Chapter 381: Jiang Lai Holds the Dominant Position

The two families went out one after another.

The cars were all parked together, but the first person to walk toward them was Song Shiwei.

She had been silent for a long while, only speaking up to show concern when Gu Yinxue was having blood drawn, only to be stung back by Ms. Nian's concern for Jiang Lai, and now just wanted to hurry and leave the hospital.

Song Shiwei's retreating figure was hurried.

Jiang Lai caught a casual glimpse and couldn't help staring for a long time.

Twenty-eight years ago, in the swirling snow, the newborn baby had also gazed at this hurried, flustered retreating figure for a long time.

A warm palm covered Jiang Lai's eyes, and Ke Zhongyu stood behind her, saying, "Don't look."

Jiang Lai blinked gently and lowered her eyes.

After a moment, she slowly raised her hand and pulled down the large hand covering her eyes, holding it as she said, "It's fine."

Gu Yinxue looked this way, then was pulled away by Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Sen frowned and opened his mouth to explain to Jiang Lai: "Your mother hasn't been well lately, she's still on medication, so she gets tired more easily..."

And then?

Then what to say, Gu Sen didn't know either; he couldn't bring himself to tell Jiang Lai not to mind, and the words stopped there.

Ke Zhongying had already gotten into the car and called out naturally: "Sister Jiang Lai, Mom, Brother! Hurry up, pork liver, pork liver, it's good for the blood!"

The three of them got into the car.

As the car window slowly closed, Ke Zhongying couldn't hold back anymore: "I'm so mad, what kind of people are they, every one of them putting on that silence, acting like anyone actually wanted to go back, when it was the Gu family themselves who begged Sister Jiang Lai to come back!"

Ms. Nian and Ke Zhongyu let her rant.

Jiang Lai reached out to rub Ke Zhongying's back: "Don't be angry, don't be angry."

Ke Zhongying crossed her arms, fuming: "Who wants to claim them, the paternity test results better come back showing no relation."

Heaven didn't grant Ke Zhongying's wish; the paternity test was delivered to the Gu family late at night, showing that Gu Yinxue had no blood relation to Gu Sen and Song Shiwei, and that only Jiang Lai was related to them.

No one was surprised.

Old Master Gu nodded and took the paternity test report.

The seated Song Shiwei suddenly began to shed tears, crying silently.

Gu Zhiyan's brow was furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly.

Gu Sen was happy in his heart, but looking up at the large open room on Erlou, Jiang Lai wasn't returning to the Gu family, and his mouth instantly drooped again.

After a long while, Gu Yinxue rose and knelt toward her parents.

Gu Zhiyan immediately spoke up: "Yin Xue, what are you doing?"

Gu Yinxue, eyes red, kowtowed once, didn't get up, and kept her head bowed as she said: "Dad, Mom, Brother, thank you for raising me all these years. It turns out I'm not your biological daughter, raised by your side by some twist of fate, and I'm truly, truly grateful to you."

"Yin Xue." Song Shiwei stood up and went over, reaching out to help her daughter up.

Gu Yinxue rested both hands on her mother's arms, looking at her mother as she said: "It's just a pity that our fate as mother and daughter only spans twenty-eight years, but that's enough."

"No, no." Song Shiwei shook her head and hugged her daughter, saying, "You will always be my daughter. Even if Jiang Lai comes back, you're still my daughter. This will always be your home, and no one wants you to leave."

Gu Zhiyan added: "Mom is right. This will always be your home. No one wants you to leave, and no one can make you leave."

Gu Yinxue looked up at Gu Zhiyan and called out, "Brother."

Gu Sen said earnestly: "Yin Xue, this is your home, and it's also Jiang Lai's home. There's no conflict here. Jiang Lai has her own academic path to pursue, and you continue running your photography base. Everyone gets along peacefully, understand?"

"I understand." Gu Yinxue nodded, helped her mother up to sit back down, and stood herself, lowering her eyes as she said, "But Jiang Lai doesn't want to come back."

Gu Sen fell silent for a moment, then earnestly told everyone in the family: "She's an adult. She has the right to choose. All we can do is respect her."

"Tomorrow morning at eight, go to the old estate. Nobody forget this." With that, he rose and left.

Gu Sen's retreating figure was clearly somewhat forlorn.

Nighttime.

Gu Zhiyan sat on the balcony, unable to sleep at all, when the phone on the table lit up.

Gu Yinxue: 【Brother, I've been thinking, after tomorrow's family banquet ends, let me move to Gongzuoshi first. I can't let Dad's arrangements these past few days all go to waste.】

Gu Zhiyan frowned: 【Don't overthink it.】

Gu Yinxue: 【Brother, haven't you noticed that Dad has grown white hair? And Mom, her mood has been very low lately, she keeps taking medication. Taking too much medicine isn't good. I have a lot of say on this front.】

Gu Zhiyan: 【You also know you need to take medicine at the drop of a hat. What if something happens after you move out? How could outside be as comfortable and convenient as home?】

Gu Yinxue had a heart condition; even a viral cold could trigger an episode, so the entire Gu family house had carpeting, the summer air conditioning was strictly temperature-controlled by the maids, the winter heating couldn't be adjusted, and opening doors and windows wide risked hot-cold convection, so there was dedicated staff providing oxygen.

Gu Yinxue's room especially needed oxygen; there was a call button installed in the room—press it and the entire villa would know.

Gu Zhiyan: 【Don't overthink it. You'll always be my little sister, understand?】

Gu Yinxue: 【But, Brother, if Jiang Lai doesn't come back, there will be bad rumors outside. It won't be good for Dad, for Mom, or for you.】

Gu Zhiyan: 【Worry less about these things. You just need to take good care of yourself and live well.】

……

At Ke Zhongyu's large flat, Jiang Lai not only ate the blood-replenishing pork liver, but also drank the red date and cuttlefish soup that Ms. Nian had someone deliver, drinking until her whole body was warm and toasty.

Old Master Gu called to tell her about the paternity test results, and reminded her to arrive at the Gu family old estate at eight tomorrow morning; Ke Zhongyu knew where the old estate was.

"So this means my brother is going along too?" Ke Zhongying, having eaten and drunk her fill, was in better spirits and teased her brother: "Look at you, following Sister Jiang Lai right to their door."

Ke Zhongyu: "I've already been to both Dean Tang's and Professor Wang's places."

"As if anyone hasn't." Ke Zhongying turned to Jiang Lai and said, "Tomorrow morning, let my brother escort you there first. Ms. Nian and I will go in the afternoon."

Jiang Lai nodded: "The morning is for the Gu family to recognize me."

Ke Zhongyu corrected: "It's the Gu family coming to recognize you. Don't get it backwards. In the matter of returning to the Gu family, you hold the dominant position."

Ke Zhongying: "Oh? Does Sister Jiang Lai only hold the dominant position in this one thing?"

Ke Zhongyu looked at Jiang Lai: "In our relationship, you also hold the dominant position."

Ke Zhongying laughed nonstop, heh heh heh.

A smile appeared in Jiang Lai's eyes as she asked him, "I said it's over, so it's over?"

Ke Zhongyu: "?"

His voice suddenly sank: "You dare."

Jiang Lai stuck a piece of fruit into his rice and gave it to him, saying with a slight smile: "Not daring."

Ke Zhongyu's gaze fixed tightly on her.

Jiang Lai shook her hand and asked, "Eat or not?"

She now uses sentence-final particles, not sure if it's due to Ke Zhongying's influence or because being beside Ke Zhongyu is too wonderful, making her act a bit childlike.

"If you won't eat it, I will." Just as Jiang Lai was bringing the fruit to her own mouth, Ke Zhongyu suddenly leaned in, grabbed her hand, and bit.

The two were very close.

Oh dear!

Ke Zhongying swiftly slid off the chair; she ought to be under the table right now!

Kiss!

Kiss her to death!

She has long legs and will sneak off, never disturbing.

The result was she slid down too quickly, bang—her forehead hit the table leg, the noise instantly drew Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongyu to look down.

Ke Zhongying crouched under the table, hand over her mouth, eyes brimming with tears.

She didn't mean to!