The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 192: Jiang Man, Pretending to be Dead Appears

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Jiang Man, Pretending to be Dead Appears

Lu Zhendong, perhaps driven by the alcohol, did not push her away.

Smelling the familiar scent on her, he responded passionately.

At first, she was timid and frightened, afraid of being rejected as she had been that morning, but to her surprise, she received his response.

Emboldened, she moved her lips to leave her mark on his forehead, eyes, cheeks, and chin.

Lu Zhendong, his body reeking of alcohol, was kissed wildly by her, his voice hoarse and deep, "Ming Ran?"

But Ming Ran did not respond to him, continuing her fervent onslaught.

Only when she heard Lu Zhendong’s breathing become heavier did she lean close to his ear and whisper softly, "Uncle, I like you. Can we be together?"

It was as if a night from many years ago, the same voice, the same initiative.

Lu Zhendong thought he was dreaming. He had dreamed of this scenario countless times in his dreams, but none was as real as this time.

"Ming Ran, you should not have broken your promise! You should not have betrayed me!" Lu Zhendong lowered his voice, filled with hatred and pain.

"I know I was wrong. Uncle, then you punish me," she responded obediently, her voice sounding pitiful.

As if driven by some demonic power, Lu Zhendong picked her up as if possessed and pressed her to his chest.

Without a word, his fierce kiss replaced all his answers.

Bang—

The fireworks illuminated the glass windows outside.

Ming Ran widened her eyes, looking at the man before her.

His features were stern, and his dark eyes were frosted over.

Like a beast hunting its prey, fierce and savage.

...

In the front yard, Wen Rui answered a video call.

She was stunned by the fireworks upon seeing them.

She was studying in the library, and the "bang" startled her.

Fortunately, she was wearing headphones, otherwise her classmates would have looked at her with curious eyes.

"Where are you?" she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Today is the great-grandmother’s seventieth birthday of a relative of mine."

"Oh, I remember now." Wen Rui nodded, "Lu Xingzhou’s grandmother’s seventieth birthday, the media reported it. How is it? Lively?"

"Very lively, and there’s even been a major drama," Lu Zhan said, then abruptly stopped.

"What drama?" Wen Rui tilted her head, full of curiosity.

Lu Zhan just smiled and changed the subject, "Let’s not talk about that, watch the fireworks. Tonight’s fireworks are worth ten million, comparable to a Disney fireworks show."

"Wow!" Wen Rui’s eyes lit up, "I’ve never been to Disney, it must be beautiful!"

She widened her eyes, not blinking, and stared at the live broadcast on her phone.

Lu Zhan watched her hopeful gaze through the small window and smiled indulgently, "I’ll take you to Disney to see the firework show later."

"Ah?" Wen Rui was pleasantly surprised, "Really?"

"We’ll shoot the music video for ’Cotton Candy’ there."

"Oh, sure!" Wen Rui nodded excitedly.

The two fell silent, letting the ambiguous atmosphere spread between their phone screens.

Because of their positions, neither openly expressed their feelings.

Wen Rui felt she was of humble origin and did not match the wealthy and top singer Lu Zhan.

Lu Zhan, afraid that revealing his feelings so soon would frighten the girl, as they hadn’t known each other long.

Both had their own thoughts, but neither completely hid their feelings from each other.

They say the ambiguous stage is the most tantalizing, like viewing flowers through the fog, itching at the heart.

No one knows how long it had been, but after the "Four Feet Jade," they were ready to launch the "Thousand Li Rivers and Mountains."

Lu Zhan aimed to show the process of igniting the fireworks, shifting the camera.

But as he moved the phone, he accidentally captured the silhouettes of Lu Xingzhou and Jiang Man walking hand in hand.

Wen Rui had been staring at the phone, and she instantly recognized the familiar figure.

"Zhan brother, I just... I think I saw my cousin?"

"Hm?" Lu Zhan pretended to be surprised, though his heart was racing, "Which one?"

"Move the camera back to the right," Wen Rui directed.

Lu Zhan deliberately moved it to the left.

"Not the left, the right."

Just then, the "Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" rocketed into the sky.

He hurriedly moved the camera up.

"Wow! This one is also so beautiful! A different kind of beauty!" Wen Rui was instantly captivated by the brilliant fireworks, drawing all his attention.

Lu Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Wen Rui exclaiming non-stop, his mood immediately improved greatly.

The old ones are indeed spicier, Uncle Three was right, fireworks are something that should be watched with the one you love to be truly enjoyable.

In a corner of the courtyard, Wen Jingya sat alone.

The elders were all inside the house. They glanced at the fireworks for a moment and then lost interest.

At this moment, behind her was a mix of the sounds of playing mahjong and bursts of laughter and chatter.

In the main hall, three mahjong tables were set up, and the elders were all playing mahjong.

She hated these noises the most; they just irritated her.

Holding her phone, she listlessly scrolled through her social media feed.

She scrolled for over ten minutes, her eyes becoming sore from the effort.

Suddenly, she stumbled upon a post that made her eyes light up.

The words ’Jiang Man’ entered her sight, injecting an infinite brightness into her world.

Jiang Man: 555~ So sad, my new bag got stolen just after I bought it today. Be very careful of pickpockets in Paris!

Wen Jingya clicked on Jiang Man’s profile and entered the chat interface.

After some thought, she took a chance and initiated a greeting with a tentative mindset.

Wen Jingya: Manman, do you remember me? Wen Jingya from the Lu family.

She originally thought that due to the time difference between the countries, Jiang Man wouldn’t reply instantly.

But to her surprise, her phone ’dinged’, and it was actually Jiang Man replying to the message.

Jiang Man: Of course I remember you. Did you and Lu Xingzhou get married?

Wen Jingya: No, didn’t you know? On the day you left the country, Xingzhou got married to someone whose name sounds like yours. That person impersonated you and deceived Xingzhou.

Jiang Man: Huh? Really? Are you joking? How can such a coincidental and bizarre thing happen?

Wen Jingya: It’s true.

After replying, she took a photo of Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou’s backs not far away and sent it to Jiang Man.

Wen Jingya: It’s this woman.

Jiang Man: How could this happen? I left originally to make way for you and Lu Xingzhou, since you were the wife destined for him since childhood. It wouldn’t be fair to snatch away your happiness just because I saved grandma.

Wen Jingya: Manman, you’re really an angel, so kind-hearted. But there are many demons in this world.

Jiang Man was ’typing’, but after a long time, no new messages came through.

Wen Jingya kept staring at the screen. She knew that Jiang Man, such a simple and naive girl, was easy to manipulate.

However, she couldn’t be hasty. She needed to gently coax and gradually build a trusting relationship between them.

She immediately changed the subject.

Wen Jingya: I saw your social media post yesterday. Were you pickpocketed? Is Paris that chaotic?

Unexpectedly, right after she sent this message, Jiang Man immediately called her through voice call.

Wen Jingya, flattered, carefully answered the phone.

"Hello? Little fairy Manman."

"Yaya." Jiang Man’s voice was sweet: "Paris is no longer the Paris of before. If it weren’t for my ballet studies, I probably would have left already."

"You went to Paris to study ballet?" Wen Jingya was surprised.

"Yes, the Royal Ballet Academy of France, the best ballet school in the world."

"I’m so envious of you." Wen Jingya’s tone was a bit sour.

"I have to thank grandma for that. Without her 20 million, I wouldn’t have had the chance to come here." Upon mentioning the elderly Madame Lu, Jiang Man’s tone clearly softened a lot, brimming with gratitude.

"Today is grandma’s seventieth birthday." Wen Jingya mentioned.

"Ah? Really?" Jiang Man exclaimed, followed by a long silence: "It’s too late to send a gift now. I’ll call grandma right now."

"Okay." Wen Jingya nodded.

After hanging up, she glanced back towards the hall and indeed heard the elderly lady’s phone ring.

The servant, holding her phone, was surprised: "Madame Lu, it’s a call from Miss Jiang Man."

Upon hearing this name, everyone playing mahjong stopped, their hearts filled with dread.

Jiang Man... why is she calling?

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