0045 Model Student
On the morning of New Year's Day, Qu Zhong finally finished filing the last closed legal aid case and sent it to the legal aid center.
By the afternoon, she had nothing to do. Starting at two o'clock, her colleagues began to pack up and go home.
This is one of the major advantages of working at a law firm: relatively flexible hours. For example, you don't need to clock in and out every day, and you can go home earlier on holidays. If it's Chinese New Year or National Day, you can even ask for leave a few days in advance to go home.
After Qu Zhong finished her work, she sent a message to Zhai Shi, asking him when he could get off work.
"Five o'clock," he replied, just like usual.
There were only a few people left in the office. Qu Zhong didn't want to sit at his workstation for hours before leaving, so he sincerely asked, "Can't we leave earlier?"
Zhai said helplessly, "I need to clock in."
"Okay... I don't think your eight-hour workday is very good either."
Inflexible, unyielding, and lacking in human compassion.
Zhai had no rebuttal and responded with a shrug emoji to show his agreement.
Qu Zhong reluctantly said, "Then you're busy," and turned to switch to the Qianjinzhong group chat, intending to chat with Feng Jing and Lin Qianqian for a while to pass the time.
After waiting for a long time, Feng Jing didn't reply with a single word. Lin Qianqian did reply, but it was very perfunctory. Qu Zhong couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
Lin Qianqian sent her a short video. Qu Zhong opened it on silent. It had a sky-blue background and featured a group of tiny pink jellyfish-like figures happily doing several somersaults within the limited frame.
Qu Zhong raises a question mark.
Lin Qianqian enthusiastically recommended: "I've discovered a treasure of a game, go download it and play together!"
Qu Zhong shot her a sharp look through the screen, her expression serious: "Slacking off during work hours, huh? I'd like to report you."
Lin Qianqian sent another picture. Qu Zhong opened her eyes wide and saw her expensive high-end business laptop neatly placed on the small table of the high-speed train.
Qu Zhong typed: "Are you going back to your hometown?"
Lin Qianqian replied, "I would like to go back, but the project has to be given up."
Goodness, I have to go on a business trip even during New Year's Day. Is this the fate of non-litigation lawyers?
Qu Zhong's tone softened involuntarily: "How many days will it take?"
Lin Qianqian sent a long, plaintive voice message: "I don't know. I just received feedback from the review department this morning. I have to go to the issuer to give a report. I also need to collect some materials and get some bank statements, so it might take a week before I can be back."
"Look how miserable I am, I should hurry up and play some games. I'll be busy after I get off the high-speed train."
She deeply sympathized with the hardships faced by working people, so she sent Lin Qianqian a head-patting emoji, encouraging her to have fun on the way.
The group chat quickly quieted down. Qu Zhong, having nothing to do, casually opened a single-player game.
Finally, Zhai got off work, and the two went to a shopping mall called "Tingyan Pavilion" in Zone C for dinner.
This is a large Japanese department store chain, originally founded in Kyoto, with its main store in Osaka. Currently, it has only one store in mainland China, located in Zone C of Shanghai. It enjoys a constant flow of customers every day, especially during holidays when it sees a significant influx of tourists from other regions.
Zhai had made a reservation in advance at a Japanese restaurant inside. The restaurant was decorated with many anime posters and festive elements, creating a bright and cheerful atmosphere.
Qu Zhong picked up a piece of sushi and put it in her mouth, glancing at the wall clock: "What are we going to do after we finish eating?"
Zhai took a sip of water and mumbled, "Use your eyes."
"What is that?" Qu Zhong asked him to speak in plain language.
Zhai smiled and told him his plan: "You can choose to watch the lights or a movie."
Like a thoughtful legislator, he specially designed an optional clause for her to deal with ever-changing and unpredictable needs.
Qu Zhong grinned and asked for details: "Where are we going to see the lights?"
Zhai simply replied with two words: "Yuyuan".
"Oh..." Qu Zhong seemed thoughtful, her tone devoid of emotion, as if she were handing over a rumor that didn't have much credibility. "I've heard of this street, it's very famous."
Zhai then asked, "Have you been there?"
"No." Qu Zhong tilted his head, seemingly regretful. "Thinking about it carefully, I've been in Shanghai for almost six years, but I haven't actually been to many places."
During her time at university, she spent every day reading literature and writing papers. Her only moment of relaxation was grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby shopping mall. After graduation, she was busy with work and never even considered taking the time to properly explore the city beneath her feet. The farthest place she'd ever been was... the banks of the Shanghai River?
Zhai was silent for a few seconds, then looked at her and said, "It's okay, we can go slowly later. I'll lead the way."
Qu Zhong put down her chopsticks and rolled her eyes at him: "You're pretty skilled, aren't you?"
Zhai smiled and said, "I have indeed been to Yu Garden a few times."
Qu Zhong hummed softly, still conducting due diligence: "Who did you all go with?"
“My elders at home.” Zhai knew what she wanted to ask, his eyes open and frank, “When I was little, I liked to go there during holidays to join in the fun, but I haven’t gone much since junior and senior high school. Now, I feel that it’s become quite commercialized.”
Qu Zhong couldn't help but laugh when she heard the first few words. She immediately made her choice: "Then I don't want to go. It's New Year's Eve today, there will definitely be a lot of people. What's the point of squeezing through crowds? It's also very dangerous."
Zhai nodded and offered Plan B: "Then let's watch a movie."
Qu Zhong asked, "What movie?"
“The Movie: 'The Cheat Code',” Zhai announced the film's title.
This name... Qu Zhong raised his eyes in confusion: "Esports theme?"
Zhai Shi clarified: "No. It's a crime film, a Thai movie."
Qu Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" Zhai asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"I thought... I thought you would buy those kinds of romance movies, art films, or comedies."
A faint smile appeared in Zhai's eyes, like the shimmering surface of a lake after a thousand sails have passed, containing both boundless depth and a sense of serene ease: "I guess you would prefer crime films to these."
Qu Zhong blushed and felt hot under his gaze, wondering if he really had mind-reading abilities. She muttered, "You know everything now."
Zhai nodded, his smile deepening: "Am I wrong?"
Yes, absolutely right. In recent years, domestically produced dramas—romance films about youthful angst, art films that are confusing and unclear, and comedies that don't make you laugh—have absolutely no interest in any of them.
But she wasn't going to tell him.
After a two-second silence, Qu Zhong pursed her lips and asked, "What time are the tickets?"
Zhai replied: "One hour later."
"Then stop talking nonsense and start eating!"
"..."
On New Year's Eve, the streets of Shanghai were deserted, and all the cinemas were packed.
The two quickly arrived at the screening room and took their seats, and the film soon began.
The so-called "cheating" actually refers to a human-like cheat code. The crime theme involves organizing cheating on exams.
The film tells the story of two gifted high school students attending an elite private school who agree to help a group of wealthy classmates cheat on exams in order to earn money for their high tuition fees. Later, blinded by greed, they escalate their schemes, eventually organizing a large-scale international cheating operation by exploiting time differences.
The entire performance is fast-paced and features rousing music. The two young actors deliver an excellent performance, capturing the nerve-wracking atmosphere of the cheating process and making it captivating.
When the scene showed the female lead putting an eraser with the exam answers written on it into her shoe and kicking it to the second female lead right under the examiner's nose, the entire audience in the theater tensed up.
Qu Zhong lowered her head and whispered to the person next to her, "So you like this kind of excitement?"
Zhai chuckled softly, found her hand in the darkness, and held it tightly.
He really likes it.
Zhai was once just like the protagonist at the beginning of the film. He was law-abiding, followed the rules, and every step he took was traceable. No one was more suitable to be a prosecutor than him; he was so righteous that he had never cheated once in his life.
Yet, this same man, whom countless people admire and envy, has fantasized more than once about having a whimsical, fearless, and willful Zhai Shi replace him, to navigate and interact with this complex world in a completely different way, seeking the thrills he has always wanted but could not obtain.
Later, Zhai indeed appeared. From the moment he agreed to start that casual sex relationship with Qu Zhong, his life trajectory began to deviate.
Just like the protagonist in this film, he started out stubborn and indecisive, but gradually became wavering, and finally agreed to join the game. And his ambition swelled bigger and bigger, until it became uncontrollable.
Everything stemmed from the female protagonist's words: "You are an honest person, yet in the end, you were still deceived by life."
The first two hours were absolutely fantastic. It's a pity, or rather, not a pity. Because it's being shown in China, the ending inevitably has to conform to the values of the Chinese legal system.
At the end of the film, the male protagonist suggests continuing to organize cheating, but the female protagonist chooses to stop at the last minute and turns herself in to the police.
After leaving the movie theater, Qu Zhong was still savoring the experience, yet also felt a sense of disappointment: "I thought it would be a thrilling movie."
Zhai smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, leading her forward: "Isn't this satisfying?"
Qu Zhong followed in his footsteps, arguing vehemently, "How is this satisfying? After working so hard for so long, all we got was nothing but a perfect crime."
"Perfect crime... What a dangerous statement!" Zhai raised his hand and affectionately pinched her cheek: "Is this something a criminal defense lawyer should say?"
"Oh right!" Qu Zhong suddenly straightened his neck, excited as if a case worth tens of millions of yuan had been delivered to his door. "It's good that the female lead turned herself in. I really want to ask the director if there are any plans to make 'Cheat 2'. I hope he can add a criminal defense lawyer role so I can defend the female lead."
Her wildly imaginative ideas made Zhai laugh. He put on a serious face and analyzed the possibilities for her: "Well, then you might need to take an international lawyer's license exam and learn some Thai."
Qu Zhong hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll think about it some more."
Zhai responded, "No rush, let's think about it at home."
"..."
As soon as Qu Zhong reached the underground parking lot, he turned on his phone and saw several missed calls from Lin Qianqian.
She found it odd; they usually discussed things in WeChat groups, so why was she suddenly calling? Worried that something urgent had happened, Qu Zhong quickly called her back.
The call was answered instantly.
Have you gotten off the high-speed train?
Why aren't you answering the phone?
The two spoke at the same time, and then fell silent at the same time.
Qu Zhong explained to her, "I was watching a movie, and my phone was on silent." Then she asked, "Where are you? It's so noisy!"
Lin Qianqian's urgent voice broke through the percussion: "Never mind where I am, hurry up and go to the Sixth Hospital to see Feng Jing."
"Huh?" Upon hearing the words "Sixth Hospital," Qu Zhong also became anxious. "Why is she hospitalized? What happened?"
Lin Qianqian replied, "She has food poisoning and is probably still in the emergency room. I don't know the specifics. I can't go back for a while, so you should go and check on her first."
Qu Zhong then remembered that Feng Jing hadn't spoken in the group chat since this afternoon. She thought he was in court, but it turned out he had gone straight to the hospital.
"Okay, I'll go right now."
After hanging up the phone, before Qu Zhong could explain the situation, Zhai Shi spoke first: "I'll go with you."
*
Lin Qianqian plays a game called Fall Guys, a PC game. The movie "Cheat" is based on the movie "Bad Genius," also known as the chapter title "Model Student."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
