Chapter 26 "One year, all the rest..."
When Lin Chaoyue came out dejectedly, Nie Shanshan and Meng Yuzhi were waiting for her outside.
"What's wrong? Why the expression? I just saw you two chatting quite happily."
"You said it yourself, just now."
Lin Chaoyue held the due diligence report and racked her brains to get some clues. She had just seen hope when she got to the most crucial signing stage. Jin Zailai's boss lady refused to sign no matter what.
She felt like a monkey, being played like a fool.
"What should I do? I just called Pei Lu's office for help, and he told me to try to solve it myself first." Meng Yuzhi was a little discouraged. She had tried her best, but some things just can't be accomplished by effort alone.
She was made to cry after being talked to yesterday, and today she shamelessly went to talk to him again, only to be kicked out.
Lin Chaoyue was a little surprised to hear this: "Taked a landline? Pei Shuwen went to work?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
Going to work is nothing unusual.
Lin Chaoyue's unexpected reaction was rather strange.
Everyone glanced at her sideways.
Lin Chaoyue realized she had overreacted and let out a long sigh: "It's nothing."
Then he shook the folded sheets in his hand: "I've also found out some information. This should be enough for you to sort out today. I'll think of a way to get the final signatures later."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Meng Yuzhi took the form and hurried back to carry out the subsequent work.
Nie Jingjing didn't leave, looking at Lin Chaoyue with curiosity.
"Tell me, how did you do it? This morning, several of us took turns trying, our throats were almost dry, but that old woman wouldn't listen to reason. I was so angry I wanted to hit someone." Nie Shanshan blinked, deliberately lowering her voice when she mentioned the 'old woman'.
He didn't look like he wanted to hit someone; he looked more like he was afraid of being hit himself.
“She wanted to buy a bag, and I had an account I could use. I offered to lend it to her, and she agreed,” Lin Chaoyue said.
Nie Shanshan raised an eyebrow: "And then? I've already borrowed all your things, why haven't you signed the papers yet?"
Lin Chaoyue said with a long face, "I just found out that the account was blocked by my mother and will be unlocked again in 100 years."
Nie Shanshan laughed out loud, which was quite unkind of her.
Lin Chaoyue was even angrier.
Throughout her childhood battles with Ms. Zhong, she had always suffered crushing defeats. Old Lin never sided with her either. After finally graduating and wanting to settle down completely, she was sent back to China to do manual labor, all right under Pei Shuwen's nose.
Especially when she thought about what happened last night, her mixed feelings were filled with resentment...
Nie Shanshan had also heard Lin Chaoyue mention her mother a few times, and felt quite sympathetic: "No wonder when I was outside just now, the proprietress of Jin Zai Lai looked like she wanted to eat someone alive. She probably thought you were a little liar. If you ask me, we should stop struggling. You should call Pei Lu again later... wait, why did you turn on the camera?"
"Leave a record of your work."
"..."
Nie Shanshan: "You don't need to be so quick to apply what you've learned."
Lin Chaoyue typed a line, thought for a moment, and then deleted it one by one: "By the way, I'd like to ask for help from my all-powerful WeChat Moments."
"Will it work?" Nie Shanshan was quite skeptical.
"Give it a try."
Lin Chaoyue didn't know if it would work, but she wanted everyone to know that she had worked hard today!
Especially those two lucky gods of wealth in the family who can generate tons of gold coins.
I posted it on WeChat Moments.
Lin Chaoyue, holding a cup, huddled in the tea room, frequently refreshing the page.
But today, the number of likes was noticeably slower, and there were even fewer replies.
She didn't drink a drop of the water Nie Shanshan poured for her, but she sighed several times.
Nie Shanshan tilted her head and leaned closer: "I think the main problem is that your clothes today are too informal. Yesterday's outfit was much better, and it really gave off the vibe of a powerful career woman."
"real?"
"Really, why would I lie to you? But who is this? They said they'd be here later, and you actually called for backup?"
Nie Shanshan saw a comment pop up below this post on her WeChat Moments.
I'll try to overcome this myself first; I'll be there later.
"who?"
Nie Shanshan pointed precisely at Pei Shuwen's reply: "Well, outsiders without work badges probably can't get in, and our internal files also need to be kept confidential. I advise you to be careful."
Lin Chaoyue didn't expect Pei Shuwen to comment on her. She failed to catch the God of Wealth, but instead caught this evil spirit.
"Ahem, why don't you take a closer look at who that is?"
"Who?" The note reads... Pei the Skinflint, ? Who in the institute has the surname Pei...?
“Pei Lu.”
"Yes, Pei Shuwen."
Nie Shanshan's expression was complicated. She stood there thinking for a while, then glanced at Lin Chaoyue and couldn't help but look her up and down: "How come you even have Pei Lu's WeChat? I heard from the rumors that Pei Lu has been looking for an assistant. Could it be you?"
Lin Chaoyue shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, no, no, I've already reached my limit by the time I've managed to hold on. If I become his assistant, I'm afraid I'll be crippled."
"That's true."
Pei Shuwen has been with Juntian Liangmu for two years and has mentored two assistants, both of whom are now senior lawyers in the firm who can work independently.
At this rate of growth, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it extreme exploitation.
Nie Shanshan: "Recently, many people in the institute have been quite concerned about this matter, and we don't know who will be chosen in the end."
"I didn't hear people say that at the last gathering?" Lin Chaoyue was clearly puzzled. "Some people even warned me that I would be in big trouble if Pei Lu targeted me. Has the wind changed so quickly? Pei Shuwen drugged them."
“Listen to what they have to say.” Nie Shanshan had an expression that suggested she had ‘seen through’ human nature.
“Following Attorney Pei may be tiring, but as the tide rises, so too will you rise. You’ll probably be able to do whatever you want in the firm. Look at Attorney Tang Chenbin. Two years ago, he was just like you and me. Now he’s handling big cases. Last time, he won a case about corruption in the financial sector, which made him famous. Now he’s a true protégé. In a few years, he’ll be promoted to partner.”
"In my opinion, people say no, but their actions tell a different story. They are willing to be exploited."
Lin Chaoyue's lips twitched involuntarily: "So many masochists in the law firm, they're happy to be abused? What kind of wolf den have I stumbled into?"
Nie Shanshan remained noncommittal: "Alright, let's go. Pei Lu will be here soon. This Jin Zai Lai boss lady is really difficult to deal with. We can just have Pei Lu sign the papers directly."
"So we're just going to leave them here like this? That doesn't seem like a good idea."
Lin Chaoyue made an excuse to go to the restroom before coming out. The proprietress refused to sign, but chatted enthusiastically with her, saying that she would show her the new bags she had bought this season.
"You still want to keep chatting? Can you even get an account? Otherwise, you're just wasting your time. There's a method to working hard. Look at how you leave work-related traces on your WeChat Moments. I did stop you."
"Account, account."
As Lin Chaoyue was muttering to herself, someone tagged her in the group chat again. Since she returned to China, she had been invited out to eat, drink, and have fun almost every day. She refused, but everyone kept doing it. When they tagged her again, she pretended not to see it.
Swipe away the message.
Lin Chaoyue paused for a moment, as if she had suddenly realized something, and her eyes lit up when she looked at Nie Shanshan.
"You can actually get an account."
Her mother, Ms. Zhong, gave a strict order that no one should lend her money, but she could always borrow money from her bank account.
She remembered that several people in the group were keen on buying bags, and their account levels were even higher than hers.
Lin Chaoyue lent it out without hesitation; after a few casual words in the group chat, she had the account.
She went back excitedly, but the person was gone.
Lin Chaoyue asked around and finally found out that she wanted to drink hand-ground coffee and had been invited to the office of the general manager of Anjiang Group. She wouldn't be back for a while.
As soon as Lin Chaoyue finished speaking, Nie Shanshan's face turned green instantly, even greener than the morning they had the car accident.
Nie Shanshan: "Even the client who acquired her has to cater to her. She's really a living ancestor. I've never encountered such an uncooperative client since I started my internship. I can't hit her or scold her. It's so frustrating!"
Lin Chaoyue shrugged. She had read the complete file, and she really couldn't blame anyone else for this.
Three years ago, Anjiang Group was preparing to acquire Jinzailai Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., but at that time, Juntian Liangmu's lawyer made a big mistake in the due diligence process and failed to discover the murder case that Jinzailai had deliberately hidden.
The acquisition price had been agreed upon and part of the contract had been signed, but it was later forced to be shelved.
However, during the suspension, Jin Zai Lai's boss died in a car accident, leaving behind only his wife, who had been a housewife for ten years and knew nothing and could do nothing.
The acquisition almost fell through.
Jun Tianliang faces huge compensation claims due to dereliction of duty. The person in charge of the project at Anjiang Group has also been dismissed.
But for some reason, the compensation issue was dropped until this year when Anjiang Group restarted the acquisition and once again commissioned Juntian Liangmu to handle the case.
The good thing is that most of the things that were prepared beforehand were readily available, so there wasn't much work for them to do.
But there are also some tricky aspects.
For example, many positions in both companies have changed, so the signatures from back then are invalid and they all need to be re-signed now.
Jin Zai Lai even changed the legal representative, who became the original boss's wife, Jiang Fenghua.
The senior lawyers in the firm were all busy with their own work and wouldn't do such trivial and somewhat subservient tasks, so they were sent over.
Lin Chaoyue: "Let's wait a little longer, she'll come back eventually."
As she spoke, she leaned against the wall, switched her phone to a game—since she was just waiting anyway, she might as well have some fun first.
"You're being way too blatant to play games during work hours."
Lin Chaoyue: "What are you afraid of? Pei Shuwen isn't here. How about we play a game together?"
Nie Shanshan also plays this game. Seeing Lin Chaoyue play it made her itchy to play as well, but she only dared to play it after get off work.
"Fine, I'll watch you play and keep watch for you."
Supposedly to keep watch for Lin Chaoyue, Nie Shanshan became even more engrossed in the game than Lin Chaoyue herself, constantly giving instructions throughout.
"Someone's in the bushes! Someone's in the bushes!"
"There are 5.56 bullets in the next room... Is this enough? There are only 150 bullets, and they'll be gone in a second. Trust me... Pick up a few more."
"Scopes, you don't want the 8x scope? Sometimes I can't even find one in a whole game, hurry up and pick it up."
Lin Chaoyue's forehead creased with three black lines. Was this a shooting game or a hoarding game?
Two rounds of the game were played.
Nie Shanshan argued with her for two rounds right next to her.
In the last game, the safe zone didn't spawn well, and she was just two kills away from winning. Nie Shanshan was quite disappointed and urged her to continue.
"Again, again."
"Your addiction is even greater than mine. Why don't you come up and play with me?"
"No way, I just think you're terrible at the game. You've been playing for so long and you've never won a chicken dinner."
Lin Chaoyue raised an eyebrow: "What's your rank?"
Nie Shanshan touched her nose and looked away, clearly not wanting to answer the question directly.
"Ah, cough cough, never mind, you keep playing. Maybe Jin Zailai's landlady is already back. I'll go check."
Nie Shanshan was just running away, running away from her embarrassing 'bronze-level' skill.
But after going out to look around, she found that the person had actually come back.
"Lin Chaoyue, stop playing around. What if he really comes back? Do you want to ask Pei Lu when he'll arrive?"
"I won't ask. I'll try it first, and we'll see if it works."
Nie Shanshan thought Lin Chaoyue wanted to take the opportunity to show off, so she didn't stop her: "Okay, if you can't get away later, remember to send a message for help. We're looking for outside help. Pei Lu will definitely understand if we encounter such a difficult client."
Lin Chaoyue took a deep breath.
Pei Shuwen didn't understand why she didn't know, but when she thought about last night, she wanted to stay far away from Pei Shuwen.
If you can avoid seeing them, then avoid them.
"Don't say anything more, I'm going. Wish me luck."
Clutching the newly acquired account, Lin Chaoyue forced a smile and entered the adjacent lounge. She felt she hadn't faked as many smiles in the first half of her life as she had today.
The proprietress of Jinzai was kind enough to bring her a cup of coffee.
Aside from her constant procrastination and lack of cooperation, everything else about her was harmonious.
But the atmosphere in the workspace across the corridor was very subtle.
Everyone seemed busy, but their attention was focused on Pei Shuwen alone, and they were all very careful.
Especially Nie Shanshan, who went from being happy to falling into despair in just the time it takes to open a door.
Pei Shuwen, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.
Apart from asking them about their work progress at the beginning, I spent the rest of my time looking at the computer.
Half an hour later, Pei Shuwen finally got up and went out.
"What's going on? When did Pei Lu arrive?" Nie Shanshan finally couldn't help but ask.
Meng Yuzhi pointed to the computer Pei Shuwen had left behind: "When you were playing games, Pei Lu passed by and said not to disturb you. He must have asked for the surveillance footage from the lounge and has been watching it ever since."
Nie Shanshan felt like the sky had fallen.
Lin Chaoyue felt the same way.
Someone please save her!
She's never met such a difficult person in her entire life!
No matter what I said, it wouldn't work. The account used to buy the bag was accepted without question. The sales associate who introduced us added our contact information on the spot and then started rambling on and on, not getting to the point at all. She talked until her mouth was dry, and after taking a sip of coffee, her mouth was not only dry but also very bitter.
The atmosphere remained tense for a time.
She sent a message asking for help, but Nie Shanshan didn't reply for a long time, so she had to bite the bullet and talk for a while.
When she turned around and saw Pei Shuwen, she didn't even care about being embarrassed, and had an expression of 'finally being relieved'.
She now feels that Pei Shuwen is her savior.
Ignoring the fact that others were just standing at the door, she got up and opened the door for Pei Shuwen.
"Pei Lu, you've arrived. Please come in and have a seat."
"This is Attorney Pei, a partner in our firm. He came here specifically for your matter today. You two can discuss the rest. Attorney Pei is much more professional than I am."
Jiang Fenghua knows Pei Shuwen and seems to know him to some extent.
Just moments ago he was acting like a seasoned veteran, completely unfazed, but now, upon seeing someone, his smile froze, his face turned deathly pale, and as he stared at Pei Shuwen, his fingers remained tightly intertwined.
Lin Chaoyue had been mentally tormented by the proprietress for a long time and was only thinking about slipping away, so she didn't notice the strange atmosphere at all.
"Well, Pei Lu, I'll be going now."
"Wait a minute," Pei Shuwen called out to them.
"Is there anything else you need?" Lin Chaoyue cursed herself inwardly for being a 'lackey,' but that didn't stop her from greeting Pei Shuwen with a smile.
He had overheard everything Lin Chaoyue and Jiang Fenghua had said, and he found it quite interesting, wanting to hear more. So he ignored Lin Chaoyue's expression.
Pei Shuwen: "This isn't my job. I just happened to be passing by today. Please continue."
"Well, you've certainly made it quite far," Lin Chaoyue said through gritted teeth.
“It is a bit far.” Pei Shuwen didn’t even look at her. He picked up the notebook in front of her and looked at it. He was quite serious about his work. He had prepared a draft of what he wanted to say beforehand, but it was all too mild and missed the point.
However, it doesn't matter.
"Continue. Don't keep Ms. Jiang waiting too long. Finish your work by tonight at the latest."
"Should I continue? And it has to be resolved tonight?"
"right."
"What if I don't finish tonight?" What Lin Chaoyue wanted to say was, what if she couldn't get the signature tonight?
But the proprietress of Jinzailai was sitting right across from them.
It's not appropriate to discuss it so openly.
Pei Shuwen didn't care about all that. He leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands together, and said, "The process doesn't matter. I only care about the result."
The people in the office said that being targeted by Pei Shuwen would be terrible, but now she feels that they were being too conservative. It's not just terrible, it's torture!
She was forced to sit down again and continue, gritting her teeth.
She's tired of using the same old excuse.
But Pei Shuwen hadn't heard of it, so she repeated it. The proprietress of Jin Zai Lai, who had previously avoided direct answers but had engaged in small talk, had now simply fallen silent.
The only sound in the room was her voice.
She regretted it. She really regretted it. She should have taken the whole day off; why did she take only half a day and stay here to suffer?
She gave Pei Shuwen several meaningful glances along the way.
Pei Shuwen did acknowledge her. But what he said was, "If you keep watching me get the work done, I'll approve a workstation for you in my office when we get back."
Depend on.
If you're so good at being sarcastic and sarcastic, why don't you become a psychiatrist?
Lin Chaoyue was forced to remain silent for a long time because of these words.
She said something else after that, but she didn't mean it when she said those repetitive things, and she didn't remember a word of them after she finished speaking. It wasn't until Jiang Fenghua rejected her for the nth time that she simply gave up and tugged at Pei Shuwen's sleeve under the table, grabbing his wrist to make sure he wouldn't give in.
She couldn't take it anymore.
She'd rather be mocked, or even insulted or beaten than suffer a few more insults. She was going crazy. She wouldn't let go unless Pei Shuwen helped her.
Her palms were cool, her nails were clean and rounded, yet long, gripping the protrusion of his wrist bone with a light but firm touch.
In those few seconds, Lin Chaoyue mentally prepared herself. She was quite adept at acting cute and unreasonable; the worst that could happen was embarrassment. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd embarrassed herself, and it wasn't the first time Pei Shuwen had seen her do so.
But Pei Shuwen only glanced at her once from beginning to end, and after looking away, he let her pull him along. He sat down casually and then nonchalantly interrupted her extremely awkward monologue.
“Ms. Jiang, I remember that Mr. Jin has an illegitimate child outside of marriage. According to the current marriage law, children born in wedlock and children born out of wedlock have equal inheritance rights.”
A casual remark can be an absolute bombshell.
Lin Chaoyue was shocked.
Jiang Fenghua, who was sitting opposite, was also taken aback.
Lin Chaoyue saw that as her hands clenched, her facial muscles trembled uncontrollably.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything, I just suddenly thought of it and wanted to remind Ms. Jiang."
"I will never let that bastard get a single penny from me!" Every time Jiang Fenghua thought about this, it felt like there was a thorn stuck in her throat, and she hated it so much that she wanted to cut her flesh open and get rid of him as soon as possible.
Jiang Fenghua: "I know you're in a hurry to get me to sign so you can buy Jin Zai Lai at a low price. I also know you're just bullying us, a widow and her son. But Jin and I have a son, and our property will eventually belong to him. Even if Jin comes back to life, no one can take it away."
Pei Shuwen calmly said, "There's no need to fight for it. If the other party can produce a DNA test report, the son inheriting his deceased father's property is perfectly legal and reasonable."
"You are shameless! With me here, this is absolutely impossible! I will never let this happen!"
His tone was furious, which put him at a disadvantage.
Lin Chaoyue had no experience in business negotiations, but Pei Shuwen's words gave her a feeling that the matter was settled. All her other words were less effective than Pei Shuwen's.
She silently let go of his hand and even tugged at his sleeve.
Pei Shuwen lifted his eyelids to look at her, his gaze indifferent.
Lin Chaoyue swallowed another mouthful of bitter coffee, pretending not to see it, and avoided Pei Shuwen's gaze.
“I believe in Ms. Jiang’s determination, but time waits for no one.” Pei Shuwen paused, then continued, “Until the day is the final verdict, no one can say for sure, especially when it comes to money; once it’s in your pocket, it’s safe to be safe.”
At this moment, Lin Chaoyue was unaware that Pei Shuwen's "closing the coffin" meant actually putting the coffin lid on. She thought Pei Shuwen was right and nodded in agreement. She was completely oblivious to the fact that the woman opposite her, with her exquisite makeup and luxurious clothes, was on the verge of collapse.
Pei Shuwen always felt that emotions were the most useless thing.
He rarely shows kindness or sympathy for anyone; once at the negotiating table, all that matters is the give-and-take of bargaining chips.
"The rest is up to you. Do you know what to do?" Pei Shuwen looked at Lin Chaoyue.
"Know."
Lin Chaoyue really wanted to glare at Pei Shuwen. She was just lazy, but not stupid. She might not be good at other things, but she could still do something like watching someone sign a document.
Before she could say anything else, Pei Shuwen's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, then silently left the lounge.
Lin Chaoyue's gaze followed him. Pei Shuwen's expression was somewhat cold, and his profile perfectly overlapped with his face from last night. The change in his emotions happened in an instant. She pursed her lips, feeling a strange sense of annoyance.
When Lin Chaoyue returned, she looked dejected, and Nie Shanshan assumed that things had not been handled properly again.
After saying "That shouldn't be" twice, the person finally leaned closer.
Upon seeing the signature, Meng Yuzhi exclaimed happily, "It's done! We can proceed with the follow-up work now!"
"You signed it? Then why are you looking so sad? Are you crying tears of joy?"
"Where is Pei Shuwen?"
Upon hearing Lin Chaoyue call their names, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared intently at her.
In private, people might call him by his name, but during work hours, no one would dare call Pei Shuwen by his full name.
Nie Shanshan was also a little taken aback and exclaimed, "You mean Pei Lu? Pei Lu just left and hasn't come back. Look, Pei Lu's computer is still over there."
"Leave? When did he come here?" Lin Chaoyue caught the key word.
Nie Shanshan was pointing at the computer on the table when she heard Lin Chaoyue's question. She was a little confused, so she turned her finger around and pointed back at Lin Chaoyue.
“I saw Pei Lu was already there when you came back after you finished playing the game.” Nie Shanshan said mysteriously, glancing back to make sure no one was outside before quietly leaning closer: “We were caught slacking off at work by Pei Lu, but you managed to get his signature, so you can probably make up for it.”
"It wasn't me."
"What do you mean it wasn't you? Didn't you get the account from your friend, and it didn't work?"
"I know, you must have used another method again. I used to look down on your unorthodox methods, but now I think, who cares if it's a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. How about it? Want to go for a drink tonight? It's on you."
Lin Chaoyue wasn't in the mood to explain, and looked at her expressionlessly: "I don't have any money, so why aren't you treating me?"
"Hehe, I just suddenly discovered you might be a hidden little rich woman, so I wanted to blackmail you a bit."
Nie Shanshan had overheard everything while standing outside the door. She recognized the top luxury brand Lin Chaoyue mentioned, whose scarves alone cost five figures, and even had their account details, suggesting that her family was quite well-off.
"I have no money." Seeing Nie Shanshan's disbelieving expression, Lin Chaoyue directly pulled out her bank account.
The days of being a rich girl are long gone. She's so poor now that she wants to mooch meals at Pei Shuwen's house every day. Her pockets are emptier than her face... No, wait.
No, no, that's not right.
How could she forget something so important?
She hasn't paid back all the money she received from Pei Shuwen.
"I have to go out first, don't wait for me tonight."
Nie Shanshan thought Lin Chaoyue didn't want to treat, and was about to say that she would treat tonight, and that she could choose any bar in Ningcheng.
But seeing Lin Chaoyue's hurried departure, it seemed she really had something to do, or something urgent.
Lin Chaoyue never imagined that the money she had in her hands would be so difficult to handle. If Nie Shanshan hadn't mentioned it, she would have completely forgotten that she still had 500,000 yuan in her account. She was afraid that Pei Shuwen would leave immediately, and if she couldn't catch him, she would be forced to knock on their door again that night.
She doesn't want to go to Pei Shuwen's house anytime soon.
Especially when she thought about last night, she belatedly felt a chill run down her spine.
Lin Chaoyue searched for someone up and down the stairs, asking for directions the whole way, and was finally led to the stairwell.
After so long, the calls should have ended by now. Lin Chaoyue tiptoed and pushed open the stairwell door. She intended to close it gently, but a draft came through, and she didn't hold the doorknob. The door slammed shut with a 'bang,' startling even herself.
But since the door was already closed, she didn't think much of it and continued walking down.
Pei Shuwen's phone call lasted a long time, but he barely spoke throughout. Whether the person on the other end was furious or softened their stance and made concessions, it was none of his business.
However, the fact that the other party frequently mentioned the 'Lin family' and 'Lin Chaoyue' gave him some attention.
This girl is better than he initially expected. She can be a pampered rich kid, and she also has her own cleverness. Although her mind is not on work, she is not afraid to do things when forced to.
When Lin Chaoyue was mentioned again on the phone, he finally gave a perfunctory "hmm".
“I was drunk last night. Since I’ve already given the things away, I won’t ask for them back… You were the one who spread the news, so how to get them back isn’t something I need to consider… Want to go back to China? Of course you can, but that shouldn’t concern me.”
"I owe this cooperation with the Lu family to you, sir... I don't know what they think, but everyone only believes what they see with their own eyes... You flatter me, I am, after all, your son."
“I will go back when the time comes… Take her back with me? I can consider it if you don’t mind.”
At first glance, it sounds like a story of a loving father and a filial son.
But beneath the surface of those words lies a surging tension.
Pei Shuwen didn't like repeating himself. He had already said what he needed to say. The call wasn't disconnected, but he didn't listen anymore and casually tossed his phone aside.
Lin Chaoyue went down three flights of stairs before she saw Pei Shuwen.
He had his back to her, and his phone wasn't in his hand, so she assumed he had hung up long ago. She wondered why Pei Shuwen hadn't turned around, since he must have heard her coming downstairs. After descending a few more steps, Lin Chaoyue finally heard faint voices.
Lin Chaoyue couldn't quite hear what was said, but judging from the dense and rapid sounds, it was most likely swearing.
Pei Shuwen neither responded nor refuted, but simply watched quietly.
She was hesitating whether to leave or not, and halfway around, she heard the phone hang up.
Pei Shuwen looked over.
She was caught between a rock and a hard place, so she could only awkwardly laugh it off: "Um, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just didn't have time to leave."
"Hmm." Pei Shuwen sounded downcast. "What's wrong?"
Lin Chaoyue was considerably shorter than Pei Shuwen. Standing on the steps, she was about the same height as him. Her gaze fell on Pei Shuwen's straight nose, then downwards, before she awkwardly looked away.
"Yes, you were drunk last night and transferred a lot of money to me. Give me your account number, I'll pay you back later..."
"Need not."
"What's the meaning?"
"Prepayment." When he was in a bad mood, he didn't like to explain too much. He thought Lin Chaoyue had a good understanding ability and should be able to understand what he was saying.
Lin Chaoyue had a clear understanding of herself. At most, she was poor, but at least she wasn't in debt. If she really accepted Pei Shuwen's "advance payment," she might spend it all in half a month and then have to work for Pei Shuwen to pay off his debts.
But with this money, she could get Li Cong to ship back the wines she'd stored abroad. When she saw Pei Shuwen's wine cabinet yesterday, her craving for wine kicked in; she was itching to buy them and was almost at her breaking point…
Lin Chaoyue counted on her fingers, and then whispered a bargain: "But, but, this is too much. If you go out less often, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it off even if I stay at the law firm for three to five years."
"I'm available on call every day of the year, including all my days off."
"Are you sure?" Pei Shuwen didn't seem to be joking.
"Um."
With only a few days off a year, she didn't believe Pei Shuwen would go out to do business every week. During holidays, he would always go home or go on vacation. This business was worthwhile.
If Pei Shuwen hadn't been standing there, she would have been humming a little tune.
She had made up her mind. When she got back, she would invite Nie Shanshan over. It was just drinking, and she would treat.
"Well, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll be going now. I definitely won't silence my phone this time. Call me if you need anything."
"Wait a minute." When Pei Shuwen called her, Lin Chaoyue had already climbed two more steps.
She turned around in confusion and saw Pei Shuwen reach out to her, making the same gesture as last night. Lin Chaoyue almost thought he was still drunk.
Lin Chaoyue didn't understand what Pei Shuwen was going to do, but she still followed his instructions and stood in front of him.
"Did you wear the bracelet?" The news reported rain today, and the air conditioning was on at Anjiang Group. Lin Chaoyue was wearing a loose long-sleeved coat, her hands hanging down, and the jewelry on her wrists was covered.
"Ah, the bracelet, I'm wearing it." She hasn't taken it off since she was made to wear it yesterday.
As she spoke, Lin Chaoyue glanced down at the clasp and took it off: "I won't return the money to you, but I've thought about it and I'll return this to you. I didn't really help much yesterday."
Lin Chaoyue said these words from the bottom of her heart.
She'd been up all day yesterday, her brain was completely fried, and she hadn't had a moment to think about it. Now that she thought about it, she still couldn't accept something so valuable from Pei Shuwen.
Pei Shuwen didn't stop her from untying her bracelet. After she took it off, he reached out and handed it to her, but Pei Shuwen didn't take it.
"No need to pay it back. I need your help with something, so consider this as payment. You can think about it."
It was already strange that Pei Shuwen needed help, but it was even stranger that he needed her help. Could it be that he had just seen her playing the game well and wanted her to carry him? Lin Chaoyue wondered absurdly.
"Help me? What kind of help?"
Pei Shuwen didn't say it directly, but he showed her the press release for last night's charity gala. Upon seeing the contents of the press release, Lin Chaoyue exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!" The price of the bracelet, which was worth seven figures, was secondary; what mattered was its great significance.
"You and Uncle Pei... I heard you don't get along very well."
You know?
"I've heard some of it."
Actually, what Li Cong said at the time was...
"That father and son are both cunning old foxes, their masks welded onto their faces. They appear flawless in public, but behind closed doors, who knows what kind of backstabbing and infighting they're engaged in. Add a stepmother and an adopted sister, and it's a veritable soap opera of family drama."
She also heard that Pei Zhenye had previously wanted to arrange a marriage between his family and the Zhao family, who were civil engineering firms in Ningcheng. The claim that she was keeping a sugar daddy abroad was completely false. It was no secret that the Zhao family girl was quite promiscuous in private.
No wonder Grandpa Fang cared so much about me. He even gave me a yellow jade bracelet of excellent quality.
Pei Shuwen: "The press release will be deleted from all platforms today. You can wear the bracelet without worry. But Lu Jiangqiao and Pei Zhenye knew you were here last night. I took a shortcut through you, so this reward is not much."
So this is the shortcut he was talking about last night.
Her eyes darted around, and she roughly guessed what Pei Shuwen meant: "You want me to cover for you later?"
"Well, I guess so," Pei Shuwen replied casually. Lin Chaoyue felt like she was the one asking for favors, not the one being asked.
But she readily agreed.
She agreed too readily.
Pei Shuwen finally showed a different expression: "I won't force you, you can think about it carefully."
Although he used methods to coax Lin Chaoyue into the law firm, he had no intention of taking advantage of her vulnerability.
"No need to think about it. Didn't you help me before? Besides, we live together, and there's no one more suitable than me."
The window on the landing was open, and it was about to rain outside. An occasional gust of wind sent scraps of paper sneaking in through the slightly ajar window. She looked up, gripping the stair railing, but guessed she had misheard and didn't see anyone open the door.
Lin Chaoyue haphazardly brushed the scraps of paper off her body. Seeing Pei Shuwen remain silent, she continued, "You don't need to feel guilty. I'm doing this willingly, and I can't just take your money and things for nothing."
"Where did you get the idea that I have a psychological burden?"
"No, no, but you have to let me do something nice." Lin Chaoyue was very good at acting cute, and she was even counting on Pei Shuwen to reimburse her for anything she liked someday.
Lin Chaoyue wasn't particularly interested in jewelry, but this aquamarine bracelet, with its cabochon-shaped facets shimmering faintly and its cool, refreshing feel, complemented her skin tone perfectly when worn.
She quite liked it.
"Then this bracelet is mine!" She fastened it again, shook her hand, and it jingled against the gold bracelet that was originally hanging on her wrist: "When I get back my collection of wines someday, I'll bring a couple of bottles to your house to drink, and if I get drunk, I'll even make you a hangover soup... Hey, what are you doing?"
There are scraps of paper.
Pei Shuwen leaned forward and reached out to remove the white hair that had fallen onto her hair.
The distance was too close, and the light was partially blocked. He was just looking down and making simple movements, but Lin Chaoyue's features seemed to be magnified several times.
She looked away somewhat awkwardly, then, as if remembering something, casually remarked, "When I asked you yesterday, you said you took a shortcut, but you didn't say it was my shortcut. I thought you were upset about that."
"I don't really care about this kind of thing. I'm best at covering things up. I've been away from the country for several years, and they've spread a lot of rumors about me. It's not like one more thing will make a difference. Besides, I'm really willing to do it."
To be fair, Pei Shuwen treated her quite well, much better than she had expected.
There was no reply for a long time.
Lin Chaoyue took a step back, wanting to see what Pei Shuwen was thinking.
But because she was distracted, she lost her balance and almost tripped. Luckily, Pei Shuwen reacted quickly and caught her, saying, "Be careful."
"Phew... Thank goodness you're here. I feel like I'm the one with a hangover from last night; I can barely walk straight."
It was clearly just a joke, but after their eyes met again, it became clear that...
Lin Chaoyue's head suddenly went "buzz".
She slowly looked at Pei Shuwen, a bad premonition growing stronger. Despite not wanting to believe it, the sudden thought compelled her to utter those words.
"You...you weren't...last night you seemed quite steady walking upstairs, and your hand didn't shake when you transferred money. You...you weren't faking being drunk, were you?"
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