"Will not!"
The little girl pointed at her ears, her round, tender face unusually serious. "My ears are super sharp, I can't have heard it wrong! Dad, you can't fool me! I'm also very smart!"
Lu Junhan's expression didn't flicker. He lifted his chin lazily. "If you don't believe me, ask them yourself."
Manager Chen and Vice President Liu, suddenly under the spotlight, scrambled to respond with stiff smiles:
"Yes, yes, Lu Shao is kind and tolerant—how could he possibly cut off our hands? He was just… playing with us just now! Just letting us see his… newly bought knife…"
The bodyguard beside them was stunned.
With Lu Shao's temperament, once the order was given, there was rarely any reversal. Though even he felt cutting hands was too cruel, there were always cleaner ways to settle things.
But this was Lu Shao's way—utterly ruthless to traitors.
Yet tonight, for the first time, he had given an order… and then changed his mind.
All because of a little girl.
Lu Li tilted her head, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Really? So… Dad was just playing a game with you earlier?"
Did she miss something when she read the book?
Or… did she remember it wrong?
In the story, didn't Dad cut off their hands?
Ugh! Dad always said she and Mom had goldfish memories and forgot things all the time—she never believed it!
Could she really have misremembered? Had she wrongly accused these two uncles?
"Right, right, just playing games," Vice President Liu hurried to cement the story, seizing the chance to keep his hand.
"And who is Lu Shao? You, little miss, know better than anyone—how could he ever be that cruel, right?"
The little flattery magnet's eyes curved into a smile.
"Yes! My dad is the best dad in the world! He's a good man! Uncle, you really have vision—of course he wouldn't be bad!"
Hmph. She knew it—how could her dad be the villain? Someone must be spreading rumors, trying to ruin his name!
Clearly, the book was unreliable!
Vice President Liu: "…"
If Lu Shao counted as a good man, there wouldn't be a single bad one left in the world.
He thought it, but didn't dare say it.
Lu Junhan's narrow eyes shifted slightly.
So, in this little thing's heart… he was a good person?
It was already late.
After that, Lu Junhan left the cleanup entirely to Assistant Chen.
He picked up the little girl and took her back to bed.
Assistant Chen adjusted his glasses, smiling faintly at the two men.
"You've heard how Lu Shao deals with company traitors. This time, he's been magnanimous and let you go. You know what to do next, right?"
Manager Chen and Vice President Liu had been scared out of their wits. With fear still lodged deep in their bones, gratitude welled up now that their hands were intact.
"Yes, yes, Assistant Chen, of course. We'll resign as soon as we're back! You can assure Lu Shao—we're grateful he spared us this time. We'll disappear from Haicheng and never cause him trouble again!"
Right now, survival was the only thing on their minds. Losing a job was nothing—at least they still had both hands.
Assistant Chen's smile sharpened. "Good. Remember what you've promised today."
When the two left the Lu residence, the bodyguard leaned in, unable to hold back his thought.
"Chen Zhu, did you notice? Lu Shao seems… different lately. Not as extreme as before."
In the business world, ruthlessness could be a strength—but too much of it was dangerous.
Assistant Chen's gaze was keener than his. "It's a good thing. And it's thanks to the little miss. In the past, Lu Shao was like a machine—cold, indifferent to everything. Now, with her here, he's… more human."
Thinking of the scene earlier where Lu Li had brandished a knife at two grown men, the bodyguard choked.
"The little miss really is Lu Shao's daughter. Looks so soft and delicate, like she could cry at any moment, but her style is just as fierce as his!"
No reply came.
He turned—and saw Assistant Chen calmly scrolling on his phone.
On the screen were several incriminating photos of Vice President Liu and Manager Chen kneeling miserably.
Assistant Chen sent them to an unknown number.
"You're…" the bodyguard began.
"The old man sent people to steal from us. Naturally, we strike back. Our Lu Shao isn't someone who sits and takes blows."
Assistant Chen's refined smile turned razor-sharp. "These photos, plus the ones before, are enough to declare war on the old man."
Old Man Lu was Lu Shao's grandfather. In other families, a grandfather might dote on his grandson—here, grandfather and grandson were locked in a constant, vicious battle.
Cruelty ran in the blood. Old Man Lu was ruthless, but Lu Shao was even more so.
When the elder was young, he was a cold-blooded power broker, feared and respected. Even retired, his iron will hadn't softened—especially not toward his son and grandson.
Rigid, stubborn, he believed in forging steel through suffering.
When Lu Shao's parents died in a car crash, he should have been the one to adopt Lu Shao and An Ran.
But he'd left them to fend for themselves, declaring that if they couldn't endure, they weren't worthy of the Lu name. Better they die than disgrace the family.
In the end, Song Qingwan couldn't stand it and took the children in.
The Lu family business had been founded by Lu Shao's father.
But with his early death, Old Man Lu had seized the chance to replace most of the leadership with his own people.
Now that Lu Shao was grown and in charge, his first move was to force those people out.
The old man wouldn't accept defeat, slipping his people back in whenever possible.
Most had already been rooted out. The rest hid deep—like the two tonight.
Unable to stand the pressure, the old man resorted to stealing files.
And Lu Shao, ever merciless, made sure to send photographic proof of every failure straight to him.
Assistant Chen had long since gotten used to the routine.
…
On the way back, the little girl clung to Lu Junhan, insisting she had to sleep with him—his side was too dangerous, and she could protect him.
He didn't answer, simply tossed her into her own bed and shut the door without a shred of pity.
Pop. Door closed.
Lu Li: "…"
Back in his room, he showered, threw on a bathrobe—when a soft knock came at the door.
The butler's voice sounded outside:
"Lu Shao."