Ma Xiaoling never imagined that her 20th birthday banquet would turn into such a grand farce.
Fortunately, there was Lu Ming.
After the banquet dispersed, Ma Xiaoling specially invited Lu Ming and his group to stay and express her gratitude.
In a spacious presidential suite at the hotel, everyone took their seats.
Ma Tengyun bowed deeply to Lu Ming, Jiang Mengxin, and the others, expressing his thanks. Then, he solemnly stated, "Mr. Lu, you have saved my daughter and me. To show our gratitude, the Ma family will, based on the actual situation of Kaiyuan Jewelry, launch a series of in-depth collaborations! We will make Kaiyuan Jewelry the top jewelry merchant in Modu."
Jiang Mengxin was overjoyed. This was precisely the purpose of her attending the birthday banquet, and it had been achieved beyond her expectations! Not only had she secured a collaboration with the Ma family, but it was also an in-depth one. Most importantly, she had the personal acknowledgment from Ma Tengyun to help Kaiyuan Jewelry become the top jewelry merchant in Modu, a fantastic opportunity for Kaiyuan Jewelry's rise.
It felt great.
The only downside was that this opportunity hadn't been secured by Jiang Mengxin herself; she had only benefited from Lu Ming's presence. What made it even harder for Jiang Mengxin to bear was that throughout the entire discussion, Ma Xiaoling had gazed at Lu Ming with adoring eyes. Anyone could tell that Ma Xiaoling had fallen for Lu Ming. Jiang Mengxin's good mood immediately soured.
Ma Tengyun said, "The specifics of the collaboration are still to be discussed and cannot be finalized immediately. After some time, once I have determined the cooperation plan, we will discuss it further with President Jiang and Mr. Lu."
Jiang Mengxin nodded, "Then I will await Mr. Ma's good news."
The meeting was adjourned.
Jiang Mengxin, Xiao Zhan, Xu Qin, and the others left directly, not even waiting for Lu Ming, as if they were not on the same path. Ma Xiaoling noticed this and was delighted. It was better that they were not on the same path!
At the hotel entrance, just as Lu Ming was about to leave, Ma Xiaoling suddenly called out to him.
"Brother Lu."
The address "Brother Lu" instantly narrowed the distance between them, intimate yet not excessive.
Lu Ming asked, "Is there anything else?"
Ma Xiaoling handed Lu Ming an invitation and said, "In two days, our school will be holding a dance, and I would like to invite you to be my dance partner."
Dance partner? Lu Ming paused, "Is that appropriate?"
Ma Xiaoling replied with a smile, "Of course, it's appropriate. Brother Lu, you absolutely must come, or I will be heartbroken." With that, she skipped away, her aloof demeanor completely gone.
Lu Ming looked at the invitation, confirming the date and address. He then realized that Ma Xiaoling was currently only a sophomore student. At such a young age, before even graduating, she had already made a name for herself in the jewelry industry; she was truly remarkable.
He pocketed the invitation and turned to walk towards Jiang Mengxin and the others. As he reached the car, Jiang Mengxin proactively closed the car door. Through the car window, Jiang Mengxin coldly told him, "I'm sorry, it's full."
Full? Lu Ming glanced inside; there was clearly space for one more person in the back seat. It was obvious Jiang Mengxin didn't want to bring Lu Ming along. Jiang Mengxin continued, "Mr. Lu, or should I say, Brother Lu, someone as outstanding as you is truly beyond our reach. So, we'll be leaving now. You'll have to find your own way back."
Then, Xiao Zhan stepped on the accelerator and sped away, giving Lu Ming no chance to speak. Watching the car disappear, Lu Ming gave a wry smile, speechless. What had he gained? He had helped Kaiyuan Jewelry establish a cooperative relationship with the Ma family. He had helped Jiang Mengxin defeat her biggest competitor. Yet, he received no thanks and was treated with disdain. It felt incredibly uncomfortable.
"Sigh…" Lu Ming muttered to himself, "Teacher, this task you've given me, I'm truly afraid I won't be able to bear it and will give up someday."
At that moment, a sedan pulled up beside Lu Ming. The driver was Chen Yingong. He smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, shall I give you a ride back?"
Lu Ming got into the car, sighing, "Never mind. Since I'm not welcome, I won't force myself. I won't go to the Xiao family tonight; I'll stay at your place for a night."
"No problem."
It was called Chen Yingong's home, but it was actually a residence arranged by Lu Ming. Under Long Wang's meticulous selection, a small villa had been purchased for Chen Yingong and his daughter, Chen Xian, and they had been settled in. Chen Xian had also been enrolled in a nearby kindergarten. Today was Chen Xian's first day at school. Chen Yingong was happily driving home. Today, not only had he completed the task for Yu Xuan and helped Lu Ming, but it was also his daughter's first day of school. Chen Yingong was beaming.
However, as soon as he returned home, an unsettling atmosphere permeated the entire house. Chen Xian sat blankly on the sofa, her clothes slightly disheveled, tear stains on her face. Long Wang stood awkwardly to the side, looking somewhat lost. Taking care of children was truly beyond Long Wang's capabilities. Chen Yingong and Lu Ming were both stunned.
"What happened?" Chen Yingong walked over to Chen Xian and tenderly wiped away the tears from his daughter's eyes. Chen Xian buried herself in Chen Yingong's arms and cried even harder. Lu Ming also frowned and looked at Long Wang, asking, "What's wrong?"
Long Wang sighed and said, "Something happened at the kindergarten. Xian'er was bullied."
What? Lu Ming's brows furrowed, clearly displeased. "Explain it clearly!"
Long Wang recounted the entire incident. Initially, Chen Xian was happily attending kindergarten, truly enjoying her time with her peers, which was much happier than her working outside. But who would have expected her to be bullied by a spoiled brat? Not only did the brat snatch Chen Xian's toys, but he also called her a wild child without a mother, and even rallied the entire class to ostracize her! Chen Xian, unable to stand it, retorted angrily. The result was even worse; the brat resorted to physical violence! As a small girl, Chen Xian was no match for the chubby boy. She was pushed to the ground and slapped twice. Chen Xian felt wronged and hurt, and started crying. Yet, the teacher did not reprimand the brat at all and instead notified Long Wang to pick Chen Xian up. Upon returning home, Chen Xian had been crying continuously and refused to eat.
After hearing the full account, Lu Ming was both angry and indignant. How could such unfairness exist in the world? Even a small kindergarten could be so corrupt? He looked at Long Wang and asked, "How could the teacher dare to take sides?"
Long Wang gave a wry smile, "I investigated. That brat's name is Tang Yuhang, and he is the son of Tang Ding, the Deputy Director of the Education Bureau."
Hearing this, Lu Ming understood. "So, it's bullying the weak and fearing the strong, covering up for wrongdoing." Lu Ming took a deep breath. "This matter, I will handle it!"