Chapter 787: Chapter 786: Proactively Arrange a Meeting

Fu Man came this time with the hopes of her younger daughter.

No matter what, getting information about the sponsor from Lu Mian was the most convenient option.

But Lu Mian had no idea what she was talking about; indeed, while in the program crew’s resting room, she had vaguely heard something about a sponsor and various other messy statements.

She couldn’t be bothered with those, and certainly wouldn’t get involved in anything related to Lu Xinnuan.

“I don’t know them; you’ve got the wrong person.”

“How could you not know? Before they invest, they would certainly contact you!” Fu Man didn’t believe her, and moved a little closer to Lu Mian.

The woman tucked her loosely curled hair behind her ears with a suppressed annoyance, trying to persuade her patiently, “Mianmian, after all, they are keen on Nuannuan. I can understand your desire to monopolize resources. But Nuannuan is livelier than you and more thoughtful in speech and action; shouldn’t we strive to maximize this benefit?”

Although Fu Man didn’t say it explicitly, the implication was clear enough.

The insinuation was that Lu Mian was selfish for not sharing information about the sponsor with Lu Xinnuan. She also took the opportunity to put Lu Mian down, accusing her of not knowing how to speak or handle relationships.

Lu Mian stood up from the sofa. The pull of her clothing zipper accidentally caught a strand of Fu Man’s hair, and the sudden tug made Fu Man hiss in pain.

She held her scalp with a somewhat accusing look at Lu Mian.

Lu Mian’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Ms. Fu, if they are indeed interested in Lu Xinnuan, they will naturally take the initiative to approach you,” she chuckled, eyes gazing toward the direction of the security door, and said indifferently, “Please leave.”

“Mianmian…”

Fu Man wanted to argue further, but Lu Mian turned and went back to her room. It was quite a while before the sounds of the security door opening and closing could be heard from the living room.

Fu Man had left.

Lu Mian sat at her desk, her brows and eyes exuding coolness as she plucked a few strands of hair from the zipper of her clothes, selecting one with a follicle. She scrutinized it against the light coming from the window.

She dialed Xiao Qimo’s number.

“Director Qimo,” the girl said, pinching the hair strand between her fingers, her tone cold and calm, “could you arrange for someone to do another paternity test for me?”

Xiao Qimo, on the other end, said, “Wait a moment,” and came directly from the next room into Lu Mian’s room.

“Ms. Fu’s.” Lu Mian handed over the hair, contained in a self-sealing bag, to the man, “The last test was between my dad and me. This time… since the opportunity has arisen, let’s verify it once more.”

Xiao Qimo took the bag seriously, “She came to see you?”

“Yeah, she followed me back from school.”

Lu Mian was reluctant to say more, and thinking of the sponsor matter, she said frustratingly, “It seems someone has sponsored ‘Extreme Brain’ for me. Director Qimo, when you have the time, could you help me look into it as well?”

She had no idea who the sponsor was,nor was she interested; she left it all to Xiao Qimo to handle.

“…” The man’s brow and eyes deepened, someone had sponsored Lu Mian?

Did they think he, as her boyfriend, was dead?

The man felt a surge of crisis and his gaze became somber, “Don’t worry, I will get to the bottom of it.”

He needed to see who dared covet his wife (even if the marriage registration failed, she was still his wife)!

He came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

Lu Mian stared at his hastily retreating back and shook her head.

Actually, she wasn’t in a rush nor did she particularly care; it could be investigated slowly…

When Lu Mian closed the door and returned to her bedroom, her phone began to ring.

She glanced to see it was a call from Yuren.

“Handsome Yu,” the girl answered with a smile.

Yuren’s tone was as meticulous and straightforward as ever, “Mianmian, you’ve read over the acquisition contract I sent to your email last time, haven’t you?”

“The contract to acquire MM Ji Restaurant?”

“Yes, after I rejected them, the other side increased the acquisition fund by half. Mianmian, what do you think?”

“No sale.” She decisively refused without even hearing how much the acquisition fund was, “Who are the others?”

“It was professional investors who came to talk, but it’s unclear who truly wants to acquire us.”

“I understand, I’ll make time to visit the restaurant.”

—-

Fu Man came back empty-handed, and Lu Xinnuan was quite disappointed.

Just as the mother and daughter were preparing to look for other options, someone took the initiative to contact Fu Man.

“May I ask if you are Lu Mian’s mother?”

“…” Fu Man hesitated for a moment before responding softly, “Yes.”

The person introduced themselves and arranged a time and place to meet with Fu Man.

After hanging up the phone, Fu Man still felt somewhat baffled.

“Mom, who was it?”

“He said his name was Xiao Jianli, and that he works in painting and calligraphy…” Fu Man did not recall any relatives in their family being in that line of work.

“Master Xiao?” Lu Xinnuan exclaimed in shock, “Isn’t that the sponsor of ‘Extreme Brain’?”

Fu Man uttered a sound of realization.

“Mom, he came looking for me!” Lu Xinnuan hugged Fu Man’s arm in excitement, “We don’t have to worry, he took the initiative to come to us. What did he say on the phone?”

“Nothing… he said it didn’t seem formal to discuss over the phone, and wanted to meet in person to talk.”

Lu Xinnuan’s smile was so wide she could barely close her mouth, “It must be about the sponsorship, of course we need a face-to-face meeting… Mom, did Master Xiao mention anything about seeing me?”

“No.” After responding, Fu Man immediately reassured Lu Xinnuan, “Nuannuan, let me first see what they want. With me there, I will definitely help you secure this relationship.”

“Mom, thank you!” Lu Xinnuan was overjoyed. The other party’s initiative further convinced her that she was bound to become popular.

This time, she was truly going to turn her life around.

“By the way, Mom.” Lu Xinnuan still offered a word of caution, “Master Xiao has always had a wish, which is to find the person who saved him years ago. When you go to talk with Master Xiao, ask about this, and see if we can help in any way.”

“Nuannuan, you always think things through.”

—-

Xiao Qimo didn’t have to put in much effort to find out who the sponsor of “Extreme Brain” was.

He had thought it was some sleazy old man who was after Lu Mian, but he didn’t expect it to be their family grandfather.

Xiao Qimo had prepared a belly full of ink words, only to find the level of seniority pressing down on him.

“Grandpa, you have done what I was supposed to do, what are you leaving me to do?” Xiao Qimo was both upset and helpless. He really wanted Xiao Jianli to pull back the investment and let him take over!

Xiao Jianli gave him a dismissive glance, “I’m chasing my idol, what does it have to do with you?”

Xiao Qimo: … Alright, the old man has completely become a fan of Lu Mian.

“You’re dressed so formally today, are you going out?” Xiao Qimo noticed that he had also grabbed a top-tier Da Hong Pao tea.

“Mm, got something to do.” Xiao Jianli responded casually. After adjusting his suit and trousers in the mirror, he turned around, took the top-quality tea, and left.

“How absurd.”

Xiao Qimo didn’t pay any more attention to him and dove into his study to get busy with his own affairs.

He had temporarily taken on the role of IEG’s leader; there was a lot to handle. Plus, with no news from Yun Zhijuan for over a week, he had to be busy looking for him.

As for Dr. Hua’s side, he instructed Wa Zhiqi to continue the investigation.