The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 148: Jiang Man is the Commander’s Granddaughter?

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Jiang Man is the Commander’s Granddaughter?

A crowd of parents closed in, a dark mass of figures.

Adults and teenagers have a stark difference in physique.

A few students’ fathers were all portly and rotund, with fat faces and large bellies.

The mothers, on the other hand, wore gold and silver, exuding an air of wealthy matrons.

"I think we should call the police! My child has been seriously injured; we need to get a medical assessment of the injuries!"

"Exactly, just call the police!"

"What’s your relationship with Xu Zikang? Why did you help him fight?"

The leading man, dressed in an administrative jacket, asked, adjusting the black-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He stood at the forefront, clearly the most authoritative amongst the group of parents.

"I’m his neighbor and friend. His parents couldn’t make it to the parent-teacher meeting, so I came instead. Is there a problem?"

With those last three words, Jiang Man’s tone rose sharply, her arms crossed and her expression a mix of aloofness and defiance.

Although she dressed elegantly in a skirt that day, her speech and demeanor couldn’t hide her intractable nature.

"Why did you hit someone?" The man’s brows furrowed, and his voice grew colder.

Jiang Man gave him a disdainful look, different from the deference shown by the other parents, "A bunch of people who can’t spit out anything good, born by a father but not taught by one, I helped to teach them a lesson!"

"You... you..." Other parents, enraged by her words, pointed at Jiang Man, "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to discipline our children? You hit our children, and that’s bad enough. Do you know whose children these are? Who do you think you’re talking to?"

Jiang Man shrugged, "Don’t know, don’t care."

"She, she, she..." One parent, too incensed to speak properly, exclaimed, "Call the police! Lock them up for a few days—that’ll set them straight!"

"Chief Gao, I don’t think we need to go through so much trouble. Just expel them. Such students don’t deserve to stay in our Experimental Middle School!"

"Right! Our Experimental Middle School is a key school in the city! Children with violent tendencies shouldn’t be allowed to remain."

As soon as he heard he might be expelled, Kangkang panicked, turning to Jiang Man and tugging at her dress.

He said nothing, but his pitiful eyes conveyed everything.

He didn’t want to be expelled.

Jiang Man knew a bit about Kangkang’s situation, knew that he was both a good student and studious.

It was clearly these kids who had provoked Kangkang first, saying a lot of unpleasant things.

"Chief Gao? From which bureau?" Jiang Man asked, her eyes slanted, eyebrow arched.

One parent huffed, trying to intimidate with their backing, "Of course, from the Education Bureau. If Chief Gao decides to expel a bad student, isn’t that just a matter of minutes?"

"Oh dear, expulsion is too serious. It’s tough to get into the Experimental Middle School. The kids were just fighting, a little tussle, that’s all," a reasonable parent interjected, unable to stay silent.

Children who manage to get into the Experimental Middle School either come from powerful or influential families or are outstanding students with exceptional achievement.

If it’s the former, you make an enemy.

If the latter, it’s a pity to lose such a promising young talent.

"What if we apologize, and call it even?" suggested this parent.

Chief Gao, adjusting his glasses, appeared reasonable, "An apology, and we’re not those who can’t be reasoned with as parents."

Upon hearing that Xu Zikang should apologize, the kids who had started the trouble instantly became smug.

They stared at him directly, flipping him the middle finger.

It was clear they were the ones who had instigated the trouble, insulting Xu Zikang first, but in the end, was the victim expected to apologize?

Jiang Man sneered, finding the world incredibly absurd.

Those with power think it can crush everything, not realizing that there is always a higher mountain.

"The head of the Education Bureau, right?" Jiang Man asked with a mischievous grin, "Have those brats apologize to Kangkang, and I won’t hold it against them. If you don’t apologize, then fine. I’ll take it to the media."

Upon mention of the media, the parents looked at one another, uncertain.

As public servants, their biggest fear was media attention. Some issues, even if they were in the right, could get twisted by media coverage and public opinion could turn black into white.

"Chief Gao... this..."

"Are our kids supposed to be beaten for nothing?"

"They provoked Xu Zikang, saying that his parents were divorced, that he was unloved by his dad and unwanted by his mom, and even turned his father’s affair and abandonment of his wife into a joke. Are their mouths not foul? Don’t they deserve to be hit?" Jiang Man scoffed.

The parents were not pleased, "It’s normal for children to argue with each other. A gentleman uses his words, not his fists!"

"Children? Is your kid still not weaned at 13?" Jiang Man sneered, her gaze drifting contemptuously towards the woman who had spoken, "Tsk, tsk, what an oddity."

"You..." The female parent trembled with rage, her hand around her child’s neck, "Chief Gao, we won’t settle this amicably. Let’s call the police!"

"Yes, call the police!"

A group of parents were agitating, and having no alternative, Chief Gao gestured to his secretary and instructed, "Call the police."

Kangkang was worried, his eyes pleadingly fixed on Jiang Man.

Jiang Man forced a smile. A minor fuss, and they want to blow it out of all proportion.

Fine!

She wasn’t idle either; she took out her phone and made a call to Colonel Xia.

"Uncle Xia, I’ve run into a bit of trouble here. It’s nothing serious, but I need you to come in person."

"Miss Jiang, it would be my pleasure to help relieve your worries!"

"Good."

After about fifteen minutes, a group arrived at the police station near the school.

A throng of people were ushered in separately to give their statements.

Without prior consultation, some exaggerated, others embellished, and then there were those who told the plain truth.

The resulting statements could easily be imagined.

Jiang Man and Kangkang also were taken separately for their statements.

After completing their statements, that group of troublemaking students remained restless.

"Group brawl, you two just wait to be locked up for half a month!"

"You think you can fight us? Don’t you know who my dad is?"

"Hello, we would like a medical assessment! If our children are seriously injured, they need to compensate!"

Soon, the police made calls to Kangkang’s father and mother, asking them to come to the police station.

Kangkang’s father arrived first; his company was nearby.

As he walked into the station, he raised his hand, ready to discipline his troublesome son.

"Who did you learn this from? Now you’re fighting with others? Not focusing on your studies—are you trying to anger me to death?"

Before the slap could land, Jiang Man caught his hand.

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of icy resolve, "You’re hitting your son without even understanding the real situation? Your way of disciplining is indeed simple and brutal."

When Kangkang’s father saw that it was Jiang Man, his anger subsided slightly, "Mrs. Lu, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Man didn’t wish to explain.

Kangkang hung his head, "You and mom are both busy, so I asked Sister Man to come to the parent-teacher meeting for me..."

"Why didn’t you have your stepmom come?!"

"I don’t want a stepmom when I have my own mother, so why should I have her?"

"You unfilial son!" Kangkang’s dad’s temper flared again instantly.

Just as he was scolding Kangkang, his mother walked in, witnessing everything.

"You’re scolding your son again? If you can’t teach him properly, return the custody rights to me!" Kangkang’s mother’s eyes reddened on the spot as she embraced Kangkang and cried.

Jiang Man couldn’t stand such sentimental scenes, and leaned to one side.

Seeing the commotion, the troublemaking students’ parents immediately approached.,

"You’re Xu Zikang’s parents, right? Your child has seriously injured our kids, and we are going to sue you!"

"Are you joking? Kangkang alone could beat up so many kids?"

"You tell us, who hit whom?"

The hall was a commotion, more lively than a vegetable market.

Jiang Man detested that kind of noise and walked over with a scowl, her eyebrows slightly raised, "What’s the fuss? It was all me who hit them."

Seeing her admit it personally, the parents immediately started to make a racket, "I’m going to sue you!"

"Police, arrest her! She admitted it!"

Jiang Man rolled her eyes and took out her phone to check the time.

The hall was unbearably noisy until the police came out and asked everyone to be quiet; only then did the crowd reluctantly shut their mouths.

Kangkang’s dad breathed a sigh of relief; the Xu family couldn’t afford to provoke these people, especially with a high-ranking official among them.

But it was different for Mrs. Lu. Mr. Lu had immense influence in the north city, and there were ways to calm this matter down.

It was just a fight, and the injuries were not severe; it wasn’t a big deal. With Mr. Lu’s face to consider, the high-ranking official probably wouldn’t make things too difficult for Mrs. Lu.

Thinking this, Kangkang’s dad decided to inform the group of parents about Jiang Man’s real identity.

He was just about to open his mouth when he heard a loud commotion outside the door.

Looking toward the door, they saw several military trucks pull up steadily in front of the police station.

Next, a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit walked in, accompanied by several armed soldiers.

When they saw the infantry wearing third-level helmets and carrying shotguns, everyone in the hall fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

They didn’t know why these people had come, but staying quiet was certainly the right thing to do.

"Commander Xia?" the high-ranking official asked in utter surprise, "With such a busy schedule, what brings you here?"

He crowded around warmly.

But Commander Xia didn’t respond. Instead, he gave the official a cold once-over.

Turning to face Jiang Man, he said, "Miss Jiang, please leave this matter to me to handle."

"That would be great, thank you," Jiang Man nodded slightly.

The crowd was stunned, disbelieving their own eyes.

What had they seen? The commander of an army division bowing to a young girl?

Who exactly was this girl?

The onlookers gaped, dumbfounded.

Without a change in expression, Jiang Man turned to leave, but after a couple of steps, she thought of something, turned back and looked at Kangkang, "Are you coming or not? Not attending the parent-teacher meeting?"

Kangkang blinked and hurriedly grabbed his backpack to follow.

Jiang Man frowned, "Since you two are here, go attend the parent-teacher meeting for your child. Why are you hesitating?"

"Oh, right, okay," Kangkang’s mom finally caught on.

Kangkang’s dad furrowed his brows, hesitated for a moment, but eventually stepped forward.

The family of three was bathed in the sunlight, which made for a harmonious sight.

Seeing this, the troublemaking students also wanted to leave.

But the soldiers blocked them with their shotguns, scaring them so much they almost wet their pants.

"High-ranking official, let’s solve this issue slowly and make sure we understand everything clearly. We mustn’t wrong Miss Jiang or cause her any tarnish," Commander Xia said sternly.

The high-ranking official’s brows knotted as he faintly sensed that they had provoked a major figure.

But that girl, appearing so young and unassuming, didn’t look like someone with status.

He had heard that Commander Qian had a beloved granddaughter.

"Commander Xia, that person just now, she couldn’t be Commander Qian’s granddaughter, could she?"

"No," Commander Xia said indifferently. "If it was Commander Qian’s granddaughter, that would be easier to handle."

Meaning that dealing with Jiang Man was not easy.

The high-ranking official’s breath caught, and his brain felt like it had been struck by a heavy object. He suddenly shut down, unable to think.

He couldn’t fathom who else could command such a grand spectacle and warrant Commander Xia’s personal intervention.

...

Several minutes later, Jiang Man followed Kangkang and his parents to the school entrance.

"Since both your mom and dad are here, I won’t go in."

"Yeah, thanks, Manman. I’ve caused you a lot of trouble." Kangkang hung his head, embarrassed.

Jiang Man ruffled his hair.

Looking up at Kangkang’s dad, her gaze suddenly turned much colder, "If you can’t take care of the child properly, custody should go to the mother. Don’t let me catch you being harsh to him again!"

"I understand..." Kangkang’s dad nodded sheepishly, not daring to anger her.

Jiang Man waved to Kangkang and strode away.

Watching her retreating figure, Kangkang’s mom furrowed her brows, "Who is that girl?"

Kangkang’s dad massaged his temples, "Lu Xingzhou’s wife."

"What?" Kangkang’s mom was shocked.

She had been fortunate to meet Lu Xingzhou, a man considered a favored son of heaven.

She had assumed that the type of woman he would marry would be mature, stable, and from a distinguished family.

But she hadn’t expected...

It wasn’t that Jiang Man was not good, but she just didn’t fit the image she had of Mrs. Lu.

"Is her family from the military? I saw that a high-ranking officer came to handle such a small matter for her; even Director Gao had to be very respectful to that officer."

"Yeah," Kangkang’s dad’s frown deepened further. His ex-wife might not understand the significance of the badges and epaulettes, but he certainly did.

That officer was no ordinary man; he was a division commander!

The presence of such a high-ranking officer taking care of matters for Jiang Man suggested that it was very likely she was the daughter or granddaughter of a commander.

This made sense now. With Lu Xingzhou’s worth in the hundreds of billions, the daughter or granddaughter of a commander would be a perfect match for him.

"Kangkang, my boy, you’ve really latched onto a powerful connection this time. Your Manman’s status is extraordinary. In the future, your dad might even rely on you to make use of her connections."

As Kangkang’s dad spoke, he got more excited and patted Kangkang on the back of the head.

Kangkang pursed his lips, visibly unhappy.

His dad was too mercenary, always talking about ’benefits’ when making friends.

He wasn’t like that at all; he made friends for genuine feelings and real connections.

Besides, he liked Manman. He was going to work hard in his studies and become a better person because, in the future, he wanted to marry Manman!

"Kangkang, what have you packed in this bag? It’s so heavy." Kangkang’s mom lifted his backpack.

Kangkang weighed it and indeed, it was a lot heavier.

Opening the zipper, he discovered an added stack of items he hadn’t noticed before.

He took them out to see they were all JOJO’s postcards, complete with JOJO’s handwritten signatures.

"No way?" Kangkang was so astonished he almost bit his tongue.

That blonde-haired, blue-eyed big sister, was she really JOJO?

No way, no way!

This world was just too fantastical!

"Why do you need so many postcards?" Kangkang’s mom asked, surprised.

Kangkang hurriedly zipped up his backpack, "It’s nothing, just something for my classmates."

A good number of his close classmates were die-hard fans of JOJO.

They were just ordinary middle-schoolers; how could they get the chance to chase after stars?

To get an autograph from their idol was simply out of reach.

But now, without any effort, his sister Manman had got him a whole stack.

Judging by the quantity, probably over a hundred, it wasn’t just enough for his class but for the next class over as well.

With this thought, he couldn’t wait to get to class!