"This is your new home."
After returning to Tianhai City, Jiang Chen acted very quickly.
Once he found out what kind of property Lu Hongluan was looking for, he went straight out and bought one. He paid nearly twenty million in cash without blinking, which gave Lu Hongluan a true sense of his financial power.
She instinctively said, "Actually, there's no need for anything this big. Thirty or fifty square meters would have been fine."
Jiang Chen had bought a two-hundred-square-meter apartment.
He replied calmly, "Big spaces put people in a good mood. Besides, you're my girlfriend, and I can't afford to lose face."
"If the contract ends and you perform well, I'll allow you to live here long-term."
As far as Jiang Chen was concerned, he wasn't taking a loss. After all, the bulk of the money he spent remained under his own name, and what he gave to Lu Hongluan were just small perks.
"Also, I've transferred the first month's allowance to your bank card. I'll also have someone send over a batch of jewelry and evening gowns. I have expectations regarding your attire."
"It's not that your clothes are too cheap and I look down on you. But the person I bring out with me must look presentable."
"Just like a product needs packaging, you should understand what I mean."
Two days passed by the time Jiang Chen finished giving Lu Hongluan a makeover and purchasing a collection of designer clothes and jewelry.
Over these two days, he watched someone undergo a complete transformation.
Lu Hongluan was gorgeous—truly stunning. However, her previous demeanor simply couldn't carry her looks.
Now, she looked endlessly charming and radiant.
It was safe to say that if Jiang Chen were to open an entertainment agency, Lu Hongluan would become famous in no time.
Come to think of it, with looks like that, how had she managed to stay unknown?
Jiang Chen was slightly curious, but he didn't ask.
He said, "I'm leaving now."
"Oh right, let's take a selfie together first."
Jiang Chen looked at Lu Hongluan without much emotion in his eyes, and even with very little desire.
Lu Hongluan nodded repeatedly, cooperating as they took the photo.
Only after she watched him leave did she let out a sigh of relief.
She felt that interacting with Jiang Chen was something she would never quite get used to. The pressure he exerted was simply too overwhelming.
Yet for now, it seemed she had no choice but to endure it temporarily.
"Two years." She looked into the mirror, her expression troubled.
What Jiang Chen didn't know was that she actually possessed a special skill: "ugly-fication."
She knew exactly what to apply to her skin to make it lose its fairness. Then, by letting her bangs hang down slightly, she could instantly transform into a gloomy wallflower.
For a pretty girl, knowing how to make oneself look ugly was an essential survival skill. Otherwise, she never would have made it smoothly through college.
Even in a society governed by the rule of law, dark corners still existed.
However, the styling Jiang Chen had given her was too extravagant, and he had explicitly warned her: "You are not allowed to mess up the look I paid for, or I'll hold you accountable."
For Lu Hongluan, this took some getting used to.
She got an even bigger headache just thinking about having to go to school tomorrow. She didn't want to become a magnet for unwanted attention.
"I really don't know what rich people are after. Is it all just for face?"
Spending so much money just for the sake of appearances wasn't worth it.
That was what she thought.
All she could say was that rich people were truly baffling.
***
When Jiang Chen posted the photo on his WeChat Moments, quite a few people liked it. Both his subordinates and business clients left comments.
Liang Hao called him immediately. "What the hell, man? Where did you dig up a beauty like that?"
"Damn, and here I thought you were going to get bogged down in a relationship and never move on. I never saw this coming."
"What kind of image do you even have of me in your mind?" Jiang Chen asked.
He didn't consider himself a desperate simpering fool. As far as he was concerned, if a relationship was earnestly pursued and still ended in regret, then so be it. He had a clear conscience.
If a relationship required him to sacrifice his self-respect to maintain it, Jiang Chen would never do it.
Liang Hao said, "I just figured you couldn't let go of the Su family's eldest daughter. You have no idea, during this time, that young miss from the Su family has already arranged a position for Qin Yu in her company."
"Oh, what the hell does that have to do with me?"
"It's great that you can think like that," Liang Hao said with a laugh. "By the way, whose family is this girl from? I've never seen her around."
"She's from my hometown," Jiang Chen replied.
"Your hometown?" Liang Hao was taken aback.
He knew where Jiang Chen's hometown was. While it wasn't some barren wasteland, how could a girl with such watery, delicate charm possibly come from an ordinary family?
He sighed, "Talk about winning the genetic lottery."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, that's fine too. Since you can make plenty of money on your own, just finding a pretty wife is enough so you don't have to deal with any aggravation," Liang Hao joked cheerfully. "When are you going to bring her out for us to see?"
"We'll see. I'll find a chance."
He had no intention of introducing Lu Hongluan into his social circle just yet. At least in his current life plans, Lu Hongluan had no place.
He changed the subject. "By the way, do you have the files on that buyer?"
"Oh-ho, only asking now, huh?"
Liang Hao patted his chest and said, "Let me tell you, this buyer is a very good buddy of mine. She definitely won't shortchange you."
"Cut the useless nonsense."
"Haha, fine, alright. I'll send the files over to you," Liang Hao said. "There will be a specialized auditing team coming to inspect your assets then, so get yourself ready."
"Got it."
The two of them handled this matter with extreme efficiency.
Meanwhile, Su Zhi had also seen the Moments post Jiang Chen put up.
Initially, Lu Yao had managed to comfort her. After all, she was the eldest daughter of the Su family; even if she was genuinely in the wrong, Jiang Chen should be the one coaxing her.
Yet for the past two days, the two of them had had zero contact.
And then, Jiang Chen posted a couple's photo.
She froze completely.
Jiang Chen wore a blank expression in the photo, but Lu Hongluan was as pretty as a flower.
Su Zhi had to admit that even though she was renowned for her beauty, she and Lu Hongluan were evenly matched.
Such a stunning beauty suddenly filled her with a sense of crisis.
Involuntarily, she sent Jiang Chen a message.
"Jiang Chen, what is this photo about? Even if you're trying to make me angry, there's no need to drag someone else into this."
Jiang Chen replied, "Heh, do you really think I'm that bored? We've already broken up."
In truth, he actually was that bored. But he wasn't going to admit it.
Su Zhi: "Who on earth is she? How is she better than me?"
Jiang Chen: "We broke up, let's not keep in touch."
He hung up on her directly.
Su Zhi's expression stiffened.
She tapped into Jiang Chen's WeChat Moments, torturing herself by scrolling through it over and over again.
Jiang Chen had deleted everything related to their past from his Moments.
It was completely spotless.
Replaced by a brand-new female lead.
"My... my head hurts so much."