Before Sun Miaohan left, Ruan Yu reminded her to cut all ties with Huanshi.
She nodded and said she understood, but after stepping out, she turned back. "Sis, actually, I find it a bit strange..."
"Hmm?"
"The alarm last night didn't last long, and the property management quickly explained it was a misunderstanding. But before that, he had already rushed off in his car. Why did he leave so easily?"
Ruan Yu shook her head to indicate she didn’t know, then glanced back at Xu Huaisong. Just then, they heard Sun Miaohan’s phone ring.
She answered, and within moments, her eyes reddened. Holding the phone, she said, "Auntie, I really don’t want to report this... Let’s just drop it, it’s useless..."
A sharp voice came from the other end, tinged with a regional accent: "What kind of world is this? Can’t you even report when you’ve been wronged? Just wait, the police will be there soon. Tell them everything properly and get that scoundrel locked up!"
After hanging up, Sun Miaohan took a deep breath, holding back tears. "Sis, I need to go upstairs first. My aunt back home got so angry after hearing about this that she called the police for me."
Ruan Yu patted her shoulder and watched her enter the elevator. Turning back, she saw Xu Huaisong sitting on the sofa, pinching the bridge of his nose. She walked over and asked, "Is the situation complicated?"
"Based on what you said last night, she didn’t resist within the elevator’s surveillance range. As for what happened after entering the apartment, without solid evidence, it’d be hard to even file a case based on testimony alone. Suppose the police get involved and summon the person in question, but the case can’t proceed—what do you think Wei Jin would do afterward?"
Ruan Yu pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
As cruel as it sounded, reality was just like that.
In Wei Jin’s hands, girls like Sun Miaohan were certainly not rare, and most of them chose to swallow their grievances rather than fight a losing battle.
After all, men like Wei Jin were used to acting on impulse and wouldn’t care about one or two girls. If Sun Miaohan left because she "couldn’t take the game," he’d probably forget her soon enough.
But if things escalated, angering him without legal consequences, the situation could spiral out of control.
Xu Huaisong closed his eyes briefly. "You crossed paths with Wei Jin last night. If the police get involved, you’ll inevitably be dragged in. Even the smoke detector incident might come to light. Sun Miaohan can leave, but you’re contractually tied to Huanshi. What will you do?"
Everyone had their own self-interest.
As a lawyer, if Sun Miaohan decided to fight for her rights, he could support her. But as a boyfriend, he didn’t want Ruan Yu entangled in this mess.
Xu Huaisong rubbed his temples. "I’ll go check the situation on the 15th floor."
When Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong arrived on the 15th floor, Fang Zhen and another officer were questioning Sun Miaohan. A police dog was leashed by the door.
Seeing this, Ruan Yu whispered, "Why did they bring a police dog?"
Xu Huaisong shook his head to indicate he didn’t know.
Fang Zhen looked surprised to see them, while the other officer gaped. "Ah, Ms. Ruan, Mr. Xu, we meet again!"
Ruan Yu massaged her forehead, wondering if they’d somehow inherited Detective Conan’s curse.
Noticing her glances at the police dog, the officer explained, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. The person who reported the case said the suspect fled after the incident, so we thought tracking might be necessary."
Sun Miaohan looked apologetic. "Sorry, my aunt didn’t know the full details..."After she finished speaking, she briefly recounted the incident to the two of them.
After listening, Fang Zhen asked Ruan Yu for more details and then wanted to confirm the items Wei Jin had touched the previous night.
Sun Miaohan went into the kitchen to fetch the trash bag and came out saying, "The broken glass and pillow stuffing have all been cleaned up, they're in here..." Just as she spoke, the police dog at the door suddenly started barking fiercely and lunged toward her.
Startled, she screamed and dropped the trash bag.
The two officers quickly rushed over—one calming the dog while the inspected the contents of the bag.
Fang Zhen, wearing gloves, carefully sifted through the trash and asked, "Is there any blood in here?"
Sun Miaohan, still shaken, stammered, "N-no, there isn't...!"
The police dog continued barking uncontrollably, prompting Fang Zhen to turn and say, "Let Xinxin sniff it."
The other officer unleashed the dog.
The police dog named "Xinxin" immediately pounced forward, sniffing around the trash before nudging out a cigarette butt.
The two officers exchanged a glance.
Fang Zhen asked Sun Miaohan, "Did you smoke this?"
She shook her head in surprise. "No, I don’t smoke. It was him..."
Xu Huaisong frowned and stepped forward. "Ms. Sun mentioned that Mr. Wei left in a hurry after hearing the alarm last night?"
Sun Miaohan nodded, glancing down at the cigarette butt before looking at Ruan Yu in confusion, unable to see any connection between the two.
Noticing the sudden seriousness of the three men in the room, Ruan Yu didn’t dare speak. After a moment, she watched as Fang Zhen placed the cigarette butt into an evidence bag and told his colleague, "Send this to the narcotics testing center."
Sun Miaohan gasped in shock.
Fang Zhen asked, "Ms. Sun, were you aware of Mr. Wei’s habits in this regard?"
Her eyes widened as she shook her head. After a pause, she whispered, "I only remember that last night, he was smoking this while he..." She trailed off, unable to continue, and looked pleadingly at Ruan Yu, the only other woman present.
Ruan Yu stepped in. "I heard from a friend that Mr. Wei might have some... unhealthy preferences in that area..."
"It’s possible he used narcotics to enhance physical stimulation," Xu Huaisong added calmly. "Officer Fang, if possible, I hope the police will fully consider the safety of the individuals involved. I don’t recommend directly summoning Mr. Wei based solely on the 'sexual assault' angle."
Fang Zhen nodded. "If the test results align with our suspicions, we’ll apply for a covert investigation."
After concluding their discussion, Xu Huaisong had Ruan Yu contact the Cen family.
Upon learning that they intended to reinvestigate the previous plagiarism incident, Cen Rongshen invited them to his company.
The Cen family had started in real estate and, over time, expanded into a vast empire with investments spanning industries like gaming, tourism, and film.
When they arrived, Cen Rongshen was in a high-level meeting and only met with them afterward. Xu Huaisong got straight to the point, requesting records of Cen Sisi’s purchase of internet trolls and trending searches.
Out of remorse, Cen Rongshen had been fully cooperative. He had his secretary retrieve the relevant documents and said, "Lawyer Xu, these are the only records I could confirm. I suspect they might be incomplete."
After reviewing the materials, Xu Huaisong paused before replying, "Mr. Cen, this might actually be the complete record."
"What do you mean, Lawyer Xu?""I'm truly sorry, it was my mistake."
Actually, Cen Sisi had already revealed the truth in that recorded phone call earlier. She said she had only hired a small group of online trolls to test the waters and had no idea why things spiraled out of control, skyrocketing to the top of trending searches.
At the time, both he and Liu Mao thought this was just the defendant's excuse. Eager to restore Ruan Yu's reputation quickly, they didn't consider other possibilities and thus missed the real mastermind behind it all.
After leaving the Cen Group, Xu Huaisong drove in silence the whole way.
Ruan Yu glanced at him: "It's okay. You've said it yourself—lawyers aren't gods. It's not too late to realize it now. The question is, what do we do next..."
"Wei Jin has definitely committed more than one or two crimes over the years, but he's always exploited legal loopholes. Charges like attempted rape or illegal drug possession mean nothing to him, let alone something as trivial as buying trending searches."
True. Not to mention, given Ruan Yu's current relationship with Huanshi, it wouldn't be appropriate to escalate things. Even if they filed a lawsuit, what would a compensation payment mean to him?
"So we just let him roam free?"
Xu Huaisong shook his head: "To kill a snake, you must strike its vital spot. That's why I asked the police to apply for a covert investigation—to target his weak point. Someone like him likely has a shady background. Drugs always have a source. If we can prove it's not just illegal possession but illegal transportation or even drug trafficking, then no amount of backing can save him."
Ruan Yu nodded.
"But if the investor gets arrested, your film's progress will be affected too. It might even face the risk of being scrapped."
"So what? Eradicating a public menace is more important than anything!"
Seeing her heroic demeanor, Xu Huaisong chuckled. After a moment, he said, "Remember when you asked me what I was doing with Li Shican that day?"
Ruan Yu side-eyed him: "Finally willing to talk?"
"At the time, I didn't fully understand Huanshi's plans, but I always had doubts about Li Shican being cast as the male lead: why him, of all people?"
"Given how frequently he became a topic of discussion, I suspected Huanshi might be planning to dig up the connections between you, him, and Cen Sisi right before the film's release to stir up publicity. So that day, I discussed a contingency plan with him."
"What kind of plan?"
Xu Huaisong curved his lips slightly: "Given Wei Jin's current situation, it might not be necessary anymore."
"So you're not going to tell me?"
"Nope."
Ruan Yu took a deep breath and puffed her cheeks: "Then you shouldn't have brought it up in the first place!"
Just as the light turned red, Xu Huaisong freed a hand to ruffle her hair: "I can stay in the country for over a month this time. Aside from following up on the police investigation into Wei Jin's background, my main focus is Zhou Jun's case. The rest of the time, I can spend with you."
Ruan Yu let out a quiet "hmph": "What about your bar exam? It's the first year of the reform, and the question types have been adjusted—just your luck."
Xu Huaisong faltered: "I'm studying for it."
"Tsk, poor thing. Maybe you shouldn't be dating then. Focus on your studies. If you fail, you won't be able to take cases, and if you can't take cases, you'll be unemployed. I'll have to support you with my writing income."
Xu Huaisong moved his hand to her forehead, mimicking a flick.
She ducked: "Wow, a lawyer committing assault!"
Xu Huaisong laughed and instead gently stroked her forehead with his thumb.Ruan Yu grabbed one of his hands with both of hers, holding it in her palms as she asked, "You just said you'll have to leave again in a month?"
"More or less."
She made an "oh" sound, released his hand, and secretly pulled out her phone to Baidu: passport application materials and precautions.
After browsing through the search results, Ruan Yu had a general idea. As soon as they got home, she immediately urged Xu Huaisong to start reviewing.
Dragged onto the sofa by her, Xu Huaisong stared silently at the pile of law books on the coffee table—Constitution, Civil Law, Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Economic Law, International Law.
Ruan Yu flipped through a few with interest, muttering, "I'm starting to forget how to write the character for 'law'... Maybe we should start with a practice test first?"
"Okay."
She opened a copy of "70-Day Sprint for the Bar Exam" and saw that all the pages were blank. "Pick a number from one to ten?"
"Seven."
She turned to the seventh set, handed him a pen, and opened the timer on her phone. "Alright, Volume Three of the seventh set. Let's begin—I'm timing you."
Xu Huaisong sighed and started working on the questions. Half an hour later, frowning, he reached for the Commercial Law textbook.
Ruan Yu immediately stopped him. "Hey? Why are you looking at the book during the test? Who's going to let you do that in the actual exam?"
Xu Huaisong replied somewhat defensively, "The legal system here is too different from the U.S. I haven't memorized Commercial Law yet."
"A mock exam is meant to test your current, real ability. If you don't know, you don't know—what's there to avoid?"
Gritting his teeth, Xu Huaisong withdrew his hand and continued answering.
Ruan Yu patted his hair. "If you score above ninety, there's a reward."
Xu Huaisong tilted his head. "What reward?"
"We'll talk after the exam."
Lowering his eyes, Xu Huaisong decided to just guess his way through.
*If three are short and one is long, pick the longest.
If three are long and one is short, pick the shortest.
If two are short and two are long, choose B.
If they're all uneven, go with C.*
As he neared the end, Ruan Yu noticed him coughing frequently.
"Does your throat hurt?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll get you some water."
She stood up as she spoke.
Xu Huaisong quickly flipped to the answer key, searching for Volume Three of the seventh set—when suddenly, a cold voice cut in:
" Xu. "
He froze mid-action and looked up.
Ruan Yu leaned against the kitchen doorway, holding an empty cup, and stared at him. "I knew it was fake. Forgot to tell you—after graduating from the Chinese department, I got a teaching certificate. I know all about cheaters like you."
Author's Note:
Song Song: It's too hard... ninety is too hard...
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