Chapter 3 The other party retracted a message.

Chapter 3

Leaving aside the shock the homeroom teacher felt when Jiang Xuli first asked for leave, by the time the two received their leave slips and left school openly, Jin Ran had already returned to the villa in a luxury car.

She has many things to do: teacher recruitment exams, applying for substitute teacher positions, and even deciding whether to have steamed wild grouper or stir-fried shrimp with black truffles for lunchtime takes up a lot of her time.

As for the trivial matter of her brief encounter with her stepson, she had long since forgotten about it.

Of course, there is another important reason. Jin Ran met Jiang Xuli today. As a teenager in his rebellious phase, he was wary and resistant to his stepmother who suddenly intervened in his life. However, even so, he did not take any extreme confrontational actions, which is completely different from the kind of stepmother literature on the Internet where they fight to the death.

So she can completely relax and enjoy her life!

As Jin Ran was reminiscing, she had just stepped onto the stairs to the second floor when she was stopped by the elusive butler.

"Madam, the clothes you ordered will be delivered at noon today."

Jin Ran didn't buy anything, guessing that it was probably bought by the original owner: "Just deliver it to the bedroom on the second floor."

"There's something else. My husband called half an hour ago and said that this business trip might need to be extended by a few days."

As the Jiang family's butler, Butler Cheng is responsible for the daily operation of the villa and also needs to take care of the employer's daily life, from small things like travel arrangements and luggage preparation to large things like banquet planning and guest reception.

It was a busy day, but the salary was quite good. I recalled that before I hung up the phone today, my husband had casually asked about my whereabouts. When he learned that I had been staying at home reading recently, he remained silent for a long time.

Considering that the two were separated so soon after their marriage, the housekeeper understood the implications, which is why he made those few subtle hints.

Unfortunately, Jin Ran didn't understand the butler's good intentions.

Both are peripheral characters in the novel, but compared to herself, a discarded woman from a wealthy family, Jiang Mingxu has a slightly more storyline.

Rumor has it that he came from a poor family when he was young and couldn't even afford to go to school. He worked odd jobs at an arcade and almost got beaten to death for offending the arcade boss. After surviving by sheer luck, he turned the tables and sent those who had offended him to jail. Later, he received financial assistance and, during his university years, founded Mingji Technology with his own abilities. In just ten years, it became the largest technology company in Lingcheng.

Now at only thirty-five years old, he is already a formidable figure in the elite circles of City A. Later in the novel, the protagonist's company collaborated with Mingji Technology, and even the protagonist speaks of the founder of Mingji Technology with great respect.

Such a ruthless, stoic, and morally ambiguous character, whose daily life revolves around work, work, work, is clearly beyond her ability to handle: "Okay, I understand."

When she looked up, the butler hadn't left; instead, he looked hesitant and seemed to want to say something.

Jin Ran: "?"

She blinked in confusion, then blinked again. Under the butler's complicated gaze, she suddenly slapped her forehead and realized!

How could she forget something so important! According to rumors in the villa community, the original owner of this body seems to be deeply in love with her husband. Upon learning that he was away on a business trip, she might feel sad, angry, or disappointed, unlike me who was indifferent.

Having figured this out, a hint of sadness appeared on her face: "Sigh, he... is working hard for this family. Although I miss him very much, I absolutely cannot let my feelings for my children hold him back. By the way, I must tell him to take good care of his health and not to worry about home."

The housekeeper was indeed pleased and suggested, "Actually, Madam could personally convey her concern to Mr.."

Jin Ran: "Um, maybe not, it might interfere with work..."

“No problem, no problem,” the butler glanced at his watch and confirmed. “It’s early morning at the branch office, sir, you’ll definitely have time.”

What else could Jin Ran say? She could only smile and say she would contact the other party later.

Perhaps it was because the same name appeared too many times in one day, but when Jin Ran finished her homework and lay in bed to rest that night, she inexplicably remembered what the housekeeper had said.

She hesitated for a moment, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she tentatively opened the original owner's chat software.

The original owner didn't have many friends in her chat list. Including family and classmates, there were only fifty-three in total. The pinned one was a person with a blank nickname, whose profile picture was a deep blue sea.

Jin Ran had a sudden thought, and when she clicked on it, it was indeed Jiang Mingxu.

As for why they were so certain, it was because after Jiang Mingxu left on a business trip, the original owner would send messages to this account almost every day, from caring about food, clothing, housing and transportation to acting cute and charming, making her a model wife.

The other party is probably too busy, as they rarely reply.

This situation came to an abrupt end three days ago. The last news was that the original owner said she would give the man a surprise when he returned home.

Thinking of this, Jin Ran felt a little ashamed.

Three days ago, she had just transmigrated into the book and was cautiously testing her way into this world. She had no idea who the original owner of this body was chatting with.

"So how did she end up as an abandoned woman..." Jin Ran muttered to herself, intending to stalk Jiang Mingxu's Moments, but somehow she accidentally clicked on something, and suddenly several large words popped up on the chat page:

You patted J.

Jin Ran: "?"

She was so startled she almost threw her phone away, but caught it in mid-air in a panic, and then, with a look of fear on her face, she managed to retract the message just two minutes before it was too late.

You retracted a message.

Jin Ran: "..."

When she later discovered that she couldn't delete the "new notification" no matter what she did, she was on the verge of mania. Just then, a volunteer teacher came to find her, and Jin Ran simply gave up and left.

Forget it, a successful person like Jiang Mingxu must be so busy that he probably doesn't even have time to check the messages.

/

Mingji Technology's overseas branch.

The special assistant knocked on the office door with the information about the investigation.

"We've found out. This time, some people on the Jin family's side couldn't wait any longer and resorted to desperate measures."

As the sun rose, a tall man sat behind his desk, his gray suit hanging loosely on his shoulders. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, and blood was faintly seeping through.

Jiang Mingxu seemed oblivious, and with a "click," lit a cigarette in his hand.

"It seems that what the old man from the Jin family gave us this time is genuine."

The assistant nodded. If there were no benefit to be gained, why would those people dare to take such a big risk?

Unfortunately, they messed with the wrong person this time.

Jiang Mingxu narrowed his eyes, the smoke from his breath blurring his expression. After a long while, he suddenly sneered: "Arrange negotiations as soon as possible. Since the item has been handed over to me, there's no reason for me to take it back."

"Okay, Mr. Jiang."

After speaking, the assistant took the items and prepared to leave.

But when I got to the door, someone called out to me again: "How's it going at the villa?"

The assistant paused, somewhat unsure of what President Jiang wanted to know, and could only answer with a few questions: "...Young Master moved out last week to make it easier for him to study. Madam has been staying at home recently, and only went to Young Master's school this morning."

"No contact with the Kim family?"

"Uh, no."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingxu frowned, and his assistant noticed, feeling somewhat helpless.

In his opinion, President Jiang was just too cautious.

Others may not know about the wife's feelings for President Jiang, but he, the special assistant who handled the entire wedding, knows it all. Originally, the Jin family wanted to marry their eldest daughter to President Jiang, but the wife, who was the second daughter, actively fought for it, and the two lovers finally became a couple.

In his view, his wife was his wife, and the Kim family was the Kim family; they were not comparable.

Sure enough, not long after the assistant finished speaking, Jiang Mingxu's personal cell phone lit up.

Because he was standing close by, the assistant accidentally saw the chat content: the wife sent President Jiang a "tap" message.

Wow, young people are so creative with their dating methods!

Considerately leaving the couple some space, Jiang Mingxu waited until the large office quieted down before looking at the resumed daily greetings. A thoughtful look appeared on his deep-set eyes as he picked up his phone.

The other party withdrew the message.

The next second, Jiang Mingxu's raised hand froze in mid-air, and his expression became unfathomable.

/

Jin Ran was used to being alone in the villa, so when she was awakened by footsteps in the middle of the night, she thought her house had been burgled.

The second-floor corridor leads to the balcony, and moonlight shines through the entire area. Jin Ran's room happens to be right next to the stairs, and her sleepiness vanishes instantly. Within seconds, hundreds of terrifying images have already surfaced in her mind.

Until she stormed out, clutching a vase, and bumped into Jiang Xuli, who was coming upstairs.

The two stared at each other, and gradually, awkwardness filled the air.

Jin Ran was the first to react.

As an adult, she had experienced more hardships than a teenager had eaten rice. She put the vase aside and, even though she was wearing pajamas and her hair was a mess, she couldn't hide her uprightness: "Ahem, I'm back."

Jiang Xuli paused for a moment, then nodded.

Clearly, he hadn't expected to run into Jin Ran at this time.

My gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, finally settling on the woman's feet. She was barefoot, her fair skin directly touching the ground. It was the height of summer, and the outdoor heat was stifling, yet the marble floor exuded a chill. In just a moment, her jade-like white feet had turned a faint red, giving her a pitiful appearance.

Jiang Xuli was not stupid; on the contrary, she was quite clever. By considering Jin Ran's attire and behavior before and after, she quickly figured out what was going on.

He couldn't help but frown.

He is a man of principle. Jin Ran has done many annoying things, which is why he hides at school and usually refuses to go home. But honestly, what happened today was indeed his fault.

Jiang Xuli was filled with mixed feelings, but he simply couldn't bring himself to apologize.

Jin Ran herself, on the other hand, didn't seem to feel anything.

She was so afraid of thieves that she was constantly on edge and couldn't pay attention to anything else.

Looking at her now, Jiang Xuli was still wearing her old school uniform, but it was all wrinkled and looked like it had been pulled out of a pickle jar. There were ash stains on the cuffs, and the pants at the knees were torn. Her hair was also a bit messy, with a few strands sticking back, revealing a clear abrasion on her forehead. Jin Ran guessed that it must have been freshly made, because it was still showing red marks.

Undoubtedly, her stepson was not a well-behaved, model student, a fact she already knew from their first meeting during the day, so discovering this again wasn't particularly surprising.

Didn't she herself, during her adolescence, also feel offended by certain people and things due to the influence of hormones? However, boys are more impulsive than girls. She was just secretly complaining behind her back when Jiang Xuli directly used his fist.

Jin Ran also guessed that he probably won.

Even if she loses, it doesn't matter. She doesn't think that a rich second-generation like Jiang Xuli would be without bodyguards. Especially for a successful businessman like Jiang Mingxu who has climbed up from the bottom, he has countless enemies and would only be more vigilant.

Looking back now, she recalls seeing several strange people loitering across the street when she was in school.

Having figured this out, Jin Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

Although their relationship was not particularly close, she held the position of stepmother, and with the biological father absent, she inevitably had to assume guardianship responsibilities.

Now that she knew someone was backing her up, she felt much more relaxed and was preparing to make a clean getaway when suddenly something moved.

Jiang Xuli noticed it too and quickly stepped aside to block it, but it was too late. A soft "meow" soon reached their ears.

Meow~

"Meow~"

The commotion was neither too loud nor too soft, but it stood out especially in the quiet night. Jiang Xuli froze on the spot, unsure of how to react. Jin Ran, however, widened her eyes and then suddenly realized—Jiang Xuli had come back in the middle of the night because he had a kitten with him!

Even the best schools like Wencheng Middle School do not allow students to bring pets to school. If no one else can help, students can only take their cats home.

She even went a step further: could it be that she skipped class that morning because of petting the cat?

Immediately, Jin Ran's gaze became meaningful.

A cold and arrogant rich kid who lacks parental love, but unexpectedly he's a cat lover behind the scenes.

The gaze from across the way was too intense for Jiang Xuli to ignore. He felt an unbearable discomfort, as if ants were crawling all over his body. Without even raising his head, he turned and went upstairs. Although he tried to remain calm, his increasingly rapid footsteps betrayed him.

Seeing this, Jin Ran smiled, yawned, and returned to her bedroom.

However, before going to bed, I still sent a message to the housekeeper.

Well, she wasn't worried about her adopted son; at most, she was worried that the teenager in his rebellious phase wouldn't be able to take good care of the kitten.