Chapter 277: The Man Who Successfully Caught Jiang Lai's Interest

Jiang Lai was in the kitchen, and Ke Zhongying also went to help. The kitchen here wasn't as spacious as the one at Nanshan Villa, so three people felt a bit crowded. Ke Zhongying noticed she seemed to be getting in the way. Her eyes darted, and she said, "Sister Jiang Lai, I'm going to pop back for a moment! I'll be right back."

Jiang Lai nodded: "Don't worry, there's a portion of dinner for you."

Ke Zhongying grabbed the car keys and headed out. She had barely reached the roadside when she saw her brother's driver getting out of the car, carrying things in his hands.

"Miss, are you heading to Nanshan Villa?"

Ke Zhongying felt a pang of guilt: "Ah."

"No need for you to make the trip, Miss. President Ke already had me bring over what you wanted."

Ke Zhongying half-believed it and opened the bag to take a look.

Three different bottles of red wine.

It really was what she wanted.

Ke Zhongying: "..."

The driver smiled without saying a word.

She quietly took them and explained: "Let me make this clear — I wasn't going to steal from his wine cellar. I was planning to get there and send him a message to ask him for it."

The driver still smiled without saying a word.

Ke Zhongying scurried back, clutching the red wine with a guilty conscience.

Seeing Ke Zhongying return in just over ten minutes, Jiang Lai asked curiously, "What did you go do?"

Ke Zhongying sat up straight: "Buy red wine."

Mo Yi recognized the bag in her hand at a glance — it was wine from the Young Master's wine cellar, located on the basement level of Nanshan Villa Number One. She had tended it in previous years, and she had personally picked out those wine bags specifically for red wine and placed them beside the wine cabinet.

Jiang Lai: "That fast."

Ke Zhongying: "Ah, I had someone bring it over."

Mo Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Ke Zhongying knew she couldn't fool Mo Yi, so she explained with a smile: "I was originally going to go to my brother's place to grab a couple of bottles, but my brother had the driver bring them over first."

Jiang Lai recalled what Ke Zhongying had let slip last time when she brought red wine to find her, and knew it wasn't "grab" — it was "secretly grab."

She remarked: "You siblings really are alike."

Ke Zhongying scoffed: "Who's like him! My personality is so good, and his temper is so bad, his mouth so venomous."

In truth, Ke Zhongying was no less formidable when it came to talking back to people.

Jiang Lai: "Mm, true."

An image of Ke Zhongyu flashed through her mind, and she added: "You're cute."

Mo Yi: "What about the Young Master?"

Ke Zhongying: "You can't call a grown man cute."

Jiang Lai thought for a moment: "Ke Zhongyu is interesting."

Ke Zhongyu had let her see other sides of this world — the interesting sides.

Ke Zhongying: "You're the first person to find my brother interesting. We all think there's something wrong with him."

Mo Yi: "Woman, you've successfully caught my interest? No wait — Man, you've successfully caught my interest!"

Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongying looked at Mo Yi in unison.

Mo Yi gave a sly chuckle.

She turned her head and sent a message to Ke Zhongyu: 【Young Master, you've successfully caught Miss Jiang's interest. At this rate, it'll soon become — Man, you've captured my heart!】

She went back to cooking.

Without the slightest consideration for Ke Zhongyu's life or death once that sentence was cast onto the conference room's big screen.

Nearby, Assistant Zhou: "President Ke, stay calm."

Secretary Cen: "This is a good thing. Dr. Jiang is interested in you."

Secretary Guan: "Mm-hmm!"

The three of them didn't seem to care about Ke Zhongyu's life or death either.

Ke Zhongyu lightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

In the originally quiet meeting, Xu Rong said softly: "President Ke, you've got this."

Everyone turned to look at Xu Rong — Vice President Xu, you're truly brave.

Ke Zhongyu cut off the screen share and looked at Xu Rong calmly: "Continue with the performance and incentive implementation section."

Xu Rong stood to one side of the screen and continued her presentation.

Ke Zhongyu listened to the report, his thumb lightly typing two words on his phone screen: Tell me more.

Sent.

Then he set the phone down, face-down.

During the meeting, he glanced at it from time to time. No messages popped up — she was probably busy.

……

Seven in the evening.

Wang Ruohua and Butler Deng arrived first, Professor Cheng and his wife Jiang Li arrived right after, and Elder Shen and Shen Bingrui also came.

Everyone brought gifts.

They all knew each other, so there was no need for Jiang Lai to make introductions. They sat down and started chatting.

Wang Ruohua looked at Elder Shen: "It's rare to see you with free time. Before, my old Cui tried calling you over and you wouldn't come."

Elder Shen: "What good could come of your old Cui calling me? Nothing but showing off about Jiang Lai again. I couldn't be bothered."

Wang Ruohua laughed out loud.

Elder Shen turned to Professor Cheng, shifting the topic to children: "Where is your daughter planning to go to school?"

Professor Cheng: "My wife and I respect her."

The elders chatted on the sofa from academic matters to family affairs, then switched to other topics; Shen Bingrui couldn't get a word in, got up to help Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongying.

Ke Zhongying said: "I can see you don't even know how to boil water, so we won't trouble Sister Jiang Lai; just wait for orders. We can handle serving dishes—I'll take care of this."

Shen Bingrui politely said: "I can do it too."

Jiang Lai passed the heat‑resistant gloves to the two; Ke Zhongying slipped them on and swiftly served the dishes. Zheng Hong heard Old Shen thoughtfully say: "Do you think our Bingrui, this toad, could ever eat swan meat?"

Wang Ruohua: "How can you talk about your own child like that?"

Jiang Li chuckled: "Old Shen, wait."

She looked toward Ke Zhongying, who was already heading to the dining room: "Do you see the Ke Family Eldest Miss? Her brother is sticking close behind."

Professor Cheng nodded: "That's right."

Old Shen sighed: "Beautiful jade has always been coveted; children and grandchildren have their own blessings—let things take their course."

As soon as Ke Zhongying finished serving dishes in the dining room, she sent a message to her brother: 【Brother, danger! Old Master Shen wants Sister Jiang Lai to be his granddaughter‑in‑law!】

Ke Zhongyu didn't wait for Mo Yi's detailed explanation; as soon as his sister's danger alert came through and the meeting ended, he rushed to Number Ten Courtyard.

The registered car proceeded without obstruction.

Ke Zhongyu stepped out of the car, strode up to the third floor, paused briefly at Jiang Lai's front door, straightened his clothes and slightly disheveled hair, took a breath, regained his composed, aloof, noble demeanor, and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened from inside.

Jiang Lai slightly lifted her gaze to the suit‑clad Ke Zhongyu, without asking how he came or showing much surprise, as if she knew he would come, she stepped aside to let him in.

Ke Zhongyu looked at the elders: "I don't know if I'm disturbing anyone; Dr. Jiang has moved into a new home, I came specially to offer my congratulations."

Ke Zhongying watched her brother putting on a polite front in front of Jiang Lai's elders, and nodded approvingly.

All the elders present are Jiang Lai's family; in pursuing someone, you always have to get past the parents first.

Ke Zhongying was also well‑behaved this time, sitting quietly without opposing her older brother.

"Old Shen, Professor Wang, Professor Cheng, Aunt Jiang." Ke Zhongyu addressed each in turn, then his gaze settled on Shen Bingrui and shifted, saying, "Young Master Shen."

Shen Bingrui shuddered, stood up, and said: "Boss Ke."

The two shook hands briefly.

Shen Bingrui broke out in a cold sweat; this didn't seem like a visit to congratulate Dr. Jiang on her new home, but more like a declaration of sovereignty.

Ke Zhongyu's return timed perfectly with when everyone had finished dinner and was preparing to leave.

Jiang Lai couldn't worry about whether Ke Zhongyu was hungry; she first needed to see the elders off.

Ke Zhongyu: "Together."

He followed Jiang Lai to see the elders downstairs.

Others glanced over at the two.

Jiang Lai felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what.

She didn't realize that seeing the guests off together looked like a couple; she'd never experienced that before.

In the Shen household, after guests finished eating, she washed dishes in the kitchen, while the Shen family saw them off.

At Shen Xun's place, aside from Xie Yongsi, Shen Xun hadn't brought any other friends back.

After seeing the elders off, on the way back Ke Zhongyu called her nickname again: "A Lai."

Jiang Lai's steps halted, she turned her head.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of Shen Bingrui?"