The butler quietly sucked in a breath of cold air.
No one had ever dared speak to the President like this before.
Miss Xia Xia really spoke with the innocence of a child.
“Xia Xia.”
Bai Ruanwen hurriedly shielded her daughter behind her, then looked at Lu Lin with a complicated expression.
“That’s right, even if Xia Xia is your daughter, you are in no way qualified to be her father. You know very well what you did back then. I have a clear conscience. Today, I must take Xia Xia away.”
Lu Lin’s face turned from green to white.
He had already investigated the matter from back then; the drug was not administered by Bai Ruanwen.
But by the time he went looking for someone, they had long since disappeared without a trace.
She had never given him a chance, and had hidden his daughter for so many years.
Was he supposed to be grateful to the Song family for that?
“If you want to go to court, that’s fine.”
His eyes were utterly cold.
“But my daughter—no one can take her away.”
He glanced at the butler, who immediately went to seize the girl.
Bai Ruanwen could only desperately protect her daughter.
Bai Xia had had enough.
How could there be such an unreasonable father?
Would it kill him to admit fault, lower his head a little?
Did he have a mouth only for decoration?
Knowing the male lead wouldn’t let go, and not wanting to make things difficult for the butler, Bai Xia could only whisper a few words into Bai Ruanwen’s ear.
The latter froze, hesitated for a while, but finally let go.
Bai Xia was immediately led away by the butler and taken upstairs.
Seeing his daughter willing to stay, Lu Lin’s lips curled up in a smug arc.
He shot Song Dong a warning look.
“She is my daughter. You’d best stay away from her.”
With that, he turned his gaze to Bai Ruanwen, said nothing, and headed straight for the study.
One day, the three of them would be reunited as a family.
As for the Song family, that debt would be settled, slowly.
“Ruanwen, how could you leave Xia Xia here?”
Song Dong frowned.
Looking at the enormous villa, which exuded extravagance everywhere, Bai Ruanwen shook her head, her gaze complicated.
“Xia Xia said she wanted to see what her biological father was like. She asked me to come back for her after a while. Although there is a barrier between Lu Lin and me, I don’t have the right to stop Xia Xia from meeting her real father.”
Hearing this, Song Dong also glanced upstairs.
His handsome, jade-like face showed a hint of melancholy and loss.
No matter how much he tried to deceive himself, he truly was not Xia Xia’s biological father.
Back in her room, the butler brought over a pile of toys.
Bai Xia shook her head and asked him to buy her some books instead.
When the butler saw Bai Xia’s book list, he was stunned on the spot, but quickly went out anyway.
Not long after, the door was pushed open.
Lu Lin walked in holding a box.
“Don’t you know how to knock? Do you understand what it means to respect someone’s privacy? I’m a girl—what if I was changing clothes?”
Bai Xia frowned, complaining listlessly.
Lu Lin paused, looked at his visibly displeased daughter, then turned and walked back out, knocking twice on the door.
“What is it?” she asked.
Lu Lin walked in again, crouched in front of her, and opened the box to reveal a pink diamond necklace.
“Try it on.”
His daughter deserved the best in the world.
He was determined to make up for all the years she had missed, and would never let the Song family take advantage again.
Bai Xia looked at the necklace.
“Weigh it yourself. Is such a heavy necklace really suitable for me?”
Lu Lin glanced over his daughter’s slender neck, then, as if nothing had happened, put the necklace aside.
“I’ll have someone custom-make another for you.”
There were only two people in the room.
Bai Xia sat on the big bed, swinging her short legs, staring intently at the man before her.
“Parents are a child’s second teachers. You want me to stay here, but what do you think you can teach me? How to bully women? How to disregard the law? Or how to be arrogant and overbearing?”
Hearing her childish voice, Lu Lin had long realized that, though his daughter was young, her logical thinking was excellent.
Clearly, she and Ruanwen had good genes.
“The textbooks teach honesty and kindness, and getting along with others. That’s not wrong. But in this world, honesty and kindness are just excuses for the weak. If you take them too seriously, you’ll be torn apart by the wolves and tigers outside. A girl must have backbone. Even if you’re not honest or kind, you can still stand at the top of society.”
Lu Lin tried to soften his tone.
He could imagine how corrupted his daughter must have become under the Song family’s influence, but now that she was back, he would give her the best education.
Bai Xia was stunned.
Was the male lead lecturing her about sociology?
Is this really how high society raises their kids?
No wonder they’re all so lawless.
“So that’s your excuse for being rude? If you want respect from others, you must respect them first. Always making enemies and thinking too highly of yourself will only create more enemies. Besides, methods are just social tools, not the baseline for being a person. By your logic, if I’m not honest or kind, does that mean I can lie to my elders every day? And then disrespect my seniors and shout at everyone all day?” she said seriously.
Lu Lin seemed intrigued, watching her and speaking each word carefully: “If lies can bring you personal benefit, then that’s your advantage. As long as you’re strong enough, even if you’re rude, no one will blame you. But if you’re not strong enough, like you are now, then you need to use morality to disguise yourself.”
She realized the male lead’s sophistry was truly something else.
Apparently, he wasn’t crazy—he really believed he wasn’t wrong.
“You’re only talking about survival tactics. But life isn’t just about surviving—there are parents and family. If, for my own benefit, I one day pull out your oxygen tube when you’re old, is that okay too?”
Her face was completely serious.
Lu Lin paused, then patted her head.
“That’s a matter of perspective. If I treat you badly, you can do that.”
Bai Xia was speechless.
Was the male lead really teaching his daughter to finish him off one day?
“You’re still young. You’ll understand in time. Family doesn’t always treat you well. On the contrary, they can become your greatest downfall.” Lu Lin’s expression was unreadable.
Bai Xia certainly understood that.
In wealthy families, relatives hurting each other was all too common.
But at the very least, people should have boundaries.
Although the male lead spoke of survival tactics, that wasn’t a reason to harm others for personal gain.
“You forced my mom, then blamed her for drugging you. That was clearly your own lack of self-control and not thinking things through. Do you really think my mom would drug you? Can’t you use your brain? She suffered so much when she went abroad. Do you think being a single mother is easy? What right do you have to give her a hard time?”
Bai Xia couldn’t help but complain, “And besides, you liked her. After what happened, you should be secretly happy, but you actually blame her for drugging you!”
“You’re just mentally twisted and selfish. Song Shushu would never act like this. No matter what happens, he always trusts my mom unconditionally. People like you who can’t think—of course my mom chose Song Shushu, it’s only natural. And now you want to teach me to be ruthless? Are you trying to make sure I lose love in the future too? Who raises a child like you do? What grudge do you have against me?”
Lu Lin’s face grew darker and darker, but he still waited for his daughter to finish before staring at her and emphasizing each word: “You don’t understand. One day, your mother will come back.”
After saying this, he quickly left the room.
The thought of his daughter saying he would lose love made him inexplicably irritated.
Back then, it was all just a misunderstanding.
He thought Ruanwen had approached him for the sake of the Bai family, so he said those things.
By the time he figured it out, she had vanished without a trace.
These past years, he had searched the entire world.
Every time he found a clue, it would disappear instantly.
Clearly, it was all the Song family’s interference.
“President, the Chairman wants you in the study.”
The butler suddenly came over, holding a stack of books.
Lu Lin glanced over and took the top one—Liao Fan’s Four Lessons.
“This is what Miss wants to read.”
The butler’s expression was a bit odd.
Even adults can’t understand this stuff.
Could a little girl really read it?
Lu Lin’s lips curled slightly.
Although his daughter was only three and a half, her logical thinking was no worse than most adults.
He was determined to cultivate her well, to let her stand at the top of the world.
By then, she would understand that honesty and kindness are only burdens for the strong.
When he arrived at the study, Lu Jin Nian was making tea, his tone casual.
“They’ve left?”
Lu Lin walked to the window.
The car outside had already driven away.
“That child has suffered too much, and it’s your incompetence as a father that let your daughter wander outside for so many years. In a few days, I’ll put her on the family register, then pick a day to formally introduce her to the world, so the Song family will give up for good,” Lu Jin Nian said gravely.
Lu Lin said nothing.
Of course his daughter’s identity needed to be announced.
“Xia Xia isn’t a child anymore. Now that she’s back home, her education should be put on the agenda. Remember to find her a school, let her attend classes properly, and don’t let her turn out like Lu Shuo,” Lu Jin Nian instructed.
He never liked Yao Yun, but Lu Qi Hui insisted on marrying her and even had a child.
Fine, but those two clearly didn’t know how to raise a kid.
At eight years old, all he did was cause trouble and never attended a proper class.
This time, he absolutely couldn’t let his great-granddaughter be spoiled.
“Understood.”
When Lu Lin heard the name Lu Shuo, there wasn’t the slightest ripple in his eyes. He turned and left the study.
He wondered who that grandson took after.
Lu Jin Nian shook his head—his great-granddaughter was far more lovable.
Bai Xia received the books the butler bought for her and stayed in her room reading.
Since the male lead refused to let go, she had no choice but to stay.
If he liked playing the father, fine, let him continue.
It’s not like she wouldn’t give him a chance to show off his fatherly love.
***
The door suddenly made a loud noise, as if something had hit it.
Bai Xia glanced at the doorway, then put down her book and quickly went to open the door.
The next moment, a dark shadow suddenly shot toward her.
Bai Xia reacted quickly, hugging her head and ducking down, just as a basketball flew over her head.
“What a pity.”
A boy in a basketball jersey stood in the corridor.
He seemed to know there was a guest in the house, and his gaze scrutinized her for a moment.
“You’re the illegitimate daughter Big Brother had outside, right?”
Bai Xia looked at the boy, only eight or nine years old, took a deep breath, and ran back into her room without a word.
“Tch, so timid. No way she’s Big Brother’s real daughter.”
The boy snorted.
Just as he finished speaking, a basketball suddenly flew at his head.
Caught off guard, Lu Shuo was hit right on the forehead.
Though it wasn’t very hard, it still hurt enough to make him suck in a breath.
“You… you little brat! How dare you hit me!”
He was so angry he grabbed the basketball, ready to throw it back.
A sharp-eyed maid quickly rushed over to stop him.
One was Madam’s son, the other the Chairman’s precious great-granddaughter who’d just been found.
What if something happened?
“What happened?”
Lu Qi Hui heard the commotion and came out of his room, only to see his granddaughter and son facing off in the corridor.
He quickly went over to hug the girl, looking at Lu Shuo with displeasure.
“That’s your little niece. You need to protect her. What kind of behavior is this?”
“I don’t have a niece! Big Brother’s not married—she’s just an illegitimate child!”
Lu Shuo grumbled, clutching his head.
Bai Xia sneered.
“And what do you think you are? You have a head just for decoration? Just looking at you makes me want to wash my eyes.”
“You—”
Lu Shuo clenched his fists in fury, his face red with anger.
“Apologize to Xia Xia right now, or you won’t be allowed out tomorrow.”
Lu Qi Hui, for once, scolded his son sternly.
He hadn’t expected his father to be so biased toward this little brat.
Lu Shuo could only glare at Bai Xia, then clutch his basketball and storm back to his room.
Apologize to that brat?
Dream on!
“Shuo is just a little mischievous. Don’t be mad at him, okay?”
Lu Qi Hui patted the girl’s head.
Bai Xia frowned.
“Mischievous? That was clearly attempted murder. That basketball’s bigger than my head and he aimed it right at me. If that’s not attempted murder, what is? If he doesn’t apologize, I’m not staying here anymore. You guys don’t like me anyway, so why should I put up with this?”