The CEO's Substitute Wife Is A Genius-Chapter 424: Big Trouble, the Lu Family is in Danger

Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Big Trouble, the Lu Family is in Danger

The next day,

Lu Xingzhou was called away by a phone call from the CEO’s office.

Jiang Man, drowsy from sleep, was awakened by a rush of hurried footsteps.

Someone was knocking on the door loudly.

She, grumpy from waking up, grabbed a decoration from the bedside table and threw it at the door.

Bang.

Silence ensued for a moment.

But soon, another urgent voice came, "Manman, it’s me, there’s big trouble!"

Hearing that it was Wu Yingfan’s voice, Jiang Man calmed down.

She closed her eyes to compose herself, then sprung out of bed like a carp leaping up.

She opened the door to find Wu Yingfan drenched in sweat, with Shaye clutching a stuffed toy, equally out of breath.

"What happened?"

"The Lu Family is facing a severe financial crisis, and someone has shorted their stock, what exactly is going on?"

Wu Yingfan summarized concisely, "Uncle Parna suddenly breached the contract he had originally signed with the Lu Family. There’s also trouble in the Middle East— a 4S shop caught fire, destroying over a hundred electric cars, and now several Middle Eastern countries are demanding returns, claiming the Lu Family’s new energy vehicles are substandard! The Lu Family’s stock price plummeted overnight, evaporating billions in market value!"

A second ago, Jiang Man was still sleepy, the next second, she was completely awake.

"It was dad who made the move," she frowned, recalling the sequence of these events.

"Every move I make has been under Dad’s control; he had set up the board, and I was the one who lured the Lu Family into the trap."

"That’s so typical of Uncle King, he’s always ruthless in his methods, but using you as bait to make my brother-in-law let his guard down, isn’t that a bit ungentlemanly?" Wu Yingfan pursed his lips, feeling that Uncle King stabbing the Lu Family in the back was too sinister.

Jiang Man was in turmoil, lamenting her own cleverness, yet in the end, she was like Sun Wukong, unable to escape from the Buddha’s palm.

Her every skill was taught by her father, and for him to use and even control her was as easy as flipping his hand.

She was just heartbroken, heartbroken to have been used by her dad, playing a part in crippling the Lu Family.

"Manman... don’t blame Uncle King... the Lu Family was indeed quite harsh on him back then..."

Jiang Man didn’t respond, turning back to her room to pack up, opened the wardrobe, took out clothes, and went to wash up.

Shaye, following behind Wu Yingfan, tugged on his shirt sleeve, "Manman seems really sad. Can I apologize to her on behalf of Dad?"

"It’s not your fault, if Uncle King had his scheme laid out from the start, even if the three of us combined forces, we couldn’t have avoided it," Wu Yingfan patted the little girl’s shoulder to comfort her.

Shaye bit her lip, blinking her large eyes.

Seeing Jiang Man’s lonely back, she wanted to cheer her up but felt powerless.

"Fanzi, come with me to see Dad. I must clear things up with him!"

"Ah, alright..."

In the presidential suite of the Leston Hotel, King was playing indoor golf.

Jiang Man stormed in with Wu Yingfan and Shaye, full of fury.

No matter how Vermilion Bird and Yin Hu tried, they couldn’t stop them.

"Everyone leave," King continued swinging his golf club, unhurried.

Swoosh.

After a hole-in-one, he hooked up the corner of his mouth and smiled, a determined look on his face.

Jiang Man was usually rational, but on the matter of being used by her adoptive father, she couldn’t remain calm.

"Dad, what do you mean by this? Using me as a decoy to lead Lu Xingzhou into a trap? You’re not just crippling the Lu Family, you’re destroying me and Lu Xingzhou!"

The tin mining deal she discussed with Parna was the connection she made for Lu Xingzhou.

The batch of batteries from the Middle East, which she had seized back from the Blackwater Pirates.

In both instances, she seemed to have helped the Lu Family, but in reality, her adoptive father had targeted and tampered with them.

Facing his daughter’s questioning, King’s mood was very stable.

He put down the golf club and took off his gloves, "Do you really think you can sneak back to the country, recognize your family, and I wouldn’t know anything about it? Do you really believe that Vermilion Bird could help you deceive everyone?"

His tone remained calm and unflappable, yet there was a chilling menace in his voice.

At that moment, Jiang Man suddenly felt like her father was a stranger.

So strange that he became the untouchable king of the business world everyone talked about.

With just a flick of his finger, he could annihilate a company as easily as crushing an ant.

"Being the successor to King Group and having no worries about food and clothing, isn’t that good? I never understood why you returned to the country to recognize your family. Do you think that after raising you for twenty years, I am still less important than your biological parents?"

"Recognizing relatives is just one reason," Jiang Man remained composed.

Like father, like daughter—both managed to remain calm in any situation, even if the sky were falling, they could still be as calm as a cloudless breeze.

Recognizing her relatives was one of the reasons she came back to the country.

But there was something more important—the invitation from the National Research Institute.

With the state keeping her identity and motives confidential, even King Group was unaware of this objective.

Before the official announcement of the success of the "brain device" at the press conference, to avoid unnecessary complications, she had to keep her identity mysterious.

"And the second reason?" King’s gaze was piercing, scrutinizing every micro-expression on Jiang Man’s face.

Instead of following his lead, Jiang Man changed the subject, "I want to know where my roots are. There is nothing wrong with that. Recognizing one’s ancestry, returning to one’s roots, these are beliefs ingrained in the Chinese psyche."

"And the result, did it meet your expectations?" King sneered, his expression turning ugly, "Look how foolish you’ve been. What kind of parents did you find? Where has all that cleverness I taught you gone?"

"I’ve disappointed you, Dad." Jiang Man didn’t deny it; recognizing the wrong parents was indeed her mistake.

"But I have no regrets." Because of this, she met the whole family in Harbour City.

She had a loving grandfather, four doting uncles, and those six brothers.

She did not regret meeting them and becoming a real family.

"Ha." King shook his head, "Emotions, the most unreliable thing. How have I taught you since you were young? Only by being strong and holding absolute power can one stand invincible. Those emotions only serve as obstacles!"

Indeed, that was what Jiang Man used to think.

Before returning to the country, she was a ruthless strongwoman.

But after meeting Lu Xingzhou, Wen Rui, Lu Zhan, Song Xiao, Grandfather Song, Hu Ming, and even Mao Lili and Zhang Ziqi, her inner world had slowly begun to change, subtly and increasingly rich with human warmth.

"Dad, that is your life creed, not mine," Jiang Man said gravely.

"You have a grudge against the Lu Family, and I will not interfere, nor will I take sides. However, if the Lu Family faces a crisis because of me, I cannot just sit back and ignore it."

"So, you’re going against me this time?" King’s mouth curled into a smirk that was not quite a smile.

His eyes gleamed cold, sharp.

Beside him, Wu Yingfan and Shaye didn’t even dare to breathe,

The air seemed to be filled with a murderous aura.

Clearly, in this game of chess, Jiang Man was at a disadvantage.

"I will stand by Lu Xingzhou and help resolve this crisis for the Lu Family!"

"Good! Very good! A woman is hard to keep at home! In the end, between your father and your husband, you still chose the latter." King laughed and shook his head.

Lowering his eyes and then looking up again, it was as if he had made an important decision: "This will be your final test. If you and Lu Xingzhou can resolve this crisis for the Lu Family, then I will let bygones be bygones, and I will not pursue old grievances with the Lu Family."

Jiang Man couldn’t believe what she was hearing, thinking she had heard wrong.

In a daze, she looked up, full of doubt.

"I’m not lying to you this time," King declared righteously.

With a wave of his hand, "You can go now."

A fledgling bird has its day to leave the nest.

Even if he was an eagle, there was a day to let go and let the fledgling fly high.

This time, it wasn’t just a test for Manman, but also for Lu Xingzhou.

Otherwise, how could he, as an old father, bear to let go of his lovingly nurtured daughter and hand her over to someone else?