Chapter 205: Hint

When Jiang Lai received this call, the blood in her entire body froze; she had ultimately underestimated Shen Xun's hypocrisy, underestimated the baseness of human nature.

Shen Xun turned out to wield a gentle blade.

A gentle blade—every stroke draws no blood.

"Shen Xun, what are you trying to do!" She was outside the laboratory, with people passing by frequently, so she could only grit her teeth and lower her voice to demand answers.

"I don't want to do anything, I just want to talk with you. Can we talk?" Shen Xun's tone was very gentle, even pleading.

"Jiang Lai, I received your lawyer's letter, delivered six days ago in a very tactful manner. Did Ke Zhongyu teach you that?"

"I told you, he's very cunning. Getting too close to him won't end well—"

"Shen Xun, you're the most cunning one now." Jiang Lai hung up the phone, her anger like scalding magma, churning ceaselessly beneath a seemingly calm exterior, impossible to extinguish even in the cold weather.

She held back again and again, took a deep breath, and the next second Shen Xun's text message arrived.

【See you tomorrow at ten in the morning, Jiang Lai】

【Ping'an now goes by the surname Zhang. He's living with his uncle's family and isn't doing well, nor is he going to school, but I've already arranged for him to start school. We can talk about the details tomorrow.】

A seemingly harmless passage concealed hidden intent.

Shen Xun had sent Ping'an to school, so it couldn't be framed as "house arrest" or "kidnapping"—the police wouldn't intervene.

Which school exactly? Only Shen Xun knew. If Jiang Lai wanted to know, she had to meet him. If she didn't go, what else would Shen Xun do to Ping'an? Everything was unknown.

Shen Xun was betting on Jiang Lai's feelings for Ping'an.

Over the years, only Jiang Lai returned to Fuli Yuan every year, going back year after year, while others who had left Fuli Yuan only visited occasionally, so the children were all very close to Jiang Lai.

Ping'an wasn't the one closest to Jiang Lai, nor the one she worried about the most.

But when Jiang Lai left her contact information for Ping'an, when Jiang Lai refused to change her phone number even while constantly receiving harassing texts, that concern became a tangible telephone line.

One end of the line was with Ping'an, the other with Jiang Lai.

The slightest movement from Ping'an would one hundred percent pull her in.

Jiang Lai had an extraordinary sympathy for her own kind.

Shen Xun knew this well.

And this point, including everything about Fuli Yuan, was what Jiang Lai had exposed to Shen Xun herself.

When she first met Shen Xun, Jiang Lai didn't say much about herself, until later when they became husband and wife—husband and wife should understand each other—so she let Shen Xun walk thoroughly into her life.

She also thought she had walked into Shen Xun's life, but in the end it was not only a deception; because of this deception, her past was held in Shen Xun's grip, used to threaten her.

From childhood to adulthood, Jiang Lai had always striven hard. She was no genius, and she knew that ninety-nine percent of sweat couldn't beat one percent of talent, but she simply refused to accept fate, and that was how she walked from a small town into a big city.

She had never failed in her studies or career, but took a huge fall when it came to relationships.

Jiang Lai was somewhat angry at herself.

But being angry at herself was useless; the base and cunning person was Shen Xun.

Jiang Lai called Dean Mom to ask about Ping'an.

Dean Tang said, "Without proper procedures and documentation, I can't tell you—no exceptions for anyone. But... you could come back a bit earlier, right?"

Jiang Lai understood Dean Mom's hint.

Even if she went back now, it would be too late—Shen Xun wanted to see her tomorrow at ten in the morning.

Jiang Lai didn't want Dean Mom to worry, so she softened her tone and said, "I'll come back for the New Year this year."

Dean Tang was surprised: "Coming back for the New Year, or just visiting to pay New Year's greetings like before?"

Staying for the New Year and paying New Year's greetings were two different things.

Jiang Lai: "For the New Year. Just me."

Dean Tang paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll get the room ready for you in advance. Let me know when you've bought your ticket, and I'll come pick you up."

"Okay." Jiang Lai called out to Dean Mom, her voice sounding somewhat weary. "Take good care of yourself. I need to get back to work."

After talking with Dean Mom for a while, Jiang Lai's mood settled somewhat.

She turned and went back into the laboratory, and told everyone in the internal group chat that she wouldn't be coming in tomorrow, and to email her with any questions.

The next morning at nine o'clock.

Jiang Lai got dressed and was about to head out when Mo Yi once again brought her a scarf, personally wrapping it around her, and then took out that black umbrella, reminding her: "It really might snow these next couple of days, so bring it. Even if it doesn't snow, it can block the wind if it gets too strong, otherwise your face will freeze stiff."

"Thank you, Mo Yi."

"Go on, Miss Jiang." Mo Yi watched Jiang Lai leave, and as always patted Dade and Xiaomu on the head before she got into the Young Master's car.

But the Young Master wasn't there.

The Young Master had been gone for a week now, and still hadn't come back.

Their schedules in the two places never aligned to begin with; every time the Young Master called, Miss Jiang was already asleep.

Miss Jiang had been very busy lately too, leaving early and returning late, pouring all her energy into the project, even handing over the entire renovation of the house at Number Ten Courtyard on Yanping Road to her.

Of course, Miss Jiang went along too—after all, only Miss Jiang's car was registered and could come and go without hindrance.

Busy—both of them were busy.

In the domineering-CEO novels Mo Yi listened to every day, it was rare for both the male and female leads to be swamped with work. Both being busy building their careers was one thing, but being separated in two different places with a time difference on top of it—

You're working, I'm resting.

I'm working, you're resting.

The Young Master did call every day to ask about Miss Jiang's situation—what she ate, what time she went out, what time she slept—and she relayed it to Miss Jiang. Miss Jiang said she replied to the Young Master's messages, and then... nothing.

Mo Yi was worried sick.

She sent a message to the Young Master.

【Young Master, when will you be back? Miss Jiang wasn't very happy when she came home last night, and wasn't very happy when she went out this morning either】

In truth, Miss Jiang rarely showed her emotions, and most people couldn't tell. But who was Mo Yi? She had been the nanny for two successive heads of the Ke Clan, and her ability to read people's expressions had been honed to perfection.

She quickly noticed the unease Jiang Lai hid in her heart, and even probed indirectly, but Miss Jiang didn't tell her. She didn't know whether it was about work or personal matters—if it was work, telling her wouldn't help anyway, but telling the Young Master would!

The Young Master quickly replied to her.

"Wrapping up, will be back soon."

Mo Yi: "Why are you sending this to me! Send it to Miss Jiang!"

When Jiang Lai received the news that Ke Zhongyu was returning to the country immediately, she had just gotten out of the car.

The weather was as gloomy as a water-soaked rag—not a howling wind, yet piercingly cold, blowing against her face with a dull ache, and the white breath she exhaled lingered in the air for quite a while before dispersing.

The birch leaves at the entrance of the milk tea shop had all fallen, leaving bare, gaunt branches jutting diagonally into the sky.

This was the place where Shen Xun had proposed to her.

That day she had been upset over the suspension of the Self-developed Chip Project, fished a few bills from her wallet, bought a cup of hot milk tea here, and sat holding it by the second-floor windowsill, biting the straw and staring blankly.

Shen Xun had called her, appeared before her half an hour later, sat quietly with her for a good while, listened as she briefly recounted losing her job, then Shen Xun held her and whispered against her ear that it was okay.

Before long, he proposed to her.

"Jiang Lai, will you marry me? I'll give you a home."