Chapter 338: Can't You Tell Whether They Look Alike or Not?

Number Ten Courtyard, Yanping Road.

Only Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu were home.

Jiang Lai sat silently on the sofa, and only when a steaming cup of honeysuckle tea was placed in front of her did she slowly look up at Ke Zhongyu.

"What did you mean by what you said in the car earlier?"

How could Jiang Lai not know what it meant? She just didn't dare believe it, or perhaps felt she was overthinking it—how could that be?

Looking at her expression, Ke Zhongyu regretted running his mouth for the first time in his life, saying something out loud that hadn't yet been confirmed.

He realized that trying to hide things in front of Jiang Lai was very difficult.

The moment Jiang Lai fell into confusion or silence, he instantly wanted to confess everything.

Ke Zhongyu dialed Assistant Zhou's phone, simultaneously turned on the speaker, and placed it on the coffee table.

Jiang Lai gave a puzzled glance.

"President Ke."

"How's the investigation going?" Ke Zhongyu cut straight to the point.

"We found the hospital where Madam Gu gave birth to Miss Gu twenty-eight years ago, but the doctor and nurse responsible for the delivery back then are no longer working at the original hospital—they resigned one after another. Since there are no electronic files, the paper records we can see are incomplete. We went to every address that was recorded, but some places had been demolished, others had moved away, and we couldn't gather any useful information. However, we did hear a rumor."

Jiang Lai's breathing paused slightly. "What rumor?"

"Miss Jiang?" Assistant Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then recovered his composure the next second and continued, "The doctors and nurses at the hospital said that a government official's wife did indeed check in back then. After giving birth, she suddenly disappeared for half a day—it seemed the baby had been lost, but it was found again that evening. Found or not, that official's wife still went mad, and immediately afterward checked out of the hospital."

"That official's wife was Madam Gu, and the baby who was lost and then found was Gu Yinxue—exactly matching what you heard from Ms. Nian, President Ke."

Jiang Lai was astonished.

Had Ke Zhongyu and her aunt discussed this matter long ago?

Ke Zhongyu: "Continue."

Assistant Zhou: "Regarding Secretary Zhao from back then, he and Secretary Gu were both candidates the higher-ups planned to promote. The two were colleagues and even more so competitors. I compared them across three dimensions—political achievements, family background, and character. Secretary Gu's probability of being promoted was far higher than Secretary Zhao's, but at this critical juncture, Secretary Gu abandoned politics for business, leaving Secretary Zhao as the only candidate for promotion."

"Secretary Zhao is now the top official of T Province, and I'm preparing to head there. But President Ke, a provincial top official doesn't meet people easily."

As Ke Zhongyu reached out to hang up the phone, he said, "Contact the Xiao family of T Province under my name."

Beep—the call ended.

Ke Zhongyu looked at Jiang Lai. "You can ask anything you want."

Jiang Lai: "I remember Secretary Zhao was mentioned by Dean Mom, so that day you and Dean Mom were talking about this privately?"

Ke Zhongyu was slightly surprised.

He nodded. "Yes, Dean Tang mentioned in the car that day that you looked really alike. I pressed further, and she said you and Uncle Gu look alike, but she told me not to tell you. There are plenty of people in the world who look alike, and saying it before anything is confirmed would not only affect you, but also affect the Gu family."

"I didn't manage to do that."

Jiang Lai cupped the mug with both hands, slowly took a sip of honeysuckle tea, her tongue filled with a faint bitterness.

"So how many people think I look like Uncle Gu when he was young?"

Without waiting for Ke Zhongyu to answer, she listed them off one by one: "You, your mom and dad, my Dean Mom, Uncle Gu? Gu Zhiyan? Gu Yinxue? And Ms. Song, who left as soon as she saw me this afternoon?"

Ke Zhongyu himself wasn't sure which members of the Gu family thought Jiang Lai looked like Uncle Gu in his youth.

"When did you start investigating?" Jiang Lai asked Ke Zhongyu again.

Ke Zhongyu: "After returning from G Province."

Jiang Lai murmured, "That early."

Ke Zhongyu: "I never knew what you thought about your own background, so I could only investigate in secret."

Jiang Lai said nothing, looking neither angry nor not angry.

Ke Zhongyu felt a bit panicked inside.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't bother explaining, but this was Jiang Lai, the beloved he had personally chosen.

"I'm used to doing things this way—wherever there's doubt, I must investigate thoroughly."

"I'm used to nipping things in the bud, used to having everything under control. If one day you suddenly wanted to know about your background, I could get the information to you right away."

"Secondly, I recently noticed that Gu Yinxue has been paying close attention to you. I don't think it's merely because of feelings. I want to stop any danger from approaching you."

Jiang Lai was his.

He protected his own people himself.

Only after hearing Gu Yinxue's name did Jiang Lai's eyes move.

Ke Zhongyu: "Did you think of something?"

Jiang Lai thought of the abruptness when she first met Gu Yinxue at the coffee shop—Gu Yinxue rushing out and insisting on treating her to coffee.

Abruptly enthusiastic.

And Gu Yinxue asking about matters related to her at the Fuli Yuan.

"After returning from G Province, Gu Yinxue and I haven't had any further interaction."

"Yes." If Ke Zhongyu hadn't gone to the White Tower, he wouldn't have thought much of it. Only after going did he realize that this might be Gu Yinxue's brilliance.

From a young age, his father had taught him that power is never in front of people—it only hides behind the scenes. Power is born from the invisible, and controls people invisibly.

All titles and positions are merely one form of power.

Behind every person or matter pushed to the forefront, there is an invisible hand, controlling everything like a puppeteer.

Ke Zhongyu asked Jiang Lai, "Can you use the laptop?"

Jiang Lai looked at the wooden desk in the Shufang.

Ke Zhongyu walked over, opened a relationship chart on the computer, and displayed it in front of Jiang Lai.

"See? In this matter with Lin Shutong, Gu Yinxue's shadow is everywhere."

Jiang Lai's face showed shock.

"But I can't find her true motive." A trace of worry tinged Ke Zhongyu's brow. "If you and Uncle Gu are related, then there's a motive."

Gu Yinxue had never openly targeted Jiang Lai, but Jiang Lai's impression of Gu Yinxue was not good—she instinctively wanted to keep her distance, just as she was naturally afraid of snakes and would take a detour the moment she saw one, let alone come face to face.

"Ke Zhongyu." Jiang Lai called out to him while closing her laptop. "Since I look like Uncle Gu, does Gu Yinxue look like him?"

Ke Zhongyu's heart lurched.

She had really hit on the biggest point of suspicion.

"She doesn't."

"If a resemblance can be seen, can a lack of resemblance not be seen?" Jiang Lai's words not only shut Ke Zhongyu's mouth but stopped his heart along with it.

The Gu family had done a paternity test for Gu Yinxue...

No, he couldn't say that.

A paternity test only pointed to two possible situations.

Gu Yinxue was a member of the Gu family; Jiang Lai looked like Uncle Gu—the result this pointed to was that Jiang Lai was an illegitimate daughter.

Gu Yinxue was not a member of the Gu family; Uncle Gu had clearly seen Jiang Lai yet said nothing—the result this pointed to was that the Gu family had no intention of acknowledging Jiang Lai.

Either result would be a fatal blow to Jiang Lai.

Ke Zhongyu truly wanted to slap his impulsive self just now.

He had done a stupid thing.

An incredibly stupid thing.