The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 306: Mysterious Guest Invited to the Concert

Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Mysterious Guest Invited to the Concert

The protagonist’s inner voice seemed to be Jiang Man’s at this very moment.

That heart-pounding, indescribable sensation was an experience she had never had before.

It was strange, but at the same time, it drove her crazy.

Her heart felt as if it was being incessantly tickled by a feather, yet also as if it was being scorched by fire.

Initially, the man’s large hand merely enveloped the back of her hand, transmitting his scorching warmth.

Suddenly, in a moment when Jiang Man wasn’t paying attention, his large hand flipped her smaller one.

His fingertips sought the gaps between hers until their fingers were interlocked.

Once gripped firmly, she tried to pull away, but he would not let go.

Jiang Man felt restless, her eyes glued to the screen, but her mind was no longer on the plot.

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the flickering light of the screen.

The surroundings, eroded by darkness, amplified the world of senses.

"Lu Xingzhou, let go," she said.

Jiang Man tried again.

Unexpectedly, the man suddenly turned over and blocked her view of the screen with half of his body.

"I’ve already lost interest in the movie," he murmured.

His voice was deep, brimming with magnetism.

Yet Jiang Man insisted, "I still want to watch, it’s not over yet."

"Then you watch yours, I’ll do mine," he said.

"..."

...

An hour later, the movie had already ended.

Jiang Man curled up in a corner of the duvet, her face flushed.

That was the residual heat of excitement, lingering long inside her.

Her phone suddenly lit up.

A message from an unknown number: Miss Jiang, this is Madam Lan Xiang’s personal assistant. The madam will be visiting Beicheng in the next few days and would like to meet you to catch up, and of course, Mr. Lu is welcome to join if he is available.

Jiang Man raised her eyebrows, quite surprised.

She had only met Madam Lan Xiang once in Gangcheng and didn’t expect her to arrange a meeting now that she was in Beicheng.

She immediately replied one-handed: This Sunday? I’m available anytime, I’ll host.

The other party responded: Okay, then Sunday at 7 p.m., Ryan Hotel.

Jiang Man: OK.

"Who are you chatting with?" Just after sending the message, Lu Xingzhou moved closer.

His face buried in Jiang Man’s neck, his hot breath on her face.

Jiang Man had already finished chatting, and now the phone exited the chat app.

"Madam Lan Xiang is coming to Beicheng, she wants to meet with us both," she explained.

"Hmm?" Lu Xingzhou was also surprised.

He propped up his head and casually said, "Then you set the time and place, I’ll pay."

"Hmm, okay," she agreed.

...

Time flew by, and soon it was Saturday.

Lu Xuemei had secured several tickets for the Barrett concert.

After lunch, Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou headed out from Rong Mansion.

The concert required guests to dress appropriately, so for once, Jiang Man wore a long black dress with a floor-length black down coat over it.

Her hair was casually tied in a low ponytail, effortless yet not lacking in decorum.

Many cars were parked outside the National Grand Theater, and guests, holding their tickets, entered in an orderly manner.

"Brother Three."

After entering, Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou quickly found their seats.

VIP rows three and four.

Jiang Man immediately spotted Lu Zhendong sitting quietly by himself.

Lu Zhendong turned at the sound and waved.

Jiang Man glanced at his seat, which had the spot on the right empty, adjacent to the aisle.

She thought to herself, with her aunt’s character, there probably was some special arrangement...

Indeed, as Lu Xingzhou sat down, he was just about to discuss the tin mine with Lu Zhendong.

Before they had started talking, a figure approached them.

He couldn’t make out the face clearly yet, but the strong scent of perfume signaled that it was a woman.

Lu Xingzhou paused naturally.

The three looked up and saw Ming Ran standing in front of them, dressed in a red spaghetti strap long dress with a white fur coat draped over her arms.

Her whole outfit was very cool, as if she wasn’t afraid of the cold at all.

Her makeup was exquisitely done, and her hair had been carefully styled.

"Hi, Manman, Xingzhou," she greeted Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou, but deliberately didn’t mention Lu Zhendong.

Holding her ticket, she glanced at the seat number tag: "I guess it’s aunty’s arrangement..."

She gave a wry smile and showed the ticket to Lu Zhendong: "Next to you, this seat."

Lu Zhendong glanced at it: "Sit."

His voice was devoid of warmth, cold and heavy.

Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou could clearly see their actions from the seats behind them.

Though their seats were next to each other, it was as if there was a long river separating them, a gap wide enough to fit another person.

"Oh no, we are late, there was traffic on the road, thankfully we made it!"

Noise stirred from behind, and soon four people took their seats one after another.

Lu Xuemei helped the old lady to the seat next to Ming Ran across the aisle.

Wen Jingya and Jiang Man sat behind them, separated by the aisle from Jiang Man.

Eight people sat in the third and fourth rows in the middle, arguably the best seats.

"Aunty, for today’s concert, aren’t we all just extras, mainly here to help matchmake third brother and third sister-in-law?"

Wen Jingya patted Lu Xuemei, who was seated in front of her, and whispered.

Lu Xuemei turned her head, chuckled he-he, and said, "What is known need not be discussed."

Wen Jingya immediately gave a thumbs up.

With so many family members around, even if Lu Zhendong was reluctant, it was not appropriate for him to show displeasure publicly.

Once the venue dimmed and the concert began, under the catalysis of the music, it wasn’t impossible for him and Ming Ran to reminisce about the past and develop some feelings.

"Did you guys hear? Barrett invited a special guest to help out today."

"Who is it?"

"Apparently it’s a lady of high society, a close acquaintance of Barrett."

"A lady of high society? Oh? There’s some gossip to watch!"

Jiang Man was not interested in gossip, nor in Barrett’s romantic history.

She just wanted to fully enjoy the music.

So when the concert officially started, she immediately closed her eyes, nurturing her spirit, and immersed herself in the delightful music.

While she was engrossed in the music, Lu Xingzhou occasionally got distracted and stole glances at her.

Seeing how immersed she was, he couldn’t help but smile.

Ming Ran, sitting in the front row, had no mood to listen to the concert; she stared ahead the whole time, occasionally sneaking glances at the man beside her using her peripheral vision.

As the music reached a climax, she couldn’t resist moving her hand closer, barely touching his fingertips.

But Lu Zhendong instantly retracted his hand as if he had touched something dirty.

Ming Ran gave a wry smile.

She then turned her head to look at him, gaze burning.

With the other hand, she took out her cell phone, barely visible in the dark as she quickly typed a message with one hand.

The next second, Lu Zhendong’s phone in his pocket vibrated.

Fzzt—

A soft vibration.

He took out his phone and saw a message from Ming Ran: Do you really hate me that much?

After reading the message, Lu Zhendong replied calmly: Listen to the concert, keep quiet.

Though these words were normal, to Ming Ran, they were incredibly hurtful.

What, what must she do to seek his forgiveness?