Chapter 206: Conditions

Jiang Lai only now realizes that what men consider a home and what women consider a home are not the same.

What men consider a home is being an emperor themselves, with a woman washing clothes, cooking, taking care of the family, and bearing children for him.

What women consider a home is having someone who knows their warmth and cold, someone who shares wind and rain, and someone who keeps each other company.

Jiang Lai pushed the door open and entered; a wind chime sounded in her ears. Apart from the clerk, the shop was empty. The clerk looked up and said, "Hello, the person you're waiting for is on the second floor."

It seems the whole shop has been rented out by Shen Xun.

Four years ago it wasn't like that; back then Shen Xun was a project manager at Star Universe Technology, not yet an executive CEO.

Things remain, people are gone.

Jiang Lai went up to the second floor; Shen Xun sat by the window in the corner, in exactly the same spot as four years ago, except that the shop's decor had improved a lot and the table had been replaced with a higher-quality one.

On the table were two identical cups of milk tea.

"Jiang Lai." Seeing her, Shen Xun stood up, revealing a gentle smile, wearing a suit and leather shoes, his hair neatly combed, as if he were about to attend a banquet.

However, his lip color was a bit pale, and there was still a hint of fatigue in his brow.

He must be feeling awful after receiving the lawyer's letter, and his stomach spasms won't heal that quickly.

Jiang Lai walked over, didn't sit, and standing asked, "What do you want to talk about? What conditions?"

Shen Xun looked at Jiang Lai, who greeted him with a cold face, and felt a heavy discomfort in his chest.

"Can we sit down and talk properly? Ping'an couldn't reach you, so I had him memorize my number, and I also changed the number in his peace talisman to mine."

"Despicable." Jiang Lai coldly spat out the two words, sat down, but she wouldn't touch the milk tea on the table.

Seeing her sit down, Shen Xun pursed his lips in a smile and said, "Why aren't you drinking?"

"I dare not drink anything the Shen family gives me." Jiang Lai stared fixedly into his eyes, "Your sister Shen Xi once gave me something poisonous—don't you remember?"

Bringing up the past made Shen Xun's heart skip a beat; he dare not forget.

Shen Xi owes Jiang Lai an apology, Lin Shutong owes Jiang Lai an apology, and he, as an accomplice, owes Jiang Lai the same.

"I won't do that."

"You have no credibility here." With the same genes, how big could the difference be? Deep down they both harbor ill intentions.

No matter how Shen Xun guarantees, Jiang Lai not only refuses to touch anything he buys, she also avoids any place he has touched.

This attitude of avoiding him like snakes and scorpions made Shen Xun feel as if dense needles were pricking his body.

Jiang Lai: "Let's get down to business, Shen Xun—are you trying to make me give up reclaiming our marital property?"

That's impossible.

Can Ping'an still remain in his hands?

Shen Xun shook his head: "I just want you to continue maintaining the appearance of our marital relationship outwardly."

Jiang Lai's pupils trembled slightly, then she burst out laughing in anger: "Maintain the marital relationship? Just that?"

For such a disgusting thing, Shen Xun actually used just the two words "merely."

Seeing the disgust in her eyes, Shen Xun felt uneasy, paused a moment, then continued: "After Ping'an was taken back, his life hasn't been good—he wears only old clothes. When Qiao Chuan took him to buy new clothes, he felt the old ones; they weren't even down, let alone much cotton. You know how cold G Province gets in winter."

He took out his phone and pulled up before-and-after photos of Ping'an wearing the new clothes.

The clothes have been changed, but his face still has cracked wounds, his fingers are covered with chilblains, and in the earlier photo he was still standing in a damp, dilapidated alley.

Jiang Lai recalled her own childhood; such conditions only existed shortly after she was born, and though they are rare now, they still exist.

A City is an international metropolis, prosperous and thriving with endless traffic, but not every inch of Huaguo's land has kept up with the times, nor has every city achieved internationalization.

She stared blankly at Ping'an; two years ago he was still fair and clean, staying at the Fuli Yuan.

Jiang Lai continued to hear Shen Xun's voice in her ears.

"If Ping'an were at the Fuli Yuan, with government funding and corporate donations, having enough to eat, warm clothes, and schooling would be no problem. But after returning home, he's worse off than at the Fuli Yuan—his uncle's family of six cram into a few-dozen-square-meter old-city rental; the three children need to go to school, yet they can't afford to send him, and instead make him work for the family."

Jiang Lai wasn't surprised by this situation; G Province has long been a major poverty-alleviation province, only recently shedding its designation.

When that family came to take Ping'an away, Dean Mom wasn't very happy, knowing that life back home would be just as hard, but they were indeed Ping'an's relatives, presenting paperwork to pick him up from the Fuli Yuan, which couldn't refuse to let them leave.

Shen Xun said: "But rest assured, I've sent Ping'an to a boarding school, coordinated with the school to look after him; he only goes home once a month. I also had his uncle's family rent another place and gave them some money, so they'll treat Ping'an well from now on."

"Also, I had Ping'an's uncle take him to change his name. The name Ping'an is nice, but it was given by the Fuli Yuan; back in his own family, he should have a name given by them."

Jiang Lai also picked up two hidden messages: Shen Xun had Ping'an's relatives move away and had Ping'an change his name, making it very unlikely for her to find anyone through Ping'an's relatives or his name.

So this is Shen Xun at the negotiating table—beneath his warm, jade-like exterior lies the same endless scheming.

"Shen Xun, what's the point of maintaining the appearance of a marital relationship?"

"I think it's meaningful." Shen Xun slowly traced the outline of Jiang Lai's brows and eyes; before he had never really looked at her, but now examining her closely, it felt as if he had truly returned to the time when they first met—back then Jiang Lai was youthful and lovely.

She had a faint, unique aura, like a woody perfume—not sweet, not cloying, not showy, not overpowering; standing there, she exuded a fresh, clean scent.

Now she also gives off a tranquility that grows more flavorful the more you savor it, with a hint of aggression in the depths of her eyes.

Shen Xun looked at her, somewhat captivated.

"Jiang Lai, our divorce can't yet be known to the outside world; outwardly we remain a married couple, inwardly I won't demand that you fulfill any marital duties, but you can't go to court to sue—once you file and the case opens, our divorce can't stay hidden, so……"

"So you'll never tell me Ping'an's news for the rest of my life?" Jiang Lai coldly replied.

Shen Xun pressed his lips, gave no answer, then continued: "Also, tonight you'll accompany me to a social event; you won't refuse, right?"

The question wasn't about refusing or accepting the social event, but about maintaining the marital facade, and also asking her whether she truly wanted to obtain Ping'an's information, whether she wanted Ping'an to be safe and sound.

Jiang Lai stood up and sneered at Shen Xun: "This is what you call your liking."

Shen Xun's gaze stalled.

His throat felt as if a handful of gravel had been poured in—he couldn't swallow, couldn't spit it out, and it kept scraping his throat.

"Jiang Lai, I really like you, but I truly can't help it." He looked at Jiang Lai with a gaze that was both remorseful and deep in feeling.

Star Universe Technology recently has a joint project with Sino; tonight their person-in-charge invited me to dinner, insisting I bring you along.

Jiang Lai keenly noticed: "So you're using my name to secure this project?"

Shen Xun pressed his lips and said nothing.

Shen Xun, you make me feel disgusted.