Chapter 49.1

The next day, Jiang Rou went to visit Dong Mingming.

When she arrived, Dong Mingming was on the phone with her mother. The phone was on speaker, and Jiang Rou could hear the complaints coming through, “…since you started university, we never see you. It’s just me at home, and your dad is always busy.”

Dong Mingming listened in silence for a moment, then replied with a light-hearted laugh, “You don’t know how difficult Chinese medicine is to study. I can’t even manage it. I don’t want to study it anymore.”

Her mother’s tone was resigned. “I told you not to study it, but you insisted. Now you regret it, don’t you? You’ve always been stubborn. If you don’t want to study, then don’t. I’ll tell your dad.”

Then, as if remembering something, her mother added, “Oh, by the way, your dad’s friend introduced a really nice guy. I heard he’s returned from studying abroad. I saw his photo, and he looks quite good. Don’t reject him outright. Go meet him this weekend, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s fine.”

Dong Mingming’s expression instantly turned cold, but she only responded with a curt “Hmm.”

Her mother continued discussing the details about the man, and Dong Mingming listened in silence. After hanging up, she gave Jiang Rou a miserable smile and said, “My mom is such a fool.”

Jiang Rou tried to comfort her, saying, “Auntie is just too naive; she doesn’t think badly of people.”

Dong Mingming got up from the sofa. “Please sit down for a moment. I’ll get you something to eat. Last night, my mom had the housekeeper send some food over.”

Jiang Rou settled An An on her lap and said, “Don’t bring too much. My daughter can eat a lot, and she tends to overeat. Just bring a little.”

Dong Mingming laughed at this and went to the fridge to fetch some cake and fruit.

An An recognized the cake and knew it was delicious. She looked up at Dong Mingming with a sweet smile.

Dong Mingming, amused, placed the cake and fruit on the coffee table.

Jiang Rou asked how Dong Mingming was feeling.

Dong Mingming replied, “The fever has mostly subsided, but I still feel weak.”

Dong Mingming then curiously asked Jiang Rou, “What exactly does your husband do?”

Jiang Rou didn’t hide anything and responded straightforwardly, “He used to be an executive assistant at a real estate company. Now he’s out on his own, starting a business. The snack brand ‘Twelve Zodiac’ is his venture. I’m not too clear on the details; I rarely involve myself in his work. But he often hosts dinners, so I’ve heard about many things.”

Dong Mingming nodded, understanding. “No wonder.”

She wondered how someone who ran a stall in a university town could know so much.

After a moment of thought, Dong Mingming suddenly said, “Jiang Rou, could you ask your husband to investigate Ren Jiahao for me? He’s the foreign student my dad introduced. I don’t know him well and want to make sure there aren’t any issues.”

She added, “I have a shop in the city center with a good location. It was a gift from my dad for my eighteenth birthday. If your husband helps me find out more about Ren Jiahao, I’ll give him this shop.”

Jiang Rou quickly waved her hand. “It’s just a matter of finding out some information. There’s no need to be so formal. I’ll tell him when I get back, but you can keep the shop. It’s too much. I’m not doing this to get anything from you.”

She thought Dong Mingming was incredibly generous. She had never seen anyone so willing to give away a shop just like that.

Seeing Jiang Rou’s anxious reaction, Dong Mingming couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t refuse. I have many other shops. I’m really grateful to you. If it weren’t for your reminder, my mom and I might have been in trouble sooner or later. You deserve this. If you don’t accept it, I’ll feel uneasy. I don’t like owing people; returning the favor is how we can continue being friends.”

“It may seem valuable to you, but to me, it’s not a big deal. My dad has given so many things to that mistress; what’s a shop to you?”

Jiang Rou was both amused and exasperated, firmly refusing.

Dong Mingming didn’t push the matter further but was determined to give the shop. She had always known that help from others was a favor, and not helping was simply expected.

Jiang Rou and her husband had helped her a lot, and she couldn’t just ignore it.

When she got back, Jiang Rou conveyed Dong Mingming’s request but didn’t mention the offer of the shop.

However, Li Xiao did investigate. He managed to find out quite quickly and reported back, “Luckily you had me look into this. I heard from a friend of Chen Feng that this guy looks proper, but he’s actually very promiscuous. He liked to seek out married women while abroad. Once, he was caught in bed with a foreign woman by her husband and was almost beaten to death. Also, he’s into both men and women.”

Jiang Rou looked disgusted and said, “That’s disgusting.”

She was genuinely revolted. How could there be such a person? Didn’t he fear getting sick?

Li Xiao, anticipating her reaction, shrugged with a smile. “You asked me to look into it.”

He continued, “I don’t know if your friend is aware, but Ren Jiahao is the child of his father’s ex-wife. His half-brother, born to his stepmother, is only a few years younger than him and is quite impressive. He entered the prestigious Imperial Capital University at sixteen and is currently studying at an Ivy League school. The Ren family’s business is large, but the chances of it falling into Ren Jiahao’s hands are slim. If your friend ends up with him, he’ll likely be overwhelmed.”

Jiang Rou understood the implication—juggling a husband and fighting for family assets would certainly be exhausting.

On Wednesday, during class, Jiang Rou and Dong Mingming had lunch together in the cafeteria, and Jiang Rou mentioned the situation.

Dong Mingming laughed outright and told Jiang Rou, “Do you know what my dad said? He said he’s close friends with the other party’s father, so there would be no mother-in-law or sister-in-law troubles. I’d be stepping into the role of a wealthy family’s young mistress.”

Her heart had truly sunk.

Jiang Rou comforted her, “It’s better to know now; you can find an excuse to avoid it.”

Dong Mingming agreed, “I know what to do.”

—o—o—o—

A few days later, Jiang Rou heard Li Xiao say, “Your friend really went all out. During the blind date, she ended up in a fight with the man and even got arrested. She also caused a scene at the restaurant and wrecked the place.”

“……”

Li Xiao clicked his tongue. “Everyone’s talking about it now. It’s all over the circle.”

He suddenly added, “Oh, by the way, your friend gave me a shop in the city center. I don’t want it, but she insisted on giving it to me and left right after.”

It must have been right after their meeting this morning before she went on the blind date.

Li Xiao wondered, “Can we actually accept it?”

It was a gift from Jiang Rou’s friend, and he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to take it. Of course, he liked the idea of getting a shop for free and wished it happened more often, even if it was just for some information.

Before finishing work, he went to check out the shop. The location was indeed excellent; you couldn’t buy it for less than a few million.

Jiang Rou, hearing this, said, “Then take it. I had already refused it.”

She figured that rejecting it again might upset Dong Mingming.

Afterwards, she went to her room to call Dong Mingming, but couldn’t get through.

—o—o—o—

On Monday, during class, Dong Mingming wasn’t there either. It was heard that she had taken a leave, and later Jiang Rou learned that Dong Mingming had changed her major.

On the day she transferred, Dong Mingming came to the school to have lunch with Jiang Rou. Her mouth was covered with a bandage, and her nails were cut short. She used to keep her nails beautifully manicured and adorned with diamonds.

Dong Mingming told Jiang Rou during lunch that she had intentionally provoked the man during the date to anger him. “He looked so proper, but he was just a fool. His leering made me sick. When he slapped me, I didn’t avoid it because I wanted to let Dong Chenglei see. If he tries to introduce someone to me again, I’ll refuse outright.”

She continued, “I can’t confront him directly yet. My grandparents have passed away, and my only uncle lives abroad with almost no contact. My grandfather gave half of his assets as my mother’s dowry, and everything from the Dong family should belong to me. I need to get it all back, piece by piece.”

“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

“Mm, I’m aware.”

Dong Mingming’s way of being “aware” was to find a policeman boyfriend. She smiled a bit when talking about him. “I met him in the police station after getting into a fight with that scum. When we were there, he tried to slap me, but Shen He held his hand firmly. He almost cried from the pain—such a useless person.”

She snorted, “I just wanted to disgust Dong Chenglei. He said my boyfriend’s background didn’t match mine, so I asked him if he had forgotten his own status. He’s just a driver, not even as good as my boyfriend. My boyfriend is at least a college student and a civil servant, working for the government.”

“You should have seen his face at that moment. Just thinking about it feels satisfying.”

Jiang Rou, curious, asked, “Your boyfriend…”

Dong Mingming took a spoonful of soup and replied calmly, “He’s great. I pursued him. He was very easy to win over. Just a couple of dinners and he agreed. He didn’t know about my family’s wealth. He thought my parents were selling their daughter for money and set me up with someone like that. He treats me very well. I didn’t mention my background, but I could introduce you to him if you want.”

“Sure.”

Jiang Rou had a positive impression of policemen, so she was quite interested.

—o—o—o—