The old man had always been calm, stern, and cold. But now—he was so lively that it almost seemed abnormal.
Yet the little girl remained as pretty and adorable as ever, darting around like a pink butterfly in full bloom.
Just then, Song Qingwan walked over. She caught sight of the tall man standing by the lakeside, paused briefly, and asked, "Finished already?"
Lu Junhan gave a short hum in reply. His eyes stayed fixed in that direction, his brows drawn in a slight frown as he said icily, "Did the old man finally go mad?"
Song Qingwan: "…"
She followed his gaze, then coughed lightly. "Probably not. He's just too happy. After all, he's fished for decades, and I'd wager he's never been as excited as today."
And it was true. Before, catching even one fish took at least half an hour. But now, he barely had a chance to rest—every few seconds, a fish was hooked.
If this had been gambling, the old man would have already won big.
"Father!"
Lu Li's sharp little eyes spotted him almost immediately. She stopped short, her mouth spreading into a bright grin before she ran over on her short legs.
Standing in front of him, she planted her hands firmly on her hips, tipped her little face upward, and huffed unhappily: "Dad, you're so slow! I already caught a lot of fish!"
Lu Junhan lowered his gaze. Her tiny face was flushed red from running under the sun, beads of sweat glistening on her cheeks. Her long black lashes were wet, making her clear eyes shine even more brightly.
Loose strands of hair clung to her pale skin, her rosy lips parted as she panted heavily.
Before he could speak, the old man approached. His face, usually stern and unsmiling, now carried a faint, uncharacteristic smile.
"Grandpa!" Lu Li's eyes lit up again. "Aren't you fishing anymore?"
The old man waved his hand dismissively. "Enough for today. I'm tired. Let's stop here."
Then he coughed into his fist, patted Lu Junhan's shoulder, and said awkwardly—though with rare approval—"Your girl… she's really not bad."
Song Qingwan was stunned.
Heavens!
Was this still her father, the same stubborn patriarch who despised women and thought daughters were useless?
Lu Li was probably the first girl in history to earn his praise. And even though it was only a simple, "not bad," coming from him, it was already the highest compliment imaginable.
Lu Junhan arched a brow. "Not bad? From the look of it, you were having a great time playing with her."
The old man: "…"
"Nonsense!" he snapped at once, his face darkening. "Who's playing with her—"
"Grandpa!"
A sweet, childish voice interrupted from not far away.
A small figure in a neatly pressed suit came running toward them.
Song Qingwan narrowed her eyes coldly, arms crossed, a disdainful snort slipping from her lips.
Lu Junhan remained expressionless, as though none of this had anything to do with him.
The boy, five or six years old, darted straight into the old man's arms. His delicate face tilted upward, his bright smile overflowing with joy.
"Grandpa! Qi Qi missed you so much! Did you miss Qi Qi?"
"Of course I did!" The old man stroked the boy's hair fondly, then turned to shoot Lu Junhan a pointed look. His tone carried obvious pride: "See? This is my favorite great-grandson!"
Lu Junhan's face didn't shift, his voice cool as ever. "Well then, since your precious great-grandson is here, you won't need my daughter to take you fishing tomorrow, right?"
The old man: "…"
Though he didn't want to admit it, he had to concede that today's unprecedented fishing success was clearly tied to Lu Li.
But Lu Junhan was Lu Junhan—he knew exactly where to hit. With just one casual remark, he soured the old man's triumph.
The truth was undeniable: fishing had never been as enjoyable as it was today. After experiencing the thrill of catching fish every few seconds, how could he ever go back to the dull, half-hour waits?
And he was used to fishing daily. If he didn't, his hands would itch.
So yes, he'd had his fill today. But tomorrow? Tomorrow he'd have to fish again.
The old man straightened stubbornly. No matter! He still had his great-grandson.
Lu Qi was also a child. A golden boy, no less. Surely he'd be even more attractive to fish than a little girl.
As Lu Qi clung to him, he cast a sly glare at Lu Li from behind the old man's back. His lips curled into a smug, provocative smile.
His father, Lu Tianhua, had told him everything. That annoying little brat thought she could steal his grandfather away? Dream on!
Grandpa could only love him.
But the little girl misunderstood completely. She blinked her wide eyes at her smiling brother, tilted her head thoughtfully, then beamed back at him with an even brighter grin.
Her mother had said that when one was "making friends with fish," one must always be polite and never rude.
So she smiled sweetly, standing beside Lu Junhan without a shred of hesitation, making sure her brother could see her very well.
In Lu Qi's eyes, it was blatant provocation!
It was as if she were saying, So what if you have Grandpa? I still have my Dad!
Lu Qi's fists clenched, his whole body trembling with fury.
So what if she had a good father? Why did she have to flaunt it?
Little Lu Li only tilted her head in confusion. Her brother looked so angry.
Could it be… she hadn't smiled brightly enough? Maybe he thought she wanted to ignore him?
That wouldn't do.
She widened her grin until her little face lit up like the sun.
Lu Qi: "…"
Infuriating!
"Grandfather."
Not long after, Lu Tianhua and his wife, Chen Susu, arrived. They greeted the old man warmly.
Then, noticing Lu Junhan and Song Qingwan, Lu Tianhua added politely, "So my brother and aunt are here too."
Song Qingwan shot him a frosty glance, her voice dripping with disdain. "We aren't relatives. There's no legal connection either. Don't you think it's inappropriate to call us brother and aunt?"
Lu Tianhua and Chen Susu's smiles froze awkwardly.
The absence of official recognition was their greatest weakness.
At that moment, Liu Huilan came out of the villa. When she saw Chen Susu and Lu Tianhua, she froze briefly before exclaiming in delight: "Susu! Why are you here?"
Chen Susu gave her a glance, then looked back at the old man. With a soft sigh, she replied meaningfully, "Grandma, it's because of Qi Qi. Ever since we returned a few days ago, he's been begging to come back, saying he missed his grandfather. Since we happened to be free today, we brought him over."
Liu Huilan's gaze slid past Lu Junhan and Lu Li before resting on Chen Susu. Smiling, she said—perhaps to her, perhaps to someone else entirely—"You're so filial. You know how much your grandfather loves Qi Qi. We really ought to trouble you to bring him over every few days. Honestly, we're embarrassed to disturb you so often, we don't know if it interrupts your work."
Chen Susu laughed lightly. "Oh, Grandma, don't say that. We're all family here. What's there to be embarrassed about? Even if Tianhua and I are busy, nothing is more important than you."
Song Qingwan let out a cold laugh, her words sharp as knives:
"That's right. After all, you're both unemployed freeloaders. Living off the Lu family leaves you with plenty of free time. Unlike us—every day we're busy making money, with hardly a moment to spare. Truly, I envy you."