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Over the next few days, life seemed to return to a certain peaceful routine. Qi Shuo went to work and came home as usual, and Tan Huaiyu's law firm was so busy that he was constantly on the go, but the three meals a day were still delivered to the factory on time without fail.
The only change is that the person delivering the food has changed from coming in person to a delivery guy wearing a yellow helmet. There's always a note on the insulated bag that says "Eat well," written in Tan Huaiyu's handwriting, but it's obviously pre-written and used in bulk.
Qi Shuo looked at the generic note, then at the still exquisite and carefully prepared meal in his hand, and said nothing, simply finishing his meal in silence.
The vague, indescribable emotions in my heart seemed to be slightly soothed by this standardized process, yet they also seemed to be buried even deeper in some corner.
That afternoon, the factory machines underwent routine maintenance, and the factory closed two hours early. Qi Shuo walked out of the workshop, looked at the still early sky, and unusually did not immediately return to his dormitory.
He stood at the factory gate, watching the endless stream of cars on the road. After hesitating for a moment, he took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found Tan Huaiyu's profile picture.
His finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before finally typing: [At the law firm?]
The message was replied to almost instantly: [Yes. What's up?] followed by a little puppy emoji peeking out.
Qi Shuo looked at the slightly lively emoji, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly: [Have you had dinner?]
Tan Huaiyu's message displayed "typing..." for a while before finally replying: [Ah, sorry, sorry, I was so busy today, I forgot to order in advance! I'll order right away. Should it be delivered to the factory? Or should you go back to Sister Jin's?]
Qi Shuo replied: [No need to order, I'll come over.]
After a while, it displayed "Typing...", and finally replied with just one word: [Okay.] along with the law firm's location.
Qi Shuo put away his phone and went to a nearby restaurant that Tan Huaiyu liked to order two meals. Carrying a simple plastic bag, he followed the navigation, boarded a bus, and headed towards the location.
The law firm is located in a burgeoning business district, surrounded by towering buildings whose glass curtain walls reflect the golden light of the setting sun, where men and women in formal attire hurry by.
Qi Shuo, dressed in faded dark blue overalls and carrying a cheap plastic lunchbox, looked somewhat out of place walking on the gleaming marble floor. He could feel some subtle, almost imperceptible, glances, but he remained calm and didn't stop walking.
He found the office building, took the elevator, and pressed the button for his floor. He was the only one in the elevator; the mirrored wall reflected his silent face and the oil-stained cuffs of his work pants. He glanced at it, then looked away.
With a "ding," the elevator arrived. The doors opened, revealing a simple, modern wooden sign that read "Qihuai Law Firm." The lettering was gilded, gleaming subtly under the soft lighting.
The glass door was open, revealing a spacious office area, stylish desks, huge green plants, and several well-dressed young people busily working inside.
The air was filled with the aroma of coffee, paper, and ink, mixed with an efficient, otherworldly scent.
Qi Shuo paused for a moment at the door before stepping inside.
The receptionist was a well-groomed young woman with a polite smile. Upon seeing Qi Shuo, she stood up and asked politely, "Hello, sir, how can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Tan Huaiyu," Qi Shuo said.
The girl paused for a moment, probably not expecting anyone to address their boss by his full name, especially such a visitor... dressed in work clothes. But she quickly regained her professional smile: "Do you have an appointment?"
“No,” Qi Shuo said. “Tell him, Qi Shuo.”
A hint of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes, but her good professionalism prevented her from asking any further questions. She immediately picked up the internal phone: "Attorney Tan, a Mr. Qi Shuo is looking for you at the front desk."
After a brief exchange on the other end of the phone, the girl quickly hung up, her smile becoming even more genuine: "Mr. Qi, Attorney Tan is in his office inside. I'll take you there."
"No need, thank you." Qi Shuo refused, noticing the slightly ajar door at the end of the corridor.
The girl didn't insist and watched him walk inside with a smile.
Qi Shuo carried his lunchbox as he walked through the open office area. Several young assistants and lawyers who were engrossed in their work looked up at him with curiosity and scrutiny in their eyes, but quickly lowered their heads again to continue with their work.
Everyone here was smartly dressed and focused. The sound of typing on keyboards was crisp and frequent. The ringing of telephones and the hushed conversations intertwined to create a background sound that was completely different from the factory workshop where he was, which was filled with the roar of machine oil and metal.
This is Tan Huaiyu's world now. Clean, bright, efficient, professional, and full of elite atmosphere.
He walked to the slightly ajar dark wooden door but did not knock immediately.
Tan Huaiyu's voice came from inside the door, completely different from the gentle, occasionally cautious tone he used when speaking to him normally.
It was a calm, clear voice with an unquestionable sense of authority. The speech was not fast, but every word seemed to have been precisely crafted, with clear organization and rigorous logic.
He was on the phone with someone, seemingly discussing the details of a case, involving legal jargon and business terms that Qi Shuo didn't understand.
"...Mr. Wang, regarding the supplementary clause of Article 37 of the contract, concerning the definition of liability for breach of contract, we maintain our previous opinion that the scope of force majeure must be clearly defined; otherwise, we cannot bear the unlimited joint and several risks that may arise from it..."
"Yes, I understand your concerns, but from the perspective of legal practice and precedents, vague clauses are extremely disadvantageous to our client..."
"If the other party insists, we can suggest that the client consider making appropriate adjustments to the price, but the clarity of the terms is the bottom line..."
Qi Shuo stood outside the door, listening quietly. Through the crack in the door, he could see Tan Huaiyu's back.
He sat behind a large desk, his back straight, wearing a well-fitting dark gray suit without a tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his smooth forearm.
He held the phone in one hand, while unconsciously tapping the documents on the desk with the other. His profile appeared somewhat hard under the bright office lights, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were sharp and focused.
This is a completely different Tan Huaiyu. Not the Tan Huaiyu who clumsily helped out in Sister Jin's kitchen, not the Tan Huaiyu who waited quietly at the factory gate, and certainly not the Tan Huaiyu who was flustered and blushing in the living room late at night.
This is Attorney Tan, an elite who navigates this new and bright world with ease.
The calm lake in Qi Shuo's heart seemed to have been disturbed by a small pebble, creating a delicate ripple. The ripple was light, yet it carried a clear, cool quality that distinguished certain things.
He didn't move or interrupt; he simply stood there, like a bystander who had stumbled upon the scene, quietly watching the familiar yet unfamiliar figure inside the door and listening to the calm and distant voice.
Tan Huaiyu seemed to have ended the call, saying into the microphone, "Okay, that's all for now. We'll finalize the details at tomorrow's meeting," before hanging up. He leaned back in his large office chair, rubbed his temples, and looked tired.
Just as he was rubbing his temples and his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the doorway, he suddenly stopped.
He saw Qi Shuo standing outside the door.
In that instant, all the composure, professionalism, and weariness on Tan Huaiyu's face vanished like a receding tide, replaced by a clear look of astonishment. Then, his amber eyes suddenly lit up, like stars suddenly ignited. He almost immediately sprang from his chair, walked around the large desk, and strode towards the door.
"Qi Shuo? What brings you here? Have you been waiting long? Why don't you come in?"
He spoke quickly, firing off a series of questions, his voice filled with undisguised surprise and a hint of panic, a stark contrast to the calm and assertive "Attorney Tan" he had spoken to on the phone earlier.
He walked up to Qi Shuo and naturally reached out to take the plastic bag from his hand, the movement so practiced it seemed he'd done it a thousand times. "This is... the lunch I brought?"
His eyes crinkled into a smile, and the weariness and distance he had shown on the phone vanished without a trace, replaced by the gentle and dependent look that Qi Shuo was familiar with.
Qi Shuo let go of his hand, letting him take the lunchbox bag. His gaze calmly swept over Tan Huaiyu's crisp suit before settling back on Tan Huaiyu's eyes, which were slightly bright with surprise.
"Hmm," Qi Shuo responded calmly, "On the way."
He stood in the brightly lit corridor of the law firm, filled with an air of elite sophistication, still carrying the faint smell of metal and machine oil unique to factory workshops.
Tan Huaiyu, dressed in an expensive suit, stood at the center of his glamorous world, but in his hand he was carrying an incongruous cheap plastic lunchbox bag, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
At this moment, the two worlds briefly intersected in an abrupt and strange way.
Qi Shuo's gaze involuntarily fell first on his open shirt collar. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a long, clean neck and clear collarbone, which looked almost dazzlingly white under the bright office lights.
The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and the skin on the forearms appeared exceptionally fair against the dark gray suit, with even the pale blue veins visible beneath the skin.
This demeanor was eerily similar to the calm, professional, and unquestionable "Lawyer Tan" from the phone call just now, yet completely different from the Tan Huaiyu in front of him, whose eyes were shining and who looked as happy as if she had received candy.
A strange feeling, mixed with displeasure and irritability, suddenly surged into Qi Shuo's heart.
Almost without thinking, Qi Shuo reached out his empty hand as Tan Huaiyu took the handle of the lunchbox bag.
Those hands, calloused and with distinct knuckles, reached past the plastic bag and, with precise, irresistible force, pressed down on Tan Huaiyu's open shirt collar.
Tan Huaiyu was stunned, frozen in place, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, her amber eyes clearly reflecting Qi Shuo's expressionless face.
Qi Shuo didn't look at him. With his eyes lowered, his fingers deftly and quickly fastened the two open buttons, one after another, until they were completely sealed.
His fingertips inevitably brushed against the warm skin on Tan Huaiyu's neck, bringing a subtle, chilling sensation. He could feel Tan Huaiyu's Adam's apple bob slightly, and his breath seemed to hold.
After buttoning up his collar, Qi Shuo didn't retract his hand. Instead, he moved downwards and grasped Tan Huaiyu's shirt sleeve, which was rolled up to his forearm.
His movements were far from gentle, even a bit stiff, as he ripped the fine shirt fabric from the elbow down to the wrist, completely covering the exposed skin, and even carefully smoothed and straightened the cuffs.
After doing all this, Qi Shuo let go of her hand, as if she had just completed a trivial matter, her expression remaining calm and unwavering.
"Yes, I brought this for you." He said calmly, as if the series of actions that had just been marked by strong personal characteristics had never happened.
Tan Huaiyu suddenly came to her senses, her cheeks flushed instantly, reddening from her ears to her neck, and she even felt the skin on the side of her neck where Qi Shuo's fingertips had touched it was faintly burning.
He hurriedly took the lunchbox bag, his fingers clumsy, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his tongue felt tied in knots, and he finally managed to stammer out, "Th-thank you..."
He felt completely disoriented by Qi Shuo's attacks.
The movement was so natural, so matter-of-fact, carrying an unquestionable sense of control, as if... it were organizing one's own belongings.
This thought made Tan Huaiyu's face turn even redder. He subconsciously raised his hand and touched the tightly buttoned collar, then looked down at the neatly pulled cuffs. He exuded an air of obedience and helplessness after being "disciplined".
Qi Shuo looked at him, his face expressionless, but the inexplicable irritation that welled up inside him seemed to have been strangely calmed down by the "neatness" of his collar and cuffs. He looked away, his voice still indifferent: "Go inside and eat, it'll get cold."
"Okay, okay!" Tan Huaiyu nodded quickly and stepped aside. "Come in quickly."
He led Qi Shuo into his office, closed the door, and shut out the curious glances, both overt and covert, from outside. Only the two of them remained in the office, along with the lingering, elitist aura of another world, and… the simple aroma of food wafting from a cheap lunchbox.
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