Chapter 5: I’m suffocating!!

Cheng Yao had a quick dinner at the FamilyMart downstairs from the law firm before dragging her exhausted body—and a pile of case files—back to her rented apartment.

Although she’d been strictly forbidden from watching TV, Qian Heng actually wasn’t home tonight. He had a client involved in an international marriage dispute and, due to the time difference, had to stay at the firm for a late-night cross-border video conference.

Cheng Yao collapsed onto the couch in a heap, ready to savor this rare moment of freedom.

Five minutes later, she reluctantly got up and prepared to study in her room.

Even though Qian Heng’s harsh criticism had been mostly for his own selfish reasons, it still fueled Cheng Yao’s competitive spirit.

Unfortunately, she had barely read through a single case when a rapid knocking on the door interrupted her.

“Qian Heng! I saw the lights on in your apartment! I know you’re home! If you don’t open the door, I’ll stand here and knock all night!”

Peeking through the peephole, Cheng Yao finally got a good look at the visitor.

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Ubldt Zys oyp kdpvydvzu ldlatkgle.

Ebyv’p tskdt sd?! Uswze vbkp cl vbl zltldeyau tkazqaklde? Xa lm-tkazqaklde? Idsnjkdt sd vbl essa zkjl vbkp—vblal bye vs cl psxl wdalpszhle eayxy! Pke Ckyd Tldt nblyv yde tlv nywtbv?!

Tla tsppkr ayeya qzyale vs zkql, yde pbl iwknjzu rwzzle swv bla rbsdl vs nyzz Ckyd Tldt.

Ckyd Tldt xwpv byhl clld cwpu, yp kv vssj y zsdt vkxl clqsal bl qkdyzzu ydpolale. Tkp vsdl oyp knu. “Zsw clvvla byhl y eyxd tsse alypsd qsa nyzzkdt xl. Yu vkxl kp lmrldpkhl.”

“Vyavdla Ckyd, vblal’p y clywvkqwz osxyd yv uswa essa zssjkdt qsa usw!” Ubldt Zys tzsyvle. “Rp pbl uswa tkazqaklde? Om-tkazqaklde? Fbswze R kdhkvl bla kd yde cl y tsse bspv?”

Ckyd Tldt oyp pkzldv qsa y plnsde clqsal alrzukdt nszezu, “Ls. Rtdsal bla.”

“Jwv pbl’p clld jdsnjkdt dsdpvsr. Gv vbkp ayvl, vbl dlktbcsap yal tskdt vs nyzz vbl rszknl!”

“Then let them. They can have her taken away. I’m busy. Bye.”

And with that, he hung up.

So heartless! Classic Qian Heng!

Meanwhile, the knocking outside continued.

Cheng Yao’s curiosity burned even hotter. Qian Heng had told her not to open the door, but that only made her want to open it even more. Who was this woman, and what was her relationship with Qian Heng?

She quickly came up with a few justifications for opening the door, rehearsed a neutral way to explain their co-living situation, and then finally walked over—

And opened it.

She smiled and said, “Hello.”

“I’m not fine,” the girl outside replied. Her makeup was flawless, but her expression was sour.

“…”

Cheng Yao thought for a moment and decided to break the silence by introducing herself. “Um, I’m—”

“Enough, you don’t need to say anything. And you don’t need to flaunt in front of me. I know who you are—Cheng Yao, Qian Heng’s current live-in girlfriend.”

Cheng Yao: ???

Wait a minute, this isn’t going in the right direction…

The girl lifted her chin. “Even though I don’t want to admit it, Qian Heng is, after all, the man I, Dong Min, like. At least he has good taste in women.”

“Although I appreciate the compliment, let me explain—I’m not—”

“No need to explain. I know the two of you are in the honeymoon phase. Qian Heng has even given up living in a high-end villa just to accommodate you and move into this kind of neighborhood. But some feelings are only temporary.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t be so confident. The future is long, and I won’t give up on Qian Heng so easily.”

“There’s nothing between me and Qian Heng except—”

“You don’t have to prove how ‘pure’ your love is. I, Dong Min, am here today to tell you that as long as Qian Heng isn’t married, I’ll compete with you to the end.”

Dong Min was clearly an impatient person. Every time Cheng Yao tried to explain, she would cut her off instantly. But this time, Cheng Yao finally seized the initiative.

“I’m really not Qian Heng’s girlfriend!”

Dong Min let out a cold snort and pulled out her phone. “See for yourself. He admitted it himself. What’s the point of hiding it?”

Cheng Yao leaned in to look. It was a text message.

“I’m not home. Please don’t disturb my live-in girlfriend, Cheng Yao.”

???

What the hell?!

Wasn’t this basically telling the other party: I’m not home, feel free to go to my place and vent all your emotions on the person inside?!

She was just minding her own business, and yet a disaster had fallen from the sky!

Dong Min was clearly convinced. Pressing her lips together, she left after issuing a high-and-mighty challenge to Cheng Yao.

*****

Qian Heng finally finished his overseas video conference with his client. When he opened the door and entered the apartment, he found Cheng Yao sitting on the sofa, looking utterly distressed.

As soon as she saw the culprit, Cheng Yao jumped up. “Why did you send that kind of text message?!”

Qian Heng glanced at her. “Because I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist causing trouble and would definitely open the door.” He unbuttoned his shirt collar and loosened his tie.

Cheng Yao was furious. “I was worried she might be someone you’re involved with romantically! If she misunderstood my relationship with you, it would be bad. That’s why I opened the door—I just wanted to help explain things for you!”

“So, since you were so eager to perform, I gave you an opportunity.”

Cheng Yao thought, This isn’t the kind of opportunity I wanted! I don’t want to be your human shield!

Qian Heng took a sip of water. “Besides, the only thing I’m romantically involved with is money.”

“…”

“Then who is she?”

“She’s the daughter of one of my biggest clients.” Qian Heng frowned, looking a little annoyed. “I’ve already rejected her, but she won’t listen. She found out my address from her father and has been following me around, blocking my way all the time. To avoid her, I moved here, but she still managed to track me down.”

Qian Heng—who never cared about other people’s feelings and never spared anyone’s dignity—was actually being considerate just because she was a client’s daughter? Instead of shutting her down directly, he was avoiding the issue by moving?

“This client… is he special to you?”

“He was my first client after I started practicing law.”

Cheng Yao was a little surprised. So even someone as ruthless as Qian Heng has a sentimental side? Because this client had trusted him in the early days of his career, Qian Heng valued him differently. He was willing to be patient, to the point of even moving houses just to avoid the client’s obsessive daughter. Cheng Yao had no doubt—if it were anyone else, Qian Heng would have verbally destroyed them so thoroughly they’d be psychologically scarred for life.

“But do you really think just because he was my first client, I’d give him special treatment?” Qian Heng seemed to read her thoughts and smiled slightly. “Not a chance.”

“…”

Then why not just confront the issue directly?

“It’s because he currently has a family law case worth 700 million that I’m representing.” Qian Heng glanced at Cheng Yao, answering the question in her mind. “He spoils his only daughter. If I want to get rid of her, I could just be ruthless and shut her down completely. But if I do that, Dong Min won’t be able to take it—she’ll definitely run crying to her father. Then her father will come to me, trying to mediate. Since we’re still working on the case together, I have to see him regularly. I don’t want him wasting my time with these personal matters. I don’t like dealing with these distractions—I want to dedicate my limited life to unlimited money-making.”

“…”

“But the preliminary work for the case is already done,” Qian Heng continued cheerfully. “Once the timing is right, we’ll file the lawsuit. It’ll take about a month. After we file, he’ll be completely reliant on my legal services, which means he’ll have to listen to me.” He smirked. “At that point, I can do whatever I want.”

“…”

I knew it! Thinking that someone like Qian Heng actually had a sentimental side was my mistake!

Thinking about Dong Min, Cheng Yao suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of sympathy. She wondered just how much of Qian Heng’s stormy wrath she would have to endure once the case was over…

“But if you can’t stay at your own home, why not just stay in a hotel?” Cheng Yao asked, puzzled. “There are five-star hotels everywhere. I mean, compared to those, how could our humble apartment complex possibly match your esteemed standards?”

Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “I don’t like the cold, impersonal style of hotels. They don’t have the sense of home.”

Really??? Because I think the cold, impersonal style of hotels matches you one hundred percent!

Cheng Yao screamed internally. And do you even look at yourself in the mirror? Your entire face radiates subzero temperatures! It’s so cold around you that I feel like I could see the northern lights at any moment! You might feel at home here, but I certainly don’t!

Despite her inner rant, Cheng Yao didn’t dare reveal any of it on her face.

“But now that your address here has been exposed, staying here to avoid Dong Min doesn’t really serve any purpose anymore, right?” she reasoned. “And besides, how could a place like this possibly match your brilliance? Really, staying here is an insult to yourself! A complete lack of self-respect!” She looked at Qian Heng ingratiatingly. “Boss, if you need help moving, I’d be more than happy to assist!”

Cheng Yao was practically shouting her true thoughts: Since that’s the case, why don’t you just move back home?! Why suffer here with me in this tiny place?!

Qian Heng glanced at her. “I honestly didn’t expect her to find me so quickly. I underestimated both my own charm and her obsession. After all, I specifically chose this place because it was so beneath my usual standards, just to catch her off guard.” He paused, then gave Cheng Yao another once-over. “But now that you live here too, you can serve as a convenient shield—an unexpected bonus.” His tone was almost cheerful. “Once the lawsuit is filed, Dong Min probably won’t bother me anymore. By then, I can move back. Coincidentally, my villa’s renovations should be done by then. Perfect timing.”

“…”

Is it really okay to just blatantly call someone your human shield like that?!

But despite her frustration, Cheng Yao refused to give up so easily. She continued to persuade him. “But besides this… uh… less-than-worthy complex, don’t you have any other properties you could move into? Since, you know, your own home gives you that warm, homey feeling?”

Qian Heng’s response was brutally straightforward. “Nope.”

For once, Cheng Yao felt a tiny sense of balance restored in her heart. Hah! Even an arrogant guy like Qian Heng, after years of work and making partner, has only managed to buy one villa.

But just as she was reveling in her small victory, Qian Heng continued—

“I actually have three more villas and four large luxury apartments, but none of them have been furnished yet, so I really can’t move in.” He sighed, looking genuinely troubled. “I’ve been too busy. So many cases, so many clients practically throwing money at me, begging me to take their cases. I just haven’t had the time to deal with renovations.”

“…”

Qian Heng, if there’s anyone who deserves a punch to the face, you’d be number one. No competition.

“I originally wanted to kick you out,” Qian Heng added casually. “I don’t like having a roommate. But when I found out you were a newly hired junior lawyer, I figured I’d let you stay and see how it goes. It’s a strange coincidence, but sometimes coincidences are just another form of luck. And I shouldn’t take away your rare stroke of good fortune.”

Cheng Yao narrowed her eyes. “What luck?”

Qian Heng looked at her as if the answer were obvious. “Come on, don’t pretend. Getting to share an apartment with me—you must feel like you just won the grand jackpot.”

E—Excuse me???

What kind of ‘luck’ is this?!

Jackpot, my ass!!!

Cheng Yao felt like crying. What terrible sins did I commit in my past life to deserve this?!

“I don’t like sharing my living space,” Qian Heng continued, “but having a junior lawyer as a roommate does have one small benefit—when I need to work overtime, I don’t have to go all the way to the office. We can just work late right here.”

WHAT KIND OF BENEFIT IS THAT?!

I don’t want to work overtime with you at home!!!

“And sometimes, I just want to experience the life of ordinary people,” Qian Heng frowned, looking a bit troubled. “I heard that a few judges have been saying behind my back that I’m too out of touch, which makes it difficult to communicate with me. Maybe it’s because our lifestyles are just too different. But as a family lawyer, it’s important to be able to communicate with the judges in the marriage court.”

As he spoke, he cast a disdainful glance around the apartment, then put on a look of noble sacrifice. “For the sake of my work, I can endure.”

Bro, they were subtly insulting you! They just said it in a more polite way!

And seriously, I’m begging you—please don’t endure it! Just let me go!!!

“In any case, make sure to cherish this precious one-month opportunity.”

“Hm?”

Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “In a month, once I’ve dealt with Dong Min, I won’t have to stay in this kind of apartment anymore. Which means your time as my roommate will also only last for another month.”

“…”

“Treasure it while you can. Not everyone gets the chance to be in such close proximity to me for an entire month.” Qian Heng smiled faintly. “And to be able to talk to me for free every night—given my usual rates, if you chat with me for just an hour each night, you’re essentially making ten thousand yuan. You’re practically raking in money. Even I’m a little jealous of you.”

“…”

Qian Heng, I’ll give you ten thousand yuan—can you just stop talking to me?! I’m about to suffocate!!!

“Why are you staring at me? Hurry up and go study case precedents.”

Under the eaves, one must lower their head. With no other choice, Cheng Yao dejectedly retreated to her room.

---

【Mini Theater】

New recruit of the Five Poison Sect, Cheng Yao: I don’t think I can take this anymore…

Grand Protector of the Five Poison Sect, Bao Rui: Have you been taking your meds?

New recruit of the Five Poison Sect, Cheng Yao: I have… I’ve taken so many fast-acting heart pills… But they’re not working…

Senior member of the Five Poison Sect, Tan Ying: What’s the use of just taking heart pills?! You need to pair them with Niuhuang Jiedu Pills(antidote)! Here, I’ve got some—take them! The deeper the bond, the bigger the gulp!

Cheng Yao: …