Chapter 94 9999 Roses

Chapter 94

This year's Christmas was unfortunate, falling on a Monday.

This means that no matter how carefully you prepare a surprise, it can only be realized after you get off work or school in the evening.

When Jin Ran woke up in the morning, she felt her body temperature had dropped considerably, so she went back to the dressing room and changed into a wool coat and fluffy high boots. As she went out, she bumped into Jiang Xuli coming downstairs. Seeing the boy's thin clothing, Jin Ran couldn't help but frown: "Why are you dressed so lightly?"

"Is it too little?"

Jiang Xuli looked down at himself. He had dressed like this in previous years and had never felt cold. Besides, this year he was taking a car to school, which was much warmer than when he rode a motorcycle.

However, there is a kind of coldness that only a stepmother feels. Jin Ran firmly believed that Jiang Xuli would freeze to death. Helpless, Jiang Xuli could only go back and put on long underwear, and had to use socks to tighten the pant legs.

Jiang Xuli: "..."

I absolutely cannot let my underlings know about this tacky outfit.

Jiang Mingxu was already seated at the dining table.

The man wears a suit and leather shoes all year round, his tie is always impeccably tied, and the only extra two buttons undone reveal a touch of arrogant casualness amidst his rigidity.

The knife and fork made a soft sound as they lightly scraped against the plate, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed well-defined wrists. Even in the freezing cold, a fiery aura emanated from them from a distance.

Seeing this, Jin Ran felt a surge of desire and wanted the man to wear long johns as well, but his simple statement that there was air conditioning in the office easily shattered her little scheme.

Hmph, boring!

Jiang Mingxu suddenly turned around, catching Jin Ran off guard. Her mischievous expression froze on her face before she could even put it down: "I remember you had a gray scarf?"

"……ah?"

"Can I borrow it for a moment?"

Jiang Mingxu smiled, effortlessly making Jin Ran's drooping lips curl up again.

She coughed, then pretended to tighten her lips to avoid making her joy too obvious: "Why are you wearing my scarf? It has cartoon animals on it, how childish."

Jiang Mingxu raised an eyebrow and said bluntly, "I thought this was a gift for me."

Living under the same roof, it was inevitable that they would be aware of each other's feelings. He had inadvertently caught a glimpse of the rabbit scarf that she had sewn herself several times.

Before Jin Ran could respond, he added, "Actually, I also prepared a gift for you."

...

After arriving at school, Jin Ran belatedly realized that Jiang Mingxu was up to his old tricks.

All morning, she waited to see what gift the other person would say it was.

Is it a house? A cruise ship? Or a private island? Heaven knows why her imagination has become so wild, even increasingly terrifying.

It's all because of someone who spoiled them.

After hearing her guess, Xu Zhen remained silent for three seconds, then angrily separated herself from her and began eating separately, declaring that she had broken away from the proletarian masses and severed ties with her former friend, before taking the last piece of braised pork.

Jin Ran knew she had stirred up trouble, so she didn't dare to provoke the other party by saying that she also had shares in Mingji. She could only sigh silently and slink back to her office.

At that time, the office was bustling with activity. The colleagues were discussing something enthusiastically. Jin Ran walked closer and heard clearly that they were explaining the cooperation agreement between the technology and the school. In the previously proposed "famous school + enterprise" cooperation model, the principal agreed to open an elective course jointly built by the enterprise.

"This semester?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, the specific time has not been determined," the colleague waved his hand. "Actually, it's mainly a formality. It's called an elective course, and it's good if it's taught once a semester."

"Who do you mean to send from the technology department?"

"Who knows? But it can't be President Jiang coming in person, can it?"

"What are you thinking? President Jiang is so busy with work that he doesn't even have time to attend his own son's parent-teacher conference. How could he possibly come to a class like this!"

"That's not necessarily true." The female teacher who had been bragging about her boyfriend suddenly looked at Jin Ran. "Didn't President Jiang attend the parent visit last time, Teacher Jin? I think Teacher Jin and President Jiang have a good relationship. Have you heard any inside information?"

Jin Ran: "..."

Faced with the gossipy looks from her colleagues, she honestly and truthfully said, "I don't know anything."

After all, when Jiang Mingxu left in the morning, he was still talking to her about that gray scarf.

Seeing her like this, her colleagues didn't press her further. It was just a casual joke, and no one would suspect that she and Jiang Mingxu had any special relationship.

And soon something new caught everyone's attention.

Yesterday, the boyfriend of that young female teacher who had been showing off so much indeed sent flowers—five roses and five carnations. The fragrance wafted as he passed by the table, making his female colleagues extremely envious.

"Your boyfriend is so good to you."

"I heard your boyfriend has been promoted to a higher professional title. He's only thirty-six years old this year, isn't he? He's so young and has a bright future ahead of him."

"If you ask me, you should look for someone who works in the system. Both of you have secure jobs, and the combined salary and benefits are much better than those who run a business."

The young female teacher was indeed all smiles.

He was especially pleased to notice Jin Ran staring at him in a daze. Without thinking, he walked up to the woman and asked, "Teacher Jin, do you like them too? Why don't you ask your husband to send one as well?"

Jin Ran, who only remembered the flowers her students gave her: "..."

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

If Jin Ran hadn't taken the first provocation to heart, and now she still couldn't see through the other party's "deliberate" actions, she would truly be a fool.

Strangely, she didn't feel angry; instead, she felt a sense of absurd absurdity—even in a place like a school that teaches and nurtures, these workplace petty schemes are still prevalent.

Flowers? Of course she likes them, but it would be beneath her to compete with her colleagues for a bouquet.

She got into the school on her own merit, passed the teacher recruitment exam on her own merit, and will naturally become the dean of studies on her own merit.

Just as he was about to retort, a voice suddenly came from the office doorway: "Teacher Jin's things need to be signed for!"

Everyone instinctively looked over and saw four deliverymen in uniforms carefully carrying a huge flower stand. It was a giant bouquet of 9,999 red roses, bigger than the teachers' desks, with bright red petals that almost blocked the corridor.

Compared to this, the small bouquet of flowers in the young female teacher's hand instantly paled in comparison.

"Who are you looking for?"

The deliveryman had to ask loudly again, "Is Ms. Jin Ran here? This is a Christmas gift from your husband. Please sign for it."

The office fell silent instantly.

The female teacher, who had just been showing off, could barely maintain her composure.

Didn't we say we don't celebrate holidays?!

Even Jin Ran was stunned for a moment, but she quickly realized who was behind it.

Then, I couldn't help but laugh.

Who would have thought that the president of Mingji would resort to such romantic little tricks as lovers in the throes of passion?

She vaguely remembered that this wasn't one of the 100 little things you should do in a relationship.

Undeniably, Jin Ran was very happy.

No woman dislikes surprises and romance, especially since Jiang Mingxu's surprise came at just the right time. Seeing the female teacher's stiff expression, Jin Ran felt a surge of pleasure. She wasn't a pushover who would tolerate being bullied. In front of everyone, she gracefully accepted the magnificent bouquet of roses.

And under the female teacher's sarcastic probing, she innocently said, "I don't know, maybe my husband thinks I'm working too hard. He has always admired my profession as a teacher."

Female teacher: "..."

/

Students at Wencheng Middle School are excitedly discussing something new.

It was quite a coincidence that the flower deliverymen entered the school during a break between classes. The 9,999 roses were truly spectacular and hard not to attract attention. Many students witnessed it firsthand.

Those with inside information quickly found out the inside story: "It was given to Mr. Jin, the math teacher in the second year of high school."

As a gossip enthusiast, Chen Xunliang certainly wouldn't miss this big news. He sidled up to his good friend mysteriously, looking rather embarrassed: "Who do you think sent flowers to Teacher Jin? Such a generous gesture!"

Jiang Xuli didn't even look up. He looked at the title on his pen, his brows furrowed slightly: "It must have been a gift from my dad."

The drums of war hadn't been thrown away yet, except for his father who didn't think of anything else.

Chen Xunliang opened his mouth wide, about to refute, but then thought about it again and felt that it made perfect sense.

Uncle Jiang and Teacher Jin are a married couple, and a loving couple in the eyes of adults. It seems perfectly normal for them to exchange holiday gifts.

Although this was completely different from the image of Uncle Jiang in his memory—the seemingly rigid and stern Uncle Jiang actually had a tender side...

He couldn't help but steal a glance at his friend's reaction, only to see that Jiang Xuli not only didn't show the slightest displeasure, but instead lowered her head and muttered softly, "Giving a gift so late, luckily I didn't forget..."

Chen Xunliang: "..."

He felt like he was the only one in the world who was anxious.

"Forget it, the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is," he said, pursing his lips and saying sourly, "Adults are exchanging gifts, we kids shouldn't get involved." His gaze swept to the oddly shaped car keychain on Jiang Xuli's table, and he shifted his attention, "Hey, where did you buy this doll? It's so ugly."

He reached out to touch it, but before he could, Jiang Xuli quickly put it away: "Weren't you going to ask Wang Shuya about credits? I just heard her go to the playground."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xunliang immediately perked up and stopped thinking about the dolls. He needed to ask himself why he had been deducted three points for no reason!

Once the noise subsided, Jiang Xuli took out the rabbit doll again and used her index finger to adjust the crooked rabbit ears.

Hmph, he was the first person to receive a gift.

/

In the evening, Jin Ran received a call from Jiang Mingxu, and a smile appeared on her face before she even spoke.

"I'm at the school gate. Xiao Sun is running errands. Would you mind giving me a ride home today?"

Jiang Mingxu's deep voice came from the other end, clear and cool, with the chill of autumn and winter.

Jin Ran's driving skills are now quite proficient, and carrying passengers is no problem for her. Knowing Jiang Mingxu was coming, she left twenty minutes early, and the two met outside the school: "The school parking garage was full, so I parked my car on the back street... By the way, so early today, is it another case of the CEO leaving early without permission?"

Jiang Mingxu calmly replied, "It's out of consideration for the employees. It's Christmas, so they can go home early to be with their families."

"Wow, it turns out that President Jiang is not only a workaholic, but also such a considerate and good boss."

The woman's smiling eyes were reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows along the street, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun. She suddenly lowered her voice and said, "I received the gift."

"Hmm, do you like it?"

Jin Ran didn't answer, but instead asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to send flowers?"

Jiang Mingxu hesitated slightly: "I saw that you really liked the flowers the students gave you last time."

So he also sent her flowers.

But actually, he wasn't sure if she would like it, and he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Jin Ran snorted, not easily fooled by him, and said bluntly, "Sending flowers is fine, but why send them to the school, and 9999 of them at that? President Jiang, please don't say anything like 'it's on your way'."

She stared straight at him, easily seeing through his little schemes.

Jiang Mingxu indeed fell silent.

A moment later: "Sorry, I had them deliver it to the school."

She was right. He deliberately sent the flowers in a grand manner, wanting to announce their relationship to everyone.

Thinking this, a bitter smile crept onto his lips: "If you mind, I won't next time..."

"Actually, those flowers were very pretty, I quite liked them." Jin Ran suddenly interrupted him, then turned to answer the first question, "Or was it that President Jiang's 9,999 roses weren't given with sincerity?"

This time, Jiang Mingxu did not hesitate and answered decisively: "It's true."

Jin Ran's lips curled up, and she snorted again. Considering that he was trying to please her, she would let bygones be bygones for that past matter.

Ultimately, she never intended to hide their relationship.

But deep down, he still didn't want to let her off easily. When asked, he said that although the flowers were beautiful, 9999 flowers were too heavy. He hadn't even considered how she was going to carry them; he just wanted to exhaust her to death!

"...I've always kept a low profile at school, but now the whole school knows I received 9,999 roses. Maybe those students won't be afraid of me anymore!"

When a woman gets irritable, even her voice becomes domineering. As Jiang Mingxu listened to her incessant complaints, his tense brows gradually relaxed.

After a moment, he suddenly covered her hand and chuckled softly: "Teacher Jin is a good teacher. Students will not be afraid of you, they will only respect you."

Such praise warmed Jin Ran's heart, and she was about to respond when suddenly a chill ran down her spine—

"careful!"

A shout came from afar. She instinctively turned around, and a cold light flashed. Jian Er's ferocious face lunged at her—

Jin Ran's face turned pale.