Chapter 783: Chapter 782: Acting as the Leader Temporarily

Xiao Jianli hung up the phone with his daughter-in-law, and the video that had been playing on his smartphone resumed.

Mo Si approached curiously, “Old Master, why are you always watching this video?”

The elder held up his phone.

“This has Mianmian’s sister in it! And Mianmian’s parents too!”

Xiao Jianli was fond of Lu Mian by association. While searching online for videos of Lu Mian on “Extreme Brain,” he stumbled upon this video link.

It was only then that he learned who Mianmian’s family members were, which is why he mentioned to his daughter-in-law the idea of meeting Lu Mian’s family.

Mo Si’s expression was a bit odd as he hesitated before advising, “Old Master, it’s best to just watch these videos, don’t take them too seriously.”

“What’s wrong?”

The old man didn’t fully grasp the current state of the internet. He had never paid attention to it before and now simply believed whatever he saw.

“I can’t say for sure, you might want to ask Miss Lu yourself when you have a chance.” Mo Si took over the job from Mo Nie and had joined later, not having witnessed as much. He only knew that Lu Mian and her family weren’t on good terms.

Miss Lu definitely isn’t wrong, so the fault must lie with her family.

Xiao Jianli pondered thoughtfully and turned off the VCR featuring Lu Xinnuan.

“Right, Mo Si, did you take care of the thing I asked you to do?”

Mo Si turned with a smile, “It’s all taken care of!”

“Good. We can’t let our Mianmian be shortchanged in any way!”

Mo Si tapped his head: It seems the Old Master is slowly becoming Miss Lu’s avid fan…

—

Lu Xinnuan and her mother Fu Man took the opportunity of filming their hometown VCR to return to the Lu Mansion.

Upon this return, Fu Man’s primary realization was that the second branch of the family was treating the main branch very differently. Originally, the second branch was doing well, having inherited the Lu Family’s factory and business, while the main branch lived in dire straits.

But this time, her sister-in-law Pei Jinlan treated her with much more warmth. There was no longer the previous arrogant and disdainful attitude, only courteousness and thoughtfulness.

Fu Man’s heart, which had been aggrieved for years, gradually began to heal.

“Nuannuan really is a credit to us. She was so outstanding in her studies, and now she excels in singing too!” Pei Jinlan said.

Lu Xingtang nodded in praise, “That’s what happens when an excellent person excels at everything they do.”

Lu Xinnuan wore a subdued, refined makeup and her clothes had a strong sense of design. Compared to the ragged state in which she left Wucheng before, her face bore more maturity and composure, and her temperament had become more stable.

“Uncle, Aunt, I’ve brought you gifts.” She was still sweet-tongued and endearing.

“They were personally picked by Nuannuan to pay respects to you.” Fu Man looked at her daughter with satisfaction and relief.

After the setbacks her younger daughter had experienced, she now seemed completely transformed. As a mother, she truly felt happy.

Who can live a whole life without mistakes?

It’s good to be able to recognize and correct them.

Pei Jinlan was pleasantly surprised, “You child, why be so formal? You’re just coming home, there was no need to bring gifts!”

Fu Man smiled gently. Her demeanor now carried a bit more of a celebrity mother’s graceful and dignified air.

Nuannuan is poised to take on the entertainment industry, and her future prospects are bright.

Fu Man understood and appreciated the second branch’s change in attitude. After all, with a big star emerging from the Lu Family, whether for fame, money, or connections, the second branch would certainly want to curry favor with them.

In any case, it seemed that their main branch family had finally turned the tables.

As Pei Jinlan had the servants carefully put away the gifts, she said, “Nuannuan, you should stay for a few more days this time. Just stay in the main building, I’ve had the rooms cleaned.”

Lu Xinnuan smiled faintly, recalling that they used to be confined to the most remote small building. Now, they could stay in the main building.

“Thank you, Aunt.”

“You all settle in here comfortably, and as for Lu Mian, I’ve already spoken with her. She won’t do anything,”

When Lu Mian was mentioned, Fu Man and Lu Xinnuan looked at each other but remained silent.

Lu Xingtang shook his head, “Why mention her at all.”

The living room fell quiet for a while.

It was during this time that Lu Xinnuan’s phone rang.

“I’m going to take a call,” Lu Xinnuan stood up and retrieved her cellphone from her designer bag.

“Go ahead, Nuannuan is a busy person these days.”

Actually, Lu Xinnuan didn’t go far, she just moved to a corner of the living room to answer the call.

“Director, I’ve looked over the schedule, I can make it. Thank you so much!”

“My brother and sister are on your show, so it’s only right for me to be there to support them.”

“Okay, bye.”

After these brief exchanges, Lu Xinnuan returned to her seat.

“It’s the director from ‘Extreme Brain’,” she explained casually, her tone conveying a sense of being overwhelmed and hassled, “My cousin and sister are on it, and it wouldn’t look good if I didn’t show up.”

Pei Jinlan sighed, “Lu Mian is quite strange for joining the show too. Could it be she’s doing it on purpose because of Nuannuan?”

Lu Xinnuan looked down, gently shaking her head, “I don’t blame her.”

—-

Inside IEG, no one was able to contact the leader on the seventh day.

The organization had to activate an emergency contingency plan and select an interim leader between the first and second teams.

Xiao Qimo, naturally, wanted to vie for this opportunity. The interim leader would only be temporary and wouldn’t get an upgrade in authority. But it could serve as a stepping stone; once he secured the leader’s position in the future, everything else would be easy for him.

Only as a leader could he access Dr. Hua’s information and thus have the chance to find Lu Mian’s biological parents.

Given his nature, he was actually reluctant to be involved in these matters, but for the sake of Lu Mian, he had to compete.

Other commanders didn’t concern him much, but the commander of the second team was a bit tricky.

Xiao Qimo solemnly replied in the group chat: [If there are no objections, I can temporarily assume the position of leader.]

Most team members stated they had no objections; the first team was highly capable and had an extremely high mission success rate. They were also the most popular candidates for the next leader.

Having him as the interim leader was a consensus.

On her side, Lu Mian, who had gotten up early to see the message, ran her hands frustratingly through her hair. As she read the unanimous voices of agreement in the group, her eyes grew darker.

Old Man Yun’s words had come true; no one in the organization had voted for her.

She massaged her throbbing temples and nonchalantly posted a screenshot in the group.

It was a screenshot of Yun Zhijuan’s promise to give her the position of leader in the next term.

The group chat instantly went as quiet as a flock of silent chickens.

Even though everyone was meeting through phone screens, they couldn’t resist the suffocating feeling bearing down on them.

The third team hesitantly asserted: [This screenshot is genuine and effective, not Photoshopped.]

Everyone: …

So the second team’s commander was indeed a significant connection; even the leader had promised him this position!

What exactly was their relationship?!

Originally, no one was favorable toward the second team’s commander, but since he had recently completed an ultra-S-grade task, people’s opinions of him had somewhat improved.