"Why didn’t you leave with them?" Jiang Rou glanced at the person in the passenger seat, her expression full of curiosity.
Zhang Ziqi’s expression was ugly as she forced a smile, not wanting to tell the truth, "I don’t feel well."
"Come on, I’m not an outsider. Tell me, maybe I can give you some advice," Jiang Rou said, eager to be helpful, like a caring older sister.
Zhang Ziqi bit her lip and lowered her head, pondering for a moment.
After thinking it over, she told Jiang Rou about how she had used Jiang Man’s manuscript.
"I really, I was deluded at that moment, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I thought since Sister Man didn’t want it, it was just trash, so picking it up was like recycling," she said.
"I think, my dear sister, that our sis is just too stingy. She didn’t want it anyway; there’s nothing wrong with you taking it," Jiang Rou persuaded gently.
Zhang Ziqi’s eyes brightened, feeling as though she had found a kindred spirit. "You think so too? But Sister Man didn’t blame me; I’m already very grateful."
"She didn’t blame you, but she’s been cold to you. Don’t you want to get closer to my sister? Cling to her coattails? I’ll tell you the truth, her husband is Lu Zhendong! She’s Lu Xingzhou’s sister-in-law! Lu Zhan’s aunt!"
"What? My goodness!" Zhang Ziqi couldn’t believe it.
She had imagined Jiang Man as a wealthy heiress but had never considered that she might be a young madam of that family.
She knew about Lu Zhendong. Quite old and to think he liked Sister Man’s type?
It was utterly inconceivable!
"My sister and her husband kept their marriage a secret. It’s better if you just keep this to yourself," Jiang Rou advised.
"Okay." Zhang Ziqi nodded.
...
At that moment.
Three luxury cars arrived at a Beijing cuisine restaurant.
The decor was antique; the hostesses at the entrance were dressed in cheongsams, each one fair-skinned and beautiful with excellent figures.
Mao Lili and Wen Rui had never been to such an upscale restaurant before.
The two followed closely behind Jiang Man, entering a private room.
Wu Yingfan acted like the host, enthusiastically passing around the menu.
Jiang Man, used to his sociable nature, handed the menu to Wen Rui: "Order whatever you want."
"Auntie..." Lu Zhan started to speak but abruptly stopped himself. His uncle and aunt’s marriage was a secret, and their relationship wasn’t public, so naturally, he wouldn’t say too much.
"What ’little god’? It should be ’big god,’" He joked with a smile. "I still have slots for V-bo Night this year. Big god, do you want to come play?"
Upon hearing about V-bo Night, Mao Lili’s eyes lit up. She knew she didn’t qualify to go, but she could accompany Wen Rui as her assistant.
"Can Ruirui go?"
"Of course, it’s a chance to gain more experience," Lu Zhan said, glancing at Wen Rui from the corner of his eye.
Wen Rui’s focus was on the menu, but she suddenly looked up, "Do I really qualify to go?"
She wanted to go, but felt insecure.
"I’ll take you with me," Lu Zhan said, his eyes smiling warmly.
JOJO was using a translation app to follow their conversation, and hearing everyone’s enthusiasm, she tugged at Jiang Man’s sleeve. "Sis, let’s go together?"
"Secure a spot for me first; whether I go or not, we’ll see," Jiang Man said nonchalantly, acting all bossy.
While others were eager, she wanted to see how she felt.
"I’ll take care of it," Lu Zhan said.
Seeing the girls getting excited, Wu Yingfan couldn’t stay put anymore: "Take me with you, let’s have fun together!"
"No problem."
...
V-bo Night was a place where male and female celebrities competed in splendor.
During this period, various studios and talent agencies were contacting brands for sponsorship.
Any artist who could cause a sensation on the red carpet would get much more value than those spending huge amounts on buying influence.
On one hand, it showcased their sponsor brands’ clothing, and on the other, it earned them tremendous attention and traffic.
Therefore, clothing brands were eager to collaborate with these celebrities, pushing them behind the scenes, hoping they would outshine each other.
Knowing JOJO was also attending the V Night, a bunch of international big brands were scrambling to sponsor her outfits and jewelry.
JOJO leaned on the sofa, looking at the brand’s fashion show on her tablet, struggling to make a choice.
Jiang Man was at military training at school, and in two more days, there would be a preliminary test.
Many students brought their books to the training, and they frantically solved problems during breaks.
"Have you seen the entertainment news? The world’s top designer Yi Sha has returned to the country! They say Hua Yin spent a lot of money to invite her to personally design the outfits for their artists for V Night!"
"It must be for Lu Zhan, right? The top card of Hua Yin."
"JOJO has collaborations with Hua Yin, maybe it’s for JOJO?"
Hearing her classmates’ discussion, Mao Lili was somewhat worried.
"What about Ruirui then? Seems like there’s no outfit for him."
"An outfit for such an occasion must be expensive, right?"
Jiang Man idly played with her phone.
Upon hearing the two talk, she raised her eyebrows, "Just go to the mall and buy one, I’ll pay."
After a pause, she added, "I’m lending it to you, remember to pay me back when you’ve made some money."
"Great! Thank you, cousin!" Wen Rui was very sensitive, but Jiang Man always made her feel comfortable and dignified.
"You guys go alone this afternoon, I won’t join," said Jiang Man, pulling out a black card and handing it to Wen Rui.
...
After military training ended at four in the afternoon, Wen Rui, Mao Lili, and Zhang Ziqi went to the International Trade Mall together.
The three of them were visiting such a high-end mall for the first time, looking around curiously.
When they saw the clothing prices in the store windows reaching hundreds of thousands, Mao Lili got cold feet.
"These clothes are so expensive."
"They really are expensive," Wen Rui nodded, "How about we don’t buy, and just rent instead?"
"It seems possible to rent, and to borrow too, I see many female celebrities also rent their clothes," Zhang Ziqi chimed in.
After discussing for a while, they decided to first enter Chanel to ask.
The saleswoman was very sharp, scanning them from head to toe, clearly seeing that they were inexperienced.
The three walked in, but the saleswoman was indifferent.
"This one looks nice, right? Ruirui, what do you think?"
Mao Lili pointed to a pretty dress, but before her hand touched it, the saleswoman gave her a disdainful look, "Don’t touch randomly. If you damage it, you’ll have to pay!"
Mao Lili quickly withdrew her hand.
She definitely couldn’t afford it.
"Can we rent clothes here?" Wen Rui asked timidly.
The saleswoman’s eyes nearly rolled up to her forehead, very dismissive, "Yes, you can rent them. It ranges from 2000 to 10,000 yuan a day and of course, if it’s haute couture, the rental will double, from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan."
Hearing that it was thousands of yuan to rent, Wen Rui breathed a sigh of relief.
They could still afford it.
"Can I try on this pink evening gown?" Wen Rui asked, pointing to the dress in front of her.
The saleswoman rolled her eyes, "If you’re sure you want to try it on, you’ll have to rent it!"
As she spoke, a beautiful woman and her friend walked over, pointing at the evening gown Wen Rui wanted to try, "I’ll try this on."
"Of course, madam, we’ll take the dress to the VIP room. Would you like to pick some other items to try on as well?"
"Sure," the woman said indifferently, turning to look at other dresses.
Seeing this, both Mao Lili and Zhang Ziqi were infuriated.
"She can try it! Why can’t we?"
"That lady is a VIP of our store. If your spending reaches five hundred thousand, we can let you try on anything you want too," the saleswoman said, arms crossed and with a condescending attitude. She was clearly looking down on them!
"Hey? Why are you like this? Everyone who comes in is a customer, why are you ranking them?" Mao Lili said angrily.
The saleswoman had an attitude that read, ’What can you do about it?’
"Society is just that realistic, if you don’t have money, don’t pretend to be rich. Our high-end brand stores aren’t for just any Tom, Dick, or Harry."
The saleswoman’s eyes were nearly bulging out of her head.
"You... How can you be like this! I’m going to complain about you."
Mao Lili was close to crying.
Zhang Ziqi pulled someone back and shielded them behind her, pulling Wen Rui to the front.
"Do you know who she is?"
The saleswoman looked her up and down and remained arrogantly dismissive, "Who? I don’t recognize her."
"She’s a singer, signed with Huayin, and has collaborated with Lu Zhan!" Zhang Ziqi exclaimed loudly.
The saleswoman sneered softly, getting impatient, "I’ve seen plenty of girls like you students, boasting without any basis. You’re a singer, and what? I’m a movie star then!"
Zhang Ziqi was so angry she was itching, "My friend’s cousin is the young madam of the Lu Family! Do you know what happens when you offend the young madam of the Lu Family?"
"The young madam of the Lu Family?" The saleswoman scoffed coldly and started pushing them out rudely, "Get out, get out, don’t disrupt my business!"
"Ruirui, we’ve got to get out of here, this saleswoman is too much!"
"Yes, yes, let’s call Sister Man."
Mao Lili and Zhang Ziqi goaded Wen Rui.
Wen Rui bit her lip, thinking about just letting it go.
Just then, a modern lady who had just tried on clothes walked out.
A pair of sharp eyes sized up the three of them.
"What were you just saying? Whose cousin is the young madam of the Lu Family?"
Wen Rui and Mao Lili were somewhat dumbfounded, thinking Zhang Ziqi was just bluffing the saleswoman, spouting nonsense as she was wont to do.
To their surprise, she was serious, raising an eyebrow, "Her cousin, Jiang Man, is Lu Zhendong’s wife."
Those words stunned everyone.
Including the beautiful lady who snorted, "Lu Zhendong’s wife? Are you joking? If Lu Zhendong has a wife, how come I don’t know about it?"
"And who are you?" Zhang Ziqi snapped, believing Sister Jiang Rou would not deceive her.
After all, Sister Man indeed seemed to have some influential backers.
Previously, when they searched the campus forum for the poster, it was said that a hacker from Lu Corporation was involved, proving that Sister Man had connections with Lu Corporation.
"Who am I?" The woman glanced at the saleswoman next to her, "Tell her."
"You don’t know the young miss of the Ming Family?" The saleswoman looked disdainful, "Lu Zhan’s ex-girlfriend!"
"..." Wen Rui and Mao Lili exchanged looks.
This was embarrassing to the max, running into the ex-girlfriend herself.
"Qiqi, what were you thinking, spouting nonsense? And mentioning Lu Zhendong of all people, and now comes his ex to slap us in the face."
At this time, across at Louis Vuitton from Chanel.
Zhao Huai was carrying bags of items, followed by two saleswomen wearing white gloves, carrying bags, and following him respectfully.
All these clothes were ordered by the boss for his wife.
Knowing the lady was attending the V Night, he especially ordered several sets.
He had also reserved a few globally limited edition haute couture pieces that could be air-shipped tomorrow.
He remembered Zhang Ziqi and the others a bit, telling them one was the wife’s roommate, and one was her cousin.
"You guys, go ahead and load the stuff into the car; I have something to deal with."
"Alright."
After instructing them, Zhao Huai strode into Chanel.
He was a supreme client of this mall, all the saleswomen recognized him, knowing he was Lu Xingzhou’s assistant.
"Mr. Zhao, hello!"
Several saleswomen crowded around him.
Seeing Zhao Huai, the lady politely greeted, "Special Assistant Zhao."
"Miss Ming." He nodded in response.
His gaze shifted and fell on three girls.
"You are Miss Jiang Man’s roommates, right?"
"Yes." Mao Lili blinked.
"Which one of you is Miss Jiang Man’s cousin?" Zhao Huai asked again.
"It’s her." Zhang Ziqi pointed.
Zhao Huai nodded and walked over to Wen Rui, very respectfully, "Miss Wen, right?"
"You know me?" Wen Rui looked up suspiciously.
Zhao Huai smiled slightly, "I understand everything about Miss Jiang."
"What happened?"
Seeing that they had support, Zhang Ziqi’s desire to express was strong, and she rattled off a lengthy explanation about the recent events.
"They looked down on us, didn’t greet us, and even tried to drive us out!"
"Really?" Zhao Huai smiled but not really, his gaze towards the sales lady was full of meaning.
The sales lady shuddered violently, forcing a smile, "Misunderstanding, all misunderstandings..." Searᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Zhao Huai’s cold laughter did not lessen, "Since it’s a misunderstanding, then take good care of these distinguished guests."
"Yes, yes, yes." The sales ladies immediately changed their attitude and appearance, eagerly crowding around Wen Rui.
It was Wen Rui’s first time being greeted so warmly, and she was a bit stunned.
Seeing the situation resolved, Zhao Huai glanced at Ming Ran before he left.
Ming Ran bit her lip, appearing somewhat timid.
Years ago, she was the one who pursued Lu Zhendong first, and after hooking him, she dumped him.
At that time, she had just started university and was at her most playful, finding it exciting to hook up with an older man.
But after two years, her heart wandered again, and she broke up with the older man to date someone her age.
During that period, she changed several boyfriends, eventually realizing that the older man was better.
She had tried to get back together with Lu Zhendong, but he coldly rejected her.
She was still wondering if he was going to stay single forever?
She hadn’t expected that he had already quietly gotten married—and to a young college girl!
Was this deliberate revenge against her?
The more Ming Ran thought, the angrier she got, and a jealous expression appeared on her pretty face.
As the sales ladies were taking Wen Rui to the fitting room, Ming Ran grabbed her.
"Wait a minute!"
Wen Rui looked a bit dazed.
"Your cousin... what’s her name?"
Ming Ran wanted to know what the girl who married Lu Zhendong looked like and what charm she had.
Wen Rui was on guard and refused to say.
She tugged on Mao Lili and Zhang Ziqi, signaling them to also keep quiet.
"If you want to know, why don’t you look it up yourself? Aren’t you a young lady? Isn’t looking this up a matter of minutes?" Zhang Ziqi deliberately provoked Ming Ran.
Ming Ran, fuming, let go.
Watching the group head towards the fitting room, she immediately called Lu Zhendong.
The call went through but was not answered.
She hung up and redialed.
When she called the second time, the other party directly blocked her.
Ming Ran, not giving up, searched through her contacts and called Lu Zhan.
Lu Zhan was surprised, as they hadn’t contacted each other in over two years.
Picking up the phone, Ming Ran was a bit anxious, "Your uncle got married?