Chapter 230: Turning Shen Xun

Jiang Lai lifts her gaze.

Secretary Cen asks, "So your nickname is A Lai, that's friendly."

Jiang Lai: "Some kids call me that."

Secretary Cen smiles, Chi Ce looks around, then suddenly asks, "Can I stay here? That way I can drive Director Tang to the hospital together."

Director Tang has no objection: "Doctor Chi, as long as you're not a bother."

"Not a bother, not a bother." Chi Ce decides to stay tonight, and Ke Zhongyu also stays a night here.

Secretary Cen recently needs to follow Director Tang to handle paperwork for Ping'an, so it makes sense to stay here as well.

The rooms can't accommodate that many, so two men and two women share a room, using bunk beds.

Chi Ce climbs to the top bunk, lies down, sighs that it feels like returning to a university dorm, and says, "Chief Ke, you surely don't get this feeling; you've never lived in a dorm from childhood."

Ke Zhongyu doesn't reply; he rolls over, leans against the bedside, and sees Ke Zhongyu has edited Jiang Lai's note.

A Lai.

He clicks into the chat box again.

He can't continue the conversation, so he lies down again.

Ke Zhongyu only confirms with Jiang Lai the departure time for tomorrow morning, setting nine o'clock to go to the hospital first and then check on Ping'an, then he puts away his phone.

Ke Zhongyu lifts his gaze, looks at the upright Chi Ce, and advises, "Investigate Ping'an's condition thoroughly, see if his autism has any chance of being cured."

Chi Ce was forced by his grandmother since childhood to memorize the Compendium of Materia Medica and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic; as an adult he earned his way into Medical University to study Western medicine. In the whole Chi family, he is the one who best understands the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, so he surely has a way.

Chi Ce doesn't answer immediately: "The chance of full recovery is small, but I can still get him to speak and receive early education."

"Chief Ke, remember to transfer the money."

"Hmm." Ke Zhongyu gives a cold look as if to say, "When have I ever been short of money for you?"

Chi Ce suddenly says, "I can also help you dig up some information about Miss Jiang here; what do you think?"

Ke Zhongyu's cold expression vanishes instantly.

Chi Ce recalls something: "Miss Jiang is an orphan; Chief Ke, have you ever considered investigating Miss Jiang's background?"

Ke Zhongyu's eyes flicker slightly.

After a pause, he says, "You may look into it."

Chi Ce: "Understood."

The next day.

Jiang Lai gets up early, goes to the cafeteria to hand out breakfast to the children; halfway through, she sees Ke Zhongyu walk in from the doorway and come to her.

A child calls him "brother."

Jiang Lai worries that Ke Zhongyu won't respond.

The next second, Ke Zhongyu says, "Good morning."

The child, pleased with the reply, immediately shouts, "Brother, good morning!"

Although the children think he's unsmiling and hard to get along with, he does respond to greetings, so the first leads to the second.

The whole cafeteria echoes "Brother, good morning."

Jiang Lai sees Ke Zhongyu struggling to keep up with responses, and quickly tells the children to go eat breakfast obediently.

At that moment, Ke Zhongyu comes to Jiang Lai's side.

Jiang Lai: "What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."

Ke Zhongyu: "I'll wait for you; you decide what to eat."

Jiang Lai looks at him deeply: "Then find a place to sit first."

Ke Zhongyu sits on a blue plastic chair; the small seat makes him look taller, and he makes the chair appear even smaller.

He sits properly, as if he were shoved in rigidly.

Jiang Lai lowers her eyes, continues serving rice, and after finishing quickly removes her hat and apron, preparing to carry two bowls of rice noodles over.

Just after adding scallions, a shadow falls behind her; Ke Zhongyu comes to her side, lifts the two bowls of rice noodles, and signals her to sit by the chair.

The two sit face to face; Jiang Lai opens a pair of disposable chopsticks, sees Ke Zhongyu also opening his, intends to use them, and calls out to him.

Ke Zhongyu looks up at her, sees her rubbing the two disposable chopsticks together, then passes them over.

"Use this; give me yours."

Ke Zhongyu hands over his freshly opened disposable chopsticks; Jiang Lai rubs the chopsticks again before eating.

They continue eating breakfast.

It's snowing again in K City.

Outside, fine snowflakes drift; the table holds steaming breakfast; opposite, Ke Zhongyu suddenly says, "Happy birthday, A Lai."

The man's voice is deep and magnetic; he calls Jiang Lai's nickname naturally and calmly.

Jiang Lai herself pauses her motion of scooping rice noodles, lifts her gaze to Ke Zhongyu's eyes, whose depth is like a whirlpool in the deep sea, almost pulling her in.

Jiang Lai quickly lowers her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering lightly.

"Thank you."

"Hmm."

After breakfast, Secretary Cen drives them to the hospital.

Ping'an has already woken; Jiang Lai gives Ping'an a few words, gives a brief hug, and leaves.

Secretary Cen takes the two to the airport.

Only K City has snow; the provincial capital here does not, and the plane takes off normally.

A City Airport.

Ke Zhongying personally goes to pick them up, driving her low‑key Hongqi Car Car Car Car.

Ke Zhongyu noticed that Ke Zhongying had been driving this car frequently lately; he was pondering when he heard Jiang Lai beside him ask: "Going to Yanping Road?"

Ke Zhongying was overjoyed to see Jiang Lai, and for a moment forgot to guard against her own older brother, nodding in reply: "It's almost done there; today I'm taking Mo Yi over to clean."

Ke Zhongyu's gaze fixed on this Hongqi Car Car Car car; it turned out that it had been registered at Number Ten Courtyard on Yanping Road.

"Get in the car, Jiang Lai sis; Zhong Lü is still waiting for you at home." Ke Zhongying opened the passenger door for herself; as for her older brother, she couldn't be bothered—if he wanted to ride, he could open the door and sit in the back himself; if not, he could call a driver to pick him up.

Ke Zhongyu sat in the back.

The car slowly drove toward Nanshan Villa.

Jiang Lai asked: "Didn't a lot happen while I was away this week?"

It's more than just a lot; it's reached the point where Ke Zhongying clicks her tongue: "Your one social media post has turned the Shen Xun family's life upside down."

She looked at Jiang Lai: "Shen Xun left Star Universe Technology; he wasn't fired, it seems he resigned voluntarily after being summoned for discussion, and in such a situation he gets no compensation."

"After Shen Xun left Star Universe Technology, the area around Villa No. 11 has been wailing and howling; I don't know the exact situation, but in the meantime Shen Xi came looking for you, had the dog chase him and he fell flat on his face in dog feces—although all this is what Mo Yi said, I haven't seen it myself, but just thinking about it is funny."

Jiang Lai's lips curled up slightly.

Ke Zhongyu spoke up at the right moment: "Zhong Poqian came to talk about the court hearing; the court accepted it quickly, yesterday we served summons to the Shen and Ji families; you've been busy with Ping'an lately, so I had Zhong Poqian wait until we return to discuss it."