The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius

Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Mr. Lu’s Secret Unknown to Others Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Mr. Lu’s Secret Unknown to Others Picking up the phone, Jiang Man’s voice was still indifferent, but her lips curved up with a faint smile, “Hmm?”

“Sister Man, I’ve arrived in Beicheng, and I’m right next door to your place.”

“Are you kidding?” Jiang Man’s eyebrows quirked up.

Yet the other end of the phone was very serious, “No joke, I bought the No. 12 villa in Rong Mansion.”

Jiang Man paused upon hearing this, remembering that just a couple of days ago, when she had looked into whether Zhao Peng was a Rong Mansion homeowner, she had asked the property steward. The steward mentioned that the No. 12 villa had been purchased by a homeowner with the last name Wu.

“So it was you,” Jiang Man hummed, realizing belatedly.

Wu Yingfan chuckled, “Sister Man, you’ve returned to the country all alone, how could you do without me, your walking wallet?”

Indeed, Jiang Man couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Wu Yingfan was her best friend in the States.

Outsiders all mistook them for a romantic couple, but only they knew that their relationship was more than friendship, but less than lovers.

Over the years, wherever Jiang Man went, Wu Yingfan followed.

“Weren’t you keeping your return to the country a secret from your uncle? Then naturally you can’t use the Black Gold Card. In this day and age, can anyone move a step without money? Hurry up and take the money I came to bring you.”

“Hmm, thoughtful,” Jiang Man laughed mischievously, instantly feeling much better.

She was used to being independent, but Wu Yingfan was an exception.

After the car returned to Rong Mansion, Jiang Man didn’t go straight to her room; instead, she said she wanted to stroll around the neighborhood.

When she arrived at the gate of No. 12 villa, she saw a young man dressed in a baseball uniform leaning lazily against the door, engrossed in a mobile game.

Before Jiang Man could speak, the young man, as if he had a telepathy-like sense, lifted his head, turned off his phone screen, and walked over to meet her.

After giving Jiang Man a once-over, he frowned, “It seems there’s not much difference between a married woman and a girl.”

Jiang Man glared at the young man.

Wu Yingfan chuckled, “Just a joke.”

With that, he made an inviting gesture, asking Jiang Man inside for a chat.

As Jiang Man walked into the villa, she found it to be empty.

Within the vast living room, there was only a sofa and a coffee table.

The sofa was the same model as the one in her home in the States, as was the cashmere blanket.

“I know you’re picky, so I plan to buy the same models for the furniture here,” Wu Yingfan said with a smile.

Jiang Man rolled her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, “Am I that difficult to serve?”

“I just love serving the difficult ones,” Wu Yingfan carried on the conversation.

Jiang Man raised her hand and made an exaggerated ‘smack smack smack’ face-slapping gesture.

Suddenly, her expression turned serious, “Enough fooling around.”

Wu Yingfan also put away his playful smile, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a wallet.

From the wallet, he took out a supplementary card and handed it to Jiang Man, “Here.”

Jiang Man didn’t even look, she just took the supplementary card and stuffed it into her pocket, “Reliable!”

“Of course!” Wu Yingfan raised an eyebrow proudly, “This supplementary card has no spending limit, you can use it with peace of mind, Sister Man.”

Jiang Man nodded, and made a move to get up and leave.

Seeing this, Wu Yingfan immediately looked pitifully aggrieved, “You’re leaving just after you’ve arrived?”

Seeing him in a sorry state like a pathetic little wife, Jiang Man sat back down.

“Your husband, he hasn’t laid a hand on you, has he?” Wu Yingfan asked earnestly.

Jiang Man nonchalantly pulled out her phone, “No.”

“Our Sister Man has so much charm, and he’s not moved? Could he be like the rumors say, gay?”

Upon hearing her close friend talk about Lu Xingzhou, the bored Jiang Man finally became interested, “There are such rumors?”

“Yes, I’ve investigated your husband. He’s been single since birth for thirty years. It’s said that since childhood, he has never had a friend of the opposite sex. Note that, not a girlfriend, but not even an acquaintance of the opposite sex. Such a man has a high probability of being gay.”

“Oh,” Jiang Man responded, Lu Xingzhou’s cold and extraordinary face appearing in her mind. Then recalling how even in the heat of summer, he’d wear his shirt so meticulously buttoned up, reeking of abstinence, she really sensed a bit of what Wu Yingfan described.

“The reason Lu Xingzhou agreed to have a lightning marriage with you is probably to find a ‘beard’ to cover people’s eyes,” Wu Yingfan continued with his seemingly serious analysis.

“Got it,” Jiang Man made an OK gesture with her hand.

If that was the case, then her interactions with Lu Xingzhou in the future might actually be more relaxed.

No wonder the agreement emphasized fake hand-holding and fake cohabitation. It turns out Lu Xingzhou himself wasn’t into women.

“There’s more.” Wu Yingfan suddenly lowered his voice, “There’s a rumor going around that CEO Lu and his personal assistant are involved…”

“Zhao Huai?” Jiang Man couldn’t believe it.

Although she hadn’t been in contact with Lu Xingzhou and Zhao Huai for more than a few days, just from those days, to her, the two men seemed nothing more than a normal subordinate and superior.

“Yes, that’s the one!” Wu Yingfan was dead serious.

Jiang Man rubbed her temples, but inside she doubted: Could it be?

As the two were chatting enthusiastically, suddenly, Jiang Man’s phone rang.

She looked and saw it was a call from Lu Xingzhou.

“Hello? Mr. Lu?”

“Are you lost? This complex is quite large. If you can’t find your way, I’ll have the butler come to pick you up.”

“I’m not lost,” Jiang Man pulled at the corner of her mouth.

“If you’re not lost, then come home for a bit. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Man did not linger.

Wu Yingfan saw her to the main gate, waving his hand, “How about hotpot tonight? I’ve traveled far and wide, you owe me a welcome-back feast.”

Without turning her head, Jiang Man made an OK gesture.

When she returned to Villa No. 8, Lu Xingzhou was sitting in the living room waiting for her, flipping through a financial magazine.

“Mr. Lu, what did you want to talk about?” Jiang Man approached him and got straight to the point.

“Keep this card; the password is your birthday,” Lu Xingzhou opened the drawer under the coffee table and took out a Black Gold Card.

Jiang Man was taken aback in surprise.

Seeing that she didn’t immediately accept the card, Lu Xingzhou said indifferently, “After all, you are my wife now. You should have the best for food, clothing, and everything you use. Take the card and buy whatever you want, whenever you want.”

“Isn’t that inappropriate?” Jiang Man gave an awkward smile, “After all, we’re just a couple by agreement.”

“I value dignity; even as a couple by agreement, I can’t mistreat you,” Lu Xingzhou placed the Black Gold Card on the surface of the coffee table in a manner that brooked no argument, “Go buy some designer clothes. You’ll come back with me to the old house tomorrow.”

Jiang Man looked down, glancing at her outfit.

So Lu Xingzhou was disparaging her attire.

“Fine,” she bent down to take the card.

With her best friend and husband both eagerly giving her money one after the other, rejecting them would seem rather ungracious.

She, for one, though she prided herself on her talents and regarded money as nothing more than dirt,
couldn’t withstand others’ insistence on giving it to her, could she?

“Then thank you, Mr. Lu.” Taking from others shortens the arms, Jiang Man forced a hint of a smile. Even though she tried to seem ingratiating, the distant air in her eyes made her smile seem more like a concealed blade than a submissive gesture.

Lu Xingzhou stood up, hands in his pockets, “Get up early tomorrow. We’ll have breakfast at the old house.”