Chapter 356: Pink Bomb

New Year's Eve.

Jiang Lai received many "Happy New Year" messages — Secretary Cen, Secretary Guan, Assistant Zhou, Chi Ce, Fu Youqing, Fu Youlin, Zhong Lü, Shen Bingrui, Xiao Qian and the people on her team, Mr. Soren, and so on — messages filled her phone, and she replied to each one.

Only when she scrolled down did she discover Ke Zhongyu's message. She tapped in to look — half an hour ago.

Ke Zhongyu probably wouldn't be angry... right?

She explained that she had just been replying to messages. The other side didn't reply immediately, and Jiang Lai instantly grew nervous, sending another message to Ke Zhongying to ask what Ke Zhongyu was doing.

Ke Zhongying sent a voice message: "He's discussing things with people in the family, won't let me listen. It's like this every year anyway — every year they talk, every year after they finish everyone's expressions aren't great, and then they still have to squeeze out smiles and eat New Year's Eve dinner together."

Jiang Lai realized she didn't know much about the Ke Family's situation — she had only met Ke Zhongyu's family, and his second aunt, Ms. Ke Yunhui. Ms. Ke Yunhui was also a friend of her teacher's wife.

Before she could ask, Ke Zhongying was already explaining to her: "My grandpa has an older brother — that's another branch of the Ke Family, they split off long ago, but not completely. Ke Clan doesn't have controlling interest, but they still hold some shares. They want full controlling interest and they also want to leverage the Ke Group's reputation to do things — there's no such good deal in this world. Every New Year they come back for a visit, and my brother has to deal with them every time."

"Then my grandpa has four children. The eldest aunt is Ke Yunjing, the second aunt is Ke Yunhui, my dad is the third — Ke Yue — and my uncle is Ke Yi. He has a son named Ke Chi — 'chi' as in 'galloping' — who just graduated and came back to the country. He opened his mouth wanting a decision-making position at Yuntu International Trade. My brother didn't agree. Our cousin is now working as an assistant to President Ye at Yuntu, and he's quite a handful too."

"But don't worry, Sister Jiang Lai — no one in our Ke Family can control my brother's marriage. My brother has long held the power; the Ke Family goes by what he says. No one would dare disrespect you."

Jiang Lai listened carefully and praised: 【Ke Zhongyu is amazing.】

Ke Zhongying: "Yi, he absolutely cannot hear that, or his tail will stick up to the sky."

Jiang Lai: 【There should be a lot of people who praise him.】

Ke Zhongying: "No no no, quite the opposite. Everyone thinks it's what he should do. Born into the Ke Family, as the heir to Ke Clan, he should be this outstanding, and should be even more outstanding. My brother hasn't interacted with many women from childhood to now. Every day of his is packed full, so he always speaks without much tact. Mom and Dad never corrected it, figuring that since he has to bear heavy responsibilities, they can't also smooth out his rough edges — so they let him be."

Listening to all this, Jiang Lai's heart ached.

Ke Zhongying: "Never mind, you should still praise him. Just spoil him."

Jiang Lai: "Mm."

She pinned Ke Zhongyu to the top so his messages wouldn't sink again, and pinned Ke Zhongying to the top too while she was at it.

Jiang Lai took a screenshot and sent it to Ke Zhongyu: 【This way I won't miss your messages anymore.】

Two minutes later, Ke Zhongyu replied to her: 【Where does Ke Zhongying get the ability to be pinned to the top by you alongside me?】

Jiang Lai: "..."

Endless.

She felt a little like laughing.

The next second, she cropped the screenshot to show only Ke Zhongyu.

【There.】

"Jiang Lai!" The man's voice message carried a hint of gritted teeth, yet concealed a trace of laughter.

As midnight approached, Jiang Lai tilted her head up to watch the sky and wait for fireworks. The instant the fireworks bloomed, she said to the sky: "Happy New Year."

The next second she looked down and sent Ke Zhongyu a message — this time a voice message: "Happy New Year, Ke Zhongyu. Wishing you peace and safety."

Immediately after, Jiang Lai's phone switched to vibrate mode, and one large transfer after another popped up in her chat with Ke Zhongyu.

Happy New Year to 1-year-old Jiang Lai.

Happy New Year to 2-year-old Jiang Lai.

Happy New Year to 3-year-old Jiang Lai.

……

Happy New Year to 27-year-old Jiang Lai.

Happy New Year to 28-year-old Jiang Lai.

One year old, ten thousand; two years old, twenty thousand — four million and sixty thousand in total, like a pink bomb, blasting Jiang Lai until she was dizzy and disoriented.

Jiang Lai asked dizzily: 【Ke Zhongyu, why didn't you set a limit?】

Ke Zhongyu: 【You set a limit?】

Jiang Lai: 【Ah.】

The next second, four million and sixty thousand was deposited into Jiang Lai's bank card account. The remark read: Happy New Year, A Lai. Peace and safety — and stay by my side.

Jiang Lai was completely dazed.

The degree of Ke Zhongyu's sharp tongue was actually directly proportional to the degree of his sweet talk.

Unbelievable.

Jiang Lai opened her chat with Chi Ce and asked: 【Does Ke Zhongyu like astronomy?】

Chi Ce, shocked: 【How do you know? Did he tell you?】

Jiang Lai: 【Chongying mentioned it.】

Ke Zhongying had said that her brother, to save her when she fell off the rockery, lost the newest model telescope their grandmother had given him — his favorite telescope.

Chi Ce: 【That was his childhood hobby. This hobby takes too much time and energy, and his time and energy all have to go toward the heavy responsibility of inheriting Ke Clan. But after taking over Ke Clan, he still built himself an observatory. The horse farm, camping, stargazing — all in one place. He just never has time to go.】

Jiang Lai remembered Ke Zhongyu mentioning this place.

【Thank you, I understand now.】

Chi Ce: 【You're welcome. If you want to buy astronomy equipment, you can look for Fu Daxiaojie in this area.】

Jiang Lai: 【She likes astronomy too?】

Chi Ce: 【She doesn't, but she has someone close to her who likes astronomy and knows it very well.】

Jiang Lai: 【Okay, Happy New Year, Doctor Chi.】

Chi Ce: 【Happy New Year, Dr. Jiang.】

Having confirmed that Ke Zhongyu liked astronomy, Jiang Lai made up her mind to buy him a set of astronomy equipment, and to self-study some astronomy knowledge — couples need to have shared topics.

A New Year without her partner beside her yet still feeling grounded and loved — Jiang Lai's chest was packed with happiness, already overflowing to the corners of her lips.

Everyone could see her joy.

On the first day of the New Year, Jiang Lai slept in. After the second day, she kept reviewing seminar materials. On the fifth day, leaders came to Fuli Yuan to check on conditions, and Dean Mom specially called her out.

Jiang Lai saw a familiar face.

"Director Liu."

"Dr. Jiang."

Director Liu was a leader at the Civil Affairs Bureau; last month Jiang Lai had donated the entire sum of money returned by Lin Shutong to G Province for the construction of social welfare homes, and since the amount was relatively large, Deputy Director Liu took charge of the liaison directly.

She and Dean Mom accompanied Director Liu on a tour of Fuli Yuan; she had thought it was nearly over, when Dean Mom suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Secretary Gu and Director Liu used to have a superior-subordinate relationship."

Jiang Lai's pupils shrank slightly.

She understood the true reason Dean Mom had asked her to receive Director Liu.

Dean Tang also began steering the conversation toward the matter, naturally mentioning a New Year's trip to A City where he had run into Secretary Gu, who had left politics for business years ago, and reminisced with a sigh.

Director Liu hadn't heard that name in many years; he paused for a moment upon hearing it, and his words carried a hint of regret as well.

Dean Tang then mentioned that the daughter Secretary Gu's wife had given birth to in G Province was already quite grown by now, and was a photographer.

Director Liu naturally picked up the thread: "It's been many years. The day Madam Gu gave birth, many of us went to visit her. Madam Gu truly wasn't suited to the environment in G Province back then, and Secretary Gu made that choice for the sake of his wife and daughter... sigh."

Jiang Lai's heart tightened.

Director Liu might know something.