Cheng Yao suspected nothing, her mind lost in murky thoughts about her own future career path, completely unaware that the very first thing Liang Yiran did after leaving the print room was find a few female colleagues who seemed like easier targets and probe them, indirectly, about her and Qian Heng.

She also had no idea just how much inner turmoil Liang Yiran was currently going through, more turbulent than any roller coaster.

Ever since her freshman year, the moment Liang Yiran first laid eyes on Qian Heng, she’d fallen for him almost helplessly, at first sight. Young, handsome, sharp-edged—like a freshly unsheathed blade, carrying the beauty of cold steel. Knowing full well the danger, Liang Yiran still couldn’t help herself from falling. At a debate competition during law school, she’d been utterly won over by his cool-headed reasoning and formidable logic, and from that point on, a one-sided infatuation that would last seven years began.

Liang Yiran was beautiful, and beautiful women, without question, never lacked for suitors. At first, she’d reservedly kept appearing around Qian Heng, trying to drop hints, hoping he would take the initiative to pursue her on his own. Yet no matter how glamorously she dressed herself up, Qian Heng never so much as gave her a second glance.

What followed wasn’t a particularly novel story either—unrequited love, one-sided and unreturned. Liang Yiran had schemed up countless “chance encounters,” devised countless strategies to get closer to him, and in the end, unable to bear it any longer, threw away even a woman’s usual reserve and confessed directly—only to be flatly rejected, without the slightest room for hope.

Even after being rejected, though, Liang Yiran never truly gave up. She’d known Qian Heng for eight years now, and she felt that no one in the world understood him better than she did. What kind of man was Qian Heng? Cold on the outside, warm within, saying one thing while meaning another, never mincing words, fiercely principled, believing in nothing but the law, never changing for anyone, and never waiting around for anyone either. A man like that, excellent to a frightening degree, so outstanding it created its own sense of distance.

Over the years, Liang Yiran had gone through several ambiguous almost-relationships in succession, but in the end, she had to admit that though those men carried traces of Qian Heng about them, none of them actually were him. And as if fate itself were waiting for her, Qian Heng had remained single all these years. He seemed as if he’d never quite awakened to romance at all, devoted entirely to his career, with no plans for love or marriage.

Liang Yiran had made partner at Jinzhuan a year ago; her career foundation was solid, and the senior partner who’d mentored her had left her all of his case sources upon retiring. From a purely career standpoint, Liang Yiran should have stayed at Jinzhuan to keep building her track record, but in the end, she chose to jump ship to Junheng, willing even to give up all those case sources.

Of course, this had nothing to do with career considerations. Liang Yiran was a year younger than Qian Heng, twenty-seven this year, and she felt it was time to settle down. This career move, she went into with an almost unshakable resolve to win Qian Heng over. Even if he claimed to be committed to never marrying and never having children, so what—a female partner wouldn’t back down from anything. Liang Yiran was hopelessly in love with Qian Heng—she even felt that as long as he was willing to be with her, she could accept never marrying, never having children.

She hadn’t expected, however, that her very first day on the job would deal her a devastating blow.

During their five-minute greeting that morning, she’d sharply noticed the distinctive necklace around his neck—and now, that same necklace, in its women’s version, was hanging around the neck of his pretty, young associate.

This wasn’t some mass-produced matching couple’s necklace—and Cheng Yao’s subtle reaction whenever asked about Qian Heng suddenly made perfect sense.

When had Qian Heng started dating someone? Why on earth was he dating a subordinate? What could he possibly see in that little associate? Just because she was pretty, young, and had a good figure? How far had things gone between them? A cascade of questions nearly overwhelmed Liang Yiran.

But in the end, she managed to steady herself. She carried her coffee cup to the break room, and sure enough, found several of Junheng’s female lawyers there chatting while making tea.

Li Meng had been idly chatting with Chen Hui about a recently popular TV drama in the break room, and was thrilled when Liang Yiran struck up a conversation with her. She’d been dissatisfied with her current mentoring lawyer for a while now, constantly complaining that the cases she was given were too small in scale, and that she was never allowed to handle anything independently—she’d already been considering switching to a different mentoring partner. So now she was practically itching to score points with Liang Yiran, hoping to get transferred onto her team.

Liang Yiran came across as remarkably down-to-earth, chatting about soap operas with them for several minutes; naturally, the conversation drifted to their coworkers at the firm too. Liang Yiran said, feigning a bit of vulnerability, “Honestly, I’ve only really got the names of you few down so far—could you introduce me to the others? Especially anyone on Attorney Qian’s team, I don’t know any of them yet.”

Not suspecting a thing, Li Meng introduced them one by one. “There aren’t many people on Qian Par’s team—just Bao Rui, Tan Ying, and Cheng Yao.”

“I’ve already met Bao Rui and Tan Ying. Cheng Yao—is that the really pretty young one?”

Though trying to hold back, some emotions only need the slightest expression to give themselves away. Li Meng gave a light laugh, her tone subtly loaded. “Yeah, she really is very pretty.”

From her tone alone, Liang Yiran picked up plenty of information. First, Cheng Yao and Qian Heng’s relationship clearly hadn’t been made public; second, it was equally clear that their peers at the firm had some measure of resentment toward Cheng Yao…

Li Meng hadn’t said so outright, but Liang Yiran could already guess: Cheng Yao was probably not just young and pretty but also lacking in seniority—likely someone who couldn’t quite command respect professionally either. She asked a few more casually pointed questions, and sure enough, her guesses were confirmed.

A young girl like Cheng Yao probably hadn’t joined Junheng with the intention of working hard in the first place, but rather to find a shortcut, latching onto a wealthy partner—if she managed to become a partner’s wife, all the better; and if that failed, at least during those years of dating she’d never have to worry about case sources, pocketing real money along the way.

Liang Yiran sneered inwardly. What a shame, she thought, that Cheng Yao’s luck had run out—she’d run into her.

She said casually, “Now I remember—Qian Heng did mention Cheng Yao to me once. He said his little girlfriend was pretty and cute. I hadn’t seen her in person before, but now that I have, she really is very pretty.”

The whole break room froze in shock. “Wh-what? Cheng Yao and Qian Par are dating?!”

Liang Yiran’s face showed nothing but pure astonishment; she blinked in belated surprise. “Huh? You all didn’t know?” Then she quickly apologized as if she’d made a mistake. “Sorry, I didn’t realize they hadn’t told you all—I assumed you already knew…” She glanced around at everyone’s varied expressions. “But since they wanted to keep it quiet, I suppose they must have their reasons—my bad for not thinking that through. Let’s keep this between us then, okay? Please don’t mention that I said anything, or Qian Heng will have my head.”

Everyone nodded, dazed, though outwardly still trying to appear composed—inside, their sense of the world had probably shattered into pieces. Of everyone there, Li Meng’s reaction was by far the strongest; her face showed a look of dawning realization mixed with contempt.

Now it made sense why Cheng Yao, despite less seniority and a weaker résumé, had still gotten to independently handle such a massive case—everything finally had an explanation.

Liang Yiran was quite satisfied with everyone’s reaction. There were no secrets under the sun—an office where employees could spend this much time chatting about TV dramas in the break room was, without question, staffed by the most gossip-hungry, least driven people around. She barely had to think to know that this explosive news about Cheng Yao and Qian Heng would spread across the entire firm within half an hour.

—

When it came to her own relationship going public, Cheng Yao herself, the person at the center of it, was actually the last to find out. She’d been deep in study of the 2.3-billion-yuan case when she got a message from Tan Ying asking her to come to the conference room.

Bewildered, Cheng Yao walked into the conference room, only to be immediately pulled aside by Tan Ying, who’d been waiting there.

“What’s going on?” Tan Ying looked anxious. “Why does the whole firm suddenly know you and Qian Par are together?” She hurried to clarify, “I swear I didn’t say anything, and Bao Rui definitely couldn’t have either, he’s out at a hearing with Qian Par right now. So how did you and Qian Par actually get found out?”

Cheng Yao was shocked and quite taken aback by this fact herself.

Tan Ying was even more anxious than her. “You really should have kept this a secret—office romances are already sensitive enough, and dating a partner makes it even more delicate.” She glanced at Cheng Yao. “I know our firm’s always had a great atmosphere, but rumors and gossip like this can happen no matter how good a workplace is—there’s always someone talking. Especially with this recent batch of interns, some of them are pretty full of themselves.” Tan Ying paused, seeming to weigh her words. “Do you know what some of them are saying now?”

Cheng Yao wasn’t unaware. She bit her lip. “That my cases are only because I’m dating a partner, that I only got into Junheng because of my looks, that everything I’ve achieved is thanks to a man—right?”

Tan Ying was furious. “Those people—have they seen you pulling all-nighters studying cases? Have they seen you reading landmark court rulings even while walking? Seen you so busy you forgot to eat dinner? Who among them has worked as hard as you? Who’s got half your grit? They shouldn’t just see the thief eating meat and forget the thief also gets beaten. Isn’t a lawyer’s career built on nothing but effort and time?”

Tan Ying’s tone turned scornful. “And the one leading the gossip is Li Meng, of all people—if she has this much time on her hands, why isn’t she out developing her own business skills? Complaining nonstop, thinking that just because she graduated from a better school and has more work experience than you, she deserves to develop faster? What kind of logic is that—does starting out ahead mean you get to stay ahead forever?” Tan Ying had a fiery temper. “I actually walked past just now and heard her talking about you, and I couldn’t help it, I gave her a piece of my mind.”

Cheng Yao felt both flustered and deeply grateful. “Thank you, Tan Ying, thank you for not thinking that way, thank you for standing by me…”

“Come on. Let’s go confront them.” Tan Ying was a woman of action. “Does Li Meng really think she has the moral high ground to say all this? She acts all high and mighty just because she’s a woman—won’t work this shift, won’t do that assignment, won’t attend this meeting, won’t prepare that document. She thinks a few extra years of work experience gives her the right to feel superior. I don’t even think much of her state-owned enterprise experience, honestly—coddled her into thinking she’s still working for some big state daddy company. We’re the service provider now, we’re the ones on the receiving end of the contract! There’s no free lunch here, no coasting allowed!”

Even though the moment she’d heard the news Cheng Yao’s first instinct had been the same as Tan Ying’s—to go confront them—on further, more rational thought, that wasn’t really appropriate. Precisely because she was Qian Heng’s girlfriend, some things she might otherwise have been able to do were now off-limits, given the delicacy of her position.

“If I go confront them, wouldn’t that just confirm the rumor that I’m acting recklessly because I’ve got someone powerful backing me up?” Cheng Yao pressed her lips together. “I’ll think of another way. Besides, arguing never really solves anything—even if you win the argument, people still won’t be genuinely convinced deep down, so it’s just a waste of breath and makes things look ugly. In situations like this, only actions can shut people up.”

Tan Ying blinked, then muttered, “Hey, you know, just now, your whole expression and tone—for a second there, you sounded exactly like Qian Par. Is this what they call couples starting to resemble each other?”

Cheng Yao just smiled and said nothing, though she’d already made up her mind about what to do.

To avoid suspicion, she would need to switch teams—she could no longer keep working under Qian Heng, and would have to transfer to another partner instead, working hard on a few more cases to slowly prove herself again. Though switching teams midway would inevitably cost her some momentum, for the sake of long-term development, it felt like the only way forward now.

She hadn’t expected, though, that before she even got the chance to bring this up with Qian Heng, Liang Yiran would already put the matter on the table herself.

The whole thing had started simply enough—Liang Yiran, on her way to the print room to collect documents, happened to overhear a group of interns gossiping animatedly about Cheng Yao and Qian Heng. Rather than letting it slide, Liang Yiran had immediately called the interns over to the main workspace, right in front of Cheng Yao, her expression stern and serious.

“I’d like you all to apologize to Attorney Cheng.”

The interns flushed red, stammering, not daring to speak, eyes fixed on the floor.

The whole main workspace fell silent, the atmosphere heavy for a moment—and it was right then that Qian Heng returned to the firm with Bao Rui.

Seeing the two interns cowering in front of Cheng Yao, Qian Heng frowned slightly and looked at Liang Yiran. “What’s going on here?”

Cheng Yao also looked toward Liang Yiran, at a loss, not knowing what had happened.

Liang Yiran, however, only gave her a gentle smile and didn’t answer Qian Heng’s question directly. Because soon after, this capable female partner let the smile fade from her face, looking around the room with solemn gravity, and raised her voice slightly. “Today is my first day at Junheng, but as a member of Junheng now, I feel I need to hold myself to a partner’s standard of conduct. My principle is that I want everyone here to get along in harmony, without going behind each other’s backs to attack one another. There’s nothing wrong with being in love, and office romances aren’t illegal either. I don’t want to hear anyone talking behind Attorney Cheng’s back anymore. I hope everyone can show each other mutual respect. A relationship won’t affect Attorney Qian and Attorney Cheng’s professionalism. The whole point of being a team is to stand united against the outside world, not to turn on each other.”

Having said her piece, she turned to the two interns, her tone carrying weight. “You’re both still young, but this is your one warning.”

The two interns didn’t dare say another word, only nodding repeatedly in shame, murmuring apologies to Cheng Yao under their breath.

At this point, Qian Heng had naturally figured out that his relationship with Cheng Yao had been exposed. Though he was able to hold the scene together with his usual boss’s authority, Cheng Yao’s position had become rather awkward all the same.

Qian Heng swept a low, heavy glance across everyone in the main workspace, then looked closely at Cheng Yao, who stood with her head lowered, before pressing his lips together and turning to Liang Yiran. “My office.”

Once Qian Heng and Liang Yiran had left, everyone else finally exhaled.

“Liang Par is so cool.” Tan Ying was the first to approach Cheng Yao. “At first I thought of her as your rival, but now, seeing this, she seems really great—has such a strong sense of justice, standing up for you when it mattered!”

Tan Ying clearly wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Everyone’s expressions carried a mix of admiration and lingering nervousness.

Warm and approachable, yet decisive and commanding when it counted.

Without needing many more words, this one small episode was enough for Liang Yiran to effortlessly establish her authority at Junheng, letting everyone see her skill and capability as a female partner. Even though she’d shown no mercy in reprimanding the interns in front of everyone, people’s opinion of her had only risen even higher afterward.

—

Liang Yiran followed Qian Heng into his office and sat down casually. “I happened to pass by the print room and overheard the gossip. I really don’t think that kind of backhanded talk is appropriate—and besides, I think Cheng Yao seems like a pretty good kid…”

“Thank you.”

Liang Yiran blinked, caught off guard.

Qian Heng looked away, seeming a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you for standing up for her.”

This was the first time in Liang Yiran’s life she’d ever heard Qian Heng say thank you. Her heart churned with a tangled mix of joy and overwhelming jealousy, but she held back her emotions, calmly waving it off as nothing much, then looked up at him. “So this is the type you go for?”

“Hm?”

“Someone like Cheng Yao—young and pretty?”

Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “She’s not just young and pretty—she’s outstanding in every respect. I’ve never shown her any favoritism at work.”

Liang Yiran choked down the bitterness inside her. “I don’t know how your relationship got exposed, but given the situation now, if you really care about her, you shouldn’t keep serving as her mentoring attorney any longer. For both your sakes, you should avoid any conflict of interest and let her transfer to another partner’s team.” She smiled. “I know how professional you are, and that you wouldn’t let personal feelings affect your work. But not everyone can think the same way I do. You’re a partner—you have to treat everyone fairly across the board, and manage the delicate relationships among everyone at the firm.”

Almost at the same moment, Qian Heng received a text message from Cheng Yao—

“I’d like to switch to a different mentoring attorney.”

Qian Heng’s silence as he looked down at his phone prompted Liang Yiran to press her advantage further. “I just joined Junheng and happen to need to build up my own team. If you trust me, and if Cheng Yao’s willing too, why not let her join my team?”

“I’ll talk to her about it.”

Liang Yiran smiled, seemingly without a care in the world. “You can rest easy—I’ll take good care of your little girlfriend. Besides, I’m a woman too, so if Cheng Yao travels with me for work, you can feel more at ease about that, can’t you?”

Qian Heng found himself, uncomfortably, unable to argue with that point—he had to admit that handing Cheng Yao over to any other male partner at the firm would leave him uneasy, even if it were Wu Jun.