When Jiang Mingzuo walked into the walk-in closet, he saw it filled to the brim with women’s clothes—a dazzling array that occupied the vast majority of the space.
His own clothes were squeezed into a small corner, their black and gray tones dull and monotonous, standing alone as if forgotten.
His footsteps instinctively paused.
Even though this was a marriage of convenience devoid of feelings, from a legal standpoint, Jin Ran was now his lawful wife, entitled to live in this villa.
Jiang Mingzuo was aware of this, yet he felt an indescribable, strange emotion.
What he hadn’t expected was that during his brief business trip of just a few days, Jin Ran had already perfectly adapted to the new environment. Everywhere he looked bore traces of another person.
But soon, his expression returned to normal. He stepped forward to the wardrobe to fetch clean clothes for his shower.
A crumpled-up item fell out from between the layers.
At first, Jiang Mingzuo didn’t recognize what that piece of “fabric” was. It wasn’t until he picked it up and slowly unfolded it that he saw…
Sheer as a cicada’s wing, lace tracing two butterflies poised for flight, the sexy black mesh half-concealing, half-revealing. Light spilled onto it, easily projecting onto the floor.
The man’s hand froze mid-air. After a long moment, his expression became inscrutable.
…
Meanwhile, as soon as Jin Ran returned to her room, her phone buzzed with a text notification.
Unlocking it, she found it was a bank deposit alert.
It showed that her Industrial and Commercial Bank card ending in 4360 had just received a deposit of 200,000 RMB.
How much???
Jin Ran was shocked. She immediately logged into her mobile banking app and saw that the balance, which had been only one thousand yuan, had indeed changed to 201,369.
Not two thousand, not twenty thousand, but a full six-figure sum of 200,000!
Jin Ran pinched her own arm, the pain bringing tears to the corners of her eyes. She remembered her offhand wish yesterday for “a windfall.” Had some deity heard her prayer?
After the initial euphoria, her limited rationality gradually returned.
A sense of something not being quite right dawned on Jin Ran belatedly.
She had just arrived in this place. The people she knew could be counted on ten fingers, so it wasn’t likely someone had transferred her money. The original host’s family was bankrupt, she herself had no job, and she didn’t seem like someone with money.
Searching online, she found many netizens had similar experiences.
First, they’d inexplicably receive a sum of money. Later, someone would call claiming to have transferred to the wrong account, asking for it to be returned.
Netizen: Actually, at this point, you’ve already fallen into their trap! This is a classic ‘transfer scam’ tactic. Scammers exploit the delayed transfer feature of banks. After you return the ‘mistakenly transferred’ money, they’ll cancel the original transfer.
Another netizen shared a heartwarming experience: It could also be a genuine mistaken transfer. I encountered that once. Luckily, the lady was reasonable. After verifying, she refunded it immediately. As thanks, I treated her to bubble tea for a whole week~
Comments below clamored for bubble tea.
In short, regardless of the situation, the 200,000 in Jin Ran’s account most likely had nothing to do with her.
Using it arbitrarily would require full compensation and might even incur fees—or worse, if she encountered professional fraudsters, even the one thousand yuan in her account might be scammed away.
It truly fit the saying—When it rains, it pours; a poor person’s salary isn’t enough to cover the loss.
Staring at the 200,000 that hadn’t even warmed in her account, Jin Ran felt her heart ache, almost bleeding.
But feeling heartache wouldn’t solve the problem.
She scrolled through advice online. Basically, opinions varied widely, some even contradictory. For instance, Jin Ran still hadn’t received any “recovery” call.
Anxious, she paced back and forth in her room. Finally, with no other option, she decided to consult someone.
Who should she ask?
Suddenly, her steps halted—didn’t she have a ready-made financial tycoon living right in the house?!
Jin Ran couldn’t care less about possibly revealing herself now. Making her live without money was worse than taking her life!
The walk-in closet door was wide open. Through the gap, she saw the man standing inside with his back to the door. Jin Ran hurriedly barged in. “Um, there’s something I’d like to ask you about. Someone just transferred 200,000 to my account…”
Jiang Mingzuo turned around, his tone indifferent. “I had Assistant Wang transfer it.”
“Ah?”
Jin Ran was stunned. So it wasn’t a scam?
Jiang Mingzuo looked at her quietly, feeling compelled to remind her. “I saw your social media post.”
After the Jin family company went bankrupt, the Jin family members, bearing the reputation of “deadbeats,” were unwilling to clear their debts. Although the funds they had on hand couldn’t compare to before, they were still far beyond an ordinary person’s means.
Unfortunately, these high-society young ladies were long accustomed to a lavish, spendthrift lifestyle. Even a slight dip in their standard of living seemed like torture. So, when Jin Ran posted about being poor on social media, Jiang Mingzuo naturally interpreted it as—she was asking him for money.
He had no issue with that.
A marriage of convenience was essentially about mutual gain. Both parties had been fully aware of this from the moment they married. When it came to business partners, Jiang Mingzuo had always been generous. “If you’re short on money in the future, you can come to me directly.”
Jin Ran was dizzy from the pleasant surprise. “Uh… wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
Reason told her not to accept undeserved gains, that she shouldn’t freeload off Jiang Mingzuo. But emotionally, she reasoned with herself: spouses shared marital assets. She wasn’t even asking to split his entire fortune, just taking a bit of living expenses. Wasn’t that perfectly reasonable?
Jiang Mingzuo looked at her again.
His gaze lingered on the furrow between Jin Ran’s brows, twisted almost into a knot.
“It’s perfectly fine.” He withdrew his gaze just before she might notice, his attitude as casual as if discussing tomorrow’s weather. “A woman of mine shouldn’t have to worry about money.”
Jin Ran: Ah… is this the legendary domineering CEO dialogue I’ve heard so much about?
Her expression turned slightly odd, as if she wanted to laugh but was holding it back.
Simultaneously, she finally understood why the women of those domineering CEOs in novels were often moved to tears. Because right now, she wasn’t cringing at all. Instead, she found Jiang Mingjiao, throwing money around so casually, to be somewhat… handsome.
Well, okay, ten thousand times more handsome than before!
From Jiang Mingzuo’s perspective, Jin Ran had said a few words, then inexplicably started standing there in a daze.
Her elegant brows were raised, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkling like stars. Midway, as if thinking of something happy, the corners of her lips pulled back, revealing a glimpse of white teeth.
His gaze slowly drifted downward.
She had changed her clothes too, from the mature, elegant long dress at the hospital to somewhat childish cartoon-themed loungewear. This was absolutely something the previous Jin Ran would never have been caught wearing.
The look in Jiang Mingzuo’s eyes beneath his long lashes grew sharp, like an unsheathed blade. “Finished asking? Perfect timing, I have something to ask you as well.”
Jin Ran didn’t notice the change in the man’s tone. She replied lightly, “Go ahead, ask.”
“Who are you?”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
The next second, Jin Ran choked on her own saliva, covering her mouth as she coughed violently.
She coughed so hard it seemed she might cough up a lung. Jiang Mingzuo frowned, stepped out of the walk-in closet, and returned a moment later with a glass of water.
Jin Ran immediately took it.
She used the act of drinking to hide the panic on her face.
How did he find out?!
Was it at the hospital, or even earlier?
No, Jin Ran quickly rejected that thought. Jiang Mingzuo at the hospital might have noticed her changes, but he probably wouldn’t have guessed in this direction.
It seemed something had happened just now that finally made him certain.
Jin Ran couldn’t help but think.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the loungewear she was wearing.
—She had bought it casually while shopping yesterday. Disliking the original host’s pajamas as “not suitable for everyday,” she had specifically chosen a pure cotton set.
Jin Ran: “…”
She thought she might know the reason now.
Jiang Mingzuo’s gaze was profound, not missing a single change on the woman’s face.
He watched her panic, feel puzzled, and then become enlightened.
The curiosity in his heart didn’t fade; instead, it intensified.
“What are you talking about? I am me,” Jin Ran stubbornly denied.
Hearing this, the corners of Jiang Mingzuo’s lips actually lifted in an extremely faint arc, a cool, aloof smile. “You are not Jin Ran. Twin sister, or plastic surgery?”
It was phrased as a question, but spoken with absolute certainty.
Clearly, he firmly believed his own judgment.
However, there was something Jiang Mingzuo still hadn’t figured out.
For a family like the Jins, it was absolutely impossible for them to allow an illegitimate child to be raised outside. And if someone wanted plastic surgery to look identical, a recovery period would be required.
He felt both possibilities fell short.
One had to admit, he was indeed the formidable character from the book who even made the male lead concede defeat. His perceptiveness was extraordinary.
Jin Ran genuinely felt some admiration. Unfortunately, no matter how perceptive he was, he would never think of something as bizarre as transmigrating into a book.
In other words, even if she didn’t admit it, could he have her tied up and dissected?
Realizing this, Jin Ran managed to calm down a little. She lowered her head, putting on a hurt expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Even though we’ve only been married for two weeks, you shouldn’t have forgotten me already, should you?”
Well said, Jin Ran wanted to give herself a thumbs-up. Not only was her expression and tone appropriate, but she also turned the tables on him. If she didn’t go into the civil service system in the future, she might even try her luck in the entertainment industry.
“Besides, when I first came to your house, I didn’t know anyone. I could only chat with you every day. Later, I found things to do and gradually got used to it.”
Regardless of whether there were feelings between them, the original host was the deeply infatuated one. This was her explanation for her change.
Sure enough, Jiang Mingzuo’s expression softened slightly, as if somewhat convinced.
Seeing this, Jin Ran felt a surge of joy inside and pressed her advantage. “Oh, right, do you remember? Before you left, I said I had a surprise for you.”
Thanks to Cousin Jin Jing’s visit, Jin Ran had found time to go through all of the original host’s chat records, learning about the “little stories” between them.
She deliberately “let slip” a bit of information; that should be enough to pass off as the real thing, right?
Thinking this, she saw Jiang Mingzuo across from her give her a deep look.
Then, right in front of her, he raised his hand. Between his slender index and ring fingers, he was holding a piece of lingerie. “Is this what you call a surprise?”
Jin Ran: “???”
Jin Ran: “!!!”
Oh my god! She finally remembered what she had forgotten!
She had forgotten to put away the things the original host bought!!!
…
Ever since returning from the hospital, Jiang Xuli had shut himself in his room.
But the words from earlier that day kept echoing in his mind like a curse. He desperately wanted to demand: if you look down on me so much, why did you bring me into this world in the first place?
The more he thought, the angrier he became. Finally, fueled by a surge of rage, Jiang Xuli abruptly got up. The more his father despised something, the more he was determined to do it. He was going to go to the kitchen right now and eat ten or eight bags of bread!
However, on his way downstairs, he happened to see Jin Ran running out, her eyes brimming with tears.
The young man stopped in his tracks, disbelief written all over his face, utterly stunned.
His father… actually made her cry?