The butler was instantly struck — his heart melted completely, and he couldn't resist the soft blow.
He suddenly remembered how his own daughter was when she was little: spoiled, delicate, beautiful, and full of charm with that sweet little voice.
Even the bodyguards and maids nearby couldn't help but steal glances.
This little girl was simply too adorable.
Even though they all knew she had climbed over the wall and barged in uninvited — clearly her fault — no one could bring themselves to blame her.
Instead, they all secretly wanted to kiss her soft, chubby cheeks.
They must have gone crazy.
The butler's temper disappeared in an instant. He waved his hand with a helpless sigh, and everyone slowly dispersed.
Then, he personally escorted the little girl to the villa's gate.
Lu Li, of course, didn't want to leave.
She had many tricks to stay — after all, she'd been reincarnated 25 times, and wasn't some clueless dumpling — but she also knew that if she tried to stay now, the butler and the others might get scolded by her villainous dad.
Hmph! What a terrible father!
Still, despite thinking this, with every step she took away from the villa, she couldn't help but look back pitifully. The housekeeper, watching her go with such reluctance, felt a twinge of sorrow.
If Lu Shao didn't hate children so much, the butler honestly wouldn't mind raising her in the Lu family.
She was so beautiful. So well-behaved. So irresistibly cute.
The two had just reached the villa gate when the butler's phone buzzed.
—Get her something to eat.
Sent by Lu Junhan himself.
The butler was stunned.
Then he remembered: the little girl had said earlier that she hadn't eaten for a long time. He, the one who was supposedly soft-hearted, had forgotten.
But the cold and aloof Lu Shao… remembered?
Unprecedented.
He actually texted just to remind me…
Before the butler could react further—
"Uncle, can you… lend me some money?"
Lu Li pursed her little lips, clearly embarrassed. Her tiny fingers wrung at each other as she spoke softly:
"I'm so hungry. I wanted to buy something to eat, but I don't have any money…"
The butler looked into her clear, deer-like eyes — wide and glistening — and immediately clutched his chest.
No! Too cute! He wanted another daughter right now!
"Is that okay, Uncle?" Seeing the butler frozen, Lu Li panicked and hurriedly raised her hand like a solemn little adult, "I don't have money now, but I'll pay you back in the future — I swear!"
She stood up straight, tiny and determined, her hand raised in a vow. The sight of her little serious face was overwhelmingly cute.
The butler was completely charmed.
He waved over a passing servant and ordered them to fetch food — after all, Lu Shao had given the green light.
Snacks, biscuits, milk, juice — they quickly filled a whole bag.
But Lu Li didn't take everything. She only accepted a bottle of water and a small slice of cake. The rest, she returned with thanks.
After all, she didn't know how long it would take to pay back so much food.
Everyone says making money is hard.
The butler didn't push it. Frankly, she was too small to carry the whole bag anyway. He just urged her to eat more.
Then, noticing how drenched she still was, he quickly ordered a maid to take her to the small side building for a bath.
"Uncle Liu," the maid called out awkwardly, "We don't seem to have any clothes her size."
Lu Shao despised children so thoroughly that no child had ever set foot in the Lu residence — of course there weren't any children's clothes.
But the banquet was starting soon. There wasn't time to go out and buy any.
The butler thought for a moment. "Ask the Second Miss. She might have something."
Lu Junhan's biological sister, Lu Anran, the second Miss of the Lu family, was now 22. But she had grown up here since childhood, and it was possible her old clothes had been kept.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the butler to return with a brand-new light green dress.
When the little girl changed into it, the butler was stunned.
The child in the mirror had silky, jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders, a bright and clever glint in her big eyes, and her soft, rosy cheeks puffed slightly as she blinked curiously.
She was beautiful.
He couldn't tell whether it was the dress or something else, but for a moment, the butler could swear she looked just like the Second Miss when she was little.
"…Uncle?"
Lu Li blinked, puzzled by his stare. The butler shook his head quickly and said nothing more.
Without lingering, he took her back to the gate.
…
After the butler sent Lu Li out, he had many responsibilities to prepare for the banquet and couldn't stay.
More and more guests were arriving.
Inside the banquet hall, elegantly dressed men and women gathered in small groups, clinking glasses, laughing softly, whispering secrets.
The butler issued a few final orders and returned to the villa.
When he entered the study, Lu Junhan was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down.
His cold eyes, sharp and precise, landed at the villa's entrance — right where the little girl in the green dress stood.
The sky had darkened completely.
In the dim light, the tiny girl stood quietly in a corner as groups of well-dressed adults walked by, ignoring her existence.
She looked even more abandoned now — like a lonely, pitiful little stray kitten.
The butler followed his gaze and felt something turn unpleasant in his chest.
A moment later, more cars pulled up, and more guests stepped out. Lu Li turned and hurried away to avoid the crowd.
She turned a corner and disappeared.
Lu Junhan's gaze remained locked on the spot. His brows furrowed slightly, his lips pursed into a thin line. Something in his heart felt… strangely hollow.
He clearly hated children.
Yet — he kept remembering the little girl's expressions:
Happy.
Proud.
Wronged.
Teary-eyed.
Stubborn.
As if he'd seen her before… as if it wasn't their first meeting.
Could it really be true — was she really his daughter?
The butler glanced at him, then remembered that earlier message again.
In his heart, he thought: Lu Shao clearly likes that little girl. He just hasn't realized it yet.
After all, this was the same expression Lu Junhan wore the first time he sent his sister to school.
Unwilling. But frustrated with himself for being unwilling.
The butler cleared his throat and boldly spoke up.
"Spit it out," Lu Junhan said coldly without turning.
The butler, confident in his instincts, carefully chose his words and said with some bitterness:
"Shao Lu… that little girl is actually quite pitiful. She's been here all this time and no one has come to get her. I suspect her family doesn't want her anymore."
Lu Junhan's eyes darkened.
He sneered, "So what? Just because they don't want her, I have to raise their child for them? What am I — a charity worker?"
Everyone in Hai Cheng knew one thing:
Lu Junhan and the word "charity" had never belonged in the same sentence.
The butler wasn't discouraged. He knew how proud Lu Junhan was — the type to feel something deeply but never admit it.
He tried a different angle:
"I noticed earlier that her clothes were torn and ragged. Clearly, her family didn't treat her well. Maybe she's been abused for a long time…"
He paused, then continued slowly:
"Think about it — they had her hide underwater, just to sneak into your place unnoticed. If she weren't lucky, she could have drowned."