Chapter 371: Winning Hearts

Old Master Gu caught the moment Jiang Lai hesitated, and he already had fifty percent confidence in his heart, but it wasn't enough.

He knew it was because Ke Zhongyu was there.

A person holding great power standing nearby, even without saying a word, can still give people a tremendous sense of security.

Old Master Gu's eyes shifted slightly, advancing by retreating: "It's fine if you don't come back to the Gu family with me now, but I have some things I want to say to you alone; you can think it over after I finish."

Ke Zhongyu frowned, he reached out and grabbed Jiang Lai's fingers.

Jiang Lai lifted her head and gave him a reassuring look.

Old Master Gu: "It's windy outside; let's talk in the car."

Jiang Lai got into the old master's car back seat; only the two of them were inside the car.

All the car doors and windows were shut; you couldn't see inside from outside, but from inside you could see the outside scenery clearly.

Ke Zhongyu stood in the cold wind, his sharp gaze continually fixed on this side.

Jiang Lai flashed a faint smile toward Ke Zhongyu's direction, then withdrew her gaze to look at Old Master Gu, and her expression turned cold and aloof again.

"Before you, sir, talk to me about matters, I have two questions I want to ask you."

Old Master Gu nodded: "Go ahead."

He thought Jiang Lai was going to ask about the twenty‑year matter; he had already prepared his remarks, but who knew Jiang Lai would throw out two questions he could not possibly answer, comparable to a nuclear bomb.

"Why did you abandon me?"

"Who abandoned me?"

Old Master Gu's pupils trembled; the explanation he had prepared was useless.

He still wanted to struggle a bit: "What abandonment..."

"I know I was abandoned." Jiang Lai said this in an unusually firm and calm tone, instantly making Old Master Gu look at her in a new light; if Jiang Lai were a boy, he would want to hand over the Gu family to her.

What a pity, Song Shiwei's second child was a girl.

Girls ultimately have to marry.

What a pity, what a pity.

Old Master Gu didn't answer directly, still saying the same thing: "As long as you return to the Gu family, I'll tell you, but I also have a condition: you must not speak of it."

Jiang Lai: "It seems that abandoning me will cause the Gu family to lose all face."

Old Master Gu: "You are also a member of the Gu family."

Jiang Lai: "I don't intend to go back."

Old Master Gu: "Listen to what I have to say first, then decide."

He had originally planned to brush it off with the excuse of a mistaken hold, but obviously Jiang Lai is not someone who can be brushed off, and her composure prevents him from seeing her merely as a child.

Since Jiang Lai now clearly knows she was abandoned, let's treat today as a negotiation.

He also produced a bit of his sincerity.

"If you return to the Gu family, it's a win‑win‑win situation: our Gu family will gain another outstanding figure in an academic field, the Gu family will protect and smooth your path, you'll only go more smoothly; third, whether it's the Nian family, the Ke family, the Gu family, or outsiders, everyone will welcome news of your relationship with Ke Zhongyu."

"I know: in this field you have predecessors who showed the way, you yourself in the middle, and Ke Zhongyu behind you; you don't lack a Gu family, but rather our Gu family lacks you."

"You don't need to praise me so highly." Jiang Lai knows her own weight.

Humility.

Jiang Lai still carries her father's innate humility, a quality that is most important to the Gu family.

Whether genuine or feigned humility, one must display humility when out in the world.

Back then, Gu Sen, aside from his abilities, also possessed the qualities needed by the head of the Gu family; it's a pity that one mistake led to another, resulting in today's situation.

All of Gu Sen's praiseworthy abilities were fully inherited by his daughter, with not a trace passed to his son.

"Like father, like daughter; like mother, like son"—this saying really does hold some truth.

Although Jiang Lai clearly harbors resentment toward the Gu family members, she still addresses him as "you" (polite), making her a good child; a good child ought to return to the Gu family.

Old Master Gu continued: "You don't consider the Gu family, you don't consider yourself, you should also consider Ke Zhongyu, consider your relationship; you can't always let Ke Zhongyu solve problems while you hide under his wings."

"Although we grandparents and grandchildren have only met twice, I know you're not that kind of person."

Jiang Lai's fingers curled slightly.

"Ke Zhongyu's position is very high; indeed no one can touch him, but as long as one is human, one will inevitably be influenced and constrained by relationships; he cannot truly do as he pleases, and doing as one pleases always comes with some cost."

"His maternal grandparents are already old; although they won't really quarrel or become embarrassed, this matter will always linger in everyone's hearts; if it affects the elders' health because of this, can Ke Zhongyu truly be at peace in his heart?"

"You indeed have honors bestowed upon you; a scientific genius marrying a billionaire is also a fine story, but your previous marriage and divorce, plus your humble origins, will become a point for the public to criticize Ke Zhongyu; can you bear that?"

The last sentence struck straight at Jiang Lai's heart.

"Ke Zhongyu can't bear to see you hurt even a little, fighting alone against the Nian and Gu families; can you bear him worrying over your affair? Can you bear him ruining his own smooth life because of you?"

Jiang Lai cannot bear it.

How could she possibly bear it?

Ke Zhongyu places her at the very tip of his heart.

Winter hasn't passed yet; the wind outside howls, biting her face with pain; Ke Zhongyu still stands not far away, his gaze fixed tightly on this side; Jiang Lai can even feel his gaze through the car window landing on her.

"He has walked ninety‑nine steps for you; you ought to take at least one step for him." Old Master Gu followed Jiang Lai's gaze and looked over, saying, "If you truly are Gu Sen's genuine daughter, a child of the Gu family, then everything can be readily resolved."

He then looked at Jiang Lai: "If everyone steps back a little, it will be a win‑win. Since you don't care about the Gu family and think returning or not makes no difference, why not come back? Returning to your ancestral roots will actually make your path with Ke Zhongyu smoother."

"Or perhaps you never intended to marry Ke Zhongyu at all? You're just toying with his feelings?"

"No." After a long silence, Jiang Lai finally spoke.

Old Master Gu also realized his final gamble had paid off; he pressed his advantage: "No woman can get within three steps of Ke Zhongyu; you are the first."

"Female resources are something the upper class never lacks, like carp crossing the river; Ke Zhongyu has seen all kinds of women, yet he uniquely chose you."

One point Jiang Lai cannot deny is that the old master is too skilled at winning hearts.

"You can go back and think it over; once you've figured it out, give me a call. Lantern Festival is the perfect time to come home for a reunion meal." After the old master left his contact information, he reached out and pressed the window button; soon the attendant came over and opened the car door for Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai got out of the car; Ke Zhongyu strode over to her and took her hand.

Gu Kai got into the car, which drove off without a trace of reluctance.

"What did the old man say to you?" Ke Zhongyu looked worried, "Did he mention me?"

"Jiang Lai, I need to tell you that regarding our matter, no one can do anything to me."

Ke Zhongyu was deep and far-sighted, scheming people's hearts, but he failed to anticipate Jiang Lai's determination to go on with him, and he failed to anticipate his own standing in Jiang Lai's heart.

This guarantee, meant to keep Jiang Lai from having any worries about the future, instead became the catalyst for her to return home.