Chapter 216: Chicken

Time was still early, so the driver first took Lin Shutong to Nanshan Villa, because Shen Xi had previously brought her in and registered her, and also said they were going to No. 11 Shen Family residence, so it was natural to go in.

However, the moment she entered Nanshan Villa, Ke Zhongyu had already received the news.

Ke Zhongyu called Mo Yi, asking her to pay attention to Lin Shutong's movements.

Coincidentally, Ke Zhongying got up very early, and while having breakfast she heard a commotion outside, went out to see, and found it was Lin Shutong.

The dogs Da De and Xiao Mu each bit one side, their teeth gripping Lin Shutong's thigh-high boots; Lin Shutong was so frightened her face turned pale, and she shouted loudly: "Save me, save me! Hurry up and get this dog off! Get it off!"

The driver who had brought her over wanted to whip out a stick to hit them, but the bodyguards harshly stopped him and forced him far away.

"Where did this chicken come from? The sky's been light for a while, and now it's just starting to crow." Ke Zhongying stepped through the thick snow and walked over, saying, "This chicken is really not doing its job."

Lin Shutong knew she was being insulted, but she couldn't worry about that right now; she felt the teeth of the two dogs had already pierced her leather boots and were about to touch her ankle!

If this bite goes down, will she still have her life?

"Miss Ke, could you please call off these two dogs? I came today to talk to Jiang Lai about something important."

"It's fine." Ke Zhongying looked indifferent, "You can still talk like this; hasn't it not drawn blood yet?"

Lin Shutong's face turned deathly pale as she raised her voice: "Miss Ke! There's no reason to treat guests like this!"

"Guest? What kind of guest are you?" Ke Zhongying had been taught since childhood by her parents the social survival rule of 'repay kindness with kindness, repay evil with evil'; she could act cute in front of people she liked, but she would not yield an inch in front of people she disliked.

"A chicken thief who trespasses into a private residence, caught by our dogs, yet still tries to put a golden face on herself and calls herself a guest."

Mo Yi had never in her life imagined that the two words 'chicken thief' could be used this way, and she nodded in approval.

Seeing Ke Zhongying unmoved, Lin Shutong had no choice but to play her trump card: "Miss Ke, if you keep verbally provoking me and let the dogs bite me, I can bear a little injury, but if something happens to the child in my womb, you tell me who bears the responsibility."

Jiang Lai had already sent a lawyer's letter planning to sue in court, and she had also divorced Shen Xun; what meaning would it have whether her child hides or not from the people on Jiang Lai's side?

However, to avoid being heard by her grandfather's driver, she still lowered her voice.

Ke Zhongying exclaimed in surprise: "Are you even human? You're using your own unborn child."

Mo Yi said: "Miss, you just called her a chicken thief, and now you're treating her as a person. Miss, don't be too kind in being human."

Ke Zhongying slapped her forehead: "Right, right, right."

The two echoed each other, and Lin Shutong was so angry she could barely breathe, her chest rising and falling.

"Da De, Xiao Mu, go over there and behave." Lin Shutong, if she really ended up harming her child due to the stimulation, would indeed be troublesome, so Ke Zhongying let Da De and Xiao Mu release their grip.

Lin Shutong's genuine leather boots now had several holes in them; looking at them, they were actually… quite fashionable?

Ke Zhongying couldn't help but want to laugh.

"What do you want from Sister Jiang Lai? Could it be that you don't want to repay the debt? Don't even think about it." She scolded Lin Shutong, "Daydreaming also needs limits—118,000,000; who wouldn't want it? Only an idiot would refuse."

Yeah, Jiang Lai isn't an idiot either.

Since Lin Shutong learned that Shen Xun's wife of hardship, Jiang Lai, was the chief engineer of the Self-developed Chip Project, she had anticipated that Jiang Lai would not be as easy to deal with as she had previously imagined.

It's that they have never properly looked at Jiang Lai.

"I want to speak with Jiang Lai."

"Ke Clan's parent company, the honored guest of my household—can you really just say you want to meet and see them? You'd be better off waiting aside; with this time you might as well go sell cars, sell houses, smash pots, and sell iron." Ke Zhongying kindly advised.

Lin Shutong rebutted: "I never said I wouldn't repay, but I want to see Jiang Lai; there's no need to make such a big deal out of this—she's already an internationally renowned researcher, why drag private matters to court and embarrass herself as well?"

"Wow." Ke Zhongying clapped, "Thanks for being so considerate; I suppose you're also this considerate toward Shen Xun, but unfortunately, Sister Jiang Lai is not Shen Xun, so your consideration is useless."

The next second, she put on a cold face: "Get out or not?"

Seeing that Ke Zhongying was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Lin Shutong left embarrassedly.

The driver of the Ji Family said in the car: "She probably isn't home; if she were, she wouldn't be hiding like a turtle."

Lin Shutong also realized this, and was again sent to the Ke Clan.

Just as she approached the Ke Clan building, a team of security guards ran up to her and formed a human wall.

The lead guard said: "Miss, the Ke Clan building does not allow you to approach at will."

They didn't even bother to pretend, nor substitute the three words 'stranger'; they pointed directly at Lin Shutong herself.

Just hearing it sounded like something Ke Zhongyu could pull off.

She couldn't figure out how Ke Zhongyu, who inherited the Ke Clan at a young age, held high status and great power, could possibly take a liking to a divorced woman? It's utterly absurd—what strange fetish?

And they protected her so tightly not even a drop of water could get through.

As the deadline for the appeal drew nearer, Lin Shutong didn't dare delay further, and with her grandfather's driver watching, she could only steel herself and say: "I'm looking for Jiang Lai."

"Dr. Jiang does not see visitors."

Lin Shutong endured it.

"Then I'll look for Professor Cheng."

"Professor Cheng also doesn't see visitors."

Lin Shutong had no other recourse; she could only wait, sitting in the car, waiting for the Ke Clan staff's lunch break, trying to pass a message to Jiang Lai through a Ke Clan employee.

Not everyone knows her, and certainly no one would know about her connections with Jiang Lai and Shen Xun.

These matters have been kept well hidden from the outside world.

Precisely for this reason, she indeed could not bear the fallout of a lawsuit that would 'announce to the world'.

However, no one could help her convey a message.

Apart from the people in the Research and Development Center and the upper management, the Ke Clan staff cannot see Dr. Jiang.

Lin Shutong almost forgot that the real Jiang Lai is not the Jiang Lai they imagined.

She waited, hungry, for an entire morning, but didn't even see a shadow.

The driver thought of taking her to the Cui Family, but the gate wouldn't even let them in, so Lin Shutong angrily called Ji Lao.

Ji Lao only had one sentence: "You deal with the trouble you caused yourself; I just want the result."

Lin Shutong ground her teeth.

She was going to look for Shen Xun.

Lin Shutong went to Star Universe Technology.

The receptionist knew her, had come to see President Shen several times, each time Assistant Qiao came down to receive her and naturally let her in.

Lin Shutong seemed to regain a sense of superiority, lifted her head, straightened her chest, and smiled as she stepped onto the elevator.

Qiao Chuan, who saw her sudden appearance, could not smile.

President Shen has been frazzled lately because of his tangled dealings with Lin Shutong, which have produced one bad debt after another, and this particular bad debt cannot be settled at all.

President Shen is about to get into trouble, and he cannot just walk away unscathed.

Qiao Chuan harbors resentment toward Lin Shutong deep down.

"Miss Lin, why are you here?"

Still a standard smile, Lin Shutong sensed the lack of welcome.

She ignored Qiao Chuan.

Qiao Chuan blocked Lin Shutong as she continued forward: "President Shen is in a meeting; he cannot be disturbed."

"I'll wait for him in the office," Lin Shutong said, bypassing Qiao Chuan and entering the office with practiced ease.

Qiao Chuan, looking displeased, called the receptionist: "Who told you to let people in? In the future, don't act on your own; anyone who wants to see President Shen must make an appointment and call in advance, except for a person named Jiang Lai."

He hung up and immediately headed to the conference room.

Shen Xun was in a meeting with Si Nuo's people, discussing the project launch date; Si Nuo's side, taking into account the Huaguo requirement for an auspicious day, agreed to let them pick a good date.

Shen Xun was not waiting for any so‑called auspicious day; he just wanted to finalize matters quickly, lest delays cause complications.

He smiled and said, "We've already consulted someone to calculate the date; if Si Nuo is ready, we can hold the project launch ceremony tomorrow."

People from Si Nuo headquarters asked Suo Lun whether tomorrow would be rushed; Suo Lun had met Dr. Jiang yesterday and established a connection, and being in a good mood, gladly agreed.

Shen Xun exhaled quietly: "Mr. Suo Lun, see you tomorrow."

Suo Lun: "See you tomorrow."

The video conference cut off.

Qiao Chuan stepped forward and said, "President Shen, Miss Lin is here."

Shen Xun frowned, his earlier good mood vanished: "What does she want this time?"

Qiao Chuan shook his head: "She is already in your office."

Shen Xun glanced at Qiao Chuan, reproaching him for allowing someone in without asking first.

Qiao Chuan had already spoken to the receptionist, knowing President Shen would scold him; he could only accept his superior's reprimand.

Shen Xun pushed open the office door and saw Lin Shutong sitting in his chair, holding a photo frame in her hand.

Inside the frame was not a photograph but his and Jiang Lai's marriage certificate, along with Jiang Lai's wedding ring.

Shen Xun moved forward, snatched it, and handed it to Qiao Chuan for safekeeping.

"Ah Xun, you and Jiang Lai are already divorced, so what does this matter? Instead of this, look at me and the child in my womb; Ah Xun, don't you want to be the first voice the child calls out to after being born?"

The child's big law indeed had some effect; Shen Xun's gaze toward her belly softened a bit.

"You don't need to remind me of this; you'd better keep it sealed, because if this spoils my cooperation with the partner, you know what consequences will follow."

Lin Shutong was not foolish; on the contrary, her shrewdness let her know how to use every man around her.

If Shen Xun lost his job, who would help repay this over‑hundred‑million sum?

"Ah Xun, rest assured, I know the weight of this."

"If you know the stakes, why are you still here?" Shen Xun had long lost his previous patience.

Lin Shutong's eyes showed grievance: "Regarding the lawyer's letter, my grandfather scolded me harshly and told me to go see Jiang Lai today to negotiate a private settlement, but this is a matter between the two of us, and I thought of coming to you to discuss it together."

Shen Xun also intended to settle this joint marital property privately; the one who would suffer the most if it became public would be him.

"Go and sell everything I gave you."

Lin Shutong didn't want to; she intended to have Shen Xun fully assume responsibility on behalf of the child.

"Ah Xun, if you sell it, what will become of me and the child later?"

"If you don't sell, you and the child will have no future."

Lin Shutong was shocked, she opened her mouth: "But selling now is too late; we should first go see Jiang Lai to discuss the private settlement, otherwise in two days both of us will receive a court summons."

This is what she worries about most.