The bodyguard hesitated, but bit the bullet and spoke.
The housekeeper was also complaining.
He had just said it casually—now the worst had happened. Was he really jinxed?
How could such a sweet and obedient little girl just disappear without a trace?
And for how long already?
"Are you sure you've searched everywhere?" the butler asked again, still unwilling to give up. He reminded sharply, "Tree holes, hidden corners, even the doghouse—did you check places a child could crawl into and hide?"
"We've looked in all of those places," the bodyguard shook his head. "But we didn't find anyone. No traces of a child hiding either."
Mr. Song's expression was unreadable.
He recalled seeing someone rush past earlier, clutching something. Because it had been dark and fast, he hadn't seen clearly.
It had to be a dog... right?
"Have you checked the surveillance footage at the entrance?"
Lu Junhan sat silently on the sofa, his tone unreadable and flat.
"We checked," the bodyguard responded, then paused. "She was standing near the door at first, then turned the corner. After that, she disappeared from view. The surveillance didn't capture her return. There are blind spots—we're still checking them. It might take some time..."
Lu Junhan's thin lips pressed tightly into a line. His patience snapped.
He stood up abruptly, his tall frame casting a long shadow, and the cold fire in his eyes was unmistakable:
"Useless. A group of you can't even find a single child? Then what's the point of having you all around?!"
The study went dead silent.
The housekeeper looked like he might collapse from fear, and the head bodyguard didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
At that moment, Lu Junhan's private phone rang.
He stared out the window, expression icy, ignoring it as the shrill ringtone echoed through the room.
The butler sneaked a glance at the screen, then cautiously spoke: "Young Master Lu, it's Mr. Song…"
Lu Junhan's eyebrows twitched. With an annoyed sigh, he took the phone from the butler and answered.
"I'm at the dessert section on the first floor. I don't care what you're doing—drop it and come down now. I have something very important to tell you!"
Song Qingwan's commanding voice came through instantly. But beneath her usual forcefulness, there was a trace of unconcealed joy.
The butler blinked in confusion.
The dessert section?
Wasn't that just a kids' snack corner?
Why would Mr. Song be there?
"If you've got something to say, say it now. I have things to handle," Lu Junhan said coldly as he tugged at his tie in frustration.
The little girl was missing.
She'd just slipped away, vanished, and no one could find her. He hated how kids were nothing but trouble.
"I don't care what you have to do—get down here. I want to introduce someone to you."
"I don't need you finding clients for me."
"She's not a client! Just come and see for yourself!"
Song Qingwan sounded like she was deliberately trying to build suspense.
Lu Junhan frowned, gesturing to Assistant Chen nearby to start contacting the police. "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Song Qingwan, clearly in too good a mood to be bothered, continued cheerfully, "You'll never guess who. I'll just say it—I've decided to adopt a daughter for you."
"...Daughter?"
The word jolted Lu Junhan. His mind instantly recalled the little troublemaker who'd popped up at the pool earlier.
Song Qingwan's voice grew softer, full of affection: "Yes! The little girl I picked up just now—tiny little head, big sparkly eyes, wearing an adorable little skirt! She's so cute I don't even want to hug her too hard!"
"..."
"I asked around—her family doesn't want her. Once I've dealt with her deadbeat father, I'm bringing her home to raise. Our Lu family doesn't lack an extra mouth to feed anyway."
As always, Song Qingwan was overbearing and decisive. She never cared about the rules. The second she saw a girl she liked, she immediately wanted to keep her.
Especially one that had been mistreated by her own family.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache. Better to take the girl herself. Besides, what couldn't money fix?
At worst, she'd just get Lu Junhan to throw his weight around.
She refused to believe anyone could stop her from keeping a child.
Lu Junhan's face darkened. "Stop bringing random kids into my house. This isn't a kindergarten."
"She's not random! You're the one being unreasonable! And if you dare to insult my granddaughter again, I'll beat you up myself, hear me?!"
She hadn't even brought the girl home yet, and she was already calling her granddaughter.
Would there really be some little runt calling him "Dad" with a runny nose someday?
Lu Junhan's expression turned terrifyingly cold at the thought.
"You've always hated little girls."
He couldn't help remembering the little girl's pitiful face again. For some reason, it made him even more irritable.
"When did I ever say that?" Song Qingwan feigned ignorance. "I don't remember. Must've been someone else."
"..."
"She's not part of the Lu family."
Song Qingwan retorted immediately, "She looks like she belongs! Her last name is even Lu—LU, like our family! Isn't that fate? And she's not afraid of anything, just like you were as a kid. Exactly the same!"
"Even more reason to send her back. Return her right now."
"As long as I believe she's part of our Lu family, then she is. End of discussion."
Song Qingwan wasn't afraid of him at all. "Anyway, if you still recognize me as your aunt, get down here now. I guarantee the second you see her, you'll love her!"
Love her?
What a joke!
Lu Junhan didn't say another word. He hung up coldly, grabbed his suit jacket from the sofa, and strode out the door.
Fine.
He'd go take a look.
He wanted to see for himself just what kind of little menace had dared to cause such chaos in his life.
---
"Lili, eat slowly—don't choke. When you finish, Auntie will get more for you…"
In the dessert section downstairs, Song Qingwan watched Lu Li bury herself in cake with tender affection. She gently dabbed at the little girl's mouth with a handkerchief every few bites. Her usually cold and commanding demeanor had softened entirely.
The bodyguard next to her looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Thank you, Auntie!"
The little girl's bright eyes curved into crescents, twinkling like stars.
Song Qingwan pinched her soft cheeks with a smile. "What a good girl."
The next second, Lu Li scooped a spoonful of cake and offered it to Song Qingwan. Her tiny voice was sweet and soft: "Auntie, you should try too! It's super yummy!"
She looked so well-behaved, Song Qingwan's heart melted. But she still shook her head. "Auntie doesn't like sweets. You eat, Lili."
The bodyguard wasn't surprised.
Song Qingwan had hated sweets since childhood. Even her coffee was pitch-black and bitter.
It was something she and Young Master Lu had in common.
Both were domineering and headstrong—force them to eat sweets, and you might lose your head.
"Oh…"
Lu Li pouted slightly and lowered her hand, disappointed. "But it's really delicious…"
Seeing her crestfallen face, Song Qingwan hesitated, then said—
"...Maybe just a little bite?"
Bodyguard: "???"