You have such a narrow mind!
Late July is like an oven; everywhere seems to be being roasted, and the air is filled with steam from boiling everything.
Her legs wanted to take a break, and Wen Dai felt she was missing a crutch, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she needed an automatic wheelchair. She held her phone, her gaze mostly fixed on the screen, observing the navigation route.
When she was only 700 meters away from "Sicheng Law Firm", Wen Dai suddenly realized something was wrong. She silently wondered to herself, "Teachers, why didn't you stop me this time?"
The celestial being immediately offered her a vague reply: "Firstly, I don't want to see you suffer; secondly—this is an inevitable path in your destiny."
Hmph, she told her earlier that heavenly secrets should not be revealed when she wanted to see through Chen Sizhe, but now she says she doesn't want to see her suffer. So her inevitable fate is to be ruined by Chen Sizhe? Wen Dai instinctively scoffed inwardly, then suddenly felt a sharp pain as if someone had twisted her ear hard, and a divine reminder slowly surfaced in her heart: "Don't forget, we can hear you."
She pursed her lips and ground her front teeth together in frustration.
As the sign for Sicheng Law Firm came into view, Wen Dai quickened her pace. She hurriedly ran to the entrance of the firm, her gaze seemingly unintentionally peering inside. She could only catch a glimpse of the interior, which featured a combination of dark wood and black marble floor tiles. The long corridor around the corner prevented her from continuing to peer inside.
Recalling her plan, Wen Dai raised her hand and rubbed her sunburnt cheeks. She turned her eyes around to look at herself, gritted her teeth, and squatted down at the entrance of the agency, pushing the tears in her eyes away.
If she doesn't kick Chen Sizhe, this stumbling block, away, she'll never have a chance to turn things around. At least she'll have someone to embarrass her with.
However, tears still refused to appear, and Wen Dai's gradually empty mind recalled past memories.
Orange-red fireworks spewed out wisps of black smoke, and the luxurious villa vanished into nothingness, as did her home.
Eleven years. At ten years old, all she has left behind are fragmented memories of the past. She only remembers a fire she had never seen before, a scene of intense heat, yet her heart remained cold. She had simply gone to her usual extracurricular class, and the beginning of that day seemed to mirror the past, but the ending was drastically different—she became an orphan.
Her parents were waiting for her to come home. They hadn't had dinner together yet.
All turned to ashes.
All hope was lost.
The fire department ruled it an accident; after all, gas leaks weren't uncommon back then, but she was convinced it was impossible. What kind of gas leak could engulf a house in flames within half an hour? She couldn't believe her parents wouldn't have noticed the gas smell—her mother was a middle school chemistry teacher. Deeply ingrained memories were etched into her mind; her father, then deputy water manager, had discussed the behavioral flaws of a chemical company with her mother more than once at the dinner table, and he had repeatedly told his superiors that the company's engineering bidding applications should be seriously rejected.
The most coincidental thing is that a month after her parents died, the chemical company won the bid.
Wen Dai's fists, clenched so tightly on her knees, seemed to pierce her skin. She bit her inner lip, thinking of her parents who could only live in her mind, and tears that she could not have made up fell spontaneously—one drop, two drops… endlessly, for many years to come.
A girl sobbing outside a law firm is sure to attract the attention of passersby, especially since she is quite pretty.
The first scent that wafts into Wen Dai's nose is a neo-chypre fragrance, giving the impression that the person who enters must be bright and generous without even looking up.
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. Wen Dai could vaguely make out the high heels on the person's feet; the brand name automatically flashed through her mind, along with the price range.
The fragrance grew stronger, and the woman squatted down in front of her, offering her a tissue with her delicate, calloused fingers. Even her voice was elegant: "What's wrong, little sister? Did something bad happen? Here, wipe your tears. If you have any difficulties, you can tell your sister. If you need legal aid, your sister can help you."
Her shoulders, trembling from sobbing, paused for a moment before shaking even more violently. Wen Dai took the tissues offered to her and wiped away her tears. Her peach blossom eyes, which she slowly raised, looked as if they had been smeared with the juice of a red dragon fruit, giving her a striking beauty and highlighting the advantages of her physical appearance.
"Sister, there's a hypocritical jerk in this law firm... I don't know what he's like with other people, I guess he'll pretend to be nice, but he's really awful. He tricked me into doing bad things! I'm only 21 years old, not even 21 yet, and I've never been in a relationship with anyone, sob sob... I wonder if he still has my transfer records on his phone, seven thousand yuan, transferred in two installments. And he's a lawyer, I definitely can't beat him."
Wen Dai used a mournful tone with ease. She lightly dabbed the dampness under her eyes with a tissue, her wet eyelashes drooping downwards, her pupils tilting to the side, her face almost touching her collarbone. What a tragic heroine.
As Cheng Nuo listened to Wen Dai's tearful account, her eyebrows furrowed. She meticulously reviewed the names of the men she knew in the law firm in her mind, and then hesitation appeared in her eyes.
The young woman in front of me was quite attractive. The so-called "bad thing" was probably a sexual assault, but she also mentioned that she would transfer seven thousand yuan in installments. It was unlikely that the lawyers in their law firm would be greedy for seven thousand yuan.
The only miser who would covet those seven thousand...
Cheng Nuo fixed her gaze on Wen Dai, then placed her hand on Wen Dai's shoulder to support her, and asked, "Sister, what's the name of this hypocritical scoundrel you're talking about? Or you can describe what he looks like; don't worry, I'm one of the partners in this law firm, my name is Cheng Nuo, and I will uphold justice for you."
"Does Sister Cheng Nuo know Chen Sizhe? He's very tall, has a beauty mark under his right eye, and looks rather feminine." With tears still welling up in her eyes, Wen Dai brought her hands together on her knees in a gesture of prayer.
Cheng Nuo's long eyebrows twitched uncontrollably, or rather, she twitched. She raised her chin slightly, her gaze sweeping over the girl's face as if she were holding a magnifying glass. She pressed her tongue against her cheek, and when she pronounced the name, she seemed to be making the sound between her teeth: "Chen, Si, Zhe? Heh—okay, come in with me, I'll take you to find him."
With her arm held by the woman's soft hand, Wen Dai stood up with the help of Cheng Nuo. The gratitude in her tearful eyes was conveyed to Cheng Nuo through her gaze. "Thank you, Sister Cheng Nuo. You are such a kind person."
The law firm's automatic sensor door opened, and Wen Dai was drenched in a blast of cold air; her heart, nestled in her chest, felt only relief. She lowered her neck, placed her clasped hands in front of her abdomen, and walked timidly behind Cheng Nuo.
After passing through the corridor, Cheng Nuo led Wen Dai to swipe her card and enter the elevator, taking her smoothly to the 15th floor.
Several lawyers, who were handling business in the lobby, glanced at Wen Dai following behind Cheng Nuo, and a few of them briefly paid her a look. Gossip is an inherent trait that even lawyers cannot escape.
The private office was surrounded by smart dimming frosted glass. Cheng Nuo knocked on the door a few times, and Wen Dai, who was standing next to her, heard the lazy tone coming from inside: "Come in."
Cheng Nuo pressed the doorknob, and the door opened with a click. The crisp sound of her high heels clicking on the floor tiles went unnoticed by the person at the desk. The man was intently staring at the computer screen, the white light emanating from it illuminating his features—a highly intelligent male Daji who would attract young girls.
"Chen Sizhe! Confess to what you've done!" Cheng Nuo was practically seething with hatred. She raised her hand and pinched her brow, then half-turned her head to glance at the door. Seeing that it was closed, she helped Wen Dai, who was hiding behind her, out.
A shrill female voice jolted Chen Sizhe awake. He lifted his eyelids and saw Wen Dai, whom Cheng Nuo had just pulled to the front. His pupils dilated for a moment, then his brows furrowed. "It's you again?"
Taking advantage of the situation, Wen Dai turned and threw herself into Cheng Nuo's arms. She wrapped her arms around Cheng Nuo's waist and began to sob again, burying her head and refusing to lift it—no tears.
"Waaah... Sister, thank you for bringing me in, but let's just forget it. He'll definitely deny it. As a lawyer, he's so eloquent. I'm not good at talking, and I won't be able to clear my name if he tries to smear me." Wen Dai's arms, which were tightly holding Cheng Nuo's, suddenly loosened, and she pretended to run away, but Cheng Nuo grabbed her arm.
The woman raised her beautiful eyes, her gaze filled with disappointment as she glared at Chen Sizhe, whose expression remained inscrutable. "Listen to what you're saying, 'It's you again.' It seems this little sister has approached you more than once? Chen Sizhe, I admit your talent surpasses that of ordinary people in every aspect, but that doesn't mean you can break the law! Your aunt and uncle have ultimately failed to discipline you, leading you down the path of robbery and womanizing. I really don't know where you got your miserly temperament from!"
Suddenly found himself shackled with accusations of "robbery and seduction," Chen Sizhe's brow twitched, and his office chair lurched backward from his standing legs. "Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'robbery and seduction'? I admit to robbing, but that was something I was supposed to take. As for seduction, does she even have the looks to warrant my seduction?"
However, Cheng Nuo seemed to only hear his words of admission, and the disappointment in her eyes deepened. She raised her hand and made several heavy gestures in the air, "You even stole seven thousand yuan... What a bastard you are! How can you still say such things? How can other people's money be yours to keep? Could it be—"
Her hand, frozen in mid-air, suddenly went numb. Cheng Nuo abruptly recalled the cases she had handled before. She had encountered people who held high positions and were incredibly wealthy, yet had peculiar fetishes—for example… people who clearly didn't lack money, yet would sell their bodies for it. Then, her eyes, which had been raised again, held a complex mix of emotions. She patted the shoulders of the sobbing girl in her arms. “It seems I don’t know you well enough. Well, you’ve reached a position that your peers can’t reach at such a young age, it’s normal for you to have some problems… Forget it, I won’t interfere anymore, but you have to resolve things with this little girl today. If you can’t reach a private settlement, then I’ll have no choice but to uphold justice and even turn against your own family.”
She patted Wen Dai on the shoulder and comforted her, "It's probably not good to report this to the police, otherwise you will also be affected. After all, you know about this matter with A, it's a two-way street. Even if you were coaxed, there's nothing you can do. You two can stay here and talk things out. If he tries to scare you, come find me. Besides being a partner in the law firm, I'm also his cousin. I have the ability to discipline my brother."
...靝?
Wen Dai's brain felt as if Cheng Nuo's thought process had been cut. She raised her head blankly, and suddenly felt a heaviness on her head because Cheng Nuo was rubbing it. Then she watched helplessly as Cheng Nuo left the office.
No, what on earth was this elite woman thinking?!
A cold laugh from behind interrupted her thoughts. Wen Dai turned around, her still-reddened peach blossom eyes meeting the man's bulging, mocking fox-like eyes.
"I really underestimated you. You actually dared to come to my door and spread rumors about me. According to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law and the Civil Code, I have the right to report the case and file a civil lawsuit against you. It seems you really want to go to the detention center."
A hand emerged from the butterfly-colored blue shirt and grabbed the phone from the table. Seeing that he was really about to call the police, Wen Dai rushed forward and grabbed his wrist tightly to stop his next move.
Her hips pressed against the edge of the desk, her leaning body forming an acute angle with the surface. Her upturned face flushed slightly, and her shimmering black eyes still held a hint of resentment. Her tone was filled with anger: "Is it really necessary? You cut off my livelihood, so what's wrong with me retaliating? Besides, didn't you spread rumors about me online? You caused my account to be banned, and I don't know how many people will be misled by your nonsense and start distrusting me. You just take advantage of the fact that you're a lawyer, and I'm just an ordinary person who can't fight you, so you can keep exploiting me?"
The tight grip on his wrist made Chen Sizhe uncomfortable. He tried to pull his hand away, but the two hands binding his wrist only tightened their grip. His gaze fell on her face, which was red from the exertion, and he met her eyes—red with black in the center, those two dark pupils gave him a sense of déjà vu; not a physical déjà vu, but a soul-like déjà vu.
"Ha. Was I spreading rumors? I was just telling the truth. If what I said was false, why did the platform ban you? If what I said was false, why was my report successful?" With a rebuttal that was almost sophistry, Chen Sizhe easily shut down her questions with his sharp tongue.
Wen Dai suppressed the urge to tear her subordinate's wrists apart. She glared angrily at the composed man before her, gritting her teeth as she said, "You know perfectly well that society severely discourages metaphysics. This is just opportunistic behavior; your reasoning is completely twisted! I'll say it again: if I were a fraud, no one would be willing to pay for me. From your mother to my fans in my online live stream, their willingness to pay for me proves my ability. But you, you only live in your own world; you don't look at the facts, you only consider what you think are the facts. You're a narrow-minded person!"
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