62 The person I like now

When Zhang Yi saw Jin Lang retweeting a well-known legal influencer's Weibo post, his first reaction was to wonder when he'd crossed paths with this legal education expert with millions of followers. After carefully reading the entire article, his second reaction was that Jin Lang had just signed a spokesperson contract with Kaifanba last year, and reposting an article that contradicted his sponsor might get him into trouble. When he saw Shen Cheng teasing Jin Lang in the WeChat group about "furious for a beautiful woman," followed by a series of smirking emojis, he finally understood why someone filming in the mountains was so concerned about China's rule of law. He made three consecutive calls, each receiving a cold, robotic female voice. The rain in southeastern Guizhou had been relentless since dusk. Wrapped in a muddy jacket, Jin Lang dragged his exhausted body back to the crew's makeshift cabin. The cell towers in the mountains often fail during rainy days, and his phone had only just begun to receive a few intermittent message alerts. He guessed Zhang Yi's purpose for calling and, while he still had a signal, sent several 60-second voice messages. He made no attempt to conceal it and confessed directly that while he had selfish motives in forwarding the Weibo post, it wasn't an impulsive move. He had consulted with his legal department to carefully review the contract and ensure there was no risk of breach of contract. Furthermore, Kaifanba had been repeatedly criticized for its labor practices over the past two years, and the company was already actively seeking solutions. If this Weibo post could serve as a catalyst and spur the implementation of the new system, it would be a boon for the company, the riders, and society as a whole. The next day, Zhang Yi heard Jin Lang's thoughtful and sincere explanation and had no choice but to accept reality. ... The news that the celebrity had forwarded the article was like a drop of water in boiling oil, instantly exploding across Tiancheng's WeChat groups. In particular, several young people from the public welfare team who were involved in researching the case took advantage of the buzz and posted long essays on their Moments and Weibo, calling on the judicial and legislative branches to focus on protecting workers' rights in the digital economy. Fans and legal professionals alike speculated about Jin Lang's intentions. Some mentioned that he'd experienced life as a delivery driver for his role, empathizing with the rider's challenges. Others said that as a spokesperson for Kaifanba, he actively embraced social responsibility. Still others claimed that the legal expert had helped Jin Lang resolve a contract dispute, and that he had simply forwarded the article. Liu Yuwei, the lead author of the report, couldn't shamelessly claim it was her fault. But the social influence of celebrities is truly remarkable. Ever since he reposted the article, readership has skyrocketed exponentially. In just one morning, the backstage team received over a dozen requests for reprint authorization from media outlets. Liu Yuwei's original intention was to capture the lives of delivery drivers...

When Zhang Yi saw Jin Lang retweeting a well-known legal influencer's Weibo post, his first reaction was to wonder when he and this legal education expert with millions of followers had crossed paths. After carefully reading the entire post, his second reaction was that Jin Lang had just signed a spokesperson contract with Kaifanba last year, and retweeting an article that contradicted his sponsor might get him into trouble.

When he saw Shen Cheng teasing Jin Lang in the WeChat group about "furious for a beautiful woman," followed by a series of smirking emojis, he finally understood why someone filming in the mountains was so concerned about China's rule of law. He made three consecutive calls, and each time, the only voice that came through was a cold, robotic female voice.

The rain in southeastern Guizhou had been relentless since dusk. Jin Lang, wrapped in a mud-stained jacket, dragged his exhausted body back to the crew's makeshift cabin. The signal towers in the mountains always fail during rainy days, and his phone had only just now begun to receive a few intermittent alerts.

He guessed the purpose of Zhang Yi's call, and while there was still signal, he sent several 60-second voice messages in succession.

He made no attempt to conceal it, admitting directly that while he had selfish motives in reposting the Weibo post, it wasn't an impulsive move. He consulted with legal counsel to carefully review the contract and ensure there was no risk of breach of contract. Furthermore, Kaifanba has faced repeated criticism over its labor practices over the past two years, and the company is actively seeking solutions. If this post can serve as a catalyst for the swift implementation of the new system, it will be a boon for the company, its riders, and society as a whole.

The next day, Zhang Yi heard Jin Lang's comprehensive and sincere explanation and had no choice but to accept reality.

...

The news of a celebrity forwarding the article was like a drop of water in boiling oil, instantly sending shockwaves through Tiancheng's WeChat groups. In particular, several young people from the public welfare team involved in researching the case seized on the buzz and posted lengthy essays on WeChat Moments and Weibo, calling on judicial and legislative bodies to focus on protecting workers' rights in the digital economy.

People in both the fan and legal circles are speculating about Jin Lang's intentions. Some mentioned that he had delivered takeout for the role and could empathize with the riders' difficulties; some said that as the spokesperson for Kaifanba, he actively assumed social responsibilities; others said that the legal big V had helped Jin Lang resolve a contract dispute and he just forwarded it casually.

As the lead author of the report, Liu Yuwei couldn't shamelessly claim it was his fault. But the social influence of celebrities is indeed not to be underestimated. Ever since he reposted the article, the number of readers has skyrocketed exponentially. In just one morning, the backstage team received requests for reprint authorization from over a dozen media outlets.

Liu Yuwei's original intention was to bring the legal plight of food delivery riders to the public's attention. Any public attention, media coverage, and social discussion could trigger a butterfly effect, becoming a significant impetus for improving legislation.

She clicked on Jin Lang's profile picture on WeChat. He hadn't been sending messages very often recently. The last message he sent was a few days ago, expressing his regret for the muddy roads caused by the continuous rainy weather.

Liu Yuwei first replied "Be careful", and then expressed his gratitude to him for forwarding the article.

Unexpectedly, this time he replied quickly: [It's just a small favor.]

The two contacted each other again a week later when Liu Yuwei received a call from Lao Niu. If the previous forwarding of the Weibo post could be explained as a casual act, then the "little miracle" in Lao Niu's case was obviously someone's deliberate help.

Lao Niu told me that Kaifanba agreed to compensate him and continue to provide him with a job. Thank you very much!

After thinking for a while, she typed another line.

If you need me in the future, please let me know. I owe you a favor.

Liu Yuwei didn't expect that the opportunity to repay the favor would come so soon.

Jin Lang called her to say he'd received a legal script and wanted her help review it professionally. Due to copyright and confidentiality reasons, he couldn't send her an electronic version for the time being, but he happened to have to return to Beijing for other work and hoped Liu Yuwei could find time to come to his house.

Two days later in the evening, Liu Yuwei came to Palm Bay again and rang the doorbell three times, but still no one answered.

She took out her cell phone and was about to call Jin Lang when the security door suddenly opened from the inside, and a warm and humid air hit her in the face.

Jin Lang stood at the door, the string of his gray bathrobe tied loosely around his waist. Water droplets from the ends of his hair slid down his neck and finally disappeared into his slightly open collar.

"Come in first!"

He stepped aside to make way.

"I figured there would be traffic at this hour, so I should have time to shower. But you're so punctual!"

Liu Yuwei's gaze fell uncontrollably on his bare chest, his skin faintly pink from the hot bath.

Her gaze quickly moved upwards, meeting his smiling eyes.

"I'm not used to being late."

Liu Yuwei had just changed her shoes when she saw Hedwig walking towards her with an elegant cat-like gait. She squatted down and gently stroked the kitten's back.

"Hello, Hedwig, long time no see!"

The voice was unusually gentle.

"You...still recognize it?"

Jin Lang's voice came from above his head, and the ending tone was trembling, like a taut string being suddenly vibrated.

"Aunt Li Xin brought me to your house when you were in Italy."

Liu Yuwei curled up her body and tilted her head back, but her hands didn't stop moving. Hedwig had already squinted her eyes comfortably, and a gurgling sound came from her throat.

"Is it really the one I found in the bushes? Why didn't you send it away?"

Jin Lang also bent his knees and squatted, touching the round belly twice, but he didn't expect Hedwig to turn her head and bite him.

"Now that you've seen your savior, you've forgotten who cleaned up your shit! You little heartless person!"

He nodded his cat head in mock anger.

"Not long after you left the country, the girl took Hedwig away. Two years later, she suddenly came to me and said she had to be sent abroad for work, but no one was willing to take on an adult Chinese rural cat. She asked if I could continue to keep her."

"You took good care of it!"

Liu Yuwei turned her head, and the scent of his shower gel filled her nostrils, refreshing mint mixed with a hint of cedar. This smell was very familiar, the same one they had picked out together when they went to the supermarket.

The bathrobe opened wider as Jin Lang moved, revealing his muscular abs. Liu Yuwei suddenly recalled the drunken night and the firm touch.

A warmth spread behind my ears, and my eyes and heart were filled with emotions.

When she came to her senses again, Jin Lang was also looking at her, his eyes seemed to have seen through her secret thoughts.

She said slightly embarrassedly, "Go change your clothes first!"

When Jin Lang came out again, Liu Yuwei was sitting upright, her back straight, like a top student preparing for a thesis defense. The halo of the floor lamp enveloped her, and Hedwig curled up beside her, her tail slapping rhythmically against the sofa.

He stood in the shadow of the corridor and watched the scene quietly for a while.

"Xiaoyu!"

"Um?"

"I have a live broadcast later, which will take about half an hour. Go to the study and read the script!"

"OK."

Liu Yuwei stood up and followed him into the room across the corridor. What caught her eye was an entire wall of bookshelves and storage racks, still in simple gray and white tones.

The script outline had been placed on the table. After Jin Lang closed the door, Liu Yuwei quickly got into "working" mode.

The story is captivating, following a stay-at-home mother who returns to the law firm after her husband's infidelity, and teams up with a rookie lawyer and a sharp-tongued partner to tackle a variety of bizarre family cases. The screenwriter must have done considerable research, with each case closely aligned with social issues. What surprised Liu Yuwei most was that the female lead didn't inexplicably fall in love with two male colleagues, given that these days, almost all TV dramas feature romances disguised as workplace dramas.

Liu Yuwei marked several details from a legal perspective on the white paper at hand, and attached her reading notes as a female audience member.

Putting down the pen, she walked to the door and opened it a crack, and Jin Lang's voice came in. It seemed that the live broadcast had not ended yet.

Gently closing the door, she walked back to the shelf where various crystal trophies reflected the light: Most Promising Actor, Best Newcomer, Most Popular Actor…

Moving downward, this floor was filled with photo frames. In the center was a photo of Jin Lang's family at the entrance of his university. His parents stood proudly on either side of him, their three smiling faces particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

Liu Yuwei had seen this photo on Jin Lang's phone, and they had agreed to take a photo at the same spot when he graduated...

On the right is a childhood photo of Jin Lang: wearing a birthday hat, blowing out candles, riding on his father's shoulders to watch elephants...

The feet moved, and the eyes froze.

Liu Yuwei saw a familiar face—herself from eight years ago. That must have been their first trip, the two of them standing side by side under the Ferris wheel by the Haihe River, Jin Lang gently holding her. Liu Yuwei vaguely remembered that her hand was hidden behind her back, quietly grabbing the corner of his clothes.

The composition and the standing posture of the people in the photo next to it are almost identical to this one, except that the Ferris wheel in the background has been replaced by the Brandenburg Gate. No wonder he deliberately didn't show it to her at the time.

There seemed to be a photo covered at the back, with only the edge of the original wood-colored frame exposed.

Liu Yuwei hesitated for a moment, curiosity overcoming her rationality as she quietly opened the glass cabinet door. Reaching out, she found another photo of the two of them, though the proportions were a bit odd. Looking at the clothing in the photo, she suddenly remembered that during the cinema roadshow, a lucky audience member had taken a photo with the two leading actors, and the other two had clearly been deliberately cropped out.

"childish!"

Liu Yuwei muttered softly.

She carefully hid the photo back in its original place and adjusted the angle to make sure there was no sign of it having been moved.

Just as she was about to close the door, a half-open wooden box on the bottom shelf caught her attention. It wasn't that the box was particularly exquisite, but the colorful things inside it didn't fit in with the study.

She pushed the wooden lid with her hand, but it seemed to be blocked by something. She bent down and found a yellowed glass bottle next to it, which was also filled with paper stars.

How could he still keep this thing!

Giving DIY gifts was all the rage back in high school. While others would invest their time in gifts for loved ones, Liu Yuwei could only hide her unspoken feelings in the stars and seal them away. It wasn't until Jin Lang's birthday, after they'd gotten together, that she placed the bottle of stars in a large box with other gifts and mailed it to him.

So what's in this wooden box...

She took one out of the box and looked at it carefully, but there was nothing special about it.

Her heartbeat suddenly quickened, and a secret suspicion surfaced in her mind. Liu Yuwei closed her fingers, and the three-dimensional paper star transformed in her hands, eventually returning to a narrow blue strip.

A line of small words suddenly caught my eye——Xiaoyu, I found you today!!!

The three exaggerated exclamation marks and the flamboyant handwriting all indicate the writer's joyful mood.

Just as I was about to take apart another one, footsteps came from the corridor.

She hurriedly closed the cabinet door, put the note in her pocket, sat back in her chair and pretended to look through the script.

Although he was in his own home, Jin Lang still knocked on the door, and his voice came through the gap, "I'm coming in!"

Liu Yuwei swallowed and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Are you done with work?"

Her voice was half a tone higher than usual.

"Um!"

Jin Lang's eyes swept across her slightly red cheeks, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

"How did you like the script?"

He walked over to the table and peered over the notes on the white paper. The back of his chair sank slightly, and his forearm naturally came up, while his other hand firmly supported the tabletop.

This posture blocked the light, and the shadow enveloped Liu Yuwei tightly.

“The story is quite interesting!”

She tried to control her voice. "There aren't any major legal loopholes, but I personally suggest that you find a lawyer specializing in marriage law later on. They should be able to provide more valuable professional advice."

After she finished speaking, she turned her face slightly, and Jin Lang happened to turn his head to look at her. The distance between them suddenly shortened, so close that they could clearly feel the warm breath exhaled from each other's nostrils.

Jin Lang stared at her intently, the shadow under his eyelashes not moving at all. His eyes were subtle and a little aggressive.

The man's face got closer and closer, and Liu Yuwei could even see herself clearly in his eyes. Her body leaned back involuntarily until her back was completely in contact with the soft leather seat.

She didn't know whether the pounding in her chest was due to the guilty conscience of peeping or something else. Her fingers in her pockets repeatedly rubbed the long, thin piece of paper.

In a confrontation, you retreat and I advance.

Liu Yuwei was not willing to be outdone. He raised his eyebrows and stared at the other person.

Jin Lang suddenly reached out to cover her eyes. Liu Yuwei felt the dampness of his palm and the thin calluses on his fingertips.

"Close your eyes."

The voice was low, yet with an irresistible tenderness.

Almost at the same time as the words fell, the soft and dry lips pressed against each other, like a dragonfly touching the water, and it was gone in an instant.

The kiss was so shallow and short that she didn't have time to feel the warmth in it.

Her pupils felt the light through her eyelids again, and she slowly opened her eyes. Jin Lang had changed his posture, his long legs slightly bent, half leaning and half sitting on the edge of the desk, keeping a safe distance of an arm's length from her.

The brain's instant reaction wasn't shyness, but rather—that's it? Liu Yuwei was also shocked.

Jin Lang carefully observed her subtle expressions, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up. At least this step was not wrong.

The two looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, and there seemed to be a tiny electric crackling in the air.

At this moment, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"My assistant should be here."

He turned and walked out. Liu Yuwei knew that he couldn't hide in the house, so he simply followed him out.

The door was opened, and besides Xiao Zhou, there was also Zhang Yi.

"Brother Lang, what took you so long to open the door? Could it be that there's something hidden in this house..."

Before he could finish his words, Xiao Zhou saw "Jiao" behind Jin Lang. He swallowed the last word back into his stomach and his face turned red.

Zhang Yi was much calmer than Xiao Zhou. He had even caught artists he had managed naked in bed, so this was nothing. He stood aside, sizing up and down the woman who had made Jin Lang so obsessed, his eyes sharp and inquiring.

The abrupt feeling in Liu Yuwei's heart disappeared instantly, and he smiled back frankly. There was a sense of distance in his politeness, and a sharp edge hidden in his gentleness.

Jin Lang moved sideways to block Zhang Yi's sight and glared back at him.

He then introduced the two guests to the people next to him. When it was Liu Yuwei's turn, he cleared his throat.

"This is Tiancheng's lawyer Liu Yuwei."

Xiao Zhou was about to nod when he heard Jin Lang continue to add.

"My fellow countryman."

"High school classmate."

"My girlfriend from college."

Liu Yuwei's eyes widened, and the more she spoke, the more outrageous it became. Who would introduce someone like that?

Jin Lang seemed to feel the gaze behind him, and turned to look at her with an extremely serious look.

"The person I like now!"