A super-rich tycoon? No, just call me the gentlemanly gigolo.

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Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, and all you could hear was my mother's slightly rapid breathing.

After a while, she seemed to force herself to calm down, let out a soft hum, her tone softening, yet revealing a barely concealed tension and anticipation:

"Alright, you've got some nerve. Now tell me, where did the money come from? Give me a straight answer."

She knew perfectly well that although her son was sometimes a bit mischievous, he was not a bad person at heart and had a bottom line. He would never actually do anything like prostitution or illegal activities—that would completely ruin the family.

The barrage of questions and outrageous speculations just now were more like an emotional outburst, a stress response caused by excessive worry and the sudden sight of a large sum of money. This exaggerated approach was needed to calm down the turbulent emotions.

Hearing his mother's tone soften, Jiang Ye smiled and replied earnestly, "Mom, don't worry. This money wasn't stolen, robbed, or cheated, and it's definitely not from online loans. I earned it honestly myself."

He paused for a moment, then gave an explanation he had already prepared: "I recently researched some foreign funds, and luckily, I made a profit."

Xu Man on the other end of the phone pursed her lips and silently rolled her eyes.

Investing in funds?

Although she didn't understand, she knew the risks were extremely high. Her son had only graduated for a short time; where would he get the capital and vision?

But she did not press for further details.

Her son has grown up and has his own secrets and connections. As long as the money is clean and doesn't cause trouble, she can finally relax a lot.

She simply said softly, "Xiao Ye, you're an adult now. There are many things Mom doesn't understand, and I won't ask too many questions. But you need to have a sense of right and wrong, you need to know what's what. Our family has been poor, but we were poor with pride. If anything happens to you, then Mom..."

Hearing the worry and seriousness in his mother's tone, Jiang Ye's heart softened. He was about to make a promise when he heard his mother's voice continue softly from the other end:

"Then Mom will really have to let Dad down and consider finding a second partner to support you..."

Jiang Ye: "..."

He was completely bewildered, feeling that his mother's thoughts were always racing off course in ways he couldn't predict.

"Mom! Can you stop joking around? Be serious! Spend the money I give you without worry, don't save it for me. Your son will take care of you in the future. If you're unhappy or tired of that cleaning job, then quit."

Xu Man chuckled softly on the other end of the phone, secretly wiping away the tears that had unknowingly welled up in her eyes, but her words remained sharp:

"Hmph, I don't need you to support me! When your dad was pursuing me, he swore he would support me for life, and what happened? ... Cough, just spouting nonsense."

She skillfully brushed aside her sadness and instead asked, "You haven't been home for over ten days. Are you coming back tonight? Tell Mom what's going on."

Jiang Ye thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Although he missed her a little, it wasn't appropriate to go back now: "I've been quite busy lately, I'll go back after I'm done with this busy period."

He understands his mother well; she appears carefree on the surface, but is actually very thoughtful and sensitive.

If I go back now and she questions me, my explanation of the "fund" might not be enough to fool her. The more I say, the more mistakes I make.

I'll wait until I have more money, buy some decent clothes, and preferably get a car so I can go back in style.

After all, in the eyes of parents, if you earn 100,000, they might worry that you got it through illegitimate means; but if you can come up with a million or even more, they will mostly just think, "My son is really successful," and they won't ask too many questions about the details.

Xu Man chuckled on the other end of the phone, as if she had expected him to refuse, and didn't press him.

"Okay, Ono's all grown up now and has her own ideas. Then Mom can just wait to enjoy her retirement. But I still have to keep working, otherwise I'll just be sitting at home doing nothing. Besides, the other women I work with here are all easy to get along with; a day just flies by while we're chatting and laughing."

Jiang Ye knew his mother couldn't sit still, so he let her have her way: "Okay, Mom, whatever makes you happy. By the way, don't be stingy with that money. If you want to eat something nice, buy some clothes or cosmetics, just spend it. Just don't..."

Before he could finish speaking, a new message popped up on WeChat with a "ding".

It was a screenshot of a JD.com order sent by my mom, showing the successful payment page for a pair of women's sneakers priced at 1800 yuan.

Jiang Ye looked at the screenshot, clicked his tongue, and felt both amused and warm inside.

This is his mother, who never plays by the rules—she's showing her son through her actions: "Mom took the money and spent it. See, Mom didn't save any, so you don't need to worry about Mom shortchanging herself."

He genuinely believed that if someone could write a novel about Comrade Xu Man's vibrant, outspoken, delicate, and energetic personality, it would absolutely be a smash hit in the female-oriented fiction genre.

"Alright, Ono, I'm not talking to you anymore. It looks like the supervisor is coming this way. I'll get scolded if I keep talking. I'm hanging up now," Xu Man said hurriedly in a low voice.

Jiang Ye hummed in agreement and was about to hang up when he heard the other end quickly add:

"Uh, well... Ono, let me say one last thing... be careful... be safe when you're out alone... don't get caught when you're soliciting prostitutes... and don't call me if you do, I can't bear the shame!"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Jiang Ye stood there for several seconds, holding his phone, before sighing speechlessly and shaking his head with a wry smile.

He put his phone back in his pocket, started his electric scooter, and slowly rode towards home, braving the cold wind.