Chapter 289: Wanting to Be Close

Lin Shutong never expected to run into Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu in a place packed with people.

Jiang Lai was no longer the drab housewife she used to be — she now had fame, status, and money.

Even setting aside the patent fees, the fifty million she had already returned was enough for Jiang Lai to reserve the entire riverside hotel and celebrate the holiday there.

Not to mention Ke Zhongyu beside her — the top-tier wealthy heir, the one holding power over the Ke Clan.

And yet they still crossed paths here.

Lin Shutong hadn't wanted to come to a place like this, but Gu Zhiyan had given her nine million, and she couldn't just take the money and leave him hanging — that would chill someone's heart.

But she had no money right now, and the card the Gu family had given Gu Zhiyan had also been frozen, so she'd had no choice but to come here, walking along the crowded riverside streets like an ordinary person, to ring in the new year together.

What was Jiang Lai here for?

The cheapness in her bones would never change — even with money and status, she was no different from before, only fit for a place like this.

As for Ke Zhongyu, surely a wealthy young master wasn't here to experience ordinary life? If he truly liked Jiang Lai, shouldn't he reserve a restaurant or a cruise ship for her, throwing down a fortune just to win her smile?

Apparently he didn't like her that much.

A simple exchange of glances, yet a whole drama had already played out in Lin Shutong's mind — she looked as though she'd zoned out.

"Shutong?" Gu Zhiyan called to her softly and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm here. I won't let them insult you easily."

"Zhi Yan, let's go the other way." Lin Shutong didn't dare face off against Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu — if either of them spoke up and demanded she immediately return the remaining money, she'd be utterly humiliated in front of everyone.

Gu Zhiyan was about to tell her not to be afraid, but Lin Shutong immediately grabbed him and turned to leave.

Gu Zhiyan lowered his eyes to look at his hand being held, paused for a moment, and then slowly closed his grip around it.

The sight of the two turning and hurrying away fell into Ke Zhongyu's eyes like watching two stray dogs fleeing in panic, and a cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

Jiang Lai withdrew her gaze and looked toward the staircase to one side — everyone was going up that way, nearly forming a long line.

Too many people.

It would be very crowded.

It would also be hard on Ke Zhongyu.

At home Ke Zhongyu had bodyguards and nannies, private cars and private planes for travel, meals at quiet high-end restaurants that were hard to book, mall visits that required clearing the premises... yet now he was standing in the cold wind, about to walk into a crowded throng of people.

It was her fault for not planning ahead tonight.

"Ke Zhongyu, let's go somewhere else, somewhere with fewer people."

Ke Zhongyu keenly sensed she was thinking of him, and felt a stir of joy in his heart, but he felt that while this place was crowded, it also brought him closer to Jiang Lai.

Everything had its pros and cons — it only depended on which option one leaned toward.

Whether choosing to avoid the crowds or choosing to be closer to Jiang Lai, both were for himself.

But Ke Zhongyu wanted Jiang Lai to make the choice herself.

"Where do you want to go?"

Jiang Lai raised her eyes, looked at Ke Zhongyu's sincerely questioning gaze, and parted her lips: "My goal is to ring in the new year."

Ke Zhongyu: "You could do that at home too. Why choose to come out?"

Jiang Lai realized he was guiding her toward an answer they both knew perfectly well.

She hesitated to speak.

"Talk." Ke Zhongyu's voice was low, carrying a natural authority, yet every time he faced Jiang Lai, that low voice always gained a touch of softness. "No going mute."

Jiang Lai answered him: "The liveliness."

She had only felt that kind of liveliness as a child at Fuli Yuan; later, through school, her combined master's-doctoral program, work, and marriage, she never again felt the kind of liveliness she'd known as a child.

It wasn't that liveliness disappeared when you grew up — she just hadn't had any.

She too wanted to ring in a noisy new year amid a bustling crowd.

Ke Zhongyu asked in return: "Is it still lively with fewer people?"

Jiang Lai shook her head.

Ke Zhongyu took a couple of steps toward the more crowded area, then turned back: "Keep up."

"Coming." Jiang Lai quickly caught up, her steps much lighter. The crowd's pushing was fairly orderly, though — everyone shuffled forward step by step, and once they reached the observation deck above, it wouldn't be so packed.

Some people turned back midway, going against the flow, saying "excuse me" all the way, and no one blamed them — people instinctively shifted aside, which only made things more crowded. Amid the jostling, Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu were nearly separated.

A small flutter of panic rose in Jiang Lai's heart, and she instinctively turned her head to look at Ke Zhongyu, though she didn't understand why she reacted that way.

The instant her eyes met Ke Zhongyu's, her hand was held.

A large, warm palm wrapped around her slightly cool hand, holding it tightly.

Ke Zhongyu shifted sideways, squeezing to Jiang Lai's side, and pulled her along with the flow, moving step by step.

She looked up at Ke Zhongyu, catching only a clean back of the head and half a profile — a high, straight nose bridge, sharp lines, thin lips slightly pressed together, and the Adam's apple rolling at his throat seemed to carry a distinct, angular edge.

When he turned to look at her, those deep eyes were like a sea submerged in the night — with just a light landing upon her, she was entirely swept into those eyes.

Thump, thump.

Amid the roar of voices, Jiang Lai heard her own heartbeat suddenly accelerate.

Arriving at the spacious observation deck, the people around them dispersed in all directions, and the space beside them emptied at once — but Jiang Lai still felt about the same as when it was crowded, her body still taut, her breathing slightly stalled.

Ke Zhongyu didn't let go of her hand.

She parted her lips, wanting to tell him to let go, but her throat felt a bit dry, and she only managed his name.

"Ke Zhongyu..."

Every time Ke Zhongyu heard Jiang Lai call his full name, every cell in his body would boil in response.

He liked Jiang Lai calling his name.

He also liked Jiang Lai looking at him.

Even if she said nothing after that.

"Mm?" Ke Zhongyu asked knowingly, then followed Jiang Lai's gaze as it slowly fell upon their joined hands.

The man took her hand, and from the initial handhold it became his palm gently wrapping around her fingertips, his thumb resting on her finger joints, lightly rubbing once, and he asked her: "Is this the nail polish you and Ke Zhongying got last time?"

When Ke Zhongyu saw Jiang Lai's delicate, fair, pinkish hand on his sister's friend circle, he wanted to see it with his own eyes to find out what it looked like.

He had wanted to take a look when he went to Jiang Lai's house for dinner tonight, but there were too many acquaintances, and he feared that even glancing at Jiang Lai a little longer would make him want to put his hands in his pockets.

At last he got to see it.

Her nails weren't trimmed flush with the flesh; they remained the same length as before, but had been filed round, and were painted in a color that matched the nails' original shade, looking better than before, as if a layer of clear, icy sugar coating had been wrapped around the nails.

He wanted to kiss her.

Ke Zhongyu's Adam's apple rolled.

He gazed deeply at Jiang Lai, his fervent gaze almost scorching her.

Jiang Lai pulled her hand back, gave an "um," her voice tinged with a faint hoarseness, her eyes darting anxiously toward the river, and took out her phone to call Ke Zhongying and the others.

"Hey, where are you? We're already on the viewing platform."

"Which viewing platform?"

Jiang Lai hesitated, puzzled: "There are several viewing platforms…"

Ke Zhongyu came up behind her, a familiar crisp scent enveloping her, the man's low, pleasant voice sounding again in her ear: "Five, I'll tell you."

He took the phone from Jiang Lai's hand.

Their fingers merely brushed briefly, not even as long as when they had just held hands, yet Jiang Lai felt as if she'd been electrified, her body going numb.