Lu Li didn't quite understand what was going on with the adults.
She only knew that her father didn't push her away this time or tell her to leave.
Her small hands clung tightly to Lu Junhan's trousers. She lifted her round, fair little face, blinked her crow-feather lashes, and looked at Song Qingwan with sparkling admiration. Her soft little voice was especially sweet and cute:
"Auntie, you're amazing! You really helped Lili find Daddy!"
"…"
Song Qingwan was still reeling from the earlier shock and hadn't fully recovered. She stared at Lu Li, then at Lu Junhan, her expression blank with disbelief.
Finally, after a long moment, her voice trembled as she forced the words out:
"She… is she really your daughter?"
Lu Junhan's face was unreadable, and his tone was cold and resolute:
"No."
But Song Qingwan clearly wasn't listening. Her eyes were locked on the innocent Lu Li. Then, without warning, she smacked Lu Junhan on the shoulder and burst out laughing:
"Hahaha! You sly brat! So that's it! I only mentioned wanting a grandchild a few times, and in just a few years, you actually made me one! No wonder this little girl kept looking more and more like someone from the Lu family. She really is one of us!"
Lu Junhan's brows furrowed deeply. He said coolly, "She's not."
Song Qingwan crouched down to study Lu Li's face more closely. "Hey… when did you have a daughter this big? Who's the mother? Why didn't I know?"
"I said—she's not—"
Ignoring him, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "This kid's gotta be over three. You've been hiding her pretty well. If you'd told me back then that you had a child, I wouldn't have fought with you over inheritance. Look at you—like a squirrel hoarding nuts!"
"…"
Song Qingwan narrowed her eyes, still studying Lu Li. "No wonder I felt something familiar when I first saw her… turns out she's your little clone. If I hadn't found out today, were you planning to wait until she was an adult before telling me I had a granddaughter? What kind of nephew are you?!"
Lu Junhan inhaled deeply. When he finally spoke, his voice was so cold it could freeze the air:
"Song Qingwan! Are you deaf? I said—she's not my daughter!"
The butler finally couldn't take it anymore. Seeing that Lu Junhan was on the verge of exploding, he stepped in quickly to prevent things from spiraling.
He rushed to explain how Lu Li had suddenly shown up at the Lu residence and randomly called Lu Junhan "Daddy."
"You're saying this child just… showed up?" Song Qingwan asked, suspicious.
The butler nodded. "Yes. We even checked the surveillance footage, but it doesn't show how she entered. It's as if she appeared out of thin air."
But Song Qingwan wasn't interested in that detail.
"Who's her mother? What's her surname? Where's the family from? How tall? Hair length? Weight? What's her background? What kind of woman would like this brat?"
The butler looked awkwardly at Lu Junhan, not knowing how to answer. "Um…"
"I don't know who her mother is," Lu Junhan said darkly, voice laced with irritation. "She's not mine."
Song Qingwan finally turned her ears back on. But after listening, she scoffed:
"She calls you Dad, and you're still denying it? Do you think I can't tell my own blood? I watched you grow up! This girl—if nothing else—definitely inherited that stink-face of yours!"
Lu Junhan frowned. That was the second time someone had claimed this girl looked like him.
Before he could respond, little Lu Li finally pieced together their conversation. Her big eyes welled up with tears, and she clutched his leg tightly, terrified he'd walk away.
Her voice was small and pitiful:
"Daddy… Lili is really your daughter. Believe me, I look just like you! Don't leave me, okay?"
Song Qingwan immediately turned and glared at Lu Junhan. "You little punk! Who said you could bully my granddaughter?!"
"?"
"Look at her! She's almost crying! You heartless scumbag!"
Lu Junhan: "…"
Song Qingwan was about to crouch down and comfort the little girl gently.
But unexpectedly, the child wiped her eyes and started crying harder. Her tear-filled, grape-like eyes shimmered, and her sobbing only got louder.
Between hiccups, she choked out:
"Daddy… Mommy said—if someone touches a girl's body, they have to take responsibility! You can't be a scumbag! Scumbags get punished! I don't want my daddy to be punished! Daddy, will you take me home?"
The sheer amount of information in that sentence left the room completely silent.
Everyone turned, stunned.
Lu Li sniffled, tears dripping down her cheeks, her pink lips trembling in despair. She looked as if she'd just been gravely wronged.
Song Qingwan's face changed. Her stare sharpened as she took in Lu Junhan like he was some kind of monster. She backed up and pointed at him with trembling fingers.
"You… you beast! She's only three! Don't tell me… at that age…?"
The faces of the housekeeper and assistant also shifted. Disgust, horror, judgment—all rolled into one. One of the bodyguards even reached for his phone, ready to call the police.
Lu Junhan's face was as cold as stone, his dark eyes full of fury. He gave a dangerous smile.
"Do you people have brains? You believe that?"
Bodyguards, assistant, housekeeper, and Song Qingwan all said in unison:
"Of course! Why wouldn't we? Lili is so adorable! How could she lie?"
Children don't lie!
Especially cute little girls.
She must be telling the truth!
Lu Junhan: "…"
They were insane. All of them.
"Daddy…"
Lu Li looked up at him with teary eyes, sniffling pathetically.
Lu Junhan lowered his gaze. His voice was dangerously low.
"Tell me clearly. When did I ever touch your body?"
Lu Li pointed at herself with chubby fingers, then pointed at his leg and sobbed:
"Y-You're touching me now! You're touching Lili's body… Daddy has to take responsibility! Don't be a scumbag or you'll be beaten! It'll be so miserable!"
Song Qingwan, housekeeper, and assistant: "…"
Lu Junhan laughed darkly.
Unbelievable.
This little brat had taken playing victim to a whole new level.
"You ran into me yourself. Not my problem."
Lu Junhan's tone was indifferent.
The little girl blinked, confused. "But you still touched Lili."
"…"
"Daddy must take responsibility," she added firmly.
"Scram."
"I won't go! I wanna be with Daddy!"
"I'm not repeating myself."
His voice turned dangerous.
"I'm not going~ Lili wants to stay with Daddy!"
Her babyish voice was unusually stubborn.
"…"
Song Qingwan burst into laughter.
She'd never seen Lu Junhan, who always acted high and mighty, so utterly defeated. Her granddaughter really was something special!
After a while, Song Qingwan stepped forward to ease the tension.
"Alright, alright. Whatever happened in the past doesn't matter. And whoever Lili's mother is, doesn't matter either. The only thing that matters now is that Lili is officially a part of our Lu family!"
"Impossible."
Lu Junhan rejected coldly, "I'll find her a better place to live, but staying in the Lu house? Raised by me? Forget it."
Before Song Qingwan could blow up, the teary-eyed little girl who had just been sobbing with despair suddenly turned furious.
Old anger and new sadness exploded together. She lifted her chubby little leg and gave him a firm kick!
Then, puffing up her fair little cheeks, her big eyes brimming with fresh tears, she shouted:
"Bad Daddy! Lili doesn't like you anymore! You don't want me? Well, I don't want you either!"
And with that, she broke into heart-wrenching sobs again.
She couldn't understand why Daddy didn't want her… even though she liked him so much.
Lu Junhan's heart gave a sharp tug. He frowned and pressed his lips into a tight line.
For some reason… he felt a pang of regret.
But before he could react, Song Qingwan swept the sobbing Lu Li into her arms and patted her back gently, wiping her tears.
"There, there. Don't cry. If your dad doesn't want you, your grandma does. Grandma loves you the most. You're my precious Lili…"