The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 316: The Big Shot with a Rebellious Streak, and Quite Scheming

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: The Big Shot with a Rebellious Streak, and Quite Scheming

This really is a case of "a flood hits Dragon King Temple, and family members don’t recognize each other!"

Barrett was stupefied for a good long while, his gaze finally resting on the girl.

She was as if shrouded by a blurry filter, rendering her true self indiscernible.

The president’s wife of the Lu Corporation, a top lyricist and composer for Universal Records, skilled in martial arts—taking on two during Lan Xiang’s rescue, and a high-flier in Harvard’s physics department.

So many buffs stacked onto a single person, and this person is barely over 20 years old.

Heavens, if he were the creator, he wouldn’t dare make a person like this.

"I’ll consider it."

Jiang Man didn’t immediately refuse, but left some wiggle room.

This was an opportunity to negotiate terms, a way out that she had paved for JoJo.

If, if Louis found out about JoJo’s secret marriage and pregnancy, at least she could use this as a bargaining chip.

Louis was very surprised, for he came to Beicheng himself this time precisely because he was afraid that sending an assistant would result in the rebel not agreeing, so he made the arduous journey in person.

Hearing her say she would consider it, he could hardly believe his own ears.

Is this still the defiant person he knew?

Would there be any trickery here?

Felicity came so unexpectedly that Louis even doubted himself.

"How long will you consider..." he asked tentatively.

"One month, can you wait?" Jiang Man’s eyes sparkled, revealing a sharp glint when she raised her eyebrows.

She was very assertive.

In contrast, Louis, the big boss, seemed to lose some of his aura: "Okay."

He felt a month was a long time, but if it was Wildrose who asked, he was willing to wait.

"Wild, that name indeed suits you," said Louis.

Wild meant untamed, and it suited Jiang Man’s temperament.

"Please call me Rose, thank you."

"..."

The two engaged in their mutual banter.

The great musician, Barrett, had no presence and even seemed like a lesser brother without a say.

Louis glanced at the time: "Shall we go for lunch? Don’t you have a meet and greet this afternoon?"

"That’s right," Barrett immediately nodded: "Please, this way to the banquet hall."

His perfunctory words were addressed to Jiang Man.

It wasn’t because she was Wildrose that he was being polite, but rather due to Louis’s attitude and assessment of her.

Someone admired by the CEO of Universal Records was definitely no ordinary person.

...

Soon, the three of them arrived at the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was serving a buffet, and the band members had already started eating.

Wen Jingya had almost finished eating and was now actively socializing, trying to bond with the band members.

"You’re really impressive, huh? You reached level six on the konghou in just a few months?"

"I initially wanted to learn the harp, but a friend of mine plays the konghou. She’s just so-so at it, but loves to show off. I couldn’t stand it and thought, why not learn the konghou and let her see what a true konghou performance is!"

"Music is the art of cultivating sentiment. Using music as a tool for showing off is tacky."

"Exactly, such people are unworthy of being musicians!"

A group of people echoed Wen Jingya.

Wen Jingya was elated, clinking glasses with them.

When Jiang Man appeared with Barrett and Louis, she glanced their way: "Look, that girl over there is the show-off friend I was talking about. She loves to boast so much that even Mr. Barrett treats her like the guest of honor."

The band members all looked in Jiang Man’s direction.

She stood tall, with a seemingly surly face, exuding an irresistible and dismissive demeanor.

Under Wen Jingya’s influence, the group had a very poor first impression of Jiang Man.

Jiang Man was unaware of Wen Jingya’s ongoing scheming against her.

As she entered the banquet hall, she felt the surrounding eyes were not friendly, treating her as if she were an enemy.

Catching a glimpse of Wen Jingya’s smug expression, she guessed that it was probably Wen Jingya’s doing.

"Mr. Barrett, that’s my friend. During the performance later, I hope you can arrange for her to be seated in the most conspicuous place."

"A friend of a great deity? That must be arranged!" Barrett’s eyes lit up as he responded earnestly.

Jiang Man hooked the corner of her mouth, smiling wickedly, mischievously saying, "Thank you."

"What’s there to thank? A friend of a great deity is a friend of mine."

...

After lunch, Jiang Man rested in the VIP lounge.

Barrett took the band members to the school’s indoor gymnasium for an early rehearsal.

The harpist’s original position was off to the side.

Because the harp is quite large and takes up space, if the harpist were positioned in the center, it would be too distracting.

But because of Jiang Man’s comment, Barrett placed great importance on it.

He personally went to Wen Jingya: "Classmate, please come to the middle, sit behind me."

Barrett was in charge of the piano, with the stage’s central spot belonging to him.

The band was arranged in a U-shape, which would then combine with the piano to form a key-like pattern on stage.

"I sit behind you?" Wen Jingya was flattered.

Right behind Barrett, that was practically the prime position.

When the audience looked at Barrett, wouldn’t they also see her at the same time?

And she also played the harp, an eye-catching instrument.

With a double buff, she dared not imagine how much attention she would draw when the show officially started.

"Yes, you sit behind me," Barrett confirmed seriously.

Wen Jingya was elated: "Great!"

Had her talent really moved Barrett?

After all, mastering the Konghou in a few months, even a musician would think she was a genius, right?

"Today we will just play this piece of music; here is the score, let’s rehearse first, you find the feeling."

"Yes!" Wen Jingya nodded excitedly.

Considering she was a backup member, Barrett had hastily adjusted the harp score for her.

When Wen Jingya saw large sections of the score crossed out, she furrowed her brows: "I don’t play these parts?"

"No need to play them, just the climax parts will suffice."

"Oh, okay."

Wen Jingya felt a bit disappointed.

The deleted parts were too many; her room for performance was too limited.

"Alright, everyone to your positions."

The band quickly took their places, and under the conductor’s direction, the grand and atmospheric music performance officially began.

Wen Jingya watched the score the entire time, only playing two sections when the climax neared its end.

Since these two sections were the ending notes, mainly consisting of sustained sounds, the technical demands weren’t high.

She played with about eighty percent accuracy, there were flaws, but they were negligible.

"Very good! It’s so fantastic for a first-time performance!"

Barrett turned to look at Wen Jingya, not sparing any praise.

Afterward, they rehearsed another two times, and Wen Jingya got better with each attempt.

By the third time, she nearly reached one hundred percent accuracy.

"Perfect!" Barrett was very satisfied.

True to a deity’s friend, really excellent!

For the final run-through, Jiang Man arrived in the audience seats.

She took out her phone and snapped some photos.

She disdained backstabbing others, but Wen Jingya was an exception.

To deal with a villain, one should give them a taste of their own medicine.

After the buffet, she had found a waiter to inquire and learned that Wen Jingya had badmouthed her to the band members.

She couldn’t bring herself to gossip, but snitching? That she could do.

After taking the photos, she immediately sent them to the Lu family group chat, making a point of mentioning @Lu Family’s Matriarch.

Not a word said, just let the picture do the talking!