After settling the dog in her room, Cheng Yao, as a gesture of apology, prepared some bedtime fruit for Qian Heng.
Without the dog around, Qian Heng had returned to his usual aloof and aristocratic demeanor.
Cheng Yao handed him a peeled apple, but he only glanced at it and said, “Cut it into smaller pieces.”
“…”
She sliced the apple and passed it to him again.
Qian Heng let out a soft snort. “Smaller.”
“…”
Fine! Cheng Yao thought. She admitted she was at fault for the whole dog situation, so if he wanted to nitpick, she’d just endure it. Swallow your pride for peace, take a step back and the sea is vast!
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Rd vbl lde, yqvla ldewakdt talyv bwxkzkyvksd, Ubldt Zys qkdyzzu yrrlyple Ckyd Tldt’p dsczl vlxrlayxldv.
“Ju vbl oyu, R alnlkhle Dw Kwd’p dlo plvvzlxldv ytallxldv vsdktbv.” Lso vbyv bl oyp vbsaswtbzu pyvkpqkle, Ckyd Tldt qkdyzzu caswtbv wr cwpkdlpp.
“Fs pssd?”
Ckyd Tldt nbwnjzle. “Mblka Lypeyi RVX kp yv y nakvknyz pvytl. Rq dlop sq y zyopwkv yde pvsnj qallgl zlyjp, sa lhld kq vblal’p fwpv y rsvldvkyz akpj, kv oswze cl ekpypvaswp. Mbl FOU (B.F. Flnwakvklp yde Omnbydtl Usxxkppksd) oswze elxyde qwzz ekpnzspwal qasx Dw Kwd, obknb nswze lypkzu pnyal sqq kdhlpvsap. Jlpv nypl, vblka RVX tlvp elzyule; osapv nypl, kv tlvp pnayrrle ldvkalzu. Jlpkelp, vblal’p ydsvbla esxlpvkn kdvladlv nsxrydu, Iydmkd MA, obknb kp yzps ycswv vs qkzl kvp RVX yrrzknyvksd okvb vbl FOU. Ebslhla tslp rwczkn qkapv okzz byhl vbl qkapv-xshla yehydvytl yde tykd qyhsa kd vbl nyrkvyz xyajlv. Dw Kwd wdelapvydep vbkp rlaqlnvzu.”
“Fs, eslp vbl dlo plvvzlxldv ytallxldv sqqla xwnb clvvla vlaxp?”
Ckyd Tldt alxykdle kdekqqlaldv. “Lsv osavb zssjkdt yv. Jyk Dkdtxldt osd’v ytall. El’zz oykv y ckv yde vlzz vblx vsxsaaso vbyv vbl dlo sqqla kp pvkzz wdpyvkpqynvsau.”
“Mbld—”
“Qs vs pzllr.” Ckyd Tldt qkdkpble vbl zypv pzknl sq yrrzl, pvsse wr, yde wdkzyvlayzzu ldele vbl nsdhlapyvksd. “Esaj ekpnwppksdp yal pvaknvzu qsackeeld clqsal cle.”
Cheng Yao couldn’t help but mutter, “But you were the one who brought up work first… such a double standard…”
Qian Heng looked down at her with an amused smile. “That’s because I’m the boss.”
His smile deepened. “Cheng Yao, maybe you haven’t realized—being the boss means I get to do whatever I want.”
…
Cheng Yao swore to herself once again—the day I rise up and become a partner, the first thing I’ll do is beat the hell out of Qian Heng!
***
Dreaming about what she thought about during the day, Cheng Yao found herself repeatedly grabbing and beating up Qian Heng in her sleep. Perhaps due to exhaustion and the lingering effects of her cold, she ended up oversleeping the next morning. It wasn’t until Megatron jumped onto her that she finally woke up.
By the time she had freshened up and settled the dog, it was already 9:30 AM when she rushed into the office…
She was a solid half-hour late.
Luckily, she didn’t run into Qian Heng. Thinking she had slipped in unnoticed, Cheng Yao stealthily made her way to her desk.
Tan Ying was quite considerate. “You actually didn’t need to rush in today. Qian Par isn’t here. He had an urgent client matter and rushed to the airport.”
Just as Cheng Yao began to relax, Tan Ying continued, “Besides, Qian Par already knows you were late, so whether it’s half an hour or the entire morning, it makes no difference.”
Cheng Yao: !!!
Tan Ying sighed. “He was looking for you this morning—seemed like he had work for you. When he realized you weren’t here, he left you a note.”
Cheng Yao looked down and finally noticed a minimalist-style sticky note on her desk. Qian Heng’s handwriting was neat and powerful, but now wasn’t the time to admire it…
“I have informed Xu Jun’s lawyer that we reject the new settlement proposal. Organize and submit the supplementary evidence on Bao Rui’s assets to the court.
Late this morning—attendance bonus deducted.”
…
Cheng Yao was on the verge of tears. If only it weren’t for that last sentence…
After coordinating with Bao Rui on the supplementary evidence, Cheng Yao suddenly received an unexpected visitor—Bai Xingmeng.
“Miss Bai?”
Wearing sunglasses, Bai Xingmeng’s voice was slightly choked. “Lawyer Cheng, please help me!”
Moved by sympathy for Bai Xingmeng’s situation, Cheng Yao couldn’t help but be affected by her emotions. She led her into the conference room.
“Don’t panic, take your time. What happened?”
“Xu Jun found out that I rejected the settlement proposal, and he already sent people to confront me. Tuantuan Online is at a critical stage in its IPO process, and he wants me to take the settlement money, drop the lawsuit, and stop interfering with his plans to cash out.”
Bai Xingmeng was still visibly shaken. Her voice was filled with anxiety and unease. “He knows how to contact me. Since I refused him, he has called me over ten times, aggressively pressuring and threatening me over the phone, demanding to know how much money I want. I honestly don’t know what to do…”
“I filed this lawsuit not to extort him, but because I want a fair judgment.”
Thinking about all the injustices Bai Xingmeng suffered in her marriage, Cheng Yao couldn’t help but feel indignant on her behalf. “Threats and intimidation—those are completely illegal. Have you called the police?”
Bai Xingmeng looked helpless. “If calling the police worked, I wouldn’t be here asking you for help.”
“I’m terrified of him. Back when we were married, he was always like this—forcing me into submission with all kinds of tactics. Sometimes, he even restricted my freedom. He’s a complete control freak! I don’t want to deal with him at all. It took me so long and so much pain to finally escape that horrible marriage. Lawyer Cheng, I don’t want to go back!”
Her voice was filled with despair and pleading. “Lawyer Cheng, please, help me. I really don’t have the courage to face him or communicate with him directly. Can I give him your contact information and have you answer his calls for me? Just block him on my behalf.”
Instinctively, Cheng Yao glanced at Qian Heng’s office. “I don’t have the seniority to handle direct external communications. You’d have to discuss this with Lawyer Qian, but he’s not here right now…”
“If Lawyer Qian was willing to help, I would have asked him already.” Bai Xingmeng sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “He said he only handles matters strictly within the scope of legal services—he won’t waste time on anything else. But I’m not asking you to make any decisions for me, and it’s not about the case itself. I just don’t want to hear Xu Jun’s voice. He’s not only extremely controlling but also likes to stalk people. Every day, I live in fear that he’ll show up at my filming set.
“All I need is a middleman—someone to convey my stance and tell him to leave me alone and let the legal ruling decide everything. That’s all. Lawyer Cheng, please, I’m begging you!”
Such a cold and distant response—it really did sound just like Qian Heng.
He was always sparing with words, as if single syllables were supreme and anything beyond that was a waste. He rigidly followed the legal services outlined in the agency agreement, without any consideration for the client’s emotional state or the suffering they were going through.
For some reason, Cheng Yao suddenly thought of Qian Heng’s face—so handsome, yet so cold and indifferent.
Cheng Yao aspired to become a lawyer as skilled as Qian Heng, but she didn’t want to be as emotionless and unfeeling as he was.
She sympathized with Bai Xingmeng and had a strong sense of justice. Relaying Bai Xingmeng’s personal message had nothing to do with the specifics of the case—it was just a simple favor. After thinking it over, Cheng Yao finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll help you communicate with him and warn him not to harass you again.”
In the end, she and Qian Heng were different. Cheng Yao didn’t want to be just a highly competent yet coldly rational lawyer—she wanted people to associate her name with integrity and compassion in the legal industry.
And so, after one final moment of thought, she nodded again. “Okay.”
Cheng Yao hadn’t expected Xu Jun to call so quickly.
Almost as soon as Bai Xingmeng sent him her number—while she was still sitting across from Cheng Yao—the call came through.
Cheng Yao put it on speaker.
“Lawyer Cheng, my ex-wife said I should contact you directly. She told me that as long as I can convince you, she’ll agree to discuss a settlement and drop the lawsuit.”
Cheng Yao looked at Bai Xingmeng, momentarily stunned.
Bai Xingmeng pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture and quickly scribbled a note on a piece of paper: “I was afraid he’d keep harassing me, so I made up an excuse.” At the same time, she kept signaling to Cheng Yao with repeated “please help me” gestures.
Got it. Cheng Yao finally understood—Bai Xingmeng had never had the courage to say no to Xu Jun in this marriage. Deep down, she didn’t even dare to resist him. And now, she was passing on the role of the “bad cop” to Cheng Yao.
Although it felt a little like being pushed into the role, and the situation was a bit awkward, Cheng Yao thought about the pain Bai Xingmeng had endured, all those heartfelt conversations they’d shared. In the end, she decided to see this through.
“I’m very sincere about this. I admit that in our marriage, I also made mistakes—I was too focused on my career. But now…”
Oh? But when he was scheming to cheat his ex-wife out of her rightful assets during the divorce, did he realize he was making a mistake then?
Men never truly regret anything. It’s only when their interests are actually at stake that they finally lower their selfish heads.
“Sorry, Mr. Xu, telling me all this won’t change anything. Let’s leave it to the law. And I sincerely hope you will stop contacting my client privately, especially using threats and intimidation.”
“Threats? Intimidation? I didn’t—”
Cheng Yao had no interest in arguing with Xu Jun or listening to his excuses. She simply reiterated that everything would be handled through legal channels and firmly hung up the phone.
Bai Xingmeng thanked Cheng Yao profusely before finally leaving.
As expected, Xu Jun wasn’t willing to give up so easily. He continued calling—more than ten times—but Cheng Yao ignored every call.
What she didn’t expect was that when he couldn’t reach her by phone, he would show up at the law firm to corner her.
“Lawyer Cheng, you must let me meet with my ex-wife in person! This is really urgent! I believe only a face-to-face conversation can resolve this issue!”
“Mr. Xu, I’ve already said everything I needed to say. I hope you can restrain yourself.”
Unfortunately, Cheng Yao’s polite but distant response did nothing to deter Xu Jun. A CEO of a soon-to-be-listed company was actually resorting to pestering her like this. With no other choice, she excused herself to the restroom and slipped out the back door of the office building.
But she had underestimated Xu Jun.
When she stepped out of the subway station, she saw his reflection in the glass door—he had followed her.
Bai Xingmeng hadn’t been exaggerating. He really was stalking her to get what he wanted…
Back in university, Cheng Yao had once been pursued by an obsessive admirer—a stalker. The guy had followed her for half a year, and it was only thanks to Gu Beiqing’s protection that she finally got rid of him. But that disgusting, unsettling feeling of being shadowed like prey was something she would never forget.
She never thought she’d have to experience it again.
“Lawyer Cheng!”
Xu Jun was no longer hiding. The moment Cheng Yao stopped, he rushed up to her.
“I really want to see Bai Xingmeng! I admit I was wrong to take advantage of her in the divorce. I also made mistakes in our marriage. But she wasn’t perfect either! I just hope we can have an open and honest conversation, take a step back, and reach a win-win solution!”
This man—how could he be so shameless?!
“Mr. Xu, things have reached this point, and you still want to push the blame onto Miss Bai? You still think she was at fault? Fine! She was at fault—her biggest mistake was falling in love with you!” At that moment, Cheng Yao’s past fear of being stalked mixed with her sense of justice for Bai Xingmeng, making it impossible for her to stay rational. “Let me be blunt, Mr. Xu. If your company fails to go public, that’s entirely your own doing! With your current attitude, I will absolutely not let you see Miss Bai!”
Cheng Yao straightened her back and glared at Xu Jun. “Stop following me. Instead of wasting your time on this, why don’t you reflect on the mistakes you made in this marriage? If you keep following me, I will call the police!”
After saying this, she made sure Xu Jun wasn’t trailing her before continuing on her way.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but that night, as Cheng Yao curled up in bed with Megatron, scrolling through Weibo, she saw him again.
Xu Jun had always had a strong online presence due to his connection with TuanTuan Online and his rumored relationship with Bai Xingmeng. But this time was different. Someone had exposed the fact that he and Bai Xingmeng had actually been married—and even revealed details of how he had hidden assets during the divorce.
This was a case that had only just been filed. Cheng Yao was certain that neither she nor Qian Heng had leaked a single detail. She had no idea who was so resourceful that they managed to dig up even these specifics.
The exposé quickly shot to the top of the trending list, generating an unprecedented wave of discussion.
Cheng Yao skimmed through the comments and, seeing that most of them were filled with outrage toward Xu Jun, she felt reassured.
But what she never expected was that, just one night later, another piece of news would break—completely overshadowing the revelations about Xu Jun and Bai Xingmeng’s marriage.
Xu Jun had committed suicide.
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