Chapter 16: Damn! My brother has finally seen the light!

Jiang Lai's first reaction was to politely decline: "President Ke, thank you, but I can take a taxi."

"Get in." Ke Zhongyu's tone allowed no room for argument, and the car door slowly opened.

"Many thanks, President Ke." Jiang Lai bent down to get in, and as she neared Ke Zhongyu, she caught a whiff of alcohol.

He hadn't drunk little at the dinner table, yet he showed no signs of intoxication; his tolerance is quite high, Jiang Lai thought to herself.

The driver turned around and asked, "Secretary Jiang, where do you live?"

Jiang Lai gave the name of her residential complex, but remembering that Shen Xun and Lin Shutong had already left, she changed her mind: "Don't go there, just drop me off at the entrance of a nearby hotel."

Ke Zhongyu recalled that the first time he met her was at a hotel, with half her face still swollen.

"Did he hit you last time?"

Jiang Lai was stunned for a moment before she remembered, then nodded.

Ke Zhongyu sneered and cursed Shen Xun: "All show and no substance."

Jiang Lai lowered her eyes, remaining silent without refuting him. She didn't speak again until she noticed the car had passed several hotels without stopping, at which point she turned her head to look at Ke Zhongyu.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Ke Zhongyu wouldn't give a specific location, making Jiang Lai nervous. She sat up straight and silently took out her phone.

Ke Zhongyu noticed her movement, his gaze pausing: "What are you doing?"

"Preparing to call the police at any moment." Jiang Lai was very honest.

Ke Zhongyu: "..."

He didn't want to talk to her.

The car drove all the way to the University City and stopped near A Da. Jiang Lai was very familiar with this area; the rent for the apartment building in front of them was extremely, extremely, extremely expensive—she hadn't been able to afford to rent there back then.

"Brother!" A girl wearing pink pajamas and pink slippers ran over from the apartment entrance, the hood on her head sporting two ears.

The car window slowly rolled down.

"Hi! Beautiful sister!" Ke Zhongying greeted her with a smile and opened the door. "My brother messaged me saying you were coming to stay here; I was so excited!"

Jiang Lai looked at Ke Zhongying's excitement, then looked at the cold-looking man beside her.

"So President Ke was bringing me here."

"Ke Zhongying, take good care of her."

"Leave it to me, you can rest easy!" Ke Zhongying hooked her arm through Jiang Lai's and patted her chest in assurance.

"Mm." Ke Zhongyu glanced at Jiang Lai. "I'm leaving."

The car slowly pulled away.

Ke Zhongying hopped and skipped upstairs with Jiang Lai's arm in hers. After pushing the door open, she said, "Ta-da! Welcome to my home, beautiful sister. Make yourself at home, eat whatever you want, and sleep in whichever room you like! Of course, you can sleep with me too, hehe."

Ever since the "beautiful sister" played the hero and saved her, then pointed out the errors in her thesis data, she had absolutely worshipped her.

She had also been wondering why she didn't have a sweet, soft sister, but instead had a cold, sharp-tongued brother!

Jiang Lai wasn't quite used to her enthusiasm, but she didn't find it off-putting.

"Thank you, I can sleep anywhere."

"Then sleep in the room next to mine~" Ke Zhongying pushed open a door to a room decorated primarily in blue. "I think this color suits you; it's not too flashy or dazzling, but not too dull either. Beautiful sister should like it, right?"

"If you don't like it, there are two other styles of rooms you can choose from." Ke Zhongying opened them all up as if showing off her treasures.

Jiang Lai was stunned. "So versatile?"

Ke Zhongying scratched her head sheepishly. "I don't like things to stay the same, but I find it tiring to constantly change the layout of a single room, and it's a hassle when family visits, so I just decorated three styles I like and sleep in whichever one I feel like."

Jiang Lai nodded, thinking that Ke Zhongying also seemed like a child raised in indulgence, yet she lacked the arrogance of Shen Xi and was instead quite cute.

"Beautiful sister, this is the first time my brother has brought anyone here, let alone a girl." Ke Zhongying couldn't help but be a little gossipy. "How exactly did you and my brother meet?"

"We took the same elevator in a hotel. I forgot to swipe my card, and he reminded me." Jiang Lai had actually forgotten about it and only remembered when reminded.

Ke Zhongying, however, had a sudden realization: "It was you! You're the person Manager Yuan was talking about! Beautiful sister, my brother, my brother... Damn! My brother has finally seen the light!"

"What?" Jiang Lai was confused.

Ke Zhongying shook her head violently. "No, nothing. It's just that the hotel you stayed at that day belongs to our family. My brother specifically instructed the hotel manager to look after you, and then..."

And then Manager Yuan couldn't wait to report the matter to her parents. After all, her brother hadn't been close to women for years, and the family had been urging him to marry for two years with no results. Suddenly, he was looking after a woman—anyone would be curious.

Jiang Lai was surprised. So the warmth she felt from a stranger that day had actually come from Ke Zhongyu.

She was momentarily speechless.

"It's okay, it's okay, don't overthink it, really, don't overthink it. My brother, he's just..." Forget it, she couldn't make anything up, so she just gave up.

Ke Zhongying got her a new towel and toothbrush and said happily, "Get some rest early, beautiful sister~"

As soon as she closed the door, she immediately messaged her brother.

【Brother! Why did you send her to me when you had such a good opportunity? You're both adults; don't you know that spending time in close proximity helps feelings grow!】

Ke Zhongyu: 【If I didn't send her to you, how would you expect her to explain it to her family when she goes back tomorrow?】

Ke Zhongying: "Huh? Are beautiful sister's parents that strict?"

Just as she was about to type, the other side sent another message.

【Don't meddle, kid. It's not what you think.】

Ke Zhongying curled her lip and typed: 【Heh, stubborn man.】

Ke Zhongyu sent a voice message, warning: "Don't tell Mom and Dad about tonight."

Ke Zhongying pouted.

Ke Zhongyu sent another: "Otherwise, you're not coming to the technology industry networking reception."

Ke Zhongying performed another face-change, starting to call him "brother" repeatedly.

This industry networking reception was very important to her. The old man said that the invited guests would include students of Academician Cui—wasn't that the top tier of smart chip research?

She had to go see them! And ask for advice properly.

Jiang Lai had just fallen asleep when she received a call from her mentor's wife.

"Mentor's wife."

"I will come to pick you up tomorrow. Don't worry, with me here, Shen Xun won't refuse to let you come take care of me."

"Thank you, mentor's wife."

Jiang Lai couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat the moment she heard her mentor's wife's voice. There were still people in this world who loved her.

Dean Mom, her teacher, and her mentor's wife.

"Don't be afraid. Regardless of whether it was old Cui's entrustment, as long as I am here for a day, I can look after you for a day." Her mentor's wife's voice was always stern yet kind, making her feel very at ease.

"I have something else to tell you. There's a technology exhibition next week, and the invitation was sent to me. You don't have to go to the exhibition; you've already studied the things that will be on display long ago."

"You should go to the evening reception, though. It's full of talent in this field, mostly younger people. It doesn't hurt to meet more people. The project is almost over; you can't keep cooping yourself up in the research institute."

"The things you've researched are about to hit the market. The companies bidding are mostly the same ones. You can learn about them in advance to have a general idea; it counts as an extra reference dimension."

"Although you can't participate in the bid evaluation due to conflict-of-interest regulations, in the end, everyone will consider your opinion. After all, you are the person in charge."

Jiang Lai knew that her mentor's wife actually wanted her to meet new people so she could move on from this failed marriage.

"I understand, mentor's wife."