Chapter 264 - 186: Jiang Silu Calls Him Dad for the First Time, Lu Fan is Thrilled

Chapter 264: Chapter 186: Jiang Silu Calls Him Dad for the First Time, Lu Fan is Thrilled

"What is this...?" Jiang Silu asked in a low voice.

"An employee-only back passage," Lu Fan answered.

Jiang Silu followed him inside. After a short walk, Lu Fan suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked her, "Silu, would you like to go backstage and take a look?"

Jiang Silu froze, stunned. "Backstage? Can we?"

Lu Fan said, "The sponsor for this concert is one of my business partners. I’ve already cleared it with them. If you want to go, we can go right now."

Jiang Silu’s heart started to pound.

’Go backstage? Meet Sun Yanzi? The idol she’s been listening to since elementary school?’

"Can we? Can we really?" she asked twice in a row.

Lu Fan smiled. He knew Jiang Silu was desperate to go, so he gestured. "Let’s go."

He led her through a few hallways and finally stopped in front of a door.

A piece of paper was taped to the door. It read, "Cast and Crew Only."

Lu Fan knocked. A staff member opened the door, and upon seeing them, immediately smiled and said, "President Lu? This way, please."

Jiang Silu followed behind Lu Fan, her heart beating like a drum.

The hallway was lined with dressing rooms on both sides. Some of the doors were open, and she could see people bustling about inside.

She snuck a peek inside and saw some people changing clothes, others touching up their makeup, and still others rehearsing their lines.

When they reached the innermost room, the staff member stopped and knocked. "Yanzi, you have guests."

A voice came from inside. "Come in."

The door opened, and Jiang Silu saw the person she had been dreaming of seeing for ten years.

Sun Yanzi was sitting in front of a vanity mirror, wearing a loose-fitting hoodie. Her hair was tied up casually, and she was drinking some water.

When she saw them come in, she put down her water cup, stood up, and greeted them with a smile. "President Lu, long time no see."

Lu Fan shook her hand, then stepped aside to reveal Jiang Silu. "Yanzi, long time no see. I think the last time we met was at the Malaysia conference three years ago."

"Yes, three years have flown by in a flash," Sun Yanzi replied.

"Oh, right. This is my daughter. She’s a huge fan of yours. I brought her here specifically to hear you sing today," Lu Fan said, introducing Jiang Silu.

Sun Yanzi looked at Jiang Silu, her eyes curving as she smiled. "Hello there."

Jiang Silu’s mind went completely blank.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

Sun Yanzi was standing right in front of her, smiling at her, looking exactly as she had imagined.

"I..." Jiang Silu finally managed to squeeze out a single word before getting stuck again.

Sun Yanzi smiled and extended her hand. "What’s your name?"

Jiang Silu quickly grasped her hand, her own palm sweaty. "I... My name is Jiang Silu. Ms. Sun Yanzi, I’ve been a fan for ten years!"

Sun Yanzi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed even louder. "Ten years? Then how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Jiang Silu said. "I started listening to your songs when I was eight."

Sun Yanzi was a bit surprised and laughed self-deprecatingly. "Eight? You must be one of my oldest fans, then. I thought young people these days only listen to new music, and that an obscure singer like me would have been forgotten long ago."

Jiang Silu shook her head frantically. "No, no! You’re not an old singer at all! What people say online about you being an obscure singer is all nonsense! You’re not obscure at all! Your songs are so good, and so many people I know listen to them!"

After blurting it all out in one breath, she realized she had gotten too excited and felt a little embarrassed.

Sun Yanzi looked at her with a gentle expression. "Thank you."

She picked up an album from nearby, signed her name on it, and handed it to Jiang Silu. "This is for you. Thank you for being my fan for so many years."

Jiang Silu took it, her hands trembling.

It was a signed album. On it was written, "To Silu, Thank you, and keep up the great work! —Sun Yanzi".

"Thank you..." Jiang Silu’s eyes reddened, and her voice choked up. "Thank you, Ms. Sun Yanzi."

Sun Yanzi patted her shoulder. "Enjoy the show. I’ll be singing for you on stage in a bit."

After leaving the backstage area, Jiang Silu still felt like she was in a dream.

She looked down at the album in her hands, then glanced back at the door and asked Lu Fan, "Did I really just meet her? I’m not dreaming, am I?"

Lu Fan smiled. "You’re not dreaming."

Jiang Silu hugged the album to her chest, so excited she wanted to jump for joy. "This is the best day of my life! It really is the best!"

Lu Fan said, "The best? It’s about to get even better."

Jiang Silu paused. "Huh?"

Lu Fan didn’t explain, simply leading her forward.

They passed through another hallway and one more door, and suddenly the view opened up—they were inside the concert venue.

The massive stage was just a short distance ahead. The lights were still being adjusted, and crew members were bustling back and forth.

Below the stage were rows of seats. The row closest to the stage had "VIP" signs on the back of the chairs.

Lu Fan led her forward, all the way to the very front row.

To the two seats right in the center.

Jiang Silu stood there, staring at the stage that was just a stone’s throw away, in disbelief. "Is... is this the front row?"

Lu Fan nodded. "Front row of the floor VIP section, dead center."

Jiang Silu turned to look at him, her eyes wide. "Are these seats for me?"

Lu Fan said, "Mhm. You’ll even be able to see the sweat on your idol’s face."

That made Jiang Silu laugh.

She sat down and gazed at the empty stage, imagining Sun Yanzi standing right there, singing.

’So close. Close enough to see every expression on her face.’

A nearby staff member came over and handed her a bag.

Jiang Silu opened it and saw it was full of fan merchandise: glow sticks, a light-up sign, and a T-shirt printed with the concert logo.

Jiang Silu didn’t know what to say.

She looked down at the items, then at the stage just inches away, and then at Lu Fan sitting beside her. A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

It wasn’t excitement, nor was it elation, but a feeling of... being cherished.

’It was as if someone was telling her: I know what you like. I can arrange for you to meet anyone you want to see. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.’

She had never been treated like this before.

Jiang Silu wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

In the end, she just smiled and looked at Lu Fan. "Thank you..."

Lu Fan smiled back and reached out to gently pat her head. "You’re welcome. We’re father and daughter, after all."

The venue gradually filled with people.

The lights dimmed, and the stage lit up.

When the screams erupted, Jiang Silu screamed along with them.

The moment Sun Yanzi rose up from beneath the stage, Jiang Silu’s eyes reddened.

She was right there in front of her, so close she could see the stage lights reflected in her eyes.

The music started, and the entire audience began to sing along.

Jiang Silu sang, too, singing the songs she had listened to for ten years, the melodies that had accompanied her through countless nights.

She stole a glance at Lu Fan beside her.

He was listening too, even though he didn’t really know the words.

But he stayed there with her the whole time, occasionally glancing at her, smiling and clapping for her.

’If only every day could be like this,’ Jiang Silu suddenly thought.

’But she knew that days like this wouldn’t come often.’

’But that was okay. Today was enough.’

’Today was the happiest day of her life.’

Jiang Silu suddenly felt that she wanted to get to know her father better.

She even found herself thinking that if her father had appeared in her life earlier, perhaps she could have had a complete childhood.

Just then, Sun Yanzi invited everyone to sing along to "I Miss It."

As Jiang Silu sang, she looked at Lu Fan beside her and softly called out, "Dad!"

Unfortunately, the surrounding noise was too loud.

She didn’t know if Lu Fan had heard her.

Coincidentally, Lu Fan’s attention had been focused on Jiang Silu the entire time.

So naturally, he heard that single word.