Right after meeting with Li Mengting, Cheng Yao had just returned to the firm when she got a call from the courier.
The gift box she’d ordered through Qin Qin’s connections had arrived.
Cheng Yao happily took the package from the delivery man, found an empty conference room to hide away in, and made quick work of unpacking the courier box.
Qin Qin’s factory warehouse contact really was reliable—knowing the box was meant as a gift, they’d already had it wrapped in gift packaging outside, the beautiful wrapping paper printed with cursive lettering reading “Happy Birthday,” tied off with a satin ribbon into a gorgeous bow, exuding understated elegance from every angle.
Cheng Yao was thoroughly pleased.
She’d originally wanted to open the box to see what was inside, but looking at such a reliable, exquisite gift wrapping, she felt there was really no need to unwrap it—otherwise, where would she find such a perfect gift presentation to redo it herself?
Just as she’d sneakily stashed the gift box under her desk, she received an internal call from Qian Heng.
“Come to my office.”
Cheng Yao grabbed her notebook and pen and knocked on his door. Before she could even ask what it was about, Qian Heng spoke first.
His gaze drifted lightly toward the potted plant in the corner of the office. “Free tonight?”
“Is it for overtime work?”
Qian Heng glanced at her. “Does whether you’re free even depend on whether it’s overtime work?”
Cheng Yao gave an awkward laugh. “I’m free. Overtime just makes me even more free. Who isn’t striving for a democratic, prosperous, civilized, harmonious society, after all.”
Qian Heng gave her a light glance. “Get yourself sorted out tonight.”
“Hmm? Sort out case files?”
“Sort out yourself.” Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “The restaurant has a dress code. Go home and change into a little cocktail dress.”
“Huh?”
“We’re having dinner together.”
Cheng Yao blinked, then pulled out her notebook, ready to take notes attentively. “With a client? Which client? Do I need to prepare any materials?”
Qian Heng had seemed a bit irritable from the start, and Cheng Yao’s question, for some reason, had struck a nerve.
Qian Heng exploded.
He glared fiercely at her. “Cheng Yao, don’t push your luck.”
Cheng Yao: ??? What illegal thing did I do? Did some new law just take effect in the last second?
Qian Heng turned his face away, no longer sparing her a glance, and said coldly, “Just you and me.”
“Ohhh.”
“A farewell dinner.”
Cheng Yao was startled. Her mind blanked for a moment, filled entirely with the image of Tan Ying and Bao Rui’s little theatrics from before, and she blurted out, “Boss, are you really about to debut center stage???”
Did Qian Heng know she’d gone fully public on that livestream last night? Did Qian Heng also feel that livestreaming was an easy way to make money, way less exhausting than grinding through case files? Had Qian Heng also been dazzled by the glittering chaos of showbiz?
“This really isn’t a good idea…” Cheng Yao tried earnestly to talk him out of it. “The entertainment industry is really messy. Don’t think that just because you’re a man you can escape the casting-couch dynamic. There are plenty of men in showbiz who’d go after someone who looks like you. Haven’t you heard the saying? Beauty comes with a price… that certain part gets awfully tired…”
Qian Heng frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about.” He rubbed his brow. “I know you’re excited that I’m personally taking you to dinner, and it’s probably scrambled your thoughts and your words. But calm down for a moment, get a grip, Cheng Yao—you’re an adult now, it’s time you learned to handle things without losing your composure.”
Still lost in her grief over Qian Heng’s imagined exit from Junheng to conquer the entertainment world, Cheng Yao completely failed to register what he was actually saying.
She thought it over—she really wasn’t ready to let him go. She’d only just gotten to follow him through two whole cases, there was still so much she hadn’t learned yet, how could he just stop being a lawyer!
“Cheng Yao, I know that some things only really hit you when the moment arrives—that’s when you feel the loss and the reluctance, but that’s just how life is.”
Oh no! Had Bao Rui and Tan Ying actually gotten it right this time?! Was Qian Heng really leaving?!
Seeing Qian Heng turn suddenly so sentimental, Cheng Yao couldn’t help herself and tried to talk him out of it. “Boss, I’m really going to miss you…”
Though Qian Heng kept his face composed, on closer look, the corner of his mouth carried the faintest hint of smugness, even as he maintained his heartfelt, philosophical air. “Every banquet must eventually end.”
“Then, boss, can you leave me something to remember you by?”
“What kind of memento?”
Cheng Yao considered it. “Anything you’ve used would work—like your notebook, or some doodle you scribbled, that sort of thing.”
Cheng Yao’s reasoning went like this: if Qian Heng really went off to conquer show business, given his looks and that venomous personality of his, he was bound to stir up quite the storm in the industry. So if he ever became famous, and she happened to have some of his old belongings, couldn’t she auction them off online and make a fortune?
With that thought, she added, “And if you have any personal clothing items, that would be even better.”
Personal clothing, Qian Heng’s own worn item—wouldn’t that fetch six figures at auction, easily!
But these words, landing on Qian Heng’s ears, took on an entirely different meaning.
Qian Heng froze completely. He looked her over carefully a few times, and even his usually unshakeable composure wavered with astonishment. He hadn’t expected Cheng Yao to be this bold. It seemed his own charm really was too much—enough to make her blurt out something this suggestive, wanting his personal clothing items even…
What a headache, Qian Heng thought—what should he give her? Underwear? Men don’t really wear “underwear” like that. Boxers? That… that seemed rather inappropriate. Socks? Socks didn’t seem right either…
Qian Heng thought it over and finally settled on a decision. “I’ll give you a dress shirt.”
Cheng Yao’s face lit up with delight. “Thank you, boss. Could you also sign it for me later?”
Qian Heng, with lofty grace, said, “Since you’re begging me this much, I suppose I’m not entirely opposed. Just so you know, my dress shirts are all high-end custom pieces…”
“Yes, yes, thank you boss! Thank you boss!” Cheng Yao nodded. “But shouldn’t we invite Bao Rui and Tan Ying along too? Since it’s a farewell dinner, they ought to have the right to know too—it’d make more sense for everyone to eat together.”
Wait a moment…
Qian Heng felt something was off. He frowned, his handsome brows knitting. “Why would we need to invite Bao Rui and Tan Ying? Do they already know about us living together?”
“Huh?” Cheng Yao was genuinely confused now too. “Isn’t this a farewell dinner? What does that have to do with us living together?”
Qian Heng stared intently at Cheng Yao, and only now did he finally sense something was very wrong. “What did you think this farewell dinner was for?”
“Isn’t it because our team is disbanding? Aren’t you leaving to debut center stage and conquer the livestreaming and entertainment industry?”
“…”
Qian Heng nearly wanted to strangle Cheng Yao on the spot. He said through gritted teeth, “Who told you our team is disbanding? That I’m going to conquer the livestreaming industry?? I have more money than I know what to do with—I could buy an entire livestreaming platform outright, why would I need to go ‘conquer’ it???”
“I meant the farewell dinner for me moving out!”
Oh… I see…
For some reason, now that Qian Heng wasn’t debuting center stage after all, Cheng Yao felt a small pang of disappointment all over again.
Still, so he was really moving back to his own mansion?
“I’m holding the birthday party at my villa on Saturday.” Qian Heng turned his head aside, idly flipping through a couple pages of the case file on his desk. “So I need to move back before Saturday, otherwise, after a month with no one living there, the place will have zero sign of life, and Wu Jun will definitely get suspicious.”
Qian Heng was moving out—so did that mean she’d get the apartment all to herself?
Cheng Yao’s earlier disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by secret delight.
But her obvious joy immediately drew Qian Heng’s glare and interrogation. “What’s that smile supposed to mean?”
Huh???
“I’m moving out and you’re this happy about it?”
“No, no.” Cheng Yao quickly denied it. “I—I’m just happy because I get to come to your birthday party on Saturday!”
With that, Qian Heng’s expression finally eased somewhat.
Walking out of his office, Cheng Yao still felt a bit puzzled inwardly—what was going on with Qian Heng lately, his moods swinging so unpredictably? Was he entering some kind of early midlife crisis? He wasn’t even twenty-eight yet, wasn’t that a bit premature?
Or maybe it was because men fear the passage of time too? After all, he was about to turn twenty-eight—it wasn’t unreasonable for him to feel a premature sense of dread about approaching middle age.
Ah, whatever, Cheng Yao thought. I’m a young twenty-four-year-old, no point getting worked up over a twenty-eight-year-old middle-aged friend’s moods. Forgive the middle-aged friend—the world belongs to us young people after all!
Unfortunately, that evening’s farewell dinner with Qian Heng never ended up happening. In the afternoon, Li Mengting suddenly suffered unbearable abdominal pain, and Cheng Yao had no time to think of anything else—she quickly explained the situation to Qian Heng and rushed with Li Mengting to the hospital.
Fortunately, though the process was frightening, the outcome was good. Once at the hospital and put on an IV drip, Li Mengting’s condition stabilized. But Cheng Yao didn’t dare leave carelessly—Zhang Hao had thoroughly blocked all of Li Mengting’s contact information, so there was no counting on him at all. Cheng Yao decided to stay the night to keep her company.
“Yao Yao, I’ve decided to keep the babies.”
Li Mengting’s face was still pale; she lay in bed, her whole body still weak, yet her voice was firm. “These two children—I’m going to have them.” She gently stroked her belly. “I thought I didn’t care, but just now, when I thought I might actually miscarry, I truly realized I couldn’t bear to lose them. Zhang Hao is scum, but the children are innocent.”
Cheng Yao said nothing, only held Li Mengting’s hand tightly.
“I’m actually looking forward to these two new little lives.” Li Mengting smiled. “I guess it’s true what they say—motherhood makes you strong. With them, I somehow feel a new kind of strength. I don’t feel miserable anymore, I just feel like maybe this is life testing me—maybe fate thought it’d be too much of a waste for me to just be a stay-at-home housewife, and gave me a chance to become a successful career woman and a single mother instead.” She looked at Cheng Yao. “Don’t the chosen ones always have to go through some kind of trial?”
“And besides, this really isn’t the worst possible situation—at least I still have my lawyer, at least I still have the law to protect my rights.”
Though Li Mengting’s physical condition wasn’t great, her face had already regained its glow and vitality, her whole demeanor much more spirited. It was clear she’d truly come to terms with things, since she could even joke around so wholeheartedly now.
“I know being a single mother will be exhausting and hard, but I’ll get through it. This wasn’t a decision I made rashly either—I’ve joined several single-mother groups these past few days, so I have a good sense of what’s coming.” Li Mengting had made up her mind. “I’ve also told my parents about all this, and they support me. Only because I have that backing and confidence was I able to finally make this decision.”
Cheng Yao was genuinely happy for her, recognizing that even in the face of hardship ahead, pressing forward was its own kind of courage. “When the babies are born, they have to call me godmother!”
“No problem. Best if you hurry up and find a domineering CEO type as their godfather too—my kids can go climb up their future godfather’s coattails.”
That night, Cheng Yao and Li Mengting reminisced about their fun college law school memories, and finally drifted off to sleep.
Not long after Li Mengting’s condition stabilized, her parents rushed over from out of town. They still couldn’t quite come to terms with Zhang Hao’s sudden betrayal and remained somewhat dazed by the whole ordeal, but ultimately, they stood firmly behind their daughter, fully supporting her decision to divorce and protect her rights. As for her decision to keep the children, they supported that too, telling Li Mengting to set her mind at ease—they would devote both their resources and their energy to caring for these two children going forward.
Still, Li Mengting was consumed with shame. “Mom, Dad, I’m an adult too. Instead of working and supporting you, I’ve only caused you trouble—and now with these two babies coming, I’ll probably just be a burden on you, mooching off you in your old age…”
Li Mengting’s father was a quiet man of few words; he couldn’t offer any grand, moving speech, only patted his daughter’s hand. “It’s fine. This works out well too—from now on, these two babies will both carry our Li family name. Our family line isn’t just continuing, it’s thriving.”
Li Mengting’s mother gripped her daughter’s hand tightly. “Silly child, since when is there such a thing as burdening family? What are families for, if not to support each other through the hardest times? Besides, if you can grit your teeth and face the hardship ahead for the sake of these unborn children, then your father and I can just as well grit our teeth for the sake of our own child. What hardship couldn’t we endure? As long as you’re healthy and happy, your dad and I would gladly wear ourselves out and still be glad for it! Besides, little children are so adorable, I’ll be fighting you for the chance to take care of them!”
Li Mengting finally couldn’t hold back any longer and began to quietly sob. Her father and mother exchanged a glance; there was heartache and the glint of tears in their eyes, but even more, there was a quiet, unspoken resolve and warmth.
Family, to some people, is a word with no binding power at all—while to others, it is a treasure worth guarding with one’s whole life.
Li Mengting’s own family had been shattered because of her own household, but it was also because of the family her parents had given her that she found the strength to stand back up again.