Jiang Nanfang didn't understand what was so good about her that he would fall in love with her at first sight to this extent.
He pestered her relentlessly, wanting to be with her.
"Do you have amnesia? Have you forgotten the unpleasantness of our first meeting?"
"Normally, young masters like you prefer gentle, cute, and obedient girls. You dislike women like me. Did you make a bet with someone?"
Zhou Jinxu found that while this woman was a bit sharp-tongued, she was truly direct.
So direct that she dared to speak her most genuine, darkest thoughts aloud, which was a little endearing.
After Jiang Nanfang finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you that insecure about your beauty? Can't I be smitten by your looks at first sight?"
Jiang Nanfang: "Then you probably don't know how ugly I used to be."
She deliberately lifted her hand carefully, propping it around her eyes. "This is all fake, surgically done."
"I had bone removed here, ground down there, got double eyelids, and a nose job. Do you like artificial beauties too?"
Zhou Jinxu followed her finger, observing her face all over, his gaze slowly dropping to her chest.
"Then your enhancements are quite good, very natural. Is this part also done? It's so perfect."
"Where are you looking?"
Jiang Nanfang lowered her hand, loosely shielding her chest.
Zhou Jinxu smiled and said, "Which country, which hospital did you go to? Can you introduce me to the doctor?"
"Many of my friends want plastic surgery. If your doctor's information gets out, they'll be famous in our Nancheng."
Even plastic surgery couldn't scare him away. Jiang Nanfang tilted her head, avoiding his gaze.
"You should be able to tell that I'm very violent. As my boyfriend, you'd be beaten at least three times a day, and quite severely. You've already experienced it, are you sure you can handle it?"
Zhou Jinxu didn't even think: "I'm sure. If you hadn't beaten me that day, I wouldn't be so infatuated with you."
"All the girls I've met since childhood have been like delicate willows, needing a man to support them just to walk. Suddenly meeting someone as spirited as you is almost intoxicating. Don't talk about three meals a day, I can handle thirty meals a day."
"As long as I can be your boyfriend, I'll do anything."
Jiang Nanfang suddenly began to suspect he had a problem with his brain.
She reached out and touched his forehead. "Mr. Zhou, you weren't just released from the Qing Shan Hospital, were you?"
Zhou Jinxu seized the opportunity, grabbed her fingers, and pressed them to his cheek, sniffing them with great indulgence.
"Say whatever you want. It doesn't matter if you say I just crawled out of a grave. I just like you, I'm attracted to you, and I want to be with you. Nanfang, please agree to me."
Jiang Nanfang got goosebumps again and quickly pulled her hand back.
"Alright, alright, eat your meal. If you want to be my boyfriend, just sweet-talking and getting beaten won't cut it, you need a brain too."
"Does that mean you're willing to give me a chance to prove myself?"
It just so happened that she had to go out alone today, and it would be inconvenient without a man to deter others. This guy was tall and handsome, with a good demeanor; having him around would save face.
Jiang Nanfang said, "Eat first. After you're full, I'll give you a chance to show me what you've got."
As they spoke, the owner brought over two bowls of rice noodles.
Jiang Nanfang's bowl was bright red, with a vibrant broth underneath and green cilantro floating on top. It was steaming hot, a mix of red and green, looking incredibly appetizing.
His own bowl was plain and watery.
To display his masculinity, Zhou Jinxu swapped their bowls.
"You eat this, I'll eat this. From this second on, I accept your test."
Jiang Nanfang finished her bowl of rice noodles in less than three minutes.
She watched Zhou Jinxu struggle to swallow, tears streaming down his face.
After finishing, he even stood up and insisted on paying: "Boss, the bill."
The owner of such a small restaurant had never heard such an elegant term.
He chuckled, "Two bowls of rice noodles, 12 yuan in total. Do you want to pay with cash or scan the code?"
Six yuan for a bowl of rice noodles?
He was stunned for a moment: "Scan the code."
Zhou Jinxu couldn't eat spicy food. After consuming a bowl of spicy rice noodles, broth and all, back in the car, he was so uncomfortable he kept hiccuping.
Jiang Nanfang felt a bit sorry for him and went to the side of the road to buy him a bottle of mineral water.
As the car started moving, they chatted as they drove.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work today?"
"No, for you, skipping a day of work is nothing."
"What kind of work do you do? Are you starting your own business or taking over your father's?"
"If I take over my father's business, isn't that starting my own?"
Jiang Nanfang understood.
"So, what does your family do?"
"You don't wear much makeup, are you not very familiar with the beauty industry? Have you heard of the brand Ke Qila? Our company founded it."
"You do makeup. That's good. Beauty products have been a booming industry these past two years, business must be good."
Zhou Jinxu liked hearing this and nodded happily.
Unexpectedly, after he finished, Jiang Nanfang added, "No wonder you have such a feminine air. Men in the beauty industry, I hear, are mostly gay."
"...I don't wear makeup. I don't like men either. I'm a pure, straight guy."
Zhou Jinxu put his hand to his forehead. "I've had countless girlfriends, and this is the first time someone has called me effeminate. You don't happen to like big, muscular men, do you?"
Jiang Nanfang said, "Whether a man has masculinity isn't about the size of his muscles, but about his overall demeanor."
She wanted to give him an example, and Zhan Beijue's face instantly flashed in her mind.
Pah, pah, pah. They were having a good conversation, why was she thinking of him?
Never mind, never mind.
Zhou Jinxu asked her what her plans were for the day. Jiang Nanfang saw a flower shop by the roadside: "I'm going to sweep a grave. Do you want to come along?"
He was quite excited: "Whose grave? Your family? You're already taking me to meet your family? That's great!"
They got out, each chose a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, and headed for Babao Mountain.
Babao Mountain was currently the largest cemetery in Nancheng, with the best hardware facilities and environment.
Twenty years ago, cemeteries were just like houses, simply places for people to reside.
In the last decade, with the rapid rise of the real estate industry and persistently high housing prices, cemeteries had also become high-priced properties where every inch of land was valuable.
Jiang Mu's grave plot was bought for 2,300 yuan. Who would have thought its value would multiply more than a hundredfold one day?
For the sake of money, Jiang Zhenjun was naturally willing to sell his investment.
Jiang Nanfang didn't expect him to act so quickly. Upon arriving at the cemetery and searching the familiar location, she couldn't find her mother's name.
Thinking she might have remembered incorrectly after not visiting for several years, she scanned three rows in all directions.
Still no results.
Her mother's grave had been dug up and sold. Her remains were nowhere to be found, likely moved by the heartless Jiang Zhenjun.
And yet, he had the audacity to shamelessly seek her out yesterday to talk about father-daughter affection?
The word "furious" couldn't describe Jiang Nanfang's feelings when she learned the truth.
She threw the flowers in her hand away. All she wanted now was for Jiang Zhenjun and his wife to be torn to pieces and buried with her mother!