Chapter 9 Collapse

The world is changing too fast, and so are people's hearts.

Shi Mingguang was shocked. He had just slept for a while, but the world became so unfamiliar.

Shi Mingguang looked at the reporters who swarmed over him, the cameras pointed at him, the microphones extended to him. Everyone was curious about one thing.

"Lawyer Shi, someone reported that you were in cahoots with the Luo family, secretly conspiring, yet you pretended to be a righteous man and sued on behalf of the workers. Was that all an act?"

"Someone filmed you leaving the Luo family, and someone else made an anonymous report, saying they saw you having a private meeting with a servant of the Luo family, who seemed to be a close confidant of the Luo family's Third Young Master."

Shi Mingguang stood there in a daze, confused and disoriented, until the people from the law firm came to his rescue, pulled him into the car and took him away, and then he came to his senses.

"Lawyer Xu, what's going on? What happened? I did go to the Luo family last night to seek an explanation. The workers were lured to that intersection by the Luo family, and then the accident happened. You know about this, too."

Lawyer Xu looked flustered and didn't even tie his tie properly. He simply took off his tie and threw it on the passenger seat.

"Lawyer Shi, people say we in this industry make a living by talking, that all we need to do is make the dead come back to life and win. But we know that's not the case at all. Some lawyers do that, but you don't. I know that."

Lawyer Xu became incoherent when he was anxious. He tore off his tie, but still felt that he couldn't breathe, so he tore off both buttons of his shirt, feeling indignant.

"Oh, actually, it's not just some lawyers who are good at talking and confusing right and wrong. There are so many people in this world who are ignorant of the inside story, follow the trend, and speak without thinking. If they say black is white, then it is white. If they insist on saying something that makes a good person fall, then that person will be ruined by them."

There are all kinds of gossip on the Internet, and the wind direction keeps changing every day, with different opinions. Lawyer Xu often gets angry about these things, and Shi Mingguang often advises him to "stay away from online social software, read more information when you have time, and eat less melons."

"You definitely didn't listen to my advice again. The first thing you do when you wake up is check your phone for gossip."

Shi Mingguang guessed correctly. Lawyer Xu blushed and quickly explained, "Is this gossip? This is not someone else's business, it's your business!"

"Don't worry, the rumors are all groundless. Just think of them as a sudden storm that will eventually pass."

Shi Mingguang's expression was calm. He was not in a hurry to look at the "photos" and "real evidence" circulating on the Internet. While waiting for the red light, he enjoyed watching the people passing by on the street.

People were busy preparing to open the store, the proprietress was skillfully cooking breakfast, people were eating breakfast while rushing to catch the bus, and Shi Mingguang suddenly pushed open the car door and ran out.

The green light came on, and Lawyer Xu watched helplessly as Shi Mingguang closed the car door and ran towards a roadside shop. There was no point in waiting for him, as the car behind him started honking its horn to urge him on.

Lawyer Xu parked the car and jogged back the way he came, only to see Shi Mingguang leisurely standing outside the shop queuing to buy breakfast.

Someone in the team recognized him, compared their phones, and whispered to each other.

"Isn't this the heroic lawyer? Oh, it's the lawyer whose house collapsed."

"Heh, it's just a persona, but it's a bit shameless for a lawyer to use celebrity tactics to attract fans."

The proprietress, busy distributing breakfast to the guests, was quick-eared. She waved a large spoon and shouted at the top of her voice, "Your mouth is for eating delicious food, not for gossiping and scolding others!"

"No, no, no, sorry, our boss lady is straightforward and honest."

The boss went into the house to replenish the ingredients and came out. He saw several customers waiting in line for their meals sitting down and starting to curse, so he hurriedly apologized.

"Are you doing business here? Let's go, we don't want to eat from this restaurant anymore." Several people walked while holding their mobile phones, comparing Shi Mingguang with the person in the photo at close range to see if they were the same person.

"This old man, doesn't he just keep spouting lies all day? Hey, otherwise, I wouldn't like him either. It's probably what they call 'birds of a feather flock together,' isn't it, Lawyer Shi?"

The proprietress smiled and handed Shi Mingguang a bowl of soup noodles with extra ingredients. "Eat it inside and go back after you're done. If you take it back to the law firm, it will surely get cold before you have time to eat it."

Shi Mingguang accepted the proprietress's kindness and pointed at Lawyer Xu, who was waiting in line behind him. "I'll make him a good bowl of soup later, too, with extra ingredients."

The boss and his wife heard a lot of gossip as soon as the market opened in the morning. Shi Mingguang was slandered as being in cahoots with the Luo family, and it was also said that he secretly planned all this. The accident in which the workers were killed was not an accident but a conspiracy, and it was also related to him.

"The soup base has remained as rich as it has been for ten years. Prices have gone up quite a bit recently, but you've been able to maintain this level without raising prices. That's truly remarkable."

Shi Mingguang praised the soup highly after taking a few sips. The boss and his wife continued to make breakfast while winking at each other, asking each other to say something to comfort and encourage Shi Mingguang.

"Lawyer, we've all received your help, and we know you very well! Those people don't understand you at all. They're just fence-sitters, just following what everyone else says online! Don't take it to heart!"

The proprietress waved a large spoon, trying her best to comfort him, and then gave the boss a look, "It's your turn now, say something!"

The boss pondered for a long time, cleared his throat, and began to express his opinion: "That's right, don't take it seriously. Those people are always saying it's collapsed. When did we lawyers create a persona? We have always been doing practical work. Aren't they the ones who insisted on praising you to the sky? Now they say it's collapsed. How strange."

"No matter what others say, we maintain our own world and control our own lives. How can we be defeated so easily? How can we collapse so easily?"

Shi Mingguang smiled at them and thanked them for their kindness, but a bowl of steaming noodles with a fragrant soup base was enough, not to mention the extra ingredients.

"Well said, that's right!" If the proprietress wasn't scooping noodles, she would have wanted to applaud. Lawyer Xu, who was already in the front of the line, helped her applaud.

Shi Mingguang wiped his mouth and stood up to leave. Lawyer Xu hurriedly called out to him, "Hey, where are you going? I haven't had breakfast yet!"

"I'm done, take your time."

Shi Mingguang walked past Lawyer Xu, glanced at the noodle soup he was holding, and said with a smile, "The boss lady added a lot of ingredients for you, you should eat it with gratitude. I have somewhere else to go, so you can go back to the law firm after you finish eating."

"Huh? Where are you going? Don't run around alone at this critical moment!"

Lawyer Xu was holding a bowl of noodle soup, which was about to overflow with so much toppings. It would be impolite to chase after her, as the proprietress was staring at him.

"Lawyer Shi has helped so many of us solve our problems. He's capable of solving his own problems. Lawyer Xu, just enjoy your meal!"

Lawyer Xu sighed helplessly. The steaming hot soup made his nose sore and his eyes hot. He quickly lowered his head to sip the noodles.

Yes, Shi Mingguang is always running around for others, always helping others solve their problems. In order to pull others out of the quagmire of difficulties, he is willing to get dirty and even risk his life.

I like to worry and am always anxious. Shi Mingguang would pat himself on the shoulder and say, "Even if the sky falls, I, Shi Mingguang, will hold it up."

However, if Shi Mingguang's sky collapses, who would be strong enough to hold it up for him?

This is what Lawyer Xu is really worried about.