Qian Heng had won. He was fully prepared to maintain his cold demeanor and leave triumphantly. However, just as he was about to turn away, he hesitated.
Because the bathrobe he was wearing was identical to Cheng Yao’s.
He pulled out his phone and, with no other choice, called his troublesome friend Wu Jun.
“Hello? Wu Jun, go to my villa and bring me a set of clothes. I’ll send you the address. No, not just a coat—I need everything, including underwear.”
On the other end of the line, Wu Jun was instantly excited. “Oh my god! The iron tree has finally blossomed! Qian Heng, you actually got brainwashed at that matchmaking event?! You hooked up on the first meeting? Clothes? You need a full set?! Was the battle so intense that everything got torn to shreds? This is too explosive!”
Qian Heng couldn’t be bothered to respond and simply added, “Also, go to the nearest women’s clothing store and buy a full set of women’s clothes. Everything.”
Wu Jun nearly exploded. “Don’t push it! I’m a guy! You want me to buy an entire set of women’s clothes, including underwear?! What will the store clerks think of me?! What about my reputation?!”
“Find a female store clerk to help you pick, or get one of your female friends to buy it for you. Either way, just get it done immediately.”
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“Ebyv’p vbl zyeu zyoula’p pkgl? Ebyv pbswze R cwu?”
“Fkgl?” Ckyd Tldt tzydnle shla yv Ubldt Zys, obs oyp nwazle wr kd vbl nsadla nzwvnbkdt vbl qasdv sq bla cyvbascl vktbvzu, pvkzz tzyakdt yv bkx okvb ydtla. “Sswtbzu 90-60-85.”
Ew Kwd obkpvzle. “Lknl qktwal.” Tl pswdele kdnalekczu ldvbwpkypvkn. “Zsw’zz pll xl kd qkqvlld xkdwvlp!”
“Ls, R fwpv dlle vs pll vbl nzsvblp. Nlyhl vblx yv vbl qasdv elpj yde byhl vblx pldv wr. Mbld, usw nyd zlyhl.”
Ew Kwd nswzed’v blzr cwv nsxrzykd, “Bpkdt xl yde vbld ekpnyaekdt xl ps blyavzlppzu! Llo zshlap pxkzl obkzl sze qakldep ollr! El wple vs oyvnb vbl pvyap yde vbl xssd vstlvbla, yde usw lhld nyzzle xl uswa elya—blzzs?! Tlu?! Ckyd Tldt!! R oypd’v esdl okvb xu eayxyvkn xsdszstwl! Tso nswze usw fwpv bydt wr sd xl?!”
Ubldt Zys oyvnble yp Ckyd Tldt ldele vbl nyzz. Fbl oyp sd bktb yzlav, nzwvnbkdt vbl qasdv sq bla cyvbascl vktbvzu, bla lulp qkmle oyakzu sd bkx.
Ebyv eke bl xlyd, 90-60-85?! Ebyv bye Ckyd Tldt clld zssjkdt yv?! Fbl oyp nzlyazu olyakdt y zsspl cyvbascl vbyv bke bla qktwal—bso nswze bl lpvkxyvl vbspl dwxclap ps ynnwayvlzu?!
Fweeldzu, Ubldt Zys qlzv y zkvvzl dlahswp. Mblu olal yzsdl kd y assx, csvb sdzu olyakdt cyvbasclp…
However, Qian Heng quickly shattered any of her stray thoughts. “Relax, you don’t meet my standards.”
“…”
“I’ve already suffered from you taking advantage of me once. It won’t happen again.”
“…”
Cheng Yao almost burst out laughing in exasperation. Qian Heng thought he was the one who got taken advantage of?! Clearly, she was the victim here! Strictly speaking, that was her first kiss!
And Qian Heng—who even knew if he had kissed someone before?! Who knew how many people he had kissed?!
After the weekend, the first workday of the new week arrived. Everyone in the office noticed something unusual—the always cold and imposing Qian Heng seemed subtly different.
“The case that was closed last month, send me the final report and judgment documents electronically and—achoo!”
“Tang Ying, tomorrow you—achoo!”
“Cheng Yao, schedule a meeting with the client for me—achoo!”
Thanks to Saturday’s lake-diving adventure, Qian Heng had caught a cold.
Although his expression remained as distant as ever and his voice was still icy, the sneezing and congestion made his eyes look slightly reddened and misty. His throat was a little hoarse, and he was visibly not at his best. He quickly wrapped up the Monday morning meeting.
Watching Qian Heng walk away, Tang Ying nudged Cheng Yao. “Don’t you think that after getting sick, Qian Par suddenly seems kind of… delicate and pitiful? Like one of those frail yet stubbornly strong-willed beauties? Ugh, I love this character trope! It makes me want to take care of him! My maternal instincts are overflowing!”
“Achoo!”
Cheng Yao couldn’t hold back and sneezed as well.
Tang Ying instantly jumped three feet away. “Cheng Yao, you caught a cold too?! Stay away from me! Don’t spread it to me!”
What happened to your love for the sickly aesthetic?! Where’s your overflowing maternal instinct now?! Do you even have any colleague solidarity?!
After that chaotic day, Wu Jun actually came through and delivered the clothes on time. Cheng Yao changed into a pink down jacket and, under Qian Heng’s icy gaze, nervously sat in his Bentley as he drove her home.
Unfortunately, the next day, both of them coincidentally came down with a bad cold…
Cheng Yao had barely been at her desk for long when she received a call from Qian Heng’s office line.
“Make me a cup of ginger tea and bring it in.”
The command was short and direct, leaving no room for response. Before Cheng Yao could even react, the chronically ill senior boss had already hung up.
Carrying the ginger tea into his office, Cheng Yao couldn’t help but protest. “Didn’t you say female lawyers shouldn’t be doing trivial tasks like making tea?”
“Because of you, I caught a cold. As the culprit, shouldn’t you be making some kind of amends?”
Qian Heng shot her a cold glance, but the effect was dampened by his nasal voice, the slight redness in his eyes from exhaustion, and the trace of tears left behind from yawning. He had lost much of his usual intimidating presence.
Still, good-looking people—even when sick—always had an extra touch of charm.
Tang Ying had been right. In this state, Qian Heng did seem a bit more human than usual. In fact, the arch of his brows and eyes even carried a hint of… allure?
Cheng Yao quickly forced herself to stay calm. Clearly, her cold was messing with her judgment.
Just as she was about to leave his office, Qian Heng called her back.
“The court has officially filed Bai Xingmeng’s case. The trial is set for a month from now.” He tossed a document toward her. “Inform the client.”
What Cheng Yao didn’t expect was that barely minutes after notifying Bai Xingmeng, she received another call from Qian Heng.
“Prepare the conference room. Xu Jun and his lawyer will be here in an hour for a pre-trial discussion.”
“Should I notify Bai Xingmeng again?”
Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “I already informed her. She won’t be attending. We’ll update her after the meeting. Bring a recorder.”
An hour later—
Maybe it was the natural intimidation lawyers exuded, but Xu Jun’s attitude was surprisingly respectful and courteous. Though his expression betrayed urgency, he was nothing like the aggressive man Bai Xingmeng had described.
Dressed sharply, he wasn’t conventionally handsome, but his demeanor and speech carried an air of refinement.
If Cheng Yao hadn’t already heard Bai Xingmeng’s account, she might have been fooled by his polished exterior.
Some successful people were just that good at wearing masks.
But what surprised Cheng Yao wasn’t just Xu Jun himself—it was the person walking in behind him.
A face she knew well—clean-cut and refined, with a gentle and reserved demeanor.
“Attorney Qian, nice to meet you. I’m Gu Beiqing, representing Mr. Xu Jun in this case.” The newcomer spoke calmly, but as he lifted his gaze and saw Cheng Yao, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Of all places, Cheng Yao had never expected to run into Gu Beiqing here. For a brief moment, she couldn’t hide the joy in her expression.
Fortunately, Gu Beiqing quickly regained his composure, subtly reminding her with his gaze. Cheng Yao promptly refocused, straightening her posture and preparing to return his greeting with a smile—
But just as the corners of her lips started to lift, her peripheral vision caught Qian Heng’s cold, dark expression…
He didn’t say a word, but his gaze conveyed everything.
“Smile again, and you’re dead.”
Qian Heng didn’t say a word, but he might as well have had that exact phrase displayed on his forehead like a subtitle.
Cheng Yao immediately swallowed her smile, pressing her lips together tightly.
“Attorney Qian, good day. My lawyer and I came today because—”
“Mr. Xu.”
Gu Beiqing, the lawyer beside Xu Jun, cut in. However, Xu Jun waved him off, signaling that he wanted to handle it himself.
“I want to settle.”
Xu Jun’s tone was unexpectedly gentle. “My lawyer and I are here to discuss an out-of-court settlement.” His demeanor was humble, his voice low. “I’m willing to compensate her. The assets that should be divided, I won’t withhold a single cent. I just really want a chance to speak with Bai Xingmeng face-to-face.”
At this point, a trace of melancholy appeared on Xu Jun’s face. “But no matter how many times I call her, she won’t pick up. Even for this meeting, she only sent her lawyers in her place. Honestly, the way our marriage is ending like this… it’s really quite regrettable.”
Cheng Yao had always assumed that businessmen like Xu Jun would be the type to be terse and reserved with their words. Yet, he was the exact opposite—talkative to the point of being loquacious. Even when facing his ex-wife’s lawyers, he was articulate and expressive.
But for some reason, Cheng Yao found his excessive enthusiasm a bit off-putting, as if there was something subtly out of place.
Qian Heng, who was strict even with his own clients when it came to time management, had even less patience for an opposing party’s sentimental rambling. He cut Xu Jun off directly.
“Mr. Xu, you can submit your settlement proposal to me, and I will relay it to my client.”
“Attorney Gu.”
With a nod from Xu Jun, Gu Beiqing took out a document. “This is our drafted settlement agreement.”
As always, Gu Beiqing was meticulous and thorough. The settlement agreement was prepared in multiple copies.
Flipping through her own copy, Cheng Yao grew increasingly surprised.
This settlement agreement was incredibly generous. The amount of assets Xu Jun was offering Bai Xingmeng wasn’t just fair—it was actually a bit more than what she would be legally entitled to.
“Mr. Xu hopes to reach a pre-trial settlement. I’m sure you’ve calculated how much Ms. Bai would likely be awarded if this case went through the normal litigation process. We’re offering an amount that exceeds that figure, which demonstrates Mr. Xu’s sincerity.”
Gu Beiqing smiled as he looked at Qian Heng. Qian Heng returned the smile, gesturing for him to continue.
Encouraged by the positive response, Gu Beiqing’s tone became even steadier.
“Furthermore, if we proceed with litigation, the first and second trial phases alone could take a year or even longer before Ms. Bai receives any financial compensation. A direct settlement is far more economical.”
Qian Heng kept smiling.
So Gu Beiqing continued.
“Additionally, Ms. Bai is in the entertainment industry. Right now, the media hasn’t caught wind of this case, but if it drags on through litigation, it’s only a matter of time before it gets exposed in the tabloids. That wouldn’t be beneficial for her image, would it? Out of consideration for their past relationship, Mr. Xu wishes to avoid turning this into a full-fledged court battle, which is why he’s offering this settlement.”
His words were impeccable—persuasive from the front, suggestive from the side, and subtly pressuring from the back. He was confident and commanding.
For once, Qian Heng remained silent in the face of Gu Beiqing’s argument. Was it possible that he had actually been overwhelmed by the other’s presence? Had he momentarily run out of countermeasures?
Cheng Yao was momentarily dazed.
Was this sharp and formidable Gu Beiqing really the same senior from university who used to bring her snacks with a gentle smile?
“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Qian Heng finally spoke, sweeping his gaze over the settlement agreement with great interest. He let out a soft chuckle, then set the document down.
“Too bad I don’t accept it.”
…..
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