The Mulsanne forged ahead, and not a single car around dared to change lanes.
Even those fearless, reckless yellow Ferraris didn't dare to switch lanes rashly.
This was the power of wealth; any casual vehicle on the road represented the entire net worth of multiple families.
Suddenly remembering something, Chu Xu quickly asked, "Director Jiang, could we stop by Chow Tai Fook up ahead?"
"Hmm?"
Director Jiang's eyes were full of question.
"It's our first meeting, I should bring some kind of greeting gift." Chu Xu smiled.
Even though this was a marriage with an unpredictable outcome.
The proper etiquette couldn't be forgotten; after all, he came from a family with a net worth of tens of millions.
No matter how un favored he might be, he still had his upbringing.
"Oh? And how many gifts are you planning to buy?" Director Jiang asked with interest.
She hadn't expected a twenty-two-year-old young man to be so socially adept.
The more exceptional Chu Xu proved to be, the more pleased Director Jiang felt.
It wasn't as if she could only care about his face, after all.
"I'm not sure yet, I just wanted to ask—besides her mom and dad, is there anyone else meeting us later?"
Director Jiang frowned slightly. "Her?"
Chu Xu smiled. "Yeah, Director Jiang is her elder, right?"
From start to finish, Chu Xu never connected Director Jiang with her.
After all, Director Jiang looked every bit like a married woman, successful in her career and serving as a company director.
Such an outstanding woman wouldn't be unmarried at her age.
He had no idea whose luck was so good that they actually managed to marry Director Jiang; that person must have done countless good deeds in their past life.
"Do you think I'm that old?" Director Jiang's expression darkened instantly.
No woman was indifferent about her age, and Director Jiang was no exception.
"Of course not,"
Chu Xu hurriedly explained, "How could Director Jiang possibly be old? You only look a little older than me, and you're so pretty. Your husband must be wonderful, too—he's so lucky."
It was a good thing he explained quickly, or he would have offended an elder before even meeting the family.
Only then did Director Jiang's expression soften slightly, though a second later she found it bizarre.
*Your husband?*
...
This fool couldn't possibly still not know that she was the "her" he kept talking about, could he?
Actually, that was entirely possible. After all, she had never explicitly stated her identity.
And given her age and poise, it was hard to imagine her as an unmarried woman.
So it made sense that he had misunderstood.
Should she tell him now?
That seemed like it would ruin the fun.
So what if she...
A mischievous streak suddenly rose in her heart.
Director Jiang tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said, "Later, you only need to meet three people: her parents, and her."
"Alright, thank you, Director Jiang. Just give me a few minutes."
With that, Chu Xu headed straight into the Chow Tai Fook store.
He wasn't very good at buying gifts, but his sincerity had to be absolute.
He had fifty thousand yuan in his bank account—he might as well spend it all.
Ever since college, his family had rarely given him money.
That fifty thousand yuan was what he had saved from college part-time jobs and working after graduation.
To spend it all at once without feeling a pang would be a lie, but he had no choice; this was money that needed to be spent.
The gift for the aunt was the most expensive: a bracelet costing twenty-eight thousand.
The rest consisted of a gold-plated lighter and another bracelet worth a few thousand.
As for the size, rich people like them cared about whether you bothered to give a gift at all; whether they actually wore it was their own business.
Just as he was about to step out of the store, Chu Xu suddenly remembered that Director Jiang was waiting outside. She was an elder, after all, and had even come to pick him up.
Would it look bad if he didn't buy her something?
So Chu Xu turned back inside and bought a platinum necklace, which cost another three thousand-plus.
Money was flowing like water; he hadn't splurged like this in years.
Chu Xu shook his head with a wry smile.
"Director Jiang, this is for you."
When Chu Xu handed a small box to Director Jiang, she froze.
Over the years, she had received no shortage of gifts and flowers.
Yet she understood the motives behind every single one of them with crystal clarity. The more she experienced, the less she believed in gifts.
Did Chu Xu have an ulterior motive?
Director Jiang figured he probably didn't.
The marriage pact was proposed by her mother, and he didn't even know who she was—what reason did he have to suck up to her?
Perhaps, but it didn't matter anymore.
She was happy.
"You certainly put some thought into this." Director Jiang smiled, accepting a gift from an outsider for the very first time.
What the item was didn't matter; as long as the sentiment was there, it was enough.
"Sorry to trouble you, Director Jiang." Chu Xu smiled and closed the car door.
The Mulsanne continued its journey toward the Songshanlin Villa Area.
This villa area could be called the most elite residential district in Yuzhou.
It wasn't just about the exorbitant prices; it also required a certain level of social background.
The people living inside were far from ordinary wealthy folk.
As Director Jiang drove, she was already imagining the expression on Chu Xu's face when he found out she was the woman he was supposed to marry.
It ought to be quite a sight.
Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curved upward.
Chu Xu, however, noticed none of this. The closer they got, the more nervous he became.
After all, it was his first time meeting the parents; it was hard to remain completely calm.
What should he say later? Should he step in with his left foot first or his right foot? Calling her "Auntie" should be fine, right...
By this time, Director Jiang had also noticed Chu Xu's nervousness. She had thought this fool would remain calm no matter what happened, but it seemed he still had weaknesses.
"Don't be nervous. They don't bite, they're very easy to get along with, and today they just want to meet you," Director Jiang comforted him.
"Okay, I understand." Chu Xu nodded to show his gratitude.
He then adjusted his mindset and managed to calm down a short while later.
The Mulsanne drove into a grand estate.
Seeing them arrive, the security guard at the gate hurriedly raised the barrier to let them pass.
The car came to a steady stop in the garage.
Gathering the bags, Chu Xu stood before a floor-to-ceiling window to straighten his appearance. He looked pretty good.
Even though he was wearing his work uniform, the formal attire happened to fit the occasion of a first meeting.
It was a happy accident.
"Let's go."
Seeing Chu Xu still fussing over his appearance, Director Jiang couldn't help but chuckle.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Xu followed in Director Jiang's footsteps.
The front doors stood wide open, and a domestic helper was walking about in the courtyard.
Every helper who saw Director Jiang greeted her with a smile: "Miss is back."
Director Jiang nodded slightly in response.
Chu Xu, walking beside her, was somewhat baffled.
*Miss?*
Why "Miss"? Logically speaking, they shouldn't address her that way unless...
A bold thought popped into his head, and Chu Xu quickly forced it down.
*No way, right?*
Upon entering the living room, the first person Chu Xu saw was a middle-aged woman sitting on the sofa, following along with a dance tutorial on the television.
She looked a lot like Director Jiang; both possessed the typical features of southern women.
Although the woman was older, one could still vaguely discern the elegance of her youth.
This indirectly confirmed a solid fact.
Director Jiang and this woman were mother and daughter.
If Chu Xu still hadn't figured it out by now, he really would be quite slow.
He cast a helpless glance at Director Jiang, who merely hooked the corner of her lips and looked away.
He honestly hadn't expected Director Jiang to be into this sort of thing. She was already a grown woman—how was she still acting like a young girl...
Thoughts like that were all he dared entertain; speaking them aloud was completely out of the question.
"My daughter is back!" Wang Suxin said with a beaming smile.
Then she looked at Chu Xu, sizing him up from head to toe, and a satisfied expression spread across her face. "Have a seat, Chu Xu. We've been waiting for you for a while."
Chu Xu smiled and handed a box to Wang Suxin. "It's our first meeting, and I didn't know what Auntie liked, so I bought you a few things based on my mom's taste. This one is yours, and this portion is for Uncle."
Sure enough, the moment the gifts were presented, the smile on Wang Suxin's face grew so wide it could barely be contained.
Did she care about this little bit of money?
What she liked was the thought behind it.
"You're so thoughtful, child. Come sit down, come sit down."
Wang Suxin pulled Chu Xu down onto the sofa, becoming even more enthusiastic.
As the saying goes, a mother-in-law looks at her prospective son-in-law with increasing satisfaction the more she sees him.
That was precisely Wang Suxin's state right now.
Chu Xu was handsome, and since the face reflects the heart, his character surely wasn't bad either.
His birth date and horoscope matched her daughter's well, and his educational background passed muster; he was just a little young.
But none of that mattered as long as he was a good person.
After all, during that car crash last year, if not for him, she would have died long ago.
After chatting with Chu Xu about everyday matters for a while, Wang Suxin finally turned to Jiang Mu and asked, "Mumu, have you two been getting along seriously these past few days?"
*So I'm only finding out her real name now—does this count as getting along seriously?* ...
Chu Xu sighed inwardly. *Not by a long shot.*
Yet Jiang Mu's reply caught Chu Xu completely off guard.
"Yes, we've been chatting all this time. Right, Chu Xu?"
Chu Xu desperately wanted to refute this, but meeting Jiang Mu's sharp gaze, he chose to compromise.
"That's right, Auntie. Jiang Mu and I... Jiang Mu and I have been chatting every day for the past two days."
Hearing this, Jiang Mu finally looked away with a satisfied expression. *Jiang Mu...*
It actually sounded quite nice. Should she just let him call her older sister from now on?
That seemed doable.
Lowering her head to look at the financial reports, Jiang Mu's lips curved into a smile.
...