The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 296: Meeting the Father-in-law with a Fait Accompli

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Meeting the Father-in-law with a Fait Accompli

This question really hit the nail on the head.

Jiang Man, unhurried and in a languid voice, said, "I know people."

She didn’t waste any more words explaining.

"Do you know people at the research institute?" Lu Yingxue, with a digging-deeper look, was far too curious and eager to know more about her little aunt’s affairs.

"Yingxue, you might not know this, but your little aunt is an amazing Divine Doctor. She has saved people all over the world. Many people owe her a debt of gratitude for saving their lives. It’s not just about getting an admission ticket, she could even secure you a job position in the institute!"

"Auntie, I’m not that miraculous," Jiang Man interrupted with indifference.

Lu Xuemei smiled radiantly, "It’s an exaggeration, just an exaggeration."

"My little aunt is actually a famous doctor? Which famous doctor?"

"Not worth mentioning."

"How can it not be worth mentioning, Man, have you heard of him?"

"I know! Of course, I know! His feats were published in The Lancet, isn’t he the male idol of your Granny?"

"Exactly, I never expected he wasn’t even male. You don’t know how heartbroken I was at that time."

"Hahaha."

Listening to the conversation between the two, Lu Zhan and Wen Rui were also taken aback.

Although both of them had a good relationship with Jiang Man, they were unaware that she was also a renowned Divine Doctor.

"Little auntie, you really keep your light under a bushel, huh? You can write songs and also treat and save people?" Lu Zhan couldn’t help but exclaim.

Wen Rui promptly agreed, "My cousin is full of talents, not just these two things. She’s very good at darts, and her survival skills in the wild are unmatched."

"Indeed, indeed. Uncle is truly blessed to have married such an outstanding wife in his past life," someone said.

"Everyone is excellent, Ruirui is also very excellent," Lu Xuemei continued with a smile.

"Zhan, what’s going on between you and the cousin-in-law? Do tell," Lu Yingxue swiftly changed the subject, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds, gossiping while cracking them open.

Wen Rui was a very shy person, especially in a crowd, and experienced social anxiety.

Fortunately, Lu Zhan took care of everything for her, so she didn’t need to do much.

"Ruirui and I became a couple, thanks to the matchmaking efforts of my little aunt. Our fate... started with a song..."

Lu Zhan began to recount the process of how he and Wen Rui met and fell in love.

It was a very innocent love story, without too much drama or bone-deep passion, but it felt incredibly sweet.

"Zhan, tell the truth, were you deliberately waiting outside the bar where the cousin-in-law sang every night?" Lu Yingxue’s eyes shone brightly as she asked.

With a smile, Lu Zhan willingly admitted, "Definitely intentional, where in this world are there so many coincidences and chance encounters? When you meet the right person, you have to go after them yourself."

"Ah? Zhan, so you did it on purpose?" Wen Rui, somewhat muddled and slow to realize, said.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener interpreted with interest.

Jiang Man hadn’t been able to get a word in, but her mind had been racing.

Weren’t they talking about her and Nan Juefeng?

Where in the world are there so many coincidences and chance encounters?

If you like someone, you have to create those meetings.

"What are you all chatting about so animatedly?" Lu Xingzhou arrived somewhat late. As he walked in, he took off his coat and handed it to the servant.

They were having such a good time chatting that no one noticed the noise from outside.

"Brother."

"Brother Xingzhou."

"Uncle."

"Uncle."

Almost in unison, the four exclaimed.

Lu Xingzhou’s gaze swept towards Lu Yingxue, "You’ve lost quite a bit of weight."

"I’ve been working on my thesis project recently, probably because of the all-nighters," Lu Yingxue didn’t take it seriously.

Her classmates were more industrious than one another; she really was busy studying, almost wishing for 24 hours rooted in the lab.

Today, she took some rare free time to visit her elders, a small break from her busyness.

"Eat more later," Lu Xingzhou made small talk casually and strode over to Jiang Man.

Thinking of something, he gestured with his hand.

Zhao Huai immediately came in from outside, holding a paper bag, "Young Master Zhan, this is the gift the BOSS prepared for Miss Wen."

"Thank you... brother-in-law..." Wen Rui took the gift, stuttering.

She wasn’t accustomed to addressing him as ’brother-in-law’, as Lu Zhan did, even for a moment.

Switching from ’brother-in-law’ to ’little uncle’ seemed a bit difficult.

Seeing Wen Rui’s thoughts, Lu Xingzhou said indifferently, "Just call me brother-in-law, no need to change it; you call what you call."

"Okay!" Wen Rui’s twisted expression finally relaxed completely, and she laughed brightly.

"All right, wash your hands and let’s eat. It’s rare for the whole family to gather, so everyone should eat well later!" The old lady put down her teacup and stood up.

The younger generation followed her one after another, moving to the dining room next door.

...

At the dinner table, the atmosphere was very harmonious as everyone chatted casually.

Jiang Man, who had struggled to find a word in, finally found a topic of conversation.

She engaged with Lu Yingxue about the First University, chatting with relish.

"Manman, your birthday is coming up soon, how do you plan to spend it?" After a satisfying meal, the old lady initiated the conversation with Jiang Man.

"Going back to New York, to spend it with my foster father," Jiang Man said indifferently.

The old lady frowned slightly, "We should make a trip to New York sometime as a family. Although you’ve already married Xingzhou, we can’t skip the necessary procedures, the betrothal gifts, the banquet; none of these can be left out."

"Manman, does your foster father have many relatives, or does your maternal grandfather’s family have more?" Lu Xuemei also took interest.

"My maternal grandfather’s family has more. My foster father has no relatives; it’s just him," Jiang Man replied.

"I see," Lu Xuemei said with some emotion, "It must not have been easy for your foster father to raise you by himself, a rough old man with no one to help him out."

"Mm-hmm," Jiang Man paused with her chopsticks in hand, lifted her head, her eyes clear, "He’s the best person to me in this world."

Hearing this, Lu Xingzhou felt somewhat blocked in his heart.

It wasn’t that he was jealous of the foster father, but that he felt he hadn’t done well enough.

When would his kindness toward Jiang Man surpass that of her foster father? Perhaps then she would truly and sincerely be with him.

"Sister-in-law, does your foster father know about your flash marriage with my brother?" Jiang Man became excited as she brought up the foster father.

"He doesn’t know, the marriage was arranged by my birth parents," Jiang Man replied after finishing her meal and wiping her mouth clean.

"When the right time comes, I will tell him."

In other words, now wasn’t the right time.

The group suddenly fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

Jiang Man, on the other hand, continued unfazed by the awkwardness, "Sister-in-law, what kind of man is your foster father?"

Jiang Man lifted her eyebrows, shooting her a glance, feeling she was asking too much, "So interested in my foster father?"

"No... no..." Jiang Man immediately waved her hands in embarrassment, gulped down a few sips of water from her cup, trying to hide her awkwardness.

She felt terrible inside; how could she let her grandmother and aunt know that Jiang Man’s foster father was Li Jin, the man who was driven out of the Lu Family years ago by the grandmother with a club, whom they looked down upon?

"Manman, don’t feel pressured about this year’s birthday. It’s no big deal if you can’t spend it with the Lus; enjoy your time with your foster father," the old lady said, looking at Jiang Man with loving eyes.

Jiang Man nodded.

Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Lu Xingzhou hurried to smooth things over, "A man’s child, whom he had painstakingly raised, getting married at such a young age is something no father can readily accept. I’m not in a hurry on my end; when the time is right, I’ll go with Manman to explain to her foster father."

When... would the time be right?

The crowd looked at each other, tacitly agreeing that the ’right time’ they were referring to was meeting the father-in-law with the child born, the raw rice already cooked...