Chapter 92 The Dowry for Mrs. Jiang

Chapter 92

Jiang Mingxu arrived last night.

He came to the capital on a business trip, and after finishing his work, he didn't immediately return to City A. Instead, he came to meet up with Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli.

However, he did not disturb them and only appeared after the competition ended today.

Jiang Mingxu's arrival surprised and delighted the exhausted Jin Ran.

They see each other every day, and these past two days she's been so busy with work that she hasn't even had time to think about him. But when he actually stood in front of her, her heart still skipped a beat.

When are you leaving?

Jiang Mingxu did not enter the room, and Jin Ran, who was staying with other substitute teachers, was not invited either: "We have discussed it and decided to set off tomorrow morning. The students are allowed free time this afternoon. It's not easy for them to come to the capital, and they all want to do some sightseeing."

"And you?" she asked.

Jiang Mingxu said calmly, "The house is finished being renovated. I'm planning to go take a look this afternoon. Do you want to come along?"

"A house?" Jin Ran looked up in surprise. "You bought a house?"

Jiang Mingxu chuckled lightly: "It's a property from before, a courtyard house that someone else mortgaged. I thought it was pretty good, so I took it over. I haven't touched it until recently, when I started thinking about renovating it, so that I'll have a place to rest when I come to the capital in the future."

Jin Ran was eager to try it.

Buying a house in Yushan is fine, since the house prices there are low, and even in good locations, it's only a few thousand yuan per square meter. But this is the capital, where land is incredibly valuable. Even though she has some savings now, she doesn't have the courage to buy a house in the capital.

Jiang Mingsu actually bought it without saying a word, and it was even a courtyard house!

Is this the wealth of a domineering CEO?

But... wasn't this house bought by Jiang Mingxu before the marriage? Shouldn't it be considered his personal property?

Jin Ran thought to herself casually. Although marital property is jointly owned by the couple, given the income gap between them, she seemed to be the one who benefited. She could spend his money without hesitation, but when it came to major assets like a house, she knew better than to be stingy.

...

Jiang Xuli did not follow, because the students who were with him dragged him to visit the Forbidden City.

Upon hearing this, Jin Ran simply asked the other party to bring her some souvenirs, such as a Yonghe Temple bracelet. She heard that based on the Fourth Master's workaholic persona, praying for marriage might not be effective, but praying for career and studies would be particularly effective!

Jiang Xuli: "..."

His expression was complicated: "I never knew you were so superstitious!"

Jin Ran glanced at him sideways and said, "Don't you even think about who I'm doing all this for?"

The family consists of three people, with Jiang Xuli being the only high school student still in school. She just entered her second year of high school this year and is at a crucial stage in preparing for the college entrance examination.

So you bought this bracelet for yourself?

Having figured this out, Jiang Xuli blushed slightly and couldn't say anything more to complain.

"I'll transfer the money to you in a bit..."

"No need." Jiang Xuli coughed. She was already being very kind; how could he let her pay for it?

The next little CEO, who inherited all the traits of a domineering CEO, thought to himself.

Jin Ran watched helplessly as the tall, thin boy turned and left before he could finish speaking, completely baffled.

Sigh, isn't she just after the position of Dean of Students? With Fourth Uncle's blessing, she's sure she'll get it this time no matter what!

The courtyard house I bought is located within the Second Ring Road. It has gray bricks and blue tiles, and a vermilion gate. Pushing open the gate, you are greeted by a graceful osmanthus tree. Now that it is past October, most of the osmanthus flowers have fallen, with only one or two scattered among the lush green leaves, weaving a delicate canvas. The fragrance wafts through the air, continuous and lingering.

Under the tree sat a wicker lounge chair, dark brown in color, with a slightly upturned front end to catch the falling pale yellow petals.

Jin Ran fell in love with this place at first sight.

Just like everyone living in a concrete jungle, Jin Ran harbors a pastoral dream of finding solace in nature. While the villa in Shuoguo Bay is indeed grand, its large size and overly Western-style decor make it feel like a beautiful but unattainable dream.

This courtyard house perfectly matches her vision of a "Chinese courtyard" and a down-to-earth lifestyle.

Of course, Jin Ran liked it even more after learning its price.

They carefully examined the interior layout and discussed the allocation of each room. For example, the largest room was the master bedroom, and the west room had a large window that could be used as a study for Jiang Xuli.

After going around in circles, we finally returned to the courtyard.

Jin Ran couldn't wait to sit on the recliner.

She had long since chosen this spot, and comfortably leaned her neck against the wicker chair back, the afternoon sun filtering through the trees, casting dappled light.

In this moment, Jin Ran even had the time to talk to Jiang Mingxu about her dreams: "Our house is in an old six-story building with a terrible environment. More importantly, the only common area is the small space in the stairwell. If you have a bad neighbor, the space will be filled with shoe racks, and you can only grow flowers on the balcony. So I really want to live in a house with a yard. When I was in school, I was always torn between buying a ground floor apartment with a yard or a villa."

"Hmm, what happened next?"

She rarely talked about her affairs, and Jiang Mingxu listened attentively.

Jin Ran sighed helplessly and spread her hands to the side: "I only realized after graduation that I was overthinking it, because I couldn't afford either of them."

His tone was helpless, with a hint of pitifulness.

Jiang Mingxu paused for a moment, then slowly turned his back.

The wind blew through the courtyard, causing the leaves overhead to rustle and sway. Jin Ran glared at him, and don't think she couldn't see that he was smirking: "Hmph, of course a capitalist like you wouldn't understand the anxiety of us proletarians about buying a house!"

"Sorry." Jiang Mingxu turned around, but a smile could still be seen in the corner of his eye. "Actually, I bought my first house with borrowed money."

"Really?"

“Really, back then, housing prices weren’t this high. Before buying the house, I studied the housing price trend in City A and thought there was still room for it to rise. Later, the company moved, and because the house was too far from the new office location, I sold it again.”

“Then the price must have gone up a lot,” Jin Ran said confidently.

Jiang Mingxu nodded with a smile: "It's about twenty times more."

hiss……

As it turns out, the big shot wasn't an ordinary person when he was young. Jin Ran was incredibly envious. At her age, all she did was daydream with her friends, follow celebrities and watch dramas. She wouldn't have paid any attention to things like rising or falling housing prices.

"Just lucky." Jiang Mingxu remained calm about this.

That area was later planned by the government as a financial and business district, complete with subway, shopping areas, and schools; otherwise, the price increase wouldn't have been so dramatic.

"Who said that? You're clearly the better one." Jin Ran was envious, but she didn't deny Jiang Mingxu's skill. She reached out and grabbed the man's sleeve, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the texture of the fabric. This action was not meant to imply anything; it was just a habitual little gesture.

"Everyone knows houses are good, but either they don't have the money, or they have the money but don't dare to buy. They don't have your decisiveness, and those who do have your decisiveness don't have your vision. So Jiang Mingxu, you deserve to succeed."

Jiang Mingxu finally couldn't help but laugh.

He wasn't young anymore, he was middle-aged, and when he smiled, a few fine lines inevitably appeared at the corners of his eyes. But these lines didn't make him look old; instead, they added to his mature charm.

He thought that perhaps only Jin Ran would see him that way. In the eyes of others, he was just a lucky gambler, and the Jiang family thought he was crazy and deliberately dragging them down with him. Jiang Mingxu had always ignored the rumors and gossip.

But when someone actually praised her and admired her, he realized that he wasn't indifferent after all.

While Jin Ran was muttering to herself, Jiang Mingxu went into the room she had just been in and came out a moment later with something in her hand.

"Give."

"What?"

Jin Ran lazily dragged out her words, the afternoon sun making her feel weak in the knees, and she was too lazy to even lift her eyelids.

She casually took it and found it was the property certificate for the courtyard house. She didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that Jiang Mingxu was just showing it to her. It wasn't until she glanced at the property owner's column that she saw her name written there.

"???"

Her slender fingers suddenly stopped. In that instant, Jin Ran felt the fragrance of osmanthus lingering around her nose become stronger, making her dizzy and as if in a dream.

Before he could react, Jiang Mingxu handed him another document: "This is the 10% share transfer agreement of Mingji. I hold 76% of the shares, but due to the issue of controlling stake, I can only give you this much. Also, this card contains the annual dividends, which are joint property of the couple. It's all yours."

Jin Ran: "!!!"

One huge surprise after another overwhelmed even the "strong" Jin Ran, leaving her completely stunned.

She looked up in disbelief. Jiang Mingxu was looking down at her, his gaze deep and his thick eyelashes slightly lowered, concealing too many unreadable emotions.

What's the meaning?

Is it a test or a revelation of true feelings?

Jin Ran's heart was beating a little fast; she couldn't quite understand men's thoughts.

Fine, if she can't understand it, she can't understand it. In this situation, she felt that it was already quite good that her mind wasn't completely muddled, so she chose to ask directly: "Why are you giving me these things?"

Jiang Mingxu replied, "I want to give it to you."

"What kind of talk is this?" Jin Ran was very dissatisfied. Her eyes darted around, and she stood up from the recliner: "I heard from Mrs. Lin that Mr. Xu always compensates Mrs. Lin with clothes, jewelry, and houses after he makes a mistake. Have you also done something wrong to offend me?"

Face to face, Jiang Mingxu clearly saw the probing look on the woman's face. A smile flickered in his eyes as he deliberately asked, "For example?"

"For example, having mistresses or other extramarital affairs."

Jiang Mingxu: "..."

Women seem to lack trust in their boyfriends and husbands, but Jiang Mingxu understands that this has nothing to do with women; it's that men don't give women enough security.

He couldn't help but reach out and hug her. Jin Ran pushed him away, but she didn't let go. Instead, she hugged him even tighter.

He said, "There were no mistresses, only you from beginning to end."

"What about these things?"

"It's a betrothal gift for Mrs. Jiang."

The grandest promise he could make was to provide a lavish dowry that stretched for miles and a long, embroidered street.

It was also his delusion and obsession to keep her here after he learned her identity.