Chapter 497 - 262: Jiang Sifan Publicly Speaks Up for Lu Fan for the First Time

Chapter 497: Chapter 262: Jiang Sifan Publicly Speaks Up for Lu Fan for the First Time

"Let’s wait a little longer," Sifan said, then closed his eyes.

Silu leaned back in her seat, stared at the car’s ceiling, and didn’t say anything more.

It was almost dark by the time the car pulled up to the villa’s entrance.

Chen He parked the car and helped them carry their things inside.

Silu went into the house, set her things down in the living room, and looked around before asking Chen He, "Uncle Chen, where’s my dad?"

"President Lu went to the company. There’s a big year-end meeting, so he might be away for the next few days," Chen He replied.

"Away?" Silu was taken aback for a moment. "Then when is he coming back?"

"He said about a week. He’ll be back after the meeting."

Silu just said, "Oh," a little disappointed.

Sifan carried his things into his room. When he came out, he overheard what Chen He said but didn’t comment, heading straight for the study.

Wen Wan helped Silu put her things away. The two of them sat on the sofa, and Silu leaned on Wen Wan’s shoulder with a sigh.

"What’s wrong?" Wen Wan asked.

"It’s nothing. It’s just... with Dad away, the house feels so empty," Silu replied.

Wen Wan smiled but didn’t say anything.

The next few days passed in quiet routine.

Every morning, Wen Wan and Silu went to the flower shop to help out.

When Yixia saw them arrive, she’d say, "You don’t have to, you don’t have to," even as she was untying her apron to hand it to them.

Silu was in charge of wrapping bouquets, while Wen Wan handled the bookkeeping.

Yixia would be nearby, sorting flowers and occasionally offering a bit of guidance.

The three of them bustled about the shop, talking and laughing.

"Sister Wen Wan, you’re such a fast learner." Silu watched, a little surprised, as Wen Wan expertly operated the cash register system.

Wen Wan smiled. "The Class President taught me."

"My brother taught you?" Silu started laughing. "Him, teaching someone? He can barely use his own phone."

Her teasing made Wen Wan laugh. "No, the Class President is very patient."

Yixia listened from the side with a smile, not interjecting.

At noon, the three of them would cook in the small kitchen behind the flower shop. ℴ

Yixia did the stir-frying, Silu was her assistant, and Wen Wan set the table.

After they finished eating, Silu would rush to wash the dishes, with Wen Wan helping dry them beside her.

In the afternoons, when the shop wasn’t busy, Silu would pull Wen Wan along to try out different bouquet arrangements, then take photos of the finished products to post online.

Wen Wan would take the pictures for her, and even help edit them afterward.

"Sister Wen Wan, you’re so good at editing photos, too?" Silu marveled, looking at the pictures on her phone.

Wen Wan replied, "I used to help the Class President edit promotional images for his studio. I got practice from that."

"The Class President again," Silu said, deliberately drawing out her words.

Wen Wan blushed slightly and didn’t respond.

Yixia watched from the side, smiled, and said nothing.

These past few days, Sifan had been staying at the villa by himself.

He had brought the studio’s ledgers home and was going through them, checking them book by book, entry by entry.

Business from the school store and other nearby shops had indeed dropped off significantly. There wasn’t much to be had during the winter break.

But thankfully, his previous clients had stabilized. With a dozen or so regular bookkeeping clients each month, plus some scattered one-off jobs, his income was nearly twenty thousand.

He pored over the ledgers, calculating the numbers again and again.

After deducting rent, utilities, and labor costs, there was still a decent amount left over.

He felt a bit more at ease.

Old Luo delivered his meals on time every day—three dishes and a soup, all arranged neatly.

As Sifan ate, he would occasionally glance out the window. The climbing roses in the yard hadn’t bloomed yet, but their leaves were a glossy green.

When he finished, he put his bowl and chopsticks back on the tray and returned to his accounting.

In the evenings, Silu and Wen Wan would return, and the three of them would eat dinner together.

Sifan didn’t say much, but he would occasionally ask how the flower shop was doing that day. Silu would then chatter on and on, talking about what flowers she wrapped, what kind of customers came in, and how her mom had praised her.

Sifan would listen, smiling once in a while.

"Bro, what did you do at home today?" Silu asked.

"Accounting," Sifan replied.

"More accounting? Can’t you go out for a walk? You’re going to get cabin fever cooped up in here all day," Silu complained.

Sifan answered, "It’s cold outside."

Silu glanced at him but didn’t say anything more.

On the evening of the third day, Silu was sitting on the sofa, fiddling with her phone.

She looked at Lu Fan’s name in her contacts, then locked the screen.

A few seconds later, she lit it up again, then locked it again.

Wen Wan, who was reading a book beside her, glanced over but didn’t speak.

Silu lit up her phone again and scrolled to her chat with Lu Fan. The last message was from two days ago, when Lu Fan had sent, "I’ve arrived. Get some sleep." She had replied with an "Okay."

"Mom," Silu said suddenly.

Yixia was in the kitchen pouring water. Hearing her daughter’s call, she poked her head out. "What is it?"

"We haven’t heard from Dad in days. I wonder what he’s up to." Silu placed her phone on her lap, a hint of complaint in her voice.

Yixia walked over with a glass of water, sat down next to her, took a sip, and said slowly, "Then why don’t you send him a message and ask?"

Silu’s eyes lit up. She turned to look at Yixia and said with a deliberately teasing smile, "Mom, is it because you miss Dad, too?"

Yixia froze for a second, then shot her a look, her face instantly turning red. "You little brat, you’re always trying to set traps for me."

"I’m not! I was just asking," Silu said with a laugh. "Look at you, you’re blushing."

Yixia reached out and lightly tapped her on the arm. "Anymore nonsense out of you, and I won’t let you come to the flower shop tomorrow."

Silu laughed and dodged away, then picked up her phone, found Lu Fan’s number, hit dial, and deliberately put the call on speakerphone.