Chapter 365 - 221: Jiang Sifan Is Going to Call Him Dad Too?

Chapter 365: Chapter 221: Jiang Sifan Is Going to Call Him Dad Too?

Yangcheng.

It was late at night.

In the flower shop, Jiang Yixia was tidying up the last batch of flowers.

She had just put down her scissors when her phone buzzed.

She picked it up and saw a message from Lu Fan.

Lu Fan: [Silu called me Dad.]

Just those four words.

Jiang Yixia stared at the screen, her finger hovering.

Her heart skipped a beat, then quickly returned to normal.

She remembered the last message her daughter had sent.

[Mom, I think Dad has really changed.]

She also recalled the beach photos Lu Fan had sent that afternoon. Jiang Silu was standing on the sand, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

’What should I say? Congratulations? That’s great?’

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Her finger hovered over the screen for a long while before she finally typed out two words.

Jiang Yixia: [Got it.]

After sending the message, she placed her phone on the counter and went back to arranging the flowers.

But her hand was a little unsteady. A thorn from a rose pricked her fingertip. She hissed in pain and put the finger in her mouth to soothe it.

Her phone buzzed again.

Lu Fan: [That’s it?]

Jiang Yixia looked at those two words and couldn’t help but smile to herself.

Jiang Yixia: [Well, what do you want me to say?]

Lu Fan: [Something happy, like "That’s great!" or "Congratulations!"]

Jiang Yixia: [I’m not the one who called you Dad. What’s there for me to be happy about?]

After sending it, she froze for a second.

’That came out a little weird.’

’An image of the time she had secretly called him that years ago flashed through her mind.’

’Aaaah! What on earth am I thinking?!’

Lu Fan’s end went silent for a few seconds, then he sent a voice message.

She hesitated for a moment but played it anyway.

His voice, tinged with laughter, came from the phone. "Our daughter called me Dad, and you’re not happy? Maybe I should tell Silu about this, haha."

Jiang Yixia knew Lu Fan was just joking, and she couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Jiang Yixia: [You wouldn’t dare.]

Lu Fan: [So, are you happy or not?]

Jiang Yixia stared at the message for a long time.

She remembered when her daughter was little. Every time she saw other children calling for their fathers, she would secretly ask, "Mom, where’s my daddy?"

She would always say, "Daddy’s away making money. He’ll be back when you’re all grown up."

Eventually, her daughter stopped asking, and she thought she had forgotten.

But she knew. She hadn’t forgotten; she had just stopped asking.

Now, she had finally said it.

Jiang Yixia’s eyes suddenly started to sting.

She took a deep breath and replied.

Jiang Yixia: [I’m happy.]

After sending it, she put her phone away and closed up the shop.

Walking home, the cool night breeze felt pleasant on her face.

She looked up at the sky. The moon was full and bright.

She suddenly remembered looking up at the moon just like this, many years ago.

Back then, there had been someone by her side, watching it with her.

She sighed softly and quickened her pace.

...

In a workshop at the Jinling Institute of Technology, Jiang Sifan was going over the accounts.

His phone rang.

He picked it up and saw it was a call from Jiang Silu.

He hesitated for a moment, then answered.

"Sifan, are you busy?" Jiang Silu’s voice came from the other end of the line, a mix of excitement and caution.

Jiang Sifan leaned back in his chair. "Going over the accounts. What’s up?"

The other end of the line went quiet for two seconds.

He could hear his sister’s soft breathing, as if she were building up to something.

"Sifan, I have to tell you something." Jiang Silu lowered her voice. "Today at the beach... I called him Dad."

Jiang Sifan’s fingers froze over the ledger, the tip of his pen pressing a small black dot onto the paper.

He didn’t say anything.

Jiang Silu spoke again, her voice laced with nervousness. "Sifan, you’re not angry, are you?"

Jiang Sifan snapped out of it and gave an awkward laugh. "Why would I be angry?"

"I was afraid you’d think I forgave him too quickly," Jiang Silu said in a small voice.

Jiang Sifan was silent for a long time.

He thought of his room, of the signed sneakers, of the basketball hoop.

He thought of Sister Jiali, of all the help he had received in secret.

He thought of the cautious hope in Lu Fan’s eyes every time he looked at him.

He took a deep breath and reassured her, "I’m not. All that matters is that you’re happy."

"Really?" Jiang Silu’s voice instantly brightened.

"Really."

Jiang Silu then asked, "Sifan, when are you going to call him that, too?"

Jiang Sifan froze, not saying a word.

"I’m not trying to rush you," Jiang Silu quickly explained. "I was just... asking."

Jiang Sifan forced a smile and changed the subject. "We’ll see."

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment.

Then, Jiang Silu said, "Sifan, you know, I almost drowned in the ocean today. He’s the one who saved me."

The color drained from Jiang Sifan’s face, and the pen in his hand fell to the desk with a CLACK. "What? What happened?"

"I walked out into the ocean, my foot slipped, and I fell in. The water immediately rose to my chest. I couldn’t get up, and I couldn’t even shout." Jiang Silu’s voice was calm, as if she were telling someone else’s story. "Then Dad just rushed in. Sifan, he was so fast. I didn’t even see how he got to me."

Jiang Sifan’s hands clenched into fists. He was a little angry. "How could you be so careless?"

"I was wrong, Sifan. Please don’t scold me," Jiang Silu said, her voice a mixture of pleading and lingering fear.

Jiang Sifan took a deep breath and said helplessly, "You just have to be more careful when you’re out from now on."

"Sifan, when he pulled me out of the water, his hands were shaking," Jiang Silu said, her tone filled with happiness. "He’s usually such a steady person, but his hands were shaking."

"He held me and said, ’It’s okay, you’re safe now. Dad’s here.’ I never imagined anyone would ever say those words to me."