Chapter 374: The Conditions for Going Back

Jiang Lai thought getting a new household registration would take a long time, but the application she filled out the day before was approved—the migration certificate came through on the third day, and she took it straight to the police station that same day to process the new registration.

The efficiency was astonishingly fast.

Jiang Lai instinctively assumed Ke Zhongyu had pulled strings behind the scenes, but Professor Cheng, who had helped her with the registration, said, "Have you considered that it might be your own doing?"

Jiang Lai looked at Professor Cheng: "Me?"

Professor Cheng smiled: "National-level talents have a green channel for household registration, even with dedicated personnel to handle it on their behalf. Three days isn't particularly fast—when I did mine, I registered directly and it was done in two days."

Jiang Lai hadn't considered that.

Professor Cheng: "Though our salary controls are strict and not high, we actually have quite a few hidden benefits. These benefits are all earned through your own abilities. You joined A Da as associate senior, and it was through your own abilities that the state opened the green channel for you."

The conventional path to an associate professor title at a university takes two to three years, or three to five years under normal circumstances; even with a national-level project successfully completed, it still takes half a year to a year. But Jiang Lai entered through the talent introduction green channel, exempt from year limits, joining directly at the associate senior level as an associate professor.

Jiang Lai's appointment letter and professional title had already been issued.

A Da's spring semester started on March 1st this year, with the Lantern Festival on March 3rd. Faculty and staff generally arrived on campus earlier than students. The school knew Jiang Lai still had the Three-Region Project on her hands, so they told her not to rush with school matters and to wait until the course schedule was finalized.

Aside from specialized and public courses, associate professors were the main force in recruiting and supervising master's students. On this point, Jiang Lai's plan was to start no earlier than the second half of the year and no later than next year; for now, she would only teach undergraduate specialized courses. The school had always been supportive of her.

Professor Cheng offered her congratulations with a beaming smile.

Xiao Qian said with a smile: "Should I be calling you Professor Jiang from now on?"

Jiang Lai responded to her teasing: "I still prefer hearing you call me Senior Sister."

As she spoke, she sent a message to Ke Zhongyu—no extra words, just a screenshot of the appointment letter and professional title.

【Hello, Professor Jiang】

Ke Zhongyu was teasing her too.

Jiang Lai curved her lips slightly: 【Is your business trip going smoothly?】

Ke Zhongyu's business trip wasn't particularly smooth. He had used the Xiao family's connections to arrange a meeting with Zhao Zheng. Assistant Zhou had already met with him once before; this time Ke Zhongyu came in person. For Zhao Zheng to have reached his current high position, he certainly had discernment—and, of course, the ability to maneuver.

Ke Zhongyu couldn't get anything out of him. Every time the conversation touched on events from back then, Zhao Zheng would steer it elsewhere.

A table full of shrewd operators.

The more Zhao Zheng avoided the topic, the more it indicated he was inextricably linked to what happened back then. Zhao Zheng was closely tied to the Gu family, which meant they were a community of shared interests.

If nothing could be gleaned at the dinner table, then keep it brief and let it go.

Away from the dinner table, Ke Zhongyu offered to personally see Zhao Zheng to his car. Since they were not in an official setting, Ke Zhongyu addressed Zhao Zheng as Mr. Zhao.

"I recall Mr. Zhao has family in the political-legal system? When I returned to B City on the seventh, Aunt Gu told me herself that Gu Zhiyan is preparing for a career in the political-legal system."

Zhao Zheng's close relationship with the Gu family was a very subtle matter. To anyone else, these were two entirely unrelated topics, but to Zhao Zheng's ears, this young man was sending him a warning—and it wasn't even a dinner-table probe.

Zhao Zheng was advanced in years and held a high position; he could casually say things about how the Yangtze's rear waves push the front waves and that he should learn more from the younger generation, but if a junior actually tried to ride on his head, fury blazed in his heart and his expression darkened.

"President Ke is so young; you should spend more time with people your own age. Always dealing with old men like us will dull your youthful spirit—not good, not good."

It sounded like a gentle reminder from an elder.

Ke Zhongyu: "I took power at Ke Clan too early. Few people my age are in the same position. I'm all the more eager to learn from my elders about the art of advancement."

Zhao Zheng: "President Ke already holds sole power—where else is there to advance to?"

Ke Zhongyu: "Above the CEO, isn't there still a chairman pressing down?"

Zhao Zheng: "Above a provincial-level leader is the central government."

Ke Zhongyu narrowed his eyes dangerously: "I do know some people in the central government too. I should indeed go learn from the seniors there."

Zhao Zheng's breath caught.

This kid was truly relentless. How did the Gu family provoke him? He insisted on asking about something from twenty-eight years ago.

It shouldn't be—the Gu family and the Nian Family had a tight relationship; neither would offend the other.

"President Ke, I'm an old man. Some things I've long forgotten."

"You can forget what you accidentally stumbled upon the day you visited Mrs. Gu at the hospital?" Ke Zhongyu's gaze was fixed on Zhao Zheng, observing every shift in his expression. "That was a life."

The moment those words fell, he noticed Zhao Zheng's nostrils flare. People have this reaction when they are extremely nervous or frightened—panic and rapid breathing cause the nostrils to dilate quickly.

"I've forgotten." Zhao Zheng bent down and got into the car, rapidly rolling up the window without a single glance at Ke Zhongyu.

Ke Zhongyu watched Zhao Zheng's car recede into the distance.

Assistant Zhou, standing to one side, spoke up: "Mr. Zhao won't be coming out again."

Ke Zhongyu gave an "Mm." Zhao Zheng and the Gu family were bound together tightly indeed.

The Nian Family and the Gu family were also tightly bound, and the Ke Family and the Nian Family even more so. But the Ke Family and the Gu family, relying solely on the connection between Ms. Nian and Gu Sen, wasn't enough. To bind more tightly and truly maximize their interests, the Gu family's daughter would have to marry him, or the Gu family's son would have to marry Ke Zhongying.

Either option stepped squarely on Ke Zhongyu's landmines.

Ke Zhongyu said in a low voice: "Let's go back."

The two first returned to the hotel to pack, planning to head back to A City tomorrow—only two days remained until the Lantern Festival.

……

Jiang Lai had been taking her lunch breaks in Ke Zhongyu's private lounge, and everyone considered it normal. The entire office—people and machines alike—let their guard down around Jiang Lai, so she happened to see Ke Zhongyu's hotel information at Secretary Guan's desk.

Chain hotel names usually had the regional location appended. She searched and found it was in T Province.

The former Secretary Zhao, now the top official of T Province.

Ke Zhongyu wasn't on a business trip at all—he was out finding the truth for himself, though it hadn't gone smoothly.

Even if Ke Zhongyu found the last piece of the puzzle and slotted it into place, there was still a stubborn corner in Jiang Lai's heart that wanted to hear what her biological parents would say, and what the Gu family would say.

And some things could only be done by returning to the Gu family.

She thought again of what Ke Zhongying had said—that Ke Zhongyu's grandmother had bought him a telescope he liked. His grandmother could notice his preferences and give him a corresponding gift, which showed she doted on him.

Just because Jiang Lai didn't have something herself, did that mean she had to take it away from someone else?

Ke Zhongyu protected her and the people around her. Every holiday and festival, he made sure to remember gifts for her elders. Ping'an's matters were also kept in his heart, everything arranged properly.

Ke Zhongyu protected her privacy—even when posting on social media, he chose photos of her blurred profile.

Protection had always been mutual. She protected Ke Zhongyu's bond with his elders, she protected Ke Zhongyu's reputation—what was wrong with that?

Jiang Lai got through to Old Master Gu on the phone.

"I also have conditions when I go back."

"I have already registered my residence in A City; I will not transfer my household registration, nor change my Gu surname, nor change my name."

"I have a project with the Ke Clan, I have a course at A Da, and I will not move into the Gu family."