Chapter 17: We men are complicated.

Due to her sympathy for Bai Xingmeng, Cheng Yao was especially invested in her case. She had worked overtime the previous night to prepare the prosecution materials, and early the next morning, she sent the complete set of documents to Qian Heng for review.

Though Qian Heng had a sharp tongue, he was also incredibly meticulous when it came to work. Soon, Cheng Yao received his email response. The draft of her complaint had been entirely revised using track changes, with additional comments explaining the reasons for each correction.

Thanks to her efficiency, Cheng Yao submitted the case filing materials to the court that very day.

However, as soon as she returned from the courthouse, she encountered an unexpected visitor at the entrance of Junheng—

Dong Min.

The last time they met, Dong Min had been arrogant, impeccably dressed, and exuding confidence. But today, her face was pale, her eyes red and swollen. She had lost all of her former composure. Even as Cheng Yao walked straight toward her, Dong Min didn’t spare her a glance. She seemed preoccupied with something far more urgent. Before Cheng Yao could fully process the scene, Dong Min had already hurried into Junheng’s building, looking distressed as the hem of her dress vanished from view.

“Qian Heng! Where’s Qian Heng? I need to see him!”

The receptionist attempted to stop her. “Miss Dong, do you have an appointment? If not—”

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Cheng Yao was frantically making exaggerated winks at him, looking like a terrible undercover agent trying to signal danger ahead. But the moment Dong Min spotted Qian Heng, an expression of grim resignation flashed across Cheng Yao’s face, as if she were a martyr about to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Qian Heng’s mood suddenly improved. He thought to himself—her facial expressions are quite something. Very entertaining.

….

Compared to Qian Heng’s calm demeanor, Dong Min was much more agitated. She raised her voice, “Qian Heng!”

Just as Cheng Yao braced herself for Qian Heng to shoot her a deadly “incompetent” glare, he did something unexpected—he didn’t avoid Dong Min at all.

However, despite his initiative in facing her, his attitude was as cold as ever. “Your father’s case is not something I can discuss with you. There’s no need for you to come looking for me.”

Dong Min grew even more anxious. “That’s my dad! Why can’t I know?”

“Because my client is him, not his daughter. I am responsible for protecting his interests and privacy, not yours.”

“What is going on, Qian Heng? Explain it to me—why did my dad suddenly file for divorce from my mom? They’ve always been so in love! This makes no sense! It’s impossible! Just a week ago, he was saying he’d take my mom to the place where they first met to celebrate her birthday next month. There has to be some mistake!”

“That’s not something you should be asking me,” Qian Heng replied coldly. “I’m just your father’s legal representative. The person you need to ask is him.”

Even as Dong Min’s eyes welled up with tears, Qian Heng remained completely unmoved. He merely raised his arm to glance at his watch. “Cheng Yao, if Miss Dong isn’t here for any legal consultation, please see her out. This is a law firm, not the set of an overdramatic primetime soap opera.”

After making his point, he swept his gaze across the open office area. “Anyone still keeping their head up—are you feeling underworked?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Minglei, Wang Lu, Tan Ying, and the others who had been sneakily watching the drama instantly ducked their heads in perfect synchronization.

Qian Heng let out a scoff and returned to his office.

….

Qian Heng could afford to be willful, but Cheng Yao couldn’t.

The moment he walked away, Dong Min broke down in tears. And the mess Qian Heng left behind? Of course, it was up to Cheng Yao to clean up after him.

Not wanting to disturb her colleagues in the office, Cheng Yao had no choice but to comfort Dong Min while leading her to a nearby bubble tea shop.

After much consoling and guidance, she finally got a clear picture of what had happened.

Dong Min’s parents had known each other since they were 13, fallen in love at 15, and been childhood sweethearts. They got married at 22 and started a business together at 23. Both were sharp-minded, worked seamlessly as a team, and had the luck of entering the market at just the right time. They saw the massive potential in the Chinese fast-food industry and quickly grew their small home-style restaurant into a thriving enterprise. From its early startup phase through the introduction of standardized operations, brand reputation building, and eventually venture capital investment, they transformed their business—Zhenwei Catering Management Co., Ltd.—from a small private restaurant into a corporate group with nearly 700 franchise locations spread across major cities nationwide.

“I know Qian Heng is a famous family law attorney. My dad initially approached him years ago to set up a family trust. After that, he didn’t have much reason to work with him again. But recently, when he started meeting with Qian Heng again, I was wary—after all, Qian Heng is best known for handling divorce cases. But my dad told me he was hiring him as a corporate family law consultant. He said it was to help the company navigate shareholder family disputes and protect company equity and interests, considering both the shareholders’ personal and corporate legal standings.” Dong Min’s voice was still choked with emotion. “Zhenwei Catering may have my parents as the major shareholders, but there are several others too. My dad mentioned that one of them was going through a potential divorce, and he was worried about how that might impact the company’s equity. That’s why he wanted to bring in a corporate family law consultant. So these past few days, he had been meeting with Qian Heng a lot. I didn’t think much of it at the time…”

Dong Min wasn’t wrong—corporate family lawyers don’t represent the personal interests of any individual shareholder. Instead, they focus on balancing the legal interests of both the company and its shareholders, offering services such as divorce asset division, inheritance, marriage agreements, and family business equity protection.

But clearly, Dong Shan had lied to Dong Min. His meetings with Qian Heng had nothing to do with hiring a corporate family law consultant.

“I never would have imagined…” Dong Min clenched her fists. “My dad wasn’t hiring Qian Heng for the company. He was hiring him as his personal lawyer. And there I was, happily asking my dad when he would finally bring Qian Heng in—thinking that meant I’d have more chances to see him. I never realized… he really did hire him. But it was to file for divorce from my mom!”

Dong Min rubbed her eyes, her emotions welling up again. “My parents never argued. They’ve been deeply in love all these years. They even go on two international trips together every year. Do you know how hard it was for them to be together? My mom came from a wealthy family, but my dad was just a poor kid back then. My grandparents strongly opposed their relationship, so my mom gave up everything—she didn’t take a single cent from them—and married my dad anyway. They fought side by side to build everything from scratch. Their love was something everyone admired!”

Her voice trembled with emotion. The sudden divorce lawsuit had caught her completely off guard. But for her mother, Jiang Wenxiu, it was an even greater devastation. The moment she received the court summons, she was so overwhelmed that she collapsed from shock. She was still in the hospital, unconscious…

…

Cheng Yao spent a long time comforting Dong Min. When she finally calmed down, she wiped her tears and left to visit her mother in the hospital.

However, even after returning to the office, Cheng Yao couldn’t shake the image of Dong Min’s tear-streaked, helpless face from her mind. A divorce between parents is always painful for a child—no matter how headstrong that “child” might be, and no matter how old they are.

Cheng Yao had actually met Dong Shan once before, when he came to discuss a case with Qian Heng. She remembered him well—he was a kind, honest-looking man. Despite his immense wealth, he dressed simply and carried himself with a gentle demeanor. He seemed like someone easy to get along with.

She especially recalled how, when she entered the meeting room to deliver some documents to Qian Heng, Dong Shan was humbly asking him if he could have a meal with his daughter. He was old enough to be Qian Heng’s elder and had a fortune to his name, yet he still lowered himself to make such a request—all for his daughter’s sake. He must have loved her dearly.

And yet now… Now…

“I sent Dong Min off,” Cheng Yao finally said, unable to hold back her curiosity. After delivering a legal opinion document for Qian Heng to sign, she hesitated before voicing the question weighing on her heart. “Can I ask… why exactly is her father suddenly filing for divorce? There must be some hidden reason, right? Maybe he’s terminally ill or something?”

Qian Heng glanced at her and spoke in an indifferent tone. “Terminally ill? So, to keep his wife from being heartbroken over his condition, he deliberately chooses the cruelest way to make her hate him, hoping that she’ll forget him and move on to find happiness again?”

Cheng Yao’s eyes lit up. “Is that it?!”

“Cheng Yao, have you been reading too many novels?” Qian Heng scoffed. “There’s no grand reason behind a divorce. It’s simple—he doesn’t love her anymore and doesn’t want to stay married. A man who doesn’t want to marry you or wants to divorce you never has some tragic excuse. Those so-called ‘reasons’ are just a convenient way to save face.”

“But Dong Shan loves his daughter so much—so much that he doesn’t even care about his pride for her sake. How could he get a divorce? How could he do something that would hurt Dong Min so much?”

“Loving his daughter and not loving his wife are two separate things,” Qian Heng rubbed his temples. “We men are complicated.” He shot Cheng Yao a look. “For example, right now—do you know what I’m thinking?”

Cheng Yao shook her head honestly.

“I’m thinking… if you could do me a favor, turn left, walk out the door, close it behind you, and stop wasting my time.”

“…”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

Cheng Yao: Qian Heng! You’re so toxic—you’re destined to spend your whole life with the law!

Qian Heng: Cheng Yao, if I remember correctly, your résumé says you’re committed to dedicating your life to the law?

Cheng Yao: Yes! So what?!

Qian Heng: Well, in that case, you’re also destined to spend your whole life with the law. Rounding it up… that means you can only spend your life with me.

Cheng Yao: ?????