Even the chef started to laugh. He spoke a few sentences about the origin of the dishes in French, then politely excused himself.

Rina took a long sigh. "I really didn’t expect Miss Yan could speak French."

Yan Xixi was nonchalant. "I’m embarrassed in front of Miss Rina. I only know a smattering of clumsy conversational phrases. To be honest, I picked them up casually just to show off. Actually, deep down, I’m just an out-and-out ignorant country bumpkin..."

Wan Donglin couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Why did she have to compete with her in this? This female swindler started learning all sorts of pretentious skills more than ten years ago; she could even bluff her way through a conversation about Mauritius. She managed to complete several years’ worth of college coursework in just a year and a half and qualified for Harvard in one go. Frustrated by the Empress Dowager’s taunts, she had even secretly practiced French, German, and Korean...

Rina probably thought Yan Xixi had never been abroad and had carefully chosen what she believed to be her weak point, hoping to embarrass her. But look how things have turned out now, right?

Her face must be crimson by now, right?

He looked at Yan Xixi. The female swindler’s face was radiant, like a peach blossom in full bloom, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Miss Rina’s French sounds truly lovely... Honestly, many of our superstars have great looks and acting skills, but because of language barriers, they haven’t been able to thrive internationally. Miss Rina is different, though. Possessing such a talent for languages is truly rare..."

"It’s you who’s amazing, Miss Yan, proficient in everything..."

"Oh, not at all! I just happen to know a few phrases. Didn’t you notice? My accent is extremely heavy. I can manage to put on a front, but I’d be immediately exposed in front of a true expert..."

So modest, so understated—so coolly elegant and noble.

But he could guarantee her real thoughts were something like this: For Harvard, I could survive on four or five hours of sleep a day for a year, pushing myself to the absolute limit! You, a mere actress, dare to compete with me in this? Could you even get into Harvard? If I recall correctly, you graduated from a drama school and didn’t even score two hundred on your college entrance exams...

Throughout the meal, the two women engaged in a power struggle, which Wan Donglin found extraordinarily amusing.

So much so that he didn’t even notice how he bid farewell to Rina afterward. Someone else had become his spokesperson—with every word and action, she directly represented him.

Claiming sovereignty—understand? Once you’ve marked your territory, other countries wouldn’t dare to encroach.

He remained in high spirits even as he got into the car.

The Empress Dowager had once asked, "I don’t understand, why must it be her?" Ah, Empress Dowager, you just don’t understand. There are countless beautiful women in the world, and charming ones are innumerable. But those who can make you laugh until your sides ache, who can fill your every day with explosive joy, are pitifully few...

Life is already so burdensome; isn’t laughter the greatest luxury?

When you possess such a luxury that makes you beam with joy every day, who would choose a life of gloom and resentment?

Meanwhile, Rina’s car headed in the opposite direction.

Her assistant, Xiaopeng, was driving. A faint scent of red wine emanated from Rina. She had her eyes slightly closed, her expression deeply unhappy.

Xiaopeng asked, "Sister, what’s wrong?"

"Why are you calling me Sister? Do I look that old to you?" she suddenly exploded.

Xiaopeng jumped in fright. He had always called her that as a sign of respect. Why would she suddenly snap today?

She scoffed. "Stop pretending to be so pure! You’re actually older than me, aren’t you? Yet you deliberately act like a young girl. What a load of nonsense! That shameless woman is just putting on airs!"

Xiaopeng didn’t dare to respond.