Li Shican arranged to meet the two of them at a very official location—the Hangzhou branch of his entertainment agency, Huarui Entertainment.
When Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu were led to the meeting room by the receptionist, they faintly heard a male voice inside: "How long has it been since you took it upon yourself to expose your emotional entanglements to the reporters? After stirring up negative news, you should lay low. You can inherit the family business if you quit the industry, but the company still needs to make money!"
As soon as the words fell, the meeting room door opened, and a chubby bespectacled man stormed out in anger. He paused slightly upon seeing the two of them.
Xu Huaisong nodded at him.
The two parties passed each other without a word.
Inside the meeting room, Li Shican, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up and invited them to take a seat.
Since the room only had single-seater sofas, Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu each took a side. Li Shican instructed his assistant to pour two cups of tea from the teapot and handed one to each of them.
For Ruan Yu, an extra cup of milk was added.
Xu Huaisong glanced at the glaringly white cup of milk, then both he and Ruan Yu thanked the assistant in turn.
Li Shican opened his laptop, navigated to Weibo, and turned the screen toward them: "The studio adopted your PR wording, and now public opinion mostly leans in my favor. The original post’s rumor-mongering tactics, aside from ambiguous wording, mainly involved blurring the timeline in the photos and exploiting the visual misalignment from candid shots."
The first two photos were taken in a brightly lit lobby, showing the subjects entering the hotel during the day. But the latter two were in a dim underground parking lot, with lighting suggesting it was very late at night.
The two sets of photos created the false impression that the subjects had stayed in the hotel for a long time, misleading the public.
The third photo, due to the coincidental timing of the candid shot, made it appear as though Li Shican was reaching out to wrap his arm around Xu Huaishi’s waist.
"These two points can be clarified by releasing the surveillance footage," Li Shican said, then opened the four photos after zooming in. "Also, even after professional enhancement, the facial features in the photos remain unclear. At this point, it shouldn’t be a major issue."
Xu Huaisong gave a faint "Mm" and glanced at his wristwatch.
Understanding his meaning, Li Shican urged his assistant, "When will the surveillance footage be ready?"
The assistant stepped out to inquire and returned five minutes later: "Shican, we’ve got it."
Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong followed Li Shican to the conference room. Through the blinds, they could see chaotic figures moving about. When the door opened, phone rings and voices overlapped incessantly.
No one had time to spare them a second glance.
Li Shican walked up and tapped a technician seated in front of a computer.
The young man, who had been typing furiously, turned around upon hearing him say, "Show the surveillance footage to the family members for confirmation."
"Oh, sure." The technician opened the video and turned to explain to Xu Huaisong, "The surveillance footage will be pixelated before release, so don’t worry."
Xu Huaisong gave another "Mm" and squinted at the video.
Fragmented clips with clear timestamps appeared on the screen: Li Shican and Xu Huaishi entering the hotel elevator; after going upstairs, Li Shican waiting alone at a distance from the elevator; then Xu Huaishi coming out of the room with luggage, following Li Shisan to the underground parking lot to wait for Liu Mao to pick them up.
When the footage reached this point, Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu suddenly spoke in unison.
"No."
"Wait."
Li Shican glanced at Xu Huaisong, then asked Ruan Yu first, "What’s wrong?"She pointed at the backpack on Xu Huaishi's back in the screen and said, "This backpack can't appear—it might reveal the client's identity."
The distinctive blue backpack from Suzhou No.1 High School had briefly appeared in a corner of the video. Although the school emblem wasn't clearly visible and the general public might not notice, there was still a chance Xu Huaishi's classmates could pick up on the clue.
Public figures could endure social scrutiny better than ordinary people. But for a regular student like Xu Huaishi, even campus gossip alone might crush her.
Li Shican immediately instructed the technician, "Blur out all parts showing the backpack thoroughly." Then he turned to Xu Huaisong, "Was Lawyer Xu about to mention this issue too?"
He gave a faint "Hmm" and added, "Also, after releasing the video, we'll need public opinion monitoring—tracking all keywords related to my sister's personal information across online platforms. If your team can't handle this, I'll contact—"
"No need," Li Shican interrupted with a shake of his head. "I'll take full responsibility."
Xu Huaisong nodded at him. After confirming the edited video was satisfactory, he was the first to leave the noisy conference room.
Ruan Yu bid farewell to Li Shican and followed him out.
Xu Huaisong was making a call ahead: "Teacher He, this is Huaisong. There's something I'd like to ask of you..."
He clearly explained the entire situation before continuing, "Yes, I'm telling you this as a precaution. This isn't just about my sister's personal matter—it concerns the school's reputation too. I believe you're the most suitable person to control campus rumors."
Ruan Yu followed him all the way back to the reception room.
It was empty. After finishing his call, Xu Huaisong sat on the sofa and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ruan Yu walked over and bent down slightly. "Are you very—"
Before she could say "tired," Xu Huaisong grabbed her wrist and pulled her off-balance into his embrace, making her sit on his lap.
"Hey!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, "What are you doing?" as she tried to scoot back.
Xu Huaisong held her waist firmly, preventing her escape, then glanced at the glass of milk sitting quietly on the table. "How did he know you like milk tea?"
Ruan Yu paused before explaining, "We had some interactions in college."
"I've seen that photo," he said sternly. "When he participated in a competition freshman year, playing piano on stage—you were in the audience then?"
"Yeah..." Ruan Yu scrunched her face. "But just because he resembled you back then doesn't mean anything happened! Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten your chance now—"
Xu Huaisong's pupils constricted sharply.
Ruan Yu immediately shut her mouth, offering an appeasing fake smile.
Right then, the door handle behind them turned.
She sprang up reflexively just as Xu Huaisong released his grip.
Li Shican froze in the doorway upon entering.
Ruan Yu blinked awkwardly a couple times before silently returning to her seat.
Xu Huaisong leisurely poured the glass of milk into his tea, stirred it evenly with a metal spoon, then took a sip.
Li Shican gave a faint smile and explained, "Thought you'd left." That's why he hadn't knocked.
Xu Huaisong set down his cup and looked at him. "Mr. Li, if it's convenient, I'd like to speak with you privately." He stood up, smoothing the slightly wrinkled hem of his shirt.
Where did this sudden formality come from? Before Ruan Yu could ask anything, she saw Li Shican nod in agreement.The two of them left one after the other. Before leaving, Xu Huaisong gave Ruan Yu a meaningful look, signaling for her to wait there.
Ruan Yu had no choice but to stay seated, but after waiting so long that her mouth grew dry, there was still no sign of them returning. Glancing at the cup of milk tea Xu Huaisong had adjusted for her on the table, she felt tempted. She resisted for a while but eventually couldn’t hold back, getting up to take it and drink it.
Only after she had finished the entire cup did Xu Huaisong finally return, saying simply, “Let’s go.”
Not seeing Li Shican, Ruan Yu followed him into the elevator and asked quietly, “What were you two doing? You didn’t hit him, did you?”
Xu Huaisong glanced at her with a faint smirk. “Do you like that kind of thing?”
“Hey, don’t change the subject! What did you talk about?” If it was about Xu Huaishi, there was no need for her to avoid the conversation.
Xu Huaisong didn’t answer. Instead, he suddenly leaned closer and asked, “Was it good? The milk tea I drank.”
A lawyer’s observational skills were truly not to be underestimated. Ruan Yu’s face flushed. “I didn’t drink it because you did—I’m not some kind of pervert…”
Xu Huaisong glanced at the elevator’s security camera and stayed silent. Only when they reached the parking lot and got into the car did he lean over to the passenger seat, gently pinch her chin, and kiss the corner of her lips, still sweet with the taste of milk tea.
Then he said, “But I am.”
Ruan Yu completely forgot to press him about what had happened between him and Li Shican.
Xu Huaisong drove back to the apartment, ate a little, and went to bed to catch up on sleep. Before dozing off, he checked on Li Shican’s PR situation.
The surveillance footage, combined with the studio’s stern statement about “handling the matter legally,” quickly caused an uproar online, with netizens overwhelmingly condemning the unscrupulous paparazzi.
Li Shican remained silent for a long time, allowing public sympathy for him to peak before reposting the studio’s statement with the comment: I hope the microphone in my hand is used to sing for you, not to fight for my family and friends.
The studio played the tough role while he tugged at heartstrings. The surveillance footage clarified the visual misalignment and timeline, while his mention of “family and friends” effectively blurred the nature of the relationship in question.
A perfect PR move.
Judging by the public reaction, anyone with a shred of decency wouldn’t dig deeper into Xu Huaishi’s identity. Anyone who tried would likely be torn apart by Li Shican’s fans.
As long as no issues arose at the high school, the matter could be considered closed.
With that, Xu Huaisong set aside his phone and went to sleep.
Ruan Yu didn’t disturb him, curling up on the living room sofa with her tablet to review the script sent by the screenwriting team. It wasn’t until nightfall that she stretched, got up, and placed the tablet back on the table, intending to start cooking.
That was when she noticed Xu Huaisong’s laptop on the table had been left on the whole time.
She clicked the mouse to wake the screen, planning to shut it down for him. But then she thought he might have unsaved documents, so she entered the password to check.
And found the screen filled with psychological research reports.
Ruan Yu froze, staring at the symptoms listed in the reports before suddenly understanding.
Just then, Xu Huaisong woke up and opened the bedroom door.
Their eyes met. Ruan Yu’s first instinct was nervousness, worried that Xu Huaisong might think she was snooping through his computer. But the resigned look in his eyes told her he hadn’t even considered that possibility.
He was simply annoyed at himself for forgetting to close the documents and letting her discover them.Her heart softened as she padded over in her slippers. Standing before him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest for a moment before murmuring, "Xu Huaisong, you're so good."
Xu Huaisong chuckled softly, holding her close. "I'm hungry."
She released him. "I'll make dinner."
"Don't bother. Let's eat out. Afterward, I'll bring you back before heading to the firm to discuss Zhou Jun's case. I might stay at the hotel nearby when we're done, so you'll sleep alone tonight. Call me if you can't fall asleep."
Ruan Yu nodded with an "Oh."
Xu Huaisong glanced down at her, studying her expression before asking, "Do you want to come with me?"
"Not really," she said with a laugh, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. "I just wanted to ask—do you need a tea-serving assistant? The kind who's always available, quiet and well-behaved, cute enough to maybe spark some inspiration just by being looked at, potentially leading to a breakthrough in the case?"
Xu Huaisong let out a soft "tsk." "Solving cases is the police's job, not lawyers'."
"..."
Ruan Yu turned to leave. "Forget I said anything."
Xu Huaisong caught her arm. "Though proper stimulation can unlock the brain's potential—something lawyers need too."
She turned back. "What kind of stimulation?"
Xu Huaisong smiled. "Our firm... has a lot of single men."
Author's note: Tremble, single dogs of the legal world. Even Huaisong can't handle Ruan Yu when she gets clingy.
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