The Man Had Not Changed

Lu AnLing felt very warm and calm as she held the little girl in her arms.

Looking at how the little girl looked curiously at Kang Jun, Lu AnLing was about to pass her to the man and suggest that they look for her parents but then, suddenly, Lu AnLing heard a familiar voice.

"Xixi!" The voice called out.

Hearing this, Lu AnLing turned to look at the source and she saw a man running their way clumsily.

Once the man laid eyes on the little girl in Lu AnLing's arms, whose knees were bleeding, his face went completely pale and he frowned.

"Lu Yuxi, I told you not to run!" the man said as he gazed sadly upon her wounds.

Hearing her name being called, Lu Yuxi struggled in Lu AnLing's arms so Lu AnLing laid the girl down. As soon as she was on her feet, the little girl, ignoring the man's words, ran to him as tears flowed out of her eyes, once more.

"I'm sorry..." the little girl said.

Seeing this, the man couldn't help but wrap his arms around the girl lovingly.

"I know... it's my fault for letting you out of my sights..." The man said.

The look in his glazed over eyes showed how much the man cared about the girl. Seeing this, Lu AnLing felt a bit glad.

The man had not changed.

Seeing that the man had yet to look at her and Kang Jun, Lu AnLing cleared her throat.

"Uncle?" Lu AnLing said as she smiled awkwardly.

Hearing her soft voice, the man looked to Lu AnLing. As soon as he laid eyes on her, his whole face softened and he began to look as if he was holding back tears.

"Little Ling..." The man whispered as he looked at how the young girl, who he had met when she was just 15 years old, had changed. "You've grown into such a fine young woman! You're still short tho... Didn't I tell you to drink milk?"

Listening to the words escape his mouth, Lu AnLing smiled. Her eyes then swept over the man's figure. "You don't seem to have changed at all..."

By this, Lu AnLing did not only mean physical appearance though.

It was true that the man still looked as young as he had when she had first met him, give or take a few wrinkles, but by the way he spoke to her, which reminded her so much of Lu Duyi's manner, Lu AnLing felt her heart clench.

"How have you been uncle?" Lu AnLing said.

There was a time when she used to call this man father and when she had felt safe calling him this.

He had been a very good person. So good in fact, that he had been willing to treat Lu AnLing like family.

To the man, there was no difference between Lu Shuya, Lu Duyi and Lu AnLing. To him, they were his children.

But ever since what had happened with Lu Xinya, Lu AnLing had made an effort to avoid him. She did not want to cause him any trouble and she had also overheard her mother telling the man not to get too involved with Lu AnLing...

Lu AnLing would have been offended, back then, if she hadn't heard the kinds of rumours being spread.

It was sad but due to the way her body curved and her ability to get along well with the opposite sex, many had thought that Lu AnLing was a slut.

And Because of how aggressively her adoptive father was protecting her, rumours began to get out of hand.

The words spoken about the man had broken Lu AnLing's heart. And If those had reached the ears of Lu Shuya or Lu Duyi, Lu AnLing had not known what she would have possibly done. Back then her relationship with Lu Duyi was amazing and her relationship with Lu Shuya was not bad and so, Lu AnLing was afraid about her siblings hating her.

"I've been better..." The man said with a sigh. He then looked at the girl, in the eyes, with guilt and sadness.

Ever since what had happened between Lu AnLing and Lu Xinya, the man had felt like he had failed Lu AnLing but it had never been his fault. He was married to Lu Xiaoling but this did not give the man the power to influence anything or the title of father, to Lu AnLing.

The only thing he could control was how he treated others and nothing else.

Seeing the strange glint in his eyes, a complicated expression flashed across Lu AnLing's eyes and Kang Jun immediately caught it but he did not say a word. This was Lu AnLing's family. She knew how to deal with them best. So Kang Jun had decided to take his time to understand and analyze them.

Looking at Lu AnLing, the man smiled sadly. He was about to ask something but then he caught a glimpse of Kang Jun who gazed Lu AnLing's way.

"Who is this?..." The man asked.

Smiling softly, Lu AnLing turned her face to Kang Jun.

"Jun, this is my... ugh... step-father, Xu Shen." Saying this, Lu AnLing felt a bit embarrassed. She did not know how to introduce him at first but when she saw Xu Shen's expression soften, she was glad that she had chose to use the words step-father. "And uncle, this is my husband, Kang Jun."

Unlike many in the Lu family, Xu Shen was not familiar with anything which had anything to do with business and celebrities so Xu Shen did not know who Kang Jun was. Without a care in the world, Xu Shen reached out to shake Kang Jun's hand and, despite not liking to touch others, Kang Jun reciprocated the hand shake.

"Since we're introducing ourselves," Lu AnLing started as she looked down at the little girl who held onto Xu Shen's pants and stared at Kang Jun with awe. "who's this?"

Hearing her question, Xu Shen picked Lu Yuxi up and smiled wide.

"This is Lu Yuxi. She's a relative your mother and I have been taking care of."

"A relative?" Lu AnLing asked curiously.

Hearing her doubt, the man nodded his head and then he touched Lu Yuxi's perfectly straight hair and said, "Yes, your mothers cousins granddaughter."

Lu AnLing felt herself frown a bit but she immediately stopped herself.

What Xu Shen had just said was impossible...

For starters Grandpa Lu had no siblings and Grandma Lu had only ever had one sister and that was Lu Li Jing who Lu AnLing had come to know as Rong Lihua.

And Rong Lihua had only had two grandsons. Only one of whom was at an age where he could possibly have a daughter Lu Yuxi's age.

But even if he had had a child, due to what had happened to Rong Lihua, the Lu's would never have been able to lay a hand on Rong Xin's hypothetical child.

Thinking of this, Lu AnLing's stomach began to burn with curiosity but she stopped herself from pressing the issue as of yet.

The afternoon would be long, she would have plenty of time to pry.