Chapter 372: Transferring Household Registration

Jiang Lai held Ke Zhongyu's hand as they got into the car heading to the airport: "He said if I go back he'll tell me about how I was abandoned twenty-eight years ago. I need to think about it."

"You'll be in the car for at least ten minutes." Ke Zhongyu clearly didn't believe it—ten minutes still spent discussing something already talked about.

He could tell Jiang Lai didn't want to bring it up.

She wasn't willing to mention it, so he didn't ask.

Before the plane took off and phones were turned off, Ke Zhongyu sent a message to Assistant Zhou: 【I want to meet Zhao Zheng in person.】

Assistant Zhou: 【I'll arrange it as soon as possible.】

On the second day back in A City and resuming work, Ke Zhongyu and Assistant Zhou went on a business trip, tentatively scheduled for one week.

Ke Zhongyu promised Jiang Lai: "I'll definitely be back to spend Lantern Festival with you."

He wouldn't let Jiang Lai see him off to the airport, not even downstairs—only to the doorstep.

With no one at the door, Jiang Lai suddenly called out Ke Zhongyu's name.

"Ke Zhongyu."

"Hmm?" Before Ke Zhongyu's trailing tone had fully faded, Jiang Lai's kiss was already pressed against him, right at the corner of his lips—just a brief touch was enough to ignite the hot-blooded him, and he took the opening to grip her chin and kiss her back.

Demanding a kiss.

He asked her for a deep kiss.

Jiang Lai parted her lips, like opening the city gates to allow Ke Zhongyu to come in and conquer.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Lai's body went soft in Ke Zhongyu's arms, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she said in a low voice: "You need to go catch your flight."

"On purpose." Ke Zhongyu pinched the back of her neck and kissed her once more before finally willing to leave.

Jiang Lai: "Come back early."

Ke Zhongyu: "Mm."

Watching Ke Zhongyu leave, Jiang Lai returned to her room. That pot of cold orchid was about to bloom.

She gently tapped a leaf with her finger, then picked up her phone and called Dean Mom, telling her that Ping'an shouldn't rush back—she'd be busy with things lately and worried she wouldn't be able to attend to Ping'an when the time came.

Dean Tang had already guessed her background. Thinking that the Gu family was also a prominent family in B City, and that large families were never free of dirty affairs, she couldn't help but worry too.

"Busy with what?"

"I have property now, don't I? I want to transfer my household registration out." Jiang Lai was brewing honeysuckle tea to clear internal heat, and this time she used more honeysuckle than ever before—the fragrance was rich, but so was the bitterness.

She took a sip and liked it very much.

When Dean Tang heard it was this matter, she felt a bit relieved, but then worried about something else: "To transfer your household registration you need the original household register. Won't you have to go see Shen Xun?"

Jiang Lai had already contacted Shen Xun.

"I'll have a friend with me."

"President Ke's sister?"

"Another friend, surnamed Fu."

"One of the group you spent New Year's Eve with last time, right?"

"Right."

Actually, Jiang Lai didn't need anyone to accompany her, but the thought of meeting Shen Xun alone still made her uncomfortable, so she agreed.

When Jiang Lai came out, Fu Youqing was already waiting there in her car, and Chi Ce was there too.

One in the car, one standing outside.

"Why are you here?" Fu Youqing glanced at Chi Ce, then quickly looked away and called out to Jiang Lai, "Over here."

Chi Ce leaned one hand against the car: "How could President Ke rest easy letting his wife go see her ex-husband? He's not stopping you because he's afraid of looking petty—controlling you this strictly when you're not even married yet. Besides, Shen Xun is a grown man. What if you two women get bullied?"

Fu Youqing shot him another glance: "Do all you men like to stake your claim in advance? Calling someone 'wife' every other breath when you know perfectly well you're not married."

As soon as the words fell, both Fu Youqing and Chi Ce froze for a moment.

Because Chi Ce had called her that in bed too, and Fu Youqing had rewarded him with a slap, telling him not to say it recklessly.

For an instant, the two fell silent in tacit understanding.

Jiang Lai happened to walk over just then. Sensing the bizarre atmosphere between them, she still calmly greeted them.

Chi Ce said to Jiang Lai: "Afraid you two might get the short end of the stick, so I'm coming along."

Jiang Lai had no objection. Having Chi Ce along would actually put Ke Zhongyu at ease, so he could focus on his business trip and come back sooner.

The three arrived at the agreed-upon café.

Shen Xun wore a light-colored suit, sitting there impeccably dressed and very upright, seeming a bit nervous.

Upon seeing Jiang Lai, he revealed a warm and gentle smile, just like when they first met many years ago.

Time leaves no marks, but the human heart does.

No matter what, they could never go back to the beginning.

Shen Xun saw Fu Youqing and Chi Ce beside Jiang Lai and froze for a moment, even feeling a bit dazed. These two people were ones Jiang Lai could never have come into contact with before, but now not only was she walking alongside them, the two appeared to be protecting her.

Something that could have been handled directly at the police station, yet Shen Xun insisted on stopping at a café first, having some coffee before going.

Shen Xun seemed to know he still carried an infection source, so he hadn't ordered in advance, gesturing for them to order for themselves.

"Going right after coffee?" Jiang Lai asked him.

"Mm." Shen Xun's eyes were bright, constantly following Jiang Lai.

Chi Ce tapped the table lightly: "President Shen, let me remind you—if you didn't have eyes, how would you still work at the Xie family and earn money to support your family?"

Fu Youqing said in all seriousness: "Ke Zhongyu really isn't a good person."

The two played off each other in perfect tandem.

Jiang Lai only ordered one coffee—not that she didn't want to order for Chi Ce and Fu Youqing too, but she genuinely just wanted to get it over with quickly.

She'd specifically ordered iced coffee, and the moment it arrived she downed it in one gulp.

The three were stunned on the spot.

Fu Youqing noticed that Jiang Lai had one thing in common with Ke Zhongyu — she did big things without a word. The secret divorce back then was the same; the timing she got stuck at happened to protect her own best interests.

Shen Xun's chest felt so tight and miserable that he couldn't help speaking: "You really don't want to spend any extra time with me at all."

Jiang Lai said expressionlessly: "That's right."

Shen Xun smiled bitterly. Not wanting to leave Jiang Lai with another bad impression, he stood up and said: "Let's go."

The group hadn't even warmed their seats before they arrived at the police station where Shen Xun's household register was registered. Jiang Lai produced the divorce certificate and property deed, Shen Xun handed over the household register, and his marital status was changed to divorced on the spot.

Next, they only needed to go to the household registration office at the police station with jurisdiction over Number Ten Courtyard to fill out the application forms and paperwork, wait for the migration certificate to come through, and have a new household register issued on-site.

Jiang Lai made quick work of it. She walked out of the police station and left without looking back.

Shen Xun stood at the entrance of the police station, his hands and feet ice-cold.

His household register wouldn't even have Jiang Lai's name on it anymore.

Shen Xun chased after her and, looking down, asked Jiang Lai, who had already gotten into the car: "Can't we even be friends?"

"We can't," Jiang Lai said. "Ke Zhongyu once said that a qualified ex-husband should be as quiet as if he were dead."

The real blow of those words to Shen Xun lay in "Ke Zhongyu once said." Jiang Lai mentioned Ke Zhongyu at every turn and even listened to his words this much — when clearly all of this used to belong to him.

Shen Xun's eyes reddened again.

"Jiang Lai, we can't even be friends?"

"Shen Xun, you have friends. Xie Yongsi is a perfectly good friend."

The car drove away. Shen Xun stood in place for a long time. Jiang Lai had mentioned Xie Yongsi, and only then did he remember that it had been half a month since their falling-out. They hadn't been in touch, and the conflict still hadn't been resolved.

Maybe he should listen to Jiang Lai and stand by his brother this time.

Shen Xun made a phone call: "Yongsi, about you and Shen Xi… let it go."