Chapter 362: Truly Maddening

There was a mirror in the elevator. Jiang Lai pressed right up against it to check her reflection, confirming there were no longer any marks left on her neck, then smoothed down her somewhat disheveled hair.

Her face and neck were still flushed red.

Things had just gotten heated in the car; fortunately, it hadn't gone all the way.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the elevator either, otherwise it would be truly embarrassing for someone to see her looking so flushed and flustered.

Originally Ke Zhongyu had wanted to see her upstairs, but she firmly objected. Ke Zhongyu was like dry kindling right now—the tiniest spark could set him off.

Jiang Lai herself wasn't much better off. The reason things hadn't gone all the way with Ke Zhongyu was that whimper that slipped from her lips the moment he gripped her.

That alone had set the fire ablaze.

In a certain moment, she felt like Ke Zhongyu could have torn her apart. She was trembling all over badly, and having no other choice, she clung tightly to Ke Zhongyu's neck and pleaded with him once, and only then did he barely manage to stop.

With a chime, the floor arrived.

Jiang Lai rubbed her face, took a deep breath, and stepped out. She paused a moment to compose herself before raising her hand to knock on the door.

Xiao Qian opened the door from inside, a towel wrapped around her head, a toothbrush in her hand, mumbling in surprise: "That fast?"

Jiang Lai gave an "mm-hm." Because of what she had just done in the car—something decidedly not suitable for minors—she hardly dared to look Xiao Qian straight in the eye, and thus failed to catch what exactly Xiao Qian meant by "that fast."

Xiao Qian closed the door and watched her senior's retreating back, unable to resist muttering aloud: "No, I thought President Ke's physique looked perfectly fine. Should be quite long-lasting too. That shouldn't be right."

This time Jiang Lai heard it clearly. Her footsteps halted, the roots of her ears genuinely about to catch fire. She asked Xiao Qian: "I'll use the restroom first?"

Xiao Qian nodded.

Jiang Lai closed the door, scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed it on her face, then took another deep breath. Her brain wouldn't obey her—Ke Zhongyu's voice, thick with desire, calling "A Lai" over and over, kept surfacing in her ears.

"A Lai..."

"A Lai, the gift you mentioned..."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming beforehand? When did you learn to be naughty, hmm? A Lai..."

"Do you like it?"

"You like it."

"So sensitive, A Lai..."

Jiang Lai felt she must have been sexually repressed for years—that was the only explanation for why, even after splashing cold water on herself, she could still vividly recall every scene from the car downstairs, even every word Ke Zhongyu had said.

Truly maddening.

Jiang Lai splashed another handful of cold water on her face.

Ke Zhongyu had no cold water to splash. He chose to let nature take its course. Breathing in Jiang Lai's scent that still hadn't fully dissipated from the car, gazing at a photo of the two of them on his phone screen, with the hand speed of a man who'd been single for twenty-eight years, he fiercely sent himself to the peak.

He had never felt this intense before.

Nor had he ever lost his composure like this before.

Ke Zhongyu panted heavily, head tilted back, one arm hanging naturally at his side. Only after a full minute did he reach for tissues to clean up, then cracked the car window open, letting the cold wind pour in.

Before leaving, he sent Jiang Lai a goodnight message.

Jiang Lai saw it but was too embarrassed to reply. That night, however, she fell asleep holding her phone, her cheek pressing against the screen and typing out a jumble of random symbols—which actually got sent. By the time she woke up, it was too late to recall it.

She had expected a wretched early morning, but instead received a message from Ke Zhongyu: 【Good morning, come downstairs.】

Ke Zhongyu stood upright beside the car in all black—a sculpted face, a model's physique—yet in his hand he carried a small transparent plastic bag, inside of which was the one flour-based food Jiang Lai loved: steamed buns.

Refined, yet down-to-earth.

It made Jiang Lai involuntarily think of the time Ke Zhongyu had accompanied her back to G Province to look for Ping'an. Ke Zhongyu had stood in front of the not-yet-cleaned wet market, holding sweet potatoes in one hand and grilled skewers in the other—completely out of place, yet so dazzling.

Jiang Lai's lips curved slightly upward. After washing up, she went downstairs, and Xiao Qian followed behind with a yawn.

"Ke Zhongyu." Her voice carried a hint of cheer.

When Ke Zhongyu wore no expression, he gave off a rather cold impression; passersby wouldn't dare steal a second glance. But upon hearing Jiang Lai call out like that, his expression instantly softened.

He walked over.

There were two breakfasts in total—one for Jiang Lai, one for Xiao Qian.

Xiao Qian had never in her life imagined a big shot buying her breakfast. She reached out with both hands to accept it, smiling as she said thank you. Even if someone called her a sycophant, she didn't care—she was beginning to understand why Secretary Cen and Secretary Guan were so devoted to President Ke. President Ke treated people like people.

Jiang Lai didn't see a driver. She said to Ke Zhongyu: "It's less than a hundred meters ahead. No need for the car."

Ke Zhongyu: "That's the straight-line distance. It's very large inside. Even after the car gets in, it still has to drive a bit further."

Jiang Lai got into the passenger seat, and Xiao Qian sat in the back.

Ke Zhongyu rested both hands on the steering wheel, and as he started the car, asked Jiang Lai: "How long is the conference? What time to what time in the morning? What time to what time in the afternoon?"

Jiang Lai: "Two days. Today is the opening ceremony with keynote exchanges. Tomorrow there are sub-forums."

Ke Zhongyu: "Are you going to the business dinner?"

Large-scale symposiums almost always included a business dinner segment, but participation was voluntary.

Jiang Lai herself didn't want to go, but with Ke Zhongyu asking her like this, she assumed he wanted her to attend. Yet she wasn't certain, so she asked: "What do you think?"

She had always been aware of her own shortcoming—she could focus on technical research just fine, but her interpersonal skills were a bit lacking, whereas Ke Zhongyu excelled at both.

Ke Zhongyu also hadn't expected her to seek his opinion. The feeling of being valued by his girlfriend was incredibly novel—entirely different from the kind of importance others placed on seeking his opinion.

Ke Zhongyu said seriously: "If you only want to focus on research, don't go. If you want to hold social standing while pursuing your studies, go. You need to build a social circle of your own, then build a network of connections. Social standing only exists within social relationships."

If Jiang Lai chose the former, he could shield her from outside distractions and let her focus solely on research.

If Jiang Lai chose the latter, he would appear at the business dinner in his capacity as the head of a core enterprise, becoming the backing for Jiang Lai's early-stage accumulation of strength.

Jiang Lai chose to go.

Ke Zhongyu dropped the two of them off and said to Jiang Lai: "See you tonight."

Just three short words gave Jiang Lai a sense of security. She replied: "See you tonight."

The attendees of this symposium were all experts in related fields, both men and women, but Jiang Lai's appearance still caused quite a stir.

It had always been the norm that technical positions had more men than women, and in the field of scientific research, young women were even rarer.

Jiang Lai carried on Elder Cui's legacy, enabling our nation's technology to take a substantive step forward on the path of Crystal Core self-sufficiency, at the young age of twenty-eight.

She turned down the invitation from the University of Technology; she was only twenty‑eight.

It is said she also toppled Ji Lao's clan; she was only twenty‑eight.

Capable and resourceful, she is a woman not to be ignored.

But when they looked over, Dr. Jiang was slender in build, yet her gaze was strong; her expression was clear and cold, yet she was polite and respectful.

"Dr. Jiang!" Shen Bingrui approached from nearby, wearing a work badge identical to Xiao Qian's around his neck—clearly he had come as an assistant, undoubtedly Shen Lao's assistant.

Jiang Lai exchanged a greeting with him, then walked toward Shen Lao.

Shen Lao looked at her and said, "You've come."

Jiang Lai: "I've come."

Shen Lao gave a slight nod, signaling Jiang Lai to follow him.

He led her to greet each person present, making introductions; he first mentioned Jiang Lai's self‑developed chip project, then noted she was Cui Lao's prized disciple—leading with her accomplishments, then her mentorship, striking the perfect balance.

After the round, Jiang Lai was no longer merely a promising newcomer in this circle; she stood there by her ability, gradually earning a place in everyone's esteem.

When Jiang Lai was escorted to her seat, the double‑sided name card on the table still read Ji Xiu Cheng's name, not hers.

But the research institute had already submitted Jiang Lai's name earlier that year; logically, the organizers and sponsors of this large seminar should not have made such an error.

Whose power move is this?

Is it to see her lose her composure? Or to see her provoke the staff?