1112 I'm Willing
Covering her mouth, Lu Man cried silently.
She never thought that Wang Juhuai would think this way.
That he did not mind and even treated her like his daughter.
"Before I married your mom, I got wind that Han Dongping wasn't satisfied with you. Not satisfied that you didn't have any background and that Qingwei had nothing. That you're too ordinary and that he picked faults with you left and right. So I brought Qingwei to the city council's dinner," Wang Juhuai said.
Lu Man nodded, remembering.
"At that time, I thought that I'll never let anyone look down on you and Qingwei. One is my intended wife, the other is her daughter, which makes her my daughter. Though I may not be someone powerful, I'm still quite an influence; people won't dare look down on both of you. In the eyes of others, not only are you Lu Man the actress, Lu Man the wife of Han Zhuoli, you're also Lu Man, the daughter of Wang Juhuai. Snobbish people like Han Dongping will not treat you both with disdain."
"It's alright if you don't want to call me Dad. I can understand." This was because Lu Man was no longer a child and he really was not her father.
It's normal for her not to get used to a different form of address.
"But I just want to let you know that even if you refuse, you're still my daughter. You can ask me for help for anything, anytime. Tell me if you encounter any grievances outside. I…"
"I'm willing," Lu Man blurted out.
Wang Juhuai had actually mentally prepared himself for Lu Man's rejection.
He kept telling himself that it's normal, there's nothing to be disappointed about.
As long as he treated her well, she'd come to accept him as her father one day.
He was startled upon hearing Lu Man's reply.
"I'm willing," Lu Man said again. "It's just… I never thought that you'll think this way, I…"
Lu Man took a deep breath. "I never hoped to experience any fatherly love in this life. I just felt that the best-case scenario was you and Mom living a good life while I treat you with the right amount of respect. I never thought that I could call you Dad."
"When you told me I could, my mind went blank. I never thought that I could have a father one day." Hearing this, Wang Juhuai knew that Lu Man did not consider Lu Qiyuan her father.
"Having a father to love me, protect me, and support me…" Han Zhuoli could do all of that as well, but it was still different from a father's care.
Han Zhuoli wanted to say that he could do it too but kept his mouth shut considering the current atmosphere.
Lu Man's tears never stopped though she cried silently.
Her lips were trembling terribly.
Xia Qingwei's eyes were red-rimmed too.
The child was reacting this way precisely because someone had thrust fatherly love upon her when she never had one before!
"Good girl." Wang Juhuai choked. "I'm your father from now on, and what's past is past. Dad will protect you, love you, and support you. My body's in great condition and I'll keep it that way for another 30, 40 years so that I can protect you for another 30, 40 years! Don't you worry!"
Wang Juhuai grew a sense of pride.
"Though you haven't experienced any fatherly love for the past 23 years, you will in the next 30 to 40 years," Wang Juhuai said as he smiled.
