Chapter 9: Is the Young Mistress a Mathematical Genius?

"Shit smell?" Jiang Man lifted her arm and took a sniff.

"Mr. Lu really has a nose like a dog. I just had a serving of stinky tofu at the night market, slurped up a bowl of snail noodle soup, and even ate half a grilled durian. If you find me smelly, then I'll just get out of the car."

As she spoke, she made a motion as if to push the car door open.

Lu Xingzhou's face turned from green to white, utterly incredulous, "Are you calling me a dog?"

Zhao Huai, who was in the front seat, was startled by the tension in the car, sensing an atmosphere as if a fight could break out at any moment.

"Mr. Lu, don't take it personally; I didn't say that," Jiang Man shrugged.

It was Lu Xingzhou who had been impolite first, saying she smelled like shit.

Her body was clearly emanating a mixed fragrance of delicious foods!

Seeing that she was seriously about to leave the car, Lu Xingzhou pinched the bridge of his nose and gave in helplessly, "Sit down properly, don't get out."

Grandmother had many informants; if she found out he had treated Jiang Man poorly, he would inevitably be scolded later.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man shrugged, crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back into the couch-like seat.

For some reason, Xingzhou's mind suddenly flashed with the image of the "bad girl" Song Xiao had mentioned.

He actually thought that girl was nothing compared to Jiang Man; she was practically a model youth.

Jiang Man, on the other hand, was the real bad girl!

"Eat less of those junk foods; they're not good for your health," Lu Xingzhou lowered the car window beside him, letting a breeze in to relieve the odd smell from his nose.

"If you really like eating those stinky things, instruct the butler, and have the chef make them for you."

"Huh?" Jiang Man, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened her eyes in surprise.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Lu Xingzhou holding a handkerchief, covering his nose with it.

In this day and age, it was indeed a rarity for a man to carry a handkerchief.

"Thank you," Jiang Man was not unreasonable.

She could hear the goodwill in Lu Xingzhou's words.

"But we're just pretending, and I have no right to demand your staff to do this or that for me."

This time, it was Lu Xingzhou's turn to be surprised.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Man and, from her haughty face, saw nothing but sincerity.

Yet, he soon smirked.

A girl who had been abandoned since childhood and who had been without a household registration, yet had managed to grow up safe and healthy.

Who would believe she was naive?

Lu Xingzhou had always been certain about his initial thought that this girl was no simpleton and that there was a purpose behind their flash marriage.

As for her real motive, it was nothing more than for money, to lead a luxurious life.

He scoffed, "Since we are legally husband and wife, you are Mrs. Lu of the Lu Family, the mistress of Rong Mansion. For this year, you can exercise the rights of a mistress however you like, do you hear me?"

Jiang Man blinked, staring at the man in astonishment.

Seeing him express himself so righteously, she curved her lips slightly, "Okay, as you say, thanks."

She was very polite, and what she said the most was 'thanks'.

Silence suddenly fell inside the car.

Both of them had strong personalities and being forcibly paired together, it was natural that they didn't see eye to eye, making for quite an awkward coexistence.

By the time they returned to Rong Mansion No. 8, it was already close to 10 p.m.

Jiang Man stretched languidly and got out of the car.

Just as she was walking towards the courtyard, her attention was caught by a high school boy under the light of the street lamp by the door.

The boy looked at her curiously before quickly heading over to the Maybach.

"Xingzhou brother, help me with these math problems."

Lu Xingzhou got out of the car and casually looped his arm around the boy's neck, "You little stinker, bringing me those International Math Olympiad questions again?"

"Heh heh heh." The boy laughed smugly, "I'm just asking humbly for guidance."

"A genius with an IQ of 130 constantly seeking guidance from me? You just want to stump me."

"…But you haven't been stumped by me, have you?" the boy muttered, following Lu Xingzhou's footsteps and glancing at Jiang Man, "Who's that haughty sister?"

She looks grumpy and seems tough to deal with.

"She's my brother's wife," Lu Xingzhou didn't shy away, and introduced her, "Jiang Man, this is the neighbor's kid, named Kangkang. He's in the ninth grade this year."

"Hello." Jiang Man waved her hand.

Kangkang's eyes widened in disbelief.

Ever since he could remember, Brother Xingzhou had always been single.

He had always thought that his brother would be a bachelor for life.

Jiang Man didn't disturb Lu Xingzhou while he was tutoring the child.

After entering the villa, she found the housekeeper and asked him to take her to the guest room.

In the living room, Lu Xingzhou looked at the math problem Kangkang had handed him, his brows deeply furrowed.

Kangkang was in no hurry, sitting on the sofa, eating fruit to his heart's content.

After taking a bath, Jiang Man felt somewhat thirsty and came out intending to pour herself a glass of water.

Passing the living room, she found Kangkang propping up his head, dozing off.

Meanwhile, Lu Xingzhou wrote furiously, at his wit's end.

Jiang Man glanced at the wall clock and grew curious.

Just how difficult was the problem that Lu Xingzhou had been working on it for over half an hour?

"Brother, why not let 'that proud sister' give it a try? She seems pretty smart," Kangkang suggested on a whim, whispering in Lu Xingzhou's ear.

Lu Xingzhou didn't even lift his head, and said indifferently, "You're mistaken, she's not smart."

"How come? She seems so proud..." Kangkang lifted his eyelids, only to meet Jiang Man's sharp gaze.

Her eyes were bright, carrying a trace of murderous intent.

Jiang Man heard it, Lu Xingzhou, this guy, actually said she wasn't smart?

She strode over to them, blocking their view.

A shadow cast over them, forming a circle, cold and dark.

"What's the problem? Let me see," Jiang Man asked in a low, cold voice as she looked down.

It was then that Lu Xingzhou finally looked up: "Math Olympiad problem."

He knew that Jiang Man was uneducated, having only completed three years of elementary school. She probably couldn't even solve an equation, he reckoned.

"I will do it," Jiang Man declared, her tone allowing no objection as she snatched away the problem book.

After a glance at the problem, she snorted, "Five minutes, and I'll have it solved."

Hearing her claim to solve it in five minutes, Kangkang's eyes bulged, his mouth wide open enough to fit an egg.

This problem was the world's recognized most difficult Math Olympiad problem.

He brought this problem over specifically to challenge Lu Xingzhou.

The reason was because his family was always putting pressure on him, telling him to grow up to be like Lu Xingzhou.

They said that Lu Xingzhou was a genius, with an intelligence way above the first-rate, a model for his generation.

He had previously brought many tricky problems to stump Lu Xingzhou, but Lu Xingzhou had solved them all.

So this time he brought out the trump card.

"Sister, don't boast... Even the most incredible mathematicians in the world took ten minutes to solve this problem..."

"Let her solve it," Lu Xingzhou didn't stop her.

He felt that Jiang Man was still young, at an age where she was competitive and liked to join in the fun.

He thought she should struggle a bit; after hitting a wall, she would know to back off.

"I was just joking earlier," Kangkang whispered into Lu Xingzhou's ear, "I never really thought about letting her solve the problem."

"It's fine," Lu Xingzhou put down his pen, grateful for the brief respite.

He instructed the butler to make coffee, planning to continue the battle after Jiang Man admitted defeat.

Jiang Man wasn't influenced by them at all. She picked up a pen, twirled it between her fingers for a while, then started to write feverishly on the paper.

From where Lu Xingzhou and Kangkang were sitting, the characters Jiang Man wrote looked like illegible scribbles...