Chapter 34: Master, Your Disciple Offers This to You

Zhao Changfeng’s face originally showed nothing but disinterest. But when he turned his head and saw his mother carrying so many things that didn’t even belong to her, his expression immediately darkened.

Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Ruotang pressed gently on his back, signaling him to hold back for now.

“Mom, you and I—and Changfeng—must really be connected by fate, to run into each other here!” Jiang Ruotang smiled brightly as he stepped forward, taking the large shopping bags from Zhao Yunshu’s hands. “Wow, you bought all this yourself? You should’ve told Xiao Gao, or called Changfeng and me—we’d have helped you carry them! It’s your birthday shopping trip after all, you’re supposed to enjoy it to the fullest!”

Zhao Yunshu was a little dazed. These things clearly weren’t hers.

Just then, Wu Ning quickly spoke up, “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, we got so caught up in chatting… these are our things… Yunshu…”

Before she could finish her apology, Jiang Ruotang cut in with a sunny grin, “So these are birthday presents from all of you aunties to my mom? Thank you all so much! I’ll have Xiao Gao take them all home now!”

Wu Ning choked on her words, and the rest of the socialites belatedly realized they hadn’t prepared a proper birthday gift for Zhao Yunshu… How were they supposed to explain that to Jiang Ruotang?

Mrs. Chen, the wealthiest among them, panicked first—the bag Zhao Yunshu had been holding for her was a limited edition she’d waited a month for and only managed to buy after spending over three hundred thousand yuan!

“No, no! That bag is mine—I bought it for myself, so sorry!” Mrs. Chen practically lunged to snatch the bag back.

With Mrs. Chen making the first move, the other ladies quickly gave up on saving face and hurried to reclaim their own things.

Zhao Yunshu’s hands were instantly freed—but Zhao Changfeng was staring at the marks left on her palms from the shopping bags, fury boiling in his chest.

Jiang Ruotang’s expression instantly shifted from cheerful to icy, and his tone became sharply blunt: “Aunties, what exactly do you mean by this? If these aren’t for my mom, why did you make her carry them? Don’t you have drivers or assistants? Or do you just look down on the Jiang family? My dad may be soft-tempered, but he’s still a chairman. If you’ve got him carrying your bags today, are you expecting him to be your housekeeper tomorrow?”

The entire luxury boutique fell silent.

Even the store clerks exchanged looks, inwardly marveling at how these society ladies had treated this ‘Chairman’s wife’ like an invisible assistant.

Wu Ning gasped. She knew Jiang Ruotang was somewhat willful—not as smooth and adaptable as her own daughter Lin Lu—but she hadn’t expected him to tear down their facade so directly and dump it on the floor for all to see.

Mrs. Chen and the other followers were all stunned by Jiang Ruotang’s presence and boldness.

If word of this spread, they’d become the laughingstock of the upper circle—shameless women who didn’t know propriety.

Their original intent had only been to quietly belittle Zhao Yunshu, to make her realize she didn’t fit into their elite circle and should stop interfering with their husbands at the company. But they’d gotten carried away—and now they’d been caught red-handed by Jiang Ruotang.

Wu Ning rushed forward to apologize, warmly clutching Zhao Yunshu’s hand. “Of course not! Sorry, Yunshu! We were thoughtless! Please tell Ruotang—it’s just a misunderstanding.”

Mrs. Chen quickly smoothed things over as well: “Yes, yes, making the birthday girl carry our things—that was so inappropriate of us. Sorry! Joseph, where are you? Bring over the newest handbag collection and let Director Jiang’s wife pick anything she likes. Yunshu, don’t be shy—whatever you like, I’ll pay for it.”

The others scrambled not to be left out, copying Mrs. Chen’s move and apologizing as they shoved bags and suggestions at Zhao Yunshu.

“Ruotang, don’t misunderstand—we’d never look down on the Jiang family! Yunshu, this brooch is gorgeous—try it on!”

“Yunshu, the dresses here are stunning too—with your figure, you’d look so elegant and graceful in them!”

Their faces flipped faster than turning pages. Suddenly Zhao Yunshu was the star of the show, the center of attention.

But Zhao Yunshu didn’t care for such apologies—she neither wanted their gifts nor intended to join their circle.

Still, her heart felt a little lighter. She’d climbed step by step from an ordinary employee to where she was now—used to enduring things quietly. She hadn’t expected Jiang Ruotang to stand up for her like this, grinding these ladies’ pride into the floor.

Even Joseph, the clerk who’d served them for years, had never seen their true colors like this.

If they weren’t all VIPs, Joseph would’ve loved to leak the store’s security footage—just so others could see how these ‘rich wives’ fawned and trampled, only to trip over their own schemes.

Hands in his pockets, chin slightly raised, Jiang Ruotang perfectly played the role of someone looking down his nose at the world.

“Aunties, my mom has a simple heart. She eats with you because she wants to make friends. As for gifts—we father and son have already picked something that suits her best. But friends should be genuine—not putting on a show.”

The ladies fell quiet again, embarrassment thick in the air.

Wu Ning’s ears buzzed, her face burning, a cold sweat breaking out down her back. What is with this Jiang Ruotang? Has he made a career of exposing people?

Mrs. Chen quickly saved face for everyone, laughing: “I’m definitely keeping Yunshu as a friend—such a good temper, so capable, low-key and unpretentious. When I need asset management advice, I’ll have to consult Yunshu. Us women should help each other, after all.”

Only then did Jiang Ruotang’s expression ease.

He turned, took another shopping bag from a clerk, and handed it to Zhao Yunshu. “Mom, this is your birthday present from Changfeng and me.”

Zhao Yunshu froze—she’d never imagined Jiang Ruotang would buy her anything. She opened her mouth to tell him, Don’t waste money, child—go return it right away—but then she caught Zhao Changfeng giving her a look behind him, silently urging her to accept it.

So Zhao Yunshu took the bag and slowly pulled out the gift. She couldn’t tell brands from quality, but the simple, elegant design was exactly her style—and it was big enough for her document folders. Quite practical.

But then she glanced at the price tag—over eighty thousand yuan—and nearly fainted on the spot.

Even though Zhao Yunshu knew that Jiang Ruotang had made a good amount from his lucky investments lately, seeing him burn through money like this still made her want to grab this little rascal by the ear.

But to her surprise, the little rascal actually said, “When Changfeng and I grow up and start making money, we’ll buy you something even better.”

Mrs. Chen, who had just bought a limited edition handbag, suddenly felt envious of Zhao Yunshu. “Yunshu, you’re really lucky. No wonder you always say Ruotang has a kind heart. He even brought Changfeng along to pick a birthday gift for you—and used his own pocket money too… My son, no matter how much I give him, never thinks of giving me anything in return.”

Wu Ning was always the competitive sort. Now that Mrs. Chen was praising Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Changfeng for being thoughtful and filial, she wanted to boast about Lin Lu too—but after glancing herself over from head to toe, she realized that while Lin Lu would compliment her taste in bags and jewelry and sincerely praise her new hairstyle, she hadn’t given Wu Ning even a single gift of her own.

The mood in the room shifted as Mrs. Chen led the conversation astray. One by one, the women began sighing over how their own children weren’t as thoughtful or considerate as Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Changfeng.

Wu Ning quickly tried to change the topic; she definitely didn’t want these women feeling jealous of Zhao Yunshu.

“Mrs. Chen, don’t overthink it. Children are all little debt collectors the moment they’re born—raising them well is blessing enough for us. Didn’t you say you wanted to check out QUNNE’s new jewelry? Let’s all go take a look!”

Zhao Yunshu was just about to decline, thinking she could take Ruotang and Changfeng back to school instead, but Jiang Ruotang gave her a light push and an enigmatic smile. “Come on, let’s go look at some shiny jewelry too!”

Zhao Changfeng let out a heavy sigh. He really didn’t want to go shopping… Jiang Ruotang had dragged him here, saying that if no son came along to back her up, Zhao Yunshu might be bullied. Otherwise, Zhao Changfeng would’ve been napping on his desk right now. What was there to see about all this? He couldn’t understand why these ladies liked dressing up like Christmas trees all day.

When they arrived at QUNNE, the whole sales team—male and female alike—rushed out to serve the formidable group of ladies, putting the word “attentive” into practice.

Mrs. Chen and Wu Ning were clearly the core of the group, trying on all sorts of jewelry for their necks and wrists like Christmas had come early.

Jiang Ruotang and his crew took the drinks and snacks the intern brought over, casually lounging at a small table in the corner as they ate.

Wu Ning excitedly said, “Last week, your store manager messaged me, saying the master-designed piece ‘Birds and Clouds’ had arrived. Hurry, bring it out so we can see it!”

She’d begged Lin Chengtong for ages, but he always made excuses—that she already had enough jewelry, that her credit limit wasn’t high enough—so she’d come here just to feast her eyes on it.

“Xiao Ning, I’ve been looking forward to that piece too—you better not fight me for it!” Mrs. Chen joked.

“Hahaha, of course not! But since we’re good sisters, I must at least try it on first.” Wu Ning laughed.

The others waited eagerly as well.

After a while, the manager came out looking regretful. “So sorry, dear guests. The ‘Birds and Clouds’ piece has already been reserved, so I’m afraid we can’t let you try it on.”

“What? How could that be?”

“Gone within a week? That thing costs over 1.3 million yuan!”

“It’s reserved, not sold, so the buyer hasn’t picked it up yet, right? Can’t you just let us have a look?” Wu Ning pouted.

The manager kept apologizing. “The buyer has paid in full and will collect it before closing today. Since it’s the client’s private property now, we can’t display it again.”

While munching on snacks, Zhao Changfeng gave a wicked little grin and whispered, “And here I thought some big shot had it reserved. Turns out you can’t even see it, let alone touch it.”

Zhao Yunshu shook her head helplessly. Still, these two boys were happily enjoying free tea and pastries—seeing one with cream on his nose and the other with chocolate crumbs at his mouth somehow made the dull moment feel unexpectedly pleasant.

And just then, Jiang Huaiyuan walked in.

“Sorry! Sorry, Yunshu, I hope you haven’t been waiting long! I was chatting with Uncle Qin and lost track of time!”

“Huaiyuan? What are you doing here?”

“Huh? Didn’t Ruotang text me saying you were here to see the jewelry I reserved for you?” Jiang Huaiyuan looked genuinely confused.

Wu Ning and Mrs. Chen hurriedly put down their jewelry to greet him.

“Huaiyuan, you’re here!” Wu Ning, who was familiar with Jiang Huaiyuan, smiled. “Did you come to help Yunshu pick out jewelry?”

Mrs. Chen sighed regretfully, “What a pity. That master-designed ‘Birds and Clouds’ was already reserved.”

But Jiang Huaiyuan put his hands together in apology in front of Mrs. Chen. “Sorry, sorry—that ‘Birds and Clouds’ is the piece I reserved. It’s Yunshu’s birthday gift!”

At that moment, the expressions on Wu Ning, Mrs. Chen, and the others became… surprised, awkward, subtly envious.

They’d all heard Wu Ning say that Zhao Yunshu was nothing but a middle-aged Cinderella—working like a servant for Chairman Qin at the office and handling Jiang Huaiyuan’s personal finances at home. In short, her marriage into the Jiang family wasn’t for enjoying life; she was merely a tool for Qin and Jiang Huaiyuan.

And if that tool got in the way of their husbands at work, it was no different than threatening their livelihood. Naturally, they had to band together and show her her place—to remind her they weren’t in the same class or the same world.

Don’t overreach—know your place, like an ant shaking a tree.

But now… it seemed Zhao Yunshu truly was living in a different world.

Everyone said being a stepmother was tough—but Zhao Yunshu’s relationship with her stepson Jiang Ruotang was obviously excellent.

When they had birthdays, their husbands barely tossed them a credit card and told them to go crazy. No real thought or care.

But Jiang Huaiyuan had personally ordered a custom piece of jewelry. It was clear who he valued.

Still sipping tea, Zhao Changfeng finally realized what was happening and muttered, “Mom… that bird-and-cloud necklace… was for you?”

Zhao Yunshu froze too. In her whole life, she’d never thought of touching a necklace worth over a million yuan, let alone wearing it.

But the manager had already taken the necklace out and personally handed it to Jiang Huaiyuan.

Smiling, Jiang Huaiyuan took the necklace, walked behind Zhao Yunshu, and fastened it around her neck.

“Yunshu, thank you for marrying me.”

Zhao Yunshu stiffened. This necklace was like wearing an entire apartment on her neck.

She was just about to stand up when Jiang Ruotang leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Mom, some things aren’t just about being expensive—they make others afraid to dismiss you. Whether at the company or in personal dealings, no one will dare overlook you now.”

In an instant, Zhao Yunshu understood Jiang Ruotang’s meaning—the father and son were propping her up, giving her face.

The purpose was to let these women go home and tell their husbands that Zhao Yunshu held real status and authority in the Jiang family—and thus on the board of directors.

Zhao Yunshu took a deep breath, straightened her back, and looked into the mirror—seeing herself with her husband and two children standing behind her.

Jiang Huaiyuan smiled and added, “The necklace was supposed to be a dinner surprise tonight. But Ruotang said you were here with Sister Ning, so I came over. Oh, Uncle Qin says since it’s your birthday, he’s giving you a car—it’s at the nearby dealership. Let’s go see it together!”

“A car… what kind of car?”

“Don’t worry, not a sports car. Uncle Qin knows you’re low-key and practical, so he picked a Lorinser-modified Benz Yun. He said this series matches your name.”

Chairman Qin was Zhao Yunshu’s direct superior, the main supporter of her auditing reforms on the board, and one of the founding elders of Huanyu Films.

Mrs. Chen shot Wu Ning a reproachful look: A Lorinser Yun? That’s at least 1.5 million yuan stock. Chairman Qin must really value Zhao Yunshu—and you dragged us into offending her?

The other ladies caught on too, realizing they’d been tricked by Wu Ning into picking the wrong fight.

That car was as good as a public announcement to all the idle shareholders and executives: Audit is serious business this time—if you don’t want to get dragged down, stop following Lin Chengtong’s nonsense.

Jiang Huaiyuan went with Zhao Yunshu to pick up the car, while Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Changfeng took the bus back to school.

“I thought you’d take a cab,” Zhao Changfeng muttered.

“Take a cab for what? Waste of money. Sleeping on the bus is way better than on a school desk.” Jiang Ruotang yawned and patted his mouth.

Zhao Changfeng wanted to shake his head. “Why didn’t you say that when you spent sixty grand on a bag?”

“That’s different. Spending on family is never a waste.” Jiang Ruotang leaned his head on Zhao Changfeng’s shoulder and fell asleep.

Zhao Changfeng felt annoyed—since Ruotang was sleeping, he couldn’t nap or they’d both miss their stop.

But that sentence—‘Spending on family is never a waste’—made Zhao Changfeng’s eyes sting a little.

He remembered, as a kid, starving and sneaking five yuan from his scumbag biological father to buy instant noodles. When he put the leftover three yuan fifty back, the man had dragged him down the whole building, yelling “Thief!” at the top of his lungs.

But Jiang Ruotang—who shared no blood with him—never hesitated to spend money on him and his mother. As generous as if it were nothing.

It wasn’t because Jiang Ruotang had more than others—it was because Jiang Ruotang believed that he and his mother were worth it.

“Forget it, go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

The bus rattled along all the way to the school gate.

Zhao Changfeng nudged Jiang Ruotang awake, and the two of them slowly got off the bus. Jiang Ruotang glanced at the small blackboard hanging outside the school’s mailroom and said, “My package arrived at the school. Go pick it up for me—it’s heavy.”

Zhao Changfeng replied irritably, “I’m not your servant! Get it yourself.”

“But you’re my little brother. It’s really heavy—help me out, will you?”

Seriously? Was the title “little brother” like a brick he could toss wherever he wanted?

Zhao Changfeng sighed and followed him into the mailroom. Jiang Ruotang’s package was the size of half a desk—it really was quite hefty.

Looking at Jiang Ruotang’s skinny arms and legs, well… Zhao Changfeng figured the guy really did need some help.

Back in the classroom, Zhao Changfeng dropped the box on Jiang Ruotang’s desk and immediately flopped down to catch up on sleep.

Jiang Ruotang opened the package—inside was a huge stack of magazines. The ones on top were basketball-related, which Jiang Ruotang casually tossed onto Zhao Changfeng’s head.

“What the—” Zhao Changfeng sat up, grabbed the magazine, and flipped through it eagerly—only for his face to darken. “Why are they all in English?!”

Jiang Ruotang shrugged. “Isn’t that perfect for practicing reading comprehension?”

Across the aisle, the English class rep, Jian Sha, teased, “Want to rent an electronic dictionary? Five bucks a day.”

“No thanks!”

Jiang Ruotang handed her a book. “Here, an English romance novel. Even if Mr. Wang catches you with it, you can claim you’re studying English.”

Jian Sha took the book, glanced at the title and author, and instantly broke into a deadpan expression. “You’re calling Stephen King’s horror novel a romance book?”

“Who says horror stories don’t have love? Close enough.”

Carrying the rest of the magazines, Jiang Ruotang walked over to Lu Guifan and placed them on his desk. “Class Rep, these are for you.”

Lu Guifan paused. “What’s this?”

Seeing how heavy they were, he stood up and took them from Jiang Ruotang.

“With my level of English, do you think I know what they are?” Jiang Ruotang replied breezily. “But since they’re all books, there must be some ‘jade beauties’ and ‘houses of gold’ in there somewhere.”

Lu Guifan flipped through them and realized they were all academic journals from M University across the ocean—covering mathematics, physics, chemistry—packed with cutting-edge research topics.

For Lu Guifan, these magazines opened a window to a whole new world of knowledge—a higher realm of ideas and concepts. Some even included experimental research reports.

To say he wasn’t surprised would’ve been a lie.

It was like that worn-out metaphor: a thirsty traveler in the desert suddenly handed a full bottle of water by a kind stranger.

Lu Guifan had always wanted to understand the outside world—and these were resources even the internet couldn’t easily provide. Yet Jiang Ruotang had cracked open a window for him.

“These… how did you get them?”

“My dad’s friend’s kid studies over there. I asked him to help collect these. If you find them useful, he said he could keep sending them every month.”

“How much do these cost? I can—”

Jiang Ruotang leaned on the desk, tilted his head with a grin, and said, “Master, this is your little disciple showing filial respect. If I don’t improve in next month’s exams, then you can talk to me about money.”

Lu Guifan stared into Jiang Ruotang’s eyes for a long moment before softly saying, “Thank you.”

Jiang Ruotang watched as Lu Guifan carefully packed the journals into his faded, worn-out schoolbag, and then happily turned back to his own seat.

Meanwhile, Lin Lu had just seen a message from his mother about what had happened earlier. Apparently, Lin Chengtong had flown into a huge rage, scolding Wu Ning for her utter lack of judgment—he nearly jabbed her in the forehead as he demanded why she’d made her scheming so obvious. He even cut off two of her high-limit credit cards on the spot.

As for the other wives—especially Mrs. Chen, who’d told her husband everything about what had happened after lunch—they were all scrambling to make amends now, cursing Lin Chengtong for dragging them into this mess. If things went south, they’d become Zhao Yunshu’s next targets.

Wu Ning hoped Lin Lu could sound out Jiang Ruotang for her—find out what Zhao Yunshu really liked.

Lin Lu took a deep breath. Just now, when Jiang Ruotang was handing out his English magazines, he hadn’t even glanced at Lin Lu sitting right next to him.

So how the hell was he supposed to go ask Jiang Ruotang about anything now?

All he could do was text his mother back:

[You guys should all talk it over—just agree to send birthday gifts of similar value to keep things balanced.]