“Liu Shiyun, that method of yours doesn’t work at all.” The moment Qian Wei got off work, she’d arranged to meet Liu Shiyun, and now the two of them sat in a quiet bar, Qian Wei venting her frustrations. “None of it works. The man’s basically insulated.”

Liu Shiyun was equally shocked. “No way. Does that mean I really have to bring out my ultimate secret weapon?”

Qian Wei shot her a look. “Forget it. ‘Sleep with him,’ you said? Even if I stripped and stood right in front of him, he’d probably just stand there unmoved, and only scold me for indecency and lack of decorum.”

Liu Shiyun was stunned. “Is there really another oddity like that in this world besides Lu Xun?!”

“…”

“Wait! Qian Wei, why are you being so evasive with your eyes? You… don’t tell me the man you’re talking about is Lu Xun?!”

“…”

Liu Shiyun’s eyes went wide. “Qian Wei, did you hit your head so hard in that fall that your brain got scrambled? I’ll admit Lu Xun is quite the package, personality and body both, but first, you can’t have him, and second, even if you did get him, wouldn’t you worry about indigestion?”

Qian Wei held it in, but couldn’t quite manage it. “My stomach’s plenty strong. I can digest it just fine.”

“…”

Regardless, after a good deal of fussing, Liu Shiyun finally accepted the premise that Qian Wei had actually fallen for Lu Xun.

“Qian Wei, want to hear the truth?”

After Qian Wei had selectively shared her feelings about Lu Xun, Liu Shiyun said, with total certainty, “You’re done for.”

Qian Wei: ???

“I really didn’t expect you to have such inappropriate thoughts about Lu Xun.” Liu Shiyun clicked her tongue. “Lu Xun, of all people! The untouchable snow lotus of the Tianshan Mountains that nobody can have! Who gave you the courage? Liang Jingru?”

“…”

“Qian Wei, you survived a near-death fall—you should be looking at life with more perspective now. Of all the things to set your sights on, why Lu Xun? A man like that, you’re not landing him. If you put this much effort into it, you could’ve gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University! I’m warning you, you’re teetering on the edge of a very bad decision!” Liu Shiyun thought it over and delivered her verdict. “I think you’re probably just feeling restless lately, working overtime every single day with no other men in sight—if I were in your shoes, forget Lu Xun, I’d probably fall for a male toad at this point. So I get where your head’s at, but don’t rush! My dad’s friend has a son who just got back from abroad. Sure, he’s a bit less good-looking than Lu Xun, but he’s decent-looking, and he’s got normal tastes! Gentle personality! Just wait, I’ll set up a meeting for you two in a few days!”

The two chatted about other things for a while, and Liu Shiyun was just about to suggest a second round of skewers when Qian Chuan showed up.

He poked his head around the bar until he finally spotted Qian Wei. “Qian Wei! There you are!”

Qian Wei was a little surprised. “What’s wrong? Something going on at home?”

“No, it’s just—it’s already nine. I came to take you home.”

Liu Shiyun couldn’t help but scoff. “You think Qian Wei’s eighteen? Is there a curfew now? Does she have to write a self-criticism if she’s not home by nine? Does she need to submit a list of who she’s hanging out with for your approval?”

Ever since the hospital incident, Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun had been at odds, and now, running into each other again, old grudges and new ones surged up together, and sparks began flying between the two of them once more.

“An only child like you obviously can’t understand the family bond between me and Qian Wei! And with a personality like yours, you probably don’t have a boyfriend either—even if you wanted someone to come pick you up in the middle of the night and check whether you got home safe, there’s probably no one for you.” Qian Chuan certainly wasn’t going to back down. “Qian Wei’s different, though. She’s got me looking out for her!”

“If I, Liu Shiyun, ever put out a public call for a boyfriend, you’d better believe half the men in this bar would line up! You, on the other hand, could never find a girlfriend!”

Qian Chuan was furious. “Me, Qian Chuan, unable to find a girlfriend?! On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that there’s something wrong with your prostate!”

In the end, Qian Wei had no choice but to play peacemaker, and after a lot of coaxing, she finally managed to defuse the tension between Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun. Somehow, Liu Shiyun—who normally put on airs of being an elegant, intellectual beauty—completely lost her composure every time she ran into Qian Chuan, and Qian Chuan, upon seeing Liu Shiyun, likewise abandoned his usual carefully cultivated image of maturity and steadiness. The two of them turned into a pair of squabbling children whenever they were together. Qian Wei figured this must be fate at work, in some mysterious way.

Since she couldn’t crack Lu Xun, Qian Wei was fairly gloomy about it, but gloomy or not, work still had to go on.

Early the next morning, Qian Wei arrived at the firm, only to find that Lu Xun, unsurprisingly, had already been working in his office for who knew how long. Qian Wei glanced at the light coming from his office and thought to herself, what good were excellent genes if this was how he lived his life? At this rate, his sperm would probably go inactive before he ever found a partner…

Just a few minutes after Qian Wei turned on her computer, the door to Lu Xun’s office opened, and he walked toward her, that face of his handsome to the point of extravagance, cold as ice.

Did I mess up some case?

Or did I forget to reply to a client email?

Or is it my outfit again? No, wait, I buttoned everything up today…

Just as Qian Wei was fretting, Lu Xun had already reached her desk. He gave her a flat, indifferent glance, then set something down.

“Take this.”

Having spoken those two words—each easily worth two hundred yuan given his hourly rate—Lu Xun turned and walked away.

Qian Wei picked it up and looked: it was a box of cold medicine, along with a small box of throat lozenges.

“Happened to remember I had some in my drawer,” Lu Xun said without turning back, and went straight back into his office.

For the rest of the morning, Qian Wei found herself distracted, staring at the cold medicine and lozenges on her desk. She had to actively grab a few contracts from her colleagues to revise, just to force her attention elsewhere. She barely managed to make it to lunch break when Liu Shiyun’s call came in.

“Qian Wei, that thing I told you about yesterday, it’s all set. We’re eating together tonight.”

Qian Wei was confused. “Huh?”

“The blind date thing, obviously!” Liu Shiyun chuckled. “The guy’s whole family had already arranged some other blind date for him, and I straight up cut in line and horned my way to the front. Tonight, six o’clock, Meihua Mediterranean Steakhouse. Be on time.”

Qian Wei had thought Liu Shiyun was just talking yesterday—she hadn’t expected her to move this fast. She immediately declined. “There’s no way, I’ve got to work overtime tonight!”

Liu Shiyun let out a strange yelp. “You nearly died from a work injury, and you’re still working overtime?! And Lu Xun’s practically inhuman, working himself ragged every single day—are you really going to waste your whole life keeping him company like that? Men have the advantage over women when it comes to age—they say a man’s still a flower at forty, but what about a woman at forty? A woman at forty is called ‘faded and past her prime’!”

“It’s just… I really haven’t been in the mood for dating lately…”

“Oh, come on! You’re already hung up on Lu Xun—you’re incurable at this point!”

“…”

Liu Shiyun made the final call. “Whatever the case, I can’t control whether you work overtime after this, but tonight, you absolutely have to make time to have dinner with this guy. Even if you really don’t like him, even if you don’t want to date, at least show up for the meal—otherwise, where does that leave my reputation? I fought tooth and nail against half his extended family to snag this quality prospect for you!” Liu Shiyun pressed further. “Just think of it as making a friend over dinner. You spend all your time working overtime at the firm, your social circle is way too narrow, and who knows, meeting more people might even bring you more case referrals down the line!”

Qian Wei had no way out and could only nod in agreement.

After lunch break ended, Lu Xun called Qian Wei into his office over the internal line.

“You weren’t involved in the early stages of the Gaoke Electromechanical case, and now there’s still part of the legal opinion letter to write for the later stage. Here are the materials—take a look, and ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand. We’ll discuss it tomorrow morning. As for the split, I’ll pay you based on the proportion as if you’d been involved from the start.”

If they were discussing it tomorrow morning, then getting through all this material would inevitably mean working overtime tonight…

Qian Wei said nervously, “I checked the deadline on this case, it shouldn’t be too urgent—could we discuss it tomorrow afternoon instead? I have something tonight…”

Lu Xun paused. “What is it?”

Qian Wei made something up. “It’s like this—since I nearly died recently, a few relatives have been quite worried about me, so I’m treating them to dinner to update them on how I’m doing, so they can stop worrying.”

Surprisingly, Lu Xun agreed to Qian Wei’s request without any fuss. He nodded. “Fine, no problem. Update your email auto-reply—if any clients have urgent matters with you tonight, have them come straight to me.”

Qian Wei was deeply touched, and said, quite sincerely, “Thank you, Lu Xun.”

“You don’t need to work overtime for a while. Take care of your health.”

Just as Qian Wei was about to keep basking in the moment, she heard Lu Xun add, “Only once your health is good can you work overtime more effectively in the future.”

“…”

Regardless, not having to work overtime left Qian Wei with mixed feelings—part delight, part disappointment. The delight was that, after all these years of work, she’d finally get to experience getting off work on time for once. The disappointment was that without overtime, she wouldn’t get to see Lu Xun—even though he was as foul and stubborn as a rock in a latrine pit, Qian Wei thought his serious, businesslike demeanor was honestly quite handsome.

Nothing much happened in the afternoon, so Qian Wei flipped through the Gaoke Electromechanical materials while waiting for the day to end.

She hadn’t expected the ever-enthusiastic Liu Shiyun to show up right at five-thirty. When she walked into the firm, Lu Xun happened to be in the main office area giving instructions to one of Qian Wei’s colleagues, and he immediately spotted the flamboyantly dressed Liu Shiyun.

“Hey! Lu Xun! Good afternoon!”

Lu Xun glanced at Liu Shiyun. “Do you have some legal matter you need resolved at the firm?”

Liu Shiyun laughed heartily. “Nope, what legal problem would I have? I’m doing well just by not causing legal problems for other people. I’m here to pick Qian Wei up from work.”

Lu Xun frowned. “Isn’t Qian Wei supposed to be with…”

“Oh, so you already know! Qian Wei’s meeting up tonight with the handsome guy I set her up with!” Liu Shiyun said proudly. “My matchmaking, guaranteed quality!”

Lu Xun said nothing. He just pressed his lips together and looked at Qian Wei, who didn’t dare so much as breathe, choosing instead to stare intently at the trash can…

Liu Shiyun, oblivious to the storm brewing between the two of them, patted her chest and said breezily, “Don’t worry, Lu Xun, I have a feeling our Qian Wei’s about to get herself a boyfriend! As her boss, you really ought to thank me properly!”

Lu Xun’s face turned cold. “Why would I thank you?”

“You don’t know? Married employees are more stable. People who are already married are less likely to job-hop.”

Normally, Lu Xun had zero interest in this kind of topic, but perhaps because he had some free time today, he actually engaged with Liu Shiyun. “Heh. It’s just a blind date, and somehow in your mouth it’s already turned into marriage?”

“Haven’t you heard the song? Love comes on fast, like a tornado. For men and women past a certain age, if a blind date goes well, they’re usually married with kids within half a year. It’s not like they’re seventeen or eighteen, going through all that lovey-dovey on-again-off-again nonsense, ‘you’re the wind and I’m the sand’—that’s just melodramatic.”

Perhaps because he’d been deceived by Qian Wei, Lu Xun’s expression had been quite unpleasant ever since he found out the truth, his whole face dark as thunder.

Qian Wei felt she needed to explain. “Lu Xun, let me explain, I’m not really going on a blind date, I just—”

But Liu Shiyun boldly cut her off. “Qian Wei, what’s there to hide? Can’t our Lu Xun understand this? We’re all old classmates from way back. Lu Xun, tell me honestly—can you really bear to watch our Qian Wei waste away her prime years like this? Why do you keep her locked up in the office all the time? With a face and figure like hers, of course other people should get to appreciate her! Your law firm doesn’t come with a built-in boyfriend-assignment program, does it? An employee’s personal happiness is something she deserves time to sort out too!”

If only Liu Shiyun had kept quiet—but the more she talked, the darker Lu Xun’s expression seemed to get, or so it felt to Qian Wei.

Forget it, forget it, she’d better not keep standing in front of Lu Xun any longer. Of the thirty-six strategies, running away was the best one.

“Anyway, I’ll be leaving right on time tonight! Traffic might get bad, so I’d better head out now! Bye, Lu Xun! Hahahaha!” Qian Wei didn’t dare look Lu Xun in the eye, and quickly dragged Liu Shiyun away with her.