Chapter 155: We Are All the Culprits Who Harmed Jiang Lai

Lin Shutong wiped her tears, gave a wry smile: "You've fallen for Jiang Lai, then what about me? Ah Xun, where do you put me?"

Was it you who was ambiguous with me back in school?

Was it you who cried bitterly when I went abroad?

Was it you who came to see me every year when I went abroad?

Was it you who said you'd forever provide me with research funding?

You married Jiang Lai, and for four years you had no child, and you remained chaste for me for four years.

"You tell me these are just friends?" Lin Shutong clutched her chest, "If these are just friends, what was that drunken night? What was that party?"

After drinking, they went to bed.

At the party, they kissed.

They did it, they kissed, but are they just friends?

Shen Xun was left speechless.

You come to blame me for hurting Jiang Lai, but why don't you think about why I did this? You love me wholeheartedly, yet you give me no title; if I don't fight for it, will I be like this my whole life?

Back then, saying she didn't care about the relationship was just her stalling tactic.

Lin Shutong took a deep breath, slightly lifted her chin, maintaining her proud posture.

The one who harmed Jiang Lai isn't me; the real culprit is you, Ah Xun.

Her crisp words were like sharp stones, fiercely embedded into his heart.

Besides bitterness, there was only pain.

Shen Xun almost couldn't stand.

Lin Shutong kept prodding his heart: "Isn't that right, Ah Xun? We're both culprits; if you're going to blame, blame yourself too."

Slap!

Shen Xun raised his hand and slapped himself.

He's such a bastard!

Lin Shutong stared, stunned. Shen Xun slapped himself for Jiang Lai? Does he really like her that much?

Since we've laid everything out, Shutong, we..." Shen Xun's voice paused, then he said seriously, "Let's stop here."

I admit I used to love you, but that was in the past.

I can compensate you.

You actually want to break up with me?" Lin Shutong's tears surged incessantly, "Is this really the end?"

Shen Xun nodded: "Yeah, let's stop here. I won't dwell on anything before today; you go on living your life, and I have mine to live."

Jiang Lai?" Lin Shutong asked, eyes red, "You mean your life is with Jiang Lai?"

Shen Xun nodded again.

Do you think Jiang Lai still wants to share your life? She's been avoiding you lately—can't you see?" Lin Shutong found it somewhat funny.

Shen Xun wanting to break up with her isn't that easy.

I owe her; it's normal for her to be angry.

Aren't you afraid she'll ask you for a divorce?

Afraid.

Shen Xun's hand trembled.

He really is afraid.

But fortunately, it hasn't happened yet.

As long as he handles Lin Shutong's situation well, everything can still be salvaged.

If he keeps getting entangled with Lin Shutong, he truly fears Jiang Lai will leave him.

These past four years, he's grown accustomed to life with Jiang Lai.

He wanted to have a child with Jiang Lai; initially he thought using a child to bind her was a mistake, but he hadn't yet realized his own feelings.

Over the past month or so, days without Jiang Lai left him ill at ease, as if a hollow had opened in his heart, a dark gap.

His busy work made him overlook this feeling, so he didn't notice or correct it in time.

He can't keep making this mistake.

Shen Xun pressed his lips: "Shutong, let's stop here; we can't keep going wrong."

How do you propose we stop?" Lin Shutong said, "My future looks bleak; you withdraw, and your parents and sister keep causing trouble for me; you withdraw, and if Jiang Lai sues me, you also withdraw..."

Shen Xun, what about your responsibility? You're supposed to answer for Jiang Lai—then who will answer for me?

Shen Xun explained: "Regarding the money matter, I'll persuade my parents not to press it, and I'll also make amends to Jiang Lai."

Actually, what Lin Shutong worries about most is money.

Not only repaying debts, but also her future research funds—without Shen Xun, who will provide them?

Who has Shen Xun's generous spending?

She wouldn't have Shen Xun just cast her aside, but dragging this out in the hospital is pointless.

I was badly beaten by Shen Xi today; as her brother, you should at least take good care of me, this patient. I want to go rest.

Shen Xun frowned; her words made sense, but if he continued to accompany Lin Shutong, he couldn't explain things to Jiang Lai.

I'll have Qiao Chuan send you off.

Shen Xun!" Lin Shutong's chest heaved with anger, "You won't even see me home now?"

Shen Xun, citing avoidance of suspicion, truly didn't send her back; instead he called for Qiao Chuan to come.

See Miss Lin safely home.

Qiao Chuan looked at President Shen's face, marked with a big slap print, and heard this unfamiliar title; he already knew what was going on.

They had a falling out.

Not sure whether it was just a little sulk or a complete severing of ties, he remained polite toward Lin Shutong.

"Miss Lin, please."

Lin Shutong refused to move, Shen Xun left on his own, and he went to look for his mother and sister.

He hasn't come back for so long.

The mother and daughter were sitting on the garden bench, flipping Shen Xun's phone upside down, especially his chat logs with Lin Shutong, recording anything even slightly ambiguous.

They feared having too little evidence, not too much.

Shen Xun saw the two of them with their heads together looking at his phone, still his phone.

"Mom, what are you looking at?"

Shen Xun suddenly appeared, startling them, and the phone almost fell to the ground.

Mother Shen hurriedly returned to the chat interface, striking first before her son could question him.

"How come you have so little money on you?"

Shen Xun took the phone, saw that the balance was only a few hundred less, then turned off the screen and said, "It's all in the card; I don't carry much on the phone."

The mother and daughter didn't believe it at all.

But getting to the bottom of it was pointless; they all knew the money was spent on Lin Shutong, and now they should think about how to get it back from her.

Shen Xi looked back and said, "How come she didn't come along?"

After getting slapped by her brother, she didn't feel right calling the other woman a mistress to his face, so she would just do it behind his back.

Shen Xun told them, "My affair with Lin Shutong is over; you shouldn't dwell on the money either—what's past is past."

"Past?" Shen Xi widened her eyes, "Just saying it's past makes it past? In just a few years they've taken that much money from you, and that's it?"

"I'll talk to you later, I have things to do." Shen Xun hurried back, taking advantage of the weekend when he was free and the Jiang Lai–Ke Clan project hadn't officially started yet, so he had time to go reconcile with Jiang Lai.

Shen Xi frowned and asked, "You're not still going to look for Lin Shutong, are you? What you just said about it being over is just deceiving us; she's so vicious, brother, can't you avoid being fooled by her?"

"The Jiang Lai matter was your idea, and you're no better." Shen Xun was also angry with Shen Xi, but since she was his own younger sister and he couldn't really do anything, he could only scold her.

"From now on, if Jiang Lai moves back in, you're not allowed to treat her the way you used to." He warned her in words.

Shen Xi thought that having Jiang Lai as a sister‑in‑law was better than having Lin Shutong, so she agreed, "Got it."

"You're going to look for Jiang Lai?" Mother Shen's eyes lit up, and upon receiving her son's definite answer she exclaimed, "Great!"

If her son could coax Jiang Lai back into remarriage, the 30‑70 split wouldn't matter—any money recovered would belong to the Shen family.

"Son, you must perform well, you know? All these years we've seen how much Jiang Lai loves you; if from now on you wholeheartedly treat her and stop wavering with Lin Shutong, your days will only get more prosperous."

Shen Xun also didn't expect his mother to change face so quickly, and he nodded.

Now everyone in the family likes Jiang Lai, and he and Jiang Lai will be happier than before.