Chapter 27
"I'm here today to submit the insurance company's appraisal documents. All the procedures are complete. If nothing unexpected happens, you will be released in 24 hours." Xiao Weiyan came to the police station in casual clothes on a weekday afternoon.
Guan Ying looked at him, and the words came to her lips, but she swallowed them back and only responded to him lightly: "Yeah."
The two of them understood each other tacitly, and felt that there was no need to say some things out loud, not to mention that Xiao Weiyan was such a face-conscious person.
"I've already handed your phone and car over to Zheng Juyong. Once I get a detailed notification from the police, I'll tell him to pick you up tomorrow."
Guan Ying frowned. "Why did you give him my phone? Why not give it to Jiawei?" Then she suddenly realized something. "Jiawei is leaving too? With you?"
Xiao Weiyan's eyes flickered, and one hand slid awkwardly into his trouser pocket. He only made these small movements when he felt guilty, which allowed him to maintain a moment of respectability in front of his opponent's lawyer. During this moment of respectability, he would use it to quickly think of new tactics.
"Xiao Weiyan, you gave her too little time to think about it! Jiawei is different from me. She needs a lot of time to think clearly about what she wants. The decisions she makes hastily following others are usually not her final decisions... You are forcing her. You are too selfish!"
"Guan Guan, what can I do? You've already met Daniel, right? He's back, and he wants me to step aside. He won't even give me a day to transition. Vancouver wants me to leave tomorrow... You should know he's fully capable of doing that! I even feel like he chose me to take over your case just to prepare for this day. It would be easiest for him to just kick me, a Chinese, out of the law firm!"
In front of Jiawei, he praised Daniel as great in order to appear great himself; but in front of Guan Ying, he could only expose the grievances and unwillingness behind it nakedly. After all, losing to Daniel was not too shameful.
Guan Ying sighed deeply. "Alas... Xiao Weiyan, I used to think your pride wasn't a flaw, because a large part of your achievements today are due to it. But you shouldn't take advantage of others and act like a spoiled brat. Honestly, was it really Daniel who pushed you to this point? And am I some kind of object that you two men can just shuffle around and transfer?"
"That's not what I meant..." Xiao Weiyan put both hands in his trouser pockets behind his buttocks.
"You are!" Guan Ying looked him straight in the eye. "You and I both know that you'll never make it to the position of partner in this law firm. But it's different in Vancouver. One of their founders is Singaporean. Recruiting a Chinese like you will be the biggest boost to that law firm. You've been working hard for so many years, waiting for such an opportunity, haven't you? It was Daniel who made it possible for you!"
Xiao Weiyan was speechless. After all, Guan Ying was not Jiawei, and she would not blindly believe him.
Guan Ying paused, then simply exposed him completely: "Don't say he forced you, and don't label me his accomplice. I caused such a mess, do you think it was just because of Jiawei's impulse? Have you ever thought about it carefully? You gave up the negotiation with Eric because of me. As long as you really gave up, as long as you held on, no one could touch you! I tried to drag you out of Daniel's plan, and I fulfilled my girlfriend's responsibilities for you! It was you who couldn't resist your desire, your own desire."
Guan Ying was talking about work, but also seemed to be talking about him and Jiawei at the same time.
Xiao Weiyan had fought so many lawsuits, but this was his most devastating loss. Unable to resist, his ears flushed red as if on fire. After a moment's silence, he stopped quibbling, "You've fulfilled your responsibilities as a girlfriend, not just to me, but also to Jiawei."
Guan Ying: "Xiao Weiyan, our business ends here. As for Jiawei, you'd better respect her!"
Xiao Weiyan smiled bitterly: "Haha, I finally understand why a great man like Daniel would only be obsessed with you. You and he are actually the same person. He won me over, but I want to thank him; you dumped me, but I feel sorry for you."
Daniel can compromise his career for Guan Ying, but Xiao Weiyan has no choice. In his life where he has to move forward or fall behind, this is his only chance to rise higher.
A belated apology is always unnecessary. Guan Ying didn't want to argue with him any further: "No need!"
"Guan Guan, please forgive me for not being able to bring Jiawei to see you. She still thinks we know nothing. You know, she can't pretend in front of you for long. How can you still be good friends then... Let me take the responsibility for my mistakes! Don't worry, I just invited her to Vancouver for a vacation. I won't say anything else. After we get to Vancouver, I will take care of her and fully respect her opinions." Xiao Weiyan finally stretched out his hands and supported himself on the railing, his tone almost begging for mercy, "She can't handle it alone. She really needs someone around her right now."
Guan Ying felt bitter, but she had no choice but to do so: "Jiawei won't be able to leave with you unless she sees me leave here. Tomorrow, at least let me go to the airport to see her off."
......
Eric arranged a farewell dinner for Xiao Weiyan at the Chinese restaurant on the Burj Khalifa.
To express his gratitude to the law firm and Xiao Weiyan for their past support to the restaurant, the owner of the restaurant had already arranged flowers, ribbons and champagne in the private room. The grand scene was no less impressive than the annual Christmas party held by the law firm.
As they drank and chatted, Eric said all the nice things he could, and the harmony between the team members and Xiao Weiyan was maintained.
After three rounds of drinks, Xiao Weiyan finally had a moment of peace and quiet. While going to the bathroom, he hid in a corner of the corridor by the window, wanting to get some fresh air and take in one last look at the night view of Dubai. He had endured countless nights under this night sky, and all his efforts had finally paid off. He had no regrets, except that the applause in the private room behind him seemed a little hypocritical.
But perhaps this is the price of climbing upwards. Just like the Burj Khalifa below us, the higher you go, the narrower the space becomes, the thinner the air becomes, and the fewer people can share your space.
"Lawyer Xiao, you are the star tonight, why are you staying here alone?" The proprietress was about to go into the private room to toast.
"Oh, I drank a little too much. I came out to get some fresh air. Thank you for your help again tonight." Xiao Weiyan saw her figure through the glass, put on a smile in time, turned around and greeted her.
The proprietress laughed heartily. "You're being a bit polite when you say these things to me. It's my honor to be able to give Xiao Lu a farewell party! Alas, I really don't want to see you go. I was planning to go in and offer you a few glasses of wine. For all your care for my little shop and your help to our old lady... Hey, I won't say much more about thank you, lest you think I'm being polite again. This bottle of wine is a treasured possession of our shop. Take it back tonight. Consider it my farewell party. I wish you a bright future!"
Xiao Weiyan took the wooden wine box, gently pushed open the lid, and took a look. He knew the wine was very valuable. He thought the proprietress had really taken out her best. Unexpectedly, at the time of parting, among all the people, only the proprietress in front of him was truly reluctant to let him go.
"Although I will not be in Dubai in the future, if you and Director Ma need anything, you can contact me at any time and I will do my best." At this moment, Xiao Weiyan regarded the proprietress as a real friend.
"Oh, that's fantastic! I have all sorts of customers here, and it's easy to get into trouble if you're not careful. It's so hard for us Chinese to make a living abroad! My husband isn't as capable as you, yet he became a partner in a law firm at such a young age. It's still my mother-in-law who's got a good eye for people. You're truly amazing!" The landlady beamed, full of praise and a thumbs-up. "Oh, look at me, I was so happy I almost forgot my mother-in-law's instructions. She told me to tell you that sometimes her pulse diagnosis isn't accurate, especially at such an early stage. Even blood tests can't always tell the truth, let alone a pulse diagnosis. So, she thought about it and decided she must have made a mistake!"
The old lady had misjudged the man, but she hadn't misjudged the pulse. The shop owner simply wanted to reassure Xiao Weiyan. After all, prying into someone's secrets was like holding someone's hand, which would be detrimental to maintaining their relationship in the future. They also hoped that a top lawyer like Xiao Weiyan would be able to provide more support in the future.
Xiao Weiyan took it seriously: "Wrong? Director Ma has been practicing medicine for thirty years, how could he be wrong?"
"Hey, this little old lady, she's made a lot of mistakes in the past thirty years, haha!" The proprietress was quick-witted and changed the subject. "By the way, your young man came here at noon today! I saw him eating with a few Saudis in a private room. He ordered all the delicious dishes and was really generous with his money! I didn't ask you much about this young man's background that night, but is he a big businessman here?"
A high-end Chinese restaurant located on the Burj Khalifa relies on the care of its own people. After Xiao Weiyan left, the owner couldn't wait to attract new customers.
“Saudis?”
"That's right! Your little brother looks very polite, but he is very open-minded. He gave tips to my kitchen staff in private and poured Maotai into a small teapot and served it. If this happened in Saudi Arabia, he would be arrested by the religious police! When the waiter came to tell me, I was wondering where this young man came from. But when I saw that he was your friend, Xiao Lu, it's no wonder he dared to do anything! Those Saudis were so drunk that they seemed to have signed some document with him. When they left, they were all very happy." The proprietress described it vividly. She wanted to attract a new customer, but was afraid that the new customer was too unreliable. If Xiao Weiyan could say a few words to guarantee her, she would have nothing to worry about.
When did Zheng Juyong meet the Saudis? Hadn't I convinced him to return home? If they'd signed some deal, how could Guan Ying leave? Besides, what kind of deal could he have signed on his own? And at a banquet? Anyone who heard this would have found it odd... It was just that I'd instigated him to bring Guan Ying back home to buy more time so I could stay and take care of Jiawei's pregnancy. Now that the pregnancy was unclear and Guan Ying had parted ways with me, there was no chance of having the best of both worlds.
"He's not a big deal, he just works at my girlfriend's company..." Xiao Weiyan frowned. Since he wouldn't be based in Dubai anymore, it would be awkward for him to take on the responsibility. "Actually, to be honest, my girlfriend broke up with me because I was being transferred to Vancouver... He and I don't have anything to do with each other anymore. If there's a next time, you can do whatever you want with him if you think he's wrong."
Xiao Weiyan didn't want to give Zheng Juyong what he couldn't get. Moreover, they had always disliked each other, and it would be best if Zheng Juyong could also have a taste of the hardships he had experienced in Dubai.
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