Chapter 228 - 169: Booking the Hotel’s Panoramic View for Jiang Silu

Chapter 228: Chapter 169: Booking the Hotel’s Panoramic View for Jiang Silu

Lu Fan stood to the side, not saying a word.

"The man in my dreams was very tall. I couldn’t see his face, but he held my hand and led me upward, one step at a time."

Jiang Silu’s voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself. "Every time we reached the summit, he would buy me delicious treats—ice cream, candied haws, cotton candy... anything and everything."

As she spoke, she lowered her head to look at the water bottle in her hand, her tone tinged with disappointment. "Then I’d wake up, and I’d lie in bed alone, wondering when that person would finally appear."

Just then, a mountain breeze rustled the leaves overhead.

Lu Fan stood frozen, looking at his daughter with a storm of emotions.

Jiang Silu didn’t look at him and continued, "In school, whenever the class had a spring or fall outing, the other kids were all dropped off by both their mom and dad."

"Mom had to work, so I always had to go alone. One time at an amusement park, I saw a kid sitting on his dad’s shoulders, holding a pinwheel and laughing so happily. I couldn’t help but wonder if my dad would have let me sit on his shoulders, too, if he were there."

She paused and gave a faint smile, one so slight it was heartbreaking. "After I grew up, I stopped thinking about those things. I knew there was no point."

Lu Fan felt a lump form in his throat.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

"Let’s keep going," Jiang Silu said, smiling at Lu Fan.

She stepped back onto the stone path, her stride more determined than before.

Lu Fan watched her from behind—that slender, stubborn figure climbing step by step.

His mind flooded with images of Jiang Yixia raising their two children alone all these years: the night she went to the hospital by herself to give birth, the mornings she sold flowers from a stall with a child strapped to her back.

And where was he? At the very moments he should have been there, he was either lost in the arms of another woman or drunk at a banquet table, having completely forgotten about mother and child.

’Damn it all!’ he thought. ’Sigh, why was I such a lecher back then?’

He quickened his pace to catch up, walking beside Jiang Silu.

The mountain path grew steeper, and her breathing became heavier, but she gritted her teeth and climbed on without a single complaint.

Lu Fan reached out and took her arm. "Lean on me."

Jiang Silu stiffened for a moment but didn’t pull away.

And so, the father and daughter walked side by side, one supporting the other, step by step, stair by stair.

After a while, Jiang Silu suddenly spoke. "In junior high, there was a huge downpour one day, and I didn’t have an umbrella. I waited at the school gate for a long time. All the other students got picked up by their parents, until I was the only one left. My mom finally rushed over after work, completely drenched. She said she had to run to several stores before she could find an umbrella to buy."

Her voice trembled. "She came down with a fever that night, thirty-nine degrees."

Lu Fan’s grip on her arm tightened.

"Back then, I thought that if I had a dad, maybe Mom wouldn’t have had to work so hard." Jiang Silu lowered her head, staring at the stone steps beneath her feet. "But then I thought, it’s better not to have a dad at all. At least that way he can’t come and then leave again, breaking Mom’s heart even more."

The mountain wind blew again, tousling her hair.

Lu Fan reached out, intending to smooth it for her, but his hand paused mid-air before he drew it back.

"I’m sorry," Lu Fan apologized softly. "Silu, I’m so sorry for what I did to you both."

Jiang Silu shook her head. "Mom told us that you didn’t know we were born, so we shouldn’t hate you."

With that, she resumed her climb.

At that moment, Lu Fan saw her raise a hand to wipe her face.

He couldn’t tell if she was wiping away sweat or tears.

The two of them climbed in silence for over an hour.

When Jiang Silu finally stopped, leaning on her knees and gasping for breath, they had already passed the most difficult section of the climb.

Lu Fan pointed to a platform not far away. "There’s a rest area over there. Let’s go sit for a bit."

On the platform stood a massive guest-greeting pine, with a few stone benches beneath it.

Jiang Silu sat down, gazing at the distant mountains.

The setting sun was already beginning its descent, painting the entire mountain range in a golden hue.

Lu Fan took some chocolate and crackers from his bag and handed them to her. "Here, get some energy back."

Jiang Silu took them and ate in small bites.

As she was eating, she suddenly said, "Actually, Mom told me about you and her."

"She said you were the one who pursued her first, and that you treated her incredibly well."

"Then your business grew, and you were surrounded by more temptations, and you couldn’t resist. Mom said it wasn’t entirely your fault; she was young too and didn’t know how to keep a man."

She turned to look at Lu Fan. "But Mom never hated you. She said the happiness you gave her was real, and what happened later was also real. You can’t only remember the bad and forget the good."

"So if Mom ever says anything harsh, please don’t take it to heart. She just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she doesn’t want you to see her vulnerable side."

After hearing this, Lu Fan nodded. "I know."

After all, he had seen with his own eyes just how good of a woman Jiang Yixia was.

The woman who brought him a bowl of hot soup when he was at his lowest, the woman who silently left to raise their children alone after he became successful.

She never cursed him, never made a scene at his company, and rarely even mentioned the past in front of the children.

"Your mother... is a good person," Lu Fan said, looking at the distant mountain scenery. "I’m the one who wronged her."

Hearing Lu Fan say this brought a sense of relief to Jiang Silu’s heart. "We have one last stretch to go. Let’s do it!"

"Okay."

This time, it was Jiang Silu who took the initiative, reaching out to support Lu Fan’s arm.

At six in the evening, the two finally reached the hotel at the summit.

Jiang Silu’s legs were trembling from exhaustion, but looking at the sea of clouds swirling below, she felt it was all worth it.

Lu Fan led her to the hotel’s top floor.

The elevator went all the way up, stopping at the highest level.

Jiang Silu followed Lu Fan down a long, thickly carpeted hallway, finally stopping before a door.

Chen He, who was walking ahead, swiped a key card and pushed the door open, gesturing. "Boss, Miss, please come in."

When Jiang Silu stepped inside, she was stunned.

It was a massive suite.

The living room, bedroom, bathroom—every area was so spacious it was staggering.

But what shocked her the most was the entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Beyond the glass were the rolling mountains and the swirling sea of clouds, so close it felt like she could reach out and touch them.

"This room must be very expensive, right?" she asked, turning to Lu Fan cautiously.

"Not at all, don’t worry about it," Lu Fan said cheerfully. "The top-floor suites in this hotel have the best view. You can see the mountains just by opening the curtains. As long as you’re happy, the price is no object."

Hearing this, Jiang Silu stood frozen, gazing out the window, unmoving for a long time.

She thought of the dreams she had as a child.

The man in her dreams would take her up a mountain, and when they reached the summit, he would buy her delicious treats.

The mountaintop in her dreams also had a beautiful view like this, but she had never seen a real mountain and could only rely on her imagination.

Now, she was standing on a real summit, before a real sea of clouds, and beside her stood the man from her dreams.

She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the magnificent scenery outside.

The setting sun dyed the sea of clouds orange-red, and the distant peaks stood like silent giants.

She suddenly recalled what she had said on the way up the mountain.

The words she had held inside for over a decade had somehow all come out today.

And now that they were out, it didn’t seem to hurt so much anymore.

Lu Fan’s voice came from behind her. "Do you like it?"

Jiang Silu let out a soft "mhm." "Thank you."

Lu Fan walked over to stand beside her, also looking out at the mountains.

The two of them stood there side by side, neither saying a word.

After a long time, Jiang Silu suddenly spoke. "In my dreams, the mountaintop wasn’t this beautiful."

Her voice was quiet, but laced with a hint of happiness. "But the man was holding my hand, and that made everything feel perfect."

Lu Fan turned his head to look at her.

Jiang Silu kept her gaze fixed outside, but her eyes were growing red around the rims.

"Today..." Her voice caught, thick with emotion. "Today is pretty perfect, too."

Lu Fan reached out and gently took Jiang Silu’s arm. "Don’t worry. Dad will always be here."

In that moment, the rift between the father and daughter finally began to close.