Chapter 775: Chapter 774: I Met a Vile Little Person

Pay money?

Lu Mian turned around, her cold gaze sweeping over the girl who was about her age.

The girl’s eyes were filled with confidence and determination. Lu Mian raised her eyebrow, devilishly.

Zhai Qingtong thought she was tempted and immediately said, “I’ve checked. You don’t have much of a network in the production crew, and someone like you simply won’t make it to the end. You might as well take some money and leave gracefully.”

Lu Mian toyed with her phone, her eyes slowly and leisurely beginning to speak, “Really, you want to buy rankings with money?”

“Of course!” Zhai Qingtong sought to use this program as a stepping stone into the entertainment industry.

Average performance just wouldn’t cut it. Only by becoming the brain king could she maximize her value.

Once in the entertainment circle, it would naturally be fitting to adopt the public image of a scholarly genius. She had already planned out her future path.

Lu Mian smiled lightly, her figure surrounded by the warm glow of the lights, exuding a gentle aura.

But the eyes of the young girl were incredibly cold.

“Then I’ll set a price,” she said indifferently.

“How much do you want?” Zhai Qingtong, feeling pressured by the other’s aura, swallowed.

Lu Mian slowly reached out her slender, fair index finger.

“One… one million?”

Lu Mian scoffed, “A billion.”

Zhai Qingtong seemed to be scared, and it took her a while to react before she stomped and cursed, “You might as well be robbing people! Have you never seen money before? Asking for a billion right off the bat, you must be insane!”

Lu Mian replied coolly, “I’ll give you a billion to expose yourself and the production team, how about that?”

“…”

Zhai Qingtong stared at the girl before her, dumbfounded.

Lu Mian was actually offering her money in return?

This person really must be sick!

“Lu Mian, I want to see how long you can keep that smile!” Zhai Qingtong yelled in frustration.

Lu Mian sneered, adjusted her hoodie, and walked away.

On the side of the road, Xiao Qimo had already pulled the car up.

Seeing Lu Mian carrying a black backpack, nonchalantly walking out, he had deliberately driven the car a little closer to her.

“Why are you coming out so late?” Xiao Qimo asked as he opened the passenger door for her.

Lu Mian settled in lazily, “Ran into an idiot on the way.”

Xiao Qimo frowned.

Had someone provoked the little troublemaker again?

“Who was it? I can help you…”

“A stranger. I can handle it myself,” Lu Mian said indifferently, showing no intention of relying on anyone else.

She buckled her seatbelt effortlessly, and Xiao Qimo’s hands also paused midway.

Heartfelt frustration. He felt utterly useless as a boyfriend…

“Did you come to the set today?” Lu Mian found out that Xiao Qimo had come only after the show ended.

“Yeah.” The man nodded, fastened his seatbelt obediently, and started the car, “It’s clearer to watch in person.”

“… and what about Grandpa Xiao? Is he alone at home?”

“He’s old and can’t stand the chaos.” It’s enough for him to watch the TV program at home, there’s no need for him to wander about needlessly.

Xiao Qimo muttered in his mind but patiently explained, “Grandpa really likes watching your program now. He’s ready in front of the television an hour ahead.”

“Ah…”

“He never used to watch programs like this. I think the plan to turn him into your fan is nearing success,” Xiao Qimo teased.

“Oh, okay.” Lu Mian reined in her subtle thoughts of dropping out of the competition.

The nighttime road had few cars, making the path clear and unobstructed.

Xiao Qimo was driving, feeling that the moment was most fitting for–crawling along.

He deliberately slowed down, and the two of them leisurely headed home.

Lu Mian, not sitting properly, sprawled in the passenger seat, playing a game.

From time to time, she told the man beside her that there was a part in the game where the program was too large and the gameplay slightly lagged, leading the two to discuss potential improvements.

That was until Xiao Qimo brought up Dr. Hua’s situation.

Lu Mian sat up straight, “You’re saying Dr. Hua was kidnapped? Have they found him?”

“We’ve been looking these past few days, but no leads. The other party is very shrewd; his face isn’t visible in the surveillance, and there’s no trace of where he went,” he said with some gravity.

Xiao Qimo continued, “Moreover, Dr. Hua himself was being watched by many, and currently, we can’t pinpoint who exactly kidnapped him.”

Lu Mian nodded, then turned her head to say, “I’ll look into it.”

Xiao Qimo wanted to remind her that he had already used his hacker identity to check extensively but hadn’t found any useful information. But watching Lu Mian swiftly unlock her phone, her usually serious face suddenly colored with annoyance.

He swallowed those words and instead asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Mian stared at the gray button on the IEG software, a sign that her access had been restricted.

She had intended to use IEG’s resource library to check on people related to Dr. Hua, but as she opened it, she remembered that her access had been banned for a month.

Now, she couldn’t look up anything!

And, Old Yun had instructed everyone not to help her.

With some annoyance, she put away her phone and kicked the car door with her long leg.

“I’ve encountered a sneaky little person,” she said.

A commander who climbed over her to get ahead.

Xiao Qimo, fiercely protective of his wife, immediately said, “I’m quite good at dealing with people like that.”

“No need,” Lu Mian shook her head.

What if such a wonderful man like Director Qimo was led astray by that other person?

—

Han Jin had been rushing between Jinjing, Tian City, and Wucheng lately, busy as a spinning top.

This time back in Wucheng, he accidentally heard that Dean Kang Hongbin of Qing University’s Physics Department actually came over and was secretly inquiring about the student who stood him up last year.

Han Jin felt both a headache and burning irritation, not expecting Kang Hongbin to take it seriously.

He had already explained that the matter was due to his poor handling.

After Lu Mian returned, he immediately began to help her with school enrollment. He figured that with Lu Mian’s capabilities, she could easily pick any of the top universities in the country, so he carefully chose Qing University’s Physics Department for her.

He had invested his reputation, called in many favors, and was just waiting for Lu Mian to take the entrance exam.

In the end, Lu Mian said she only wanted to attend high school.

And from the freshman year.

When he heard that initially, he really wanted to crack open Lu Mian’s head to see what exactly she was thinking.

She didn’t provide any reasons and simply chose Kunpeng High School.

With no way to persuade Lu Mian, he could only comply and handled all the necessary enrollment procedures for her.

And so, he completely offended the dean of the Physics Department.

After some thought, for the sake of Lu Mian’s long-term development, Han Jin decided to make a call to Kang Hongbin.

“Dean Kang, I heard you were in Wucheng, let me treat you to a meal!”

The other party was still angry, angry about Han Jin’s previous no-show, and angry about being decisively refused when he asked for Han Jin’s help a few days ago.

Therefore, Kang Hongbin’s tone was not very pleasant.

“What meal? A pigeon feast?”