"You... you’re saying you contacted Teacher He?" Jiang Silu was so shocked she almost stammered.

Lu Fan nodded and explained with a smile, "What a coincidence, right? Our company happens to have a project collaborating with Teacher He’s team, so I just called my assistant and had her get in touch with Teacher He."

"When Teacher He heard that a fan was dying to meet her, she immediately agreed. She scheduled the meeting for Saturday morning, but it’s in Suzhou, so I can take you there."

After hearing this, Jiang Silu was in utter disbelief.

A second later, she hesitated. "Won’t this be a lot of trouble for you?"

"No," Lu Fan replied. "Not at all. Think about it, if it were really a hassle, I would’ve told you."

Only then did Jiang Silu feel relieved.

Her worry immediately turned to happiness.

She truly never expected that the teacher she had always wanted to meet could be contacted by her father, just like that.

"Let’s go back. The steaks should have been served by now," Lu Fan reminded her.

"Okay."

Jiang Silu walked behind Lu Fan, observing his confident and charismatic bearing.

’She even started to wonder what on earth her father did for a living. Jiang Yixia had told her he was very rich and that she shouldn’t feel too much pressure about any compensation he offered. But now, he could arrange a meeting with her idol with a single phone call. This was beyond what ’rich’ could explain! He had to be ridiculously wealthy to pull something like this off! Otherwise, why would experts of Elder Meng’s and Teacher He’s caliber do him a favor and agree to meet her specifically?’

Thinking of this, Jiang Silu felt conflicted.

For one, she felt like this was letting down Jiang Sifan, her brother.

After all, he had always told her to stay away from their "scumbag dad."

On the other hand, she felt her father was actually very good to her, not just in her daily life, but also providing great help with her studies.

For a moment, Jiang Silu began to feel torn.

「Back in the private room.」

When Lu Fan saw that the three girls hadn’t started eating, he gestured and said, "The food’s all here. Everyone, dig in."

After he said that, everyone finally picked up their knives and forks.

But since this was Jiang Silu’s first time eating Western food, she was clearly a bit unfamiliar with it.

And it wasn’t just her; Song Miaomiao was the same.

Among the four girls present, only Liu Shiting seemed relatively at ease using her knife and fork.

Seeing this, Lu Fan smiled. "Actually, when I come eat Western food, I don’t like using a knife and fork either. If you’re not used to it, you can use chopsticks."

As he spoke, he gestured for the waiter to bring over some chopsticks.

Song Miaomiao asked in a small voice, "Uncle Lu, is it okay to use chopsticks in a Western restaurant?"

"Of course it is," Lu Fan said with a smile. "Don’t worry about what other people think. What’s comfortable for you is what matters. Besides, it’s just us in this private room. If we all use chopsticks, who’s going to laugh at us?"

With those words, Song Miaomiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn’t like using a knife and fork, so she picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

Lu Fan looked at Jiang Silu. "Silu, do you want to use chopsticks?"

Jiang Silu had indeed wanted to use chopsticks at first, but after hearing what Lu Fan said, she felt much less pressure. ’Since no one’s here anyway, I can take this opportunity to properly learn how to use a knife and fork.’ So she said, a bit shyly, "I want to try using the knife and fork."

"Then I’ll teach you." Lu Fan demonstrated for her himself.

In no time, Jiang Silu was using them proficiently.

Lu Fan looked at Lu Yao across the table, who had been quiet the whole time, and smiled. "Yaoyao, what’s wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

"No, no." Lu Yao immediately shook her head frantically. "It’s delicious, absolutely delicious!!"

After saying that, she immediately lowered her head again, not daring to say another word.

’Right now, the mere thought of how she’d wanted to pursue Uncle Lu made her cringe so hard her toes curled. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that Uncle Lu was actually Jiang Silu’s father!! Thank god she hadn’t acted on it, or she would have been mortified beyond belief!!’

Perhaps as time went on, everyone became less nervous and reserved.

With his life experience and humor, it was easy for Lu Fan to amuse the young women.

During this time, Jiang Silu secretly observed Lu Fan.

’The Lu Fan before me is the very image of the father I’ve always pictured,’ she thought. ’Mature, steady, cultured, and witty.’

She even felt a pang of regret. ’If Dad had been with me since I was little, maybe I would have been more cheerful, and my childhood would have been happier.’

「After the Western feast.」

The other three girls were all very polite and expressed their thanks.

"Thank you, Uncle Lu."

"You’re welcome," Lu Fan laughed. "From now on, if Silu needs help with anything, please lend her a hand. As long as I’m free, I’ll come to the university and treat you all to a big meal."

"Yay!"

Lu Yao, who had just been feeling awkward, had completely forgotten about wanting to hit on Uncle Lu. She said excitedly, "Uncle Lu, don’t you worry! Lulu is our dear sister. We’ll definitely take good care of her!"

Hearing everyone say this, Jiang Silu’s heart felt warm, and she was very moved.

Growing up, aside from her mother and brother, any concern from others had been superficial at best.

This had always made her prefer to be on the fringes.

But now, she was receiving so much care and affection.

「Back at the university.」

Everyone waved goodbye to Lu Fan.

Jiang Silu was no exception.

She looked at Lu Fan, a little shy, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you. I had a great time today."

After speaking, she blushed, lowered her head, and left with her roommates.

Hearing his daughter say this made Lu Fan happy.

He turned to Chen He and said, "Chen He, let’s go. We’re heading to Yangcheng."

"Yes, Boss."

...

「On the way back to the dorm.」

Lu Yao happened to be going out dancing that evening. Before they parted ways, she said to Jiang Silu, "Lulu! I’m so, so, so happy today! It’s really all thanks to you and Uncle Lu that I got to eat at the fanciest Western restaurant in Jinling! I could just die, I love you so much!"

As she spoke, she went up and hugged Jiang Silu to express her excitement.

Jiang Silu didn’t expect Lu Yao to be this happy. She smiled and said, "We’re good roommates. No need to thank me."

Liu Shiting had to go home for a bit, so before she left, she also said to Jiang Silu, "Lulu, I’ll invite you guys over to my place some other day. My mom makes delicious Coca-Cola chicken wings."

"Okay!"

Jiang Silu suddenly felt that this one meal seemed to have made their bond much stronger.

Only Song Miaomiao looked conflicted and uneasy.

So she asked curiously, "Miaomiao, what’s wrong?"

Seeing that the other two had left, Song Miaomiao thought it over and decided that deceiving Jiang Silu was wrong.

That wasn’t what a good best friend would do.

So, after gritting her teeth for a moment, she finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and apologized, "I’m sorry, Lulu! I just told Yaoyao and Shiting that Uncle Lu is your dad... I’m so, so sorry."