It was strange; the moment Jiang Lan saw Lu Ming, her face grew even redder and hotter. Her heart even pounded much faster.
'What's wrong with me?'
Jiang Lan didn't even dare to look at Lu Ming, turning her head away unconsciously.
Lu Ming walked over with a bowl of ginseng soup. "Xiao Lan, drink this ginseng soup. It will dispel the cold and warm your body. It's very beneficial for you."
"Uh, thank you." Jiang Lan reached out and took it.
Jiang Mengxin shot Lu Ming a glance and said, "No reason to be attentive unless you're up to no good. Lu Ming, tell us honestly, why were you missing last night? Where did you go to party?"
Just as Lu Ming was about to speak, Jiang Lan screamed, "Ah~~~!!!"
Lu Ming and Jiang Mengxin were both startled.
Jiang Mengxin looked at Jiang Lan in confusion and asked, "Little sister, what are you doing? You're so jumpy."
Jiang Lan coughed. "That, older sister is hungry. My stomach hurts from hunger. I want to eat steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs."
Jiang Mengxin rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go buy them for you."
She stood up, pushed Lu Ming aside, and strode out of the office to buy breakfast for Jiang Lan.
After Jiang Mengxin left, Jiang Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had almost exposed herself.
If Lu Ming had told the truth, she wouldn't have known how to explain it.
Although nothing had happened between her and Lu Ming, and they were innocent, such things were difficult to explain and could lead to gossip if they spread.
Therefore, it was better not to say anything if possible.
Jiang Lan said to Lu Ming, "Brother-in-law, I really liked the birthday gift you prepared for me last night. I hope this can be our little secret, never to be revealed to anyone else, okay?"
Lu Ming nodded. "Whatever you say."
They chatted for a while. Lu Ming observed that Jiang Lan's complexion was fine, and then he left with peace of mind.
Watching his receding figure, Jiang Lan drank the ginseng soup and recalled what had happened last night – warmth, sweetness, happiness; unconsciously, her face turned red again.
...
Lu Ming arrived outside the Jiang Enterprise office building and conducted his usual patrol.
A moment later, Jiang Mengxin returned with a bag of breakfast. Seeing Lu Ming, she was furious.
As a sister, Jiang Mengxin actually envied Jiang Lan.
She envied Jiang Lan for finding an excellent man, a man who could make the Zi Feng Tower shine for her; as for her own fiancé, he was a complete good-for-nothing!
He was useless and only wore a security uniform to patrol all day.
The more she looked, the more displeased she became.
The more she looked, the angrier she got.
Jiang Mengxin walked past Lu Ming without even greeting him, even deliberately quickening her pace.
But Lu Ming called out to her.
"Mengxin!"
"Something wrong?" Jiang Mengxin turned back and glared at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming's brows were tightly furrowed, and he asked, "Yesterday's meeting, did you all really believe Cheng Hai's words and invest in the commercial project at Qun Hui Road?"
Jiang Mengxin said triumphantly, "Of course, I invested a full two hundred million."
Lu Ming's expression turned displeased. "Can you still withdraw?"
"Heh, what kind of foolish question is that?" Jiang Mengxin said speechlessly. "This is a very lucrative project that many people are scrambling to get into. Why would I withdraw? Besides, the contract has been signed, and it's too late to withdraw now."
Lu Ming sighed. "Damn it, damn it."
Jiang Mengxin smiled. "Don't act all pathetic. What, do you want to say again that there's a large ancient tomb under Qun Hui Road? I've already asked the construction company, and there's no such thing! Lu Ming, stop lying to me with these falsehoods in the future. I won't fall for it."
With that, Jiang Mengxin wagged her finger at Lu Ming and turned to leave.
She thought she was going to make a fortune.
Little did she know, a storm was brewing!
A disaster targeting the Jiang family was quietly approaching!
Lu Ming was extremely troubled.
He had done his best to persuade Jiang Mengxin, but she wouldn't listen; the entire Jiang family, except for Jiang Lan, didn't listen to him.
No matter how eloquently Lu Ming spoke, if others didn't listen, what could be done?
He let out a soft sigh and muttered to himself, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Cheng Hai, you want to play tough and dirty? Fine, I'll play with you!"
Just then, his phone rang.
He answered, and Chen Xinjuan's voice came from the other end: "Mr. Lu, it's me, Chen Xinjuan. There's something I need your help with."
Chen Xinjuan lived in the large villa on Sky God Island with her younger siblings. They didn't worry about food and clothing, so what help could she need?
Lu Ming asked curiously, "What is it?"
Chen Xinjuan said, "I want to borrow some money from you."
"Oh?" Lu Ming asked in confusion. "Do you need money urgently?"
"Yes." Chen Xinjuan explained, "In a couple of days, it will be the death anniversary of my father, elder brother, and uncle. I want to spend some money to improve their graves."
Lu Ming was moved upon hearing this.
From her words, it seemed that the posthumous arrangements for the three national martyrs were very poor, and even their graves were not well-maintained.
Lu Ming felt displeased.
Disrespecting martyrs was a major taboo for Lu Ming!
He said coldly, "Tell me the address of the graves, and I'll go there now."
...
An hour later.
Lu Ming arrived at a cemetery according to the address given by Chen Xinjuan. Chen Xinjuan, her brother, and her sister were already waiting there.
Lu Ming scanned the area.
All the fallen heroes who died for their country were buried here. Besides Chen Xinjuan's family, there were other soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the country.
However, their graves were poorly constructed.
They were even worse than those of ordinary families.
"This is outrageous!"
Lu Ming cursed, saying angrily, "The soldiers shed blood and sweat for their country, and after death, they can't even have a proper grave. Scoundrels, scoundrels!"
He couldn't stand such a scene.
After all, for the past five years, Lu Ming had personally cleaned every single leaf at the Martyrs' Cemetery.
Lu Ming was never lenient when it came to martyrs.
Lu Ming took out his phone, intending to ask Xiuluo to handle this matter, ensuring that these martyrs' graves would be beautifully repaired!
Just then.
A large group of people carrying equipment walked over.
Some carried cameras, some held reflectors, some held boom microphones, and some held live-streaming phones, surrounding a glamorous young girl as if she were the center of attention.
The girl, dressed in a kimono, was wandering not far from the soldiers' graves.
The girl looked around and smiled, saying, "The stream is flowing, and the trees are lush here. The environment is excellent, so I'll choose this place."
Immediately after, the girl said to the live-streaming phone, "My dear fans in the live stream, if you like Xiao Ni-chan, please give me more likes and support~~"
"When the likes reach 100,000, Xiao Ni-chan will perform a pure Japanese-style Sakura Dance for everyone."
"My dear fans, please give me likes quickly~~"