The CEO's Substitute Wife Is A Genius-Chapter 372: Promise to Love Me for a Lifetime, Does That One-Year Agreement Still Count?

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Promise to Love Me for a Lifetime, Does That One-Year Agreement Still Count?

A hush fell over the room.

Everyone exchanged glances, stunned by Jiang Man’s actions.

"Manman, how are you so impressive? You can even help the police solve cases?"

Lu Xuemei couldn’t help but express her admiration for Jiang Man.

Jiang Man stuffed her hands into her pockets and smiled, "I just love reading detective novels, it’s all armchair strategizing."

"This isn’t just armchair strategizing!" Captain Chen spoke with conviction, "If it weren’t for Miss Jiang, the case wouldn’t have progressed so quickly..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when his phone suddenly rang.

The pleasant ringtone filled the entire hall.

He answered the call and nodded to everyone.

He strode outside into the yard.

"Good! I’ll be right there!"

Captain Chen was excited, almost leaping as he turned and re-entered the hall.

"The culprit has been caught! I need Lu Jingya and Lu Man to come to the police station with me to identify the perpetrator!"

There were only three and a half hours left until the seven-day deadline.

He had thought the case wouldn’t be solved today and was prepared to hold a press conference tomorrow to apologize to the public.

But to his great surprise, there was a breakthrough in the final hours of the countdown!

The moment Jiang Man said the killer was left-handed, he sent people to investigate according to that clue.

The reason he visited the Lu Family was merely to leave no stone unturned, to confirm the witnesses’ statements, not to doubt Jiang Man.

"Can my sister-in-law accompany us?" Jiang Man asked, frightened.

During the seven days following the murder, she had slept poorly every night.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she would recall the incident at the bar and Zhang Jianwen’s face would appear in her mind...

For some reason, when Jiang Man was calm and collected, analyzing the case in front of Captain Chen, Jiang Man suddenly felt a sense of safety.

With Jiang Man around, the case would be solved quickly, and her nightmare would end sooner.

"I don’t need to go, do I?" Jiang Man said nonchalantly.

If the person speaking today were Wen Rui, or even Mao Lili, she would have accompanied them.

But it was Jiang Man; she didn’t feel inclined to be so kind-hearted.

"Manman, can you accompany them this one time? It’s Jingya and Manman’s first time dealing with such an incident, they’re both scared, and your presence gives them a sense of security," Lu Xuemei urged quickly.

"Yes," Jiang Man nodded emphatically.

Wen Jingya scoffed softly, unconvinced.

This Jiang Man really knew how to play the fragile card—was she trying to win sympathy by acting pitiful in front of Jiang Man?

"The murderer has already been caught, what’s there to be afraid of?"

"We don’t have time to delay," Captain Chen said, checking his watch and urging.

Wen Jingya stood and left, while Jiang Man hesitated, constantly looking at Jiang Man.

Jiang Man was unmoved.

No going meant no going.

With no other choice, Jiang Man had to follow Captain Chen’s steps.

"Grandma, it’s getting late; Manman and I should head back," said Zhou’er.

"Go ahead, be careful on the road," the old lady nodded.

"Will you still eat?"

After everyone left, the old lady glanced at the dining table.

Apart from Manman and Zhou’er, who had touched their chopsticks, hardly anyone else had eaten much.

"We’re not eating; who has the appetite? Just thinking about Manman touching a dead body—I can’t eat tonight, not even tomorrow," Lu Yaobang said, grimacing.

Meng Lian couldn’t help but agree, "Manman too, why get involved in such things? Touching the dead brings bad luck, and she should be considerate of us too if not herself. I think we need to fumigate the house with mugwort tomorrow and it’s best to invite a high monk to purify it."

"Sister-in-law, isn’t that an exaggeration?" Lu Xuemei pouted.

Although she felt uneasy, she believed what Jiang Man did was right out of human kindness.

"How is that an exaggeration? Mother is a Buddhist believer, she believes in reincarnation. Zhang Jianwen’s death was unclear, his body was placed in the mortuary for seven days, unable to be buried and find peace. Today marks his seventh day since death, who knows..."

The more Meng Lian spoke, the more superstitious she sounded.

The old lady frowned upon hearing this, smacked the dining table hard, causing the dishes to clatter.

"Manman is doing a good deed, how come in your mouth she becomes the one in the wrong?"

"Mom, I didn’t mean it that way," Meng Lian awkwardly tugged at her mouth.

"If it weren’t for Manman, could the case have been solved so quickly? Zhang Jianwen died because of Jingya; the murderer was targeting Jingya from the start. Solving the case sooner and catching the killer—isn’t it good for Jingya and for the whole family?"

"It’s good," Meng Lian admitted, her face flushing red.

Seeing his mother become so angry, Lu Yaobang quickly stated, "Mom, we’re not blaming Manman, we’re thankful for her. But truth be told, some things are unlucky."

"You dare to say that? Tell me, how exactly did you two raise Jingya? She was quite promising as a child, how come she’s become so clueless as she grew up? It’s bad enough she’s making boyfriends outside, but she’s also leading Manman astray! They are both over twenty; look at how outstanding Manman is, then look at Jingya. If Jingya doesn’t handle this properly and it affects Lu Family’s stock price, the loss could be huge. So what if Manman has been in contact with a dead person? There’s no noble or menial work. By your logic, should coroners be despised and looked down upon? It is exactly these prejudices that result in a scarcity of forensic talent in the country. They face all sorts of indescribable corpses and need a lot of courage, and on top of that, they have to endure the nitpicking of you the living, suffering from double psychological pressure—who would want to be a coroner then?"

The old lady stood up, and a servant immediately came to assist her.

She shook her head, glanced at her son who was bowing his head, and then at her daughter-in-law who seemed to have realized her mistake.

"Two good-for-nothings!"

...

Meanwhile, in the Maybach.

Jiang Man leaned back on the car’s sofa and closed her eyes to rest.

Lu Xingzhou looked at her, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Aren’t you afraid of dead people?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Man opened her eyes, her voice lazy.

"Why would someone in medical school be afraid of a dead person? I’ve encountered many ’professors’ during dissection classes, and we hold great respect for them. Naturally, this extends to a reverence for other deceased persons as well."

"Jiang Man..." Lu Xingzhou’s gaze was intense, as if he had a myriad of words caught in his throat, wanting to speak but not knowing where to begin.

"You really are quite special." It took him a good while before he spoke with a raspy voice.

"What have I done to deserve someone as special as you?"

"You’re not bad either," Jiang Man curled the corner of her mouth, "Having ’chow’ as an identity is more than enough to protect you for a lifetime."

"Hmm?" Lu Xingzhou raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Protect for a lifetime from what?"

"From me liking you, for a lifetime," Jiang Man stated lightly.

Lu Xingzhou thought he had misheard, "You said... what? You said... you like me for a lifetime?"

"Hmm-hmm," Jiang Man raised her eyebrows, looking spirited.

Lu Xingzhou felt bewildered, as if he was in a dream.

"Does that one-year term still stand?"