Chapter 14 Treat each other as complete strangers...
Chapter 14
Although she recognized him, Jin Ran had no intention of trying to build a relationship with him.
Putting aside the fact that one of them is a stepmother and the other a stepson, and they have no relationship whatsoever, judging from Jiang Xuli's nonchalant way of buying food, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Since there's no problem, she doesn't need to worry about it anymore.
Jin Ran continued eating without any pressure.
Jiang Xuli, on the other hand, saw Jin Ran a step behind after buying the food.
Unlike her composure, he frowned somewhat irritably.
Why again?
Indeed, in Jiang Xuli's eyes, Jin Ran was photographed at school just a few days ago, and today she actually secretly followed him to school again. He would never believe that she didn't have some ulterior motive.
Considering that he had gotten into a fight, Jin Ran, who was hiding in the shadows, must have seen it.
The other party has a "handle" on him and might stab him in the back at any moment—even though women rarely do this anymore, Jiang Xuli's mood is still as hot as the summer heat, so irritating that it feels like the air is about to ignite.
Wang Shuya noticed and assumed he was troubled by what had just happened, so she couldn't help but comfort him: "Don't worry, if the teacher asks you for help, I will testify for you."
She already had feelings for Jiang Xuli, and after what happened today, she felt that her judgment was indeed correct: "They bullied the classmate first, and you acted bravely. Even if the teacher knew, you should be praised."
Standing nearby, Chen Xunliang was greatly shocked: "Wang, I didn't expect you to be so insightful!"
"Get lost! My morals have always been high!"
Wang Shuya rolled her eyes without any politeness.
Then she looked cautiously at Jiang Xuli, her face flushed: "Even if... no one else believes you, in my heart you will always be the most amazing!"
A young girl in the throes of first love; in an instant, the affection in her eyes almost overflows.
Jin Ran, who accidentally stumbled upon this gossip: Oh wow.
Honestly, she didn't eavesdrop on purpose. It's just that these people didn't control their volume at all.
Looking at the handsome young man and beautiful young woman standing together, a sentence flashed through Jin Ran's mind: A young girl's feelings are always poetic.
No one can resist gossip, and even Xu Zhen across from her was listening with great interest. Jin Ran's gaze swept between the two of them, with a particular focus on observing Wang Shuya.
She wondered to herself, "Could this be Jiang Xuli's girlfriend?"
Your taste is good, but as a boyfriend, instead of being moved and happy when your girlfriend confesses her feelings, why do you look so impatient?
With burning gazes following him relentlessly, Jiang Xuli's back stiffened, and he didn't even notice what Wang Shuya was saying: "One person does the deed, one person takes the blame; you don't need to worry about it."
Wang Shuya: "How could that be? We're together!"
"Oh dear, you don't understand."
Chen Xunliang seemed to understand something, and sighed calmly, "The teacher is fine, but it's not certain about Brother Li's family."
Uncle Jiang is powerful and strict, and there's that strange, beautiful stepmother—it's like a double hell.
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuya found it somewhat difficult to understand.
How can parents be more terrifying than teachers?
She suddenly remembered the rumor she had heard before that Jiang Xuli's father had remarried, so his father was no longer just his father.
A slight pang of pain shot through my chest, and I blurted out, "Because of your stepmother?"
Jin Ran: "?"
Wang Shuya, however, felt that she had guessed the truth.
Whether in movies or real life, the word "stepmother" is often associated with malice, and the imagined scenes are often tragic and miserable. As a result, even though Wang Shuya had never met her stepmother, she already harbored resentment towards her.
Jiang Xuli has a good temper and is good at studying. Unlike other rich second-generation heirs, he is not domineering and has a non-competitive personality. Why doesn't she let him go?
Moreover, according to the inheritance law, Jiang Xuli should have inherited her uncle's property!
Jin Ran: "..."
No, she didn't do anything.
At this moment, the saying "sitting in the shop, a pot falls from the sky" came to life. Jin Ran really didn't expect that she would be the one getting caught up in the gossip, and she was no longer happy.
She gave the naive and innocent Chen Xunliang a deep look, not forgetting that it was he who had just spread the rumors.
Chen Xunliang: I suddenly felt a chill on the back of my head.
Jiang Xuli kept her mouth shut, unwilling to say more.
He knew his friend meant well, but only he knew the truth.
Moreover, Jin Ran hasn't done anything substantial during this period.
Jiang Xuli was unaware of the shady dealings between the two adults. From his perspective, his father had just gotten married and was unlikely to divorce in the short term, so Jin Ran would most likely stay in the villa for a long time. If things could continue as they were, he wouldn't mind having an extra pair of chopsticks at home.
Thinking of this, he sent a message to his father.
He had originally planned to move his luggage home by himself this weekend, but Jin Ran had already come to the school twice. In order to give the woman a break, he decided to move it sooner rather than later.
Well, I need to find an opportunity to talk to her and make things clear. Giving each other some space might be better for everyone.
The message was sent out on the phone, and unsurprisingly, no reply was received.
Jiang Xuli was used to it; he knew his father would arrange for someone to help after seeing the message.
After leaving the mala tang shop, he came back to his senses and heard Wang Shuya beside him still standing up for him, criticizing Jin Ran in her words.
Jiang Xuli frowned, not understanding why two unrelated people would harbor such hostility, even if it was under the guise of doing it for his own good.
She couldn't help but speak up to stop her: "That's enough. I don't want to hear these words a second time, and my affairs have nothing to do with her."
Chen Xunliang was stunned, and Wang Shuya was also stunned. After a moment, her face was full of grievance: "I'm doing this for your own good..."
Jiang Xuli smiled sarcastically, completely indifferent: "Who are you? I don't need your kindness."
Outsiders say he has a calm and unassuming personality, but only he knows that he is simply indifferent to things that don't concern him, and that his heart is actually filled with rebellion and indifference.
From this perspective, he and his father seem to be no different.
Jiang Xuli's sarcasm deepened as he turned and walked in another direction, showing no lingering affection for the girl swaying precariously in the wind.
Wang Shuya was left pale, but her disgust for Jin Ran only intensified.
/
Jiang Mingxu only saw the message on his phone during his break.
He glanced at it and forwarded it to Assistant Wang. After learning about the young master's needs, the latter did not delay and called his intern assistant to help at the school.
At Mingji Technology, Wang, the president's special assistant, also has three intern assistants. However, the intern assistants are responsible for some tasks assigned by Wang, while the president's affairs still need to be handled by him personally.
Looking at Jiang Mingxu, who had just come out of the meeting and looked exhausted, Assistant Wang sighed at how hard it was to make money, and then flipped through the evening's schedule to ask for instructions: "President Yang and President Chen have invited you to dinner tonight. Do you want to go? If you do, should we notify them to cancel the dinner at Dachanglou?"
"Cancel the dinner party." Jiang Mingxu rubbed his temples, feeling some pain in the wound on his right arm. "Forget about Dachanglou. Take the food that was delivered home. Arrange a car for me first, and we'll go back to Shuoguo Bay later."
Assistant Wang was surprised by the unexpected joy. Although he had eaten at many Michelin-starred restaurants with Jiang Mingxu, who would complain about having too much good food? He nodded to indicate that he would remember it.
Before leaving, I didn't forget to go to the lounge to get the clothes I had changed out of: "I'll take them to Shuoguo Bay after they're dry-cleaned."
Jiang Mingxu recalled his outfits from the past few days and rarely praised him: "Your clothes are well-coordinated. Keep this standard from now on."
To everyone's surprise, Assistant Wang said, "These clothes were packed for you by your wife."
He appeared neither humble nor arrogant, but secretly thought himself very clever.
This way, he could both cultivate a good relationship with his wife and satisfy President Jiang. Assistant Wang was smug, completely oblivious to Jiang Mingxu's sudden pause: "All of them?"
"Yes, Mr. Jiang, is there something wrong with it?"
"It's nothing." Jiang Mingxu waved his hand calmly, indicating that he could leave.
As the sun set, after finishing his work, Jiang Mingxu did not stay at the company as usual, but left early.
As we passed through the largest city in the city, the city lights outside the car window were so bright that the night was as bright as day.
Jiang Mingxu watched the passing scenery quietly, thinking of the luggage containing his personal clothing, his eyes as dark and unfathomable as the sea.
What exactly is she trying to do...?
Jin Ran, who was being targeted, said that she really didn't want to do anything.
After her medical check-up, she parted ways with Xu Zhen and returned home to be surrounded by Xiao Sanhua, who came running at the sound of her voice.
The kitten, who had been pampered and cared for, grew up as if it had been inflated, and is now much fatter than when it first arrived.
Its fur, a mix of white, black, and yellow, is beautiful and smooth, like fluffy clouds, leaving a small indentation on its forehead when it rubs against someone.
Who in their right mind could resist seeing this?
So Jin Ran decisively stopped and happily played with Xiao Sanhua, calling her "baby" all the time, and occasionally letting out a terrifying "hehehe" laugh.
She didn't even notice when Jiang Xuli stood in front of her.
The atmosphere right now is really a bit strange.
Jin Ran's hand was on the cat's butt, like a perverted thief stealing a kiss. Faced with Jiang Xuli's shocked gaze, she didn't know whether to raise it or put it down.
After all, she was the one who shamelessly said she wanted to live in peace, and now she's the one secretly messing with other people's cats.
Fortunately, adults may have thin wallets, but they have thick skin. She stood up nonchalantly and said, "Well, I think it looks hungry. It's rubbing against everyone it sees."
Calico cat: Meow?
Jin Ran made an excuse for her behavior, smiled amicably, and prepared to run away.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xuli called out to her.
Did you go to school today?
He hesitated to ask.
Jin Ran had nothing to deny about this, so she nodded.
Just as she was about to explain that she was going to run some errands nearby and happened to be passing by, she heard Jiang Xuli say quickly, "I'll be moving back in a few days, so you don't need to go."
Jin Ran: "?" What does this have to do with her going to school? Besides, starting next week, she has to go to school every day!
Looking at the boy's arrogant appearance, Jin Ran was bewildered and puzzled. She realized that she had probably been out of her teenage years for too long and had forgotten what children of this age were thinking. Did he think that she was going to school for his sake?
Oh dear, isn't this misunderstanding a bit too deep?
The real reason is simply the daily grind of working people searching for jobs.
The struggle on her face was so obvious it was hard to ignore. Jiang Mingxu paused, wondering if he had said something too harsh.
But he still insisted, "From now on, I hope you won't greet me when we're out together. Just treat each other like strangers."
Coming to her senses, Jin Ran readily agreed this time: "Okay!"
What does it mean to search high and low only to find something unexpectedly? After passing the interview today, she's been pondering how to establish herself as a teacher among her students while maintaining integrity. What if her stepson, who comes from a wealthy family, makes a mistake? As his teacher, should she punish him or not?
If I punish him, I'm afraid he'll complain behind my back. After all, his father controls the funding for Wencheng Middle School, while I'm just a lowly substitute teacher who got in by using his family's connections.
Not punishing them could easily lead to an imbalance in credit and be unfair to other students.
Now things are much better.
Jin Ran smiled easily; since the other party had taken the initiative to act as a stranger, she no longer needed to feel conflicted.
Jiang Xuli: ...
Why does she seem happier?
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