The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius
Chapter 117: He Is Devastated, Knowing Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou Are Married

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: He Is Devastated, Knowing Jiang Man and Lu Xingzhou Are Married

Jiang Man was pulled by Lu Xingzhou to a small grove beside the lake.

There were senior students hiding inside, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

The sudden intrusion of the two startled the young couple, who fled as if they’d seen a ghost.

"Why did you drag me here? Instructor Lu, don’t you think it’s inappropriate with us dressed like this?"

Jiang Man stopped in her tracks, stood her ground, and crossed her arms.

Lu Xingzhou had long been seething with jealousy but managed his emotions exceptionally well, showing no signs of abnormality and instead, a face of composure.

"To declare sovereignty, of course. Otherwise, who knows what nonsense your school’s forum will spread next."

"Pfft," Jiang Man laughed, "Declare what sovereignty? Spreading rumors about me and Nan Juefeng? If that really happened and you dragged me out here, wouldn’t that just add fuel to the fire?"

"Would our Sister Man be afraid?" Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, his lips curving into a smile.

Jiang Man’s expression was bold, and she scoffed lightly, "I’m not afraid. They can gossip all they want, but..."

She paused and gave the man in front of her a disdainful look, "You’re pretty childish."

"A childish old man declaring his sovereignty in such a tacky way."

"..." Lu Xingzhou suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

Childish or not, he had to let Nan Juefeng know about his relationship with Jiang Man.

Given Nan Juefeng’s abilities, it wouldn’t be hard for him to find out that he and Jiang Man had already registered their marriage.

When the time came, he would effortlessly make others back off.

Honestly, he was starting to regret signing that stupid agreement with Jiang Man.

If they accidentally registered the wrong marriage, why not just go with the flow?

Why bother correcting it?

But he kept these thoughts to himself and didn’t voice them.

Firstly, he had his pride and feared that suggesting they become a real couple would be rejected by Jiang Man.

Secondly, he couldn’t go back on the rules he had set.

It was because of these ridiculous considerations of face, along with his values, that he could only gradually progress and slowly mesh with Jiang Man.

Falling in love over time wasn’t impossible; once Jiang Man had feelings for him too, it wouldn’t be too late to go back on his word of being a gentleman.

"Look, Nan Juefeng is just a sick friend I knew from childhood, don’t overthink it,"

Despite the joking, Jiang Man suddenly became serious and explained to him.

"He came to the school for a lecture today and asked me out to dinner. I had forgotten about it, and he said he would come to the cafeteria to find me. I thought it was just a simple greeting, but I didn’t expect him to be so popular and cause such a commotion."

"Besides, haven’t I already become a controversial figure at school? Let them spin any tale they like."

It was the first time she had explained something so earnestly to someone without showing impatience, and she seemed very sincere.

This attitude was extremely pleasing to Lu Xingzhou.

His previously anxious heart was immediately soothed.

"Don’t worry, the forum can’t make up much."

"Hmm?" Jiang Man raised her eyebrows.

Just then, her phone in her pocket rang, interrupting their conversation.

She gestured to Lu Xingzhou and answered the call.

Wu Yingfan’s voice came from the other end, sounding quite excited, "They agreed to our offer, 16 million. You handle the lyrics and composition."

"Okay," Jiang Man agreed without hesitation.

"What style do they want?"

"They want a sweet love song."

"OK."

After hanging up, Jiang Man looked at the man dressed in camouflage uniform, tall and imposing.

"Instructor Lu, I’ve got to go, is that okay?"

Lu Xingzhou nodded at her.

As she was about to leave, Jiang Man thought of something, "Let’s go back together tonight, the bed in the dorm is too narrow, it’s uncomfortable to sleep in."

"I’ll pick you up."

The two of them had thus made a plan and went off to take care of their respective tasks.

After leaving the grove, Jiang Man went back to her dorm to get a small notebook and a pen to carry with her.

During the military training in the afternoon, she took the chance to write lyrics under the shade of a tree during a break.

Her approach to creation was different from others; while most people preferred to compose the music first and then write the lyrics, she did it the other way around.

Once the lyrics were done, she would then give them a soul based on their meaning.

"Manman, are you writing lyrics?"

Zhang Ziqi came over with a few bottles of cold drinks and handed a bottle of soda water to Jiang Man.

Jiang Man took the water without replying, gulped down a big mouthful, and continued with her lyrics.

Whether it was because of the blazing sun, she felt restless.

She had finished writing the lyrics, but when she had gotten halfway through composing the tune, she tore off the paper, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the trash bin.

Among those studying music, there were many who could write songs, but most of them were upperclassmen.

Freshmen like Jiang Man who could write songs right upon entering the music academy were rare indeed.

Zhang Ziqi was very interested in what song Jiang Man was writing.

While Jiang Man wasn’t paying attention, she stealthily picked up the crumpled paper that had been thrown on the ground and stuffed it into her pocket.

Jiang Man chewed on her pen cap, planning to start writing again.

Just then, the instructor called everyone to train, and she had no choice but to put the pen back into the cap and roll up the notebook, shoving it along with the pen into the pocket of her jacket.

There was nothing special about the military training that afternoon, aside from running and practicing some rock climbing.

...

On the other side, at Nan’s Corporation.

After returning from Beijing Conservatory, Nan Juefeng had been busy with work for a while, signing a number of documents.

When Shen Yu came in to take the documents away, he leaned tiredly in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Han Shuo walked in at this moment with a very unpleasant expression.

Seeing that Nan Juefeng appeared somewhat fatigued, Han Shuo didn’t want to add to his troubles and turned to leave.

But the man lifted his eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of his retreating figure.

"Where are you going? What’s the deal with that instructor, what did you find out?"

"Brother Feng..." Han Shuo turned around, his expression awkward as he forced a smile, but it was uglier than crying.

"I did find something... but it’s not complete, how about we talk tomorrow?"

"Fine, you just don’t need to come to Nan’s tomorrow," Nan Juefeng said with an unperturbed tone, a touch of nonchalance between his brows.

Despite his casual demeanor, his gaze carried a hint of warning.

Without a choice, Han Shuo stepped forward reluctantly, "Brother Feng, that instructor is Lu Xingzhou."

"Him?" Nan Juefeng was incredulous.

Frowning, after deliberating for a long time, he quickly came up with a plausible explanation.

"Last time at the auction, it was Manman who won the bid. Hu’s company has already allied with Lu’s now, it’s within reason that the two have contact. Maybe Lu Xingzhou is also pursuing Manman."

He thought Lu Xingzhou’s pursuit of Jiang Man was because he was interested in the backing of her four uncles, aiming for a business marriage.

"Heh, competing with me on the business field, and now he wants a hand in the romantic realm?" Nan Juefeng scoffed lightly. He was not fearful at all; instead, he found it quite thrilling.

A worthy opponent in the game, makes the play more fun.

Han Shuo, however, was not as light-hearted as him, clenching his teeth with a determined look on his face.

"Brother Feng... Lu Xingzhou and Jiang Man got their marriage certificate a month and a half ago, they are now in a secret marriage. You better not go after Jiang Man anymore, or you’ll be the other man..."