Chapter 5
Jiang's father works in a state-owned enterprise and is just an ordinary employee. Most of his peers have been promoted, but he is content with the status quo, which has led to Jiang's mother making sarcastic remarks about him quite a bit.
However, this kind of leisurely job also has its advantages. Mr. Jiang is highly involved in the family. Since Mrs. Jiang cannot drive, he drives her everywhere.
Mr. Jiang personally handles all the big and small matters at home, and is seen by the public as a good family man.
Now that his mother has retired, he can finally sleep in a little longer and doesn't have to get up early to take his wife to work anymore.
Jiang Wanwan didn't want her father to work so hard for her anymore, so she expressed her thoughts at the dinner table: "I plan to take the bus by myself from now on."
"Can you even get up?" Jiang's mother expressed serious doubt.
Mr. Jiang frowned as well, "My dear daughter, Dad is willing to give it to you, so don't feel guilty."
But Jiang Wanwan's mind was made up, and no matter what the old couple said, it was no use.
Seeing the stubborn Jiang Wanwan, Jiang's mother rolled her eyes and nagged, "If you ask me, it's better for you to find a boyfriend sooner rather than later. Just have him take you. Your cousin is getting married this year..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Mom, I've already told you, I'm focusing on my career right now."
"You're not even allowed to say it now? You'll be an old maid from now on."
As Jiang's mother spoke, she became more and more agitated, her hand holding the chopsticks almost poking Jiang Wanwan's face.
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the mother and daughter, Mr. Jiang immediately stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "My daughter must be tired on her first day of work, why are you bringing this up again?"
"What's wrong with me saying this? Her stubbornness comes from you!"
"Of course my daughter takes after me, hehe. Honey, don't be angry. Come and try my stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork."
Jiang Wanwan was already overwhelmed on her first day of work, and after hearing her mother's words, she was even more annoyed. She put down her chopsticks after eating for a short while and even forgot to mention the matter of renting a house.
The bed is the place that every working person least wants to leave. Lying on the soft bed, Jiang Wanwan, who was exhausted both physically and mentally, had a good night's sleep.
The alarm clock rang the next morning.
A hand reached out from under the covers, ruthlessly turned off the alarm clock, and then quickly withdrew it.
"Bang bang bang—"
The door was banged on violently, and the oil painting on the wall shook as well.
Seeing no movement inside, Jiang's mother burst through the door, shouting as she entered, "Wanwan, get up! It's time for school!"
"Mom, please, just five more minutes of sleep!"
Jiang Wanwan pulled the blanket over her head, trying to block out her mother's voice.
"Still sleeping in? Don't forget, you're a teacher now!"
Jiang's mother walked to the window, pulled the curtains open with a whoosh, and then skillfully lifted the blanket.
"I'm so sleepy, I'll just sleep for three more minutes..."
Jiang Wanwan pulled hard on the corner of the blanket. Even in her sleep, she could still chat back and forth with her mother, thanks to her habit of sleeping in late for many years.
"Fine! You'll regret this." Jiang's mother was so angry at her daughter's stubbornness that she almost laughed, and she couldn't be bothered to deal with her anymore.
Five minutes passed, then ten minutes...
"Ah—Mom, why didn't you call me?"
Jiang Wanwan glanced at the time, then suddenly sat up in bed and began to change her clothes quickly, looking anxious.
Jiang's mother ate her breakfast gracefully at the table, watching Jiang Wanwan rush past her with a calm expression.
She had already reminded her, but Jiang Wanwan wouldn't listen.
Jiang Wanwan rushed to the bathroom, quickly washed up, and then started packing her bag.
"Don't rush, have your dad take you after you finish eating." Jiang's mother frowned as she watched her daughter's flustered state.
Jiang Wanwan glanced at the time and estimated that if she didn't eat breakfast, she would still make it to the bus stop in time.
So she slung her large tote bag over her shoulder, changed into a pair of flat shoes, and said as she unlocked the door, "I'm not eating yet, bye-bye Mom."
"Hey, you silly child..."
Before Jiang's mother could finish speaking, the door slammed shut, cutting her off.
The bus swayed and rocked, making Jiang Wanwan drowsy.
Suddenly, a cell phone rang, startling Jiang Wanwan, who was about to fall asleep.
She noticed that there were many other people on the bus who were also feeling sleepy, so she quickly answered the phone and spoke quietly to Lu Dachuan on the other end.
"Hello."
"Jiang Wanwan, I'm downstairs at your place. Come down to work soon."
"I'm already on the bus, you can go by yourself."
"What! Why did you leave by yourself?"
"I'm just afraid of troubling you."
"..."
Lu Dachuan on the other end didn't speak again. After a while, he finally said helplessly, "It's no trouble at all."
Just then, the bus announced that it had arrived at its stop, and Jiang Wanwan didn't hear Lu Dachuan's words clearly.
When the broadcast ended and she wanted to ask again, she found that the call had already been disconnected.
After rushing for a while, Jiang Wanwan finally arrived at the office on time, covered in sweat.
This morning's incident made her realize that renting a place is more convenient, at least it would save her almost an hour.
So, during her free time, she called Jiang's mother and told her about it.
At first, Jiang's mother disagreed, worried that it would be unsafe for a girl to live alone. But she softened her attitude after hearing that Lu Dachuan was also going to rent a place.
"Alright then, I'll contact someone later and have him arrange a floor for you."
With her mother's permission, Jiang Wanwan also had something on her mind.
After she told Lu Dachuan about renting the apartment, Lu Dachuan immediately beamed with joy and said happily, "Great! I can sleep for another forty minutes!"
Ren He had just finished class and returned to his office when he heard Lu Dachuan tell him that he wanted to share an apartment with him.
"That's wonderful! Don't worry, I'll clean up afterward," Ren He said excitedly.
With his housing problem solved, a huge weight was lifted from his heart.
Just then, Jiang Wanwan's phone suddenly vibrated.
When she opened the message, she found it was from the principal, asking her to go to the principal's office.
Why would the principal be looking for her at this time? Did she do something wrong?
With a nervous heart, Jiang Wanwan arrived at the principal's office, only to find that there were two other men besides the principal.
"Xiao Jiang, you're here! Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Xiao, and this is Mr. Xiao's assistant, Secretary Wang."
Jiang Wanwan greeted everyone politely, but she was even more confused.
However, the principal quickly explained the reason.
It turns out that this Mr. Xiao is a great philanthropist who just returned from Country Y and immediately invested ten million yuan in Yanyuan No. 1 Middle School.
The principal probably thought that Jiang Wanwan was young, had a good image, and knew Yan Yuan No. 1 Middle School very well, so he wanted her to show Mr. Xiao around the campus and introduce and promote the school.
"Principal, please rest assured, I promise to give Mr. Xiao a proper tour."
Jiang Wanwan revealed a confident expression, her eyes shining brightly. The principal was extremely satisfied with her reaction.
He entrusted the two distinguished guests to her with peace of mind, and then happily sat down at his desk to plan how to use the ten million to build the school.
The pale golden sunlight shone on the earth, and the colorful flowers on both sides of the road bloomed beautifully, adding even more vitality to this already vibrant campus.
Jiang Wanwan kept her responsibilities in mind at all times, and did her best to introduce the campus to the other party. Her tone was gentle and soothing, but the content was concise and clear, allowing people to grasp the key points instantly.
"If only the principal had such a high level of speaking skills as Teacher Jiang."
Xiao Mingzhu gave a forced smile and looked at the woman who was standing in front of the experimental farm, talking incessantly.
He thought to himself, "Then he wouldn't have wasted so much time listening to that old man's endless nonsense."
Upon hearing the man's words, Jiang Wanwan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'm a Chinese language teacher, so it just so happens that I'm quite good at this. But the principal is talking to you about things that ordinary people like us don't have access to."
She didn't know any big shots like Mr. Xiao who would donate ten million yuan so readily; she probably wouldn't earn that much money in her entire life.
Upon hearing the woman's understated compliment, Xiao Mingzhu let out a genuine laugh, his expression one of genuine pleasure.
Seeing the man in front of her smile, Jiang Wanwan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
For no other reason than that he is just too, too, too handsome!
Although Jiang Wanwan treats everyone equally at work, she is actually a sucker for good looks and is always exceptionally tolerant of attractive people in her personal life.
Mr. Xiao exudes an elite aura from head to toe. He has a broad back and a narrow waist, a high nose bridge under black sunglasses, fair skin, and a perfectly sculpted jawline.
Jiang Wanwan herself is 1.7 meters tall, but the other person seems to be a head taller than her, at least 1.85 meters.
Thinking of this, Jiang Wanwan suddenly became bolder.
Listening to the man's standard Mandarin, she asked curiously, "Is Mr. Xiao of Chinese descent?"
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Mingzhu's eagle eyes behind his sunglasses, but he still spoke gently: "Perhaps, I am an orphan."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Xiao, I didn't know... You must have suffered a lot to get to your current position."
A hint of sympathy flashed in Jiang Wanwan's eyes, but she quickly thought that it was crazy for a poor person like herself to sympathize with a rich person!
Xiao Mingzhu took in the woman's rich expressions, then said with a half-smile, "Fortunately, my adoptive father is very rich."
"...Hahaha, Mr. Xiao is so lucky, he's clearly a blessed man." Jiang Wanwan chuckled dryly, feeling even more that she had lost her mind, thinking that she really shouldn't empathize with such evil capitalists.
Are you lucky?
A mocking glint appeared in Xiao Mingzhu's eyes, but unfortunately, it was hidden by his sunglasses, and no one saw it.
Perhaps their conversation had brought them closer, because Xiao Mingzhu and Jiang Wanwan started talking more in the evening. However, it was mostly Jiang Wanwan who was doing the talking, while the other person listened with a smile.
"By the way, Mr. Xiao, why did you suddenly decide to donate money to our school?" Jiang Wanwan asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time.
Xiao Mingzhu twirled the silver ring on his thumb and slowly said, "Your school has a long history, a strong faculty, and is a prestigious school in the capital. I naturally want to do my part for the students here."
This answer was official and polite, and although Jiang Wanwan felt that it was not the real reason, she could not refute it.
After the visit, the principal personally escorted the two distinguished guests to the school gate and waved goodbye with a smile.
Ten minutes later, a black Maybach pulled up to the side of the road.
"Boss, we caught a few 'stinky fish'." Secretary Wang held a tablet in his hand, reporting his work meticulously.
Xiao Mingzhu exhaled a smoke ring, flicked the cigarette butt hard against the car window, and said casually, "Handle it discreetly. This place isn't like Y country; those police here are very difficult to deal with."
After the man finished speaking, he gave a light chuckle, his eyes seemingly filled with contempt.
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