Chapter 123: Aren't You Already Divorced?

"You just want to look at the data yourself; as a project member you have that right. If they don't have stronger evidence that you're stealing data or intending to leak it to others, even a twenty‑four‑hour detention would let you go."

Gu Zhiyan stood up and reminded her: "You haven't obtained the data; whether you intend to leak it to others is a very subjective matter, and a subjective matter depends on the person involved."

It's like subjective questions and objective questions; objective questions have a standard answer, subjective ones do not.

Lin Shutong understood.

As long as she swears she only wants to look at the data and has no intention of leaking it, they can't do anything to her.

"Zhi Yan, what will you do next?"

"Meet Shen Xun and investigate Ke Zhongyu and Jiang Lai," Gu Zhiyan said, turning around.

Lin Shutong called after him: "Zhi Yan, my thing with A‑Xun… has nothing to do with A‑Xun; I did it willingly myself, so don't blame him."

Gu Zhiyan took a deep breath: "Shutong, don't always be so naive; this world doesn't have only Shen Xun as a man."

Lin Shutong's eyes glistened with tears: "Zhi Yan…"

She wanted to speak but stopped.

Gu Zhiyan nodded at her and left the police station.

He went to see Shen Xun immediately, while also sending an assistant to investigate the connection between Ke Zhongyu and Jiang Lai.

Speaking of leaks, Jiang Lai is also suspected of leaking to Ke Zhongyu, and the ultimate target is the Ke Clan.

……

Jiang Lai looked at Gu Zhiyan's name, searched it online, and a dedicated Baidu Baike entry popped up.

Jiang Lai stared at Gu Zhiyan's photo, and a strange feeling flickered in her mind, indescribable and inexplicable.

Ke Zhongying peeked over: "Eldest Son of the Gu Family?"

"Do you know him?" Jiang Lai looked at the leisurely, sun‑bathing Ke Zhongying.

"I've only heard of him, never seen him," Ke Zhongying said, pointing at the photo, "Gu Zhiyan looks a lot like his father; my mother was a child in the same courtyard as his father, so we grew up together, I guess."

"But later my grandparents moved away, Gu Zhiyan's father remarried and also left the courtyard; my mother said that when Gu Zhiyan was one year old, his father was dispatched to a southern province or city, I don't know exactly where."

"Later the Gu family experienced a major incident—my mother didn't go into details—but that incident affected Gu Zhiyan's mother's mental state; his father, out of love, abandoned his political career to go into business to care for his wife."

"Gu Zhiyan also has a younger sister, two years his junior, born on a heavy snow day, so she's named Gu Yinxue; if you search, you'll find her—a fairly famous photographer."

Jiang Lai, however, wasn't interested in looking up Gu Yinxue.

Ke Zhongying asked, puzzled: "You want to hire the Eldest Son of the Gu Family as a lawyer?"

Jiang Lai shook her head: "He's currently Lin Shutong's lawyer."

Ke Zhongying's eyes widened: "Lin Shutong can actually afford to hire him?"

Jiang Lai wasn't sure either.

But she vaguely felt that Lin Shutong would soon get out of trouble.

Shen Xun's favor toward Lin Shutong became a blade that cut into his own future; his long‑standing tight vigilance over Lin Shutong also seemed poised to become the key to Lin Shutong's escape.

Jiang Lai put down her phone and picked up an unread letter, its pencil handwriting crooked and wobbly.

Ke Zhongying saw it and said, "This looks like something a little kid who just learned to write would have done, right?"

"No, they're already in their early teens," Jiang Lai explained, "In this era, feeding a child a meal is easy, but most children in the welfare institute now have congenital defects."

The welfare institute used to have mostly girls; now it mostly houses children with congenital defects.

Twenty‑eight years ago, she was taken in by the dean's mother, simply because she was a girl.

Ke Zhongying noticed she was recalling something sad, immediately changed the subject and talked about something else.

"Sister Jiang Lai, you're so capable; when you have time, could you take a look at the main‑control crystal core of my bionic robot for me?"

"Didn't Ke say you were going to join the Research and Development Center of Lan Chuang? We've already signed a contract with the Ke Clan."

"That's a military‑grade bionic robot with scouting capabilities; I also want to make a small companion robot, smarter than those on the market." Ke Zhongying isn't making it to accompany family; she simply likes it and wants to build it.

She and her brother are indeed very busy and rarely go home to see their parents, but her father won't let Ms. Nian feel lonely or bored; ever since he handed the Ke Clan over to his son, the brain that once orchestrated business strategies is now used to devise ways to keep his wife happy.

Sometimes she feels that she and her brother are quite redundant.

Her parents fully embody the saying: parents are true love, children are accidents.

Jiang Lai agreed to Ke Zhongying: "When I have time, I'll go take a look for you; robots require various crystal cores, and I'm not proficient with every type."

"Thank you, Sister Jiang Lai!" Ke Zhongying gave her a solid bear hug again, "I declare that my brother is totally unworthy of you!"

Jiang Lai: "?"

"It's nothing, nothing, hehe," Ke Zhongying giggled foolishly.

With Ke Zhongying by her side, Jiang Lai spent the afternoon chatting and laughing.

After dealing with the Fu Family shareholders, Shen Xun also had to handle the executives of Star Universe Technology, spending the whole day amid everyone's back‑and‑forth remarks.

The executives of Star Universe Technology were relatively restrained, not daring to shout right in front of him.

Yet he still felt as if all his vital energy had been drained.

When Shen Xun had a moment to sit on a chair and rest, doing nothing, it was already 5:30 p. m.

Qiao Chuan brought a glass of water.

"President Shen, Miss Lin has already emerged, but the investigation is still ongoing."

"Where's the lawyer you found for her?" Shen Xun pinched his nose bridge, took a sip of hot water, and felt a little more energized.

Qiao Chuan: "Miss Lin found a lawyer herself—Gu Zhiyan. Lawyer Gu is downstairs right now, wanting to see you."

Shen Xun had heard of Gu Zhiyan's name; his law firm only serves financial institutions and multinational corporations, so how could Shutong think to hire him? The business doesn't match.

"Lawyer Gu wants to see me?"

"Whether Miss Lin constitutes a data leak hinges on President Shen."

Shen Xun, having worried from the start that Lin Shutong might get into trouble for leaking, nodded: "Let him come up."

Qiao Chuan went to call the front desk.

The front desk staff held the card and said to Gu Zhiyan, "Mr. Gu, this way please."

Swiped the card to go up the elevator.

Gu Zhiyan nodded slightly at the front desk, took out his phone in the elevator, and just as the elevator was descending, the assistant's message popped up.

【Lawyer Gu, Shen Xun and Jiang Lai had already dissolved their marriage the previous week.】

Gu Zhiyan's steps hesitated slightly.

Shen Xun actually had the guts to divorce for Shutong's sake.

According to the timeline, when Shen Xun and Jiang Lai divorced, they still did not know Jiang Lai's identity.

"Lawyer Gu, this way please." Qiao Chuan appeared, leading Gu Zhiyan into the president's office.

The two men attached to Lin Shutong met.

"Gu Zhiyan."

"Shen Xun."

The two gave their names and shook hands briefly.

Gu Zhiyan got straight to the point: "President Shen, I'm here for just one thing—I want to confirm whether Shutong ever mentioned the project data to you."

Shen Xun looked at Gu Zhiyan, pondering whether he was trustworthy.

Gu Zhiyan noticed.

"President Shen can trust me completely; Shutong once helped me a great deal, and she trusts me."

Upon hearing that, Shen Xun frowned slightly and replied frankly, "She did mention it, but I didn't let her continue."

"Did she mention it, President Shen?" Gu Zhiyan's eyes flashed like torches.

Shen Xun realized: "No."

Gu Zhiyan: "Please remember what I just said, President Shen—Shutong never mentioned a single word related to the project to you."

Shutong really found a formidable character. Shen Xun thought.

The two continued sitting and chatting, during which Shen Xun glanced at his watch several times.

Gu Zhiyan paused the conversation and asked, "President Shen, do you have an urgent matter?"

"Yeah, I'm in a hurry to find someone."

"Shutong?"

"No." Shen Xun pressed his lips, "My wife, Jiang Lai."

Gu Zhiyan showed surprise: "Aren't you already divorced?"