Chapter 12
"I want to know... what exactly happened to Zhou Nianhua..." When Tang Hui asked this question, his expression, demeanor, and eyes had all returned to normal. His face was full of indifference and composure, as if he were only asking about a case or a private matter, which had nothing to do with him.
Shen Bining stood there stunned, hesitating for a long time before she could think of a good way to put it. She pursed her lips and answered truthfully, "He has terminal liver cancer and at most has two or three months to live."
Terminal liver cancer? Tang Hui was stunned. It took him a while to understand the meaning of those four words. Then his expression began to change drastically, from astonishment to ecstasy and finally to calm.
"So he also had liver cancer and was dying. How can this not be retribution?" Tang Hui lowered his head, concealing all expression on his face and in his eyes, with only whispers echoing in the room.
It was both an accusation and a celebration.
Shen Bining remained standing at the door, her delicate brows slightly furrowed and her red lips pursed, looking at Tang Hui with sympathetic eyes as he calmly went mad.
She actually understood Tang Hui very well. To be fair, if this had happened to her, she would never have forgiven that murderer father.
She had to make this trip because of her job requirements, but she was on Tang Hui's side.
No matter what decision Tang Hui made, she didn't think he was wrong. His willingness to see Zhou Nianhua one last time showed his magnanimity; his unwillingness was simply human nature.
It's even understandable that he might turn on this uninvited guest or speak ill of him.
Just now, when she stated her purpose, Tang Hui was visibly furious, but he managed to control his emotions and did not utter any disrespectful words.
This shows that Tang Hui is a very cultured person, and even when he is angry, he will not take it out on others.
At this moment, Shen Bining had a strange feeling that she was the kind of "saintly" person who indiscriminately advised others to be magnanimous, and she was so afraid of being struck by lightning if she went out.
Just as she was lost in thought, Tang Hui spoke again, pulling Shen Bining back to reality. "Dr. Shen, if you don't mind, come back and sit down, let's chat for a bit more?"
Without saying a word, Shen Bining walked back to the desk and sat down opposite Tang Hui once again.
"Dr. Shen, may I ask why you're helping Zhou Nianhua? As far as I know, prisoners incarcerated shouldn't receive such good treatment." Tang Hui's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
But Shen Bining wasn't angry. She could tell that the mockery was directed at Zhou Nianhua, not at her.
She truthfully recounted how Xie Feng found her, Zhou Nianhua's behavior in prison over the years, why several prison guards pleaded for Zhou Nianhua's release, and so on.
Tang Hui's smile grew increasingly sarcastic as he listened, and he eventually let out a low laugh.
He squinted at Shen Bining, a mocking smile on his face. "I really didn't expect that even after twenty years in prison, he could still maintain his 'good guy' image. Dr. Shen, do you know that in my memory, he's always been a kind-hearted person, the kind who's never done anything wrong in his life? And the only mistake he ever made..."
As he spoke, Tang Hui's beautiful peach blossom eyes reddened at the corners, and his eyes filled with tears. His voice was choked with sobs. "His only mistake was killing his seriously ill wife."
After saying this, Tang Hui quickly turned his chair around, leaving his back to Shen Bining.
Shen Bining couldn't see his face, but she could see his shoulders trembling imperceptibly.
She knew he must have cried, but she could only remain silent and wait for him to process his emotions on his own.
Shen Bining once again blamed herself for making this trip. Tang Hui might have gradually forgotten that painful past, and even forgotten Zhou Nianhua.
But it is precisely because of her arrival that he is forced to relive his pain once again.
What did Tang Hui do wrong again? Why should she have to pay the price for Zhou Nianhua's mistakes and her job?
"Attorney Tang, I'm sorry. I didn't think things through before coming to you, which made you think of some unpleasant things. It's all my fault. I sincerely apologize and promise that I will never bother you again. Can you please pretend that you didn't see me today?"
Shen Bining stood up, bowed slightly to Tang Hui, and said sincerely.
Tang Hui had already turned back by then. He seemed to be in a normal mood, but his eyes were still red.
He looked at Shen Bining curiously and asked in a low voice, "Can you accept my decision? You don't plan to continue trying to persuade me, or you think I'm too heartless?"
Shen Bining shook her head and said apologetically, "You are not wrong. If this happened to me, I might not have your good manners. I would probably have cursed at the person who came to advise me. In this matter, whatever you decide is right."
Upon hearing this, Tang Hui, who had been either angry or calm all along, actually smiled faintly. "You, as a hospice care provider, are quite special. You don't consider things from the client's perspective, but rather from the opposing side."
“Those who provide end-of-life care also have a conscience and can distinguish right from wrong. I would put myself in their shoes. If I were you, I wouldn’t forgive Zhou Nianhua either, let alone see him. I might even take my anger out on the person who came to provide end-of-life care, since they were acting like saints and telling people to be magnanimous.”
Shen Bining said with a wry smile.
Tang Hui was amused by Shen Bining's reply again, and shook his head slightly, looking somewhat helpless.
Shen Bining took a deep breath. Even at a time like this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing—this Tang Hui was truly handsome, especially when he smiled.
The matter had been brought to this point, leaving no room for negotiation. Shen Bining suddenly felt a little depressed. How was she going to explain this to Xie Feng? And what about that annoying woman, Xu Jie? If she knew she'd been humiliated, she'd probably laugh her head off.
Even so, she did not regret giving up trying to persuade Tang Hui. She simply could not bear to dredge up his tragic childhood memories and did not want him to be buried in hatred again.
Moreover, she didn't think she could succeed; judging from Tang Hui's attitude, no one could persuade him. Although she was good at sweet talk, the other party was a lawyer, and she wasn't confident she could win against him in a verbal battle.
The only things I regret are probably agreeing to take on the case for Xie Feng and making that damn bet with Xu Jie.
Shen Bining stood up again, smiled apologetically at Tang Hui, and said, "Then I'll be leaving now, so as not to disturb Lawyer Tang's work."
Tang Hui glanced at Shen Bining thoughtfully a few times, then suddenly didn't know what to say.
As he had anticipated, Shen Bining would try repeatedly to persuade him, not giving up until she achieved her goal. If that were the case, he naturally wouldn't hold back, and he wouldn't care about being a gentleman.
However, Shen Bining not only did not make things difficult for him, but also said that she understood his decision and even said that if she were in his shoes, she would probably hate him even more.
This made Tang Hui look at this beautiful female doctor in a new light.
Tang Hui only snapped out of his thoughts when Shen Bining got up and walked to the door.
He felt that since the girl was being reasonable, he should at least go and see her off.
"Dr. Shen, thank you for coming all this way today. Let me see you off." Tang Hui said, standing up and walking towards the door.
He was tall with long legs, and he crossed over in just a few steps.
"Thank you." Shen Bining didn't stand on ceremony with him. She casually pushed open the door, smiled, and replied before walking out of the office one after the other with Tang Hui.
After leaving the inner room and entering the outer room, Shen Bining paused, stopped, and turned to look at Tang Hui in disbelief.
Although she didn't say anything, her eyes seemed to contain a thousand words—she was asking Tang Hui: Are all the employees of your Tang Song Law Firm so unrestrained?
In the outer room, there were about a dozen staff members, but none of them were sitting properly at their seats. They were all gathered together, drinking Starbucks and chattering incessantly.
Although Shen Bining had never seen a lawyer work, she knew with her toes that this shouldn't be the scene before her.
In her mind, a lawyer should be a serious, earnest, and unsmiling figure, like Tang Hui, who was standing next to her. Why was there such a big difference between his employees and him?
Is this law firm truly authentic? She has reservations about it.
Tang Hui was also stunned.
He knew perfectly well what kind of people his own firm's employees were like, and he was used to it. But wasn't today's behavior a bit excessive?
Tang Hui knew that these employees, with Song Ziyi's indulgence, were becoming more and more unreliable, but they were generally acceptable and would never have been so unruly as to be in this state.
Look at how unrestrained they are now. This is no law firm; it's more bustling than a vegetable market.
Soon, Tang Hui spotted his target in the crowd—Song Ziyi. Sure enough, this guy was there too, and he was the most boisterous and exaggerated in terms of expression and movements among the group.
He said that the employees dared to be so lively during working hours, apparently because the boss was messing around with them.
Tang Hui caught a glimpse of Shen Bining's hesitant expression out of the corner of his eye, and felt extremely embarrassed. He guessed that Shen Bining must also be shocked, but was just too embarrassed to ask him.
Tang Hui absolutely could not tolerate outsiders seeing such an unreliable corporate culture at Tang Song Law Firm. His expression grew increasingly serious, and he reached out and knocked hard on the glass door beside him.
The sound of fingers tapping on the glass door was loud and crisp, instantly silencing the group of idle "idle people".
"You scared me!" Song Ziyi dared to accuse Tang Hui first, patting his chest and shouting angrily.
The others sheepishly made way for them, glancing at Shen Bining and Tang Hui with ambiguous expressions. Each person's expression was particularly intriguing, and they would occasionally wink at each other, as if conveying some kind of message.
The road wasn't far, but Shen Bining walked it with trepidation. A chill ran down her spine, and she practically forced herself to walk across it amidst the strange looks from the crowd.
She always felt that the way these people looked at her was strange, but she couldn't figure out why.
At that moment, she had the illusion that she was in a shady business, and she was terrified that the group of people would surround her and tie her up at any moment.
As soon as the thought popped into her head, Shen Bining unconsciously quickened her pace—"Waaah, everyone at this law firm is weirdo, I'm never coming here again."
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