Chapter 19
The bankruptcy and reorganization case of Zhao Liangguo's factory took a full three weeks. Chen Huanong and Qin Huai felt like they were in another world when they returned to their office. Chi Buyu lay on the sofa and cried, "I applied for law school so I wouldn't have to study math. Now you want me to take the CPA exam. Chen Huanong, I'm telling you, if you want to end our relationship, just say so. Don't try this."
The assistant couldn't believe it. The Shensong Criminal Defense Team, which had been honed for five years and had become somewhat well-known in the industry, was actually going to be disbanded. "Someone, pinch me! Are you sure this isn't a dream? I thought we'd get a big bonus when we came back, but it turned out to be a bolt from the blue!"
"It's not certain yet. The director and others just told me about this idea in advance. Whether to split it up or not will have to wait for the meeting to decide."
The situation of cracking down on gangs is becoming increasingly severe. Criminal cases are now much more complicated than civil cases. Considering the development scenario of the law firm and the personal safety of lawyers, Lao Xu and his team had planned to withdraw from the team early on. However, the plan was put on hold because they had not thought about the development direction after the withdrawal. As a result, the Zhao Liangguo case emerged, which gave them new ideas.
"The future development of law firms and individual lawyers will all be towards diversification. You're delusional about gaining a foothold in such a fiercely competitive market relying solely on your professional knowledge. Are you left with nothing but idealism after living in the mountains?" Chen Huanong never lost her temper with Chi Buyu. She simply taunted him on a daily basis. "It's not that you don't like math, it's that you're not good at it. With your IQ, you're basically done with math. How are you going to charge clients in the future? How are you going to calculate litigation fees for them? Should I ask my assistant to come after you with a calculator and do the math for you?"
The assistant sister interjected at the right moment, "Lawyer Chen, we use the app to calculate now."
Chen Huanong tilted his head and glanced at her. "Are you wearing the same pants as him now? When did you two establish this revolutionary friendship?"
"No, we only have a financial relationship. Talking about friendship will cost money." The assistant and Chi Buyu clasped their fists together and gave each other a look that said 'you know what I mean', with a feeling of heroes appreciating each other.
What's the point of saying you're so sympathetic? Are you afraid others won't know you two are obsessed with money? The entire law firm knows that the people Chen Huanong brings up are nothing but like her: they value money like their lives. Chen Huanong wanted to defend herself, saying it wasn't that the people she brought up loved money, but that they were inherently devoted to Chairman Mao, which is why they joined her team. She couldn't take the blame.
After the resolution of the law firm's general meeting on Wednesday, the criminal defense team began to work on the specific division of matters, based on the basic principle of following personal wishes, and incorporated them into the civil team, the family and marriage task force, and the newly established corporate affairs team. Criminal cases can still be accepted, but they will be handled on an individual basis in the future, and the specialized team will no longer be recommended as a feature of the law firm.
The Corporate Affairs Group focused on a range of activities, including corporate investments, mergers, bankruptcies, and restructurings. Previously, they had little involvement in this area. After becoming an independent group, Chen Huanong and Qin Huai became frequent flyers, moving from law firm to law firm in four major first-tier cities, learning their operational methods and attending various academic conferences. The others studied the information provided by Chen Huanong at the firm, while also evaluating all businesses in the city and seeking new partners.
Tang Chengting has become accustomed to picking people up at the airport every Friday night. Ever since he brought Chen Huanong back last time, the two of them tacitly ended their one-month separation. But in reality, Chen Huanong was on a business trip every weekday and only came back on weekends to rest and change clothes, which was no different from being separated. Although Chen Huanong was not outstanding, Tang Chengting still found her in the crowd at a glance. She was wearing a light green business suitcase and dragging a half-person-high silver suitcase. Her bad habit of talking on the phone while walking was exactly the same as before. Tang Chengting took the suitcase from her hand and held her hand with his other hand. From time to time, he could hear her conversation with others. When they got in the car, Tang Chengting thought she was going to close her eyes and fall asleep, but she took out a laptop from her bag and started typing away, with no intention of paying any attention to Tang Chengting at all.
Chen Huanong connected his headphones and answered the WeChat call. He didn't know what was said on the other end, but he only heard her say, "I have sent the video and audio materials. Please post them in the group tomorrow morning and then give me the client's information. If the case is difficult, please ask my master to come out and negotiate."
Chen Huanong looked at it for a few minutes and then said, "Your profile is soulless. Besides the basic information, it's completely useless. At the very least, you need to clearly define the client type, group size, legal representative, contact information, and location. This will allow us to determine the necessity of cooperation and contact more partners as quickly as possible. Furthermore, we need to have access to their annual profit statements for the past three years and conduct a comprehensive analysis of any legal loopholes or potential conflicts and disputes arising from the company's operations. Only then will you have something to say to them. Why would they replace their original consultant? You need to prove your worth first!"
This time, the call ended quickly. Chen Huanong leaned back in her chair and sighed softly. The days of running around had left her feeling a little tired, and her gaze drifted unconsciously, finally landing on Tang Chengting's bony hands. These hands had once quietly protected her waist when they met people in the park; these hands had once eagerly grasped her when she was walking and talking on the phone; these hands had once held her tightly when she couldn't walk on the mountain road; these hands had once embraced her when she tossed and turned due to insomnia.
"How did you get through your rookie days?" Chen Huanong was lost in thought when she was suddenly asked this question. How did she get through her rookie days? This question really... hit her soul.
Fourteen of her twenty days on the job were spent grumbling—listening to other people's complaints, colleagues' complaints, roommates' complaints. Every Friday, Chen's mother would pick her up at the bus stop. She would compile her complaints and then pour them out to Chen's mother. Chen's mother couldn't offer any comfort, but she told her, word by word, that this was the path she had chosen. You could give up because you couldn't learn anything new at this company, but you couldn't give up because you were afraid of the challenge. If you gave up halfway through this time, would your next job be smooth sailing? She gritted her teeth and persevered for two weeks, working overtime every day to learn the business. Finally, things started to go smoothly the week before the Lunar New Year. Immediately after the Lunar New Year, she was transferred to the marketing department, working under an unpredictable female boss. She was constantly bombarded with company group messages, slept less than five hours a day, and met clients all over the city from morning till night, occasionally encountering those with ulterior motives. Having just graduated that year, she was slow to react, and only managed to avoid a setback later. She felt terrified, but she had to forge ahead.
"Be good at learning, correct mistakes in time, and maintain a positive attitude." She retracted her gaze and looked forward, as if she was talking to Tang Chengting, but also as if she was talking to herself, "No one told me what to do. I just stood up again and again from where I fell, learned from my experience, and never made the same mistake again. This is how I pushed myself to get through it."
Perhaps it was the gentle moonlight, perhaps it was the overwhelming weariness, but for the first time since their separation, Chen Huanong let go of her guard and opened up to Tang Chengting like an old friend. She had rarely shown signs of defeat in front of him, let alone shared her past grievances. She had always believed that no one could empathize with her, and rather than instill a useless pity in someone, it was better to remain completely in the dark. Only in this way could she justify Tang Chengting's indifference.
"Old Chen, are you really going to Kenya for an inspection with Zhao Liangqi?" Chi Buyu felt that Chen Huanong had no sense of purpose. "The storm has just passed, and you're so blatantly going abroad with someone. Aren't you afraid of keyboard warriors launching a new round of encirclement and suppression? I tell you, if this happened in ancient times, you would be thrown into a pig cage."
"Why don't you borrow a loudspeaker from the watermelon seller downstairs and shout it out to every floor, so the cleaning lady doesn't miss out on this juicy gossip while she's concentrating on cleaning. Am I afraid of keyboard warriors? I'm afraid of the gossipy neighborhood aunties spreading the news!"
"Why?"
"Word of mouth, no evidence, no way to prosecute." Qin Huai appeared out of nowhere, holding two cups of coffee, one for Chen Huanong, "When are we going to apply for the visa?"
"It's already being processed, and I can pick it up the day after tomorrow. I have no experience in this kind of cross-border cooperation, so I also need to meet my senior. If possible, I'd like to take him with me." Chen Huanong's senior is now a tutor at the China University of Political Science and Law, specializing in the field of international law and often goes abroad for exchanges. With him in charge, Chen Huanong feels more at ease.
"By the way, your great-aunt's case for changing custody will be heard this afternoon. Do you want to attend?"
Chen Huanong opened his iPad and checked. There were no reminders for the afternoon. "Go ahead. If she comes, my mom will definitely come too. I'll go pick them up later."
Chen's mother didn't let Chen Huanong pick him up, and she brought her father and aunt to Chen Huanong's house directly. Chen Huanong was glad that she was staying at home during this period. If Chen's mother knew about her divorce, Tang Chengting would probably be very upset. Chen Huanong left work early and went to pick up Tang Chengting. She repeatedly told him not to let the secret slip. She wanted to say that to save your life, talk less and eat more. But the words changed direction when they came to her lips, "My mother looks like a Buddhist, but in the final analysis, she didn't have to worry about me too much in the past few years. If she knew that we were getting a divorce, she would definitely not be able to sleep at night. Let's keep this secret for as long as possible. Anyway, they don't come here often."
Tang Chengting thought back to the last time his mother came over. He'd texted Chen Huanong, "My mother knows we're getting a divorce." He'd never been as good as Chen Huanong in intimate relationships. He didn't know how to express himself, or empathize. The only thing he could do was be honest, tell her, even if it meant a bad outcome. His theory was that knowing it sooner or later was no different; it was better to know it upfront and prepare for it. He'd never considered that her mother would lose sleep over this.
"You've thought this through more thoroughly than I have."
"You trust your mother too much. Ever since you can remember, she has always been on her own. You seem to think that she has been through everything, so this kind of thing is nothing."
When did she begin to understand her parents' inner thoughts? One Spring Festival, she sat on the balcony, basking in the sun, cracking melon seeds and chatting with her father about current affairs. Then they talked about her work. At the end, her mother suddenly asked, "Niuniu, are you happy? Are you happy with your job?" She was stunned for a moment, raised her head slightly, and forced herself to hold back her tears. From then on, Chen Huanong never complained to her mother again. On that sunny winter day, she understood the true meaning of the word "parents". The countless complaints she easily said and easily forgotten were a thorn in her parents' hearts that could not be let go for a long time. They would not feel distressed because of their own bad experiences, but would infinitely magnify their children's hardships and become worried.
When they arrived home, the meal was already served. Dad Chen sat at the head of the table. He seemed quite dignified when silent, but in reality, he was the one with the least say in the family. Dad Chen was a quiet man, so it was mostly Mom Chen and Chen Huanong who were chatting about family matters. Mom Chen asked Chen Huanong if he had bought a bunch of random things again, as there were a lot more delivery boxes piled up on the balcony.
Chen Huanong immediately put the blame on Tang Chengting, "He bought things with my account, but I've been on business trips recently and have no time to shop online." It's true that she doesn't have time to shop online, but she can squeeze out time to go shopping at the mall in her busy schedule. Her suitcase is already full, so there's no room for more. She just sent it back by express. Tang Chengting has to pick up the express for her twice a week, and now he wants to take the blame for her. How is this logical?
Tang Chengting received Chen Huanong's death stare, and replied to Chen Ma with a forced smile, "I bought all of them, Qingqing has nothing to do with them." He used his card, so it was indirectly considered that he bought them. His logic was correct and it was not a lie.
Mother Chen was too lazy to expose them. She knew her daughter's faults best. She was not stingy when it came to buying things. As long as she liked something, she would help Chen Huanong clear out a batch of clothes and shoes from the cloakroom every year that had only been worn a few times. She had thought that after getting married, someone would control her and she would be more restrained, but Tang Chengting never said anything about her. She also asked Chen Huanong privately if Tang Chengting had any objections to her extravagant spending. Chen Huanong said nonchalantly, "All he can give me is money. He would be uneasy if I didn't spend it, after all, I'm such a good person." Mother Chen was speechless. She couldn't give birth to such a shameless child.
After dinner, Chen Huanong took a nap as usual. Tang Chengting didn't have the habit of taking a nap. He was going to go directly to work, but he took a look at the half-open bedroom door and finally turned back.
On the morning of the second day after picking up Chen Huanong from the hotel, Chen Huanong slowly opened her eyes in his arms, smiled and said that this was the most peaceful sleep she had had in more than a month, this is the difference between you and me, without me, you can still live as usual, without you. Even sleeping is a problem for me, so how can you let me let go? People are selfish, when I still need you, I will only hold you tightly in my hands, like now. In the dim light of dawn, Chen Huanong leaned against him, her head lightly resting on his chin, his hand passed under Chen Huanong's neck, and his five fingers were clasped with Chen Huanong's warm little hand. They looked intimate, but only the two parties knew how there was an unbridgeable canyon between them.
JP
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