Chapter 271 - 189: Jiang Sifan Forgives? Fantasizing About Living in a Manor

Chapter 271: Chapter 189: Jiang Sifan Forgives? Fantasizing About Living in a Manor

Jiang Sifan fell silent after hearing Wen Wan’s words.

He knew that Wen Wan had been neglected by her parents her entire life.

And as the eldest daughter, she not only had to focus on her studies but also had to take care of her younger siblings.

So when Wen Wan saw Lu Fan quietly showing concern for him, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

Jiang Sifan didn’t respond, lowering his head to continue checking the accounts.

But the numbers swam before his eyes; he couldn’t focus on a single one.

After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Wen Wan."

Wen Wan looked up, listening intently.

Jiang Sifan took a deep breath, then said, "You know, when I was little, I hated his guts."

Wen Wan didn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue.

"Every time I saw other kids getting picked up by their dads, I hated it. Every time my mom worked overtime and didn’t get home until the middle of the night, I hated it. Every time someone called me a fatherless kid, I hated it."

"Then I grew up, and I stopped hating. Not because I forgave him, but because I couldn’t be bothered anymore. Hating someone is exhausting."

Wen Wan looked at him, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"Now he’s suddenly shown up, being good to my sister, and to me... I don’t know how I’m supposed to act."

Wen Wan thought for a moment before persuading him. "Then just go with the flow, Class Rep. You don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself. Didn’t you tell me? Your mom supports you forgiving him, so just follow your heart. Everything will be fine if you just let nature take its course."

"You don’t have to force yourself to forgive him, and you don’t have to force yourself to hate him. If Uncle Lu wants to be good to you, you can accept it. If you don’t want to, then don’t."

Jiang Sifan listened to her, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded. He seemed to have had an epiphany, but he just smiled resignedly. "You’re right."

"Of course. I’m your partner, after all," Wen Wan said, stifling a laugh.

She made Jiang Sifan laugh. He nodded in agreement. "Alright, my good partner. Let’s get back to the accounts."

The two of them worked for a while longer, wrapping up their tasks for the day.

While they were packing up, Wen Wan suddenly asked, "That swimming pool from before looked huge. Was it as big as a basketball court?"

Jiang Sifan paused for a moment before answering, "I don’t know. It looked pretty big."

Wen Wan smiled sheepishly. "I’ve never been to an indoor pool before. I think having one inside a house is just incredible."

Jiang Sifan looked at her and asked, "Do you want to go?"

Wen Wan quickly shook her head. "No, no, that’s not what I meant, Class Rep. I was just making a casual comment."

Jiang Sifan didn’t say anything, but he made a mental note of it.

「」

Back in his dorm that night, Jiang Sifan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He took out his phone and looked at the photos again.

The basketball hoop in the bedroom was the exact kind he had always wanted.

He had seen one in a mall back in high school. It cost over a thousand yuan.

He’d stared at it for a long time before finally walking away.

Back then, he had thought, ’When I start making money, I’ll definitely buy one.’

Now, someone had prepared one for him.

The sneakers, too, were ones he had always wanted.

One pair was a limited edition signed by Owen. He’d seen the price online—over ten thousand yuan.

He wouldn’t have even dared to dream of it.

Now, someone had prepared them for him.

Jiang Sifan put his phone down and stared at the ceiling.

His mind was racing.

He thought about his childhood, his mother, his sister, and the father who had never been there.

He thought about the hardships of the past years, about being mocked for not having a father, about his mother shouldering the burden of the whole family by herself.

Then he remembered Lu Fan bailing him out of the police station.

He remembered the things Lu Fan had said at the conference.

He remembered the time he was surrounded by Lin Qiang’s men, and how Lu Fan’s bodyguards had shown up.

He remembered what Jiang Silu had told him.

She had said Lu Fan was very good to her—that he took her out for delicious meals, bought her beautiful clothes, and went with her to watch the sunrise.

He couldn’t put a name to the feeling.

It was as if a stone was weighing on his heart, yet at the same time, something was slowly melting inside him.

His phone chimed.

Jiang Sifan picked it up. It was a message from Jiang Silu.

Jiang Silu: [Bro, you asleep?]

Jiang Sifan: [No.]

Jiang Silu: [Me neither. I’m too excited to sleep.]

Jiang Sifan: [What’s there to be excited about?]

Jiang Silu: [You have no idea, this manor is huge! This afternoon I went to see the lake—there’s a little pavilion by the water where you can have tea. Then the housekeeper took me to the gym for a run, and we soaked in the pool for a bit. We had steak for dinner, and it was amazing.]

Reading her words, Jiang Sifan could feel his sister’s joy.

Jiang Sifan: [That’s good.]

Jiang Silu: [Bro, are you really not going to come see it? The basketball court is huge, you’d definitely love it. And your room—I was shocked when I saw it. It’s even bigger than mine.]

Jiang Sifan: [We’ll see.]

Jiang Silu: [Are you still mad at him?]

Jiang Sifan didn’t reply.

Jiang Silu: [Bro, I know you’re upset. But he’s really changed a lot. He’s great to me, and to Mom, too. Today he even said he wants to have Mom move in with us in the future.]

Jiang Sifan stared at the message, his finger hovering over the screen.

Jiang Silu continued: [I’m not saying I’ve forgiven him. I just feel like... at least he’s trying. Bro, don’t be so hard on yourself.]

Jiang Sifan was silent for a long time.

He thought of his mother shouldering the burden of their family alone, of his sister being mocked for not having a father, of himself hiding under the covers and crying.

Then, his thoughts returned to the photos from today.

The room, the basketball hoop, the sneakers.

He picked up his phone and typed a single word in reply: [Mm.]

Jiang Silu sent a smiley face emoji: [Get some sleep, then. You’ve got to work on the studio tomorrow, right?]