Chapter 346: What Does President Ke Like About Our Jiang Lai

When Secretary Cen relayed the original words to Gu Zhiyan, Gu Zhiyan's face alternated between green and white.

There is a chasm between social strata and barriers between politics and business; family background and power build invisible high walls, and holding real authority versus having an empty title are entirely different circumstances — one could even call it the difference between clouds and mud.

In the past, Gu Zhiyan only understood this principle in theory; only recently had he truly felt the oppressive force that power brings.

Ke Zhongyu's words were indeed correct — given his power and status, only heads of families and those who held authority could sit as his equals.

Gu Zhiyan's hanging fingers tightened.

Not only could he not see Jiang Lai, he couldn't even see Ke Zhongyu, who was a family friend of the Gu family and even younger than him.

His identity as a lawyer couldn't get him a meeting.

His own identity couldn't get him a meeting.

Even the identity of the Young Master of the Gu family couldn't get him one.

Secretary Cen, seeing him fuming with rage, said with a slight soothing tone, "Attorney Gu, President Ke is busy with countless affairs every day. Without an appointment, you truly can't see him."

Gu Zhiyan: "Busy with countless affairs, or out dating?"

Secretary Cen's red lips curved upward as she smiled, "That's not for us to manage. How to balance work and family is President Ke's own business. If President Ke couldn't balance the two after reaching his position, then he'd be somewhat unworthy of the name."

Gu Zhiyan had the feeling of being mocked both openly and covertly.

Secretary Cen: "Even Chairman Ke and Ms. Nian can't manage him." Let alone an outsider like you.

Some things don't need to be spelled out; everyone understands without saying.

Gu Zhiyan knew that only by seeing Ke Zhongyu would he have a chance of seeing Jiang Lai, so he remained seated without moving: "I'll wait for him."

Secretary Cen: "As you wish."

She had the front desk serve him well with food and drinks, then returned to her office herself, typing a situation report to President Ke on one hand while complaining to herself that this Eldest Young Master of the Gu family was out of his mind.

Ke Zhongyu replied: 【Let him be】

【You all leave work on time as usual, no need to pay attention】

He replied right in front of Jiang Lai, with no intention of hiding anything.

Jiang Lai had no habit of prying into others' privacy, but she couldn't help it since Ke Zhongyu insisted on holding his phone in a conspicuous position, so she could see every word Secretary Cen sent clearly.

"Why did he go pester you?"

"He didn't have the ability to see you, but his surname is Gu, and with that he can see me." Ke Zhongyu put away his phone, casually set it on the console table in front of him, and turned his head to look at Jiang Lai. "Will you sign the letter of understanding?"

"No." Jiang Lai gazed into the man's deep eyes, her sight slowly shifting to his forehead, where a faint scar had been left after the wound healed, and she frowned. "I remember there are minimally invasive surgeries for scar removal."

Ke Zhongying: "His hair covers it. You can't see it unless you look up close. He acts high and mighty and unapproachable all day long — not many people can get within a meter of him. Don't worry, and besides, isn't that his medal?"

Ke Zhongyu cast a sidelong glance her way.

Cold, yet not quite cold.

Because the word "medal" once again struck right at his heart.

Jiang Lai still felt he should get a minimally invasive surgery, but Ke Zhongyu agreed with his sister's reasoning and said there was no need.

Jiang Lai just looked at him like that.

Ke Zhongyu's confidence was clearly lacking as he asked, "Ugly?"

Jiang Lai shook her head.

How could she possibly find this tiny scar of Ke Zhongyu's ugly.

Ke Zhongyu's sculpted face, having inherited the superior genes of both parents, actually appeared more real with a small scar added.

Since Jiang Lai didn't find it ugly, Ke Zhongyu's confidence returned, and he continued to say there was no need.

Jiang Lai looked at his hand again, and Ke Zhongyu naturally spread his hand open before her, his fingers well-defined, the veins on the back of his hand faintly visible.

Ke Zhongyu: "My hand didn't leave a scar."

Jiang Lai nodded: "Mm."

She slowly reached out, her fingers threading through Ke Zhongyu's, and just like that held Ke Zhongyu's hand in front of Ke Zhongying, their interlaced hands resting between the two of them.

The look in Ke Zhongyu's eyes toward Jiang Lai shifted.

He suddenly felt that Ke Zhongying as a sister was truly in the way — if only she were sitting in the passenger seat, after the partition went up he could have kissed Jiang Lai, and Jiang Lai could have responded to him without any burden.

Ke Zhongying had grown up used to seeing her parents' loving relationship, so she had no qualms about the two simply holding hands, but what was with her brother's gaze passing over Sister Jiang Lai to look at her, carrying an icy condemnation?

What did she do wrong this time!!!

Was Steve's life not a life?

Ke Zhongying turned around huffily to look out the window, and only then did Jiang Lai notice Ke Zhongyu's earlier look. She gave Ke Zhongyu's hand a light squeeze with her fingers.

Without Jiang Lai needing to say anything, Ke Zhongyu understood and explained, "I didn't glare at her."

Ke Zhongying turned her head back: "You did glare! Sister Jiang Lai, manage him!"

Ke Zhongyu looked at Jiang Lai and similarly reported: "I didn't say anything."

Jiang Lai, caught between the two siblings, felt a sweet burden — this bowl of water was truly hard to balance.

"We're here." Jiang Lai looked out the window.

The car came to a steady stop, and the three got out. Ke Zhongyu raised his wrist to check the time and said to wait two more minutes.

In under two minutes, Secretary Guan arrived driving a car, lifting gifts from the back seat: "President Ke, the things you wanted."

Ke Zhongyu reached out and took them.

Both Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongying were puzzled for a moment — when had he prepared these?

Coming to accompany Professor Wang for a meal was Ke Zhongyu's suggestion; how could he possibly not have prepared.

This counted as meeting the second parent figure in Jiang Lai's life.

The first was Dean Tang.

Both served as mother figures in Jiang Lai's life — how could he not take this seriously?

In his father's words, anyone who didn't value the people around the woman didn't deserve to win her sincere heart, let alone receive her blessing.

Jiang Lai watched Ke Zhongyu enter carrying a gift, and suddenly realized that from the very beginning, his love had been aimed at marriage.

For someone who had always wanted to build a family, it was a fatal blow.

Jiang Lai's heart pounded wildly for Ke Zhongyu.

This man had always been the one who made her heart flutter.

Ke Zhongyu no longer addressed Wang Ruohua as Professor, but called her master's wife; this was the first time he met his master's wife after becoming Jiang Lai's boyfriend.

Wang Ruohua had long seen through Ke Zhongyu's hidden feelings for Jiang Lai; whether then or now, she had always been haunted by a worry.

It wasn't a worldly concern about mismatched social status; moreover, both of them were people of few words.

What troubled her even more was that Ke Zhongyu held a high position and great power; people at the top of the pyramid can act as they please, and if his feelings ever faded, he could easily withdraw, leaving Jiang Lai wondering what to do.

She was getting up there in age, and who knew if she might pass away one day; then who could be Jiang Lai's backing?

Jiang Lai would end up in the inferior position.

In Wang Ruohua's view, love and marriage have always been a covert game.

After experiencing what happened with Shen Xun, she hoped wholeheartedly that Jiang Lai could always be in the superior position in any relationship, since the superior party is less likely to get hurt than the inferior one.

Wang Ruohua kept this in mind, and thus secretly observed Ke Zhongyu's every move—… it seemed that Ke Zhongyu wasn't as quiet as he seemed.

More accurately, when facing Jiang Lai, he talked quite a lot, and his eyes were especially glued to her.

In a daze, she suddenly thought of her family's Old Cui.

After thinking it over, Wang Ruohua still asked a question that parents commonly ask.

"Chief Ke, I don't know what you like about our Jiang Lai?"

Jiang Lai's expression flickered slightly; in fact, she had the same doubt.

But Ke Zhongying didn't have that doubt; her whole family liked Jiang Lai very much.

Wang Ruohua didn't wait for Ke Zhongyu to respond, continuing: "Because of the Three-Region Project?"

This question amounted to saying that Ke Zhongyu liked only the value and benefits Jiang Lai could bring to the Ke Clan.

Ke Zhongyu: "When I liked A Lai, I knew nothing about that aspect of her identity."