Lu Lin tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.
Seeing how quickly the girl moved, a strange look flashed in his eyes.
As the call connected, a familiar woman’s voice came from the other end.
“Xia Xia?”
Bai Ruanwen’s voice sounded slightly worried, thinking something had happened to her daughter.
Bai Xia raised her wrist and stared straight at the person in front of her.
Meeting his daughter’s serious gaze, Lu Lin hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, “It’s me.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if she hadn’t expected it to be anyone but her daughter.
“Did something happen to Xia Xia?”
Her heart instantly leapt to her throat.
Lu Lin’s lips curled faintly.
“It was my fault back then. I shouldn’t have doubted you. Can we talk again properly? Even if it’s just for our daughter’s sake.”
Bai Ruanwen was stunned as well.
In her memory, Lu Lin had never apologized to anyone—he was always so domineering.
Yet now, he was actually saying sorry to her.
For the sake of their daughter, he was even willing to lower his head.
“The past is already behind us. I don’t hate you anymore. But Xia Xia is my daughter—she’s not anyone’s bargaining chip.” Her voice was resolute.
A slight frown appeared between Lu Lin’s brows.
“She’s my daughter too.”
Bai Xia glared at him.
“You’re not!”
Look at how spoiled he is—trying to be a father without any of the pain and even fighting for custody.
Does he really think he’s in the right?
Lu Lin closed his eyes, trying to keep his tone calm.
“I just want to give our daughter a complete environment to grow up in.”
He absolutely couldn’t stand the idea of some other man being called “Dad” by his daughter—unless he was dead!
Even when apologizing, he still acted so high and mighty.
Bai Xia’s face was full of unconcealed disdain, then she straightened up.
“Mom, I’m fine.”
After a few words, she hung up the phone, not even bothering to look at this lunatic.
The male lead could always turn a perfectly good sentence into something infuriating—wasn’t that a talent in itself?
Forget it, he didn’t need to change.
Let it be.
At least it was a roundabout way of bringing the heroine and the male supporting lead together.
When the car stopped at the villa gate, Lu Lin took the initiative to open the car door.
Bai Xia hugged her belly and got out by herself, not even sparing him a glance.
The driver looked on with a strange expression.
Since when had the CEO ever humbled himself like this?
And yet, he didn’t dare show the slightest temper—truly, blood is thicker than water.
At dinner, Lu Lin suddenly became the dutiful father, checking the temperature of the food and personally feeding his daughter.
Bai Xia turned her head away, hugging her waist.
“It’s all cold! Are you trying to upset my stomach?”
Lu Lin patiently told the maid to bring a new bowl, while the girl pouted in dissatisfaction.
“Song Shushu always made food for me. He’d make anything I wanted—not like you. You can’t do anything except bully the weak.”
Lu Lin couldn’t stand hearing Song Dong’s name.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then looked at his daughter with a smile.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
The maids were nearly shocked out of their wits.
Since when did the CEO ever cook?
Yao Yun was even more dissatisfied in her heart.
This family was spoiling this little girl to the heavens, and yet they accused her of spoiling her son?
Who was really more excessive?
“I want to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Dongpo Pork, Braised Pork Knuckle, and Lion’s Head Meatballs!”
Hearing the little girl’s soft, childish voice recite the dishes, Lu Qi Hui couldn’t help but say softly, “Isn’t that a bit too greasy?”
Bai Xia frowned. “I’m still growing! How am I supposed to get taller if I don’t eat meat?”
“Let her eat, let her eat,” Lu Jin Nian said indulgently, waving his hand.
Lu Lin said nothing, just took off his jacket and went into the kitchen.
Bai Xia was afraid he’d ask the chef to do it, so she ran over and stood at the door, gnawing on an apple while watching him cook.
The chef basically sorted out all the steps for him.
Lu Lin only handled the seasonings, while all the ingredient preparation was left to the chef.
Bai Xia was speechless—how was this considered cooking?
Not a shred of sincerity, and he still wanted to “nurture” his daughter?
***
It was around nine o’clock when the dishes finally came out.
Looking at the table full of meat, she shook her head.
“Too greasy. I have no appetite.”
With that, she ran upstairs.
No one dared look at Lu Lin’s expression.
Only the butler mustered up the courage to comfort him, “Miss doesn’t eat much at night, otherwise it’s easy to get indigestion. She definitely understands your good intentions.”
Lu Lin’s face remained calm and unruffled.
He wouldn’t stoop to getting angry with his own daughter.
Back in her room, Bai Xia washed up and went straight to bed.
She’d already eaten her fill that afternoon—if she’d waited for the male lead’s cooking, she would have fainted from hunger by now.
Since no one was going to cure his tyrannical CEO syndrome, she’d do it herself, lest he kept acting crazy all day.
If it weren’t for him, the heroine would have been shining in her own field long ago, not forced to leave home and raise a child, and then even get labeled as someone who drugged others.
This time, she absolutely wouldn’t let this lunatic get close to the heroine again.
The next day was Saturday—no school.
She stayed home to draw, but who could have guessed Lu Jin Nian had arranged a ton of classes for her: computer, foreign languages, violin… treating her like a high schooler.
Was she supposed to take Lu Shuo’s classes too? Did they forget she was only three and a half?
But Bai Xia didn’t refuse.
These were all basic classes—she already knew them even without learning.
Besides, picking up a few more skills wouldn’t hurt.
After all, knowledge was her own.
The weekend brought the banquet arranged by the Lu Jia.
Early in the morning, the maids helped her change clothes and do her hair, then Lu Jin Nian took her to the hotel.
As for where the male lead had gone, she couldn’t care less.
Luxury cars lined up at the hotel entrance.
After all, it was a Lu Jia banquet—no one would dare skip it.
They’d even booked the entire hotel.
Lu Jin Nian, leaning on his cane, led her to the third floor.
The grand hall glittered with lights, and everyone was in formal attire.
As they entered, people unconsciously made way, their eyes full of curiosity as they looked at the girl.
She wore a blue dress and obediently let the old man lead her.
Her little face was fair and clean, looking as delicate as a porcelain doll.
Her big round eyes were clear and flawless, and her features did bear a few traces of Lu Lin.
People couldn’t help but whisper to each other in private.
Word had spread that the Lu Jia had brought back a girl, but they hadn’t expected they’d be in such a hurry to prove her identity to the world.
She really was a pretty little lady.
They’d heard her birth mother was Bai Ruanwen, but the Bai Jia had long since gone bankrupt—how could she possibly enter the Lu Jia?
“Chairman Lu, you’re still so hale and hearty, and the little girl is truly adorable. We’ve long heard the Lu Jia had good news lately. It’s a rare treat for us to witness it today.”
“This little girl looks just like President Lu—a real beauty in the making.”
Everyone was very tactful, saying all the right things.
Lu Jin Nian smiled mildly, then looked at the girl. “Xia Xia, greet your uncles and aunties.”
Facing all those inquisitive eyes, Bai Xia gave a gentle smile. “Hello, uncles and aunties.”
The little girl looked especially well-behaved.
Many people wanted to reach out and pinch her cheeks, but with Lu Jin Nian present, no one dared.
In a corner, Qi Mo, dressed in a little suit, patted Lin Yan’s arm.
“Do you think she has split personalities?”
At school, she was a tyrant, but now she looked so quiet and gentle—almost like two different people.
Could she be a twin?
“Your hair?”
Lin Yan glanced sideways at him.
Qi Mo raised his eyebrows proudly.
“I had my mom’s stylist do it. It took a whole hour.”
That brat had mocked him for losing a tooth, so he had to find a way to save face elsewhere.
With how handsome he was, even missing a tooth didn’t hurt his looks.
When almost everyone had arrived, Lu Jin Nian led the girl up to the stage, took the microphone, and his voice echoed through the hall.
“Thank you all for coming. The Lu Jia rarely holds celebrations. Today, this old man is very happy—my great-granddaughter has returned to the Lu Jia. I will give three percent of my shares to Xia Xia, and I hope she can shoulder the family’s responsibilities like her father in the future.”
As soon as he finished, the hall exploded with chatter.
Bringing back an illegitimate daughter was nothing, but making such a public display was rare.
Now Lu Jin Nian was actually giving three percent of his shares to a three-year-old girl—wasn’t this favoritism a bit too much?
Didn’t Lu Jin Nian have a second grandson?
He hadn’t shown up for years, but he was showering all this affection on his great-granddaughter.
Clearly, he favored Lu Lin’s branch of the family.
Yao Yun almost crushed her wine glass, but her smile remained flawless.
She was a legitimate member of the Lu Jia, and even Lu Shuo never had a proper birthday banquet.
Now, not only were they throwing a party for an illegitimate girl, they were even giving her shares.
Wasn’t this too much?
“I heard Bai Ruanwen already married Song Dong. Who knows when this child was born? Looks like she couldn’t marry into the Lu Jia, so she latched onto the Song Jia right away—what a scheme!”
“Since they’re making such a big deal, the Lu Jia must have done a paternity test. It’s none of our business.”
Facing all the stares from every direction, Bai Xia’s face was expressionless.
She was so young—even if they gave her shares, it didn’t mean anything.
All rights would be managed by her guardian.
Lu Jin Nian was clearly trying to seize the initiative, using public opinion to take away her custody, so the Song Jia would have no choice but to give up.
She looked around, but she was too short to spot the heroine or Song Dong in the crowd.
She could only break free from Lu Jin Nian’s hand and search by herself.
The male supporting lead could endure, but she couldn’t.
A problem that could be solved in one sentence—these people insisted on dragging it out for several chapters.
She wouldn’t feel at ease telling the heroine about her plans to start a company until this was resolved.
***
“Wild child!”
Suddenly, she heard a few discordant voices.
She turned to see two little boys staring at her.
Their parents hurriedly pulled them back, signaling for them to stay quiet.
What would kids know about “wild child”?
It was obviously something adults had taught them.
She walked over step by step, looking at the woman in the evening gown.
“Auntie, can you tell me what ‘wild child’ means? I don’t think my teacher ever taught me that.”
The woman was stunned, meeting the girl’s curious gaze, then forced a light laugh.
“They’re just talking nonsense. Don’t pay any attention to it.”
Bai Xia tilted her head.
“Huh? So ‘wild child’ is an insult?”
The woman looked a bit awkward, but the two boys blurted out, “You are a wild child! Your mom is loose!”
“Shut up!”
The woman immediately glared angrily at her sons.
Bai Xia looked puzzled.
“Auntie, what’s ‘loose’? Do you know my mom? Are you friends? I’ve never heard my mom mention you.”
The woman coughed lightly, then smiled.
“I used to be friends with your mom. You can go ask her yourself.”
“Oh.”
Bai Xia’s face turned serious.
“If you and my mom are friends, why are you insulting her? Is this what the teacher meant by being two-faced?”
The woman’s expression changed, staring straight at the little girl in front of her.
She hadn’t expected Bai Ruanwen’s daughter to be such a tough nut.
“I’d like to know that too.”
Song Dong suddenly parted the crowd, taking the little girl’s hand and looking at the woman with displeasure.
The woman was a bit flustered, but still forced a smile.
“Kids pick things up from who knows where. I’ll make sure to educate them properly.”
“Auntie still hasn’t told me what ‘wild child’ means.”
Bai Xia blinked curiously.
“I guess I’ll just go ask great-grandpa.”
Hearing that, the woman’s heart skipped a beat.
She quickly looked at her sons.
“Apologize!”
It was the first time they’d seen their mother so fierce.
The two boys immediately burst into tears, choking out, “Sorry.”
Song Dong gave the group a cold glare, then, ignoring the strange looks from those around, picked up the girl and carried her out of the crowd, setting her down in the lounge.
He crouched down and took out a box, handing it to her.
“Xia Xia, you look beautiful today.”
His gaze was gentle as he pinched her cheek.
Bai Xia opened the box to find a bracelet inside, her name engraved on it.
“Your mom designed it,” Song Dong said, his brows softening.
At that, Bai Xia immediately looked around.
“Where’s mom?”
The heroine would never miss a chance to see her daughter, yet she hadn’t shown up all day.
Song Dong lowered his eyes.
“She’s talking to your dad. She’ll be back soon.”
Bai Xia was speechless.
So that’s why the male lead hadn’t been seen—he was off fighting for custody with the heroine again.
Who knew what nonsense he’d say this time.
“He’s not my dad! I don’t want him to be my dad,” Bai Xia said seriously, looking at him.
“Song Shushu, since you like my mom, you should go tell her. That way, you’ll be my dad.”
Song Dong was taken aback, meeting the girl’s earnest gaze.
He hesitated.
“But I’m not your biological father. Don’t you want to be with your real dad?”
“Why bother with that lunatic? My mom hasn’t liked him for a long time.”
Bai Xia reached out her small hand and patted his arm.
“If you keep hesitating, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Go tell my mom you love her. As for that lunatic, you don’t need to pay him any mind.”
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