Half an hour later.
In a speakeasy near the Rong Mansion.
When Song Xiao found out about his good brother's flash marriage, he immediately let out a string of expletives.
"Damn! Just what kind of stunning beauty could make our high and mighty, unapproachable Mr. Lu take a second look?"
Lu Xingzhou forced a smile, thought of Jiang Man's behavior, and shook his head.
A beauty? More like a female hooligan!
"Grandma likes her." Lu Xingzhou said little else, swirling his wineglass.
Song Xiao clinked glasses with him, "Could it be that my old man got influenced by your granny? He randomly met a bad girl on the street and now he wants her as my wife. Tell me, has the old man gone mad?"
"A bad girl? How bad?" Lu Xingzhou teased with a smile, curiosity sparkling in his eyes, "Do tell."
Song Xiao recounted what his grandfather had told him, without embellishing, "You tell me, who doesn't know my grandpa in the North City? That girl's only in her early twenties, yet speaks fluently about porcelain. In my opinion, she came prepared to be my grandma!"
Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but chuckle; the usually elegant him couldn't hold back a laugh, "You're suffering from persecution delusion; I actually think this girl is quite outstanding."
"Easy for you to say when it's not happening to you; standing up doesn't hurt your back. I'm telling you, many young girls flock around my grandpa, and do you think I don't know what they're up to? Some of these girls even want to bear my grandpa's children, competing with me for the inheritance."
Song Xiao is known as a playboy in the entire North City.
Some capable girls, knowing that targeting Song Xiao isn't as rewarding as targeting the old man, a fact Lu Xingzhou also heard about.
"I actually think the Song Family should have another child; your number, it's like a lost cause." Lu Xingzhou joked.
Song Xiao's face turned from pale to red, "You rotten friend! How did I end up best friends with such a venomous tongue, it's a tragedy…"
In the night market, Jiang Man was browsing and munching happily.
As she walked, she bumped into someone she knew.
Not far away, Jiang Rou was arm-in-arm with a young man, followed by a group of men and women.
"This area is near the Rong Mansion, hey Zhao Brother, after you marry the sister-in-law, are you planning to buy a wedding house here?" a girl next to Jiang Rou said enviously.
Zhao Peng draped his arm around Jiang Rou's shoulders and kissed her cheek, "Of course."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou was overjoyed and stood on tiptoes to return the kiss.
The group laughed and chatted, and the female attendant pointed to the jewelry at the night market stall, hinting to her boyfriend to buy it for her.
When they looked up, they saw Jiang Man not far away.
"Rourou, isn't that your misfortune of a sister?"
Jiang Rou glanced at the solitary figure of Jiang Man, instantly feeling superior.
She walked over, arm in arm with Zhao Peng, deliberately flaunting her presence, "Oh, didn't my sister just get her marriage certificate? Why is she still wandering around alone? Where is your husband?"
Jiang Man felt annoyed, replying coldly, "My husband is busy."
"Busy? Busier than my Zhao Brother? He has to manage a business worth tens of millions at home!"
Hearing Jiang Rou praising him, Zhao Peng was immensely smug, puffing out his chest.
Jiang Man rolled her eyes.
Although she was still unclear about what exactly Lu Xingzhou did, she was certain of one thing—he was at least ten to twenty times richer than Zhao Peng!
"It's getting late, I'm going home." Jiang Man said coldly, not wanting to deal with Jiang Rou.
She tried to leave, but the followers wouldn't let her.
"What's the rush, sister? It's rare to bump into you, how about I treat you to a meal at Haidilao? I heard from Rourou that you've lived a hard life since you were young, probably haven't even been to Haidilao, so pitiful."
"What you said, now she has a husband, my brother-in-law can definitely afford Haidilao." Jiang Rou chimed in mockingly.
"Haidilao costs 100 per person, my brother-in-law can definitely afford 200."
"If you could afford it, you wouldn't be eating at street stalls," the flunky mocked. "Sis, call your brother-in-law over, let us meet him."
"Oh right, Zhao Huai, isn't your company hiring security guards? Sis, it's a monthly salary of four thousand, want to introduce your brother-in-law to it? If he won't go, you can try it out instead, to stop idling around all day."
"Pfft." After Jiang Rou finished speaking, her cronies sneered sardonically.
Jiang Man rolled her eyes, speechless with frustration.
Are these clowns not tired from all their jumping around?
She yawned, chillingly responded, "You want to introduce me to a job, huh? If the monthly salary isn't a hundred thousand, I'm not considering it. There needs to be one month of annual leave, social insurance and housing fund, and a year-end bonus ten times that, don't bug me if you can't find such a job!"
"You... Sis, you who are uneducated, how dare you dream such unrealistic dreams!" Jiang Rou lamented earnestly, "I'm an intern at the Lu Corporation, and I only get three thousand a month. Zhao Huai offering you four thousand is already lifting you up; at least I have a bachelor's degree, and you're illiterate."
Yes, illiterate, an illiterate personally invited by the National Research Institute.
"I've found a job that pays a hundred thousand a month, so you can stop worrying about me," retorted Jiang Man coldly, her gaze sharp. "Move aside, good dogs don't block the way!"
The cronies, startled by her fierce look, were intimidated.
So they timidly cleared the way.
Seeing her about to leave, Jiang Rou couldn't hide her irritation, "A hundred thousand a month? You must be dreaming! If you really find a job that pays so high, I'll livestream myself eating shit!"
"Deal!" Jiang Man smiled, the corner of her mouth curving, as she pressed her phone, "Say that again."
She wanted to record Jiang Rou's words.
"Say it, I will! If you can find a job that pays a hundred thousand a month, I'll livestream myself eating shit!" Jiang Rou declared confidently.
"Look forward to eating shit then," Jiang Man replied airily and walked away.
For some reason, her powerful presence made the cronies feel instantly guilty.
They looked at Jiang Rou spontaneously, filled with worry, "Rourou, could it be that she really can?"
"Psh! If she was really capable of that, she wouldn't have settled for marrying Mr. Yang to replace me back then. She's now got a flash marriage and still hides her husband. I bet she can't even show him off, inferior to even Mr. Yang!" Jiang Rou scoffed.
As Jiang Man left the night market, she spotted a familiar Maybach by the roadside.
In the northern city, there are quite a few Maybachs, but only one stands out, and that is Lu Xingzhou's.
His Maybach is a global limited edition, a specially customized model.
Jiang Man glanced at the flashy license plate, six eights, isn't that Lu Xingzhou's car?
She decided to pretend she hadn't seen it and walked back to Rong Mansion on her own.
Just then, her phone in her pocket rang.
She hadn't saved the number, but she remembered it—she had asked the butler for it yesterday.
"Hello, Mr. Lu?"
"Where are you? I'll come pick you up."
On the other end of the phone, the man's voice was indifferent, emotionless.
"I'm almost home, no need for a ride," Jiang Man declined directly.
"Grandma asked me to pick you up, I need to complete the task," Lu Xingzhou stated bluntly, not shying away from his intention.
Jiang Man pulled a wry smile, "Alright."
As she said this, she strode towards the Maybach on the roadside.
Lu Xingzhou, as if possessing a telepathy-like sense, glanced outside the car window just to see Jiang Man's slender figure approaching.
Zhao Huai quickly got out of the car to help open the door.
"Thank you," Jiang Man nodded slightly as she got into the car.
No sooner had she sat down than Lu Xingzhou couldn't stand it anymore, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, "Why do you smell like shit?"