644 Be Brave, Don’t Cower

Dragon Palace Home #10.

"Ampa Lu! Ampa Lu!"

"There's my boy! Come and give your beloved great-grandpa a kiss!" a familiar booming voice echoed in the grand foyer.

A little boy ran towards the sprightly old man who caught him and tossed him up the air. The delighted child's laughter made everyone smile. An orange cat ran around the toddler and the old man, meowing loudly, while a fat grey cat reluctantly huffed and puffed its way towards the visitor to pay respects to an elder.

"Little Junjun, did you miss Great-Grandpa? I want to know!"

"Yesh!"

"Hahaha! Great-Grandpa missed you too, my boy! Were you a good boy?"

"Yesh, Ampa Lu! Junjun good boy!"

Grandpa Lu nodded. He looked very pleased with the child's answers. When Little Jun gave him a wet kiss on the cheek, the old man became even happier. Carrying the toddler, Grandpa Lu walked inside the grand foyer, followed by Ice Cream and Popcorn who finished paying their respects to him. He was too preoccupied enjoying his great-grandson that he ignored Iris and the others until they greeted him.

He greeted them back but his expression showed his disinterest on them. At the moment, all he cared about was his beloved great-grandson, Little Jun.

When Iris came into the picture, Lu Zihao was tossed aside and Iris became Grandpa Lu's new favourite grandchild. He doted on her while also teaching her his genius ways of shamelessness in the business world. It was fortunate that his former favourite grandchild, Lu Zihao, didn't mind nor felt jealous but instead also doted on Iris as an older brother.

But when Little Jun came into the picture next, Grandpa Lu found his new favourite. This was a great-grandchild after all, a higher level than a grandchild! If only he could have more great-grandchildren to dote on, then Grandpa Lu could live the remainder of his precious years with happiness. It was so frustrating that his grandchildren were so slow in giving him great-grandbabies. Was it so hard for those pinheads to make babies? What was wrong with them?! He wanted to know!

Bless Jiang Ying Yue for coming into their lives and sharing Little Jun with them! Now Grandpa Lu had a taste of what it was like to have a great-grandbaby. As he expected, it felt awesome!

"Old man, you're so old already and yet you still have the guts to toss a child in the air and carry him. What if you break your back? Don't complain to us, then," a devilish voice teased from behind Grandpa Lu.

"What did you say, you punk?! Who're you calling old?! I want to know! Don't get overconfident just because you gained some muscles! Bah! I'm telling you that this old man is still many times stronger than you! You're still a hundred years too early to talk to me like that! Hmph!"

Lu Zihao emerged from the shadows. Nobody in the foyer noticed his arrival, not even Iris. His movements were silent and even his large, muscled frame would disappear in the dark if he wanted it. He entered the foyer after Grandpa Lu. His lips were curved in a devilish smirk.

"Big Brother," Iris greeted him with a smile. She was happy that he came home again. They hadn't seen each other since the last time they spoke.

He nodded at her, his eyes becoming gentler.

Jin Liwei tightened his hold around her waist and pulled her closer to his body before also greeting his fifth brother with a nod.

The couple was free today until mid-afternoon. Then they needed to return to their respective work.

Later, they ate lunch in the indoor forest. The people present were Iris, Jin Liwei, Dom, Jiang Ying Yue, Little Jun, Grandpa Lu and Lu Zihao.

Everyone was having fun chatting while eating. They mostly talked about Iris' latest hit song with Jin Chonglin, "Passionate Flames". There was one person who looked distracted, though. The others noticed, of course, but they pretended that nothing was amiss.

After lunch, Little Jun fell asleep earlier than usual for his afternoon nap. Playing with his great-grandpa and cat cousins tired him. Grandpa Lu carried the toddler just as the nanny arrived, carrying Little Jun's sleepover luggage.

"Alright, we'll get going now," Grandpa Lu announced. His booming voice didn't boom as usual so as not to wake up the child. "Good thing the boy is fast asleep. He'll probably cry and won't want to leave you if I take him with me while he's awake."

Jiang Ying Yue felt reluctant. It must've been obvious from her expression because Grandpa Lu patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ying Yue my girl. Grandpa Lu will take care of your son. It'll only be for a few days!"

"Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Why are you still calling me sir? Is this old man still a stranger to you? I want to know! Call me Grandpa Lu!"

"Y-yes, G-grandpa Lu…" Jiang Ying Yue replied in a shy tone, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.

"Good, very good!"

They all walked Grandpa Lu and the sleeping Little Jun to the front entrance.

Jiang Ying Yue's eyes were red and moist, although the rest of her face looked impassive. She was fighting tears because this would be the first time that her son would be sleeping over for a few days in another place by himself without her. In addition, the anxiety of tomorrow and the next few days loomed in her heart, almost making her feel suffocated.

Grandpa Lu gave her a firm yet encouraging look. "The lawyers will pick you up here tomorrow. Don't you worry, Ying Yue my dear. Nobody is allowed to take Little Junjun away from you without your consent as long as I, your Grandpa Lu, is still alive!"

Iris stepped forward and patted Jiang Ying Yue's back. "I can't accompany you to court because I'll attract too much attention but you'll have our lawyers to protect your interests and Little Jun's. You can depend on them. All you need to do is be brave and don't let yourself be bullied. Don't cower when facing Long Hui."

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[This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria]