The Billionaire's Little Dumpling

Chapter Two

The airport was crowded on the morning Lu jinyan was to leave.

Bai Lu stood beside her parents, holding a little gift bag containing the snacks she had insisted on buying for him.

She had cried the previous night.

She had cried that morning.

And now that the car had arrived at the departure entrance, she was trying very hard not to cry again.

Lu Jinyan crouched in front of her.

"Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like someone stole your favourite toy."

She frowned.

"You're worse than a toy."

He laughed softly.

"Thank you."

She sniffed.

"You're welcome."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Bai Lu thrust the gift bag into his hands.

"These are for you."

He looked inside.

Chocolate biscuits. Candies. A small packet of dried fruit.

And a handwritten note covered in uneven letters.

"Come back soon, Gege. I will wait for you."

He swallowed.

Then he folded the note carefully and placed it inside his jacket, he will read it on the plane.

"I'll keep it."

"Really?"

"Really."

A voice called his name from behind him.

It was time.

Lu Jinyan stood.

Bai Lu immediately grabbed his hand.

"Gege!"

He looked down.

She was crying again.

"Don't go!"

At that moment, he wanted to turn around and tell his father he had changed his mind.

But he couldn't.

He had responsibilities he didn't fully understand yet, expectations he had been raised to meet, and a future that had already been planned for him.

So he crouched one last time and held her face between his hands.

"Listen to me, Little Dumpling."

She shook her head.

"I don't want to listen!"

He smiled sadly.

"I know."

He wiped her tears.

"But I need you to be brave for me."

She tried to stop crying.

"Will you call me?"

"Every week."

"Every day!" she countered.

He hesitated.

"Whenever I can."

She looked unconvinced.

Then she held out her little finger.

"Promise you'll come back?"

He hooked his around hers as they have always done.

"I promise." He took her small white face in his and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She watched him walk away.

And when he disappeared beyond the security entrance, Bai Lu finally broke down.

Her father carried her to the car, where she cried against his shoulder.

For days, she kept the little dumpling pendant beneath her pillow.

For weeks, she asked when Lu Jinyan would call.

And for months, she counted the days until the next school holiday.

At first, he kept his promise.

He called whenever his schedule allowed, sometimes late at night because of the time difference. He told her about his classes, his new surroundings, and the things he was learning.

She told him about school, her friends, and every small event she believed he needed to know.

She always ended the calls the same way.

"Come back soon, Gege."

And he always answered:

"I will, Little Dumpling."

But as the years passed, his responsibilities increased.

His classes became more demanding. His grandfather began involving him in business discussions. His father expected him to learn the foundations of the family empire.

Calls became shorter.

Then less frequent. then stopped completely.

Bai Lu tried not to complain.

She told herself he was busy.

She told herself he hadn't forgotten her.

Eventually, she stopped counting the days.

She grew older, made new friends, and learned to live without the boy who had once seemed to be everywhere in her life.

She never threw away the pendant.

But she learned not to expect him to return.

Thirteen years later.

"Bai Lu! Are you even listening to me?"

Bai Lu blinked and looked up from her phone.

Her best friend, Su Mei, stood in front of her dressing table with both hands on her hips.

"What?"

Su Mei stared at her in bewilderment.

"I've been talking for five minutes!"

Bai Lu smiled innocently.

"Have you?"

"You're unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"I'll accept it anyway." Bai lu smiled sticking her tongue out.

Su Mei groaned.

Bai Lu laughed and reached for her lipstick.

At twenty-two, she had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her cheeks were still soft, her eyes bright, and her smile carried the same sweetness.

But she wasn't quite the little girl she had been.

She had become more confident, more outspoken, and considerably less willing to let people make decisions for her.

She still loved pretty dresses, sweet treats, and being spoiled by her father.

But she also hated being underestimated.

Unfortunately, being the only daughter of a wealthy family meant people often assumed to partake in the family's functions.

Tonight was another example.

Her father had insisted she attend a formal dinner celebrating a proposed merger between the Bai Corporation and the Lu Group.

Bai Lu had tried to refuse.

She had argued that she knew practically nothing about corporate mergers and wanted to focus on her fashion designing career

Her father had simply smiled and told her that she would never learn if she refused to show up.

So here she was.

Wearing an elegant white dress, carrying a small designer handbag, and mentally preparing herself for an evening of business conversations she barely understood.

"Do I really have to go?" she asked.

Su Mei gave her a look.

"Your father said the car is waiting."

Bai Lu sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

She stood, picked up her handbag, checking her reflection one last time.

"Bai Lu!" her father called from downstairs.

"Coming!". She hurried out of her bedroom.

The Bai family's car pulled up outside one of the city's most luxurious hotels.

Golden lights illuminated the entrance, photographers waited near the red carpet, and black luxury cars lined the driveway.

Bai Lu stepped out and adjusted her dress.

Her father turned towards her.

"Lu Lu, I need you to behave tonight."

She pouted playfully.

"Dad, when do I ever misbehave?"

He gave her a pointed look.

She smiled.

"Okay, fine. Sometimes."

He chuckled and patted her head.

"Just stay close to me. There are some important people I want you to meet."

Bai Lu nodded.

Inside, the ballroom glittered beneath enormous chandeliers. Waiters carried trays of champagne, business executives exchanged greetings, and conversations filled the room.

Bai Lu followed her father through the crowd, offering polite smiles whenever someone greeted them.

Then she noticed something strange.

Several guests had gathered near the entrance to the private reception area.

Their voices had lowered.

Their attention was fixed on a young man who had just arrived.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit. His posture was straight, his expression unreadable, and his presence commanded attention without him having to say a word.

Yet even the older businessmen greeted him with obvious respect.

Bai Lu tilted her head

Who was he?

"Ah, he's here," her father murmured.

She looked at him.

"Who's here?"

Her father smiled.

"Our most important business partner."

Shrugging, she turned her attention to the desserts beautifully arranged and proceeded to pile pork stuffed dumplings on her plate.

As she stuffed one into her mouth she met the gaze of the young man. For one strange second, everything seemed to freeze.

His gaze dropped to the plate of dumplings and a small smile appears on his face.

Then he looked at her face.

Those familiar eyes.

That familiar little pout.

The girl he had spent years trying to forget how much he missed.

Bai Lu stared at him, searching her memory.

It was Lu Jinyan!

There was something familiar about his face, but the man standing before her was nothing like the boy she remembered.

He was taller now.

Colder.

And impossibly handsome.

Her father stepped forward with a delighted smile.

"Jinyan! It's been years. Welcome home." He said patting him at his back as he walked him towards Bai Lu.

"Lu Lu, Jinyan is here" He stated as if to ensure she would see him. " I'll leave you two to talk" He said and left.

The young man barely seemed to hear him.

His eyes remained fixed on Bai Lu.

Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth lifted.

"Little Dumpling."

Bai Lu stopped breathing.

Nobody had called her that in years.

The young man took a step towards her

"Have you forgotten me already?"

Her lips parted.

"Gege?"

For the first time that evening, Lu Jinyan smiled, a real smile.

Not the polite smile he had given the businessmen.

Not the distant smile expected of the Lu family's heir.

A real one.

The kind he had once reserved for a little girl who believed two ice creams were enough to repay him for a lifetime of kindness.

"Good girl," he murmured. "You still remember."

Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear.

"But you took your time, Little Dumpling."

His eyes softened, but something intense flickered beneath them.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to see you again?"

Bai Lu could only stare.

She had spent years convincing herself that her childhood sweetheart was nothing more than a beautiful memory.

Now he was standing in front of her.

And judging by the way he was looking at her, Lu Jinyan had no intention of becoming a memory again.