Chapter 390: Blind Yourself, Then Blame Others

"What is he looking at?" Ke Zhongying whispered to Jiang Lai. "Shouldn't he be looking at Gu Yinxue, who's having an episode? Those two seemed to have had a fight, and Gu Yinxue argued herself into an episode? And Gu Zhiyan feels heartache again?"

Jiang Lai turned her head and glanced at Ke Zhongying: "It's possible."

Ke Zhongying widened her eyes: "So this is what they call a disadvantaged group? A heart condition and she's milked it for all it's worth. The Gu family raised her carefully all these years, and we never saw her have many episodes at all. The moment you come back, every ailment in her body flares up."

Jiang Lai was amused by Ke Zhongying's sarcastic tone: "Heart conditions are highly random."

Ke Zhongying curled her lip: "Then how come she was fine when she went to G Province last time? Isn't the altitude high there?"

Jiang Lai: "High altitude causes oxygen deprivation, which doesn't necessarily trigger the condition. Besides, Gu Yinxue is from G Province—she'd have built tolerance to the altitude there since the womb."

She recalled her undergraduate days, when a roommate had mentioned oxygen deprivation while traveling in G Province. Only at that moment did she vaguely remember that G Province was a plateau—having grown up there, she'd actually forgotten that plateaus could cause oxygen deprivation.

Ke Zhongying went "Oh."

The two watched as medical staff carried Gu Yinxue onto a stretcher and left.

Qu Mei said: "I didn't see your mother just now, only your father. Now that Yinxue has been sent off in the ambulance—you're Jiang Lai's brother, Zhi Yan."

Gu Zhiyan did not go along. He glanced at Qu Mei, then looked at Jiang Lai, walked over slowly, and stopped.

"Why didn't you tell me about Shutong's matter?"

Ke Zhongying: "??? You're blind yourself and you still blame others?"

Jiang Lai: "Are we on such good terms that I'm obliged to take on the duty of clearing the villains from your sight?"

Gu Zhiyan was stumped by Jiang Lai's simple rhetorical question, feeling very uncomfortable inside.

He left.

Qu Mei did not follow him this time. Instead, she stood before Jiang Lai and Ke Zhongying and smiled: "Thank you for coming with me to find him."

Ke Zhongying: "He's gone. Are you going to chase after him?"

"No." Qu Mei shook her head. "He's in a bad mood and needs some time alone."

Ke Zhongying clicked her tongue: "An angel, a fairy—what are you thinking? You like him?"

Qu Mei lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed: "He's good-looking. Among all the blind dates my family arranged for me, he's the best-looking."

Purely based on looks.

Ke Zhongying breathed a sigh of relief: "Lusting after looks is perfectly normal, as long as you're not after him being a good person." After all, that was something Gu Zhiyan didn't seem to have much of.

Qu Mei said shyly: "I like pretty things."

Ke Zhongying clapped: "As long as you know he's just a thing, at least you'll know to throw it out when it breaks."

With the kind of arranged marriage set by the elders of both families, as long as the people involved didn't see a problem, others wouldn't interfere. Those were someone else's affairs, and reaching too far was never a good idea—Ke Zhongying understood this principle well.

Qu Mei seemed quite willing. Choosing something pleasing to the eye from a pile of things was pretty good—good enough for oneself.

"Sister Jiang Lai, do you think my brother is pretty?" Ke Zhongying swung Jiang Lai's arm.

Jiang Lai smiled faintly: "Why use the word 'pretty'?"

Ke Zhongying: "Just tell me whether he's pretty or not."

Jiang Lai nodded: "Pretty."

Ke Zhongying: "Then do you like his looks?"

Qu Mei also looked over curiously: "Are you together with President Ke?"

Jiang Lai cleared her throat and nodded at Qu Mei: "We got together in January of this year."

Qu Mei smiled with narrowed eyes: "Congratulations."

Ke Zhongying pressed on: "Sister Jiang Lai, hurry up and tell me—do you like my brother's looks or not?"

Jiang Lai gently tapped Ke Zhongying on the forehead, still not answering.

Ke Zhongying refused to give up, asking all the way, and didn't even stop in front of her own brother.

Ke Zhongyu heard that line "do you like my brother's looks," and his gaze landed on Jiang Lai's face, as if he too wanted to know the answer.

Facing Ke Zhongyu's deep eyes, Jiang Lai slightly averted her gaze.

Ke Zhongyu took Jiang Lai away.

Leaving Ke Zhongying and Qu Mei standing there, looking at each other.

……

The news of Gu Yinxue being taken away by ambulance spread quickly. The people their age exchanged glances—everyone was guessing: did Gu Yinxue do it on purpose? Or did Jiang Lai truly have no room for her?

But Jiang Lai hadn't changed her surname.

The name Jiang Lai carried weight.

Even without being a daughter of the Gu family, she thrived just the same—would she really have no room for Gu Yinxue?

Though everyone didn't know much about Jiang Lai, meeting her today, her bearing was ethereal and aloof, neither arrogant nor restless, her gaze firm—she didn't seem like the petty sort who played tricks.

But then again, it was hard to say for sure.

Taking no one's side this time—observe first.

The Gu family elders weren't so easily fooled, but no one spoke up either. They had to see how Gu Sen would handle this matter.

Gu Sen sent Gu Hui to the hospital to check on the situation, then asked who had been with Gu Yinxue just now.

Gu Zhiyan stepped forward on his own: "It was me."

Jiang Lai looked over in surprise.

Gu Sen frowned: "The two of you were nowhere to be seen just now. What's going on?"

Gu Zhiyan's hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists. At this moment he had no face to meet his father, much less dare tell his father what he had seen and heard with his own eyes. He only said: "I was the one who provoked Yinxue into having an episode."

"And you were the one who called the ambulance too?"

"Yes, I was worried something would happen to Yinxue, so I called an ambulance."

Gu Sen had a terrible headache: "You've put your sister on the fire to roast! Calling an ambulance instead of a family doctor—you didn't think the matter was big enough."

"Go kneel in the ancestral hall."

Gu Zhiyan turned and headed to the ancestral hall, and at the moment he turned he glanced at Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai acted like someone with nothing wrong, showing no distress at being placed over the fire nor any change of expression because he was to go to the hall for a kneeling punishment.

Gu Zhiyan left not long after.

The guests also left one after another; the Gu family is not good at hosting banquet tables, and today's welcome-and-washing ceremony was essentially a brief afternoon‑tea.

This time Jiang Lai personally saw off the guests.

Cui Moyuan: "When you have time, come over to our house with Ke Zhongyu and Chongying."

Ms. Nian: "Finish your errands and get back early to rest; you've been busy all day, you need to drink warm water."

Jiang Lai gave each of the two elders a brief hug.

Ke Zhongying: "See you later, see you later."

Qu Mei looked at Jiang Lai: "Goodbye, Jiang Lai."

Jiang Lai, having a good impression of Qu Mei, said softly, "Goodbye."

Li Dan hesitated for a moment, then said earnestly, "Jiang Lai, give your brother some time."

Jiang Lai: "Take care, Li Shao."

Li Dan let out a sigh.

Xie Yongsi simply nodded and smiled at her; everything was understood without words.

He had just stepped out of the Gu family gate when his phone received a message from Shen Xun: 【I'm in B City, you're at the Gu family? Where?】

Xie Yongsi: "…"

Not giving up yet, Brother Shen.

Fu Youqing hugged Jiang Lai: "A lot happened today; I saw you didn't really mind. Then never mind what others say—some people are just desperate for a sense of existence. After all, fearing that good times will end always makes one nervous."

Jiang Lai patted her back, then let go: "Going back?"

Fu Youqing: "Not yet; I'm staying here for two more days."

Ke Zhongyu leaned close to Jiang Lai's ear: "Chi Ce has arrived."

Fu Youqing: "…"

Can you keep your voice down?

Fu Youlin stared eagerly at Jiang Lai; finally it was his turn, and he also wanted a hug, but the one who spoke was Ke Zhongyu: "Young Master Fu, I'm not seeing you off."

Fu Youlin: "Chief Ke, aren't you leaving too?"

Ke Zhongyu gave him a cool glance; Fu Youlin pretended not to see it and said with a smile, "Jiang Lai, see you next time."

Jiang Lai politely said, "Take care on the road."

She saw off many guests, which was like re‑introducing each of them continuously, so she couldn't chew throat lozenges; after all were gone, her throat was very dry.

Ke Zhongyu handed her a bottle of room‑temperature water, indicating she should drink.

Jiang Lai gulped down half a bottle with a glug‑glug, raised her hand to wipe her lips, and looked at Ke Zhongyu: "Where are you waiting for me? At your residence or …"

"In the car," Ke Zhongyu said, knowing she had something to take care of. He gave her a gentle hug and added, "No rush; I'll wait as long as needed. If there's any problem, send a message or call; I'll go inside and pick you up."

Jiang Lai nodded.

She needs to find the Gu patriarch to fulfill the promise.