Chapter 35: An

Jiang Lai went "shh," signaling that this matter could not be spread outside.

Ke Zhongying mimed zipping her lips shut, but then seemed to think of something and looked back toward Ke Zhongyu's private office.

"My brother didn't hear, did he?"

Jiang Lai looked over. Ke Zhongyu kept his head down, busy at work, signing documents at lightning speed, and came out ten minutes later.

"If you haven't finished memorizing, continue on the weekend."

Jiang Lai closed the materials. She had already finished memorizing them, but still said, "Okay."

Ke Zhongying was also packing up, asking as she did, "Sister Jiang Lai, you're going back to Professor Wang's side, right? I drove, I'll give you a ride."

Ke Zhongyu shot her a sidelong glance: "With your driving skills, after failing the Subject Three test five times?"

Ke Zhongying: "..."

"Ahhh, I'll fight you!" She charged forward, but her older brother's large hand pressed against her forehead, keeping her from advancing at all, like a little bird furiously flapping its wings.

Jiang Lai laughed softly out loud.

The smile bloomed on her clear, lovely face, like dark clouds breaking through to reveal the light of day.

Ke Zhongyu's gaze fixed on her face.

The instant Jiang Lai looked over, he shifted his gaze and said in a low voice, "I'll give the ride."

Ke Zhongying: "?"

Ke Zhongying: "!"

She stopped flapping at once, her dark, bright eyes roving over her own brother, carrying a meaningful smile.

"Alright then, having a guy along is safer."

Just like that, Jiang Lai was pulled by Ke Zhongying into the car. The Pullman had four seats, but they faced each other in pairs.

She couldn't very well have the owner of the car sit backward, so Jiang Lai planned to get out and sit in the front passenger seat.

Ke Zhongyu said coldly, "Sit properly."

Ke Zhongying also pulled her back, and Ke Zhongyu sat directly opposite Jiang Lai.

The rear of the extended Pullman was indeed spacious, but it couldn't help being face-to-face the whole time, especially the man's long legs crossed together, truly difficult to ignore.

Looking ahead was no good, closing her eyes to sleep was no good either, and she had been turning her head to look out the window, so her neck was already starting to ache.

She raised a hand and gently rubbed her neck. The man, who had been reading a periodical, lifted his eyes, glanced at her, and suddenly told the driver to stop by the roadside.

The man moved to the front passenger seat.

Ke Zhongying, who had been getting drowsy from the air conditioning in the car, was instantly wide awake, eyes widening in surprise.

"Damn, my brother actually sits in the front passenger seat? Before, if I forced my way into the same car, I was always the one kicked out of the front seat." Ke Zhongying was absolutely certain her brother's attitude toward Jiang Lai was unusual.

Unusual for a long time now.

Jiang Lai said, "President Ke is indeed a good boss."

She hadn't thought about it in any other way at all.

If it came down to details, Shen Xun four years ago went above and beyond.

When they first met, she shared half her umbrella with Shen Xun. Shen Xun bought a clean towel for her to dry her hair, prepared medicine for her to brew, and watched her drink it down.

The second time she got into Shen Xun's car, Shen Xun heard her stomach growling with hunger. Not only did he dig out snacks, he even opened the packaging for her. While she ate, he held water beside her, unscrewing the bottle cap and handing it over at just the right moment.

Shen Xun accompanied her to a funeral, carrying tissues and eye drops on him at all times, as well as glucose, afraid that she wouldn't be able to eat anything yet her body wouldn't hold up.

Shen Xun accompanied her to an orphanage, specially changing into cheap sportswear. His pockets held not only candy, but he also silently made a donation to the orphanage.

From their first encounter through the first year of marriage, Shen Xun was meticulous and attentive in his kindness to her.

So much so that during this period she kept wondering, was everything in the past all an act? Did Shen Xun not have a single shred of genuine feeling for her?

But it no longer mattered.

The car slowly came to a stop. They had arrived at Cui Zhai.

Jiang Lai got out, said bye to Ke Zhongyu, who was leaning against the car window, then walked over to the front passenger seat and said, "President Ke, thank you for tonight."

"Mm." Ke Zhongyu pinched a business card between his fingers and handed it to her.

Jiang Lai took it, puzzled. It was the business card of a top domestic lawyer, the very one her mentor's wife had taken her to see.

It seemed Ke Zhongyu had heard after all.

"Tell them I gave it to you. He'll help you unconditionally."

"Thank you, President Ke." Jiang Lai tucked the card away. "Please also keep this confidential, President Ke."

"I have no interest in your marriage to Shen Xun."

The car gradually receded into the distance.

Ke Zhongying leaned over, parroting like a bird: "I have no interest in your marriage to Shen Xun~ I wonder who it was that gave someone a ride home, handed someone a lawyer's business card, and even allowed them to use his name..."

Ke Zhongyu personally raised the car's partition.

He looked at the rearview mirror. Jiang Lai was still standing at the entrance. Only when the car turned the corner did he see that slender figure turn and go inside.

The dim streetlamps made her retreating figure appear even more cold and lonely.

……

Jiang Lai arranged to meet the course buyer at half past eight at a café near the course institution, since the class started at nine.

The woman was stunned the moment she saw Jiang Lai. She hadn't expected her to dress so plainly, yet she carried a unique air about her, like a dust-covered pearl—perhaps just a change of clothes and a touch of light makeup would be enough.

Jiang Lai noticed her sizing her up and asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing." The woman kept staring at her, thinking that her voice was also pleasant, speaking at an unhurried pace, giving people a feeling as calm as the surface of the sea.

"My name is Luo Jiaai."

"I'm Jiang Lai."

"Your requirement is that I must wear a mask for the entire course and claim to be you, right?" Luo Jiaai said. "That's fine, but I think I'd need to wear my hair down too. Our hair colors are different, though the length is about the same."

Jiang Lai has black straight hair, Luo Jiaai dyed hers dark brown, which is more noticeable in sunlight; otherwise it's not obvious.

"It's fine." Jiang Lai already planned to do her hair to match the gift dress from her master's wife; the dark brown color looks pretty good.

She also mentioned some precautions, and Luo Jiaai didn't ask further questions, just took notes seriously.

With ten minutes left before class, Luo Jiaai came to the institution with her card, and the front desk asked when swiping it, "Mrs. Shen?"

She was stunned.

Jiang Lai only gave her own name, not mentioning her husband's surname.

She hurriedly sent a message to ask: 【Is your husband surnamed Shen? They weren't calling my name, but "Mrs. Shen."】

【Hmm.】 Jiang Lai furrowed her brows slightly.

How did Shen Xun start calling her "Mrs. Shen" to outsiders?

Wasn't he keeping it hidden before, not letting people call her that?

Not understanding what scheme Shen Xun was up to, Jiang Lai simply stopped thinking, found a nearby hair salon, and feeling that casually brushing off her master's wife's kindness would be rude, she turned and went to the nearest large mall instead.

As soon as she stepped onto the escalator with one foot, she noticed two familiar figures in a jewelry store beside the escalator on the first floor.

Lin Shutong was selecting jewelry, Shen Xun stood beside her looking down at his phone; when Lin Shutong turned holding a piece of jewelry and asked how it looked, Shen Xun immediately put his phone back in his bag and smiled gently.

That mouth shape said: "Looks good."

Shen Xun had her go to the parenting class, while he accompanied his white moonlight to the mall to buy jewelry.

As the escalator rose, Jiang Lai could no longer see them.

Lin Shutong laughed and asked, "Ah Xun, do you have something urgent? I've noticed you keep checking your phone."

Shen Xun felt happy upon seeing the notification on his phone that the class card had been swiped, as well as a side-profile picture of Jiang Lai.

His obedient wife had returned again.

"Have you chosen?" Shen Xun said with a warm smile, "After buying the jewelry, I'll still accompany you to pick out new clothes and shoes."

Lin Shutong laughed as she linked her arm with his, pointing to the jewelry worth eight hundred thousand and saying, "Wrap it up."