Chapter 86: No Turning Back on the Path of the Tyrant

Bai Lu really did torment Chairman Lu half to death.

Ignoring the pained expression on Lu Cheng’s face, Bai Lu kept piling food onto his plate, addressing him sweetly as “Grandpa” with every bite. Lu Cheng had no choice but to eat.

“Grandpa, my dad and I made this for you ourselves! You have to finish it all, or both Dad and I will be upset!”

Song Jinse stifled a laugh.

Seeing her usually domineering husband forced to give in was truly delightful.

Bai Lu, ever considerate, poured Lu Cheng another glass of water. “Grandpa, if you can’t eat anymore, just have some water and swallow everything down.”

Lu Cheng was speechless.

“Lu Xiaolu, are you trying to add a murder to your record?” Unable to watch any longer, Lu Yiting removed the two plates of charred culinary disasters and placed a helping of Gu Pianran’s dish in front of Lu Cheng. “Eat this.”

Bai Lu asked deliberately, “Dad, didn’t we agree to prank Grandpa? How can you betray me? Are you feeling sorry for him?”

Lu Yiting shot her a fierce glare. “Don’t want dinner? Want a taste of the belt instead?”

“I think it’s you who wants a taste of the belt.” Song Jinse quickly shielded her precious granddaughter. “Xiaolu, if your dad ever bullies you, just tell Grandma. I’ll deal with him for you.”

Bai Lu’s smug little expression could only be described with one phrase:

Relying on powerful backing.

With this little fox Bai Lu around, dinner was filled with endless laughter.

She pulled out all her tricks—acting cute and being a clown—cheering both Song Jinse and Lu Cheng to no end.

At first, Lu Yiting was visibly annoyed, but when he saw Song Jinse laughing so heartily, his sour expression slowly softened.

Although father and son didn’t exchange a single word, something between them had undeniably shifted.

Both Bai Lu and Song Jinse felt it clearly.

“No need to see us off any further,” Song Jinse waved from inside the elevator. “You two are celebrities, coming this far is enough.”

Bai Lu hooked her arm through her father’s, smiling sweetly. “Goodbye, Grandpa and Grandma!”

Then she nudged her father’s ribs with her elbow.

Lu Yiting hesitated. “Dad, Mom, here, take this.”

He awkwardly pulled a keycard from his pocket.

Song Jinse didn’t take it but pinched her husband’s side instead.

Lu Cheng coughed, a bit embarrassed, and reached out to accept the card. “We’ll call before we come over next time.”

“Come if you want, don’t if you don’t.” Lu Yiting threw out the words stiffly and turned on his heel.

Bai Lu winked. “Dad’s just shy, Grandpa. What he means is, you and Grandma can come here anytime, just like your own home—no need to call ahead.”

Song Jinse winked back. “Your grandpa’s shy too. He’s actually delighted.”

“Sese!”

“See? That’s Grandpa being shy again.”

Bai Lu covered her mouth, giggling. “Goodbye, Grandpa and Grandma! Sweet dreams!”

As the elevator doors closed, Lu Cheng finally broke into a smile.

Song Jinse rolled her eyes at her husband. “Just like Ting’er!”

Lu Cheng thumped his cane. “How am I like my son? He’s the one who takes after me!”

Song Jinse snorted. “Childish.”

---

The moment Bai Lu stepped through the door, she heard her father cursing.

Well, she was used to it.

Without even blinking, Bai Lu rolled up her sleeves and headed for the kitchen to do the dishes.

“…Yu Fuqing, you bastard, coming to me for a loan—who the hell gave you the confidence?”

The moment she heard Yu Fuqing’s name, Bai Lu quickly turned and sat beside her dad, pricking up her ears.

Yu Fuqing’s voice was full of humility. “Film Emperor Lu, if it weren’t for Xiaolu, I’d never dare bother you. She’s run into a little trouble and urgently needs some money…”

Her father raised an eyebrow, giving her a questioning look.

Bai Lu shook her head at once.

Lu Yiting, not in the mood for niceties, interrupted Yu Fuqing’s rambling. “Want to borrow money? Fine. Hand Bai Lu over to me—then I’ll give you as much as you want, no strings attached.”

With that, he hung up.

“Dad, it’s like this—”

“No need to explain,” Lu Yiting cut her off lazily. “Whatever you want to do, go for it. If you can’t handle it, then come back to your old man.”

“You’re the best, Dad!” Bai Lu threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Lu Yiting looked thoroughly disgusted. “Gross! Get off!”

He pushed Bai Lu a good two meters away, but she slid right back over. “Dad, Grandpa and Grandma… you might need to pay a little more attention to them too.”

Her father sneered. “Did they mention you at all today?”

Bai Lu was quick on the uptake. “Uncle Gu? Wow, Fox Gu really thinks of everything.”

“You think he got that nickname for nothing?” Her father snorted. “Go turn on the TV.”

Bai Lu immediately pulled a face. “Dad, can we skip it just for tonight?”

“No whining. Move it. Are you not aware how much you ate tonight?”

“Then you have to work out with me!”

“Fine.”

With that, Bai Lu cheerfully switched on the TV and connected the Switch console.

After a full hour of dancing, her dad made her box for another hour.

“That’s enough exercise. Off you go.”

When her dad declared the workout over, Bai Lu was drenched in sweat, looking like she’d just been hauled out of the river.

Soaking in the tub, Bai Lu felt as if her whole body was about to fall apart.

She finally understood why her dad had dominated the entertainment industry for so many years. Setting aside his looks and acting skills, his sheer self-discipline alone put him ahead of 99.999% of people.

She was already exhausted, yet for him, the workout was only half done.

[It’s the Incredibly Cute Little Bai Lu: Asui, when are you coming back?]

[It’s the Incredibly Cute Little Bai Lu: o(╥﹏╥)o]

[It’s the Incredibly Cute Little Bai Lu: Asui, if you don’t come back soon, I’ll just die.]

While Bai Lu was bombarding him with “crying” emojis, his call came through.

Startled, Bai Lu hurried to explain, “Asui, I’m fine, really, don’t worry. I was just being tormented by the Film Emperor. I wanted to ask when you’ll be back to rescue me. You promised to teach me boxing.”

“Film Emperor?”

Bai Lu sounded aggrieved. “Him! He says I’m fat and eat too much, so he’s forcing me to exercise. I’m exhausted!”

“…Isn’t it good that the Film Emperor himself is teaching you boxing?” Huo Yan’s tone was slow and measured.

“No, he’s too strict. I don’t want him, I want you to teach me.”

“I won’t be back until next week at the earliest.”

“I’ll wait for you then.”

“All right.”

“Asui, are you busy? Will talking to me interrupt your work?”

Huo Yan immediately ended the video conference with a click. “Not busy. You’re not interrupting.”

Tang Xing: …

Xu Yi: …

It seemed President Huo was determined to walk the path of a hopelessly doting tyrant.