Chapter 349: He Was Willing to Be Cured by Her

"Ke Zhongyu, stop talking." Jiang Lai simply couldn't stand his soft, coaxing manner—those deep, affectionate eyes holding a smile, staring straight at her, with naked animal desire.

Her breathing grew heavy in response. She raised a hand to cover his mouth, but Ke Zhongyu would kiss her palm, so she switched to covering his eyes instead. Ke Zhongyu blinked gently, his lashes brushing across her palm like a soft kiss.

She couldn't cure him.

But he was willing to be cured by her, and settled down.

The ambiguous atmosphere had lessened, but a certain someone's raised momentum showed no sign of subsiding.

Jiang Lai helplessly opened the car window.

"Don't," Ke Zhongyu stopped her. "You'll get cold. It'll settle down on its own in a bit."

Jiang Lai turned her head to look out the window. Even when the car stopped at the gate of the Ke Family old residence, the redness on her neck still hadn't fully faded.

Ke Zhongying got out of the car, exceedingly tactful—she didn't knock on the car window to say goodnight, but sent a message instead.

【I got out and went home】

【Goodnight, Sister Jiang Lai】

That made Jiang Lai's face grow even redder.

She quickly turned her phone face-down on her lap and coughed softly, her throat a little dry.

The next second, Ke Zhongyu unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it over.

She quickly took it and drank several gulps. Ke Zhongyu also opened a new bottle and drank it all.

Jiang Lai couldn't help glancing at him in surprise.

Ke Zhongyu held up the empty water bottle: "Cooling down, cooling down."

The car started again, heading for Number Ten Courtyard on Yanping Road.

The Cullinan parked in the parking spot. Ke Zhongyu didn't go upstairs with her—he knew that once he went up, he'd definitely lose all restraint.

Didn't Jiang Lai say not now?

Watching Jiang Lai walk into the apartment building, Ke Zhongyu had the driver drive away.

Jiang Lai listened to the car receding behind her and didn't look back, only lowering her head with a smile.

Back home, Ping'an had already been picked up by Mo Yi and had eaten dinner. Right now he was sitting over in the Shufang, studying quietly, and would ask the Piggy Robot for help whenever he didn't understand something.

"Ping'an."

"Sister, Sister!" Ping'an's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and walked toward his sister, not forgetting to pick up the fruit Mo Yi had cut on the table in front of him, carrying it to his sister like a treasure.

Jiang Lai looked at those clean, clear eyes, speared a piece of fruit with a fork and ate it as she walked toward the Shufang.

Ping'an set down the fruit and handed over all the pinyin and Chinese characters he had written.

When Ping'an was at the Fuli Yuan, he had attended elementary school, but it was interrupted after he was taken away. Still, learning pinyin and such was no challenge at all for Ping'an.

He had gotten everything right, and written neatly too.

Actually, aside from not liking to talk, Ping'an was no different from anyone else. Chi Grandma sent messages from time to time, saying Ping'an was a steady and clever child. Even Chi Ce occasionally expressed surprise, saying his grandmother might actually have found someone to carry on her legacy.

Jiang Lai patted his head—for the reluctant-to-speak Ping'an, this was the greatest reward.

Jiang Lai recalled what President Chi and Director Qu had said. Figuring that Ping'an had been here a while and had adapted, she asked him: "In March, I'll send you to school. Okay?"

It so happened that she had a position at A Da with corresponding education benefits, so she could directly send Ping'an to the A Da Affiliated Middle School.

Ping'an had always seen his sister as his idol. He nodded without a second thought.

"Go to school!"

"You'll also go to Chi Grandma's place for school. I'll discuss with Chi Grandma about attending both schools, and once it's settled I'll send you."

Ping'an nodded obediently, eyes blinking as he stared at her.

Jiang Lai's heart softened under his gaze, and she smiled: "Looking at me like that—what else do you want to say?"

Ping'an squeezed two words out of his throat: "Name."

Ping'an's name had already been successfully changed—he wasn't even called Zhang Ping'an anymore, but Zhang Yi.

For Ping'an to bring it up, he clearly disliked it very much.

Jiang Lai asked for his opinion: "Do you want to change it back to Ping'an?"

Ping'an nodded then shook his head, still staring straight at her.

Jiang Lai suddenly thought of something and asked Ping'an: "Do you want to take my surname?"

Ping'an nodded very quickly.

The next second Jiang Lai came back to her senses. She had thought far too simply—Ping'an still belonged to the Fuli Yuan, and she didn't meet the adoption requirements at all, so Ping'an couldn't take her surname yet.

But looking at Ping'an's expectant eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say no. It was also possible that her mentor's wife's words had already taken root in her heart, which was why she had asked Ping'an whether he wanted to take her surname.

Yes, the surname Jiang was nice.

Jiang Lai's household registration had been transferred to the A City talent collective household during graduate school, then transferred to the Shen Family. Now that she was divorced, she also had her own property and could move her registration out.

She'd been too busy lately and didn't want to get entangled with Shen Family matters again, so she had forgotten all about it.

"I'll think of a way for your household registration. Go rest early."

Ping'an looked at the homework on the desk and held up one finger: "Also, a little bit."

Jiang Lai patted his head again: "Okay."

She went back to her room first. At a glance she saw the cold orchid on the nightstand, already beginning to bloom.

Jiang Lai raised her hand and snapped a photo, sending it to Ke Zhongyu, then went into the bathroom to shower.

Only when she took off her clothes did she realize she carried Ke Zhongyu's scent on her—a crisp, clean cedarwood fragrance.

Such a cool, aloof scent, yet the breath he sprayed on her body had been so burning hot.

The hot water in the bathroom flushed her face red.

After her shower, Jiang Lai saw the message Ke Zhongyu had sent.

【The cold orchid suits you after all】

That's what I thought when I picked it.

You're just like this cold orchid.

You have to wait for it to bloom on its own.

I haven't gotten there yet.

Almost there.

Here we are.

Why aren't you replying?

Busy again.

Great Virtue Little Herder misses you again.

Come check them out.

By the way, take a look at me.

In just a moment of not looking at her phone, a flood of messages came in; Jiang Lai's hair was still wet, and several drops of water fell onto the phone screen, making it jitter a few times and directly dial a video call.

She was stunned for a moment, hadn't had time to hang up, and the other end had already answered.

His handsome, rugged face filled the phone screen; his outer clothing had been removed, leaving only a black shirt with two buttons undone, the collar slightly open.

And Jiang Lai still had wet hair, with a towel casually wrapped around her head.

Seeing Jiang Lai's dazed look, Ke Zhongyu said, "Huh? Who did me a favor?"

Jiang Lai came to her senses: "The water dripping from my hair."

Ke Zhongyu: "Go dry it first."

Jiang Lai nodded.

Ke Zhongyu: "Don't hang up."

Jiang Lai pulled her hand back, looked left and right, seeming to wonder where to put her phone.

Ke Zhongyu: "Just put it anywhere."

Jiang Lai placed the phone on the bed, the camera aimed at the ceiling.

From the phone came a moment of silence, then a low, helpless chuckle from the man.

The buzzing of the hair dryer sounded in both rooms, and Ke Zhongyu, staring at the ceiling above Jiang Lai's bed, watched intently.

Only after twenty minutes did Jiang Lai pick up her phone again.

Under the light, a hint of brown could be seen in her hair; otherwise it was black, hanging down smooth and shiny.

Jiang Lai wasn't used to letting her hair cover the sides of her face, perhaps because she'd been taught since childhood to show her forehead and ears; she quickly swept her hair behind her ears, revealing a rosy oval face.

"Have you taken a shower?" she spoke first.

"Just entered the bedroom." Ke Zhongyu, looking at her on the screen, was also entranced.

Jiang Lai couldn't stand his earnest gaze, and brought up what she had just said to Ping'an.

"You want Ping'an to take your surname?"

"I have that idea."

"Ping'an's matter isn't that troublesome; yours is more complicated."

Jiang Lai was surprised that Ke Zhongyu might have said it backward; transferring her household registration was easy, but adopting Ping'an was difficult.

"My trouble?"

"You must not go see your ex-husband."

Jiang Lai laughed in disbelief: "Ke Zhongyu, you also say that's your ex-husband."

Ke Zhongyu gave a cold 'hmm.'

Jiang Lai: "It's too late now; we'll have to handle this after the new year, as Lunar New Year's Eve is approaching."

Ke Zhongyu gave another 'hmm,' and told her a piece of news: "Assistant Zhou will be back tomorrow."