The workload at the law firm was intense. Most partners didn’t have the time or patience to mentor associate lawyers in such detail. Simply pointing out mistakes and providing feedback on their work was already rare. Someone like Qian Heng, who took the time to discuss legal principles and professional ethics in depth, was practically extinct.
Of course, this was understandable. Partners were incredibly busy, and based on their billable hourly rates, their time shouldn’t be wasted on junior associates. Besides, many new lawyers quit halfway through because they couldn’t handle the pressure. Even those who stayed often switched firms. The turnover rate in the first few years of practice was extremely high. So why bother with hands-on mentoring? The return on investment was just too low.
Bai Xingmeng constantly portrayed herself as weak and vulnerable in her marriage. But in reality, she was the one in control—the primary beneficiary of the relationship.
Qian Heng had a sharp tongue and a terrible temper. Talking to him felt like he was charging by the word. He was cold, distant, and utterly devoid of warmth. Yet, in the end, when Cheng Yao messed up the case, he didn’t abandon her.
Thinking about this, Cheng Yao’s gaze toward Qian Heng changed.
She wasn’t even aware of it herself, but she was looking at him with the wide, wet-eyed expression of a puppy—innocent, pitiful, and filled with complete trust and reliance.
Puppy eyes. Qian Heng had heard the term before. Wu Jun often said that when someone looked at you like that, as if you were their entire world, it became impossible to refuse them anything.
In the past, Qian Heng had scoffed at this idea. What was so hard about refusing? If a mere look could sway someone, how could they survive as a law firm partner?
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Jwv dso, okvb Ubldt Zys pvyakdt yv bkx zkjl vbyv, Ckyd Tldt qlzv ellrzu wdplvvzle. Ew Kwd bye dlhla xldvksdle vbyv vbkp jkde sq tygl nyaakle y rzlyekdt, yzxspv nsiwlvvkpb iwyzkvu.
Uzlyakdt bkp vbasyv, Ckyd Tldt yhlavle bkp lulp. “Ps usw byhl ydu xsal iwlpvksdp?”
Ubldt Zys vbswtbv qsa y xsxldv yde vbld ypjle plakswpzu, “Jspp, nyd R ypj obu usw’al okzzkdt vs blzr xl?”
Ckyd Tldt tzyale yv bla. “Ebld eke R lhla pyu R oyp blzrkdt usw?”
Ubldt Zys czkdjle kd nsdqwpksd. “Gald’v usw blzrkdt xl elyz okvb clkdt wple yde qyzplzu ynnwple cu Jyk Dkdtxldt?”
“Ebld eke R pyu vbyv?” Ckyd Tldt vwadle yoyu. “R’x sdzu wpkdt vbkp yp y zlppsd vs vlynb usw. Mbl sdzu vbkdt R kdvlde vs alpszhl kp vbl eyxytl Jyk Dkdtxldt nywple vs Kwdbldt Nyo Wkax’p alrwvyvksd yde vs alnshla vbl wdryke zltyz qllp. Gv ds rskdv eke R pyu R oyp blzrkdt usw rlapsdyzzu.” Tl nswtble. “Fs pvsr zssjkdt yv xl zkjl vbyv.”
Qkhld vbkp alprsdpl, Ckyd Tldt bye lmrlnvle Ubldt Zys vs zssj ekpyrrskdvle, qawpvayvle, sa lhld nawpble. Jwv vs bkp pwarakpl, pbl pkxrzu casjl kdvs y caktbv pxkzl. “Ls, usw’zz elqkdkvlzu blzr xl.”
Rv oyp yp kq yd kdhkpkczl vykz clbkde bla oyp oyttkdt lytlazu. Fbl tygle yv bkx okvb cwadkdt nsdqkeldnl. “R clzklhl kd usw, Jspp. Zsw’al y tsse rlapsd.”
“Don’t try to butter me up. It won’t work.”
“So… are you going to help me?”
“No.”
“Really not going to help?”
“No.”
“Just help me a little, Boss! Please!”
“Shut up. Say one more word, and I really won’t help you.”
Cheng Yao happily took a sip of her non-alcoholic cocktail, looking at Qian Heng with an expression as if she were thanking the divine creator of the universe.
Qian Heng coughed, then, as if it were an afterthought, said casually, “Since you’re begging so humbly, I suppose I can reluctantly help you this time. Mainly because what you’re going through now reminds me of something I experienced early in my career.”
Cheng Yao paused, realizing what he was referring to.
The first time he entered the public eye, it was because of a high-profile divorce case involving a wealthy businessman. He made a name for himself when the unfaithful businessman managed to walk away almost unscathed. The ex-wife took to the internet to denounce her former husband and expose Qian Heng, attracting widespread media attention. As a result, Qian Heng was cast as the villain who enabled injustice, and public opinion overwhelmingly condemned him.
So, when Qian Heng first started his career, he had also been bombarded with online hate and personal attacks, just like Cheng Yao was experiencing now.
Had the tables turned? Did seeing Cheng Yao remind him of his past self?
“Did you have a senior lawyer guiding you back then?”
Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “Of course not. Do you think the world has many people as noble and selfless as me?”
Though he spoke lightly, Cheng Yao inexplicably felt a pang of sadness for him.
She couldn’t imagine—if she hadn’t had Qian Heng’s guidance and support, if her very first case as a practicing lawyer had turned into such a disaster, if she had faced such brutal public backlash—would she have been able to stay in the profession?
She was lucky to have Qian Heng’s help. But back then, Qian Heng had no one.
Cheng Yao felt a surge of sympathy, even a touch of heartache. “When so many people were cursing you, how did you endure it?”
Qian Heng blinked in surprise. “Endure? Why would I need to endure anything?”
“Huh?”
His tone was utterly matter-of-fact. “I sued every single media outlet that reported against me and every online user who insulted me the most viciously. Thanks to their defamatory comments, I received over six hundred thousand yuan in settlement compensation.”
“S-Six hundred thousand???”
Qian Heng nodded. “It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was just enough to cover the renovations for the five bathrooms in my villa at the time.”
“…”
Six hundred thousand yuan… for five bathrooms. Meanwhile, she was working herself to the bone for an entire year and still couldn’t afford even one of Qian Heng’s toilets.
In an instant, all of Cheng Yao’s sympathy and pity for him evaporated into thin air. Suddenly, she just felt sorry for herself. Here she was, earning cabbage-seller wages while shouldering the burdens of a drug lord.
Still, she gained some clarity from his words.
“So, your infamous nickname… was actually a smear campaign?”
Qian Heng narrowed his eyes dangerously. “What nickname?”
Realizing she had slipped up, Cheng Yao stammered, “Uh… just… you know, in the industry… they say you’re, um… ruthless or something…”
“Legal industry’s cancer?”
Cheng Yao frantically waved her hands. “I don’t know! I never said that! It has nothing to do with me!”
Qian Heng snorted disdainfully. “A bunch of nobodies who can’t argue against me on a legal level, so they resort to personal attacks behind my back.”
So, does that mean…?
Cheng Yao lifted her head. “So that businessman’s case—just like Bai Xingmeng’s—had hidden truths behind it, right?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, from the public’s perspective, it seemed like the businessman was the one in the wrong, and his ex-wife was treated unfairly. But in reality, the businessman was the one whose rights needed protection—just like Xu Jun. In most marriages, both parties probably have issues, but in that case, the wife was the bigger problem. Maybe even the infidelity accusations were just her way of smearing him online?” Cheng Yao analyzed confidently. “After all, society has a strong anti-rich sentiment these days…”
“Cheng Yao, it’s a shame you became a lawyer.”
“Huh?”
Qian Heng smirked teasingly. “You’d make a great fiction writer.”
“…”
“Not every divorce case has some shocking reversal like Bai Xingmeng’s.” Qian Heng took a sip of his drink. At some point, he had unbuttoned the collar of his white dress shirt, and a few strands of hair had fallen out of place, lightly resting against his broad forehead. This slight messiness gave him an air of casual laziness—tinged with an almost dangerous allure. He idly twirled his glass between his fingers, casting Cheng Yao a glance that was half-distracted, half-intrigued. “Cheng Yao, there was nothing special about that case.”
Cheng Yao found herself momentarily dazed.
Some people, no matter how effortless their actions, exuded an undeniable charm.
Qian Heng was one of those people.
He was strikingly handsome, yet it was the unselfconscious way he carried himself that made him even more dangerous—and utterly captivating.
“Cheng Yao?”
It wasn’t until Qian Heng frowned and called Cheng Yao’s name that she snapped out of her daze, instantly feeling flustered. Luckily, the dim and ambiguous lighting of the bar concealed the heat rising to her face.
Her mind was in disarray, and she instinctively blurted out, trying to curry favor, “So the public really is blind. You were clearly helping a victim defend their marital rights, yet they twisted the narrative and labeled you as some kind of cancer! I just knew my boss wasn’t that kind of person!”
Qian Heng was momentarily stunned before he suddenly chuckled. “Cheng Yao, I already told you—there was nothing special about that case. The businessman did cheat, and his ex-wife was indeed innocent. Everything she exposed was true, and she didn’t deliberately manipulate public opinion.”
Cheng Yao was dumbfounded. “Ah… so…?”
Qian Heng looked at her with a deliberately malicious glint in his eyes. “So unfortunately, your boss really is the industry’s cancer.”
“But cases like that—you can practically predict that if you win and it gets exposed, you’ll get cursed out. Why take them at all?”
Qian Heng shot her a look like she was an idiot. “Because the attorney fees are high.”
With that, he set his empty glass on the bar counter. “You pay the bill.”
???
Cheng Yao was stunned. “Boss, you were the one who called me out in the middle of the night to drink! Why am I paying?!”
Qian Heng raised an eyebrow. “I invited you to drink, but did I say I was treating you?”
“…”
“I just gave you over half an hour of my time. Including the round-trip commute, that’s an entire hour. I didn’t even charge you my hourly consultation rate—just making you pay for the drinks is already a blessing. You should be kneeling in gratitude.”
“…”
Qian Heng smirked. “Besides, do you know how many people in this world actually get the chance to treat me to a drink?”
“…”
He glanced at his watch. “November 29, 2018, 9:39 PM.”
“Huh?”
Qian Heng patted Cheng Yao’s shoulder. “I suggest you remember this rare and momentous occasion.”
“…”
Blind public opinion? The people’s judgment was crystal clear!
A cancer! He was truly an industry cancer!
In the end, Cheng Yao paid for the drinks, tears welling in her eyes.
Even including Gu Beiqing’s drinks, it was only a few glasses, yet the total came to over a thousand yuan. Cheng Yao felt that whatever gratitude she had momentarily felt toward Qian Heng had vanished along with the last of her money.
“Do you have a driver’s license?”
After paying, Qian Heng suddenly threw out this unexpected question.
Cheng Yao instinctively nodded. “Yeah…”
But before she could add, “But I’ve never actually driven on the road,” something was tossed into her hands.
She looked down—it was a set of car keys.
“I’m giving you the chance to drive a Bentley. Make good use of it.”
“But, boss, my driving skills…”
Qian Heng remained indifferent. “Looking at you, I already know your driving skills are bad. But from here to where we live, you just have to drive straight the whole way. The trip takes only ten minutes, and there’s just one traffic light. At this hour, the road is practically empty. How bad can you possibly be?”
“Why don’t we just call a chauffeur? I’ll even pay for it!”
“Cheng Yao, I’ve already wasted enough of my time tonight. I don’t have the energy to stand here waiting for a chauffeur.” Qian Heng rubbed his temples. “Drive, or get fired. Your choice.”
“…”
*****
In the end, Cheng Yao naturally succumbed to Qian Heng’s oppressive authority. Trembling with nerves, she carefully placed her hands on the Bentley’s steering wheel.
Five minutes later—
Sitting in the passenger seat, Qian Heng stared out the window, expressionless. “Cheng Yao, the guy on the motorized bicycle just overtook us.”
Cheng Yao’s palms were slick with sweat. Afraid of scratching or bumping Qian Heng’s Bentley, she focused all her attention on the road ahead, not daring to look away as she tried to justify herself. “Boss, that guy is young and strong. And don’t underestimate motorized bikes—these days, they can accelerate in a second. They’re really fast.”
“Oh, the guy pedaling the tricycle just overtook us too.”
“Pedaling a tricycle is physically demanding. Maybe he’s an amateur athlete.”
“The elderly man on the bicycle behind us also just passed us.”
Cheng Yao gritted her teeth and continued salvaging her dignity. “That grandpa is still in his prime!”
“The jogger is about to catch up too.”
“People who jog regularly have top-tier muscle endurance and explosive strength.”
Qian Heng finally turned his deadpan gaze to her and pointed outside the window. “Then explain to me why the disabled beggar we passed earlier is now moving faster than us?”
“…”
“Cheng Yao, why exactly are you driving this Bentley at ten kilometers per hour?” Qian Heng glanced at his watch. “A trip that should take ten minutes—you’ve been driving for twenty already. Are you planning for us to spend the night in this car?”
“Boss, there’s a kind of danger called speeding, and a kind of safety called patience…”
“…”
No matter how much Qian Heng mocked her, Cheng Yao remained firm in her decision to drive at ten kilometers per hour. If she sped up and ended up scratching the Bentley, she probably wouldn’t even be able to pay it off if she sold everything she owned.
Qian Heng looked utterly dead inside. “If I ever let you drive again, I’ll change my last name.”
“The road is long anyway. Why don’t we chat?” Cheng Yao had been driving for a while and was finally getting a feel for it. Wanting to liven up the atmosphere—and genuinely curious—she asked, “Boss, when you first started your career, you must’ve had a phase where you were inexperienced, right? How did you handle mistakes made by accident?”
Cheng Yao actually regretted offending Qian Heng in the past. Now, she really wanted to mend their relationship. After thinking it over, she figured reminiscing about personal experiences would be a great way to find common ground and close the distance between them!
But unfortunately, despite all her calculations, she miscalculated one thing—
Qian Heng didn’t even hesitate before replying, “I have no experience in that.”
Cheng Yao: ?
Qian Heng smirked arrogantly. “I’ve never made an unintentional mistake.”
“…”
As if that wasn’t enough, he twisted the knife even deeper. “Honestly, before that whole Bai Xingmeng incident, I couldn’t even imagine someone making such a mistake.”
“…”
Alright, alright! Cheng Yao screamed internally. Boss, I actually had the delusion that I could bond with you—that was my mistake!
I’ll shut up!
And so, Qian Heng and Cheng Yao—one capable of killing a conversation, the other capable of killing the car’s speed—sat quietly in the Bentley, inching home at a steadfast ten kilometers per hour, safe and sound.
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