Chapter 367 - 222: Lu Fan: Yixia, Let’s Bathe Together. She Said Yes?

Chapter 367: Chapter 222: Lu Fan: Yixia, Let’s Bathe Together. She Said Yes?

Night fell.

The lights in the dorm had long since gone out.

But Jiang Sifan was still awake.

He stared at his phone screen, the photo on it exceptionally glaring in the dim dorm room.

A red and white Christmas outfit, a pair of fair legs peeking out from under the short skirt, and a reindeer antler headband on her head.

’Who wouldn’t be captivated by a sight like that?’

He had to admit, his heart was stirred.

It wasn’t a thunderous, all-consuming attraction, but a secret, indescribable sense of anticipation.

He started looking forward to the days after her college entrance exams, looking forward to the cheerful grin she’d have when she said, "I’ll wear it for you."

After all, who could turn down an invitation to a private dress-up show from an eighteen-year-old girl who liked him?

He placed his phone face down by his pillow and rolled over.

But when he closed his eyes, the photo still danced in his mind.

Those fair legs, those crescent-shaped smiling eyes, that phrase: "I’ll wear it for you."

He rolled over again.

But the next second, Wen Wan’s face suddenly appeared in his thoughts.

Not in a Christmas outfit, not in a short skirt, but how she looked in the studio today, head lowered as she whispered, "I know everything."

Her face was flushed, her eyes were bright, and her voice was as soft as cotton candy.

Jiang Sifan sighed and buried his face in his pillow.

Two girls: one like fire, burning with passion; the other like water, flowing with tranquility.

He didn’t know which one to choose, or if he even had the right to choose at all.

He only knew that He Lingyi’s photo made his heart race, while Wen Wan’s company brought him peace.

The two feelings were different, but both were equally real.

He tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.

...

For the next two days, Lu Fan made frequent trips to Yangcheng.

In the flower shop, Jiang Yixia was trimming a bundle of lilies.

The scissors went SNIP, SNIP, and flower stems fell to the floor.

She had gotten used to Lu Fan dropping by the shop every few days. Sometimes he’d bring coffee, sometimes a box of pastries, and sometimes nothing at all, just leaning against the counter to chat with her.

"Silu said she already told Sifan," Jiang Yixia said without looking up, her scissors never pausing.

Leaning against the counter, Lu Fan feigned ignorance. "Told him what?"

Jiang Yixia shot him a glance and answered calmly, "That she calls you ’Dad’."

Lu Fan chuckled. "And what was Sifan’s reaction?"

"He must have mixed feelings. He hasn’t forgiven you that quickly, but his little sister has already started calling you Dad. He’s probably torn," Jiang Yixia replied after a moment of thought.

Lu Fan nodded without a word.

He could picture the boy’s conflicted expression. ’Stubborn on the outside, soft on the inside. Just like his mother.’

He suddenly leaned in a little closer, a sly grin on his face. "Since our daughter is already calling me Dad, shouldn’t a certain someone—as her mother—show some sort of acknowledgment too?"

Jiang Yixia’s scissors paused. She looked up and glared at him. "Acknowledgment of what? Don’t push your luck."

Lu Fan wasn’t annoyed. He just chuckled and took a step back. "Alright, alright. No acknowledgment, then. But what about a game of badminton?"

"What badminton?" Jiang Yixia paused, setting down her scissors.

"Didn’t you used to love playing badminton? I remember you were amazing at it. The weather’s so nice today, it’s a rare chance. How about we go out and play for a bit?" Lu Fan explained with a smile.

After hearing him out, Jiang Yixia said calmly, "I stopped playing a long time ago. It used to be a hobby, but when do I have the time now? I have to watch the flower shop; I can’t go anywhere."

Lu Fan didn’t reply, turning his head to look at the entrance instead.

Chen He was standing there, car keys in hand, as if waiting for something.

"Chen He," Lu Fan called out.

Hearing his name, Chen He hurried over. "Boss?"

"Here. Buy a thousand yuan’s worth of flowers, and then hand them out to every shop on this street," Lu Fan said with casual indifference.

Jiang Yixia’s expression changed the moment she heard that. She quickly tried to stop them. "No! You can’t waste my flowers!"

Lu Fan chuckled and spread his hands. "How is that a waste? Think about it. Those shop owners work hard all day. Getting a flower would make them happy. What’s not to like?"

Jiang Yixia heard his words and knew it was one of his schemes.

But that was just how he was. Sometimes, you just couldn’t find a single flaw in his reasoning.

The owners of these shops did indeed work hard, from dawn till dusk.

A single flower wasn’t worth much, but it would warm the heart of whoever received it.

"That’s still not okay. I can’t let you pay for it," she insisted.

Lu Fan smiled and pointed at Chen He. "I’m not paying. He is."

"Ma’am, I’ll pay. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to do a good deed for a while, but I just couldn’t find the right opportunity," Chen He said, reacting in a flash. He quickly pulled out his phone, a simple, honest smile on his face.

Jiang Yixia looked at Chen He, then back at Lu Fan. She knew this was another one of his pre-arranged plans.

She sighed in resignation and waved her hand. "Fine, do whatever you want."

Chen He quickly scanned the QR code and paid the one thousand yuan.

Bouquet after bouquet of the shop’s best roses was wrapped up.

He called over employees from the pastry shop and the oden shop, and together, they cradled the flowers and went door-to-door, delivering them.

When Sister Li from the dry cleaner’s nearby received a flower, she couldn’t stop smiling. She guessed right away that it was President Lu’s doing, trying to win Jiang Yixia’s favor.

Lu Fan turned back to Jiang Yixia and said with a smile, "So, do you have time to put down your work and get back to your passion now?"

A sense of helplessness washed over Jiang Yixia as she finally realized he had gone to all this trouble just to free up some of her time.

Her heart suddenly softened a little.

Come to think of it, it really had been a long time since she’d last played badminton.

The last time she’d played was back when Sifan and Silu were in their first year of high school. The two kids had insisted on dragging her to the badminton court during the New Year holiday.