She walked in a hurry all the way, her footsteps quick and uneven, carrying a faint sense of panic, as if she had been rushing over without pause. Behind her, her anxious assistant followed closely, barely keeping up.
When Song Qingwan finally caught sight of them still in the counseling room, she let out a small breath of relief. Her gaze swept across the scene—Lu Li, Pei Xiubai, Xu Ciye, and Lu Junhan—and she added, as if casually explaining, "I just thought it was too boring to wait outside, so I went out for a bit. How are things going here?"
Lu Junhan's black eyes turned toward Xu Ciye, questioning silently. He had only just arrived, but already sensed something was off.
The little ancestor Pei Xiubai was here, the little tiger Lu Li was still causing trouble, and Xu Ciye's nerves had already been stretched to breaking point. Now, with the addition of the big devil himself, Xu Ciye felt his heart about to shatter.
And, crucially—Lu Junhan still didn't know that his precious daughter had given Pei Xiubai a kiss, and even wanted a second one. If he found out, Xu Ciye was certain Pei Xiubai would never leave this room in one piece.
So, before the little girl could open her mouth and spill what had happened, Xu Ciye decided he had to get Lu Junhan out immediately to avoid disaster.
Without even thinking, he said hurriedly, "Everything's finished here. I'll send the report to the villa later. If you have urgent matters, you can leave first."
"No way, Uncle! I haven't kissed the pot yet—"
Before she could finish, Xu Ciye quickly covered the little girl's mouth, forcing a warm, benevolent smile onto his striking face. "Baby, I know you can't bear to part with Uncle, but it's okay—Uncle will come visit you often in the future…"
Lu Li: "…"
But in the next second, Xu Ciye's fake smile froze. Two pairs of equally cold, gloomy eyes locked onto him, and a chill ran straight up from the soles of his feet.
Damn it! He forgot—there were two people here he couldn't afford to offend.
"Hand."
Lu Junhan's voice was icy. "Do you want me to chop it off for you now?"
Xu Ciye instantly withdrew his hand. The moment she was free, little Lu Li didn't waste a second on his attempt to silence her—she had more important priorities. She ran straight to her father and said softly in her little milk voice, "Dad, let's not go so fast, okay? I haven't kissed yet—"
"Eh? Lili, why is your face blue?"
Desperate to change the subject, Xu Ciye forced the words out, each one feeling heavier than the last. He even managed a dry laugh. "It couldn't be… that Uncle accidentally used too much strength just now…"
Lu Junhan's eyes immediately darkened. He pinched his daughter's cheek between his fingertips, his black gaze narrowing dangerously. On her snowy-white skin, the black finger marks stood out starkly.
His voice dropped to an icy tone. "Who did this?"
"I!" Xu Ciye blurted before Pei Xiubai could speak. "It must have been me, just now, when I wasn't paying attention—"
"Not you."
Who was Lu Junhan? Did they think he was so easily fooled? Without hesitation, his gaze swung to the boy in the wheelchair, cold and sharp.
"I did it," Pei Xiubai said evenly, his dark eyes meeting Lu Junhan's without a flicker of guilt or avoidance.
Lu Junhan's mouth curled into a cold, dangerous arc.
Xu Ciye's heart sank—this is it, they're going to go head-to-head.
Just then, Song Qingwan's phone rang. She answered quickly, her expression serious. A moment later she hung up and looked at Lu Junhan. "The old man just called me. He told you to bring Lili to the old house later. He didn't say why, so… what do you think?"
"You go ahead. I'll take her over after I've dealt with things here."
Lu Junhan's voice was calm, but his icy gaze remained fixed on Pei Xiubai. The bodyguards behind the boy tensed instinctively, reading the unspoken danger in the air.
Xu Ciye cursed himself silently—this is what I get for trying to change the subject.
Pei Xiubai remained utterly indifferent. There was no warmth in his beautiful features, no hint of fear. Meeting Lu Junhan's frigid stare, he said lightly, "I pinched her. If you want revenge, let her do it herself. I won't fight back."
"You're dreaming," Lu Junhan sneered coldly. "Look at yourself—what do you think you're worth? You deserve it?"
"If it's you…" The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously, then he smiled faintly. "Then try it. The outcome isn't set in stone."
The air between them was so tense it felt like it could explode at any second. Even Song Qingwan frowned.
Only Lu Li remained oblivious, her soft voice cutting through the tension. "Master?"
She tugged on Song Qingwan's sleeve, asking curiously, "Auntie, what's the old man?"
Song Qingwan's irritation softened instantly. "The old man is your father's grandfather. Do you want to meet him?"
"Dad's grandpa…" The little girl tilted her head, confused.
Amused, Song Qingwan explained, "He's your father's father's father."
The little girl's brow furrowed even more. "Auntie, there are so many fathers—which one is my father?"
Lu Junhan's cold expression eased slightly. He flicked her forehead with a finger and mocked, "So stupid."
"I'm not stupid!" she huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "You're a bad dad! I don't want to talk to you—I'll talk to my brother instead! My brother doesn't call me stupid, humph!"
Lu Junhan's face darkened. When she tried to run toward Pei Xiubai, he scooped her up by the collar like a kitten and turned to leave. "Don't go calling just anyone 'brother.' Stay away from that brat."
"But—"
"No but."
The little girl was quick to switch sides. Seeing his displeasure, she instantly nodded obediently. "Okay, Daddy!"
Watching them leave, Xu Ciye finally exhaled in relief—though not entirely. He turned to Pei Xiubai with a serious expression. "Little ancestor, you'd better leave Haicheng for a few days. Lu Junhan's famous for holding grudges. The only reason he didn't touch you just now wasn't fear—it's because Lili was here and he didn't want her to see. Later… you might want to be careful."
The boy's expression didn't change. His gaze lingered on the doorway where the little girl had disappeared, and only after she was gone completely did he retract it. Raising his brows slightly, his voice was cold:
"Then I'll wait for him."
The implication was clear—he wasn't leaving.
Xu Ciye sighed. For Madam Pei's sake, he had bothered to give the warning. But clearly, it had fallen on deaf ears.