The atmosphere was tense, like a drawn bow ready to fire.
The landlord, however, had a thick skin. Even in this situation, he remained calm, trying to smooth things over. “Well, it’s a two-bedroom apartment anyway. Since fate has brought you together, why not just co-rent? I’ll even reduce your rent a little…”
As he spoke, he started explaining, “This double-renting situation isn’t entirely my fault. I’m in the middle of a divorce with my wife. She rented the place out to this young lady without my knowledge, and I, on the other hand, rented it out to this gentleman…”
Cheng Yao immediately rejected the idea. “Live with him? No way! Absolutely not! I don’t even know him. Living with a strange man isn’t safe.”
The man opposite her, however, suddenly did a complete 180. A smile crept onto his face as he looked at her. “I don’t mind. In fact…” He paused briefly, then chuckled. “It would be an honor to co-rent with such an elite female lawyer.”
Cheng Yao: ???
Even though he was complimenting her, for some reason, his expression and tone gave her an inexplicably sleazy feeling.
Sensing an opening, the landlord quickly tried to slip away. But before he left, something came to his mind. “Oh, Miss Cheng, you’re a lawyer? Do you handle divorce cases? I’m going through one myself and could use some legal advice…”
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Ekvbswv blpkvyvksd, Ubldt Zys pokvnble vs osaj xsel, ydpolakdt rasqlppksdyzzu, “Zsw’hl nsxl vs vbl aktbv rlapsd. Xwa qkax, Kwdbldt Nyo, prlnkyzkglp kd qyxkzu zyo. Pkhsanl, ypplv ekhkpksd, kdblakvydnl, yp olzz yp vawpvp yde kdpwaydnl—ol’al vbl clpv kd vbl xyajlv. Rq usw dlle blzr, tkhl xl y nyzz.”
Mbl zydezsae dseele alrlyvlezu, vbydjkdt bla, cwv vbl xyd dlmv vs bla zlv swv y zso nbwnjzl.
Ubldt Zys ktdsale bkx. Jlqsal pbl nswze alynv, vbl xyd bye yzalyeu eayttle bkp pwkvnypl kdvs vbl yryavxldv.
Gp bl oyzjle kd, bl vbalo bla y vywdvkdt pxkzl. “Rq usw vbkdj kv’p wdpyql, usw nyd qkde ydsvbla rzynl vs aldv.” Tkp qynl oyp csvb pvakjkdtzu bydepsxl yde lmvalxlzu rwdnbyczl. “Gald’v usw vbyv ckt-pbsv zyoula okvb y qswa-qktwal bswazu ayvl? Xa xyucl usw pbswze vyjl zltyz ynvksd yde pwl vbl zydezsae qsa nsxrldpyvksd?”
Ubldt Zys oyp pllvbkdt.
Rv oyp ralnkplzu clnywpl pbl oyp y zyoula vbyv pbl oypd’v dykhl ldswtb vs vbkdj tskdt vs nswav oswze pszhl lhlauvbkdt. Nkvktyvksd oyp y zypv alpsav—vss vkxl-nsdpwxkdt, vss lmbywpvkdt. G nypl zkjl vbkp, okvb yrrlyzp yde ldqsanlxldv, nswze eayt sd qsa xsdvbp. Rv pkxrzu oypd’v osavb kv.
Mbkp twu bye nzlyazu qktwale vbyv swv. Tl jdlo Ubldt Zys oyp oyau sq ns-zkhkdt okvb y xyd, ps bl oyp rzyddkdt vs pvasdt-yax bkp oyu kdvs pvyukdt.
Eyp pbl tskdt vs zlv bkx okd?
Absolutely not!
Who’s afraid of who? He’s just a duck*! What was there to fear?!
[*Duck (鴨) is slang for a male escort.]
Without another word, Cheng Yao grabbed her bag and charged into the apartment. “Fine, we’ll co-rent.” She tossed her bag onto the sofa, gathering momentum as she spoke. “But let me make a few things clear in advance—don’t bring your work home.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”
Cheng Yao cleared her throat. “Don’t think I don’t know what you do for a living.”
The man didn’t show the slightest bit of embarrassment. Instead, he smiled, amused.
His shamelessness was truly on another level.
Cheng Yao hadn’t intended to spell it out, but at this point, she figured she might as well be direct. “If you bring your work back here, I’ll report you.”
The man’s smile didn’t waver. “Report me for what?”
“For prostitution!” Cheng Yao said with a stern face. “I’m a law-abiding citizen. I get that your job isn’t easy, and as long as you keep it out of my sight, I won’t interfere. But under no circumstances can you conduct business in this apartment.”
“You think I’m a prostitute?” His voice suddenly sharpened with anger. “Me? A prostitute?”
“Fine, fine, let’s call it… ‘special services.’ Happy now?”
But instead of taking the way out she offered, the man’s expression grew even more livid. “What special services?!”
With that, he turned toward his suitcase and started rummaging through it. “Where’s my voice recorder?”
“What do you need a voice recorder for?”
He let out a cold chuckle. “To record everything you just said so I can sue you for defamation.”
Cheng Yao coughed. “Alright, alright, I won’t bring up your… sore spot anymore. I know you probably didn’t choose this job willingly. But I need to make my stance clear.” She paused before continuing, “Also, I’d like to see your health report. As a sign of mutual respect, I can show you mine as well…”
The man didn’t respond. He just stared at her with a dark, unreadable expression.
For some reason, Cheng Yao suddenly felt uneasy. This man’s profession might not be respectable, but his aura was… unnervingly intimidating.
She forced herself to push forward. “Look, I don’t mean to look down on you, but this line of work relies on youth. If you can switch careers, you should do it sooner rather than later. Not to mention, you do realize what you’re doing is illegal, right?”
Finishing her speech, Cheng Yao glanced at the time. It was getting late—she needed to head back and start packing for the move.
Her newly appointed roommate called out to her, “Are you sure you’re not giving up the apartment? Sure you want to live with me?”
“Of course.” Cheng Yao rolled her eyes. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find this place?”
The man chuckled. “You’re going to regret it.”
*****
Cheng Yao had no time for regrets. When she returned to Li Mengting’s place, she found that Li Mengting’s boyfriend, Zhang Hao, had already moved his luggage in, with his bags piled up in the living room.
Li Mengting looked apologetic. “Yaoyao, I’m really sorry. Haozi’s lease expires the day after tomorrow, and short-term rentals are hard to find. Staying in a hotel is too expensive, so I thought he could keep his luggage here for now. After his lease ends, he’ll be staying here too—just temporarily on the living room sofa. Would that be okay?”
Cheng Yao waved her hand dismissively and told Li Mengting about finding a new apartment. Li Mengting sighed in relief and was genuinely happy for her. That evening, the two of them cooked up a feast together in the kitchen.
Since Cheng Yao would be moving into her new place tomorrow, tonight’s meal was essentially a farewell dinner. They prepared an extravagant spread.
“Yaoyao, even though we won’t be living together anymore, if you ever need help with anything, just let me know.” Li Mengting chuckled. “Though, to be honest, I doubt you’ll ever need my help. You’ve always had the luck of a koi fish. You passed the bar exam while still in college, got your lawyer’s license within a year of graduating, and now you’ve landed a job at Junheng. Your future is practically limitless.”
Cheng Yao laughed. “You should hurry up and finish reviewing for the bar exam instead of playing games all the time. You only missed the passing score by about ten points last year. If you put in the effort, you’ll make it this year. Once you pass the exam, everything else will fall into place.”
Li Mengting shook her head. “I’m not planning to take it anymore.”
“Huh? Why not?”
Li Mengting looked a little embarrassed. “Haozi got a new job with an annual salary of over three hundred thousand. He doesn’t want me to stress myself out. You know how tough legal jobs can be. Even if you’re a judge or prosecutor in the public sector, the pressure is intense, and the overtime is brutal. Being a lawyer is even worse. I’ve never been that ambitious about my career, so I figured I’d just find something easier.”
Cheng Yao was a little surprised, but she understood. Li Mengting came from a well-off family, and with a capable boyfriend, she had the option to live a more relaxed life.
Everyone has their own path in life.
Lying in bed that night, Cheng Yao felt a mix of excitement and unease. Tomorrow, she would not only be moving into her new apartment but also starting her first day at Junheng. What kind of life awaited her in this new chapter?
She took a deep breath, staring at the ceiling.
Future, please be kind to me.
*****
Fortunately, the next day was bright and sunny, as if signaling that everything would go smoothly.
Zhu Jie, the HR supervisor at Junheng, gave Cheng Yao a brief tour of the firm and went over some basic guidelines for new employees before leading her to her workstation.
“You’ll be sitting here. Right in front of you is Partner Qian’s office,” Zhu Jie said with a smile. “Usually, our new hires go through a one-month probation period. After that, if they perform well, a senior lawyer will choose them for their team. But you’re lucky—Partner Qian saw your resume and personally requested you to join his team.”
Cheng Yao was stunned. “R-Really?! Lawyer Qian Heng?”
Zhu Jie nodded, lowering her voice slightly. “Honestly, I’m not sure whether to say you’re lucky or unlucky. You’ll find out soon enough what kind of person Partner Qian is.” She glanced at the tightly shut office door. “He’s not in right now, but he’ll meet you when he returns.”
Cheng Yao was overwhelmed with excitement. Although Qian Heng had a reputation that was… complicated, his legal skills were legendary. If she could work under him for two or three years and endure it, her future career would be limitless!
At that moment, she felt like she was the luckiest person alive. To be chosen by Qian Heng—she should go buy a lottery ticket!
For the next hour, she could barely sit still. Finally, the infamous yet strikingly handsome Qian Heng returned.
“All new hires and interns, report to Conference Room 2. Partner Qian will be there soon.”
Although Cheng Yao was the only one starting today, Junheng had recently recruited a few other new lawyers and interns. Including Zhu Jie from HR, there were six people in total. Cheng Yao grabbed her notebook and pen, following the group into the conference room.
The others, who had arrived earlier, were already chatting with each other. Cheng Yao was the only one sitting there nervously, waiting.
She couldn’t help but wonder—just how good-looking was her new boss?
The six of them waited in silence for thirty minutes. Cheng Yao finally couldn’t hold it in and went to the restroom.
When she returned and pushed open the conference room door, she saw a man sitting across from the five others. He casually looked up at her.
Tall, long legs, an air of authority, and a rather bad temper, from the looks of it. His high nose bridge was so perfect it almost seemed artificially enhanced…
It was a face she had just seen not too long ago.
This… this was her duck roommate?!
Her so-called “special services” roommate was now sitting in the conference room, exuding an intimidating presence. His sharp, strikingly handsome face practically had “I’m not easy to deal with” written all over it.
Was she dreaming? Was she seeing things?
Cheng Yao was so shocked that she somehow remained outwardly calm. In a daze, she stepped back out of the conference room, looked up at the sign—yep, this was definitely Conference Room 2—then woodenly walked back inside, moving stiffly like a glitching video game character.
Zhu Jie introduced her with a smile. “Lawyer Qian, this is Cheng Yao. Cheng Yao, why don’t you introduce yourself to Lawyer Qian?”
Cheng Yao’s mind went completely blank.
“No need,” the man sitting at the head of the table said, glancing up at her with a smirk. “I already know Cheng Yao. In fact, we’ve already had an in-depth legal discussion on issues related to co-renting.” He flashed a cold, toothy smile. “Isn’t that right, Lawyer Cheng?”
“…”
Cheng Yao’s mind was in chaos. It felt like a meteor had just crashed into Earth. What was going on?! Her boss was a duck?! No—wait! The duck was actually her boss?! No, no, no—she had mistaken her boss for a duck?!
Qian Heng continued giving his speech, offering guidance and warnings to the new lawyers, but Cheng Yao couldn’t hear a single word. She just stared at his lips moving up and down, feeling the world around her crumble.
In that moment, she finally understood why Li Mengting always cursed at slow internet speeds.
Because she, too, just wanted to scream—
Damn you, slow internet! You ruined my life!
If her internet had loaded properly and she had seen Qian Heng’s photo beforehand, would this catastrophic misunderstanding have happened?!
Absolutely not!
If she had known, she would have immediately conceded like Kong Rong yielding pears! She would have handed the apartment over to her boss on the spot, showered him with compliments, and wished him prosperity, success, smooth sailing, instant victory, a meteoric rise, endless good fortune, booming business, longevity equal to the heavens, early heirs—
At this moment, Cheng Yao felt utterly dizzy and disoriented.
While her mind spun in turmoil, Qian Heng seemed to have succinctly wrapped up his welcome speech as a partner.
“Additionally, I appreciate every lawyer’s dedication to expanding their own client base and business opportunities,” Qian Heng said in an icy tone. His gaze swept lightly over Cheng Yao. “However, I want you all to understand that at Junheng, we do not take on just any client. Cases valued under fifty million? A complete waste of time.”
“…”
Was he mocking her for trying to sell her legal services to her landlord…?
“Alright, meeting adjourned.”
Finally…
But just as Cheng Yao was about to make her escape, she heard Qian Heng say—
“Cheng Yao, stay behind.”
“…”
*****
The spacious conference room was now empty except for Cheng Yao and Qian Heng.
Summoning her courage, Cheng Yao decided to break the silence first.
“I’m sorry, Boss! I failed to recognize your greatness!” She adopted the posture of someone ready to atone with their life. “The apartment—it’s yours! You can have it! I’ll go find another place!”
Qian Heng took a sip of tea, offering no immediate response. He clearly understood how to manipulate people’s psychology—his prolonged silence was excruciating, like a slow and torturous punishment.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, raising an eyebrow.
“As a lawyer, aren’t you supposed to fight for your rights until the very last moment?”
“…”
“Never admit defeat?”
“…”
Qian Heng chuckled. “One of the fundamental principles of our profession is that we must never yield to power. We uphold the law, base our arguments on facts, and fight for our clients. Since you’ve worked so hard to secure this right, how could I use my superior position to take it away from you?”
“…”
“So, congratulations—you now have the opportunity to live with your boss.” Qian Heng’s striking eyes locked onto Cheng Yao, his tone infuriatingly smug. “How do you feel? Excited? Thrilled?”
Cheng Yao responded dryly, “Excited. Thrilled.”
Oh, she was definitely thrilled! Absolutely ecstatic!
“Of course,” Qian Heng continued with a casual smile, “to avoid unnecessary trouble, let’s keep this living arrangement a secret from the rest of the firm.”
“Any other questions?”
Cheng Yao, of course, had a million questions.
You’re a wealthy partner at a prestigious firm—don’t you have your own place? Even if you don’t, why squeeze into a mid-tier apartment complex? You drive a Bentley but rent in this neighborhood? And why did you specifically recruit me into your team? Are you seeking revenge? I already backed down and agreed to move out—why insist on living with me? What’s your endgame? Are you a Scorpio or something? Why is your grudge-holding ability off the charts?!
But did she dare ask?
No. Absolutely not.
She maintained a respectful attitude. “No problem.”
“Then I do have a problem,” Qian Heng narrowed his eyes. “Since we’ll be working together and living together, we’ll inevitably have a lot of contact. I expect you to maintain your boundaries and control yourself.”
Cheng Yao was utterly confused: ???
Qian Heng blinked his thick lashes. “You’re about to become the 14th assistant lawyer I’ve had this year. Do you know why the previous thirteen were fired?”
It was already November, and he had fired thirteen people… Cheng Yao glanced at Qian Heng’s striking but impossibly arrogant face, and the answer was practically screaming in her mind—
Isn’t it just because you’re impossible to work with?
Before she could say anything, Qian Heng continued, “It’s because they all failed to restrain themselves and developed certain… inappropriate thoughts about me.”
“…”
Wait. Are you serious???
Didn’t they all leave because they couldn’t handle your tyranny and toxicity???
Unaware of Cheng Yao’s increasingly incredulous expression, Qian Heng sighed as if this truly troubled him. “I really don’t understand. Among those thirteen people, two were even men. Sometimes, it’s quite a headache for me. Is my personal charm really that overwhelming?”
“…”
He looked up at her again. “I understand that some people have a strong personal appeal, but work is work. Especially between a superior and subordinate—developing feelings would be highly unprofessional.”
“…”
Cheng Yao found herself speechless.
Now she finally understood why LAWXOXO labeled Qian Heng as toxic. She had barely spent any time with him, yet she was already feeling the effects—like she was about to collapse from lethal exposure.
Just as she numbly prepared to leave, Qian Heng suddenly stopped her, as if something had just occurred to him.
“One more thing—I need to correct a legal misconception of yours.” He lifted a slender, fair hand and tapped the table. “Simple pros–titution, if not involving organized pros–titution, is not a criminal offense. It only falls under public security administration regulations, punishable by detention of 10 to 15 days and a fine of up to 5,000 yuan.”
“…”
At that moment, Cheng Yao was finally certain—she hadn’t been lucky to end up in his team.
No.
With Qian Heng’s grudge-holding tendencies, he had clearly chosen her on purpose—so he could torment her more effectively.
[Bonus Scene]
Host A Fei: “What was your first impression of Qian Heng when you met him at the firm?”
Cheng Yao: “A lawyer who looks like a gigolo.”
Host A Fei: “Did your opinion change over time?”
Cheng Yao: “Yes.”
Host A Fei: “And what’s your new impression?”
Cheng Yao (expressionless): “A gigolo who looks like a lawyer.”
Qian Heng (smiling): “She’s referring to the nighttime.”
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