Chapter 421 - 239: New Year’s Eve! Lu Fan Publicly Gives Flowers, Jiang Sifan is Confessed To, and She Says Yes

Chapter 421: Chapter 239: New Year’s Eve! Lu Fan Publicly Gives Flowers, Jiang Sifan is Confessed To, and She Says Yes

On the day of the New Year’s Gala, Jinling University’s auditorium was packed.

Jiang Silu stood backstage, peeking out through a gap in the curtain.

A sea of heads stretched out before her. The lights bathed the stage in a brilliant white glow. Warm-up music blasted from the speakers, the THUMP, THUMP, THUMP making her heart race with anxiety.

She clutched the hem of her skirt, her palms slick with sweat.

Lu Yao came up from behind and patted her, asking with a smile, "Nervous?"

Jiang Silu nodded, her voice a little tight. "A little."

Lu Yao took her hand, noticing how damp it was. "Don’t be nervous," she soothed. "You dance better than anyone. Just perform like you always do. It’s not like anyone in the audience knows you."

"Exactly! And that Senior Sister Zhou—she doesn’t dance nearly as well as you," Lin Xiaoyi chimed in, leaning closer to whisper her encouragement.

Jiang Silu felt a little embarrassed by their praise, but her heart truly did feel less frantic.

She took a deep breath and peeked outside again.

In the third row, near the middle, there was an empty seat.

She had originally wanted to invite her mother, but she couldn’t get away from Yangcheng. The flower shop was busy at the end of the year, and she couldn’t close it down.

Her father said he was coming, and she hadn’t refused.

She didn’t know where he was sitting, but she knew he was there.

When the gala began, the lights in the auditorium dimmed.

The host came on stage to announce the acts, which proceeded one after another.

There was singing, dancing, and comedy skits, met with round after round of applause from the audience.

Jiang Silu waited backstage, her palms beginning to sweat again.

When it was their turn, the host announced the name of their performance, and the four girls walked onto the stage.

The lights hit them, a blinding wash of white that made it impossible to see anything else.

The music started. Jiang Silu took a deep breath and began to dance to the rhythm.

Lifting her hand, turning, taking a step—she went through the motions one by one, just like she did during practice at the gym.

She forced herself not to think about how many people were in the audience or about the bright lights. She focused only on her movements.

As she danced, her body warmed up, and her heart stopped pounding.

She held the final pose as the music stopped.

The audience was silent for a second, then applause erupted like a tidal wave, crashing over them.

Standing on stage, Jiang Silu looked out at the sea of heads and suddenly felt the urge to cry.

Not because she had danced well, but because she had done it.

She had accomplished something she thought she couldn’t.

Lu Yao took her hand and bowed to the audience.

The four girls ran offstage hand-in-hand. The moment they got backstage, Lu Yao cried out, "We were so good! Did you hear that applause? It was so loud my ears are still ringing!"

Lin Xiaoyi was also incredibly excited, her face flushed. "My legs were shaking! But they stopped once we were done!"

Chen Yu nodded along from the side. "I was shaking too. I almost forgot the moves in the middle, but I followed Silu and remembered."

Surrounded by their praise, Jiang Silu blushed. "It’s because you all were so good."

"Oh, stop being so modest. You were the best one," Lu Yao said with a grin, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

Just as they were talking, someone entered the backstage doorway.

He was wearing a work uniform and holding a huge bouquet of 199 red roses, bundled into an enormous, dazzlingly red bunch.

"Miss Jiang Silu, these flowers are for you." The man handed the bouquet over.

Jiang Silu froze for a moment before taking the flowers. They were heavy. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The card read, "Silu, you danced beautifully. Dad is so proud of you."

She was instantly moved beyond words.

Lu Yao leaned in for a look and let out a "Whoa!" "Your dad sent these? That’s so romantic!"

"199 of them!?" Lin Xiaoyi also leaned in, her eyes wide.

The words had barely left her lips when someone else came in.

This time it was a young woman in a work uniform, holding a bouquet of 99 pink roses.

"Excuse me, which of you is Miss Lu Yao? These flowers are for you," the young woman asked with a sweet smile.

Lu Yao was stunned, pointing at herself. "Me?"

The young woman handed her the flowers. The card read, "Thank you all for practicing with Silu. I appreciate your hard work."

It was signed, Lu Fan.

Lu Yao hugged the flowers, her face turning red. "Your dad is too amazing! He even sent us flowers!"

Before they could even process what was happening, more people came in.

One after another, they came for Lin Xiaoyi and Chen Yu, each with a bouquet of ninety-nine roses.

The four girls stood backstage, each hugging a huge bouquet of roses—red, pink, yellow, and white—crowding the small space.

The performers for the other acts looked over, their eyes filled with envy.

"Who’s that? What a grand display."

"I heard it was from a parent."

"A bouquet of ninety-nine roses for each of the four girls... how much must that have cost?"

"The world of the rich is beyond us."

Jiang Silu hugged the flowers and lowered her head, but she couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across her face.

Chen Xiaoyi leaned in and whispered, "Silu, your dad is way too cool. He’s handsome, rich, and so romantic. If I had a dad like that, I’d wake up from my dreams laughing."

"Seriously! And look at Senior Sister Zhou—she’s green with envy," Chen Yu added, nodding.

Chen Yu secretly pointed to a corner where Senior Sister Zhou was standing with a program in her hand, her expression sour.

The girls exchanged a look and couldn’t help but laugh.

After the gala ended, the four of them emerged from backstage, their arms full of flowers.

A crowd had gathered at the exit, and many people did a double-take when they saw the bouquets.

Someone recognized Jiang Silu, and a murmur went through the crowd. "Isn’t that the girl from those rumors? Her dad must be loaded."

"Ninety-nine roses... I wish my boyfriend were half that romantic."

"Keep dreaming. Where are you going to find a dad like that?"

Hearing their words, Jiang Silu lowered her head, hugged her flowers tighter, and walked quickly toward the exit.

Lu Yao kept pace beside her, saying with a laugh, "Silu, you’re now the envy of the entire university."