Although crying in front of Qian Heng like that had been mortifying, Cheng Yao found that after gorging on sweets all evening and then having a good, loud cry, her mood had, miraculously, improved.

She finally worked up the courage to call her sister Cheng Xi. This time she’d dragged her sister into the mess too, and she was ready to grovel however necessary — but on the other end of the line, Cheng Xi showed no sign of blame or resentment at all. She was as gentle as ever.

“Yao-yao, it’s fine. I don’t mind about this stuff. Don’t lose heart — just keep doing your best.”

Even though it was meant to be comforting, warm words, Cheng Yao couldn’t help but burst into tears the moment she heard them.

And after that call with Cheng Xi, perhaps like a stock that had hit rock bottom and could only bounce back, Cheng Yao found that her string of bad luck was finally turning around.

The next morning, scrolling her phone, she discovered that all the abusive posts and comments about her had completely disappeared, and the information about Cheng Xi that had gotten dragged in had vanished too. Most striking of all — the handful of Bai Xingmeng fans who’d been the most vicious and aggressive in attacking Cheng Yao had actually posted public apologies on Weibo, addressed to both Cheng Yao and Junheng.

That’s my boss for you — a man of action, not words!

Definitely, unmistakably, Qian Heng’s signature style.

“The materials for suing Bai Xingmeng will also be filed with the court this afternoon.” Bao Rui called Cheng Yao first thing that morning, confirming a few details with her about the defamation suit she was involved in. Afterward, he offered some words of comfort. “This is honestly the fastest I’ve ever seen boss Qian move on a case — faster than even those cases worth hundreds of millions. You know the cease-and-desist letters he sent to the ringleaders attacking you the hardest? He sent them same-day via SF Express.” Bao Rui switched into full lecture mode. “Do you know how much same-day SF Express costs? Let me give you an example — a single document, from Nanjing to Beijing, sent in the morning, delivered that same afternoon, costs 250 yuan!” At this point, he got sidetracked, gushing about how great SF Express’s service was.

…

Cheng Yao had already tuned out Bao Rui’s praise of SF Express by now, her heart a mix of touched gratitude and sheer relief.

She decided, from now on, she’d rally even more tightly around Qian Heng at the center of this Five-Poison Cult! Support Sect Leader Qian Heng unconditionally as he led the whole cult into a new era of wealth and glory! Throw herself with full fervor and passion into the great cause of generating revenue for Junheng, the cult’s home base! Forever obey Qian Heng’s words! Forever follow Qian Heng’s lead!

Qian Heng had already left for work by this point. Cheng Yao hung up on Bao Rui, having just mentally pledged her devotion, and then checked the time — only to realize with alarm that she was probably going to be late again!

Rushing to Junheng, Cheng Yao once again tried to sneak in quietly, just like last time. But almost the instant she swiped her badge and stepped through the door, an electronic mechanical voice rang out, echoing through the entire office—

“December 1st, 2018, Beijing time 9:12 AM, Cheng Yao, late. Full attendance bonus for the month deducted.”

Cheng Yao nearly jumped out of her skin.

What in the world was this?! Why was it announcing it out loud?!

At the sound, all her coworkers in the main office area turned to stare at Cheng Yao, frozen at the door.

This — this was mortifying! Cheng Yao’s face turned bright red; she nearly wanted to dig a hole right there and bury herself.

Being late was one thing, but having it broadcast to the entire firm through a voice announcement was basically a public execution…

Cheng Yao shrank her head down and scurried, tail between her legs, to her desk.

Tan Ying gave her a sympathetic look. “You’re the fifth person late today.”

Cheng Yao was still shaken. “What is this thing?”

“New check-in system.”

Cheng Yao: ???

Wang Lu turned around, sounding a bit defeated. “When I came in this morning, the admin department staff were just watching the installation workers finish setting this system up. Anyone who badges in after 9 AM gets an automated voice announcement of the current time, the late person’s name, and how late they are, along with corresponding penalty warnings based on how late they are.”

Tan Ying nodded. “Under five minutes late, the warning is ‘don’t let it happen again.’ Five to ten minutes late, they deduct your monthly phone reimbursement. Ten to fifteen minutes late, they deduct your full attendance bonus for the month. Fifteen to twenty minutes late, they deduct your meal subsidy for the month…”

The punishment for tardiness even came with a tiered system!

Wang Lu was quite unhappy. “We all used to be a little late here and there, but it never really mattered — I figured, since basically everyone’s late sometimes, there’s safety in numbers, right? Well, apparently not… I wonder which par came up with this new policy…”

Wait a second! Tiered? Safety in numbers?

Those keywords slowly clicked together in Cheng Yao’s mind, piecing everything back together—

A few days ago, Qian Heng had suddenly called her into his office and, out of nowhere, asked her a question.

“Cheng Yao, if it were you, how would you solve the problem of ‘the law can’t punish everyone’?”

At the time, Cheng Yao, though a bit puzzled, had answered earnestly, treating it as a legitimate legal discussion.

“I don’t think you should refrain from punishing something just because a lot of people are doing it wrong. Wrong is wrong — the fact that many people shouldn’t be doing something doesn’t mean they get off the hook. On the contrary, I think you need to strengthen both legislative and enforcement efforts. First, you should establish a workable, effective punishment mechanism.”

“Such as?”

“Such as a tiered punishment system. Even if many people are breaking the rule, the severity of each person’s violation is definitely different. So minor offenses get relatively lenient, even warning-and-education-style punishments, while serious offenses get harsh penalties. That way, people who commit minor offenses are more willing to comply, instead of banding together violently with the serious offenders to resist enforcement.”

“What else?”

“Also, you definitely need to educate the public, make people feel a sense of shame. Like publicly calling out offenders — an electronic scrolling display, something like that — really driving it home so people internalize that this is wrong, that it’s shameful to do it.”

How had Qian Heng responded at the time?

Cheng Yao remembered it perfectly. After she’d finished answering, Qian Heng had propped his chin on his hand and said, “I see,” giving her a smile with an unsettlingly gentle expression.

He’d even thanked her!

At the time, Cheng Yao hadn’t understood what was going on, only feeling that Qian Heng had been acting strange that day, in a way that made her skin crawl.

Now, in this moment, everything clicked.

A few days ago, having caught a bad cold, Cheng Yao had overslept and come in late — and Qian Heng had caught her red-handed, even leaving a note deducting her full attendance bonus.

The very next day, Qian Heng had asked her opinion on the “law can’t punish everyone” problem…

Only now did Cheng Yao realize —

Qian Heng had asked her that question specifically so she’d come up with the scheme to punish herself!

Having figured this out, Cheng Yao was utterly dumbfounded.

What other par would come up with a scheme like this?!

Of course — none other than the Five-Poison Cult’s own Sect Leader Qian Heng!

How could anyone be this vicious?! How could anyone be this venomous?! How could anyone be this despicable?!

Contribute to the glory of the Five-Poison Cult? Remember the great mission of working herself to the bone for Qian Heng? Forever align herself with her boss? Cheng Yao thought — forget it! She hadn’t even managed to keep pace with her boss yet, and she was probably going to die of poisoning first!

“December 1st, 2018, Beijing time 9:18 AM, Bao Rui, late. Monthly meal subsidy deducted.”

Cheng Yao hadn’t even finished internally grumbling before she heard another fellow sufferer get publicly executed.

Bao Rui’s leg had mostly healed by now — still a bit stiff, but he was back at his post.

He limped into the office, face full of misery.

“Is there no justice in this world?! Deducting my meal subsidy too?! Being late today should count as a workplace injury for me!”

Tan Ying’s voice was teasing. “Oh come on, you’ve been on leave for that leg for who knows how long — using it as an excuse for being late again doesn’t really fly anymore, does it?”

Bao Rui was practically bursting with indignation. “This has nothing to do with my leg! Boss Qian woke me up first thing this morning to handle the Cheng Yao situation, and I started calling Cheng Yao to confirm the lawsuit details right away. Also, I went out for a dinner last night on Boss Qian’s behalf, and got plied with drinks by some Austrian client — that’s why I overslept this morning! Aren’t Europeans supposed to sip slowly, not do heavy drinking culture?”

Cheng Yao froze. Hadn’t Qian Heng said last night that the Austrian client’s dinner had been cancelled last-minute? So it hadn’t been cancelled at all — he’d just sent Bao Rui instead?

But before Cheng Yao could think it through further, she got a summons call from her boss.

Cheng Yao jogged into Qian Heng’s office. “Boss, what is it?”

Qian Heng merely glanced at her, his brow furrowing into a “looking for something to nitpick” arc. “You come into my office without even bringing a pen and notebook? What kind of memory do you have — you think you can remember every single word I say about a case verbatim?”

Cheng Yao froze, and though she recognized her slip-up, she instinctively tried to explain. “I thought this was about the Bai Xingmeng case, so I rushed over right away…”

“Cheng Yao, you’re a lawyer. A lawyer needs to be prepared for anything.”

Qian Heng’s expression was distinctly cold. Although he normally kept a stern, unsmiling face and spoke in a cool, detached tone, Cheng Yao sensed — acutely — that today’s coldness was different from his usual coldness. This coldness today ran bone-deep, and it made her suddenly feel a distance opening up between them, a sense that she shouldn’t get too close.

A bit dejected, she quickly went back to her desk to grab a pen and notebook, then returned to Qian Heng’s office.

But it turned out Qian Heng didn’t actually discuss any case details at all. He simply tossed her a stack of materials. “Take these back and organize them. Court hearing next Monday.”

There were only four days left until next Monday — Cheng Yao felt a jolt of anxiety. Would she have enough time to prepare? This was a completely new case!

“There’s not much for you to do.” Qian Heng pressed his lips together, as if reading Cheng Yao’s mind. “This is Dong Shan’s divorce case. You already know the general background, and this case isn’t difficult. Dong Shan cheated first and is the one filing for divorce — he feels guilty about it, and is willing to compensate his ex-wife according to the standard legal provisions, even more than required. All he wants is to get the divorce done — he doesn’t care about the money.”

Qian Heng’s expression stayed cold, his tone stern and detached. “Cheng Yao, the mistake from the last case — this is your one warning. If there’s any misstep at all in this case, you won’t be staying at Junheng any longer.”

“What are you still standing here for? Go study the materials.” Qian Heng shot Cheng Yao a look. “Call the client for a pre-litigation consultation, and find out his bottom line on the property division amount for the divorce.”

Cheng Yao froze, bit her lip, and finally left with the materials in her arms.

Once Cheng Yao had left, Qian Heng loosened his tie a little, feeling restless. He sensed something was off about himself lately. Even without Wu Jun’s teasing, he’d already noticed it himself — he’d been indulging and protecting Cheng Yao a bit too much.

If it had been any other associate who’d made the mistake Cheng Yao made, what would he have done? No need to even think about it — Qian Heng would have fired them without a second thought.

Much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d made an exception for Cheng Yao.

Because she was pretty?

No, definitely not, Qian Heng thought — how could he possibly be that shallow?! What good was being pretty if your skills were lacking! Someone like Cheng Yao, at best, could serve as a decorative vase — nice to look at, but couldn’t even arrange flowers properly! What use was that?! And on top of it all, a connections hire!

His own principles couldn’t be compromised for anything. Giving her a pass on the last case — fine, call it a favor to Wu Jun, who’d introduced her. But on the next case, if there was any misstep, there’d be no leniency at all.

Though lately Qian Heng also knew that Cheng Yao was clearly grateful to him — the dinners she prepared at night obviously showed real effort, and these past two days, he’d found sticky notes posted on his door when he got up early.

“Breakfast’s in the fridge, just heat it in the microwave for three minutes.”

Beside Cheng Yao’s neat little handwriting, there was a crooked little smiley face drawn.

“Terrible drawing.”

Yet despite grumbling about how ugly it was, that ugly little sticky note was currently sitting in his pocket. He hadn’t thrown it away.

And even if Cheng Yao’s drawing was bad, her cooking was genuinely good. Two days in a row now, Qian Heng hadn’t needed to go buy convenience store rice balls or bread for breakfast. He was starting to feel like he might not be able to go back to eating that stuff anymore — his palate had been thoroughly spoiled by Cheng Yao’s cooking.

But cooking was cooking, and work was work. Cheng Yao’s professional abilities were lacking, and he couldn’t just keep her at the firm because she cooked well. Personal and professional matters had to stay separate.

Yet the thought of firing Cheng Yao, and never again getting that dinner made with those bright, sparkling eyes of hers — that gave him a pang of reluctance.

He didn’t think too deeply about whether it was the sparkling eyes he’d miss, or the delicious food.

So, how could he get rid of Cheng Yao while still keeping her around to cook at home?

Qian Heng mulled it over, and concluded that the only way was to let Cheng Yao realize on her own that the work was too difficult, and withdraw of her own accord. That way, she wouldn’t hold a grudge against him, and after some negotiation, she should still be willing to cook for him.

Following this logic, Qian Heng should have assigned Cheng Yao the hardest possible case, so she’d once again be overwhelmed, knocked down, and give up on being a lawyer altogether out of frustration.

And yet, when it came down to it, what Qian Heng ended up giving Cheng Yao was Dong Shan’s case — about as straightforward and unremarkable as it got.

Qian Heng told himself this was because he was worried she might retaliate by poisoning his food out of spite. Besides, with Cheng Yao handling the Dong Shan case, she could at least help shield him from Dong Min’s tearful pestering — from that angle, Cheng Yao’s usefulness was actually considerable.

The case could be simple, but there was one thing Qian Heng felt was urgent — he needed to make sure Cheng Yao understood one message clearly:

between the two of them, there was an unbridgeable gulf between boss and subordinate. He couldn’t let Cheng Yao think they were close, couldn’t let her think she had any influence over him — absolutely not. Their interactions needed to stay clearly delineated.

But from Cheng Yao’s perspective, the whole situation looked entirely different.

Flipping through the materials on Dong Shan’s case, Cheng Yao’s mood grew heavier and heavier.

This case really was far too simple.

If Bai Xingmeng’s case had been an advanced high school math olympiad problem, then Dong Shan’s case was elementary-school single-digit addition and subtraction.

Although Dong Shan and his wife had co-founded Zhenwei Catering together, and there were plenty of complications regarding asset ownership in the transition from sole proprietorship to corporate group, in this case Dong Shan only wanted a fast divorce and didn’t care how much property he had to give up. So his instructions to his lawyer boiled down to just one thing — get him divorced, that’s all.

Thinking back on Qian Heng’s sudden coldness toward her earlier, then looking at the case in her hands — as simple as a gimme — Cheng Yao felt an anxious, uncomfortable unease clawing at her.

Was it because she’d handled the Bai Xingmeng case so poorly that Qian Heng no longer wanted her involved in any cases with real difficulty or challenge?

When Cheng Yao had first joined Qian Heng’s Five-Poison Cult, it had been with the goal of learning the “Five Poisons” master technique. But now, it felt like she hadn’t even gotten a taste of that technique — instead, Sect Leader Qian Heng had assigned her to scrub the outhouse…

Thinking about it this way, Cheng Yao felt rather dejected.