Terrified, the woman fell silent.
After scolding his wife, the man handed the phone back to Ma Lan with a fawning smile, saying respectfully, “Ms. Ma, no, Aunt Ma, my apologies. We didn’t recognise your stature. Please don’t take offence!”
With a net worth of just a few tens of millions, his Bentley was second-hand and didn’t cost much. To ordinary people, he was certainly wealthy, so he liked to show off occasionally. But he knew full well that compared to someone who could spend over a million chartering a private plane to the US, his wealth was nothing.
Ma Lan hadn’t expected this guy, who was so arrogant outside the airport, to crumble after seeing a single video on her social media. A victorious smile spread across her face.
At the same time, she sighed inwardly, “Posting on social media to show off never hurts. Didn’t it come in handy today?”
With that thought, she snorted and said to the man, “Young man, let me tell you, when you’re out in the world, don’t always think you’re the biggest deal. There’s always a bigger mountain, a greater person. My husband, after all, is a leader in the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so we can’t be too flashy. If I were going to the Maldives alone, I’d definitely take the Gulfstream G650. You think I enjoy sitting in first class with people like you?”
The man’s confidence was thoroughly crushed by Ma Lan. He hurriedly apologised, “Yes, yes, Aunt Ma, you’re absolutely right. We’ll keep a lower profile from now on!”
Ma Lan nodded in satisfaction, saying lightly, “I’ll let it slide this time. Be more mindful in the future.”
With that, she raised her chin and strutted back to her family.
Xiao Changkun was stunned. When Ma Lan returned, he whispered, “Honey, when did you fly to the US on a private jet? How come I didn’t know?”
Xiao Churan was equally astonished.
She knew her mother had been to the US once, when she was attending a master’s programme in Providence, and her mum said she missed her and visited.
But her mother never mentioned travelling by private jet.
And how could she possibly afford one?
Xiao Churan couldn’t help but ask, “Yeah, Mum, how come I never heard about you flying on a private jet? Where did you get one?”
Ma Lan, a bit uneasy, mumbled awkwardly, “Didn’t I used to shop at Harbour City? There was this jewellery store holding a promotional raffle. The first prize was worth 1.2 million, and I won it. Guess what? Instead of giving me 1.2 million in cash, they offered a private jet trip to the US worth 1.2 million. If I didn’t take it, it’d be wasted, and it couldn’t be cashed out. So, since you guys were in the US, I thought I’d pop over to see you.”
Xiao Changkun was both shocked and delighted, “Good grief, honey, you had that kind of luck? That’s incredible! And you said you showed that guy your social media post. Did you post about it? How didn’t I know?”
Ma Lan coughed twice, reminding him, “Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear.”
Then she added, “I posted it but blocked all of you from seeing it. Didn’t want you to know. Low-key, got it?”
Xiao Changkun was puzzled, “Blocking your own family counts as low-key?”
Xiao Churan, meanwhile, was deeply suspicious. What kind of jewellery store would offer such an absurd raffle and prize? Something wasn’t right!
Then she thought of Ye Chen beside her, and suddenly it all made sense.
If Ye Chen had orchestrated this behind the scenes, it wouldn’t be surprising at all…
