“I’ve already apologized to your mother,” Lu Yuan said in a temperate voice.
Bai Xia looked utterly disgusted.
“You call that an apology? There wasn’t even a hint of sincerity. Uncle Guan would never force my mom, and he’d never be mean to her either.”
“You only ever teach me crooked logic. According to you, if I see a boy I like in the future, I should just snatch them all up and keep them locked at my side, regardless of whether they like it or not, as long as I’m happy, right?”
Hearing the childish voice, the driver broke out in a cold sweat as he stared straight ahead.
Some things really shouldn’t be learned by kids.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes and loosened his collar.
He hadn’t realized this was how he appeared in his daughter’s mind.
He just didn’t want to talk too much, and he never forced Ruan Wen—he wasn’t like Song Zheng, that fake gentleman with his insincere feelings.
Maybe, from now on, he needed to change his words and actions in front of his daughter.
“I’ll definitely respect your mother from now on. If she doesn’t want to get married, then we won’t,” he said patiently.
Bai Xia blinked.
“You shouldn’t just respect my mom, you should respect other people too. Like Uncle Guan the butler, Uncle Driver, and the housemaids. They’re just earning a living, not selling themselves as slaves. What right do you have to talk down to them? Parents are mirrors for their children—however you act now, that’s how I’ll be in the future. And you need to be filial to Great-Grandpa, otherwise I won’t be filial to you when I grow up.”
The driver felt a sudden warmth in his heart.
Little Miss was truly kind—not only did she get the boss to raise their wages, now she was even standing up for them.
Madam Bai’s upbringing really was excellent.
Lu Yuan’s brow twitched as he stared at the girl’s adorable face.
“Alright.”
Bai Xia didn’t expect him to really change, but at least it would make the male lead behave for a while and stop disturbing the female lead.
If he was so idle, he should read more news; what he needed most now was to know and obey the law.
When they returned to the villa, they saw Song Zheng and the male supporting lead’s father.
At that moment, Lu Xiaonian was sitting there playing with prayer beads, the group deep in conversation, the atmosphere quite serious.
As for why the female lead wasn’t there—she was probably busy with design orders and had no time to visit the Lu family.
As expected, once the female lead got busy, she stopped revolving around her daughter. This was a very good sign.
“Uncle Hong, Grandpa Song,” she greeted as she walked over.
Lu Xiaonian looked at the butler.
“Take Miss Bai to her lessons.”
Wei Yuehua could only watch as the little girl was led away.
He still remembered holding her when she was born, and in the blink of an eye, she’d grown this big.
He had wanted Ruan Wen to take her back to the country for a visit, but before he could even see her, she’d already been taken away by the Lu family.
“Now that Chen Ran and Lu Yuan are back, I’ll just get straight to the point.”
He picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea, speaking leisurely: “Xia Xia is Ruan Wen and Lu Yuan’s child. I only found out recently myself. If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have let them keep it a secret for so long.”
Lu Xiaonian leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed, turning two walnut beads in his left hand, his face betraying no emotion.
Just found out now? What a convenient way to push off all responsibility.
“Now that the truth is out, the past is in the past. Solving the problem is what’s important.”
Wei Yuehua glanced at the second floor.
“I’ve already asked Ruan Wen. She’s willing to have Xia Xia’s household registration moved back to the Lu family. That’s also Xia Xia’s wish. Lu Yuan is Xia Xia’s biological father. As long as all the paperwork is in order, the registration can be moved at any time.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaonian slowly opened his eyes, a strange glint flashing through them.
Wei Yuehua had played the dutiful role for so long, and now suddenly came to visit—there was no way it was just about the registration.
Bai Xia crouched on the second floor, quietly observing the conversation below, while the butler could only help her scratch her backpack.
“Even though Xia Xia is Ruan Wen and Lu Yuan’s daughter, as far as I know, it was just an accident. Now that the engagement is dissolved, the young people should look ahead,” Wei Yuehua said.
Suddenly, Wei Yuehua took out a wedding invitation and placed it on the table.
“Our two families have known each other for many years. Song Zheng and Lu Yuan have been good friends since childhood. I hope you can come and share a glass of wedding wine with us.”
Looking at the gold-embossed invitation, Lu Yuan felt it was particularly glaring.
A towering anger surged up from deep within his heart.
“Friends?”
He stared at Song Zheng, his gaze icy as frost.
“Song, you’ve gone too far.”
Before he finished speaking, he punched Song Zheng right on the nose.
The shock of the invitation had set his every thought ablaze with fury.
As if knowing his temper, Song Zheng didn’t fight back.
Lu Xiaonian hurriedly looked at the servants.
“Hold him back! What kind of behavior is this!”
All this over a woman, disregarding the Lu family’s reputation.
So what if they got married?
Were there no other women in the world?
But none of the servants dared to actually step in, and the whole hall descended into chaos.
Song Yuehua was anxious, wanting to say something but stopping himself, shocked that Lu Yuan would actually hit someone.
“Let go of Uncle Lin!”
Bai Xia rushed forward and grabbed Lu Yuan’s clothes.
“Violent maniac! You have no manners at all! Hitting people is against the law—don’t you understand the law?”
Hearing his daughter’s voice, Lu Yuan finally forced himself to suppress his anger.
But his gaze toward Song Zheng remained cold as frost.
He’d never imagined he’d be cornered by his so-called good brother.
Ruan Wen would never marry that Song!
“You apologize to Uncle Song right now, or I’ll call the police and report you for assault.” Bai Xia stood between the two of them, then opened her smart watch.
Song Zheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
“If you respected Ruan Wen, I’d wish for her to grow old with the person she loves. But you don’t. You only make her suffer. I won’t let you hurt her again. I like her, so of course I want to protect her. Even though Xia Xia isn’t my biological daughter, in my heart, she’s still my child. I’m only sending her back to respect Wen’s wishes, not because she’s your daughter.”
Lu Yuan, instead of getting angrier, laughed.
He bent down and hugged his daughter, turning off her call.
“I shouldn’t have hit anyone. Xia Xia, don’t learn from me, and definitely don’t learn from your Uncle Song—two-faced and shameless.”
He turned and went upstairs, his face tense and veins bulging on his forehead.
The words “wedding invitation” kept stabbing at his nerves.
Ruan Wen clearly still had feelings for him—there was no way she’d marry that Song.
“Uncle Hong, don’t mind him. He just doesn’t know how to respect women—selfish and arrogant,” Bai Xia said as she grabbed some tissues and handed them over.
Looking at the adorable little girl before him, Song Zheng’s expression softened.
If it hadn’t been for Xia Xia’s encouragement, maybe he and Ruan Wen wouldn’t have come this far.
He really wasn’t as honest as a child.
“Whether we go or not, we’ll see then.”
Lu Xiaonian tapped his cane and stood up, his tone unfriendly.
“See the guests out.”
The servants immediately stepped forward and made a gesture to show them out.
Song Yuehua looked at his son with concern, knowing Lu Yuan was just this domineering, and left with a frown.
Once Song Zheng and the others left, Bai Xia ran back up to the second floor, knocked on the study door, and, when there was no response, pushed it open herself.
Sure enough, she saw the male lead sitting alone on the sofa drinking.
His suit jacket was thrown on the sofa, his expression dark and brooding—who knew if he was about to lose control again.
When he saw his daughter come in, Lu Yuan instinctively tossed his wine glass into the trash and his face no longer looked so grim.
“Why aren’t you at your lesson?”
Bai Xia plopped down on the sofa across from him, staring straight at him.
“I learned judo because you always hit people. So if I run into someone I don’t like in the future, does that mean I should hit them too?”
Lu Yuan rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
“I won’t hit anyone anymore.”
The whole study reeked of alcohol, and the lighting was dim.
Bai Xia wrinkled her nose.
“If you’re so sentimental, why did you hurt my mom in the first place? You reap what you sow—this is all your own doing. Stop acting deep and self-pitying.”
Lu Yuan bent down and stared at his daughter, his cold, angular features tense.
“Your mother loves me! That Lin is the third party!”
Bai Xia was speechless.
“Feelings change. No one will love you forever. It’s just like selling products—customers might like a brand now, but if that brand’s products develop flaws, they’ll switch to another brand. If you can’t even understand that, how do you run a company?”
Hearing his daughter’s words, Lu Yuan felt as if the deepest corners of his heart had suddenly been torn open.
He could only close his eyes and clench his fists.
If he had really used force, how would Song have even had a chance?
“Go back and rest,” he said, taking a deep breath.
Bai Xia stared at the wine glass.
The male lead was probably going to drink alone and mope again—no self-control at all.
She couldn’t let him keep going like this. What if he got sick and went to bother the female lead?
“Why do adults always like drinking? It looks so good.”
She picked up the bottle, eager to try.
Lu Yuan’s brow twitched and he quickly tossed the bottle into the trash.
“Nonsense, it’s not good at all.”
“If it’s not good, why do you and Great-Grandpa sneak it every day?”
Bai Xia put her hands on her hips, full of suspicion.
Lu Yuan rubbed his forehead again, at a loss for how to deal with his daughter.
“I have an illness—you shouldn’t imitate me.”
Bai Xia reached out and touched his forehead.
“You have an illness and you don’t see a doctor? Are you mentally ill? Is it hereditary?”
Lu Yuan picked his daughter up and carried her out of the study, setting her down in the corridor and forcing a smile.
“I have to work. Can you go study, please?”