Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Clarifying the Relationship, Believe It or Not Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Clarifying the Relationship, Believe It or Not Lu Xingzhou didn’t respond, his hawk-like eyes slightly lifted, revealing a sharp and cold light.
Without a trace of a smile, an intimidating aura emanated from him.
“Jiang Man, the matter is settled. Let’s go home.”
He suddenly stood up, striding along with his superior long legs. As he passed by Wu Yingfan, his peripheral vision casually glanced over him.
Feeling a chill for no apparent reason, Wu Yingfan timidly stood up, “Sister Man, are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“Not anymore, I’m tired,” Jiang Man said indifferently, lazily standing up and, on her way out, she raised her eyebrows at Kangkang, “I’m leaving.”
“Yeah!” Kangkang nodded vigorously, giving Jiang Man a thumbs-up.
Jiang Man curved the corner of her mouth, “Remember, from now on you’ve got me and Lu Xingzhou looking out for you. If anyone dares to bully you, just tell us.”
“Got it!” Kangkang declared loudly.
This sound was also heard by the stepmother hiding on the second floor.
Kangkang didn’t wast any time and escorted his elder brother and sister to the main gate, waving goodbye with reluctance.
Kangkang’s father had been silent all this while, but as soon as the silhouettes in front of their house completely disappeared, he lowered his voice, both surprised and alarmed, “Did you know all along that that girl is President Lu’s wife?”
“I knew,” Kangkang mimicked Jiang Man’s attitude and tone, raising his eyebrows with a hint of pride.
Kangkang’s father furrowed his brows, “Then where have you been all day today?”
“I was at brother Xingzhou’s house; Sister Man spent the day with me.”
As Kangkang uttered these words, the stepmother on the second floor hurriedly came running down.
With a face full of anxious fear, like a thief with a guilty conscience, she approached with a beaming smile, “Alright, husband, let’s have dinner now. After eating, I’ll tutor Kangkang. Professor Zhu won’t be able to come so soon, so I need to keep an eye on Kangkang’s studies for the next few days.”
“Wife, you’ve worked hard,” Kangkang’s father said, grabbing his stepmother’s hand, his eyes shining.
But the stepmother shook her head: “I am Kangkang’s mother too. Which parents in the world wouldn’t love their children?”
Kangkang rolled his eyes, struggling to control the urge to vomit.
Having Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou visit their house today gave him an instant feeling of having strong backers, so he unceremoniously said, “I’m not eating dinner! And I won’t need the stepmother for my lessons these next few days either.”
“How can that be?” Kangkang’s stepmother panicked. She had wanted to wait until they were alone to interrogate Kangkang about whether he had said anything bad about her in front of others.
Kangkang refused coldly with an attitude that was a spitting image of Jiang Man’s, “Keep nagging, and I’ll go complain to Sister Man!”
“Ah? You child!” Kangkang’s father raised his voice in anger.
Kangkang ignored him completely and went straight upstairs.
“This child! Is he going to rebel?”
“Calm down, husband. I think that Mrs. Lu doesn’t seem like a good person. After spending just one day with her, Kangkang has become so defiant. In the future, it’s better to keep him away from the Lu Family.”
“How can that be? The Lu Corporation, Lu Xingzhou—those are some thick thighs to cling to! Forget it, don’t interfere with Kangkang’s affairs anymore. President Lu even got Professor Zhu to mentor Kangkang. Aren’t you going to be grateful for that?” Kangkang’s father’s expression changed dramatically.
The stepmother was so rebuked she couldn’t speak, feeling very displeased inside.
Old Xu had never shown her such a cold face before!
…
A few minutes later.
Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou returned to Villa Number 8.
The butler waited respectfully at the entrance hall for quite some time, “Young Master, Young Madam, dinner is ready.”
“Mm,” Lu Xingzhou responded and strode toward the dining room.
The servants immediately handed him a warm towel to wipe his hands.
Jiang Man glanced at the dishes on the table, her eyes lighting up.
Steamed pork with rice flour, osmanthus rice cake, braised beef shanks, chicken and water chestnut meatballs, steamed treasure fish, Sichuan Mao blood stew, and garlic broccoli.
Seven dishes.
Plus a pot of lamb and radish soup.
“You like Chinese food, don’t you?” Lu Xingzhou asked lightly.
He usually ate Western food because it was more convenient.
Moreover, he had lived alone before.
If you cooked several dishes for a meal, it would be a waste if he couldn’t finish them.
Cooking just one or two dishes, it was easier to eat Western food.
He had no great pursuit when it came to food, as long as he was full.
But he knew that wasn’t the case for Jiang Man, who was fond of various delicacies and loved to eat.
“Love.” Jiang Man picked up her chopsticks, already eager to start eating.
Lu Xingzhou didn’t hurry to get angry, but controlled himself and waited until Jiang Man had enjoyed the food.
Only after she was full did he speak in a cold tone, “You and that guy named Wu Yingfan are a couple, right? Since you are a couple, why then did you agree to the arranged flash marriage by your family? And after marrying me in a flash ceremony, why haven’t you broken up with your boyfriend?”
Lu Xingzhou was very serious, speaking sternly, “You young people have no sense of martial virtue!”
He chose his words carefully, not using extreme language to describe Jiang Man.
Jiang Man raised her eyebrows, her brow carrying a trace of pride.
Indeed, she didn’t like to waste words explaining herself to others.
However, she was unusually patient when it came to Lu Xingzhou.
“Here’s the thing.” She wiped her mouth clean and became serious too, “Wu Yingfan and I are best friends. He calls me ‘sister,’ and I treat him as a brother.”
“I’m a person with principles and bottom lines. Whether you believe me or not is your problem. I’ve done my duty by explaining and informing.”
As Jiang Man spoke, she took out her phone and started scrolling through TikTok.
Lu Xingzhou: “…”
This girl had no manners!
They hadn’t finished their conversation, and she was already playing with her phone!
“How come your English is so good?”
No sooner had Lu Xingzhou finished speaking than a voice coincidentally came from Jiang Man’s phone.
“An old grandmother carrying loads on Mount Huangshan, who can speak 18 different languages…”
The video explained: Mount Huangshan has many foreign visitors every year, and through communicating with these foreigners, the old grandmother had taught herself the languages of 18 different countries and could engage in daily conversations with them.
Lu Xingzhou opened his mouth, the content of the video resounding profoundly.
He thought, if an old grandmother could have such skills, perhaps Jiang Man might as well.
Jiang Man was naturally intelligent; it was possible she was self-taught too.
“Mr. Lu, what did you just say?”
Jiang Man turned down the volume on her phone and looked up inquiringly.
Lu Xingzhou smiled and shook his head, “Nothing.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room,” Jiang Man said as she stood up.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“You’ll be starting school in a few days, and while you still have time, you should go learn to drive and get your license,” Lu Xingzhou said in the tone of an elder, concerned about Jiang Man’s future, “I’ll have someone arrange the driving school for you.”
Jiang Man’s attention was still on her phone, and she responded casually, “Okay.”
Seeing her head down, playing with her phone, not playing games then scrolling through short videos, Lu Xingzhou helplessly shook his head.
This girl was smart in all the wrong ways; if she had focused her smarts on studying, she might have been a top student.
It was a pity, though, due to a rough childhood, she hadn’t had the chance for higher education.
Ding ding ding——
As Lu Xingzhou’s thoughts were flying, his phone on the dining table rang.
He glanced at it, the caller ID showing: Jingya.