The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Sprained Ankle, Suddenly Lifted in His Arms… Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Sprained Ankle, Suddenly Lifted in His Arms… Jiang Man glanced at the bracelet on her wrist, and her brows instantly rose.

She had guessed that the bracelet the old madam of the Lu family had given wouldn’t be cheap, otherwise the Lu family members wouldn’t have made such a fuss, constantly prattling on.

But she never imagined that the value of the bracelet would far exceed her expectations!

The bracelet was of the highest quality ice jadeite, and it even featured helical craftsmanship.

It was as transparent as glass, incredibly clear under natural light, and flawless at first glance.

Jiang Man conservatively estimated that this bracelet was on par with Qi Baishi’s painting.

Worth a couple of hundred million, or even more!

No wonder the people of the Lu family were all eyes, a clamor of astonishment rising among them.

Because the bracelet was invaluable, Jiang Man planned to keep it safe on her wrist for now, but intended to store it well and return it intact to its rightful owner after the divorce.

“Really nice!” The old lady couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of her mouth as she looked contentedly at the gift she had given.

She grabbed Jiang Man’s hand and gently patted it several times.

At this moment, silence was more eloquent than speech; a thousand words were expressed without saying a word.

“Grandma, it sure is lively here, what are you all chatting about so happily?”

Lu Xingzhou entered the yard just as the crowning ceremony had concluded.

He worried that Jiang Man, a girl on her own, couldn’t stand up to the Lu family’s gossipy women, so after winning two games of chess, he hurriedly ran over to the women’s side, looking for an excuse to take Jiang Man away.

“Nothing much, just gave Manman a little something,” the old lady beamed, unable to contain her grin.

Lu Xingzhou uttered a surprised, “Oh? What gift?”

“See for yourself.” The old lady took Jiang Man’s hand and lifted it, “How about it? Fits well, doesn’t it?”

“…Fits well.” Lu Xingzhou was stunned, truly not expecting the grandmother to like Jiang Man to such an extent that she would give her a family heirloom!

“Grandma, I’ll take Manman around, show her the place where I grew up,” Lu Xingzhou said with a warm smile, stepping forward and taking Jiang Man’s hand.

The old lady nodded happily, “Go ahead.”

“Look, aren’t they a great match?”

“Yes, indeed.” The group echoed the old lady, with no one daring to express a contrary opinion.

Jiang Man finally found a chance to breathe, genuinely disliking being surrounded by a bunch of gossipy women, their incessant chatter giving her a headache.

After leaving the old lady’s courtyard, Jiang Man lifted her wrist, “Don’t worry, I won’t take this bracelet. I’ll return it to you once we’re back at the Rong Mansion.”

“No need, just keep it for now,” Lu Xingzhou said indifferently, his cool brow lifting with a hint of puzzlement, “Do you know the significance of this bracelet?”

Jiang Man’s face was sly, her arms crossed in front of her chest, “What significance?”

“This is the Lu Family’s heirloom, to be worn by each mistress of the Lu Family.”

“…” Jiang Man was dumbfounded, rolled her eyes silently, and raised her hand, as if she was about to take the bracelet off.

But while putting the bracelet on was easy, taking it off was not so simple.

Lu Xingzhou watched her struggle to remove the bracelet, his eyebrows knitting together.

He sometimes found Jiang Man truly incomprehensible.

She had schemed to marry the wrong person, all for the wealth and prestige of the Lu Family, hadn’t she?

Logically, knowing that the grandmother had given her such an important treasure, she should have been overjoyed enough to dance with glee.

What was this now, an act for his benefit? Playing hard to get?

“You don’t have to take the bracelet off now. You can return it to Grandma when we divorce,” he said.

“No, I can’t bear that.” There was a trace of irritability in Jiang Man’s brows and eyes.

She felt the bracelet was like a tightening spell and she didn’t want to be trapped by Lu Xingzhou.

“Then just wait until we get back to Rong Mansion to take it off; if you take it off now, Grandma will notice the bracelet is missing later, and she might get all sorts of wild ideas,” Lu Xingzhou patiently persuaded.

Jiang Man was a reasonable person. Although she really wanted to take the bracelet off, she decided to endure it for the sake of the old lady.

“Fine,” she said sternly, “you don’t have to accompany me, I’ll find a quiet place to play games by myself.”

With that, she took a step to leave.

But after taking two steps, she stopped.

Turning back to look at her heels, the areas in contact with the high heels were already rubbed raw, bleeding.

Not just the right foot, she also lifted her left foot and found the heel to be identically injured.

“Mr. Lu, I’m going to need you to fetch me some band-aids,” she said, and with a wince, she walked a few steps towards the stone bench in the yard.

Sitting on the bench, she kicked off her high heels, revealing a pair of fair feet.

Lu Xingzhou frowned when he saw this.

Even though he found Jiang Man’s behavior uncouth, he still took a step forward, grabbed her arm, draped it over his shoulder, wrapped his arm around her slender waist, and lifted her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Man growled defensively, her tone full of aggression.

Lu Xingzhou was momentarily stunned and then gave a disdainful look to the wildcat in his arms: “What am I doing? If your second aunt or aunt saw you like this, you’d never hear the end of it. If they complain to Grandma, then we’ll have yet another tedious family drama.”

“Haha,” Jiang Man laughed bitterly.

Lu Xingzhou was not exaggerating; she had just experienced the prowess of her second aunt and aunt.

She could not afford to offend these two aunts, but could she not just avoid them?

Once she recalled Wu Yingfan saying that Lu Xingzhou was gay, the wave of resistance she felt towards him gradually dissolved.

Just think of it as a sister carrying another sister; that wouldn’t count as taking advantage.

“You’re aware of how troublesome your second aunt and aunt can be?” Jiang Man scoffed softly, suddenly intrigued.

She patted Lu Xingzhou on the shoulder, her eyes shining: “What’s the deal with Wen Jingya? I heard she’s the Lu Family’s child bride, raised from childhood just to be your wife when she grows up. Lu Xingzhou, that’s not cool. The girl grew up, and you didn’t marry her but married someone else…”

Before Jiang Man could finish, she was silenced by a warning look from Lu Xingzhou.

His lips were tightly pursed, and he was not smiling.

His face was as serious as a block of ice.

“I’ve always seen Jingya as a little sister, and there’s just no way between her and me!”

“I’m not interested in your melodramatic relations; I’m just giving you a heads up. If Wen Jingya sees me as a hypothetical enemy, then don’t blame me for not being nice,” Jiang Man’s tone wasn’t loud, her voice didn’t fluctuate, but it held a chilling deterrent.

She looked like a helpless young girl, with no power or influence.

Yet her words held a palpable lethality.

Lu Xingzhou scowled and glanced at the person in his arms.

The girl’s eyes were clear, yet her gaze carried traces of coldness.

He was startled for a moment and quickly said, “Jingya is a kind girl; she won’t see you as an enemy, you can rest assured on that.”

He paused, then added, “If she dares to bully you, I will support what’s fair, not who’s family.”

“Mhm,” Jiang Man hummed, raising an eyebrow in satisfaction with this answer.

With no further conversation, she finally became aware of the changing scenes before her.

From the courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrance slowly turned into an antique room.

“Lu Xingzhou, where are you taking me?”

“My room.”