Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Perhaps the near-brush with separation made them realize that all good things must come to an end. Rather than pinning hopes on the future, it was better to cherish every moment they had now.

So that evening, after patrolling her "territory," the calico cat inexplicably received princess-like pampering.

Jiang Mingsuo returned home from work. As he entered, he saw Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli sitting on the floor dressing up the little cat. The nearby sofa was covered with various cat outfits—exquisitely tailored princess dresses, colorful onesies, a wider selection than any pet boutique.

"The calico cat is a girl, of course she should wear a princess dress!" Jin Ran insisted.

"But she just meowed at my green sweatshirt, which means she prefers this one!" Jiang Xuli stood his ground.

The two were so engrossed in their argument they didn’t even hear him come in.

Jiang Mingsuo took off his tie and casually draped it over the sofa. Meanwhile, the calico cat, whose head was aching from the noise, gracefully leaped down and strutted over to him: "Meow~"

The other two finally noticed Jiang Mingsuo was back. Jin Ran immediately acted as if she had found her champion and complained, "Jiang Mingsuo, your son is bullying me!"

The more Jiang Xuli got to know her, the more he realized this woman was all bark and no bite. For instance, right now she was pretending to wipe away tears and distorting the facts right in front of him. He argued back anxiously, "You’re the one being unreasonable!"

Jin Ran widened her eyes, looking incredulous. "You’re calling me old?!"

Jiang Xuli had poked a hornet’s nest. What started as fake crying was now about to become real.

No girl wanted to be called old. She was only twenty-five, in the prime of her life. It was bad enough she’d died in a car accident and transmigrated into a book, but to become a stepmom to a fifteen-year-old high schooler who then had the nerve to call her old!

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. In an instant, her clear eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked over, practically radiating "if you don’t stand up for me, I’ll cry right here."

As for Jiang Mingsuo, who was on the receiving end of that look, he really wanted to massage his temples.

Their previous interactions gave him a headache, and now he found this was no better.

He bent down to pick up the calico cat, who had been pawing at his leg, tapped its pink nose, and then said to the pitiful-looking Jin Ran, "Come put clothes on it."

Hearing this, Jin Ran immediately brightened up, shot a triumphant glance at Jiang Xuli, and went over with the princess dress.

Now it was Jiang Xuli’s turn to fume. He muttered under his breath toward his dad, "Prioritizing your wife over your son!"

Unfortunately, his voice was too low, and his dad didn’t hear him.

That night, the study was perfectly quiet.

Only the occasional sound of a pen scratching against paper broke the quiet.

Finally finishing grading the last assignment, Jin Ran set down her red pen, stretched lazily, and turned off the desk lamp.

She didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she picked up her cartoon mug, went to the water dispenser to pour a cup of water, took a small sip, let the warm water moisten her dry lips, and then leisurely walked over to Jiang Mingsuo’s desk.

The man was focused on reviewing documents, his slender fingers holding a fountain pen. When he pressed down, the veins on the back of his hand stood out slightly. With just a few strokes, he left bold, elegant characters on the paper.

It was the kind of handwriting that was obviously very pleasing to the eye.

She couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. Some people were tough on the outside but soft inside. He clearly carried the pen his son gave him with him, yet in daily interactions, he was as cold as deep winter, always stern-faced. It was really hard to know what to make of him.

Fortunately, lately the relationship between father and son had improved slightly.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

Jiang Mingsuo waited for a while but she still didn’t speak. Her gaze from above him felt so intense that he had to look up and ask.

Jin Ran smiled. She really had been lost in thought.

This man was even willing to give her a black card, which in a way was equivalent to handing over control of their shared marital assets. If she were the original owner, she could even misuse the money to support the Jin family. With Jiang Mingsuo’s financial power and status, reviving a bankrupt company wouldn’t be difficult.

Or perhaps, because he could tell she wasn’t the original, he felt safe doing so?

Jin Ran couldn’t figure out Jiang Mingsuo’s thoughts, so she simply walked around to his side of the desk, leaned back against the edge with her hands supporting her, half-sitting on it.

Under the bright light, her eyelashes cast scattered golden shadows. She had originally meant to ask about the Jin family, but what came out was: "I was thinking about that black card you gave me. How much can I spend with it?"

Jiang Mingsuo raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t I say you could spend it as you like?"

"So I can use it for others too?" Before he could answer, she started counting on her fingers, "Like my family, or friends…"

Jiang Mingsuo looked puzzled. "Family?"

She still had family in this world?

Jiang Mingsuo suddenly remembered that minor celebrity named Wei Ya, but her connections were simple—only one younger brother as immediate family. Or perhaps… that was her descendant?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but in the end, it all condensed into a simple nod. "Yes."

Yes, she could spend it on family, or on friends.

Hearing this, Jin Ran was slightly shocked. Had this man taken some kind of charm school class? Otherwise, how could he be so good at making women happy?

Often, what women wanted wasn’t expensive gifts, but just comforting, sweet words.

As for whether it was true or not, Jin Ran didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, the black card was already in her hands. With his permission, she could spend it however she wanted later.

Thinking this, she felt a sense of supported confidence, and her attitude toward him became more casual, carrying a familiar intimacy. "By the way, about the parent visitation day next week, are you free?"

Last time they discussed this, Jiang Mingsuo had only said he’d see about it and go if he had the time.

"What’s the date?" Jiang Mingsuo set down his pen.

"The 30th, it’s a Friday."

Jiang Mingsuo paused. Seeing this, Jin Ran, who had thought it was in the bag, suddenly grew nervous. "What, do you have plans?"

Jiang Mingsuo nodded helplessly. "There’s an economic summit at the city government that day involving the signing of cooperation agreements. I’ll probably need to be there."

Mingji Technology was undergoing multi-faceted transformations. This government-enterprise cooperation was crucial for the company’s industrial layout over the next few years. As the helmsman, he really couldn’t be in two places at once.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Jin Ran’s eyes, but she understood priorities. She quickly smiled again. "It’s fine. After the event, I’ll organize the visitation day recordings and reports and send them to you. I promise it won’t delay President Jiang from learning about our school."

"Okay." Jiang Mingsuo chuckled softly.

They said goodnight to each other in the study and returned to their respective bedrooms.

Before bed, Jin Ran lay in bed, once again going over the parent visitation day process in her mind. After confirming every detail was properly arranged, she closed her eyes contentedly, planning to submit the proposal to the principal the next day.

But unexpectedly, when she met with the principal the next day, he wanted to give her a "helper."

"This is our school’s academic affairs officer from the administration department. He’s worked here for over ten years and is very familiar with all kinds of matters. Having him help you organize this event will definitely be twice as productive with half the effort."

The man shook her hand. "You’re Xiao Jin, right? These large-scale events aren’t like teaching classes—they require experience and connections. Female teachers can sometimes struggle in certain aspects."

Jin Ran's smile was on the verge of collapsing.

What did he mean by "female teachers can't handle it"?

Not only was this old codger muscling in, but he was also being sexist?

The old codger showed no remorse and and even had the audacity to continue, "I happen to know a few corporate CEOs and can invite them to offer suggestions for Wencheng's future and development. When the time comes, school-enterprise collaborations and sponsorship funds will be a piece of cake."

Jin Ran finally understood—this person, like her, also had connections.

And the principal pushing him forward at this moment clearly indicated doubts about her abilities, or perhaps even preferred to let this old codger take the role of dean of students.

Admit defeat?

Jin Ran tucked the proposal away. "Do these CEOs have school-age children?"

"That has nothing to do with the students."

"So they value Wencheng's prospects and want to invest early?"

The old codger waved his hand dismissively, with a look of disdain that seemed to say women were "vulgar." "These CEOs are true entrepreneurs who care about education and have a sense of social responsibility! They voluntarily want to contribute to Wencheng High School's development. Of course, they don’t expect anything in return, but we can’t just freeload. We need to show some appreciation when necessary."

He went on with several more sentences of praise, which Jin Ran had no desire to listen to.

She glanced at the principal, who awkwardly avoided her gaze, clearly unwilling to get involved in their "conflict."

Jin Ran took a deep breath, trying to hold back, but ultimately couldn’t restrain herself. She forced a smile and interrupted him, "Since Teacher Wan is so capable, I wouldn’t want to hold you back. Besides, my work is already wrapped up. If you step in now, there might not be much room for you to contribute. How about we divide the tasks? I’ll handle the parents I brought in, and you can take care of those impressive CEOs."

Teacher Wan frowned, clearly displeased with her attitude, but the thought of monopolizing the resources made him grudgingly nod.

Jin Ran left the principal’s office seething with anger.

She wasn’t ignorant of workplace politics, but she had always sailed smoothly until now. This was the first time someone had tried to steal credit midway, and the injustice of it made her blood boil.

She hadn’t even resorted to underhanded tactics herself, and yet someone else had?

Scanning the office, she wanted to vent to someone but saw her colleagues all buried in their work. Besides, she was still relatively new and not yet close to anyone.

She messaged Xu Zhen on WeChat, but before she could say anything, the other woman lamented about having to deal with difficult parents and asked to talk later when she returned.

Finally, Jin Ran angrily opened her chat with Jiang Mingsuo.

LessonHammer (Name unchanged until I pass the teacher exam): "(Angry)(Angry)(Angry)"

It took nearly half an hour for a reply to come through.

Jiang Mingsuo: "?"

"What’s wrong?"

LessonHammer (Name unchanged until I pass the teacher exam): "Ran into some trouble, and I’m really mad right now!"

"If you don’t mind, you can tell me about it. Two heads are better than one."

So Jin Ran told him about how she had prepared the proposal, only for the principal to force someone on her at the last minute. She raged about the old codger playing dirty: "I felt like throwing the proposal right in his face!"

After venting and letting half an hour pass, her anger had subsided slightly. Looking back at the screen filled with her complaints, she suddenly felt embarrassed.

Jiang Mingsuo was, after all, the CEO of a listed company. Would bothering him with such trivial matters make her seem too fragile?

Just as she was about to say something to salvage her image, a message from Jiang Mingsuo popped up.

"The proposal is too thin. When force is applied, it folds. The contact area is small, so slapping it against someone’s face wouldn’t have enough impact."

Jin Ran blinked at the screen: "???"

What was this company CEO talking about? And why did such a detailed analysis sound like he was familiar with this kind of situation? "Is this from some book?"

"Not from a book. I’ve tried it."

"?????"

Jiang Mingsuo admitted frankly, "When Mingji was first established, similar things happened often. I was young and impulsive back then, frequently getting into arguments with them."

A Jiang Mingsuo who argued with others?

Jin Ran found it hard to believe.

In her impression, Jiang Mingsuo was always composed and strategic, the type who could remain unfazed even if the sky fell. But now, she could picture him coldly slamming documents on a table and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Amid her laughter, the man on the other side of the screen suddenly felt real and tangible—no longer an untouchable elite, but an ordinary person who would bristle at injustice and hold grudges.

Suddenly, she wasn’t angry at all.

She thought, if even someone like Jiang Mingsuo encountered such things, why should it be strange for her to run into idiots at work?

There was a saying—when heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, toughens their spirit, and weary their bones.

She was now that person being tempered.

Besides, getting angry over a fool wasn’t worth it.

Her mood brightened again. When Jiang Mingsuo asked if he needed to step in, Jin Ran thought about it and declined.

Given his status, he wouldn’t even need to show up personally. A few simple words from him would be enough to make the principal yield.

But Jin Ran felt that if she needed Jiang Mingsuo to resolve the issue, wouldn’t it make her seem incompetent? She was determined to handle it perfectly on her own and make the principal admit defeat!

Of course, she didn’t completely rule out his help, adding, "If I can’t handle it, I’ll ask you to bail me out (Little Eight hands on hips)."

Jiang Mingsuo’s reply was brief and firm: "Okay."

/

On the other side, at Mingji Technology, Jiang Mingsuo set down his phone and looked up at Special Assistant Wang. "Can we adjust the schedule for the summit on the 30th?"

Special Assistant Wang quickly pulled up the schedule. "The summit starts at 8 a.m. The first part is speeches from several leaders. Your speech is scheduled for 9 a.m., and there’s a half-hour break after 9:30."

Jiang Mingsuo thoughtfully tapped the desk. "Is the sponsorship project with Wencheng High School still in progress?"

Special Assistant Wang paused, then replied, "Yes, but the school’s efficiency in following up has been low, so the project is temporarily stalled."

"Contact the school. I’ll go there in person on the morning of the 30th."

Hearing this, Special Assistant Wang was taken aback, momentarily puzzled as to why the CEO was suddenly taking an interest in this matter.

It wasn’t until he left the office that it occurred to him—the young master was studying at Wencheng High School. He wondered if Jiang Mingsuo wanted to check on how his son was doing at school.

After all, the reason the executive office had chosen Wencheng High School for collaboration in the first place was because of the young master.

Special Assistant Wang felt he had uncovered the truth.

Although Jiang Mingsuo was extremely busy and never inquired about his son’s studies, the boy was, after all, his biological son and held an important place in his heart.

As for the fact that his wife also worked at Wencheng… As a long-time trusted aide who had followed Jiang Mingsuo for years, Special Assistant Wang knew him well enough to say that he wasn’t the type to act impulsively for love. Something like visiting his wife during work hours would absolutely not happen.