Chapter 164: Your Father

“I’m busy. I don’t have time. I’ll go apologize to Commander Xu in person later,” Lu Zhengchuan said, refusing as he moved to shut the door.

The smile on Xu Rongrong’s face froze. She reached out to stop him. “Wait! Brother Lu, I’m not finished talking.”

Lu Zhengchuan dodged her hand, his brow creasing. He instinctively brushed his sleeve, as if trying to wipe away something filthy.

Xu Rongrong’s eyes immediately reddened. She glared at Lu Zhengchuan as if he were a heartless scoundrel who had wronged her, but remembering why she was there, she gritted her teeth and suppressed her anger.

“Lu Zhengchuan, are you sure you won’t see my grandfather? Don’t you want news about your father?” Xu Rongrong dropped the act, her form of address changing.

He had just wanted to send Xu Rongrong away, to make her give up and leave, but the word “father” successfully stayed his hand.

Xu Rongrong noticed. A confident smirk touched her lips. “My grandfather knows where your father is. Are you sure you don’t want to come to my house?”

“Father?”

Hearing that word, Lu Zhengchuan’s expression turned grim as he stared at her.

“Xu Rongrong, what kind of joke are you playing on me? My father died a long time ago.”

Seeing his disbelief, Xu Rongrong grew annoyed. She crossed her arms, a smug look on her face. “It’s because your father didn’t die, of course.”

“And my grandfather has information about him. Are you really not coming?”

At her words, Lu Zhengchuan gazed at her impassively and coldly uttered two words: “Not going.”

With that, he moved to shut the door again.

The confident smile on Xu Rongrong’s face froze. She hadn’t expected this—what she thought was a sure thing—to hit a snag.

“Wait, Lu Zhengchuan! Do you really not want news of your father? He’s not dead!”

“If this is information even Commander Xu could get his hands on, do you think he’s the only one who knows?” Lu Zhengchuan retorted, raising an eyebrow.

It dawned on Xu Rongrong. In disbelief, she said, “So, because you have a problem with me, even when you know I might be telling the truth, you’d rather find someone else to ask than approach my grandfather?”

“Good. As long as you understand.” Lu Zhengchuan slammed the gate shut. His voice came from behind it. “Since you know where I stand, don’t come looking for me again. Next time, I won’t be giving the Xu Family any face. Stop embarrassing your grandfather.”

“You… you…” Xu Rongrong was so furious she wanted to kick the door down.

But before she could, the guard beside her pulled her back.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!”

“Miss, the Commander only sent us to invite Mr. Lu for a talk. He didn’t order us to use force. Our main objective is to foster goodwill. Acting like this will put the Commander in a difficult position.” The guard’s tone was gentle, but his stance was firm.

Xu Rongrong glared at him furiously. “You and Lu Zhengchuan are both out of your minds! I am the young lady of the Xu family!”

The guard replied stiffly, “My apologies, Miss, but these are the Commander’s orders.”

“Hmph. So ungrateful. You really think Lu Zhengchuan is my only option?” Xu Rongrong stared darkly at the wooden door. “Lu Zhengchuan, you’ll regret this.”

With a flick of her sleeve, Xu Rongrong turned and stormed away.

The guard breathed a sigh of relief. He knocked twice on the door, then slid an envelope under the gap. “Mr. Lu,” he called out, “this letter is from the Commander. Please be sure to read it. My apologies for the disturbance.”

He left the letter and departed.

Of course, Lu Zhengchuan had heard everything from inside. He looked at the envelope on the floor, then bent down to pick it up.

The handwriting was indeed Commander Xu’s.

“Zhengchuan, who was that?” Aunt Zhao asked casually as she came out of the kitchen, having just prepared the formula to feed the children.

Lu Zhengchuan quickly tucked the letter away. “It’s nothing, Auntie. I can feed the children.”

“Alright. But Tuantuan is strong; he doesn’t need help. He can hold his bottle and drink by himself. Yuanyuan, on the other hand, does need some looking after. It’s good you’re back. You can spend more time bonding with her.”

“Okay.”

Lu Zhengchuan went into the room, holding Yuanyuan in one arm while helping her hold the bottle with his other hand.

Yuanyuan looked up at him with her bright, grape-like eyes. It seemed she already recognized him. She blinked once, then began to drink her milk obediently without making a fuss.

Second Sister-in-law Su smiled from nearby. “Brother-in-law, you’re getting pretty good at this whole baby thing. Even Nuannuan likes you.”

Nuannuan, nestled in her arms, giggled at her words and kicked her little legs.

“Haha! See? That just proves kids love me,” Lu Zhengchuan said cheerfully.

Second Sister-in-law Su’s tone then shifted. “Brother-in-law, was that Xu Rongrong outside just now?”

“How did you know, Second Sister-in-law?”

Seeing her hesitation, a guess instantly formed in Lu Zhengchuan’s mind. He frowned. “Second Sister-in-law, has Xu Rongrong come here before?”

“You’re so clever, Brother-in-law.” Since he’d already guessed, Second Sister-in-law Su didn’t hide it. “She has indeed come to the house a few times. That was back when Wanwan was raising the children at the military base and hadn’t returned home yet.”

“She came a few times, saying she could help our business grow, but only on the condition that Wanwan divorced you.”

“She didn’t just make that demand, either. She offered money—and a lot of it. A thousand for every single person in our family.”

At this point, Second Sister-in-law Su couldn’t help but laugh. “Our family may not be that wealthy, but we’re not the type to abandon our own for money. I really don’t know what goes through her head, to even try something like that.”

“Brother-in-law, why is she so fixated on you?”

Her question held a probing tone.

Lu Zhengchuan nodded. “You’re right, Second Sister-in-law. I really should look into it. I assumed that after more than half a year, she would have gotten married by now.”

“As long as you’re not angry with me for prying, Brother-in-law.”

Second Sister-in-law Su gave a small smile.

“Of course not. I’m the one who’s brought trouble to the family.”

After feeding the baby, Lu Zhengchuan handed her over to Aunt Zhao’s care. He returned to his room, opened the envelope, and read its contents. Now he had a good idea why Xu Rongrong had set her sights on him again.

That afternoon, Lu Zhengchuan headed straight out.

He went directly to see Qi Hao. “Haozi, I need to see your grandfather.”

“Hmm?” Qi Hao asked instinctively. “What for? What do you need the old man for?”

“It’s about my biological father.”

The moment he heard it was a private matter, and such a personal one at that, Qi Hao didn’t hesitate. “Wait here. I’ll go talk to my grandpa right now.”

“Come with me. My grandpa seems to be home more often these days.”

“Thanks, brother.” Lu Zhengchuan clapped him on the shoulder, a gesture of gratitude that needed no further words.

Qi Hao waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. But… didn’t your father disappear years ago? Is there news of him now?”

“Yes. Old Sir Xu mentioned it, but I’m not sure if it’s true.”

Qi Hao raised an eyebrow. “Commander Xu?”

“That’s him.”

“Then you definitely need to talk to my grandpa.”

Qi Hao led Lu Zhengchuan back to his house and asked the family housekeeper, “Aunt Zhao, where’s my grandpa? Is he home today?”

“He is. The old master is fishing in the backyard.”

“Alright.” Qi Hao had Lu Zhengchuan wait in the living room, then said in a low voice, “I’ll go let my grandpa know first.”