The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 289: Seeking Privileges at the First Academy?

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Seeking Privileges at the First Academy?

Early the next morning, Jiang Man was woken up by the vibration of her phone.

She had thought Zhang Ziqi and Mao Lili were going to make a fuss about lunch, but it turned out they wouldn’t even let breakfast slip by.

At nine o’clock in the morning, she arrived at Tsingnord University’s cafeteria No. 1 with a speechless expression.

Zhang Ziqi and Mao Lili looked like two bumpkins who had never seen the world before, peeking around curiously after buying meal tickets.

"They actually have coconut milk cream noodles, gross! That looks so disgusting."

"It’s a specialty from Singapore and Malaysia. Want to give it a try?"

"No, thanks. I’ll pass, haha."

"Come on, look, they have turkey! I’m seeing this for the first time; I’ve only ever seen it in English textbooks before."

"I’ve heard this stuff is super nasty, the meat’s really tough."

Jiang Man followed behind the two, listening to their comments.

Seeing that they were hesitant to decide what to eat, she walked over to the Chinese food area, grabbed a bowl of savory doufu nao, a jianbing guozi, and a cup of juice.

"I’ll wait for you guys at that spot by the window."

Because there were so many students from other schools coming to eat, they all had to wait for seats.

Jiang Man shared a table with someone else, planning to hold the seats for Zhang Ziqi and Mao Lili once the other party finished eating.

She was enjoying her meal when suddenly there was a commotion in the cafeteria.

"Excuse me, please make way, make way."

A cafeteria auntie was clearing the way in front.

People stepped aside, murmuring to each other.

Two heiresses dressed in name-brand clothes appeared, guarded by two bodyguards, with a headteacher guiding them as if to inspect the cafeteria.

"Miss Lu Junior, this is our cafeteria No. 1. The variety of dishes here is quite rich, featuring cuisine from 16 different countries around the world."

"Hmm." Jiang Man glanced at the food area and was very pleased.

Walking beside her, Wen Jingya pursed her lips and nudged Jiang Man with her elbow, "Grandma really plays favorites. You said you missed Tsingnord, and she arranged connections for you. Then look at me, what kind of trashy school am I stuck at?"

"Yaya, don’t say that. In the end, I have to take exams, and if I don’t pass, I can’t get in either. Right now, I’m just visiting the school, not really enrolling," Jiang Man comforted Wen Jingya, patting her shoulder.

Wen Jingya scoffed and wasn’t buying it.

She didn’t like Jiang Man, but she hated Lu Man even more.

Now, she was merely allying with the second enemy to take down the first.

"In the end, it’s all about that ’lifesaver’ status, right?" Wen Jingya rolled her eyes, deliberately teasing.

Jiang Man bit her lip and fell silent.

She knew what Wen Jingya was being sarcastic about.

When she heard Grandmother had arranged for her to visit Tsingnord, Wen Jingya insisted on coming along.

Why come? Obviously just to annoy her.

Jiang Man wasn’t comfortable either; she didn’t like Wen Jingya.

The two were in a situation where neither could stand the other, yet they had no choice but to be in the same boat.

"Let’s go check out the front." Jiang Man wasn’t interested in Chinese cuisine and wanted to see the Southeast Asian dishes.

Because of their arrival, the already bustling cafeteria No. 1 became even more crowded.

Many visiting students didn’t know the specifics and thought these two were some important figures from Tsingnord.

"What’s the deal? Where did these two come from?"

Students from Tsingnord were puzzled.

Today, because of Dr. M, many students from other schools came to pay homage, and the school had even discounted the food to accommodate them.

Eating is supposed to be an equal affair, but these two were making it special.

It made it seem like this wasn’t Tsingnord, but rather some kind of private institution.

"Seems like they’re this year’s special admissions, enrolled through a special channel."

"Interesting, aren’t the special admission students supposed to enroll in September each year? With this semester almost over and final exams approaching, they’re suddenly joining classes?"

"I heard it’s the second daughter of the Lu Family, Lu Man."

The students at Qingbei were unaware of Jiang Man’s real situation; they were focused on their studies and not interested in gossip about the affluent circles.

"So speechless—it’s just rich family privilege."

"If she can’t pass the entrance exam, she wouldn’t be able to join either. Connections might help, but without real talent, it’s of no use. Qingbei is strict on admissions and lenient on graduation, unlike Harvard’s lenient admissions and strict graduation. She could get into Harvard, but for Qingbei, without talent, how would it work?"

"That’s true, but it still doesn’t feel great."

Jiang Man flaunting things this openly was really drawing hatred.

Especially at a place like Qingbei, filled with highly talented students, her incompetence was particularly annoying.

If you’re going to enjoy privileges, at least keep a low profile, for goodness’ sake. Even visiting the cafeteria needed the guidance director to show the way—truly irritating.

A crowd had gathered, and although Jiang Man was sitting by the window not joining the commotion, the chatter was non-stop. Even without looking, she could understand what was happening just by listening.

That night playing mahjong, she thought Jiang Man was joking and that Grandma was just humoring her.

She hadn’t expected it to be true...

"Huh?"

Wen Jingya, while walking through the crowd and glancing around, caught sight of the person sitting by the window.

Jiang Man stood out too much, not just in looks but also the unique aura she emitted—very arrogant, very cold.

Wherever she went, she had an air of ’stay away from me,’ making people hesitant to approach.

Other tables were crowded, but hers was quite empty.

She elbowed Jiang Man gently.

Jiang Man followed her lead and noticed Jiang Man as well.

Because of Jiang Man’s secret marriage to Lu Xingzhou, they were very ’cooperative’ in public, never daring to reveal Jiang Man’s identity as the young mistress of the Lu Family.

"Should we go greet her?" blinked Jiang Man.

Wen Jingya snorted, "With so many people around, why greet her?"

"Manman, why don’t we just eat here in this cafeteria?"

"Aren’t there many more cafeterias? Shouldn’t we keep looking around?"

"It’s already nine o’clock, if we keep browsing, it’ll be time for lunch."

"Fine then." Jiang Man made a move as if to walk towards Jiang Man, but Wen Jingya held her back.

"Director, can we sit by the window? Could you help us get those seats? The ones where that girl is sitting."

Wen Jingya whispered to the guidance director, "If it’s too troublesome, it’s okay; my sister and I can stand and eat."

"Stand and eat? It’s just a seat." The guidance director stepped forward and walked towards Jiang Man.

At that moment, Zhang Ziqi and Mao Lili had gotten their food.

Before they could sit down, the director approached them with a smile, polite yet insistent, "Excuse me, students, could you switch to another table? Could I borrow this table for a moment?"

"Ah? But there are no seats left nearby." Mao Lili pouted her lips.

"There are some students nearby who are almost finished; you can wait a bit."

"Then why don’t you wait? Do teachers at your school even need special treatment to eat?" Zhang Ziqi retorted unapologetically.

The director’s face turned ashen: "It’s not for me to enjoy privileges."

He didn’t know how to explain.

The Lu Family was planning to donate 30 million to renovate the school library; even just for show, he had to look after these two troublemakers, right?

Even if Lu Man didn’t end up getting admitted, his courteous and considerate demeanor would still reflect well as a response to the 30 million donation.

"If not you, who’s seeking privileges then?" Zhang Ziqi was fuming, undeterred even on someone else’s school grounds.

Sister Man had a lot of followers. If this issue escalated, it would undoubtedly be bad for Qingbei, and especially for this director!

"Oh? Manman... what a coincidence..." As the director was awkwardly confronting Zhang Ziqi, Wen Jingya feigned surprise and approached.