The old man snorted coldly, "I think you just don't want to spend time with me, this useless old man!"
Lu Junhan's face remained calm, his voice expressionless: "Are you really looking for someone to accompany you?"
Seeing his grandson's tone loosen a little, the old man's expression softened, rare for him, and he admitted with a stiff snort, "Of course! Otherwise, what do you think I do this for?"
No matter how cold-blooded and ruthless people claimed he was, that was when he was younger. Now that age had caught up with him, the mansion was quiet, and few people dared to speak casually with him. Loneliness inevitably gnawed at him.
But Lu Junhan was unmoved. Whether the old man was lonely or not had nothing to do with him. He was too busy to waste precious time on meaningless pastimes like fishing.
So, he said lazily, "Then I'll recommend someone to you."
The old man immediately grew suspicious: "Who? I don't want a servant. They pretend to be dumb, and besides being dumb, they're boring. It's better to be alone than with them!"
"Not a servant."
"Then who—"
Before he could finish, Lu Junhan nudged the little girl in his arms forward. "Her."
The old man's eyes darkened when they met the girl's innocent, clear ones. His face stiffened: "Her? She knows how to fish?"
Lu Junhan gave him a faint, mocking glance. "Didn't you say you just wanted someone to accompany you?"
"..."
"She's fine. She won't pretend to be dumb," Lu Junhan's lips curled slightly, rare amusement flickering across his cold face. "You won't feel lonely."
"...!"
The old man instantly recognized that look—it was the same as Lu Junhan's father's when he was about to be difficult. His beard trembled. With a wave of his hand, he snapped irritably, "Forget it! You're just like your father, always twisting words! If you won't come, then I'll go alone!"
He carried his fishing rod and bucket away angrily.
Song Qingwan sighed as she watched her father's retreating back. "Coming back this time, I realized he's changed a lot. His temper… it's softened, in some ways."
Lu Junhan ignored her. Instead, he let the little girl toddle after the old man.
But Little Lili tugged at his sleeve, reluctant to part with him. "Then, Daddy… will you come find me later?"
"Mm."
Her big eyes brightened instantly. "Really?"
But before she could smile, the man arched an eyebrow. "Fake. I'm going home later. Without you."
The little girl's smile froze. Her eyes turned red again.
Song Qingwan shot Lu Junhan a sharp glare, gathering the child into her arms. "Do you have to make her cry?"
Lu Junhan's lips tugged into the faintest smirk. "I didn't know she was so delicate."
Song Qingwan rolled her eyes at him, soothing the girl gently. "Lili, don't cry. Your father's teasing you. He won't leave you behind."
"Really?" The little girl's voice was soft and pitiful, her teary eyes searching.
"Of course," Song Qingwan reassured. "If you don't believe me, ask your father."
The little girl turned her wet eyes toward Lu Junhan. "Daddy…?"
"Really," Lu Junhan said without lifting his gaze from his phone. His tone was casual, almost careless. "Don't worry, I won't leave you. I'll even take you with me when I go to the bathroom or shower. Satisfied?"
Song Qingwan: "..."
Little girl: "..."
The absurd answer stunned her tears into silence. Then, realizing her father was teasing again, the little girl puffed out her cheeks, stomped on his foot with her tiny one, and huffed, "Bad Daddy!"
Without looking back, she ran off toward her grandfather.
Song Qingwan watched the girl's small figure join the old man at the pond. Then she turned her gaze back to Lu Junhan, his cold indifference etched into every line of his face.
For a moment, she hesitated.
She feared if she didn't say it now, she might never have another chance. After a long pause, she sighed and began:
"Actually… there's something I never told you."
Lu Junhan's face didn't flicker. His handsome features remained cold, as though nothing in the world could touch him.
That resemblance—so much like her elder brother—made her chest ache.
Her voice softened, tinged with nostalgia. "Back then, when my brother had the car accident, I was abroad, in closed retreat for study. I didn't hear the news right away. Later, Father sent someone to inform me… and he asked me to come back, to take care of you."
But Lu Junhan cut her off, his tone flat: "I already know."
Song Qingwan froze, staring at him in shock. "But Father told me not to say anything… You—you knew?"
"Mm." He arched a cold brow. "Otherwise, why do you think I went back to the old house?"
Everyone knew Lu Junhan's grudge. If the old man had truly abandoned him and Lu Anran to live or die, Lu Junhan would never have set foot in the Lu house again. He would've destroyed it instead.
The fact that he returned proved otherwise.
Song Qingwan's heart shook. "But… how did you know? Did Father tell you?"
Her mind spun. She had been sworn to secrecy, yet here he stood, already aware. Did the old man go back on his word?
"Do you think that's possible?" Lu Junhan's cold gaze cut her words apart.
"I—"
Before she could respond, the old man's bellow carried across the pond. "You little girl! Why do you talk so much! Get out! Don't bother me! You're scaring away my fish!!!"
Song Qingwan: "..."
Truly impossible. That old man would never win affection through softness.
Lu Junhan's low voice pulled her attention back. "I checked it myself."
He lit a cigarette, the blue smoke curling around his sharp features, shadowing them into something colder.
"After the old man opposed me, I started to suspect."
For someone with his power, investigating an old secret wasn't difficult.
Song Qingwan's mouth fell open. "Wait… you suspected?"
He gave her a long, silent look, the same way he looked at Lili whenever she said something especially foolish.
Song Qingwan: "..."
She wanted to retort, but the truth was she never had a head for business. Back then, she was just a painter abroad, immersed in romantic dreams. She'd only become President Song later, and even now she lacked the sharpness of her brother or Lu Junhan. Without her father's hidden support, she would've been swallowed by other shareholders years ago.
The Lu family really was full of monsters.
Her temper snapped. "What are you staring at, brat! I'm still your aunt—at least give me some respect! Tell me, how did you figure it out? Why didn't I know?"
Lu Junhan stubbed out his cigarette with a flick, his voice cool as ever.
"The old man trained special forces himself. Every time they tried stealing documents from my company, they were from the Lu Group. Those people were exactly the ones I wanted to root out. Don't you think that's strange?"
"..."
Song Qingwan rubbed her temples. "No, what's strange is that I never noticed at all."