Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The luxury car drove around the city for a long time before entering the basement of an office building in the center of Ningcheng City.
After the car came to a stop, the assistant got out first, opened the door for Jiang Mingyue, then led the way, swiped the card, and escorted her and Han Rong, who had been silent the whole way, to the private elevator.
Jiang Mingyue noticed that her assistant did not go upstairs with them.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor.
Any commercial building with the special numbers "6" or "8" will have a much higher rental price than ordinary floors.
At this point, the Han family was willing to waste money for good luck.
It seems that the Han family is at its peak and very wealthy; much wealthier than when Jiang Mingyue was already declining and only then did they recognize each other in her real life.
After exiting the elevator, the space is divided into two areas, left and right.
To the left is a large space filled with computers. There is a water bar at the entrance, but no employees are slacking off there yet. The office area is behind the water bar.
Han Rong turned right directly.
To the right are four meeting rooms arranged side by side. The innermost part is divided into two layers: the outer layer is the work area for secretaries and assistants, with three desks, and the inner layer is Han Rong's office.
Upon seeing Han Rong appear, the secretary, without any questions, stood up and opened the office door for him, whispering, "Attorney Tang has arrived and is waiting for your instructions in conference room number two. The stylist team has also arrived and, as you instructed, has been arranged to be in meeting room number four."
"Please wait a moment, Attorney Tang."
The secretary acknowledged and left. Han Rong pointed to the office and finally managed a smile at Jiang Mingyue: "Your name is Mingyue, right? Let's go in and talk."
Han Rong's office is very spacious.
The spacious office has two floor-to-ceiling windows, and the executive desk, which is more than two meters long, is placed in full sunlight. Just imagining working in the sunlight, rather than in a dark environment, is invigorating.
The area near the wall was set up as a reception area.
A complete set of coffee-colored leather sofas sits on a thick wool carpet, and the coffee table is a very stylish solid wood table with a flowing sand finish.
Jiang Mingyue followed Han Rong over and sat on the sofa, glancing at the carpet once more.
The wool carpet feels incredibly soft underfoot, making you want to take off your shoes and walk barefoot on it—the quality of pure wool is definitely not something that so-called "office carpets" made of viscose fiber can match.
This extra glance made Han Rong frown.
He said bluntly, "You haven't asked for my reason the whole way, so you should be able to guess why I came to your door. Our Han family has no intention of being in the spotlight or becoming the subject of netizens' gossip."
This is actually quite clear.
Except for a few people with a penchant for flaunting their wealth, wealthy people generally don't like being the subject of gossip among ordinary people.
Jiang Mingyue nodded, agreeing with Han Rong's statement: "Mr. Han, believe me, I have no intention of changing my parents, but you know my mother's situation. Cancer treatment is risky after all. Ever since we discovered the babies were switched at birth six years ago, my mother's wish has been to see her biological daughter."
Han Rong was very understanding: "We are willing to fulfill the patient's last wish, but on the condition that my daughter does not know about it. I think Ms. Liang will understand."
The Han family was wealthy, and Han Jialan received the best education there, becoming a well-known darling of her parents.
Liang Shuanglan has been diagnosed with mid-stage cancer, and the future treatment outcome is unknown.
So, it's a good thing that the Han family doesn't want Han Jialan to know she's not their biological daughter and hopes she'll be their biological daughter; presumably, Liang Shuanglan wouldn't refuse this condition.
Kind-hearted people would interpret Han Rong's words in this way, but Jiang Mingyue knew that Han Rong didn't care about family ties at all; he only cared about profit and loss.
Jiang Mingyue silently calculated the time and realized in her heart that it was about time for the Han family and the Fu family to start jointly establishing an information company.
It seems Han Rong doesn't want his presence to disrupt the Han family's business plans.
But why should Jiang Mingyue satisfy Han Rong's wishes?
Han Rong's words were simply meant to make people think that the Han family was wealthy and had high social status, and that their children were rich and noble ladies who had descended to earth and disgraced their family.
The wealthy and their luxurious lifestyles are certainly enviable to the poor, but when it comes to respect, no one would praise a greedy businessman.
Jiang Xin, who has passed away, was a math teacher at a key provincial high school in Ningcheng. During his lifetime, he mentored countless outstanding students who were admitted to key universities. Liang Shuanglan was a key member of the city's cultural troupe before her retirement and choreographed several large-scale dance programs that won national awards.
The couple's character is far more worthy of respect than Han Rong's.
If it weren't for the unfortunate incident of losing her child, Liang Shuanglan wouldn't be so penniless that she couldn't even afford medical treatment.
Jiang Mingyue didn't want her mother to suffer humiliation from Han Rong while she was sick because of "the family's lack of wealth".
Jiang Mingyue stood up on the spot, ready to leave: "I don't expect a rich young lady to serve my mother tea and water and wipe her body, but don't think you can use the reason that 'my mother has no money and may die, so she is not worthy of acknowledging her daughter' to refuse her acknowledgment of her daughter."
As expected of someone who has been in the business world for a long time, Han Rong's expression did not change at all when his thoughts were exposed.
He said matter-of-factly, "But Ms. Liang needs money for treatment, doesn't she? From what we've never heard before, her condition doesn't seem optimistic. The doctors at the hospital might tell you that if you have medical insurance, you only need to pay a small portion out of pocket to maintain the treatment. But I think you also know very well that if you choose that option, you won't be able to use those expensive, imported drugs out of pocket at all."
Han Rong smiled confidently: "I've seen the news reports. You rejected donations from the school and society, and claimed that the donations you've received have already covered Ms. Liang's medical expenses. In my opinion, that's a bit too naive."
Jiang Mingyue's expression finally turned sour.
Of course, hospital doctors need to adhere to professional ethics and keep patients' conditions confidential, but now that her mother's condition has been reported in the newspapers, there is a high possibility that unethical paparazzi or people who have access to medical records may inquire about the specific details.
What if her mother's condition is really not optimistic and requires a lot of treatment costs?
Jiang Mingyue clutched her faded jeans, a voice echoing in her mind—Liang Shuanglan died of cancer in her previous life due to the spread of cancer cells.
"...Let me think about it." Even a hero can be stumped by a penny, and Jiang Mingyue hesitated.
She is indeed short of money.
Han Rong leaned back against the sofa and leisurely glanced at his watch: "It's 5:55 PM now. You only have five minutes."
You still can't use your mother as a bargaining chip, but you can use her own body.
In a split second, Jiang Mingyue came up with a plan: "Five minutes is enough. Mr. Han, by allowing me to appear before you, you have acknowledged my identity. So, I will use this identity to make a request of you—I need money to treat my mother's illness."
Jiang Mingyue added, "As long as the money is in place, I will only ever bear the surname Jiang for the rest of my life, and I will have absolutely no connection with the Han family. Furthermore, there will be no negative news about 'the Han family's biological daughter acting recklessly' that could affect your company and its stock price."
Han Rong curled the corners of his mouth, gave Jiang Mingyue an appreciative look, and relaxed his posture.
As expected of his biological daughter, she is indeed very intelligent, exactly as the investigation report stated.
In that case, he could have a different plan for dealing with his daughter.
Han Rong pulled a card from his wallet and pushed it in front of Jiang Mingyue, but pressed down on the card as she reached for it, making a harsh demand: "Since it's a transaction, both parties must meet each other's conditions. This card has three million in cash, and a monthly advance limit of five hundred thousand, enough for your adoptive mother's medical treatment. You can receive this money for twenty years, as compensation for your upbringing. But you must give up your inheritance rights. If you can accept this, sign and put your fingerprint on the document."
A document was thrown from a drawer and placed in front of Jiang Mingyue.
In the drawer of the coffee table in the reception room, there was a document that had been prepared long ago, renouncing the right to inherit.
Han Rong had indeed already planned out the details of the deal.
But Jiang Mingyue knew she had no right to refuse. Of course, she never thought of refusing; she never wanted to become a member of the Han family.
"Okay, Mr. Han, deal."
Jiang Mingyue's agreement made Han Rong laugh. He reached out and tapped Jiang Mingyue's forehead: "You seem to have misunderstood me. I only asked you to give up your inheritance rights, but I never said I would disown you. Call me 'Father'."
What is that old scoundrel plotting now?
Jiang Mingyue couldn't help but frown.
Han Rong stood up, walked to the wall, and pressed on it. A hidden door popped open. He instructed, "Go change your clothes. I'm still missing a female companion for tonight's banquet. This is a good opportunity to introduce you to the others."
Seeing Jiang Mingyue's reluctance, Han Rong reiterated, "Don't turn down money."
Okay, I'll let it go, considering this money will allow Mom to get better treatment.
Once she gets a role and can earn money, she won't have to be controlled by the Han family's money anymore.
*
Jiang Mingyue slipped into the hidden door.
She thought this was Han Rong's lounge, but she was clearly mistaken.
Beyond a passageway was another room resembling a reception room, where a styling team stood.
Upon seeing Jiang Mingyue appear, no one raised any questions. They quickly measured her size, fetched her a well-fitting dress, and completed her makeup and styling.
"Oh, the shoes. Miss Han, please change into these." The stylist placed a pair of flat shoes at Jiang Mingyue's feet.
These are soft, creamy yellow flat shoes with a satin bow decoration on the toe, which matches Jiang Mingyue's dress perfectly.
Flat shoes?
No wealthy businessman's girlfriend would wear flat shoes to a business cocktail party, and look at me dressed like this...
It seems Han Rongzhen intends to introduce her as the Han family's biological daughter at the business reception.
But how could that be?
In his past life, Han Rong was the person who most opposed the outside world knowing that the Han family had switched the babies!
No, wait a minute.
Perhaps Han Rong really wants to acknowledge her as a member of the Han family.
In her past life, after recovering from pneumonia, she returned to school and discovered that Fu Qian had actually been admitted to the same city as her. It was around this time that Fu Qian made a big fuss about pursuing her, creating a scene where he used tens of thousands of roses to hang out downstairs at the girls' dormitory shouting "I love you, be with me," making Jiang Mingyue famous throughout the school and starting her bad reputation.
But none of this has happened yet.
All Han Rong cares about is money. To put it another way, for Han Rong right now, the most important thing is to get close to Fu Qian and secure a marriage alliance and cooperation with the Fu family.
Since Han Rong had investigated her, he must already know that Jiang Mingyue was the "culprit" who made Fu Qian secretly change schools and insist on taking the entrance exam for Ningcheng.
—Anyway, no matter which one Young Master Fu falls in love with or which one he wants to marry, the marriage partner will always be a daughter of the Han family, right?
Jiang Mingyue is now known to the public as a dutiful daughter with an impeccable reputation. Bringing her back to the Han family is tantamount to securing Fu Qian's heart with the Han family, providing double insurance for the cooperation between the Han and Fu families.
Therefore, Han Rong only needs to pay an initial cost of three million.
The cost of even a small project invested in by the Han family is more than tens of millions, so why wouldn't Han Rong do it?
Jiang Mingyue raised her eyebrows; it seemed that the card was the money Han Rong had paid her for selling herself into servitude.
She looked thoughtfully at herself in the full-length mirror again, examining her outfit.
The mirror reflected Jiang Mingyue's image.
Although this dress, made of lace and satin, perfectly showcased Jiang Mingyue's curves in terms of bust, waist, and hips, the style was very conservative. The dress reached her knees, and not a single inch of skin could be seen on her collarbone or upper arm.
Her foundation was only a thin layer, her blush was very light, and her eye makeup only emphasized her eyelashes. Even the lipstick she used was transparent.
The entire outfit contained no earrings, necklaces, or bracelets.
Both the clothing and makeup were designed to suppress Jiang Mingyue's naturally vibrant appearance, making her look more in line with the concept of "pure".
A very virtuous woman.
The kind that's easy to control.
Perhaps she could alter this dress.
As she turned around, Jiang Mingyue quietly slipped the eyebrow trimmer razor blade from her makeup case between her fingers.
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