Returning to Hangzhou, Xu Huaisong began working regular nine-to-five hours at the law firm, devoting more energy to Zhou Jun's case.
Ruan Yu knew why.
For a decade-old case that had already been exhaustively examined by predecessors, as a lawyer, there was little more he could do.
Yet they had both witnessed how, for ten long years, Xu's mother had lived with guilt, how his father had borne the brunt of public condemnation, how the victim's family remained consumed by anger, and how the acquitted suspect had fallen into destitution.
Three families, all scarred by that single case.
Powerless to change the past, Xu Huaisong sought a glimmer of hope in the similar Zhou Jun case.
If Zhou Jun's case could be resolved, if tragedy could be prevented from repeating itself, he could prove to his mother that perhaps his father hadn’t been wrong back then.
While he buried himself in work, Ruan Yu found staying home dull. Unless she had to go to Huanshi, she would wake up early and cling to him, following him to the law firm to revise her script, claiming it saved on electricity at home.
Xu Huaisong didn’t expose her—the law firm’s electricity bill was paid by him anyway, so it was still their own money.
After more than half a month, since Zhou Jun consistently maintained his innocence during interrogations and the evidence remained insufficient, the prosecutor’s office requested supplementary investigations.
This gave Zhang Ling and Xu Huaisong, who had been tirelessly negotiating, a brief respite.
But when Ruan Yu counted the days, she realized he would soon return to the U.S.
Fearing another "sudden departure" like last time, she made sure to ask him in advance.
Xu Huaisong, busy at his computer, took a sip of the milk she handed him and said, "I can delay my return by a few days."
"Can court hearings be postponed so easily?"
He shook his head. "Not the hearing. I was supposed to go back to sign a few important documents that were finalized recently—they can’t be signed electronically, and mailing them is too risky."
"So you don’t need to sign them now?"
"I do."
"Then why don’t you have to go?"
Ruan Yu blinked, puzzled. Xu Huaisong was usually precise with his words, rarely leaving things unclear after one or two explanations.
What was going on?
After a pause, he said, "Come here."
Confused, she walked over, only to be pulled into his arms.
Once settled on his lap, he explained, "Lü Shenglan happens to be coming to China for work and offered to bring the documents for me to sign, then take them back to San Francisco in person."
So that was why he could stay longer. No wonder he’d been evasive.
Ruan Yu hesitated, then nodded in understanding.
Xu Huaisong looked down at her. "Don’t overthink it. It’s just a few documents—we don’t even need to meet. I’ll have Xiao Chen fetch them for me."
"Mmm..." She drew out the sound, then added, "That’s not what I was thinking. I just feel... she can help you, while I only make you go back and forth for me."
"Colleagues share workloads all the time. Besides, I’m not doing this just for you."
"Huh?"
Xu Huaisong smiled. "If I couldn’t see you, I’d be the first one to suffer."
Ruan Yu didn’t say anything, but the corners of her eyes lifted with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a fleeting kiss to his chin.
Xu Huaisong lowered his head and spent thirty times as long tangling with her lips.
Three days later, Ruan Yu attended her usual script meeting at Huanshi.Xu Huaisong escorted her to the door, reminding her to stay in constant communication as before, avoid being alone, and act naturally if she encountered Wei Jin.
The police’s undercover operation was progressing step by step. As someone in the know, Ruan Yu had to pretend complete ignorance. So after getting out of the car, she mentally rehearsed her expressions and the details of her speech.
But in reality, she didn’t even need to consider this kind of “choosing between Peking University and Tsinghua” dilemma. Half a day passed, and the seventh-floor meeting room remained peaceful—Wei Jin, who was on the nineteenth floor, never came down.
Just as she was marveling at her good luck, during lunch break, she saw producer Zheng Shan’s secretary delivering milk tea again.
The exact same brand and flavor as last time.
A thought flashed through her mind, and then she received a WeChat message that confirmed it.
Li Shican: Don’t worry, I’m on the nineteenth floor.
So her good luck wasn’t real.
It was because Li Shican had found some excuse to go to the nineteenth floor to enjoy the air conditioning, sparing her from a possible encounter with Wei Jin.
She replied: Thank you, sorry for the trouble. Another day wasted for you.
Li Shican: No problem, I’m free anyway. The air conditioning here is great and free.
She didn’t reply further. Just as she was about to lock her screen, she suddenly noticed a new friend request at the bottom.
Clicking on it, it seemed to be a newly registered account—the profile picture was still the default one. The verification message read: Hello, I’m Lü Shenglan.
Ruan Yu froze.
The day before yesterday, Lü Shenglan had sent documents to the law firm through her assistant, tactfully avoiding a meeting with Xu Huaisong. By now, she should have already retrieved the signed documents. So why was she suddenly adding her on WeChat?
Puzzled, she tapped “Accept.”
Lü Shenglan quickly sent a message, getting straight to the point: Hello, Miss Ruan. Sorry for the intrusion. I’m returning to the U.S. today and wanted to invite you for tea before I leave, if it’s convenient for you.
Ruan Yu did have time during her lunch break.
But why was she suddenly inviting her for tea?
Her fingers hovered over the screen for a long time. Just as she was about to exit the chat and ask Xu Huaisong what was going on, another message came through: I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just wanted to talk to you about Huaisong’s situation in the U.S. If possible, please keep this from him for now.
His situation in the U.S.?
Ruan Yu frowned and typed: I’m at Huanshi. I only have an hour.
Lü Shenglan: Then I’ll drive over. Can you come to the main entrance in ten minutes?
Ruan Yu: Sure.
Ruan Yu arrived at the entrance of Huanshi and got into Lü Shenglan’s car.
Lü Shenglan was still dressed in her sharp professional attire. She took off her sunglasses to greet Ruan Yu, then remained silent throughout the drive until they entered a private room in the teahouse across the street.
After the tea was served, seeing that the other woman seemed to be gathering her thoughts, Ruan Yu tentatively asked, “How did you get my WeChat, Miss Lü?”
Lü Shenglan lowered her head and smiled. “That time.”
Those four simple words instantly froze the atmosphere.
Lü Shenglan then raised her eyes. “About that day—I’m sorry. But today, I’m not here to apologize. What I’m about to say will likely make you resent me even more. But if I don’t say these things, you might never know.”
Ruan Yu frowned.
After leaving the teahouse and returning to Huanshi, Ruan Yu spent the entire afternoon distracted. She was called out by the producer several times, having missed the questions entirely.
It wasn’t until the evening meeting ended and Xu Huaisong texted that he was already at the entrance that she finally pulled herself together and went downstairs.In the lobby on the first floor, Li Shican was lounging on the sofa chair with his elbow propped up, playing on his phone. When he saw Ruan Yu step out of the elevator, he glanced up at her.
Ruan Yu paused slightly, then understood.
He must have timed the meeting's end to be here, ensuring she got home safely.
Though it seemed a bit excessive.
She gave him a grateful look in return, then walked out of the lobby and into the passenger seat of Xu Huaisong's car. After fastening her seatbelt, she noticed the car hadn’t moved.
Xu Huaisong was tilting his head, his gaze still fixed on the lobby.
Following his line of sight, Ruan Yu saw Li Shican glance their way before picking up his phone and walking off.
She explained, "He was just—"
"I know," Xu Huaisong interrupted.
Even from a distance, Li Shican’s intentions were clear to him at a glance.
He said, "It’s good. Having him around gives me peace of mind. Your safety is what matters most."
Ruan Yu studied his expression, seeing genuine reassurance, so she didn’t say more and simply leaned back against the seat.
Xu Huaisong turned to her, noticing her weary look. "What’s wrong?"
She opened her mouth but closed it again, shaking her head after a pause. "Nothing, just tired from the meeting."
"Then let’s eat out tonight. No need to cook."
"Okay."
The car slowly pulled into the endless stream of traffic.
Ruan Yu turned her head to the window, watching as the sky gradually darkened and the towering streetlights flickered on one by one. It reminded her of how, earlier that afternoon, Lü Sheng Lan’s calm, matter-of-fact words had slowly illuminated the world of Xu Huaisong—one she had never truly seen before.
She had said, "You probably don’t know why Huaisong chose to study law in the first place. He didn’t understand his father at all back then. At the time, he even thought Uncle Xu was some kind of ‘hired gun’—a villain of sorts. So when he first went to the U.S. to study law, it was because he wanted to become a lawyer unlike his father. Looking back now, it might seem a bit childish, even ridiculous."
"It’s not easy for Asians over there. I was fine—I’d grown up accustomed to it and had plenty of friends at school. But he didn’t. He was alone. When faced with discrimination and unfair treatment, the only thing he could rely on was his academic performance."
"Americans do respect that. When his grades consistently topped the rankings, they gradually came to acknowledge him, calling that Chinese boy a genius. But what they didn’t know was that their so-called genius had been hospitalized twice from overwork."
"He graduated with the best grades in his year and passed the toughest bar exam in the U.S. But later, as you might have guessed, despite entering law school with a rebellious mindset, clashing and conflicting with his father at every turn, he eventually—after becoming a lawyer—slowly walked the same path as his father. Those rough edges smoothed out, and he came to understand his father’s struggles."
"The day Uncle Xu had a sudden cerebral infarction and was diagnosed with vascular dementia, Huaisong sat in the hospital all night. After that, he began taking over his father’s cases, one by one, bearing them all himself. He never said a word about it, but I could tell—from that moment on, he truly put his heart into it. Being a lawyer was no longer just a job for him. It had become a calling.""You might not imagine that someone like him could have had a smoking addiction. He picked it up shortly after Uncle Xu fell ill. The pressure during those first two years was simply too overwhelming—he had no choice but to rely on external stimulants. It wasn’t until the third year that he returned to normal and quit smoking."
"The man you see now is the polished, successful version after eight years of struggle. He has the means now, so he can return to China at will. But that doesn’t mean his sacrifices came lightly."
"No one else knows about these things. If I don’t tell you, he might never bring it up himself. And compared to you never finding out, I think it’s better for me to speak out of turn. After all, we were never going to be friends anyway."
"One last thing you’ll probably dislike hearing—giving up a career he built over eight years in an instant might have been his own choice, but it’s not something to take for granted. If you still won’t consider moving to the U.S. for him, at the very least, cherish his sacrifice."
Ruan Yu pressed her lips together, staring at the stream of cars outside the window, her grip tightening around the passport in her bag.
Author’s note: Wow, it’s so late already, wuwu.
OpenNovel