Chapter 388 - 228: Lu Fan: I’m Handing the Company Over to Silu and Sifan

Chapter 388: Chapter 228: Lu Fan: I’m Handing the Company Over to Silu and Sifan

Wen Wan blushed at the compliment, waving her hands in dismissal. "No, no..."

Lu Yao then asked, "So, does Sifan like you?"

Wen Wan’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. "I don’t know... He probably... probably doesn’t."

As she said this, she felt a pang in her heart, as if pricked by something sharp.

She remembered the focused look on Sifan’s face whenever he put food on her plate, the way he held her hand on the roller coaster and told her "Don’t be afraid," and how he’d stared at her blankly on the Ferris wheel.

But he had never once said he liked her.

’Maybe to him, I really am just a business partner.’

Seeing her expression, Lu Yao explained, "To be honest, I kind of like Sifan."

Wen Wan looked up at her.

Lu Yao spoke openly. "But he doesn’t go to the same school as me, and I have no idea if he likes me or not. Wen Wan, could you help me ask him?"

"Ask him what?" Wen Wan asked, stunned for a moment.

Lu Yao smiled and explained, "Ask him what kind of girls he likes, or... ask him if he likes me."

Wen Wan stammered, her face red. After a long moment, she gave a small nod. "Okay."

Lu Yao smiled, stood up, and patted her on the shoulder. "Thank you! I’ve got to go, we have to gather soon. I’ll treat you to a meal another day!"

She walked to the door, glanced back, and gave Wen Wan a wave. With a flick of her ponytail, she disappeared down the hallway.

Wen Wan sat at the desk, staring blankly at the doorway.

The account book on the desk was still open, the pen lying beside it. Not a single word had been written.

She picked up the pen, then put it down again.

Outside, the streetlights came on. The light shone through the window, casting a cold, lonely patch on the floor.

...

In the dining room of Zijin Manor, a long table was laden with dishes.

Sifan stood by the table, staring at the food, stunned.

Abalone-sauce goose feet, fish maw and chicken stew, lobster sashimi, steamed eggs with black truffle, braised sea cucumber with scallions, steamed leopard coral grouper, matsutake chicken soup, oxtail braised in red wine, lobster baked with cheese, crab roe tofu...

The dishes were laid out one after another, stretching from one end of the table to the other, packed so tightly that a quick glance revealed no fewer than thirty of them.

Each dish was served on exquisite porcelain, the plating as meticulous as a painting.

The abalone-sauce goose feet were garnished with a small floret of broccoli. The broth of the fish maw and chicken stew was crystal clear. The lobster sashimi rested on a bed of crushed ice, its flesh translucent.

He quietly asked Silu, "It’s just the three of us eating?"

Silu nodded and whispered back, "I thought the same thing the first time I came. You get used to it."

Sifan looked at the feast on the table, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

He remembered back when he was a child, how his mother would make four dishes for the New Year: a fish, a bowl of braised pork, some stir-fried greens, and an egg drop soup.

That was the most lavish meal they had all year.

The three of them sat down.

Lu Fan picked up his chopsticks, first placing a piece of the leopard coral grouper on Silu’s plate, then another on Sifan’s. "Go on, eat," he said. "Don’t be polite. Have whatever you want."

Silu picked up the fish and put it in her mouth. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled and replied, "Delicious."

Sifan also took a piece. The fish was tender, melting in his mouth.

He ate slowly, without a word.

Lu Fan placed a piece of sea cucumber on his plate, smiling. "Try this. The kitchen’s been stewing it all afternoon."

"Thanks," Sifan said quietly, looking down at the food in his bowl.

It wasn’t "Thanks, Dad," just "Thanks."

But Lu Fan heard him. He just smiled, nodded, and placed a goose foot on his plate.

Silu chattered away beside them, talking about school—about her roommates, her teachers, and a competition.

Lu Fan listened, asking a few questions from time to time.

Sifan ate in silence, occasionally glancing up at them.

After dinner, the three of them sat in the living room, drinking tea.

Lu Fan looked at Sifan and suggested, "Why don’t you two sleep here tonight? I’ve always kept your rooms ready."

Sifan quickly shook his head. "No, I can’t. There’s still work to do at the studio, I have to get back."

Silu had wanted to stay, but seeing her brother about to leave, she stood up as well. "I’ll go back with my brother, then."

Lu Fan didn’t press the issue. He nodded and had Chen He drive them.

As the car drove out of the manor, Sifan glanced back, his feelings a complicated mix.

On the way back, Silu was still savoring the memory of the grand meal.

It was clear she had already grown accustomed to this kind of life.

When they reached the school gate, Silu got out of the car and waved. "I’m heading back, Bro. Bye!"

Then she looked toward the driver’s seat. "Goodbye, Uncle Chen!"

Chen He acknowledged her, and the car continued on.

The car fell silent.

Sifan stared out the window as the streetlights flickered past, casting the car’s interior in alternating light and shadow.

He suddenly spoke. "Uncle Chen, how many years have you been with my dad?"

Chen He glanced at him in the rearview mirror and replied with a smile, "Over ten years. I started working for him not long after he started his business."

"So in all these years... has he ever been with other women? Or, to put it another way, does he have any other children?" Sifan asked after a moment of silence.

Chen He was taken aback for a second, then he chuckled. "Young Master, are you thinking that a man as wealthy as the boss ought to have a lot of women and children around him?"

Sifan didn’t say anything, but his meaning was clear.

Chen He shook his head, his tone growing serious. "Over the years, there have certainly been women who tried to get close to the boss. But he knows they’re only after his money. He would never let a woman who wasn’t sincere have his child."

"So all these years, the boss’s only children have been you and the Young Miss," he added after a pause.