That night, Jiang Mingzuo did not return home.
Not only that, he didn’t come back for the next few days either. It was unclear what had happened at the company, but later, Jiang Mingzuo actually sent Assistant Wang over to fetch some clothes.
“…The new project is at a critical stage. President Jiang will be staying at the company recently, but it should be fine after this busy period is over.”
Jin Ran didn’t even register the second part.
Upon learning Jiang Mingzuo wouldn’t be home, she was nearly overjoyed inside. After all, she wished for nothing more than him staying at the company, ideally becoming engrossed in work to earn money properly, with no time to pick on her.
Assistant Wang often came to the villa to fetch daily necessities for Jiang Mingzuo. Previously, similar matters were handled by Butler Cheng. This time, he happened to run into the newly wed Madam.
Thinking she was the lady of the house and must be very familiar with President Jiang’s habits, he requested, “Madam, could you please help pack five suits and five shirts for President Jiang, along with other corresponding change of clothes.”
Jin Ran had already started calculating silently in her head: five suits and shirts, at the rate of one set per day, meant he would be staying at the company for at least five days.
So she readily agreed, asked Assistant Wang to sit and have some tea, and went to the second-floor walk-in closet to pack.
Compared to most men, Jiang Mingzuo’s wardrobe could be considered extensive.
Suits hung on two sides of the closet, arranged by color from light to dark, and shirts were the same. Additionally, there were two drawers filled with ties. In a nearby glass cabinet, watches and cufflinks were neatly displayed.
Forget the rest; just those watches and diamond-studded cufflinks alone were worth a small fortune.
Clearly, the man spent no less on attire than many women did.
Probably only those incapable, poor men would blame their failures on women, resent women for shopping, for drinking milk tea—even if the women weren’t spending their money.
Recalling the first time she encountered such rhetoric in her past life, Jin Ran felt her worldview shatter. It was as if, without women, these men wouldn’t need to work. Of course, if a woman did spend his money, even a single cent, he would note it down, waiting for the day when he was short on burial funds to “build a small family together” with deep affection.
Jin Ran felt fortunate that, despite being “married” after transmigrating into the book, her “spouse” wasn’t half bad.
At least Jiang Mingzuo’s appearance was outstanding enough—broad shoulders, narrow waist, an upright posture, paired with a remarkably handsome face. Just standing there was a feast for the eyes. What was even rarer was that he wasn’t stingy when it came to material things.
Remembering the 200,000 in her card, Jin Ran felt fortunate once again.
If she had really ended up with someone who was both ugly and stingy, even with the title of a wealthy housewife, she absolutely wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it. She’d have slapped him before leaving with nothing.
But that’s a digression. Back to the present.
Jin Ran stood before the closet. Considering the formal setting of the company, she selected three suits in more formal colors—black, gray, and navy—and added one in cream white and another in tobacco brown. This would perfectly cover both formal and casual occasions.
For accessories like ties and watches, Jin Ran packed a few of each based on her own aesthetic sense. Just as the suitcase was nearly full, she suddenly remembered something important.
For a five-day stay, shouldn’t she pack some underwear?
So she turned around and pulled out a brand-new box of men’s briefs from the closet. She inadvertently glanced at the size. Hmm, XXL.
Jin Ran coughed lightly and nonchalantly shifted her gaze away from that particular detail, zipping up and locking the suitcase.
Leaving aside how Assistant Wang took the luggage back to report, back at the villa, Jin Ran, having seen him off, completely relaxed.
With no one watching over her, life became easy and enjoyable. Every day, she either savored the delicious food the chef prepared in various ways or lazily lounged on the balcony doing the newly purchased civil service exam prep questions.
Occasionally, she would also encounter Jiang Xuli in the villa.
Jiang Xuli intended to move back from school, but moving takes time. As a high school student, he had morning self-study, regular classes, and evening self-study every day, leaving no extra time to move his belongings. So he could only occasionally skip evening self-study to come home and get better sleep.
Under such circumstances, the two inevitably ran into each other.
Most of the time, Jin Ran would be enjoying breakfast, while a late-rising Jiang Xuli would hurriedly dash downstairs, skip eating, grab his backpack, and rush out the door.
When passing by Jin Ran, the young man wouldn’t even pause for a second.
Jin Ran also had no intention of greeting him, continuing her battle with the delicious food before her.
However, the servants witnessing this scene exchanged glances. Later, they all said privately that the young master didn’t accept the new Madam.
Some simply sighed with pity, while others began to have different thoughts.
One was the biological son, the other the seemingly unfavored wife. Anyone with a bit of sense knew who to curry favor with.
Jin Ran was unaware of the undercurrents among the servants.
Three days of such pleasant living passed. Then, on Thursday morning, she received an official offer notification from the Wencheng Middle School HR department.
Although she had expected it, the moment she truly received the notification, Jin Ran couldn’t suppress her joy.
She clicked open the email.
Respected Teacher Jin Ran,
Greetings! Congratulations on passing our interview assessment. We hereby formally invite you to serve as the substitute mathematics teacher for Class 3, Grade 10. The teaching period begins next Monday. Please confirm whether you accept this arrangement by tomorrow, so we can proceed with further communication regarding subsequent matters.
We look forward to collaborating with you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. (1)
The simple layout and the most ordinary Source Han Sans font still filled Jin Ran with immense joy. She read it over and over, five times in total.
Truly worthy of her, so great!
Jin Ran immediately replied to the email.
She confirmed her acceptance of the position and then inquired in detail about the materials she needed to bring.
Most were quite common, only a health certificate required her to go to the hospital for a physical examination.
That wouldn’t work for today, as Jin Ran had already eaten breakfast that morning.
Considering this, she settled her mind again, first following her daily plan step-by-step, then scheduled her physical exam for the next day.
Happily, Xu Zhen, who had interviewed on the same day, was also accepted. After discussing, they decided to go together.
Early the next morning, Jin Ran arrived at the hospital on an empty stomach.
Xu Zhen lived farther away and arrived half an hour later. Fortunately, the hospital wasn’t too busy on a weekday. Even so, running back and forth, it took them a whole morning to complete all the exam items.
As soon as they stepped out of the examination room, Xu Zhen clutched her rumbling stomach: “Starving! The doctor said results will take at least two hours. Why don’t we go eat first? We’re close to the snack street here. I know a place with amazing malatang!”
Jin Ran was equally hungry. Hearing Xu Zhen mention malatang, she immediately felt her mouth water.
It wasn’t surprising. The Jiang family’s three daily meals were carefully curated, healthy, and nutritious dishes by the chef. Though delicious and appealing, over time, one inevitably started craving those heavy-on-oil-and-salt “street snacks.”
Hearing Xu Zhen’s words, she agreed without a second thought: “Great! And let’s get some milk tea too. A little ‘liquid fasting’ after the main meal, so the weight doesn’t creep up.”
Xu Zhen’s eyes lit up: “How about some Korean fried chicken as a post-meal dessert then? Don’t worry, it’s Korean fried chicken, so it doesn’t have Chinese calories. Zero calories!”
The two exchanged a smile, feeling they had surprisingly found a food buddy with such compatible tastes.
…
The noon dismissal bell rang, and students sprinted towards the cafeteria as if their legs had grown wings.
Jiang Xuli and Chen Xunliang had money and never liked eating in the cafeteria. They waited for others to leave before leisurely getting up, planning to head to the snack street outside the school.
Wang Shuya saw them and followed. “Where are you guys eating? I’ll join you.”
Chen Xunliang thought for a moment and suggested, “How about malatang? Haven’t had it in a while, kind of miss it.”
Jiang Xuli had no objections. Seeing him nod, Wang Shuya certainly wouldn’t object either; she wasn’t there just for the food in the first place.
The three headed off-campus together. Halfway there, they saw several students pushing and shoving a boy.
“Ah, isn’t that ‘Big Dummy’ from Class 7!”
Chen Xunliang exclaimed.
The reason he was called “Big Dummy” was that he seemed a bit slow mentally, and because he was built like a mountain, everyone knew about him soon after school started.
“The others seem to be from Class 7 too. Why are they bullying their own classmate!” Wang Shuya’s brows furrowed tightly, clearly angry.
She was the discipline committee member of their class, straightforward and serious, and hated bullying the most.
But there were several of them, all tall and sturdy boys. She hesitated for a moment, not quite daring to step in.
As they spoke, those students became even more excessive. They actually unzipped Big Dummy’s backpack, letting the books inside fall out one by one: “Hahahaha, look at his stupid face. So what if he has a celebrity sister? Think you’re something…”
“Ah! They’re going too far!”
Wang Shuya stamped her foot in anger. Then she saw Jiang Xuli, who had been silent beside her, suddenly stride forward. Before anyone could react, he threw a punch at the face of the one who was laughing.
!!!
The Malatang Shop.
It was a bustling yet ordinary noon. The owner in the kitchen was swamped.
Jin Ran and Xu Zhen had arrived early and snagged a seat. By now, surrounded by the pervasive aroma, they were already enjoying their fragrant malatang.
Suddenly, Jin Ran’s peripheral vision caught something. Though it was fleeting, she trusted her intuition and couldn’t help but ask, “Is this place very close to Wencheng?”
Xu Zhen thought about it: “It is a bit close. Go left from here, about 500 meters. Besides Wencheng Middle School, there’s a sports school nearby too.”
So Jin Ran could now be 100% certain the person she saw earlier was Jiang Xuli.
Which led to the question:
What on earth happened to make a high school student, who should be in class, look like a beggar all dirty and disheveled?