Chapter 280: Gu Sen Meets Jiang Lai (Bonus Update)

Gu Hui immediately handed over a business card.

Gu Sen said, "My surname is Gu, and this is my card. Dr. Jiang is an outstanding researcher. Our Gu clan has thoughts of inviting Dr. Jiang to collaborate, which is why we asked. If Ms. Luo isn't comfortable sharing, that's fine too."

Luo Jiaai only realized after reading the card that the person before her was actually the head of a listed company, but she still didn't say.

"Sorry, Jiang Lai is someone I admire, and I don't want to casually talk about her affairs to others. Since you want to invite her to collaborate, you can go find her directly. You're all very capable people—you managed to find me, so you can surely contact Jiang Lai yourselves."

Gu Sen wasn't angry at all about Luo Jiaai's refusal; instead, he said happily, "Thank you for sticking to your principles and for praising her so."

Gu Hui: "Ms. Luo, please keep our visit today confidential. Thank you."

The two left.

Luo Jiaai watched them go downstairs and didn't think much more of it.

Before long, someone knocked on her door again.

Luo Jiaai assumed it was them coming back, but when she opened the door, it was a woman in a uniform—someone who looked like the white-collar career woman she had once longed to be.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"Ms. Luo, I'm the secretary to President Lu of Yuan Shu Technology. I'm sorry to intrude, but I'd like to ask you about the court trial of Lin Shutong, Shen Xun, and Dr. Jiang from a few days ago."

"Again?" Luo Jiaai was getting a bit annoyed. "Has your boss's son also been completely bewitched by Lin Shutong?"

The female secretary paused, then said, "We're here to do a background check—a background check on Lin Shutong. Our company plans to invite her to be a project lead, but her reputation seems to be mixed."

Luo Jiaai really couldn't take it anymore. What kind of hot commodity was Lin Shutong? She couldn't understand the thought processes of these upper-class people.

"Come in."

After entering, the female secretary noticed two cups of hot water still on the table—likely belonging to the owner of the B City license plate. She had already secretly taken photos and would check who it was when she got back.

Luo Jiaai briefly recounted what happened at the trial, then cursed Lin Shutong and Shen Xun from start to finish. The female secretary listened quietly, but she caught one piece of information.

"Are you saying the plaintiff's side submitted many photos of Lin Shutong socializing with different men abroad?"

Luo Jiaai: "Yes, everything—handsome ones, ugly ones, tall ones, short ones, fat ones, thin ones, foreigners, Huaguo people. One left a deeper impression on me—he was the oldest, in his forties, short and fat, but you could tell at a glance he was a big boss."

The female secretary: "..."

Barring any surprises, that was her boss.

"Alright, thank you." The female secretary took a gift from her bag and handed it over, then left as well.

After returning to the company, she relayed Luo Jiaai's words faithfully.

Lu Hongyuan immediately identified the crux of the problem—so Shen Xun knew about his relationship with Lin Shutong.

The female secretary asked tentatively, "Should Lin Shutong continue to stay on the project team?"

Lu Hongyuan smiled: "Keep her, of course. Why not? She's at the point where everyone despises her. If I take her in, won't she be grateful to me like a dog?"

"It's just a pity that Shen Xun hasn't reached a true dead end. The Fu Family didn't finish him off, and Xie Yongsi even left him a way out. Otherwise, with Shen Xun around, Yuan Shu would one day rival Star Universe Technology."

Lu Hongyuan sighed.

The female secretary asked, "Should we put pressure on the Xie Family?"

Lu Hongyuan shook his head: "No need. We shouldn't easily clash with established companies. Xie Yongsi is the young master of the Xie Family, after all—more friends mean more paths."

The female secretary added, "Someone else visited Luo Jiaai today. I looked into it—the Gu family of B City, Gu Sen."

Lu Hongyuan said with interest, "Oh? Is he worried his son will also fall for Lin Shutong's tricks?"

Thinking it over carefully, he felt something was off. Could Lin Shutong really be worth Gu Sen personally making inquiries?

Something wasn't quite right.

"Have someone keep an eye on Gu Sen's side. Coming to B City in person probably isn't that simple."

The female secretary nodded.

……

Jiang Lai was in the lab in the morning, practiced driving with Ke Zhongyu at noon, and went back to the lab in the afternoon. She came out at six thirty, and as she took out her phone, her alarm went off.

Jiang Lai didn't dismiss it immediately, but let it ring until it stopped on its own, then walked out of the Ke Clan building.

Ke Zhongying was already waiting for her in the car.

"Hey beautiful, want to get in? I'll take you for a spin!"

Jiang Lai walked over, opened the car door, and buckled her seatbelt: "A spin in the dead of winter?"

Ke Zhongying giggled: "We're going to get our nails done, of course."

Arriving at the spacious, bright nail salon, Jiang Lai sat down. Ke Zhongying beside her said, "She likes that icy sheer lotus pink, solid color is fine. We both have natural nails—as for the nail shape, ask her."

The staff member handed over a nail shape chart.

Jiang Lai pointed at one and said, "This one."

Ke Zhongying looked over: "I knew you'd pick almond nails. This shape paired with lotus pink is so soft and gentle."

Jiang Lai asked her, "What are you getting?"

Ke Zhongying looked at her own fingers: "I'm getting French tips, also simple. It should take about an hour or so, and after that we can go straight to Eden for dinner."

Jiang Lai nodded.

During the manicure, the nail technician alternately praised her slender fingers and her soft hands.

Jiang Lai only then noticed that her hands had, at some unknown point, stopped being rough and had become soft and smooth.

The nail technician also praised her long nail beds as perfect, saying after finishing that they were nice enough for hand modeling.

Faced with such enthusiasm, Jiang Lai politely replied with thanks.

After they finished, Ke Zhongying held her hand and took photo after photo, and posted a moment on her social feed.

Her brother inexplicably commented "Nice."

Ke Zhongying replied: 【Right? My aesthetic sense!)

Ke Zhongyu: 【Jiang Lai is pretty】

Ke Zhongying rolled her eyes and handed the phone over for Jiang Lai to see, grumbling as she did: "I've decided I don't want my brother anymore. I'll have my parents adopt you as their goddaughter, and then I'll have a big sister."

Jiang Lai's mind was full of Ke Zhongyu's "Jiang Lai looks good"; she nodded without really hearing what Ke Zhongying said.

Ke Zhongying was delighted, asking her: "Really? Say it again into the voice message, say you're willing to be my parents' adopted daughter."

Jiang Lai saw that she had opened the chat interface with Ke Zhongyu, the note reading "My brother is a ball"; she couldn't help but say: "Don't mess around, go eat."

Ke Zhongying made a tsk: "Cheap for my brother."

The two entered Eden Garden Restaurant ahead; Gu Sen and Gu Hui then got out of the car and also took the elevator to Eden Garden.

Gu Hui said in the elevator: "Ke Zhongying and Jiang Lai are inseparable; Ke Zhongying reserved a spot here today."

Gu Sen nodded.

I don't know why I feel a bit nervous.

However, the spot at Eden Garden needs to be reserved in advance; the front desk told the two there was no spot today; Gu Hui suddenly looked toward the spot where Ke Zhongying was sitting and said to the front desk: "Zhongying is over there."

Upon hearing that, the front desk recognized the Ke Family Eldest Miss, even called her by name, and said: "Please wait a moment."

Gu Sen watched the front desk walk over and said two sentences; Ke Zhongying then looked up, and also looking over were Ellie and a young woman.

They had a delicate appearance, wearing frameless glasses.

Just from the side profile, Gu Sen recognized her and told Gu Hui: "That's Jiang Lai, right?"