Lu Ming returned to the Xiao family and slept alone in his small room, less than 15 square meters. This place was originally for temporary lodging for household servants. That it was now Lu Ming's room showed how little importance the Xiao family placed on him, bordering on contempt.
Lu Ming didn't mind. Having a place to stay was enough.
He lay down peacefully.
He slept until dawn.
The next morning, before Lu Ming had even woken up, the door was forcefully pushed open, slamming against the wall with a clang!
Lu Ming was startled awake. As he opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Mengxin, Xiao Zhan, and others standing at the doorway, glaring at him angrily, as if he were an enemy.
Lu Ming's intuition told him something had happened.
He slowly got up and said calmly, "Do you all need to be here to wake me up?"
Jiang Mengxin glared at him, her face flushed with anger. "Who has the time to wake you up? We came to ask you what you did to Ma Xiaoling yesterday!"
Lu Ming was also confused.
Besides dancing, there was the car explosion. Nothing else seemed to have happened.
Lu Ming frowned. "I didn't do anything to her."
"Didn't do anything? Hmph." Jiang Mengxin said irately, "Ma Tengyun just called, accusing me. He said that after Ma Xiaoling went back last night, she was very unhappy. She didn't eat, didn't sleep, and just sat by the window blankly, as if she had been greatly wronged."
She paused.
Jiang Mengxin looked at Lu Ming with ill intent and sneered, "Lu Ming, aren't you going to tell the truth? Did you see that Ma Xiaoling is pretty and have wicked thoughts, forcing yourself on her?"
Lu Ming was speechless. What kind of chaotic thoughts filled Jiang Mengxin's mind every day?
"No, I didn't do anything to her," Lu Ming stated emphatically.
Jiang Mengxin wasn't going to let him off the hook. She continued, "Because Ma Xiaoling's mood is unstable, the Ma family has suspended their cooperation with our company! Lu Ming, do you know that because of you, all the efforts made by Kaixuan Jewelry have been ruined?!"
This...
Lu Ming was utterly speechless.
Had Kaixuan Jewelry made any efforts? Wasn't it Lu Ming who had paved the way for the cooperation with the Ma family? How could all the credit seem to belong to Jiang Mengxin?
As he was contemplating this, the receptionist rushed over, her face etched with worry. "Oh no, oh no! Something big has happened outside. President Jiang, Young Master Xiao, please go out and take a look."
Jiang Mengxin was extremely annoyed. "One trouble after another. What is going on?"
As she spoke, she walked towards the entrance.
Upon stepping outside, the scene before her stunned Jiang Mengxin.
A hearse was parked outside Kaixuan Jewelry, flanked by wreaths. In the center was a brazier, and a group of elderly women were kneeling before it, weeping and burning paper money.
These women clearly specialized in "professional weeping" – being hired to mourn at funerals.
Jiang Mengxin was both angry and confused.
Whose funeral was this?
Why were they crying and mourning in front of Kaixuan Jewelry instead of at home?
What a bad omen!
Jiang Mengxin walked over and rebuked them angrily, "What are you crying about? Stop crying! Tell me, who sent you?"
Before she could finish speaking, a middle-aged man in a black suit emerged from the crowd. His face was fleshy, and a scar marked his lip, making him look rather terrifying.
Xiao Zhan, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized him as Jia Chunming, one of Shanghai's wealthy magnates.
"Boss Jia!" Xiao Zhan stepped forward, asking curiously, "What are you doing? Why are you holding a funeral here at our Kaixuan Jewelry?"
Others also looked at Jia Chunming in confusion.
However, Jia Chunming showed no sign of shame. Instead, he roared indignantly, "You dare ask me? My beloved son, Jia Wenhao, is dead! He died at the hands of your Lu Ming! If I don't hold a funeral at your doorstep, whose doorstep should I go to?"
Lu Ming again!
In less than a day, Lu Ming had offended Ma Xiaoling and Jia Chunming, incurring the wrath of both the Ma and Jia families. Hmph, very few people could achieve this.
"Lu Ming, get out here!" Jiang Mengxin shouted.
Lu Ming put on his clothes and fastened his buttons, then walked out slowly. He had heard the conversation at the door and knew that Jia Chunming was here to demand an explanation.
The problem was, was Lu Ming truly responsible for this accusation?
Lu Ming stood at the entrance, tilting his head slightly, his gaze challenging Jia Chunming.
Jia Chunming hadn't expected Lu Ming to be so audacious. Few people dared to act so presumptuously in his presence, showing no respect for him as a wealthy man.
"Lu Ming!" Jiang Mengxin demanded, "What exactly did you do yesterday? Why is Ma Xiaoling unhappy, and why did Jia's young master die at your hands? Explain it to me clearly!"
Lu Ming sighed.
He looked at Jiang Mengxin silently, his heart feeling a chilling cold.
Whenever Lu Ming was accused or wronged, Jiang Mengxin, his nominal fiancée, had never once stood by his side!
She always sided with others and blamed Lu Ming!
Such a wife was disheartening.
Lu Ming let out a cold laugh.
He looked at Jia Chunming and said, "You say your son died by my hand? That seems unlikely. When Jia Wenhao's car exploded, I was at least two hundred meters away. His death doesn't seem to be my fault, does it?"
Is that so?
These words might fool others, but they wouldn't fool Jia Chunming.
He was an old fox, seasoned by many battles, and not easily deceived.
Jia Chunming stated frankly, "I've already investigated. I know the cause of my son Jia Wenhao's death clearly. He was killed by a bomb! The bomb was planted under his car, and he detonated it himself."
"That's it then," Lu Ming said. "Everything has been investigated clearly. Jia Wenhao blew himself up, so why are you holding me accountable?"
Jia Chunming sneered, and his next sentence cut off Lu Ming's retreat.
He said, "Because I've found out clearly that the bomb was originally meant to be planted under Ma Xiaoling's car, and the target was you two! But the bomb, by chance, ended up under my son's car. There must be something fishy going on! Lu Ming, do you dare say this has nothing to do with you?"
One had to admit, Jia Chunming's mind was sharp.
What was even more terrifying was that Jia Chunming revealed such a shameful family secret openly. Ostensibly, Jia Chunming was disgracing himself, but in reality, he was cornering Lu Ming.
With this revelation, Jia Wenhao's death was firmly pinned on Lu Ming!
Whether he admitted it or not, he had to take the blame.
Lu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the middle-aged man before him, feeling that he had encountered a worthy opponent.
Only Jiang Mengxin looked utterly confused. What was going on?