The CEO's Substitute Wife Is A Genius

The next day, Jiang Man woke up naturally.

As she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on an imported leather sofa worth more than two million, covered with a cashmere blanket.

She had the same sofa at her home in the United States, and it was truly comfortable.

She stretched languidly.

Just as she sat up, the butler came over with a maid.

"Miss, if you need anything, please just tell us."

Jiang Man waved her hand and asked, "Where is the restroom?"

"Miss, I'll take you there," a maid said.

Jiang Man didn't say anything more and followed the maid.

She took a hot shower, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and had breakfast.

There were many entertainment facilities in the villa, including a chess and card room, a billiards hall, a cinema, a swimming pool...

But Jiang Man didn't touch any of it. After breakfast, she borrowed a laptop from the butler, found a window facing the garden, and played on the computer all day long.

In the morning, she sold several stocks worth over a hundred million and invested in a few good projects.

In the afternoon, she logged into her foster father's company's OA system and handled some official business.

It wasn't until evening that she had time to herself, and she opened an online Go game and triumphed in the virtual arena.

At dusk, a black Maybach drove discreetly into Rong Mansion No.8.

The man in a trim suit stepped out of the car with an air of authority.

The servants on either side bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle.

However, the man didn't even glance at them and hurried into the villa.

He wandered around for a bit until he finally spotted a graceful figure in a corner of the room.

The girl was propping up her cheek, dozing off.

The golden red afterglow of the sunset poured through the bright windows, casting a soft light on her, adding a hint of gentleness to her complexion.

She looked as if she had merged into the beautiful scenery of a painting, exuding an aura of peaceful time.

Lu Xingzhou frowned slightly and turned to ask the butler behind him, "How long has she been sleeping?"

"For a while now. Miss has been on the computer all day; perhaps she is tired," the butler replied truthfully.

"Hmph," Lu Xingzhou snorted upon hearing this.

Some people are busy managing myriad affairs, that's called being tired.

And some, ignorant and unskilled, are tired from playing.

What exactly did grandma see in this girl? They're simply not from the same world.

"Go wake her up. I'll wait for her in the study," Lu Xingzhou said coldly, no longer looking at Jiang Man, and strode away.

The butler timidly agreed, his heart in turmoil.

How could he not sense from the young master's tone that he seemed very dissatisfied with the young mistress?

"Miss, please wake up."

Jiang Man, a light sleeper, opened her eyes immediately upon hearing someone calling her.

Her eyes and voice were cold, "What is it?"

"...The young master has returned, he's asking you to visit his study."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man sprang to her feet, "Where's the study? Lead the way."

"Yes."

Following the butler, Jiang Man quickly arrived at the study.

The study was large, resembling a library.

Stepping in, she saw Lu Xingzhou immediately.

He was facing the floor-to-ceiling window, idly playing with a Swiss army knife in his hands.

Hearing the noise, he slowly turned around, and slid the gleaming knife back into its sheath.

A ray of cold light reflected onto his face, intensifying the chill of his already stern features.

On the day they received their marriage certificate, Lu Xingzhou had been wearing sunglasses the whole time, only taking them off for a few minutes to take wedding photos.

Actually, she hadn't really had a good look at his face.

Now that he turned around, she finally got a clear view.

The man's features were impeccable. His eyes were narrow and phoenix-like, dangerous yet captivating; his brows were sharp like carved blades, his nose bridge high and noble, and paired with his tight-lipped smile, he exuded an overwhelming sense of abstinence.

Especially with his dress; now at home, he had taken off his suit jacket, wearing only a black dress shirt with a few buttons undone, revealing an intriguing glimpse of his pectoral muscles.

The tightly fastened belt outlined his lean, muscular waist, truly setting one's imagination running wild.

Her gaze drifted downward, landing on his long legs, and Jiang Man's eyes involuntarily focused on the bulge of the man's trousers.

Well, broad shoulders, narrow waist, sharp features, he had the physique and the looks.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Xingzhou noticed the girl's inappropriate stare and immediately asked with an icy tone.

He had encountered many of the opposite sex, but none had ever dared to eye him so boldly and unabashedly.

That look, as if he was an item for sale.

"Sorry." Jiang Man also realized her lapse and awkwardly smiled.

Her smile only made Lu Xingzhou believe even more that she was not a good girl.

Perhaps, just as he had suspected, she knew who he was when they registered the marriage and had intentionally gone along with the mistake.

"Grandmother likes you very much, and we're already married, it's a done deal." Lu Xingzhou expressed his dissatisfaction, "So rest assured, I won't shirk my responsibility."

"Oh?" Jiang Man was quite surprised.

Who would have thought that Lu Xingzhou really took his grandmother's words so seriously?

"Both you and I actually don't want to accept the marriages arranged by our families, right? Since Jiang Man has gone abroad, you're free now, there's no need to continue the mistake." Jiang Man spoke indifferently.

Lu Xingzhou furrowed his brow, his deep eyes darkened, "What do you mean?"

"Let's get a divorce." Jiang Man was calm and composed, "However, we now have a one-month cooling-off period for divorce, so let's apply now and then go through with the procedure after a month."

"You want a divorce?" Lu Xingzhou could hardly believe it.

Could this be her playing hard to get?

She seemed eager to marry into a wealthy family, yet acted as if she were coerced.

"Don't you want to divorce, Mr. Lu?" Jiang Man was even more surprised than Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou's face was cold, arrogantly poised like a delicate flower high on the cliffs, untouchable, "Grandmother is old and can't stand the shock."

Too lazy to beat around the bush, he walked over to his desk with his superior long strides and picked up the document lying on it.

"Sign it." His tone was cold and brooked no disagreement.

Jiang Man frowned slightly and took the document.

When she flipped it open and saw the words "Marriage Agreement," she nearly dropped her jaw.

Upon reading the details, she almost cursed.

The marriage term was for a whole year?

The agreement stated that during this year, the second party, i.e., Jiang Man, had to cooperate with the first party, Lu Xingzhou, to portray the image of a loving couple.

This role-play included, but was not limited to, "holding hands" and "cohabitation."

There was a parenthesis with remarks: fake hand-holding, fake cohabitation.

The first party promised to keep the marriage secret to the public and would divorce after one year, assisting the woman in erasing any traces of being married.

Additionally, after the divorce, a compensation of one billion for emotional damages would be paid to the female party.

"Mr. Lu, I don't understand," Jiang Man held the agreement, unmoving.

Hand-holding is hand-holding, how can it be faked?

How do you tell me to fake it?

Cohabitation, on the other hand, can be fabricated.

But still!

Even if it's just sharing a bed, between a man and a woman alone, it's incredibly awkward, isn't it!

Lu Xingzhou didn't want to hide the truth and was straightforward, "Grandmother likes you and has identified you as the granddaughter-in-law for the Lu Family. We cannot divorce too soon, as she would not be able to accept it."

"One year, I believe a year of transition is enough for grandmother to accept and come to terms with it. During this time, we must play the roles of a loving couple, while you find a way to make grandmother dislike you. That way, when we divorce, she will be able to accept it."

Jiang Man nodded, intending to ask about the hand-holding and cohabitation.

After thinking it over, she swallowed her questions.

Words are rigid, people are flexible, one must adapt to the situation when the time comes.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingzhou was quite filial, not wanting to hurt his grandmother's feelings.

After all, both of them are just putting on a show, so what is there to fear?

"You're not completely innocent either, after all, it takes two to clap. The two of us got our marriage license and mistook each other for someone else, each of us should take half the responsibility."

"Fine." Jiang Man was someone who owned up to her actions. Since she had caused such a farcical situation, she indeed shared the blame.

After all, one year wasn't that long, and it coincided with her plans to go to the research institute.

She decided to treat this year as devoted to national scientific research, and involvement with Lu Xingzhou was just incidental.

With that thought, Jiang Man picked up the pen, ready to sign.

"Hold on!" But before the pen could touch the paper, she was suddenly interrupted by Lu Xingzhou…