Chapter 16 "I'll be back next Monday..."
Zhao Huai'an entered Laiguang Entertainment's gate ten minutes ago, and the tea that was served was still steaming hot.
He's endured almost all the anger of his life here.
In contrast, Pei Shuwen remained calm and composed, without a single extra expression on her face.
Zhao Huai'an: "No way! What's going on? Didn't Lin Xiao's assistant say that he had arranged to meet with Lai Guang's boss today? I even called Lai Guang yesterday to confirm, but when we arrived today, their boss was on vacation abroad? Huh? Huh?"
In their line of work as lawyers, running into obstacles is a common occurrence.
But they deliberately went through the trouble of bringing them all the way from Ningcheng and then stood them up.
That's incredibly unsportsmanlike!
Pei Shuwen took a sip of tea unhurriedly, as calm as if nothing had happened: "Since you didn't directly kick us out, sit down and rest for a while, and try this Maojian tea. It's top-grade and tastes good."
Sit down my ass!
He's in no mood to sit down right now.
"You still have the mood to drink tea! I got up early and didn't even have breakfast before coming here to be humiliated! I should have known better than to come!"
Pei Shuwen knew Zhao Huai'an.
I knew he was angry, but he said he wanted to vent his anger.
Pei Shuwen let him talk without responding, and sat down to drink tea in peace.
In between, I also turned on my computer to reply to a few emails and messages from Lin Chaoyue's parents.
Judging from his demeanor, he didn't seem to be on the other party's turf at all; it was more like he was in his own backyard.
But Pei Shuwen is that kind of person. No matter what situation he encounters, he can handle it with ease. He doesn't care about the process or the means; he only cares about the final result.
The two of them were left waiting for half an hour, and Pei Shuwen had already refilled his tea twice.
Lai Guang's general agent finally arrived late.
The sound came from ten meters away, the sound of slender high heels hitting the floor with a 'tap-tap' sound.
The newcomer was dressed in luxury goods and had a graceful figure. No wonder she was a female agent who had managed top celebrities in the industry. Just by looking at her face, you could tell she was very shrewd and not someone to mess with.
"Attorney Pei, Attorney Zhao, hello. I am Qi Yuanyuan, the chief agent of Laiguang. You can call me Chief Agent Qi or Sophia."
Pei Shuwen nodded politely, but did not speak.
Seeing that the person who came was a woman, Zhao Huai'an, who was full of anger but could not vent it, said in a low voice, "Ms. Qi, we had arranged the meeting time with President Song in advance. For such a big boss as President Song to break the contract at the last minute and stand someone up, it would not sound good if word got out."
Sophia had a smile on her face, but her filled-in face looked like a mannequin.
She started lying as soon as she opened her eyes.
Qi Yuanyuan: "I think you two have misunderstood. Our CEO Song is a very principled person and would never stand someone up easily. It was the new intern in CEO Song's secretariat who misremembered the time. She will be fired immediately. I apologize to you on behalf of the intern."
Qi Yuanyuan: "I just confirmed the time with President Song. He is free next Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm. I'll trouble you two to make the trip then. I won't keep you here today."
Pei Shuwen remained silent, but chuckled softly.
Qi Yuanyuan apologized and said it was troublesome.
But the blame was shifted to an intern whose name was unknown.
They're right here, and the next meeting time wasn't discussed with them; it was just a curt notification.
It wasn't that we stood them up 'easily'; it was intentional.
Pei Shuwen remained silent, her eyes lowered as if lost in thought.
Zhao Huai'an was furious: "We came all the way from Ningcheng this time. Do you mean we can go back now?"
Qi Yuanyuan showed no remorse whatsoever, and her gaze towards Zhao Huai'an was even tinged with mockery.
"It's really unfortunate today, but Attorney Zhao isn't a new lawyer. Isn't he used to business trips? The agents I manage never complain about this kind of thing."
“You see, Pei Lu didn’t say anything.”
Zhao Huai'an felt that he had lost all his remaining 'gentlemanly manners', so he didn't care whether the person in front of him was a woman or not!
He wanted to argue.
Now!
Immediately!
But before he could even react...
Pei Shuwen, who had remained silent, finally reacted.
Pei Shuwen picked up where Qi Yuanyuan left off: "President Qi, I brought two things with me. I originally intended to give them to President Song, but although President Song isn't here, I think you would still be interested."
On the table in front of Pei Shuwen, there was a pure white file folder that had appeared out of nowhere.
The document bag had an opening.
From the exposed corners, it can be seen that the document bag contains a stack of photos.
Pei Shuwen randomly picked out a sheet of paper, then poured a USB drive out of the file bag.
"What is this?" Zhao Huai'an immediately leaned over to take a look.
He prepared all the materials for this negotiation with Laiguang Entertainment, but he couldn't recall ever preparing them before.
Pei Shuwen did not let Zhao Huai'an see it as he wished, because the page of photos he pulled out was handed to Qi Yuanyuan face down.
Qi Yuanyuan hesitated.
She recalled the instructions President Song had given her before she arrived.
Qi Yuanyuan initially didn't want to accept, but her right eyelid twitched suddenly, and a woman's sixth sense made her reach out her hand...
After seeing the photo, Qi Yuanyuan left in a hurry, without any of her previous composure.
He only left behind the words, "I'll be right back, don't leave yet."
Zhao Huai'an looked at Pei Shuwen with a puzzled expression: "What's going on? What did you give her?"
Pei Shuwen tapped the file folder on the table: "Take a look yourself."
Zhao Huai'an's curiosity was completely piqued, and he poured out all the photos from the file folder.
One of them accidentally fell to the ground.
Zhao Huai'an bent down to pick it up, but as soon as he lowered his head, he froze completely.
Depend on!
What's going on here?!
The scene in this photo seems even more exciting than the Korean comic he bought for 6 yuan.
The woman in this photo... and the man... although they're not wearing much clothing, they look so familiar.
Zhao Huai'an was once a promising debater in the school's debate club, but now he can't even utter a complete sentence.
Like a little stutterer.
"This photo...how come...the lobby we just came into..."
Pei Shuwen didn't look at him, but guessed what he wanted to ask: "Yes, it's those two people on the poster in the lobby."
Zhao Huai'an: "???"
But aren't those two famously at odds in the entertainment industry? Their fans are constantly fighting and bickering, a fact even he, an outsider, knows.
So even bad relationships can be faked?
These two are so close in private that they're practically one person.
Zhao Huai'an flipped through the photos: "Wait a minute, where did you get all this celebrity scandals? When did you switch careers to become a paparazzi?"
In fact.
Pei Shuwen began preparing these things as soon as she decided to accept Lin Xiao's commission.
Lin Xiao was Lai Guang's leading lady for five years. Although Lin Xiao's agency contract is about to expire, Lai Guang will certainly not let go of such a big cash cow easily.
The owner of Laiguang Entertainment is still Song Wenhua. He had heard about some of his "deeds" when he was young, and they were very exciting.
Knowing full well that this was a tough nut to crack, he naturally wouldn't be unprepared.
Pei Shuwen: "Put it away. Someone will come to pick it up later. If you want to see it, I have a backup on my computer."
Holding such a collection of erotic photos, Zhao Huai'an desperately wanted to deny that he wanted to see them at all.
But after hesitating for a long time, he felt that people still need to understand their own hearts.
Who wouldn't want to hear such a juicy story!
He felt that no one would want to not eat it!
He was just so incredibly curious.
"Alright." Zhao Huai'an coughed lightly. "But you said someone will come to collect it? Who will come?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Zhao Huai'an said "Oh," resealed the photos he had taken out, and craned his neck to look outside and wait for someone.
This time, the person arrived in less than ten minutes.
“Lawyer Pei, Lawyer Zhao, our CEO Song heard you were coming today and rushed back. Would you two like to come upstairs to the lounge to wait? I noticed Lawyer Pei enjoys drinking tea, and we've prepared some excellent pre-Qingming Longjing tea upstairs.”
The woman who was just moments ago so arrogant has now completely changed her demeanor.
But Pei Shuwen glanced at the time and immediately rejected Qi Yuanyuan's 'suggestion'.
“President Qi, if President Song is sincere about talking, we will wait for him here. Lawyer Zhao and I have precious time. We have another appointment in an hour, and we will leave on time.”
Pei Shuwen's voice was calm, but Qi Yuanyuan knew very well that he was not joking.
His gaze swept over the white file folder on the table, in particular.
Even though she had already guessed that the photos were the same as the ones she had just seen on the USB drive.
She still couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Qi Yuanyuan pursed her lips, her expression not good: "Lawyer Pei, these photos have a huge impact on our artists. I'll have President Song come down immediately, and I'll take these photos away and destroy them. Do you think that's feasible?"
She was prepared for Pei Shuwen to reject her.
But Pei Shuwen was very 'understanding' this time: "Of course."
Pei Shu: "Your company has already felt my sincerity, and I hope to see President Song's sincerity in the future as well."
Whether President Song can show sincerity or not, Qi Yuanyuan doesn't know, and it's not something she can control.
But what if these photos get leaked?
Then she, as the head agent, can resign to take responsibility.
From the moment Qi Yuanyuan entered the meeting room, she kept smiling obsequiously. You should know that even when she meets some top-tier celebrities in the industry, she would not be this humble.
Qi Yuanyuan: "Of course, Laiguang is Lin Xiao's former employer, so we hope to part ways amicably in the end; President Song will be here in five minutes at most."
From the initial "just got off the plane, I'm abroad" to the later "I rushed back immediately", and now to "five minutes".
Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
This change of expression is faster than turning the pages of a book.
Zhao Huai'an: "You said five minutes, can Song Wenhua really get here in time?"
Pei Shuwen: "It shouldn't take more than five minutes."
Zhao Huai'an exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?" and said, "You mean Song Wenhua was here all day? Are you messing with us?"
Pei Shuwen: "Mm."
When they arrived in Lai Kwong this morning, he saw a car whose license plate and model matched Song Wenhua's private car.
He did indeed tend to believe that Song Wenhua had always been there, and that he hadn't appeared only to deliberately make things difficult for them.
But now things have taken a major turn. Further delay by Song Wenhua is not only pointless, but also introduces many uncertain risks.
Zhao Huai'an: "If you say that, I'm relieved. No matter how the conversation went, at least it wasn't a wasted trip."
Zhao Huai'an looked at Pei Shuwen with a hint of smugness.
But Pei Shuwen didn't look at him at all; she was looking at her phone.
Pei Shuwen: "Okay, I'll take this call. The prepared contract can be taken out now."
"Whose call is this? Why the rush? Isn't Song Wenhua supposed to be here soon?"
Pei Shuwen raised her hand to signal him to mute, and then pressed the answer button.
Pei Shuwen remained expressionless: "What is it?"
When Lin Chaoyue dialed the number, it felt like a simple matter, and when the call connected, she heard a familiar voice.
He immediately chickened out.
But she had just finished showing off, so she had to bite the bullet and go for it.
Lin Chaoyue coughed lightly: "Yes, send me a copy of the information you sent me about Nie Jingjing yesterday as well."
Is this a bit too abrupt?
She thought for a moment, then added, "Are you free now?"
Pei Shuwen looked at Zhao Huai'an, who laid out the prepared contract and then stood at the door right on time.
Seeing that Song Wenhua had arrived in less than three minutes, Pei Shuwen gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed, "You're amazing! He's already here."
Pei Shuwen nodded, but instead of hanging up the phone, she turned around.
Pei Shuwen: "There is a paper document in my office drawer. I'll tell you where it is. Go to the secretary's office and find Secretary Zhang. Have her take you in to get it."
Paper or electronic version, one copy is enough.
Lin Chaoyue picked up a pen and paper and wrote down the location that Pei Shuwen had just mentioned.
"Okay, the key is in the third drawer under the desk on the right side of the office. It's on the desk..."
"Okay, I understand."
With the matter resolved, Lin Chaoyue thought she could hang up the phone.
Pei Shuwen suddenly said, "My maternal grandfather sent something to you. It's in the refrigerator in my kitchen. Remember to take it tonight."
Lin Chaoyue said "Oh" twice.
Did Grandpa Fang bring her something? The old man cares about her so much, Lin Chaoyue feels she should pay him a visit when she has time.
After telling this story, Lin Chaoyue felt she could finally hang up.
Pei Shuwen then brought up the matter of sending the car for maintenance: "I've already contacted the 4S shop, and they'll be waiting for you downstairs at the appointed time."
Didn't we already discuss this yesterday?
She's just lazy, not forgetful.
And why is this person talking so much today?
But she had no choice but to hang up; she had initiated the call, and Pei Shuwen answered instantly.
Talking about work is fine, but talking about personal matters so much means that by lunchtime tomorrow, rumors about her and Pei Shuwen will probably be flying everywhere.
Moreover, she noticed that everyone around her had stopped working and kept glancing in her direction.
This is such a hassle!
Lin Chaoyue maintained her fake smile, then suddenly had a bright idea and began to speak in a formal tone: "Don't worry, Mr. Pei, I will definitely do my best to complete my work tasks. I'll take the car for maintenance after get off work tonight. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now so as not to take up your time."
Lin Chaoyue hung up the phone quickly after speaking.
Finally, he took a deep breath with a sense of relief.
It's over, it's finally over.
Lin Chaoyue was feeling relieved, but Nie Shanshan's unlucky younger sister sneered: "I advise some people to have some self-awareness. They just drove for Pei Lu twice and actually think they have some special treatment from him. It's really laughable."
"Aside from work, once he leaves the law firm, I doubt Attorney Pei would even glance at certain people."
Lin Chaoyue seemed completely unconcerned by such obviously sarcastic remarks.
She shrugged and looked at Nie Jingjing: "Since you like preferential treatment so much, why don't you try to get it? Nobody's stopping you from letting Pei Shuwen take a second look."
Lin Chaoyue left those words behind, took the sticky note, and went to the twelfth floor.
The people behind him were furious and jumped up and down.
Lin Chaoyue, however, was secretly delighted once she got on the elevator.
Thank goodness.
As long as she wasn't grouped with Pei Shuwen, that's fine.
She endured being poor, and she persevered with her job.
But if she's rumored to be having an affair with Pei Shuwen today, her parents could come back to China tomorrow and force the two of them into their bridal chamber.
This is absolutely unacceptable!
Lin Chaoyue was struggling to distance herself from Pei Shuwen, while Pei Shuwen, after hanging up the phone, said to Song Wenhua very naturally, "Something came up at home. I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Song. I hope you don't mind."
“How could that be, Attorney Pei? Please have a seat.”
Song Wenhua said this with a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes when he looked at Pei Shuwen.
To dare threaten him on his own turf, these young people these days are really bold.
Pei Shuwen knew, of course, that Song Wenhua wasn't truly indifferent, but since things were still developing as he had anticipated.
What emotions the other person is feeling isn't that important to him.
Pei Shuwen: "President Song, you must know the purpose of my visit with Attorney Zhao. Ms. Lin Xiao's performance agency contract with your company is about to expire. We have accepted her commission and hope to terminate the contract with your company smoothly and part ways amicably."
Pei Shuwen added, "Lin Xiao is a popular actress, and President Song owns such a large agency. If things get too tense, it's not just that the rumors will sound bad; the main problem is that it will also harm the interests of both parties."
Song Wenhua was nearly fifty years old, but he still exuded shrewdness and competence. While scrutinizing Pei Shuwen, he kept rubbing the jade thumb ring on his thumb.
Song Wenhua: "I've seen the photos Pei Lu brought. I, Song, have always valued relationships, but Lin Xiao gave these things to you. It seems she doesn't want to be sentimental with me, an old friend."
Song Wenhua spoke cryptically.
But no one present was a fool. Lin Xiao must have used some extraordinary means to climb up the ladder at such a young age and become entangled with the company's boss. In this industry, it's difficult to leave unscathed.
Pei Shuwen: "I think President Song has misunderstood. These photos were just some small gifts I gave to President Song. Aren't you curious how I got hold of such private photos?"
"How did you get it?" Song Wenhua's face was cold, and his eyes seemed to hold a bottomless pool of water.
Pei Shuwen pushed the draft termination agreement in front of Song Wenhua: "President Song, please take a look at this. If there are no problems, we can continue this topic."
Song Wenhua is also a seasoned negotiator.
He could investigate the issue with the photos, but he wouldn't be easily led by the nose by Pei Shuwen.
Song Wenhua didn't look at it, but pushed the termination contract back: "Lin Xiao is still considered a member of Laiguang. I need to talk to her about the termination myself. You can convey my message to her."
"And don't forget to remind her not to exhaust the last bit of affection I have left."
Lin Xiao asked Pei Shuwen to act on her behalf, and the first condition she proposed was that he would act as her representative and she would not need to appear in person.
Even if they can't reach an agreement this time, and the matter goes to litigation, Lin Xiao will not show up.
Zhao Huai'an listened for a long time without saying a word.
After meeting Lai Guang's boss, he suddenly regretted letting Pei Shuwen take on the case.
Both parties involved are too sophisticated; they're wary of each other and each has their own ulterior motives. If things really turn out to be a mess, will he really be the one to clean it up...?
However, Pei Shuwen did not give Zhao Huai'an that chance.
Pei Shuwen was constantly weighing the timing in his mind, and when he heard Song Wenhua mention 'affection' for the second time, Pei Shuwen knew that the time had come.
"Mr. Song, Ms. Lin Xiao went to great lengths to ask me to intervene precisely because of our relationship. You may not remember me now that so much time has passed, but you should remember my father."
Who is your father?
“My father is Pei Zhenye. He took me to Xiaomin’s birthday party before. I met President Song at the birthday party, but you probably don’t remember me…”
Song Wenhua's only beloved daughter is named Song Xiaomin.
Pei Shuwen played the emotional card.
Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but give him a thumbs up under the table.
Even if Pei Shuwen's father is a scoundrel, he still has a high social status. Since they've brought him up, this matter is likely to succeed today.
...
Half an hour later, Song Wenhua personally escorted Pei Shuwen to the entrance of the hall.
Pei Shuwen changed the way he addressed "President Song" to "Uncle Song," making it impossible to tell that just a short while ago, the atmosphere between the two was quite tense.
Once they were out of sight, Pei Shuwen looked at Zhao Huai'an and said, "Ask me anything you want to ask."
Zhao Huai'an rubbed his hands together: "Why did you bring up your unlucky father? This matter has a high probability of succeeding, but I have a feeling that Song Wenhua thinks you and Lin Xiao are having an affair. And you haven't even explained yourself. You wouldn't actually have your eye on Lin Xiao, would you?"
Who can resist a dazzling female celebrity?
Pei Shuwen: "I didn't like it. Song Wenhua will investigate what he wants to know himself. There are some things that he might not believe even if I tell him."
"You didn't like Lin Xiao? Such a beautiful girl and you didn't even like her? If you ask me, don't set your standards too high. I don't think I've ever seen you like any women. In the past few years, the only person you've been close to besides work is Lin Chaoyue. You wouldn't really... Hey, wait for me! I haven't finished speaking yet. Why did you leave on your own..."
--
Standing on the rooftop, Song Wenhua stared at the Lin Xiao poster hanging on the wall, his eyes filled with sinister intent.
He knew Lin Xiao was determined to leave this time, but he didn't expect her to find Pei Zhenye's son to act as a persuader. Birds in cages become smarter and wilder when they are freed for too long.
Qi Yuanyuan asked cautiously, "President Song, do we really have to agree to those conditions and terminate the contract with Lin Xiao?"
"Go check it out," Song Wenhua said. "See if Lin Xiao is really involved with that Pei family kid. If so, have paparazzi stake it out and release it along with some juicy details."
"If not... then we'll find a way to film something." Song Wenhua has been in the industry for so many years; he's not just here for nothing.
You can terminate the contract.
But he has many ways to ruin Lin Xiao.
He could give the Pei family some face this time, but he believed that Lin Xiao would come back sooner or later and beg him on her knees.
Just like many years ago.
Qi Yuanyuan: "I understand."
Three hours later.
The collected information was delivered to Song Wenhua.
Song Wenhua frowned as he flipped through the pages: "The Lin family? Which Lin family?"
The information states that Pei Shuwen and Lin Xiao have only a business relationship, and Pei Shuwen is suspected of having a fiancée. His fiancée's surname is Lin.
Qi Yuanyuan pursed her lips. She had seen this document before it was brought to her and also felt that things were somewhat complicated.
Qi Yuanyuan truthfully replied, "It's the Lin family from Tenghui Group. I also heard that the Lin family recently acquired an overseas entertainment company, and Lin Xiao is in contact with them, but we don't know if it's true yet..."
Song Wenhua's pupils contracted, and the cup he was holding slammed heavily onto the floor.
It exploded and scattered all over the ground.
Okay. Very good.
No wonder they act so recklessly.
So she's found a new backer. Lin Xiao is really something.
Qi Yuanyuan knelt down to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain from the ground, and asked cautiously, "President Song, what should we do next?"
The silent, cold atmosphere was unsettling. On the glamorous poster, the female protagonist's face was marked with a long scar, which at first glance resembled a writhing centipede.
"Terminate the contract, just as they demand."
"We'll talk about other things later."
...
During lunch break, everyone was gossiping.
Lin Chaoyue overheard something while she was eating her rice, and it seemed to be about her family.
"Have you seen the news? Teng Hui Group recently acquired a foreign entertainment company. I heard that many domestic celebrities are eager to follow suit, and even the top stars are making headlines."
"Really? So, talent agencies can release people so easily? Isn't Teng Hui in finance? Why is he getting involved in the entertainment industry? He doesn't seem very reliable."
"This is the kind of company worth going to. I heard that the boss of Tenghui Group recently flew abroad and secretly signed several A-list celebrities. This must have been carefully planned. If you don't hurry now, you might miss out on the best opportunities later..."
Lin Chaoyue thought to herself that the acquisition was just a matter of convenience. Her parents had been abroad for so long this time, and it certainly wasn't for any entertainment company.
Lin Chaoyue didn't bother to reply.
Meng Yuzhi doesn't follow celebrities, doesn't understand these things, and doesn't speak out.
The two of them ate almost silently throughout the entire meal.
When they got back, Meng Yuzhi asked her, "Chaoyue, are you going to the storage room to organize the files this afternoon?"
"Sure, of course I'll go." She wanted to go to the collection room just to get some peace and quiet, but she didn't want to go in just for show.
Hearing this, Meng Yuzhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Then can I ask you a few questions later? I asked for a step sheet for organizing the case files, but there are some things on it that I don't understand."
Lin Chaoyue: "Okay, then we'll head over there in a bit."
Anyway, she'd be bored going alone, so it wouldn't be bad to have someone to chat and slack off with.
But when Lin Chaoyue got to the storage room, she realized she had been overthinking things.
Meng Yuzhi seemed exceptionally enthusiastic about her work. From the moment she entered the storage room, she excitedly looked around and tidied things up, showing absolutely no intention of slacking off.
After taking out the step-by-step instructions, he began to ask Lin Chaoyue questions one by one.
Lin Chaoyue didn't know much; she basically just copied whatever Pei Shuwen had told her verbatim.
Meng Yuzhi: "Is there a priority when organizing these files? Did Lawyer Pei say which ones are more important and need to be organized first?"
Lin Chaoyue was distracted for half the time while Pei Shuwen was speaking; he might have said something, but she didn't hear it.
Lin Chaoyue: "I forgot. I only remember that I need to organize all these files by the end of this week. Should I call Pei Shuwen and ask?"
She made a gesture as if she was about to make a phone call.
She figured that once she started bothering Pei Shuwen, she'd become more familiar with the situation, and this was a good opportunity for her to show him that she was 'working hard'.
"No, don't bother Pei Lu. I was just asking casually. If there's no important point, just treat all the files as important."
Lin Chaoyue noticed Meng Yuzhi's embarrassment and teased the girl, "Are you afraid of Pei Shuwen? You don't even dare to make a phone call when I suggest it?"
"Hmm, aren't you afraid?" The girl was quite frank.
Lin Chaoyue also wanted to say 'fear', but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she suddenly realized that her feelings for Pei Shuwen were not fear, but rather a more complex mix of emotions.
But if you really had to ask her, she couldn't quite explain it.
"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. Didn't we say we wanted to organize the files and start studying quickly? Let's work happily together!"
"good."
She kept saying she wanted to enjoy her work, but Lin Chaoyue quickly realized that work was hardly enjoyable, and she became discouraged after only a short while. Organizing these tedious documents was utterly unmotivating.
She occasionally enjoys looking at interesting cases, but those dry economic disputes, filled with numbers, make her dizzy.
She really wanted to play a couple of games to satisfy her craving.
But Meng Yuzhi worked very hard, never complaining or saying she was tired, and she was too embarrassed to just give up.
Why.
She thought Pei Shuwen was just trying to find her a companion because she was bored at work.
Looking back, I think it would have been better to just let her be. At least she wouldn't have felt guilty about slacking off.
Lin Chaoyue sighed softly to herself.
"Chaoyue, are you tired? Do you want to rest? I live in the company dormitory and can come over to work overtime at night. You don't have to worry about not finishing before Pei Lu comes back."
"Zhizhi, do you really love your job?"
"No, it's not that. I just feel that everyone is very talented, and I can only be a slow bird that has to start early."
“Zhizhi, I think you’re wrong. You’re not stupid at all. Although your memory isn’t as good as mine, you have excellent execution skills and boundless energy. You’re also quick and efficient at organizing case files.”
Meng Yuzhi has rarely been praised in her life.
She scratched her head sheepishly: "Ah, maybe it's because my family isn't well-off, and I have to do everything myself, so I've gotten used to it."
"I don't think this job is as difficult as everyone says; it's actually quite interesting. I just summarized some key points, and I can share them with you if you don't mind..."
The initial task involved Lin Chaoyue explaining things to Meng Yuzhi with only a vague understanding, but later Meng Yuzhi took over and taught her.
Lin Chaoyue did find some enjoyment in it.
But not many.
These pleasures only sustained her until Friday afternoon before she lost heart again.
These past few days, she has been working diligently alongside Meng Yuzhi, and as of just now, all the scattered files on the ground have been basically sorted out.
She had already taken out her phone, ready to slack off and play games.
As soon as I sat down in the chair in the storage room, I saw a small stack of files under the table.
The quantity is not large.
There are about seven or eight portions.
She and Meng Yuzhi initially divided the work according to the area of the storage room, and this part happened to be her responsibility.
Heavens above!
Please save her!
All she has is a small dream of being a lazy bum, why is it so hard to achieve!
Although Meng Yuzhi was shy, she was already quite familiar with Lin Chaoyue because of Lin Chaoyue's outgoing personality.
Seeing her like this, he walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you going back to your workstation?"
"There's no going back." Lin Chaoyue carried a large stack of files and piled them on the table.
Lin Chaoyue sighed and finally resigned herself to her fate, saying, "You go back first. I just realized I still have so much left. I can probably leave work as soon as I've sorted it out."
Meng Yuzhi: "There are still so many? Why don't you give me half, and I'll help you out."
Lin Chaoyue: "Didn't HR just say there was a problem with your onboarding information and ask you to double-check it? Go ahead and do it, don't worry about me."
Meng Yuzhi refused and directly took the top few portions from the middle.
Meng Yuzhi: "It's okay. I live in the law firm's staff dormitory. I have nothing to do on weekends, so I'd like to come to the firm to work overtime."
"You still have to work overtime?" Lin Chaoyue knew that Meng Yuzhi had been staying out late lately. She still wanted to refuse.
This time, Meng Yuzhi didn't give her a chance to refuse and directly took the case file back to her workstation.
Lin Chaoyue would struggle with seven or eight case files.
Three or four portions are fine.
She quickly organized the materials, and this time she wasn't so interested in reading through all the cases. Finally, she slipped away just before the end of the workday.
Pei Shuwen's Mini was fixed, and she drove home from work. Thirty minutes later, she had showered, changed into her pajamas, and was happily lying on her big bed at home!
"It's better not to go to work!"
She hugged the soft blanket beneath her and completely relaxed. The thought of not having to get up early tomorrow made her roll around in bed a couple of times.
I was about to exclaim, "Home is where the heart is!"
But when she turned around and saw the house's minimalist decor, she realized it was Pei Shuwen's home.
Aside from the phone call that day, she and Pei Shuwen hadn't been in contact for several days.
I have no idea what he's doing.
As if by some strange twist of fate, Lin Chaoyue clicked into Pei Shuwen's WeChat Moments.
He thought it would be empty again, but this time two forwarded links appeared sporadically in his WeChat Moments.
One is cutting-edge domestic law, which she is not interested in.
Another one was a magazine interview; she clicked on it, glanced at it, and wasn't particularly interested.
Then she readily withdrew.
But she didn't know if it was because she was tired from organizing the files these past few days, because when she clicked exit, her finger involuntarily clicked on Pei Shuwen's profile picture.
I patted Pei Shuwen on the shoulder.
Lin Chaoyue: "???"
Can't this incredibly useless feature be removed? What's the point of it anyway?!
Her fingers flew across the keyboard: "I'm fine, I just accidentally pressed it."
I was just about to press the send button.
Lin Chaoyue then received a transfer from Pei Shuwen.
Lin Chaoyue's heart skipped a beat before she saw the amount.
She now feels particularly comfortable with this kind of money transfer interface.
Upon seeing the amount, Lin Chaoyue was filled with questions.
Lin Chaoyue: "Why did you transfer 6 yuan to me? Did you transfer it to the wrong person?"
Pei Shuwen: "The stolen money recovered after being defrauded."
Lin Chaoyue really wanted to say, "Are you alright? I was scammed out of a full 20 million, not just 2,000 yuan! What can six yuan do?" She knew that Ms. Zhong had entrusted her case to Pei Shuwen, but she didn't want to hear such lame jokes from her.
It's not funny at all.
But soon, as certain memories gradually returned, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
And this premonition grew stronger and stronger... prompting her to urgently switch to WeChat and open Ningcheng's lawyer forum.
She's been browsing this forum almost every day lately and has become very proficient at using it.
She clicked into her personal profile and found the only post she had ever made to complain about Pei Shuwen.
My eyes precisely located the position of the first comment.
I was going to say thank goodness, the poster who sells erotic comics is still around.
But after clicking into his homepage, Lin Chaoyue discovered that his account had been banned, with the reason clearly stated: "This account has been permanently banned and silenced for spreading obscene materials on this forum."
Very well, this is funny.
She started to become funny.
Lin Chaoyue didn't even look at what she had posted before quickly exiting the interface.
I spent almost half an hour mentally preparing myself.
Lin Chaoyue sent a message saying, "How did you know I posted that? I can actually afford the loss of 6 yuan. You don't need to transfer the money to me. Besides, I didn't even see it."
The last sentence was weak, as if trying to explain something.
Pei Shuwen, however, didn't care at all.
I didn't reply to her, but simply said, "I'll be back next Monday. You can tell me what you want to say in person."
What should I say to his face?
She hasn't said everything she wanted to say.
Why did you have to say it to her face? It's just 6 yuan! He still wants to hear what she has to say!
Do you want to hear her rant on the forum about how she was scammed out of 6 yuan?
She promptly muted herself. She decided to play dead.
But Pei Shuwen still didn't let her off the hook. A brand new link quickly popped up in his WeChat Moments. It was the latest pinned post on the forum that day.
The title is: [Recently, there have been numerous suspected fraud incidents on the forum. After unified handling by the administrators, the following is a public announcement.]
Main post: [The list in the image summarizes recent fraud cases, including scammer IDs, victim IDs, and the amount of money defrauded; some victims have had their money recovered and returned to them through relevant channels; the remaining amount is the responsibility of the victims themselves.]
Then a long string of pictures was posted below.
The above is sorted by the amount of money defrauded.
She scrolled to the bottom and saw herself.
Scam: Selling unlicensed, explicit foreign comics (unfinished versions) via online comments.
Scammer ID: Dare to try?
Victim ID: Open the skylight and swear
Amount defrauded: 6 (already refunded by Juntian Liangmu)
Originally, only half of the community was dead, but this time Lin Chaoyue felt that she was completely dead. She deleted her account on the forum at lightning speed and ran away.
In the end, I felt it wasn't a safe bet.
I timidly sent a message to Pei Shuwen.
Lin Chaoyue: "You won't tell anyone about this, right? [Please].jpg"
Pei Shuwen: "Didn't you say you've been a professional at reading people's expressions for twenty years? Why don't you guess again whether I'll tell anyone?"
Lin Chaoyue o(╥﹏╥)o, Pei Shuwen really saw the post.
He probably saw every single one of her complaints.
Lin Chaoyue then retorted defiantly, "Didn't I just say I can't read your expression? So, are you going to tell anyone or not?!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: There will be another chapter tonight!!!
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