"Hmm?" Jiang Man paused and lifted her cool eyes, which held a hint of inquiry.
Lu Xingzhou straightened himself, taking his time to button up, ensuring his originally open neckline was tightly enclosed by his shirt.
"Although we are a real married couple, there are some things you shouldn't even dream about."
"What things?" Jiang Man's tone was very light.
She lacked nothing, what could she possibly covet?
"Don't even think about climbing into my bed! We're only husband and wife in name. Remember the contents of the agreement, everything is just for show!"
"Oh." Jiang Man couldn't help but chuckle, a gleam in her eye, lips curved slightly in a mischievous, somewhat naughty expression.
Undeniably, Lu Xingzhou did possess an attractive exterior.
But...
"Mr. Lu, rest assured, you're not my type. I can only accept someone who's at most three years older than me, you, don't qualify." Jiang Man shook her head, looking quite disdainful.
Lu Xingzhou's face instantly darkened, irritation in his voice, "You think I'm old?"
A man at thirty-one is in full bloom, yet someone dared to find him undesirable?
Jiang Man nodded seriously, "Quite old."
"..." Lu Xingzhou was at a loss for words, wanting to explode in rage, yet his upbringing from a young age restrained him.
His face as dark as the bottom of a pot, his voice even colder than frost, "In that case, sign here."
"Mhm." Jiang Man arched an eyebrow, her pen slashing boldly across the paper, signing her grand name.
There were two copies of the document, she took her copy, folded it neatly, folded it again, and stuffed it into her pocket.
Seeing her casually stow away such an important document, Lu Xingzhou rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
He really could not stand the behavior of this wild girl. They were simply not from the same world!
Despite his strong dislike of Jiang Man, Lu Xingzhou still politely spoke after calming down, "Please sit. I'd like to know more about your background."
Without a word, Jiang Man strode over to the guest sofa, sat down, and crossed her legs, "Mr. Lu, ask away."
Lu Xingzhou looked at her posture and was too infuriated to speak.
He sat down gracefully opposite her, back very straight, showcasing exemplary posture.
In stark contrast to Jiang Man.
"How many years did you attend school?" Lu Xingzhou asked.
Jiang Man thought for a moment.
Because of her solitary nature as a child, her foster father hired private tutors for her.
The real time she stepped into a school was when she entered Harvard. She completed her bachelor's and master's in three years and received her master's degree from Harvard.
"Three years?" she answered uncertainly.
This response was within Lu Xingzhou's expectations.
A girl with no official household registration, how could she have had the opportunity to go to school?
"So you're saying you never attended high school?"
"That's right." Jiang Man answered truthfully.
She had only attended university.
"Now that you're part of the Lu family, you can't spend every day at home doing nothing." Lu Xingzhou frowned slightly, contemplating how to arrange his new wife's life.
"One must have a skill."
After reflecting for a moment, Lu Xingzhou decided, "Alright, I will find someone to arrange school for you. Tell me, is there anything you want to learn?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Man was very surprised, at this moment she resembled a troubled teen.
And the man in front of her, like a patient and persistent parent.
Jiang Man furrowed her brows, quickly shaking her head, "No."
Lu Xingzhou let out a long sigh, thinking this wild girl hadn't been to school and naturally didn't understand the purpose of education.
Once a person's thoughts remain in their most primitive state, it becomes very hard for them to strive for improvement.
"I've decided for you—you're going to art school."
"Mr. Lu, I've found a job, so I probably won't have time for school," Jiang Man thought about the National Research Institute.
"At your age, you should be focusing on learning, not earning money."
"Anyway, with the one hundred million in alimony that Mr. Lu is giving me after the divorce, I have enough to lay flat for a lifetime," Jiang Man said with a smile.
"I'm not going to school. I have other things to take care of."
Having said that, she got up and left.
Lu Xingzhou watched her retreating figure, rubbing his forehead with a headache.
He really didn't know what aspect of this girl had caught his grandmother's eye.
Her ignorance truly disgusted him.
Well, it's just one more pair of chopsticks for the Lu Family, let the wild girl do whatever she wants—I can't be bothered to care anymore.
...
When Jiang Man came out of the study, she saw it was getting late, so she said goodbye to the butler and went out to find something to eat.
She looked up online and found that there was a famous night market near Rong Mansion, which had a lot of local delicacies.
Men die in pursuit of wealth, as birds die in pursuit of food.
If Jiang Man had a weakness, it was her when she was hungry.
Even missing one meal could make her feel uncomfortable all over.
Since Rong Mansion was a high-end estate, there wasn't even a shared bike available outside the complex.
With no other choice, Jiang Man could only walk there.
She hadn't even reached the night market when her attention was caught by an antique stall on the side of the road.
The stall owner was energetically calling out, attracting quite a few elderly men to gather around.
"This is a Qing dynasty blue and white porcelain! Twenty thousand yuan, take it if you want it, not a penny less!"
Hearing this, Jiang Man became interested.
Genuine Qing dynasty blue and white porcelain is quite valuable on the market.
Only selling for twenty thousand? It must be fake, right?
Jiang Man walked up and said, "Sir, let me have a look."
The stall owner, seeing she was a green young girl, said disdainfully, "If you can't afford it, don't touch! What if you damage my antique? Could you afford the loss?"
"What if I said I could?" Jiang Man huffed.
This damn owner really looked down on people.
"Go on, get lost! Don't interfere with my business!" The stall owner waved his hand, trying to drive Jiang Man away.
Then, he immediately turned around with a smiling face, holding up a blue and white porcelain bowl, and asked an old man in traditional Chinese clothes, "Brother, trust me, it's the real deal. Let me tell you a secret... this item is 'smuggled' goods... that's why I'm selling it so cheap."
Jiang Man was standing right next to the old man, so she heard everything clearly.
'Smuggled goods' was a term used in the trade, which meant it was smuggled from overseas.
The old man knew a bit about the business and seemed tempted by the words, "I didn't bring that much cash with me."
"No problem, we support QR code payments," the stall owner immediately showed a row of pearly white teeth, happily saying.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "All right then."
As the old man took out his phone, preparing to scan the code, Jiang Man reached out and stopped him, "This is indeed 'smuggled' goods, he's not lying, but this 'water' is not the right 'water,' this worthless bowl is fake, not some Qing dynasty blue and white porcelain."
"Eh? What do you mean? Are you looking for trouble on purpose?" The stall owner had just about hustled a big sucker and was fuming as he saw the cooked duck about to fly away.
Jiang Man couldn't be bothered with him and continued to advise the old man, "This bowl is just an ordinary ceramic bowl, and the blue and white pattern is just an ordinary print; its market price definitely wouldn't exceed five yuan."
"You... WTF!" The stall owner panicked, "What does a little girl like you know?"
"May I have a look at this bowl?" Just then, a voice intervened.
The crowd parted to make way, and a middle-aged man dressed in traditional Chinese clothes with a long beard came forward.