Chapter 210: Learn the Barbarians' Superior Skills to Control the Barbarians

Shen Xun smiled gently: "Happy birthday, Jiang Lai."

Secretary Guan was surprised: "Today is your birthday?"

Jiang Lai withdrew her gaze, and when she looked at Secretary Guan, her eyes became much softer: "It is today."

Secretary Guan: "!!!"

She had to tell President Ke right away.

Also, President Shen was a thorough and utter scumbag, actually using the power of the crowd to forcibly keep Dr. Jiang behind.

Did he not understand that as early as when he cheated behind Dr. Jiang's back, when he trampled Dr. Jiang's years of sincere devotion and hard work, he was already out of the game!

Now pulling all kinds of petty stunts to threaten Dr. Jiang — he could forget about ever getting Dr. Jiang to look at him one more time in this lifetime.

Stupid X man.

Secretary Guan was so angry she sent all her inner thoughts to President Ke, then silently recalled the message.

She stepped in front of Dr. Jiang, blocking President Shen's sticky and nauseating gaze.

The piano was brought up; Shen Xun walked over and casually handed his wine glass to a waiter.

As his fingers touched the black and white piano keys, he turned his head, gazing with deep affection at Jiang Lai, who was surrounded at the front by the crowd.

"This piece was playing in the restaurant on the day I proposed to my wife. Yesterday we revisited that restaurant, and today is my wife's birthday. Happy twenty-eighth birthday to my wife."

Jiang Lai's face was expressionless.

Secretary Guan found it hard to put into words, and whispered: "President Shen should go contribute to the entertainment industry, not deliberately make things difficult for us."

Jiang Lai: "It's not without reason that he and Lin Shutong are together."

Secretary Guan: "Hm?"

Jiang Lai: "Both equally fake."

Secretary Guan nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Lai had never seen Shen Xun play the piano, and she had no mood to listen now, so not a single note entered her ears.

This was merely a personal show Shen Xun put on for their business partners to see.

Jiang Lai took out her phone, found a dessert shop still open, and ordered not only a small cake for Secretary Guan but also one for Assistant Zhou, and bought a four-inch cake for herself — just enough for her and Mo Yi to share.

She had always loved spicy food, and could only eat a few bites of sweets — any more and she found them cloying.

Shen Xun noticed that Jiang Lai was no longer looking at him but had her head buried in her phone, who knows who she was messaging — Ke Zhongyu?

Just thinking about it made him angry.

Shen Xun's smile stiffened on his face for an instant. When the piece ended, applause erupted around them.

Amid the applause, Jiang Lai slightly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping past Shen Xun indifferently, completely unmoved.

The next second, familiar music sounded.

A piano version of the birthday song.

At the same time, everyone sang along with the music, their gazes all falling on Jiang Lai, smiles on every face.

Jiang Lai put away her phone and smiled at the crowd, listening to everyone sing her the birthday song. If this had not been orchestrated by Shen Xun, she would have felt genuinely happy.

The music stopped.

Soren smiled and said: "Happy birthday to Dr. Jiang!"

Everyone followed suit.

Jiang Lai smiled and said: "Thank you, everyone."

Shen Xun rose and walked toward her; the people gathered around her parted to make way.

"Happy birthday, Jiang Lai."

He stood before her, impeccably dressed, brimming with deep affection.

Jiang Lai did not even utter an "mm."

The people of Hua, who loved watching spectacles their whole lives, and the foreigners, who loved egging people on to kiss, reached a high degree of tacit agreement in this moment — urging them to kiss.

Amid such heckling, Shen Xun found a trace of the youthful feeling from his school days, and with a smile leaned in to kiss Jiang Lai.

Secretary Guan's alarm bells rang loudly. If she stepped in to block him directly at a moment like this, she would definitely raise suspicion. Of course she wanted Snow's people to suspect that Shen Xun was deceiving them, but she couldn't do it so openly — President Shen seemed to still be holding leverage over the information Dr. Jiang wanted.

If only President Ke were here.

If President Ke took the route of stealing someone's wife, no one would dare gossip either.

The next second.

She saw Dr. Jiang beside her give a faint smile and say: "Sure."

Jiang Lai extended her hand toward Shen Xun: "First give me the 118 million in research funding you promised. Keep your word."

This was hardly research funding that Shen Xun had promised Jiang Lai — it was marital joint property that Shen Xun and Lin Shutong ought to repay.

Since Shen Xun could put her on the spot, she could likewise put him on the spot — learn the barbarians' superior skills to control the barbarians.

To outsiders, they looked like they were flirting, especially with Jiang Lai wearing a smile and holding the upper hand.

How could Shen Xun dare kiss her?

He couldn't afford to.

The stone hanging in Secretary Guan's heart dropped. Wonderful — a princess could save herself too; she didn't necessarily need a prince to rescue her.

This reminded her again of the time Jiang Lai had been caught, locking herself in the bathroom, soaking herself in cold water in the chilly late-autumn season.

Secretary Guan immediately caught the rhythm and said with a bright smile: "That's right, President Shen — this is the gift you promised our Dr. Jiang, you know."

She too wore a teasing manner; to onlookers there was nothing pointed about it — it seemed entirely like their own internal, harmonious dynamic.

Secretary Guan knew President Shen couldn't produce the money. Secretary Cen had already told her everything: first Lin Shutong had drained him dry, then came Nanshan Villa's four million in annual rent plus the 2.8 million purple sandalwood round chair from the auction — President Shen's liquid funds were probably gone.

118 million?

In your dreams.

Shen Xun never expected Jiang Lai to say that number in front of everyone; although others didn't know what the number meant, he did.

He felt guilty, so he feared others finding out.

Now Shen Xun's trick didn't work; to maintain his dignity and persona in front of people, he smiled and said, "My wife is thin-skinned, everyone please don't make a fuss, thank you for sending my wife birthday wishes."

Jiang Lai also thanked everyone, then continued telling Suolun she was tired and would go back to rest first.

Suolun urged her to go quickly.

Jiang Lai feared Shen Xun would accompany her, so she said to him, "Mr. Suolun is an important partner of Star Universe Technology; please accompany Mr. Suolun well."

Shen Xun also couldn't leave midway; he wanted to see Jiang Lai out, and Suolun certainly wouldn't refuse.

Walking outside the venue, the surroundings instantly fell silent; Shen Xun looked at Jiang Lai: "We agreed you'd accompany me to this social event—how could you leave midway?"

Jiang Lai: "I'm only cooperating with you under duress."

Shen Xun: "Cooperation should be steadfast from start to finish, Jiang Lai..."

He called her name, obviously reluctant.

"Shen Xun." Jiang Lai shouted his name coldly: "You demand something you don't have yourself? You married me, yet secretly involved with Lin Shutong—that's your lack of steadfastness toward me. We divorced, yet you pester me—that's your lack of steadfastness toward Lin Shutong."

"Saying that word from your mouth is ironic."

Shen Xun's face turned slightly pale.

Jiang Lai: "Your purpose in having me attend the social event was to pretend our marital relationship still exists; Mr. Suolun and the people from Si nuo Company had no suspicions, and they allowed me to go rest first—your goal has been achieved; everything else is just you making trouble for no reason."

Seeing Jiang Lai really about to leave, he finally had a chance to be alone with her, and really didn't want to miss it, so he said: "Don't you want to contact Ping'an? After accompanying me the whole way, I can call his school and let you two talk."

Jiang Lai turned her head to look at him.

Shen Xun felt there was hope, and softly said: "Jiang Lai, you haven't seen Ping'an in two years—don't you want to talk to him?"