The first thing Cheng Yao did after leaving the conference room was call Qin Qin to demand an explanation.
“What gigolo?! That’s my boss! How on earth did you mistake him for a gigolo?!” Cheng Yao was on the verge of tears. “Do you have any idea how badly you’ve screwed me over?!”
“This doesn’t make sense! I clearly heard his entire price negotiation with that rich middle-aged woman! How did he turn out to be your boss? Are you sure you didn’t mistake him for someone else?”
“Tell me exactly what you heard back then.”
“He said he charges 10,000 yuan per hour, and if the time is less than an hour, it’s still billed as a full hour. If the service is provided at another location, then his travel time will be charged at 6,000 yuan per hour. He also said that if she wanted his services, she had to book in advance because he had too many clients and couldn’t take on more.” Qin Qin shouted over the phone. “Tell me that doesn’t sound like a gigolo! Since when do lawyers charge like that? Can lawyers even be that rich? Aren’t all lawyers supposed to be slaves like you? Since when does a service industry have this much power?”
Cheng Yao almost fainted. “China’s legal market is dominated by the top 20% of lawyers who monopolize 80% of the business. He’s a partner at Junheng. That kind of pricing is completely normal!”
Now Qin Qin was starting to panic. “Then… then what do we do?”
“Be a good friend and sponsor my lifetime supply of heart medication.”
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Ubldt Zys olyjzu bwdt wr vbl rbsdl.
*****
Ckyd Tldt eked’v nsxl vs pll bla, cwv sdl sq vbl zyoulap sd bkp vlyx vssj vbl kdkvkyvkhl vs tallv Ubldt Zys.
“Ubldt Zys, olznsxl vs swa ‘Elyzvb yde Qzsau’ piwye.”
“Twb?”
“Kskdkdt Vyavdla Ckyd’p vlyx xlydp lxcyajkdt sd y zkqlzsdt asxydnl okvb olyzvb yde rasprlakvu. Gp zsdt yp usw osaj byae, usw’zz dlhla cl pbsav sd xsdlu.” Mbl sdl prlyjkdt oyp y pzktbvzu nbwccu twu okvb qyka pjkd, olyakdt tzypplp. Tl bye y ayvbla bsdlpv yde tsse-dyvwale yrrlyaydnl. “R’x Jys Swk. R’hl clld osajkdt yv Kwdbldt qsa qswa ulyap. Rq usw byhl ydu iwlpvksdp, fwpv ypj xl. Usxl sd, R’zz tkhl usw y vswa sq vbl qkax.”
Jys Swk oyp oyax yde yrrasynbyczl, xyjkdt bkx lypu vs vyzj vs. “Xwa qkax, Kwdbldt, nwaaldvzu byp qkhl ryavdlap, cwv vbl vos xykd elnkpksd-xyjlap yal Vyavdla Ckyd yde Vyavdla Ew—Ew Kwd. Mbl dyxl Kwdbldt ynvwyzzu nsxlp qasx vbl vos sq vblx. Mblu olal nszzltl nzyppxyvlp, csvb byhkdt tayewyvle qasx G Bdkhlapkvu’p zyo pnbssz.”
Ubldt Zys oyp y zkvvzl pwarakple. Fbl byed’v lmrlnvle Ew Kwd yde Ckyd Tldt vs cl yzwxdk sq bla pkpvla, Ubldt Dk. Uwakswp, pbl ypjle Jys Swk ycswv vblka tayewyvksd ulyap. Mwadp swv, vblu olald’v kd vbl pyxl nsbsav—Ew Kwd yde Ckyd Tldt olal bla pkpvla’p pldksap.
“But you won’t see Partner Wu around much,” Bao Rui continued. “He’s responsible for Junheng’s external business relations, media PR, and promotional affairs. He’s always out and about.”
“Media? PR?”
Bao Rui nodded. “Yep. You might not fully get it, but to put it simply—Partner Wu is the one out there… pimping us. He’s responsible for bringing in clients and packaging our firm in a way that justifies our high fees. Meanwhile, Partner Qian focuses solely on the actual service delivery. Partner Qian is dedicated to his work and finds dealing with clients annoying and distracting, whereas Partner Wu thrives on social interactions and dislikes tedious legal documents.”
Enlightenment dawned upon Cheng Yao—wasn’t this basically an organized prostitution ring? Wu Jun, with his strong interpersonal skills and masterful social finesse, was in charge of recruiting ducks and johns, while Qian Heng, despite his awful temper, had top-tier skills and was the one actually selling his services. In this light, calling him a gigolo wasn’t even wrong…
It wasn’t until Bao Rui’s voice rang out again that Cheng Yao snapped out of her dangerously wandering thoughts.
“This is our break area. We have tea breaks every day at 10 AM and 3 PM. Partner Qian has very high standards for quality of life, so all our snacks come from top-tier brands. We don’t drink Starbucks here—only freshly ground coffee. The beans are flown in from Sumatra at Partner Qian’s request.”
What an outrageous level of pretentiousness…
“This here is the archives, where all case files are classified and stored. And over here is the gym.”
Cheng Yao was genuinely shocked. “You guys even have a gym?”
“Yeah. If you check in consistently for a month, you get a cash bonus.” Bao Rui shrugged. “But so far, no one’s ever gotten it.”
“Too busy?”
“Nope. It’s because the person who works out here is Partner Qian.” Bao Rui scratched his head and whispered, “His aura is so intense that nothing within a ten-mile radius dares to grow.”
“…”
Cheng Yao, who was about to co-rent a place with this man, figured she should really stock up on heart medication.
“This small room here is where Partner Qian keeps his trophies.” Bao Rui opened a side room next to the archives.
The first thing Cheng Yao saw was an array of banners in bold lettering—‘Industry’s Conscience,’ ‘Ever-Victorious General,’ ‘Champion of the Law,’ ‘Guardian of the RMB’… each one more exaggerated than the last.
Bao Rui cleared his throat. “These were all gifted by clients. There were so many that we just started piling them in here.”
Cheng Yao was surprised. “So Qian Lawyer is actually this highly regarded by his clients? So many good reviews… I thought the general consensus was that he was a walking biohazard?”
Bao Rui clearly understood the subtext of her words. He coughed and pointed to a row of cabinets in the room. “Actually, besides these banners, Partner Qian has also received a ton of hate mail, protest banners, even blood-written letters and urns.”
Cheng Yao glanced at the layout of the room. Those cabinets took up about four-fifths of the space.
Ah…
Sure enough, when she peeked at one of the banners inside, she spotted phrases like ‘Malignant Tumor,’ ‘Absolutely No Ethics,’ ‘Money-Hungry Gremlin’…
Cheng Yao was already aware of why Qian Heng had such a notorious reputation—he only took cases based on the amount of money involved. As long as the price was right, he’d take the case.
In his second year of practice, he represented a wealthy businessman in a divorce case.
That businessman had consulted multiple lawyers in City A, and they all told him the same thing: since he was the one who cheated, he was the at-fault party, meaning he’d have to split a significant portion of his assets with his wife in the divorce.
Yet, in the end, with Qian Heng defending him, the businessman walked away nearly unscathed, while his wife was left with nothing.
This case made Qian Heng famous overnight.
The case had a massive impact, even drawing media coverage. The verdict completely defied common expectations of morality—someone who betrayed his marriage was given a favorable ruling, while the one who honored their vows was left destitute.
Qian Heng was ruthlessly torn apart by public opinion.
From then on, he took on all sorts of family law cases. His clients were never innocent, yet under his defense, they always managed to receive the legal system’s “favor.”
For a while, Qian Heng became synonymous with ruthless, black-hearted lawyers.
*****
“Bao Rui, archive this threat letter.”
Just as Cheng Yao was lost in thought, Qian Heng pushed open the small storage room door and walked in. As he spoke, he casually tossed a bag to Bao Rui.
“It’s from the opposing party in that family trust dispute case.”
Cheng Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Why keep all these curse-filled threat letters?”
Could it be that, despite being a malignant tumor of the legal profession, Qian Heng actually had a conscience? That deep down, he felt guilty for taking on so many cases that went against moral standards, so he kept these letters filled with the other party’s grievances as a way to remind himself—to soothe his own soul?
Qian Heng gave her a lazy glance. “If these people try to retaliate against me in the future, I can use these threat letters as physical evidence. The more evidence, the better—it helps build a complete chain of proof and ensures the perpetrator is locked down.”
“…”
I really overthought this. Cheng Yao sighed internally. Poison is poison through and through…
After Qian Heng left, Bao Rui continued introducing Cheng Yao to the rest of the team. That was when she realized that Junheng was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—nearly everyone was an elite graduate from prestigious universities. Many of the hires had overseas study experience, making them well-equipped to handle international family law cases. The few who, like Cheng Yao, only had a bachelor’s degree from a 211 university all had significantly more professional experience than her.
At that moment, Cheng Yao felt like the weakest chicken in the entire firm, fit only to stand in a corner and shiver.
“Aside from you, there’s another newcomer in our team,” Bao Rui added. “You must’ve seen her during the meeting earlier—Tan Ying, the girl with wavy hair and an oval face. She joined two months before you. She just graduated from A University’s law school with a master’s degree and is a direct junior to Partner Qian. She went out to deliver some documents just now, but I’ll introduce you two later.”
Cheng Yao did remember Tan Ying. She was quite pretty, and her outfits made it obvious she came from a well-off family. Now, learning that her academic credentials were equally impressive, Cheng Yao felt even more pressure.
Compared to someone like that, she was even more of a trembling newbie. Since she didn’t have the same pedigree, she’d have to work even harder to make up for it!
*****
The afternoon passed just like that, and by the time the workday ended, Qian Heng still hadn’t left his office. Feeling anxious, Cheng Yao finally clocked out.
With the help of Li Mengting and her boyfriend, Zhang Hao, she managed to move her luggage into her new home.
Not long after seeing Li Mengting and Zhang Hao off, the front door lock turned—Qian Heng was back.
His face, strikingly handsome to an unreasonable degree, was as cold and noble as ever.
Cheng Yao hesitated for a moment before deciding to take the initiative and show goodwill. She plastered on a smile. “Boss, I’ve given you the south-facing room. It’s bigger and gets better sunlight.”
Only then did Qian Heng narrow his eyes slightly and glance at her indifferently. “Oh. Finally learning some sense.”
“…”
Stay calm, Cheng Yao. You are someone destined for great things. You are a future pillar of socialist legal construction. You absolutely cannot get yourself arrested for beating someone up…
*****
Probably because he was a man, Qian Heng didn’t have much luggage compared to Cheng Yao. He dragged his suitcase into the south-facing room, but before long, he came right back out.
His face was grim, his tone shocked and utterly intolerant. “Do you know what’s in there?!”
Cheng Yao: ?
“Cockroaches!” Qian Heng’s expression was filled with sheer horror. “What kind of place is this? There are cockroaches here?!”
Cheng Yao remained calm. Wow, he really is a pampered young master… It’s just a cockroach…
“In a normal household, if you see one cockroach, it means there are at least twenty thousand more.” Qian Heng looked utterly disgusted and on the verge of a breakdown. “This place is filthy.”
Then why are you even living here…?
As Cheng Yao silently complained to herself, her esteemed boss spoke again: “Clean my room.”
Does he think just because he’s my boss, he can do whatever he wants?! Cheng Yao steeled herself. I won’t let him get away with this!
She gathered her courage and spoke with dignity. “Boss, you may be my superior at work, but after hours, we’re just co-renters. My consultation fees may not be as high as yours, but I’m still a lawyer. Isn’t that what you taught me? As lawyers, how can we easily bow to power? A professional service provider shouldn’t waste time on low-level, menial labor…”
“How long would it take to clean my room?”
Cheng Yao thought for a moment, then made up a number. “Forty minutes. But I once read an article that said the difference between people lies in how they spend their time after work. I was planning to use these forty minutes to study legal knowledge. These forty minutes could be the key to setting myself apart from others…”
When dealing with people, you have to set boundaries from the start. Never surrender!
“I’ll give you a thousand yuan. Will you do it?” Qian Heng took out a stack of cash from his wallet. “You charge a thousand per hour for consultations. Cleaning my room takes forty minutes—seems fair.”
“…”
“You have one minute to decide. Offer expires after that.”
“Thank you, boss! Honestly, I believe there’s no distinction between noble and humble professions. Every job deserves respect, just like our clients! Both physical and intellectual labor should be equally celebrated!”
Cheng Yao completely abandoned her principles and shamelessly sold out without hesitation…
*****
Just as Cheng Yao finished cleaning Qian Heng’s bedroom, this long-vacant house presented yet another problem.
Qian Heng stood in the kitchen, his attractive brows furrowed, his expression full of righteous indignation. “Why isn’t there any water?”
Cheng Yao checked. “The water bill has been paid, so it’s not a service suspension due to non-payment.”
“Then it must be because the house has been empty for too long. The faucet’s filter might be clogged, or the pipes could be rusted. It just needs to be unclogged.”
Cheng Yao nodded in agreement—then looked at Qian Heng.
But Qian Heng remained unmoved.
Wait, isn’t my sharp-witted boss supposed to jump into action once he identifies a problem?
Qian Heng glanced at Cheng Yao and extended his hand. “Do you see my hand?”
Cheng Yao nodded, confused.
“Describe it. What kind of hand is this?”
“…Very fair?”
“And?”
“…Long fingers?”
“Keep going.”
“…Pretty?”
Qian Heng narrowed his eyes. “What about the skin condition?”
Cheng Yao felt like her boss was being oddly obsessive about his hands, but she instinctively responded, “Very smooth?”
“Does it look like the kind of hand that does manual labor?”
“…No.”
Qian Heng snorted. “Then tell me, do you think hands like mine are suited for unclogging pipes?”
“…”
“I’ll add two hundred.” Qian Heng smiled slightly and waved his delicate, well-maintained hand. “Go fix it.”
“…”
“Hmm? Any objections?”
Cheng Yao was dumbfounded. “Isn’t fixing pipes supposed to be a man’s job?”
Qian Heng shot her a look. “This is the modern era. Where’s this idea of ‘a man’s job’ or ‘a woman’s job’ coming from? Gender equality—you shouldn’t have such preconceived biases. Women hold up half the sky.”
“…”
“Go on. Believe in yourself—you’ve got this.” Qian Heng patted Cheng Yao’s shoulder and walked off nonchalantly.
Author’s Note:
【Mini Theater】
Host A Fei: Cheng Yao, what do you think ultimately won over Partner Qian?
Cheng Yao: I can satisfy him in ways others can’t, such as—
Qian Heng (interrupting): Don’t bring up such indecent topics.
Cheng Yao: …such as my pipe-unclogging skills. =_=
Qian Heng: …
____________
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