Chapter 353: Ke Zhongyu, Are You a Dog?

Jiang Lai and Ping'an's tickets were already purchased—a 6 a. m. flight on the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month.

By the time Secretary Guan and the others asked, the tickets were already bought, and Jiang Lai had no intention of refunding them for Secretary Guan to repurchase.

Secretary Guan: "That's too early. You and Ping'an will have to set out at four in the morning."

Jiang Lai: "It's fine. That was the only flight available at the time."

Secretary Guan sighed: "Alright then. Don't leave anything behind when you pack tonight. G Province is very cold in winter—bring all your thick clothes, scarves, gloves, and so on. If the luggage is overweight, just pay the fee. President Ke has more money than anyone."

Jiang Lai smiled: "Got it. Why are you worrying so much?"

Secretary Guan smiled: "Isn't that exactly what my job is?"

Ke Zhongyu had one Special Assistant and two secretaries, each with a different focus. Secretary Guan focused on the boss's schedule and was habitually a worrier.

Jiang Lai looked at her: "I'm heading to the conference room."

Secretary Guan said okay. Secretary Cen looked up, spun her chair over, and waved at her.

The day before the holiday, the project team had a big meeting to hold.

The three parties' leads were all present—Jiang Lai, Director Guo of the Research and Development Center, and Ke Zhongyu.

The meeting lasted two hours. After the official business concluded, Jiang Lai stood in the very center, her gaze sweeping across everyone: "Wishing everyone a pleasant holiday, and wishing you all a happy New Year in advance. See you after the New Year."

"See you after the New Year, Dr. Jiang."

"Chief Engineer Jiang, see you after the New Year."

Jiang Lai responded to each of them—see you after the New Year.

Ke Zhongyu sat to the side watching Jiang Lai greet everyone—upright in posture, composed in gaze, every gesture already carrying the air of a leader.

He liked Jiang Lai like this.

Exuding a faint, captivating charm.

Jiang Lai had long noticed Ke Zhongyu watching her. Only after everyone had left did she look at Ke Zhongyu.

Ke Zhongyu gazed up at her, his eyes holding not only fondness but always a touch of admiration.

Jiang Lai could never withstand this.

"Stop looking." She closed the silver laptop in front of her.

Ke Zhongyu was still looking at her.

His gaze deep, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Jiang Lai couldn't resist leaning down to press a light kiss on his lips, then picked up the laptop with one hand and walked past him. Behind her came the sound of Ke Zhongyu rising to his feet.

Suddenly, a large hand was on Jiang Lai's waist.

Ke Zhongyu wrapped around her from behind, gripped her waist with both hands, and lifted—easily hoisting her up onto the conference table.

Jiang Lai looked around in a panic.

The conference room door was still open.

Ke Zhongyu leaned in. Jiang Lai reached up to push against his chest, leaning slightly back: "Ke Zhongyu, this is a conference room."

"I know." Ke Zhongyu's barely-there kiss fell on her neck. Jiang Lai was so ticklish she only wanted to hide, yet could only hide in his embrace.

Ke Zhongyu gripped her waist and left a deep red mark on her neck, gently covering it with her sweater collar, and said: "That should last until you come back."

Jiang Lai: "..."

She glared at him: "Are you a dog?"

Ke Zhongyu, without changing his expression: "You like dogs, so I am."

Ke Zhongyu had already released her waist. Jiang Lai couldn't listen anymore—her ears felt like they were burning. She got down from the conference table and headed straight for the door.

Not far away, Xiao Qian and Professor Cheng hadn't left yet.

Jiang Lai walked over.

Xiao Qian called out "Senior Sister," and Professor Cheng had something to discuss with her.

"There's a symposium on the eighth day of the new year, in B City. Last year, Ji Lao was invited. Now that something has happened to Ji Lao, our research institute can't have no one attending. The leaders' idea is to have you go—showing your face at this kind of large-scale symposium is beneficial. They asked me to check with you. If you don't go, I'll have to go."

Professor Cheng's hometown wasn't in A City. Every year after having New Year's Eve dinner here, he had to take his wife and daughter back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors—everyone around him knew this.

And Professor Cheng's hometown was far from B City—a grueling trip by car.

Jiang Lai nodded in agreement: "I'll go."

Professor Cheng then looked at Xiao Qian: "Then let Xiao Qian go with you. You both need to go home and pack today. I'll submit the business trip applications for you. I'll email you the materials about this symposium later—remember to read them and plan the trip well."

Jiang Lai and Xiao Qian nodded.

While the three were talking, Ke Zhongyu stood nearby waiting for Jiang Lai, not coming over.

Xiao Qian spotted President Ke and tactfully left first—just in time to go pick up her things.

The Ke Clan's administration department issued the Spring Festival holiday notice in the morning, and in the afternoon issued a notice for everyone to go collect Spring Festival gifts.

After Xiao Qian left, Ke Zhongyu walked over. He didn't ask what it was about.

Jiang Lai asked him: "I remember Chongying saying you're going to B City after the New Year. How long will you stay in B City?"

Ke Zhongyu: "Work resumes on the ninth. I'll come back on the eighth. Ms. Nian and the others will stay until after the Lantern Festival."

Jiang Lai nodded.

Then if she went to B City on the seventh, she could still run into Ke Zhongyu.

"What about you?" Ke Zhongyu asked her. "Also the eighth?"

Jiang Lai: "Not sure yet."

Jiang Lai wasn't bound by the Ke Clan's employee rules. As long as she could handle the lab's affairs, she could return whenever she wanted.

Ke Zhongyu: "Can't you come back earlier?"

Jiang Lai smiled faintly: "I'll let you know when the time comes. After the New Year I'll go take the exam—the moment to test Coach Ke's results will have arrived."

Ke Zhongyu also smiled.

As soon as work ended, Ke Zhongyu drove Jiang Lai to the Chi Family Medical Clinic; Ping'an stood before the antique-style medicine cabinet, holding a prescription slip, dispensing medicine.

He was very focused, as if immersed in his own world, so Jiang Lai didn't disturb him and followed Ke Zhongyu into the back courtyard first.

Chi Grandma stood to the side wearing glasses, directing Chi Ce, who sat there, to make a PowerPoint lecture handout; most of the content was dictated by Chi Grandma, and Chi Ce typed furiously fast.

Chi Grandma noticed Jiang Lai and the others first and smiled slightly: "You're here."

Chi Ce looked up: "Here to pick up Ping'an?"

Jiang Lai: "Yes."

Chi Grandma: "Did you see him?"

Jiang Lai: "Over there, dispensing medicine."

Chi Grandma nodded: "He learns characters quickly, learns medicines quickly too — a good seedling, more suited to studying Chinese medicine than Chi Ce."

"Grandma, check it over — it's done." Chi Ce stood up, rolled his neck, and looked at Ke Zhongyu and Jiang Lai. "President Ke says you want Ping'an to take the surname Jiang and be transferred onto your household registration?"

Jiang Lai glanced at Ke Zhongyu, then nodded: "He can't be transferred onto my registration — I don't meet the requirements."

Chi Ce: "My family does. I mentioned it to President Chi and Director Qu, and neither of them had any objections, but they're quite busy. After the new year when things quiet down, we can go to Fuli Yuan to handle the adoption paperwork. He'll be registered under our family's name first, and the surname can follow yours."

Jiang Lai was both pleasantly surprised and a bit hesitant: "Would President Chi and Director Qu really be willing?"

Chi Ce: "Don't worry — Director Qu has a bunch of kids out west; every year he takes people from the hospital out there, and he's been running that aid program for over ten years. Heaven knows how many children he has out there, from seventeen or eighteen down to five or six years old. Ping'an is obedient and sensible, and smart too — he just doesn't like to talk much, that's all."

Jiang Lai's heart settled: "After the new year, I'll talk with President Chi and Director Qu again."

Chi Ce nodded.

Ping'an came over carrying the medicine he had dispensed, looking at his sister in surprise, but remembering he was still in the middle of an exam, he didn't call out to her first — instead he went to submit his work first.

"Grandma."

"Let me take a look."

Ping'an stood obediently waiting for the result, and finally received one sentence: "Not bad. Go home with your sister for the new year."

Ping'an grinned broadly and turned his head to call out: "Sister! Brother-in-law!"

Chi Ce: "???"

"President Ke, when did you buy him off?"

Jiang Lai patted Ping'an's head and corrected him: "It's 'brother.'"

Chi Ce smiled and said in a low voice: "President Ke, you've only won over the little one — the big one still hasn't said yes."

Ke Zhongyu: "Has yours said yes? Her brother doesn't even know you."

Chi Ce: "…"