu Junhan walked fast.
Within moments, he reached the landing, descended the stairs, and strode into the main hall, ignoring the guests attempting to greet him. His face was cold and unreadable as he made a direct line for the dessert area.
His chiseled face, with sharp features and cold, deep-set eyes, held a grim intensity.
His usual aura was already intimidating, but now, with his icy expression, the air around him felt ten degrees colder.
Children would cry at the sight of him without needing a single word.
He scanned the crowd, and with one icy glance, he saw Song Qingwan seated at the dessert table, speaking with her bodyguard. Her elegant face wore a contented smile.
His eyes narrowed, and he walked toward her without a word.
Song Qingwan spotted him and smiled cheerfully. When he reached her, she scolded half-heartedly:
"You brat. You had to be forced to come down! And now that you're here, you're sulking. Do you really think your aunt would ever harm you?"
Lu Junhan didn't respond. His cold eyes scanned the area again, then he sneered:
"Didn't you drag me down here to meet my so-called daughter? Where is she?"
When he said "daughter," his tone dripped with sarcasm and disdain.
Seeing no one around but bodyguards, he laughed coldly: "She ran off? Smart kid. Knows to save herself."
"I think it's you who wants her to run away," Song Qingwan rolled her eyes.
Lu Junhan didn't answer, but his face said he agreed.
Song Qingwan sighed. "She just went to get me a bottle of milk. She'll be back soon."
She warned him:
"I don't care how you've treated other children in the past, but don't you dare throw this one out the door. She's just a little girl—she can't take your crap."
"Lili?" Lu Junhan scoffed. "Who still names kids that these days?"
Song Qingwan recognized the misunderstanding. At first, she'd thought the same.
"It's not what you're thinking. Her full name is Lu Li—as in the 'pear blossom' Lihua. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?"
Lu Junhan sneered, ready to reply.
Just then—
The butler rushed in, panting from running too fast. He didn't even notice Song Qingwan standing beside Lu Junhan.
"Young Master Lu! We found her! A servant said they saw the little girl in the main hall earlier, and she was next to—"
Before he could finish, Song Qingwan stood up excitedly and waved toward the crowd:
"Lili, come here, Auntie wants to tell you something—"
"Daddy!"
Suddenly, a sweet, high-pitched voice exploded across the room!
In the next second, an impossibly adorable little girl in a pale green princess dress burst out of the crowd and launched herself forward. Before anyone could react, she wrapped her tiny arms around Lu Junhan's leg like a koala!
Her big black grape-like eyes sparkled with joy as she looked up at him:
"Daddy! You really came to find Lili!"
The butler, stunned, finally noticed Song Qingwan nearby. His face drained of color as he muttered:
"—She was with Miss Song the whole time..."
Lu Junhan: "..."
Song Qingwan stared at the expressionless Lu Junhan, then at the beaming Lu Li. She looked completely shell-shocked.
Lu Junhan: "This is the granddaughter you picked up?"
Song Qingwan: "And you're the scumbag dad who abandoned her?"
The two spoke in unison.
Then both fell into stunned silence.
The butler was on the verge of tears.
This is absurd!
They'd been searching high and low, even contacting the police—
And it turns out Mr. Song had the little girl the whole time?!
To make things worse, the assistant—apparently having zero sense of timing—tiptoed up to Song Qingwan and whispered (loudly enough for everyone to hear):
"President Song, now that we've found her father, do we still need to drag him out for a beating?"
The room froze.
In the next second, Song Qingwan picked up her bag and whacked him on the head:
"What the hell are you saying?! You still wanna fight? Now that we've found him, you wanna fight him in front of the kid? Use your brain next time!"
Assistant: "..."
Okay, fine. That was on him. He did talk too much.