Chapter 32: Straight man Qian Heng

That night, Cheng Yao returned home with Megatron, her heart pounding with anxiety. Meanwhile, Qian Heng staggered into the bathroom with an expression of utter suffocation.

And then… he stayed in the bathroom, silent, for almost half the night.

Throughout those hours, Cheng Yao could hear the faucet running non-stop. The sound of rushing water was like the endless tears flowing in Qian Heng’s heart…

He spent the entire night furiously scrubbing his hands.

The next morning, Cheng Yao got up early on purpose. She even generously offered her L’Occitane verbena-scented hand cream, secretly slipping it into Qian Heng’s document bag. She had a strong feeling that he needed it more than she did…

Not only did his hands, which had been washed raw all night, need some serious care, but she also hoped the pleasant verbena scent could at least erase the psychological trauma of his hand being, in his mind, indirectly contaminated by poop.

Maybe then, even if his hands were still “poop” in his heart, at least they would smell nice.

Because of Megatron’s actions the night before, Cheng Yao wisely kept him from bouncing around in the living room that morning. Instead, she prepared a lavish breakfast for Qian Heng, hoping he would let bygones be bygones.

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“…Qs tlv kv cynj.”

Ubldt Zys: ???

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“Twb?”

“Mbl lnsdsxu kpd’v eskdt olzz aktbv dso, yde alpswanlp yal pnyanl. Gp psxlsdl kd vbl vsr 5% kdnsxl caynjlv, R pbswze plv yd lmyxrzl yde yhske oypvlqwzdlpp.”

Cheng Yao’s face was full of question marks. “So…?”

“So, take my suit to the dry cleaners. Salvage it. I think it’s still usable. After all, just because something touched filth doesn’t mean it became filth.”

Qian Heng cleared his throat and continued, as if it were the most natural analogy in the world:

“It’s like victims of sexual assault. They suffer harm, but the wrongdoing isn’t theirs, and they don’t become ‘unclean’ because of what happened to them. Wouldn’t you agree?”

…

What the hell kind of comparison was that?

It’s just washing a suit! How did we end up talking about sexual assault???

“By that logic,” Qian Heng concluded, “even though my hand touched something it shouldn’t have, that doesn’t mean it’s dirty. If I wash it clean, it can still be used.”

**

Qian Heng’s words weren’t so much meant for Cheng Yao as they were for himself.

From his expression and tone, it was painfully obvious that he had spent the entire night struggling with the existential crisis of whether his right hand was still usable. But since he had finally convinced himself…

Cheng Yao couldn’t help but tease, “Boss, if you’ve really made peace with it, then why did you eat breakfast with your left hand just now? You’re not even left-handed! I saw your hand shaking when you tried to pick up an egg, and you dropped it multiple times…”

Qian Heng shot her a cold glance. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted for dinner tonight, but now I’ve decided.”

“…What do you want to eat?”

“Dog meat hotpot sounds pretty good.”

“……”

Alright, alright, I’ll shut up.

Cheng Yao cleared her throat and changed tactics. “I do have some responsibility in all this.” She blinked innocently and said with sincerity, “So to express my heartfelt apology, Boss, let me treat you to dinner tonight! I just got paid!”

But Qian Heng had no appreciation for her kind intentions. Instead, he dealt her a critical blow.

“Is your salary even enough to cover my meal?”

Cheng Yao rubbed her hands together and looked at him expectantly. “Probably not… I’m just a poor rookie lawyer…”

“Want me to give you a bonus?”

That’s exactly what I was waiting for! Cheng Yao nodded furiously.

But before she could even say, “Yes, please!” Qian Heng utterly crushed her hopes.

He curled his lips into a mocking smile. “Keep dreaming.”

“……”

“Take a good look at your bank balance. That should wake you up.”

**

No matter how much Qian Heng looked down on her salary, Cheng Yao still gritted her teeth and booked a high-end Michelin restaurant out of gratitude. The expected cost was nearly equivalent to her entire month’s base salary, but after everything that happened with the Bai Xingmeng case, she had been looking for a chance to properly thank Qian Heng.

Although Qian Heng sounded utterly unimpressed with the idea of her treating him to a meal, he still tacitly agreed to the dinner plan.

Since she got up early today, Cheng Yao also earned the rare privilege of hitching a ride in Qian Heng’s Bentley to Junheng. However, before they reached their destination, Qian Heng pulled over some distance away.

“Get out.”

“Huh? We’re not there yet…”

Qian Heng’s tone was completely matter-of-fact. “Did you expect me to drop you off in the underground parking lot?”

“Wait, are you going somewhere else? Aren’t you heading straight to the office?”

“Of course I’m going to the office, but it’s inappropriate for you to ride in my car.” Qian Heng said seriously, “If colleagues see you getting out of my Bentley, rumors might start. That would damage my reputation and taste.”

“……”

Qian Heng lifted his chin slightly and gestured toward the door. “So, get out. Be sensible.”

“……”

In the end, Cheng Yao had no choice but to get out, watching as Qian Heng’s Bentley sped away, leaving her with nothing but a puff of exhaust fumes.

“Cheng Yao!”

Just as she was cursing Qian Heng in her heart, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Turning around, she saw Bao Rui limping toward her, looking determined despite his injury.

A shiver ran down her spine. Please, please don’t let Bao Rui see that she had just gotten out of Qian Heng’s car! If he misunderstood, Qian Heng would absolutely make her life a living hell!

But of course, misfortune always struck when she least wanted it to.

Bao Rui clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Did I just see you getting out of Qian Par’s car?”

Cheng Yao immediately prepared to clarify, “There’s nothing between Qian Par and me—”

“You’re so pitiful!” Before she could finish, Bao Rui let out a long sigh of sympathy. “Did Qian Par make you go to his place first thing in the morning to deliver documents?”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, why on earth would he give you a ride?”

Now it was Cheng Yao’s turn to seek answers. “Then how do you explain him dropping me off early?”

Bao Rui gave her a ‘Do you really need to ask?’ kind of look and pointed toward a nearby bakery. “Obviously, he wanted you to get out and buy him breakfast.”

“……”

Cheng Yao really wished Qian Heng could hear this. Did he have any idea what his colleagues thought of him? Sharing a car ride with him wouldn’t spark any scandal—everyone just assumed he was exploiting free labor!

**

Since she had gotten a ride, Cheng Yao wasn’t late today. She and Bao Rui chatted casually as they entered Junheng.

However, she had barely taken a seat when she received an internal call—Qian Heng was summoning her to his office.

Cheng Yao walked in cautiously, her mind full of doubts. I wasn’t late today… so why is he calling me in?

“Cheng Yao, drop the Dong Shan case.”

“What?!”

The news completely caught Cheng Yao off guard. She bit her lip, quickly going over the case details in her mind. “Boss, did I not handle something well in this case?”

If she was being taken off, she at least wanted to know why. If she had made a mistake, she needed to correct it in the future.

“No, you did a good job.” Qian Heng took a sip of coffee. “It’s not about you.”

“Then why are we dropping the case? Did Dong Shan withdraw the lawsuit? Did he reconcile with Jiang Wenxiu and decide not to divorce? That’s… highly unlikely.”

“Dong Shan is dead.”

Cheng Yao stared at Qian Heng in shock. Is he serious? This wasn’t Detective Conan, where someone had to die every episode. First, the Bai Xingmeng case saw the opposing party die, and now, in the Dong Shan case, their own client was dead…

Could it be that, despite his cheating, Dong Shan was actually remorseful deep down? Did he feel so torn between his wife and mistress that he couldn’t bear the guilt anymore and chose to end his life?

“Stop letting your imagination run wild.” Qian Heng gave her a sidelong glance and tossed a document onto the desk. “Dong Shan’s death was purely an accident. A truck was overloaded, overturned while turning, and crushed his car. He died on the spot. It happened early this morning—he was on his way to the airport for a business trip. I just received a call from his assistant, and here’s the death certificate that was faxed over.”

Cheng Yao looked at the death certificate in a daze. It was too sudden. Just yesterday, Dong Shan had been discussing the case with her, eagerly looking forward to escaping his marriage and embracing love. And today…

Sometimes, reality was more dramatic than any screenplay. When faced with disasters and accidents, humans were incredibly small and powerless. You never knew which would come first—tomorrow or an accident.

“If a party dies during a divorce lawsuit, the case is terminated.” Qian Heng remained indifferent. “So there’s nothing more for us to follow up on. As for Dong Shan, well, he did achieve half of his goal—his marriage with Jiang Wenxiu has indeed ended, just not in the way he expected.”

Although Dong Shan was in the wrong in his marriage, Cheng Yao still felt a bit uneasy. A living, breathing person had just… died.

He probably never imagined that his marriage would end this way.

It was ironic, yet somehow felt like a form of karmic retribution.

“The memorial service is in an hour. His assistant informed us of the time and location. As his lawyers, we should see him off one last time.”

Cheng Yao was surprised. The accident happened in the early morning, yet they were holding the memorial service that same morning? Normally, memorials were held three days after a person’s passing—this seemed rushed.

Another thing puzzled her. “Boss, you have a meeting this morning with a potential client regarding an inheritance dispute—the one involving a 2.5 billion yuan estate…”

“Reschedule if possible. If the client refuses, cancel the meeting and apologize.” Qian Heng’s tone was so calm that, if Cheng Yao didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he was merely canceling a casual dinner reservation.

A client involved in a 2.5 billion yuan inheritance dispute was a hot commodity anywhere. Wealthy clients like this weren’t used to being kept waiting—if a lawyer rescheduled at the last minute, even for a valid reason, the client might not be pleased.

Qian Heng was an outstanding lawyer, but he wasn’t the only one in the industry. Cheng Yao was well aware that this decision could very well push the client into the hands of another law firm.

Does Qian Heng really think attending Dong Shan’s memorial is more important than the legal fees tied to a 2.5 billion yuan case?

As Cheng Yao pondered, Qian Heng glanced at her again. “You’re coming with me. Wipe off your lipstick—it’s too flashy, not appropriate.”

“I’m not even wearing lipstick…” Cheng Yao left Qian Heng’s office feeling wronged. “This is just my natural lip color. I only put on a clear lip balm!”

Men were truly incapable of telling whether a woman was wearing makeup or not. Just because my lips look red and my teeth are white doesn’t mean I’m wearing lipstick, okay?!

Cheng Yao was fuming. Ugh, so frustrating!