Chapter 227: Jiang Lai Is Satisfied, So He Is Satisfied

Ke Zhongyu put her shoes on for her, said nothing, and likewise brought over a stool and sat down.

Sitting just diagonally behind Jiang Lai, he could look up and clearly see her condition.

He knew that Jiang Lai would not truly be at ease until Ping'an woke up.

Ke Zhongyu did not know how deep the bond between Jiang Lai and Ping'an was; if it was very deep, and something happened to Ping'an because of her, she would spend the rest of her life in anguish.

If it was not deep, she would spend the rest of her life in pain—both anguish and ceaseless self-reproach.

Perhaps there would also be many such late nights haunted by nightmares.

Those with kind hearts and a strong sense of morality always live through more pain than others.

Ke Zhongyu sent a message to Secretary Cen, telling her to go rest at the hotel; when booking the hotel, he had booked four rooms.

Jiang Lai had him by her side.

Secretary Cen still had business at the police station tomorrow and did not want to disturb them, so she went to the hotel.

The hospital room was very quiet.

Jiang Lai gazed at Ping'an, still fast asleep on the hospital bed, and from the corner of her eye her gaze fell on Ke Zhongyu from time to time as well.

The scene from her dream where Ke Zhongyu caught hold of her body, and the scene after she woke up where she embraced Ke Zhongyu, kept flashing through her mind.

She was like someone grasping a piece of driftwood.

But Jiang Lai did not really like this feeling; once, Shen Xun had also been a piece of driftwood to her.

Only...

Looking at the dignified president of Ke Group, who had accompanied her all the way through the rush of remote mountain counties, eating poorly and sleeping poorly yet never uttering a word of complaint—even the hardest heart would be moved.

When she withdrew her sidelong gaze, her slightly lowered eyes fell upon her own feet; the shoes had been put on her just now by Ke Zhongyu.

A tone that brooked no argument, yet gentle movements.

Jiang Lai could not help recalling the night she was slapped by Shen Xun and ran out to stay at a hotel; the slippers Manager Yuan brought her had actually been Ke Zhongyu's idea as well.

They had merely ridden the same elevator—was Ke Zhongyu someone with an abundance of sympathy?

Jiang Lai had worked as Ke Zhongyu's secretary for a month; she knew he was not.

The sky gradually brightened.

Ping'an opened his eyes; Jiang Lai rose and went over, calling his name, and Ping'an smiled and called her sister.

Hearing that call of "sister," Jiang Lai's heart finally settled, and she truly believed that last night had only been a nightmare.

At noon, Secretary Cen called, saying that Ping'an's grand-uncle's family had all confessed; the thumb had been deliberately injured, and the grand-uncle would be charged with child abuse.

As for the school, why Ping'an had fallen from the building still required investigation at the school.

Jiang Lai made a trip to the police station and saw Ping'an's grand-uncle and grand-aunt—one gaunt and frail, the other haggard—neither looking like someone in their thirties.

The grand-aunt dropped to her knees the moment she saw Jiang Lai, clutching at her pants, eyes brimming with tears, and said: "You're a local too, you're a child who grew up suffering too—please let our Old Zhang go, I beg you, I have three children, without him I can't keep them alive!"

"Have mercy, please have mercy, Old Zhang knows he was wrong, we shouldn't have treated Ping'an like that, we were wrong!"

Jiang Lai looked at her sallow, haggard face, and then at the brand-new down jacket on her body, and for a moment found it very ironic.

"You deliberately injured Ping'an's thumb just for an extra ninety yuan a month; you collected over two hundred yuan a month in disability allowance for him, yet you were abusing him—what face do you have to say such things."

The woman said, amid streams of snot and tears: "With Old Zhang in trouble, my own children plus Ping'an on top of that—how am I supposed to keep them alive? At least think of Ping'an too!"

"I will discuss with Dean Mom about taking Ping'an back to Fuli Yuan; if you hadn't taken him away using his household registration and blood ties, Ping'an would have stayed perfectly fine at Fuli Yuan, and wouldn't be covered in injuries, still hospitalized."

"Ping'an getting hurt and hospitalized has nothing to do with us! We weren't the ones who sent him to the school—it was your husband..."

"He is not my husband," Jiang Lai immediately retorted. "Rest assured, he won't escape either; the punishment he deserves won't be reduced one bit."

The woman was speechless; after thinking, she could only force out one sentence: "Fuli Yuan can't possibly raise him for his whole life!"

Jiang Lai looked at her coldly: "With me here, Fuli Yuan can raise him for his whole life."

Ping'an's grand-uncle going to prison was already a certainty.

The school's investigation also quickly produced results, with an efficiency that made one's tongue click in amazement—and Ke Zhongyu had a hand in this.

Ke Zhongyu did not need to say or do anything; merely appearing here, merely sending a secretary to follow the progress, the level of importance he signaled was enough to make both sides' people speed up their actions.

Ping'an had autism, not stupidity.

He simply didn't speak; it wasn't that he couldn't speak.

He wouldn't fight back, so everyone bullied him; his dormmates coveted his newest-model electronic watch, wanted it, failed to get it several times, and started snatching it.

They snatched; Ping'an dodged.

Driven onto the windowsill, buffeted by howling cold wind, he waited until everyone in the dorm had fallen asleep before planning to climb back down—then his foot slipped and he fell.

Both the school and the students bore responsibility for this incident, and holding them accountable was a matter of course; but the students involved were young and more or less had psychiatric issues, so not much accountability could be pursued.

However, Ke Zhongyu reported the school.

From infrastructure to faculty conduct, he reported everything.

Jiang Lai stole a glance at Ke Zhongyu from the corner of her eye.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Lai shook her head, but her eyes were bright.

Ke Zhongyu knew she was satisfied in her heart; if she was satisfied, he was satisfied.

The group returned to the hospital room, and Chi Ce suggested transferring Ping'an to a hospital in the city in a couple of days, where the medical conditions were relatively better and would benefit Ping'an's recovery.

Jiang Lai agreed.

Ping'an stayed at the county hospital for three days before being transferred to the prefectural-level hospital in K City; Dean Tang, upon learning the news, rushed over, and seeing Ping'an's condition, her eyes welled with tears.

She had known that Ping'an going back would not be a good thing; she had known it the moment she saw the look on that couple's faces when they came to take Ping'an away, but she was only a welfare institution dean and could not stop the paperwork.

Jiang Lai brought up the matter of having Ping'an return; Dean Tang said to leave the paperwork to her.

Dean Tang gave Jiang Lai a gentle hug: "You must have been terrified these past few days, right? Don't blame yourself—it has nothing to do with you."

Based on her understanding of Jiang Lai, Jiang Lai must have cried.

Jiang Lai said: "I know."

She glanced at Ke Zhongyu, who was giving instructions to Secretary Cen.

Ke Zhongyu's words not only immediately comforted her in that situation, but also, whenever she subconsciously blamed herself, those words would replay in her mind, re-embracing the wounded her.

Noticing Jiang Lai's gaze, Ke Zhongyu looked over and also walked over.

Secretary Cen and Chi Ce were also together.

Ke Zhongyu introduced: "This is Director Tang, Director Tang, this is Cen Jiu and Chi Ce."

"Director Tang, hello, I am President Ke's secretary; I will handle Ping'an's affairs from now on."

"I am President Ke's personal doctor; I will stay in K City for a while, until Ping'an is discharged safe and sound."

Tang Ying's expression changed as she looked between Ke Zhongyu and Jiang Lai.

"You've worked hard; if you don't mind, feel free to stop by Fuli Yuan sometime." Tang Ying mainly looked at Ke Zhongyu, "I'll brew some flower tea made by the children for you to drink."

Ke Zhongyu: "Honeysuckle?"

Director Tang was surprised.

Jiang Lai: "He has drunk it."

Ke Zhongyu: "Mm, it was given by Jiang Lai."

Secretary Cen and Chi Ce heard boasting from those words.