The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Is She Her Own Diehard Fan? Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Is She Her Own Diehard Fan? “…What’s the matter?” Jiang Man’s drinking halted, and her heart fluttered with unease.

Were they going to have to pretend to be a loving couple so soon?

Did Grandma mean for them to hurry up and have children?

The older generation was like that, rushing newlyweds to have children, wishing they’d bear two within three years.

“It’s about your education,” Lu Xingzhou said seriously.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man almost choked.

To think she’d assumed it was something major, just this?

She shook her head with a smile and took a big gulp of water.

Her carefree attitude appeared to Lu Xingzhou as a sign of irresponsibility.

He suddenly turned into a stern father and said, “I’ve asked you before if you wanted to study, and since you didn’t want to, I didn’t push. But now it’s Grandma’s wish. She hopes you can earn a diploma, it’s good for you and for the Lu Family.”

“Oh,” Jiang Man understood the old lady’s intention.

The wife of the president of Lu Corporation would be a laughingstock if she didn’t even have a college degree to her name.

She was Jiang Man now, not Man Lisite.

To avoid blowing her cover, she could only force a laugh and say, “So, Mr. Lu’s idea is to have me start from elementary school?”

“No need for that,” Lu Xingzhou said, looking like he was bent on planning for the long term and pouring his heart into it. “I plan to send you to the Northern City Music Academy. If you study music, you won’t need much academic background.”

“Grandma personally intervened to have the dean agree to accept you. I hope you won’t decline her kindness.”

Jiang Man wasn’t opposed to studying; there was a vast sea of knowledge and even a lifetime might not be enough to explore it all.

She just felt there was no need to attend university again.

Three years at Harvard, she went straight from her bachelor’s to her master’s degree without any stress.

She didn’t look down on the Northern City Music Academy, but thought that if she enrolled there, she might graduate in half a year?

“The university doesn’t have that many courses; it won’t interfere with your part-time jobs in the military,” Lu Xingzhou earnestly tried to convince her.

“Your tutor will be Grimo. If you can graduate under his guidance, he will recommend you for Curtis Institute of Music in the future.”

Fearing Jiang Man wouldn’t grasp the prestige of the Curtis Institute of Music, Zhao Huai, who was sitting at the front, immediately took on the role of explainer.

The Curtis Institute of Music is the world’s top-ranking music academy, and even the very famous Berklee College of Music is a minor player compared to it.

The alumni of this institution are all world-class musicians.

“A tutor like Grimo?” Jiang Man wasn’t interested in the world’s top music institution but was very interested in the world’s top pianist.

“Yes, him,” Lu Xingzhou affirmed with gravity.

Jiang Man raised her eyebrows, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Alright then, let’s go for it – study it is.”

Anyway, besides her research, she didn’t have much else to do.

Attending the music academy would simply be for amusement, a way to kill her boring leisure time.

Hearing that Jiang Man had finally agreed to study brought relief to Lu Xingzhou.

Grandma had reiterated her instructions, charging him to make sure Jiang Man was set on the right path.

Could this be called perseverance paying off?

“School starts in September; you can still have a few more days of fun,” said Lu Xingzhou indifferently, intending to close the topic.

He leaned back in the sofa, intending to rest his eyes for a while.

At that moment, his phone rang in his pocket.

He pulled out his phone and saw that it was a call from Song Xiao.

“What is it?” He answered the phone, his voice deep and already lacking the patience he had just shown while speaking with Jiang Man.

“That painting is still with me!” Song Xiao sounded urgent on the other end of the line.

Lu Xingzhou maintained an expression of calm: “Send the painting to Rong Mansion.”

“What? You didn’t meet with Dr. M?” Half an hour later, Song Xiao, one hand on his hip and the other touching his slicked-back hair, stood before Lu Xingzhou, clamoring.

Lu Xingzhou, in contrast, lounged elegantly on the sofa, dressed in a white shirt that only enhanced his refined demeanor.

“We’ll schedule another time,” he said coolly.

“Another time? When would that be? I’ve heard Dr. M is a tough nut to crack, elusive as a dragon! I’ve also heard the board is pressuring you; if you can’t get in touch with Dr. M, you won’t be re-elected as president next term, will you?”

“You believe such rumors?” Lu Xingzhou was confident, folding his arms across his chest: “Dr. M has a passion for antiques. For the sake of this painting, he will meet with me.”

“You’d better hope so, or I’m afraid the board will kick you out.”

After returning to Rong Mansion, Jiang Man made a beeline for her little room.

However, her guest room was too close to the living room, and with Song Xiao’s voice being so loud, it was hard for her not to overhear everything.

“From what I see, perhaps Dr. M is just undeserving of his reputation? Is that why he dares not agree to cooperate with the Lu Corporation!”

As she listened, Jiang Man sensed something was amiss.

Song Xiao started by putting Dr. M on a pedestal, but as the conversation went on, his admiration turned to scorn, and he began to mock and ridicule openly.

Being insulted by others, so openly and unashamedly, was something she couldn’t tolerate — one could be killed, but not humiliated!

Unable to hold back any longer, Jiang Man emerged from the guest room, strode up to Song Xiao with a piercing glare, as if ready to kill: “Could it be that Dr. M isn’t agreeing to cooperate with the Lu Corporation simply because he looks down on the project?”

“Impossible! The Lu Corporation’s project is worth tens of billions! If it succeeds, Dr. M could live out this life, the next, and ten lifetimes without a care in the world!” Song Xiao argued.

Jiang Man couldn’t help but laugh: “Or could it be that Dr. M sees money as mere dirt? He’s already been invited by a nation, perhaps he doesn’t want to work for capitalists?”

“You make him sound so noble and virtuous. Little sister-in-law, it’s as if you know Dr. M quite well,” Song Xiao said dismissively.

Jiang Man spoke lightly: “What if I really am acquainted with her?”

“Little sister-in-law, bragging isn’t done like this,” Song Xiao shook his head.

He hesitated for a moment when he met her cold, threatening gaze, feeling she wasn’t lying.

But then he mocked himself for possibly being foolish.

“If you know Dr. M, little sister-in-law, then can I say I’m also close with Obama?”

“Song Xiao!” Seeing the tone of mockery in his voice, Lu Xingzhou spoke up in a timely manner.

His look was icy, commanding authority without expressing anger.

Jiang Man was his wife; no matter how inappropriate or grandiloquent she might be, it was not the place of others to correct her.

Song Xiao was dumbfounded, his eyes flickering upon meeting Lu Xingzhou’s dark gaze.

Although they were childhood friends and Lu Xingzhou was often unpredictable, he had never addressed him with such a murderous tone and look.

“How are you speaking to your sister-in-law?” Lu Xingzhou’s voice dropped even lower.

Intimidated, Song Xiao bowed his head, muttering, “Gain a wife and forget your brother…”

“Brother Xingzhou, a lot of girls these days are crazy fans—doesn’t that mean your little sister-in-law might just be Dr. M’s brain-dead fan?”

Jiang Man: “…”

“Mr. Lu, is it really like what Song has been saying, that if you can’t secure Dr. M, you won’t keep your CEO position? If that’s the case, I can get Dr. M to come to the Lu Corporation!”