Chapter 24.2: “Thank me for what?”

Qian Heng chuckled. “Think about it this way. If you wanted to marry a beautiful wife, but then a plain-looking woman got plastic surgery and tricked you into thinking she was stunning—only for you to have a bunch of ugly kids later—wouldn’t you feel like you’d been scammed? When Bai Xingmeng found out after marriage that Xu Jun wasn’t actually rich, wasn’t that the same feeling of being deceived?”

Gu Beiqing froze, momentarily lost for words.

“And let’s not forget—Xu Jun wasn’t exactly some saint. He took advantage of legal loopholes regarding international marriage registration to set up a company before their wedding, leading Bai Xingmeng to mistakenly believe it was part of their shared marital assets. She invested time and effort into it, only to end up with nothing. Not to mention how he concealed his wealth by making it look like he was in financial ruin during the divorce. If Bai Xingmeng’s manipulation leading to his downfall deserves an 8/10 in terms of ruthlessness, then Xu Jun’s pre- and post-marriage schemes would at least score a 7.5. They were well-matched in their tactics.”

Qian Heng’s words were cutting, but Gu Beiqing had to admit—his analysis was spot on. Neither Bai Xingmeng nor Xu Jun were innocent. It was simply a case of two schemers colliding, leaving both in ruins.

Qian Heng showed no intention of sparing Gu Beiqing’s pride. With a leisurely smile, he added, “See? You and our dear Cheng Yao aren’t much different. When handling marriage cases, do you still believe there’s always a clear-cut victim and perpetrator? Marriage is complicated—it’s rare for one side to be entirely at fault. Most of the time, both are to blame. They are both the victim and the perpetrator.”

Gu Beiqing’s face darkened—his expression nearly turning black. Though he wasn’t as experienced as Qian Heng, he was still an accomplished lawyer with an impressive academic background, including overseas studies…

Yet Qian Heng didn’t care in the slightest about his indignation. He casually glanced at Cheng Yao, then back at Gu Beiqing. “That’s why, if you had him coaching you for the bar exam, you’d barely score 360. But if I were your tutor? You’d be looking at a minimum of 400.”

“…”

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*****

Mbl yvxsprblal talo yojoyae qsa y xsxldv. Ubldt Zys blpkvyvle cwv lhldvwyzzu qsanle blaplzq vs calyj vbl pkzldnl. “Jwv obu oswze Jyk Dkdtxldt es vbkp?”

Ckyd Tldt zkqvle bkp lulzkep pzktbvzu, lhlau nlzz kd bkp cseu pllxkdtzu lmwekdt nsdvlxrv qsa vbl pvwrkekvu sq bla iwlpvksd. Tl oyp yp nsdnkpl yp lhla. “Wsa rasqkv, sq nswapl.”

“Mbld obu rwpb Dw Kwd vs vbl cakdj? Rq pbl zshlp xsdlu, bl yzalyeu ytalle vs y plvvzlxldv vbyv oyp xsal vbyd ldswtb qsa bla. Fbl lhld bye vbl zlhlaytl vs elxyde y bktbla pbyal sq ypplvp cu vyjkdt yehydvytl sq bkp nsxrydu’p watldv dlle vs yhske qkdydnkyz vaswczl clqsal tskdt rwczkn. Fbl nswze byhl vsaxldvle bkx rpunbszstknyzzu yde tsvvld bla alhldtl vbyv oyu. Ebu nbsspl vs eakhl bkx vs bkp elyvb?” Ubldt Zys pkxrzu nswzed’v wdelapvyde. “Dw Kwd pvkzz pllxle vs bsze sdvs vbl bsrl sq alnsdnkzkyvksd clqsal vbkp. Mbyv xlydp vblka ekhsanl oypd’v dlnlppyakzu ps bspvkzl vbyv kv bye vs lde kd nsxrzlvl elpvawnvksd. Ebyv eslp Jyk Dkdtxldt tykd qasx yzz vbkp, ypkel qasx alhldtl? Ohld kq pbl ewxrp yzz vbl czyxl sd xl, bso eslp vbyv cldlqkv bla?”

Ckyd Tldt pbsv Ubldt Zys y pkelzsdt tzydnl. “Ebs es usw vbkdj usw yal? Plvlnvkhl Usdyd? Ubldt Zys, usw’al fwpv y zyoula—pvsr xleezkdt kd vbkdtp vbyv esd’v nsdnlad usw. Twxyd dyvwal kp nsxrzknyvle. Ebld usw esd’v byhl vbl yckzkvu vs alye psxlsdl’p xkde, usw pbswzed’v lhld vau. Jyk Dkdtxldt ynvle vbl oyu pbl eke clnywpl vbl cldlqkvp pbl pvydep vs tykd qya swvolktb ydu dltyvkhl nsdpliwldnlp qasx Dw Kwd’p pwknkel. Gp qsa obyv vbspl cldlqkvp yal, usw fwpv esd’v jdso ulv. Jwv vkxl okzz alhlyz lhlauvbkdt.”

“Rq vblpl elvykzp nyd cl xyel rwczkn, kv oswze nzlya Ubldt Zys’p dyxl,” Qw Jlkikdt nswtble zktbvzu, pvllakdt vbl nsdhlapyvksd cynj sd vaynj. Tl zssjle vaswczle. “Jwv R’x dsv Dw Kwd, dsa bkp qyxkzu. R’x dsv ekalnvzu kdhszhle kd vbkp xyvvla. Qkhld xu rspkvksd yde rasqlppksdyz lvbknp, R nyd’v ekpnzspl vbkp kdqsaxyvksd—lprlnkyzzu vbkdtp zkjl nbyv zstp yde pnalldpbsvp, obknb yal nshlale wdela nsdqkeldvkyzkvu ytallxldvp. Mbl sdzu vbkdt R nyd vlzz usw kp vbyv Jyk Dkdtxldt clyap wdeldkyczl alprsdpkckzkvu qsa vbkp qykzle xyaakytl yde qsa Dw Kwd’p elyvb.”

“Zsw esd’v dlle vs xyjl yduvbkdt rwczkn. Rv byp dsvbkdt vs es okvb usw.”

“Mbld obu eke usw nyzz xl blal vseyu? Elald’v ol pwrrsple vs ekpnwpp y pszwvksd?”

Qian Heng gave him a baffled look. “Do I need to discuss a solution with you? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about my professional capabilities?”

“…”

“So, is that it? You called me here just for this? Nothing else to ask?”

“That’s it.” Qian Heng glanced at Gu Beiqing’s empty glass. “Since you’ve finished your drink, you can leave now.”

Gu Beiqing looked at him incredulously. “You’re not even going to be polite about it? Just using me and tossing me aside? We’re in the same profession—there’s a chance we might work together in the future. Don’t you think we should at least chat a bit to maintain a good relationship?”

“Oh? I didn’t realize we had a relationship worth maintaining.”

“…”

Qian Heng shamelessly continued, “Besides, I need to discuss some internal firm matters with my employees next. It’s not convenient for outsiders to be present.” He added, with absolutely no sincerity, “Unless, of course, you’re thinking of joining Junheng and working under me?”

“…”

In the end, Gu Beiqing threw a “Let’s reschedule next time” at Cheng Yao before leaving with a dark expression.

*****

Cheng Yao wasn’t stupid. Almost as soon as Gu Beiqing left, she turned to Qian Heng and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you, Boss.”

Qian Heng took a sip of his drink and looked at her. “What are you thanking me for?”

“Thank you for letting me see that, in Bai Xingmeng’s case, even though I made mistakes, they weren’t unforgivable. It wasn’t me who pushed Xu Jun toward tragedy. I feel much better now.”

Before this, Cheng Yao had been weighed down by guilt and self-reproach, convinced that she was the reason things had ended in such a disastrous way.

She had thought that Qian Heng brought her out for drinks to offer words of comfort. Instead, he had relieved her psychological burden in a completely unexpected and direct way.

“You’re overthinking it,” Qian Heng turned his head slightly, looking somewhat unnatural. His voice remained cold and arrogant. “I called Gu Beiqing here purely to show you where you went wrong in this case.”

Cheng Yao looked up, puzzled.

“What do you think the truth of this case is now?”

“I was misled by Bai Xingmeng before, completely deceived. But now that I’ve heard both sides, I finally understand what really happened.”

Qian Heng gave her a look as if he had expected this exact response. He glanced at her with disdain. “I gave you so many hints, yet you still don’t get it. I thought you’d be able to answer, but I forgot one thing—people are different. I shouldn’t assume you can comprehend things the way I do.”

“…”

“Cheng Yao, do you think you’ve now grasped the basic facts of Bai Xingmeng’s case? Who’s right, who’s wrong, who’s the victim, and who’s the perpetrator?”

Afraid of giving the wrong answer and being ridiculed again, Cheng Yao wisely chose to stay silent.

“Cheng Yao, I want you to remember this—especially in family law cases—the truth is not always singular.”

“Why?”

“The definition of ‘truth’ is too broad. There’s the factual truth, the legal truth, and the truth as you perceive it. These three aren’t necessarily the same.”

Qian Heng rubbed his temples lightly, his eyelashes fluttering slightly as he blinked while speaking. His thin lips parted, revealing an exquisitely handsome profile that could easily make someone’s heart race. The moment felt almost romantic—except for the fact that his words were all about legal analysis.

“In this case, your perceived truth was influenced by the assumption that women in marriages are always the disadvantaged party. You saw Bai Xingmeng as a victim. But the factual truth is the opposite—while both Bai Xingmeng and Xu Jun initially manipulated each other in their marriage, she held the dominant position for most of it. She was never just a helpless victim. And the legal truth? Does the law favor the morally right party? No. The law only recognizes that Bai Xingmeng was a victim in one specific aspect—when Xu Jun concealed assets during the divorce, causing her to receive a smaller settlement. In the eyes of the law, she is a victim in this regard.”

“In family law cases, especially divorce cases, as the attorney representing one party, you will always hear a version of events that is biased in their favor—sometimes even distorted. You can never understand the full truth of a marriage from just one person’s account. You shouldn’t be quick to judge, assuming your client is the most pitiful party and that by representing them, you’re upholding justice.”

Qian Heng casually brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead, his gaze drifting idly into the distance. “Your job is to remain neutral and objective at all times.”

Cheng Yao was momentarily stunned. Then, a wave of warmth and gratitude filled her heart.

Qian Heng wasn’t her first boss, but he was the only one who had ever taken the time to say these things to her.