Chapter 448 - 248: Lu Fan: Approving of This Daughter-in-Law, Settling on One

Chapter 448: Chapter 248: Lu Fan: Approving of This Daughter-in-Law, Settling on One

The notary cleared their throat and began to read from the document.

Mrs. Wen’s terms, Lu Fan’s terms, the sum of four hundred thousand, the contents of the letter of commitment, and the legal force of the notarization.

They read through it item by item, slowly, each and every word pronounced with perfect clarity.

Wen Wan kept her head down, her fingers clutching Jiang Sifan’s hand tightly.

Mrs. Wen sat across from them, her head bowed and her shoulders trembling slightly.

When the notary read, "Party B voluntarily relinquishes custody, guardianship, and all related rights to her daughter, Wen Wan," Mrs. Wen’s hand jerked. Her canvas bag slid from her lap and hit the floor with a muffled thud.

She bent over to pick it up, hugging it tightly to her chest.

"If there are no objections, please sign the document." The notary pushed the document in front of Mrs. Wen and offered her a pen.

Mrs. Wen stared at the document for a long, long time.

Her eyes were rimmed with red. Tears welled up, but she held them back, refusing to let them fall.

Her hand trembled, and she nearly dropped the pen as she took it.

It was true she wanted the four hundred thousand, but the thought that her daughter would no longer have anything to do with her from this day on was heartbreaking for Mrs. Wen.

She held the pen, its tip hovering above the signature line, unable to bring herself to sign.

The tip of the pen touched the paper lightly, then lifted again.

"Wan’Er," Mrs. Wen suddenly said, her voice hoarse and thick with emotion.

Wen Wan looked up at her.

Tears finally streamed down Mrs. Wen’s face.

She didn’t wipe them away, simply letting them trace paths down her cheeks.

Her voice was broken, as if it took all her strength to speak. "Wan’Er, I’m so sorry. It’s not that I don’t love you... I just don’t have a choice."

Tears streamed down Wen Wan’s face as well.

"Mom," Wen Wan’s voice was a whisper, as if she were afraid of disturbing the fragile moment.

Mrs. Wen lifted her head and looked at her daughter.

Wen Wan wiped away her tears and replied, "Go ahead and sign it. I don’t blame you."

Mrs. Wen’s tears flowed even more freely.

She lowered her head and wrote her name in the signature box.

Her handwriting was crooked, but she wrote with great force, stroke by deliberate stroke, as if trying to etch every line into the paper itself.

When she finished, she put down the pen, slumped over the table, and finally cried out loud.

Her cries were not loud, but muffled, as if wrenched from deep within her chest. Her shoulders shuddered with each sob.

The notary passed the document to Lu Fan.

Lu Fan took it, glanced it over, signed his name, and handed it back to the notary.

The notary stamped the document, divided it into three copies, and gave one to each party.

The red seal made a soft thud as it was pressed onto the white paper.

"Mr. Lu, when will the funds be transferred?" the notary asked.

Lu Fan glanced at Chen He.

Chen He took a check from his bag and placed it on the table.

Four hundred thousand, exactly.

The check was a cashier’s check, bearing Lu Fan’s signature and the bank’s official seal.

Mrs. Wen stared at the check, her hand trembling.

She reached out, picked up the check, and examined it for a long time.

She turned the check over and then back again, as if trying to confirm something.

Then, she folded the check, placed it in her canvas bag, zipped it shut, and stood up.

"Wan’Er," Mrs. Wen called out.

Wen Wan looked at her again.

Mrs. Wen opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words.

She stood there, looking as though she had a million things to say but couldn’t utter a single one.

She turned, picked up her canvas bag, and walked away without looking back.

At the doorway, she paused. Without turning around, her back still to Wen Wan, she spoke in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard. "Study hard. Don’t end up like me."

With that, she pushed the door open and left.

The sound of her footsteps in the hallway grew more and more distant, fainter and fainter, until they could no longer be heard.

Wen Wan sat in her chair, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

She made no sound, simply letting the tears fall silently, one drop after another, landing on the tabletop and spreading into a small, dark patch.

Jiang Sifan sat beside her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, saying nothing.

His eyes were red as well, but he didn’t cry.

He simply patted her back, again and again.

Lu Fan stood up, glanced at them without a word, and turned to leave the office, giving them some space.

After a good while, Wen Wan’s sobs slowly subsided.

She leaned against Jiang Sifan’s shoulder. Her own shoulders still shuddered occasionally, but she was no longer crying.

Her eyes were red, the tip of her nose was red, her face was covered in tear-stains, and her hair was a mess, with a few stray strands plastered to her forehead.

Jiang Sifan reached out and gently wiped her face. His movements were light, his warm fingers sliding across her cheek.

"Let’s go back," Jiang Sifan suggested.

Wen Wan nodded.

The two of them stood up and walked out of the office.

The hallway was quiet. Sunlight poured in through the windows, falling brightly across the floor.

Lu Fan was standing at the end of the hall, looking out at the view.

When he saw them emerge, he walked over.

"I’ll give you a ride back," Lu Fan offered.

Jiang Sifan nodded. He looked at Lu Fan, hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Thank you."

Lu Fan glanced at him, just smiled and patted his shoulder without a word, then turned to lead the way out.

Jiang Sifan and Wen Wan followed him. The three of them left the notary office and got into the car.

The car headed toward the university, and no one spoke for the entire ride.

Wen Wan leaned against the car window, staring outside.

The sunlight illuminated her face. Her eyes were still red, but she had stopped crying.

Her hand rested warmly in Jiang Sifan’s palm.

Jiang Sifan held her hand, his thumb stroking the back of it gently, slowly, again and again.

The car stopped when they reached the university entrance.

Jiang Sifan and Wen Wan got out and stood beside the car.

Lu Fan rolled down the window and looked at them.

"Get some rest. Call if you need anything," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Jiang Sifan nodded. "I will. You... drive safe."

Lu Fan glanced at Wen Wan, his tone gentle. "Wen Wan, don’t overthink things. It’s in the past now. You can start your new life."

"And as for how things go between you and Sifan, that’s a matter for the future. Don’t feel like you have to force the relationship to work just because of this four hundred thousand, even if you two find you aren’t compatible."

"Of course, as a father, I do hope you two can make it for the long haul. In my heart, I already approve of you as my daughter-in-law," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Wen Wan blushed.

"Thank you, Uncle Lu," she said softly, nodding.

Lu Fan waved, rolled up the window, and the car slowly pulled away from the university entrance, merging into the flow of traffic.

Jiang Sifan and Wen Wan stood at the entrance, watching until the car disappeared around a street corner. They stood there for a long while.

"Let’s go," Jiang Sifan said to Wen Wan, his gaze still on the spot where the car had vanished.

Wen Wan nodded.

They walked side by side onto campus, neither of them speaking.

Her hand felt warm in his palm.

He held it tightly, and she didn’t pull away.

The plane trees lining the path were bare, and sunlight filtered through their naked branches, dappling the ground with patches of light.

She stepped on the patches of light, one foot in front of the other.

He walked beside her, his pace neither fast nor slow, matching hers perfectly so they remained side by side.

When they arrived at the studio door, Wen Wan stopped and looked at him.

Her eyes were still red, but she was no longer crying.

She looked down at their clasped hands and said with deep emotion, "Class President, thank you."

Jiang Sifan shook his head. "What for? Besides, it was my dad who did most of the work. I didn’t really do much at all."

"That’s not true, Class President. You were right here comforting me when I needed it most. You were just as important as Uncle Lu!" Wen Wan immediately clarified.

Hearing this, Jiang Sifan smiled in satisfaction. "Fine, in that case, I’ll reluctantly accept your thanks."

Wen Wan let go of his hand, pushed open the door, and went inside.

He followed her in, closing the door behind him.

The studio was quiet. A ledger was still spread open on the desk, a pen resting beside it.

She walked to the desk, sat down, picked up the pen, then set it down again.

She stared out the window. The sun reflected off the glass, bright and dazzling.

"Class President," Wen Wan said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Do you think... I’ll ever see her again?"

Jiang Sifan walked over to her, pulled up a chair, and sat down. He looked at her and said seriously, "You will. Whenever you’re ready to see her."

Wen Wan lowered her head and was silent for a long time.

Her finger traced slow, deliberate circles on the surface of the desk.

After a good while, she lifted her head and looked at Jiang Sifan.

Her eyes were still red, but now they held a glimmer of light.

"Okay," Wen Wan nodded.

She didn’t smile this time, but her voice was calm, as if she had finally let something go—or perhaps, finally accepted it.