Chapter 18

A large flat—Shen Xun had first bought one for his parents, and he had already picked one out for his sister, Shen Xi, as a dowry; now, he was going to buy one for Lin Shutong.

The only one he hadn't bought one for was her, the wife who had accompanied him for four years.

Jiang Lai revealed a miserable smile and returned home; the living room was still relatively tidy.

It was just a three-bedroom apartment; her and Shen Xun's walk-in closet was in the master bedroom. As soon as she pushed the door open, she smelled a strange odor, like photinia flowers.

The residential complex didn't plant photinia flowers.

Jiang Lai pushed open the window, and the moment she turned back, she noticed a piece of black silk peeking out from under the bed.

She bent down to pick it up.

It was a black lace thong with pitifully little fabric.

She didn't own such things.

There was nothing like that in the entire house.

Jiang Lai realized something; she ripped off the quilt, the sheets were wrinkled, clearly having gone through a great battle, and there were things left behind after the battle...

She was afraid that if she said it out loud, it wouldn't pass censorship.

Shen Xun and Lin Shutong had clearly slept together.

And it was in her bed.

"Ugh..." Jiang Lai's stomach churned; she rushed to the bathroom. Because she hadn't eaten anything that morning, she only vomited up waves of acid.

Disgusting.

Too disgusting.

She vomited until her stomach spasmed, the corners of her eyes turning red.

After a quick rinse, she hurried out of the house and went to the Ke Clan, sitting at her workstation early. She had just taken half a cup of water when the thought of what had happened on that bed at home made her want to vomit again.

Jiang Lai covered her mouth and went out, once again leaning over the sink and vomiting non-stop; the water she had just drunk was all vomited out.

The sound of vomiting continued to echo.

Ke Zhongyu, who always arrived at the office an hour early, heard it and tilted his head slightly to look.

Jiang Lai was still wearing yesterday's clothes, her thin back bent like a snapped bamboo stalk.

He turned and walked over.

Jiang Lai was looking up; her face in the mirror was pale, her eyes red.

Ke Zhongyu was looking at her with a frown.

She turned around quickly and wiped her mouth with a tissue: "President Ke."

"Ke Zhongying said you went back to change clothes." Ke Zhongyu looked her up and down; she hadn't changed, but he didn't say it directly.

Jiang Lai explained: "I didn't have time."

"Was it that you didn't have time to change, or that you didn't have time to avoid seeing something unbearable?"

Ke Zhongyu had seen with his own eyes last night that a woman had come to pick up Shen Xun, and Jiang Lai had just watched from afar, looking like an incompetent wife.

Jiang Lai remained silent.

"It seems I guessed right." Ke Zhongyu sneered softly, "Handle your own family affairs; don't bring them to the company."

Jiang Lai remained silent.

"Mute," Ke Zhongyu cursed.

After work hours began, a breakfast appeared in front of Jiang Lai; she turned back.

"Special Assistant Zhou?"

"I bought an extra one. I saw you didn't seem to have eaten, so I'm giving it to you." Special Assistant Zhou always maintained a calm smile, though he was muttering non-stop in his heart.

President Ke was actually learning to show concern for his subordinates.

It was just hard to tell if he was showing concern for the subordinate, or for his own selfish motives.

"There's also stomach medicine. You went to the drinking party with President Ke last night, so you must have drunk alcohol. If your stomach feels uncomfortable, remember to take one."

Jiang Lai looked at the steaming shrimp wontons on the table and the bottle of stomach medicine, saying sincerely: "Thank you, Special Assistant Zhou."

"Don't mention it."

If she wanted to thank someone, she should thank President Ke; he was just the errand boy.

Jiang Lai sat back at her desk; two female colleagues also arrived, one surnamed Cen, the other surnamed Guan.

Secretary Cen asked with concern: "How was it accompanying President Ke to the drinking party last night? You didn't drink too much, did you? I brought you some honey water."

A jar of honey was placed in front of her.

Jiang Lai rarely interacted with people. In the orphanage, she was the one who spoke the least, and only Dean Mom talked to her. After starting school, she only knew how to bury her head in her studies, just to have the finances to give herself a home.

After getting married, her life was a straight line between three points: the laboratory, the home she shared with Shen Xun, and her in-laws' home.

Facing the colleagues' friendliness, she could only say: "Thank you."

"It's me who should thank you for taking my place at the drinking party yesterday; otherwise, I'd be drinking during my period, which would be terrible." Secretary Cen went to get hot water and brewed a cup for her.

Jiang Lai held the honey water and took a sip, "I didn't drink last night."

"Really?" Secretary Cen looked at her with disbelief and whispered in her ear, "Do you know what others call us? President Ke's Diplomatic Team. Our abilities don't need to be that strong; first, we have to look good, be able to talk, and be able to drink."

"Before, it was just me and Xiao Guan. Xiao Guan is the sweet type, and me, I'm considered the glamorous enchantress type. With you added, we're complete."

"But President Ke has one thing other bosses can't compare to: every time he takes us out, he personally brings us back." Secretary Cen took out a mirror to apply lipstick, smiling at herself in the mirror, "As for you saying you didn't drink, that's completely impossible. Drinking is the most basic thing at a drinking party."

Jiang Lai really hadn't drunk last night, and she had even eaten the dishes she liked.

She continued to drink the honey water and eat the wontons.

The work of a secretary was not difficult for Jiang Lai; she had always been good at organizing data, and making coffee was a breeze. She had taken care of Shen Xun's every need for so many years.

The work, which wasn't busy or mentally taxing, still made her intermittently think of Shen Xun and that other woman rolling in the sheets, and she still felt nauseous.

Secretary Guan looked at her with wide eyes: "Secretary Jiang, you aren't pregnant, are you?"

Ke Zhongyu, whose office door was open, heard this and slowly looked up.

He had never considered this possibility.

Jiang Lai resigned because she was pregnant?

However, Jiang Lai shook her head: "No."

"You've vomited several times all morning; do you want to go to the hospital to check?" Secretary Cen frowned, "If you feel it's not good to ask President Ke for leave since you just started, I'll go for you."

"It's fine, I just thought of something disgusting." Jiang Lai had just finished speaking when she saw Secretary Cen receive a message and enter President Ke's office.

When she came out, she was holding a card.

"Paid leave this afternoon, let's go shopping!" Secretary Cen curled her red lips, "President Ke wants us to buy some expensive outfits to attend next week's technology exhibition and industry exchange party."

Secretary Guan's eyes lit up; she took the card from her hand and kissed it: "Another treasure for my wardrobe."

Jiang Lai: "Do I have to go too?"

"Of course! This is hosted by the Ke Clan; the three of us are President Ke's face!" The two grabbed Jiang Lai by each arm and took her out.

President Ke's driver even personally drove them to the mall.

Jiang Lai knew this mall; one wouldn't dare enter easily without hundreds of thousands on them.

Before, when she and Shen Xun passed by, Shen Xun said: "When I get promoted, I'll bring you here to buy clothes."

Later, Shen Xun got a promotion and a raise, becoming President Shen of Star Universe Technology, and was so busy he threw this matter to the back of his mind.

Thinking carefully, not a single thing Shen Xun had said to her had ever been realized.

They took Jiang Lai straight to the second floor, and Secretary Guan accidentally bumped into someone.

"Please be careful, you bumped into someone."

As soon as the man's voice came out, Jiang Lai froze in place.

It was Shen Xun.

She had listened to that voice for four years; she couldn't be wrong.

"It's okay, A-Xun, I told you to be a little more polite to girls."

There was also Lin Shutong's voice.

Secretary Guan apologized quickly, recognizing the person in front of her: "President Shen?"

Shen Xun had an impression of Ke Zhongyu's "Diplomatic Team" and was smiling faintly as he said: "Hello..."

Before he could finish the second word, he saw Jiang Lai, who had turned around.