After finishing a client’s urgent legal consultation, Cheng Yao, recalling what Cheng Xi had said, couldn’t resist her curiosity and rolled her chair over to where Tan Ying was still poring over Japan travel guides.
“Have you heard of ‘Lawyers Debate’?”
Tan Ying was obsessed with all kinds of variety shows, and sure enough, she hadn’t missed this legal-themed one either. Her eyes lit up. “It’s really popular lately—are you starting to follow it too?”
“No… I just heard about it recently, wanted to ask if it’s any good.”
“It’s great! Each episode covers a legal theme, invites two big names from the industry to headline, then gathers cases from the public that need legal help in that area, screens them, and picks the ones with the most controversy and difficulty. They turn the case into a topic, and the two big names each represent opposing sides in the case, sparring back and forth on both moral and legal grounds—all live, no pre-recording or editing, completely unscripted. Then the audience votes to decide which lawyer wins.” Tan Ying’s eyes sparkled. “There’ve already been three episodes. The first was about real estate law, the second about labor law, the third about consumer rights protection. And soon, the fourth episode is coming up—this one’s theme is marriage law…”
Only then did Cheng Yao understand—so that was it. The next episode’s theme was marriage law, which was why one of the “industry big names” invited was Deng Ming.
“Oh, and you know what?” Tan Ying leaned in close to Cheng Yao’s ear, sounding mysterious. “Our Qian-par actually got invited by the show, too.”
“Huh?”
“For episode four of ‘Lawyers Debate,’ yeah. The production team has sent Qian-par invitations several times, called him a dozen times—genuinely persistent about it. Even after Qian-par turned them down pretty harshly, they still couldn’t let it go—they even called Wu-par several times, hoping he could act as a go-between to convince Qian-par to appear.”
“Is the other competing lawyer confirmed?”
“Yep, it’s that partner from Dewei Law Firm, Deng Ming. Didn’t you go up against him in that legal aid case? People out there call him the conscience of the profession, and our Qian-par the industry’s poison.” Tan Ying couldn’t help laughing as she said this. “Haha, now I kind of get why the show is so obsessed with getting Qian-par—’conscience of the profession’ versus ‘industry poison’—that’s actually a pretty compelling, marketable angle.”
Tan Ying had only meant it as idle gossip, but it stirred something in Cheng Yao.
Deng Ming was definitely going to be on the show—and if Qian Heng could be there too, with his professional skill and that razor-sharp tongue of his that could send anyone straight to their grave, Deng Ming would likely lose all face during the live broadcast, and that mask of his would naturally start peeling away.
Except… except Qian Heng, of course, wouldn’t agree…
That evening on their date, Cheng Yao made every effort to persuade Qian Heng to appear on the show, but was met with an unhesitating refusal.
“I’m a lawyer, not an entertainer. A lawyer just needs to do their professional work well and serve their clients—there’s no need to go on some meaningless variety show.” Bringing up “Lawyers Debate,” Qian Heng clearly held it in some disdain. “Turning professionals into entertainment—what a waste of time. Besides, the lawyers packaged for these shows are all like the lawyers in TV dramas, nothing like our real working lives. It’s just something outsiders watch for fun—nothing but a platform for people like Deng Ming to market themselves.”
“But that’s exactly why we should go on it, to correct the public’s misconceptions about lawyers, to show them what real lawyers are like.”
Qian Heng shot Cheng Yao a glance, then took off his own scarf and haphazardly wrapped it around her head. “My time is expensive. Aside from work, I really don’t want to waste it on something like this. Especially since my free time is even more precious now than before.”
“Your hourly rate went up again?!” Cheng Yao couldn’t help exclaiming. “Is there no justice left in this world?! Your rate is already sky-high, and it’s going up even more?!”
“It hasn’t gone up.”
“Then why is it more precious?”
“Idiot.” Qian Heng turned his head slightly away, his voice a bit stiff. “Because all my free time now is reserved for you.”
Although Qian Heng ultimately didn’t agree to appear on “Lawyers Debate,” Cheng Yao found she wasn’t upset at all—quite the opposite, she felt like a cat that had just been petted the right way, utterly content.
Very sweet. Sweeter than a glass of sugar water.
—
By year’s end, all their work was winding down, and the air was already filled with the atmosphere of the coming new year. Time flew, but everything proceeded in an orderly way. The first-instance ruling in Li Mengting’s property dispute case had concluded, and just as Cheng Yao had predicted, the verdict granted Li Mengting ownership of the property, while Zhang Hao would receive corresponding cash compensation for his share. Though there was still a fifteen-day appeal period after the first-instance ruling was served, Cheng Yao was almost certain that even if Zhang Hao appealed, the outcome wouldn’t change much.
“Thank you, Yao Yao! Once the ruling takes effect, I’ll scrape together the cash for Zhang Hao’s share, pay off that one million loan, and I can finally say goodbye to the past for good!” Holding the ruling, Li Mengting was nearly moved to tears of joy. Her pregnancy had stabilized nicely lately, and with her parents’ care and encouragement, she’d adjusted her mindset well, her complexion glowing with health.
Once she’d found her footing again, Li Mengting proved even more driven than Cheng Yao had expected. Since receiving Cheng Yao’s bar exam study materials, she’d thrown herself into studying every day, with the same intensity she’d once brought to the college entrance exam.
“This child of mine complained the hotel lacked a study atmosphere, so now she goes to the library next door at eight every morning to study.” Li Mengting’s mother sounded a bit worried. “Thankfully the library’s close by. The doctor also said some moderate activity is fine in the later stages of pregnancy—good for controlling blood sugar and the baby’s size, and makes for an easier delivery.” At this point, she sounded a bit put out. “Her father and I used to walk her to the library every day and pick her up together in the evening, but these past few days she’s flat-out refused to let us come get her, insisting on walking back alone—it’s worrying us to death…”
Li Mengting’s mother thought nothing more of it, but Cheng Yao’s sharp instincts picked up on something in Li Mengting’s expression.
The moment her mother left, Cheng Yao struck an interrogating pose. “Alright, spill it. Who’s been walking you home lately?”
Li Mengting’s face reddened slightly, her eyes darting away. “No… no one.”
“You think you can hide it from me?” Cheng Yao smiled. “Ever since the near-miscarriage scare, you’ve been so careful—there’s no way you’d suddenly insist on walking home alone at night now, in what’s admittedly a more stable second trimester, but still. Tell me, who’s been walking you home?” Cheng Yao winked at her, lowering her voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret, won’t tell your parents.”
“You promised, you said you’d keep it secret!” Li Mengting glanced at her, and finally stopped hiding it. “The foreign-language section of the library is quieter, less crowded, so I usually go study there. There’s a foreigner who’s always there reading too. His Chinese isn’t great—once he wanted to find a certain foreign book, and the librarian, who’s older and doesn’t know much English, was struggling, so I helped him out. We got to talking after that.”
Cheng Yao’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “How old is he? Where’s he from? What’s his background? What does he do?”
“He’s a Finnish engineer, six years older than me. He’s been married once before too, but it ended amicably—he and his ex-wife just kept drifting apart from being apart so much. They divorced years ago, no kids, though he does like children.”
“Is he handsome?”
“Not handsome, not the Western heartthrob type you’re picturing—just an ordinary-looking guy. But he’s very gentle, and I was surprised to find we actually have a lot in common.” Li Mengting looked a bit shy, and also somewhat anxious and uneasy. “I never thought about anything happening between us—I just saw him as a foreign friend. I told him everything about my situation, and I didn’t expect him not to mind at all. He even said he admired that I chose to keep the baby despite everything, that it took real courage, and that I kept coming to study every day even while pregnant—he thought that showed real persistence. He thought I was strong and independent, and he actually started pursuing me seriously. I turned him down, but he still insists on walking me home, hoping we could at least start as friends.”
Cheng Yao understood Li Mengting’s uncertainty—she’d just come out of a failed relationship, and was naturally wary of men, of marriage, of the future in general. But having been hurt and unlucky in love before didn’t mean she couldn’t find happiness again.
And through this ordeal, Li Mengting had clearly grown a great deal. She no longer hesitated and wavered; she now had her own clear-eyed judgment about her future. “Right now my new life is just beginning, there are too many unstable factors—I’m not thinking about starting a relationship this soon. The most important thing is to become strong on my own first. Isn’t there a saying, ‘bloom, and the gentle breeze will come’? I believe that if I work hard enough, I’ll meet someone even better, someone who truly matches what I deserve. If you really put in the effort, life won’t let you down.” Li Mengting’s voice carried resolve. “Yao Yao, this time, I won’t pin my life on a man again. I’ll build my own strength. Love yourself first, then love others. There’s more to life than romance and marriage.”
Watching Li Mengting, now seemingly transformed, Cheng Yao held back her own emotion and nodded firmly. “As long as you keep working hard and stay persistent, life will definitely get better and better!”
Indeed, life was full of choices, and wrong choices could come at a heavy cost—but life wasn’t a single all-or-nothing gamble. Even after choosing wrong, one could rise again, never give up on oneself, and still forge ahead to claim a better tomorrow.
—
With Li Mengting’s case essentially resolved, and Lin Fengjuan’s case still awaiting the second-trial hearing—though even by conservative estimates, victory was all but assured—Cheng Yao finally let out a breath of relief at year’s end, having wrapped up these two cases. She allowed herself to relax a little and threw herself into the excitement of the upcoming trip to Japan.
Ever since successfully convincing Qian Heng to let him go to Japan again, Bao Rui had been busy and enthusiastic, preparing Matsumoto Kiyoshi discount coupons and a Japan must-buy list for everyone. Tan Ying had already coordinated her Japan street-style outfits. Wang Lu and Li Menglei, the secretly dating couple, were of course thrilled at the prospect of the team-building trip to Japan too.
Amid everyone’s high anticipation, the five-day, four-night Kansai team-building trip to Japan finally began.
Winter in Japan was bitterly cold, but the group of Junheng lawyers traveled along cheerfully, chatting and laughing the whole way.
“For the first three days, we’ll be staying in Kyoto. The last two days, we’ll head back to Osaka. Since we won’t arrive in Kyoto until fairly late today, there’s no time to fit in much of an itinerary, so we’ll first check into the hotel to drop off our luggage, have a simple dinner, and tonight we’ve arranged a performance at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre,” the HR department’s Sister Zhu explained enthusiastically to the group. “The Gion Kobu Kaburenjo performance is a very traditional showcase of Japanese culture—besides the geisha performance, there’s also tea ceremony, flower arrangement, gagaku court music, and kyogen comic theater…”
While Sister Zhu was still explaining at the front of the group, Bao Rui let out a groan. “Ugh!”
Tan Ying was curious. “What’s with the ‘ugh’?”
Bao Rui looked utterly conflicted. “This is my first time in Japan too, and I wanted to soak up a bit of culture, refine my sensibilities, but this show, honestly, it’s not fun at all! For one thing, the whole thing is in Japanese, no translation at all—the geisha’s Kyoto dance performance, fine, I can just watch that blindly, but the tea ceremony and flower arrangement are incredibly boring, and the kyogen stuff I can’t understand at all… Last time I went with my wife, I fell asleep for forty minutes out of the hour.” He sighed with regret. “If we’ve got the time for this, we might as well hit up some bars in Kyoto instead—I know a few great ones, and since my wife’s not here this time, I could really let loose…”
Just then, Qian Heng happened to walk by, and Bao Rui, unable to contain his frustration, started complaining out loud. “Qian-par, which travel agency planned this itinerary? We came all the way to Japan just for this kind of show? Whoever planned this, are they some kind of idiot? And the only decent part—the geisha dance performance—every single performer is a man, not a single woman in it, what’s even the point of watching that? Whoever planned this itinerary, if it’s a man, he’s definitely into men too!”
Bao Rui kept working himself up. “Next time, if I ever catch whoever planned this, I, Bao Rui, will smack some sense into him myself.”
Qian Heng said nothing at first, pressing his lips together and glancing at Bao Rui. “Bao Rui, I planned this itinerary.”
“Qian-par…”
“I can confirm with certainty that I’m not into men.” Qian Heng said coldly. “Since you clearly have zero interest in tonight’s performance, why don’t you stay at the hotel and work overtime on revising a client’s agreement instead.”
Bao Rui nearly burst into tears. “Qian-par, no… let me explain…”
“No need to explain to me. As for that dangerous idea of yours to hit the clubs while your wife’s away, I think she should probably know about it. So, go explain it to her instead.”
Qian Heng said, with an icy smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she finds out.”
Bao Rui’s heart turned to ice on the spot. He watched Qian Heng’s retreating figure walk calmly away, nearly dropping to his knees.
“Does Qian-par not know my wife is basically a tigress? If he does this, I’m dead!” Bao Rui lamented, utterly despondent. “If my wife kills me, how am I supposed to keep serving faithfully at Qian-par’s side? Doesn’t he still need his little sunshine?”
“…”
Wake up, Bao Rui! You’re way too deep into this fantasy of yours!