Qi Xi could no longer quite recall how she’d made it through the rest of the graduation ceremony sitting there as if on pins and needles. Even that night, after officially graduating and leaving school, she still felt somewhat dazed thinking back on those last few hours.

Zhao Yiran sat across from her — Qi Xi’s roommate and close friend for four years, someone who had always believed in the middle path, keeping her grades solidly average, barely scraping through the bar exam, never sharing Qi Xi’s competitive drive. For work, she’d taken the sensible route and sat the civil service exam, successfully landed a position, and was just waiting for graduation before starting at the courts.

And yet now, thanks to Qi Xi’s fiery speech, their farewell dinner together was anything but somber — Zhao Yiran was practically buzzing with excitement.

“Qi Xi, I just saw another link going around with your graduation speech video!”

Qi Xi took a resigned sip of her juice. “Where’s the link? Send it to me.”

“Going to report it and get it taken down again?”

“What else can I do? Wait around for Gu Yan to sue me for defamation?” Just thinking about the whole mess made her head hurt. “I really lost my mind for a second there. It was a moment of impulse that led to a huge mistake. I’m willing to pay whatever price it takes to fix the damage and take full responsibility.”

In truth, Qi Xi had wanted to apologize to Gu Yan right after it happened, but he’d vanished after the ceremony. Unable to find him in person, she’d sent a long apology over WeChat instead — and had waited and waited without any reply.

Unable to reach Gu Yan to apologize, Qi Xi had, in her frustration, confronted the true culprit, Zhang Jialiang instead. But faced with her accusations, that oddball had actually had the nerve to defend himself.

“Why did I tuck the confession letter into your practice test book and have Gu Yan pass it to you? Because I’m shy and introverted — I’ve liked you for so long, I was too scared to confess to your face, afraid my heart would race the second I looked at you too long. And then I happened to see your test book you’d left at the library, and I thought of this romantic, classic way of writing a love letter. Gu Yan happened to be passing by, so I just had him deliver it to you. Isn’t that how it always goes in the movies? If young people’s feelings are conveyed too directly, it’s not romantic at all — there needs to be a go-between…”

“As for the signature, well, I’m a bit of a joker — I just wanted to tease you a little, keep you on your toes, like a rollercoaster. You’d think it was Gu Yan confessing and feel disappointed, and then when you finally flipped it over and realized it was me — someone you also like — you’d feel this wild joy, like getting something back you thought you’d lost.”

Wild joy, her foot! As if she’d ever like someone like him! Even liking Gu Yan would’ve been better than liking this oddball!

Even remembering it now, Qi Xi still felt her blood boil.

Zhao Yiran patted her sympathetically. “Honestly, the fact that Gu Yan hasn’t said a word to you about it already shows real restraint. Anyone else probably would’ve hit you by now.”

“He wouldn’t hit me.” Qi Xi said, still shaken by the thought. “Isn’t he into Muay Thai or something? What if he misjudged the force and gave me a level-two bodily injury? That’d be enough for a criminal charge of intentional assault — then it’d turn into a criminal case, and my law license would get revoked before I even started practicing…”

“…”

Still, even as she said it, Qi Xi knew Gu Yan’s restraint really was remarkable.

She’d posted formal statements and apologies under her real name on the school forum and on Weibo, but as the saying goes, rumors spread on wings while corrections crawl on foot — the posts sank quickly without much traction. Considering how many people had actually been there at the ceremony…

She really had committed an unforgivable sin against Gu Yan. Whatever he wanted to do, he had every right — even suing her would have been reasonable, and Qi Xi was prepared to accept every legal consequence.

But Gu Yan hadn’t done any of it. He hadn’t accepted her apology, hadn’t scolded her, hadn’t sued her, hadn’t even bothered to clear his name publicly.

How could she ever face him again after all this?

Other than wishing to never see him again for the rest of her life, Qi Xi couldn’t think of a better solution.

Perhaps it was simply that her luck, having bottomed out completely, had finally begun to turn — because just then, she took another gloomy sip of her juice and heard her phone chime with an email notification.

Qi Xi glanced at it listlessly — and then the giant word “Congratulations” in the subject line, along with the sender’s information, sent adrenaline surging through her, her heart pounding wildly.

It was an acceptance letter from Columbia Law School!

By the time she’d finally, with trembling hands, opened the email and confirmed its contents, she couldn’t help but nearly leap out of her chair.

“Zhao Yiran! I got into Columbia Law School’s JD program!”

Only someone in law school would truly understand the weight of a Columbia JD, and Zhao Yiran’s eyes lit up instantly. “Oh my god! Qi Xi! You’re unbelievable! I knew it — your LSAT score was insane, your GPA’s high, you already passed the bar here — I knew you’d get in! Columbia! You’re going to New York!”

Among US law schools, apart from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, Columbia was right there next in the rankings — and without relevant standout legal work experience or a heavyweight recommender in the field, it was nearly impossible for a fresh undergraduate to break into those top three JD programs.

So getting into Columbia Law was, realistically, the best offer Qi Xi could have hoped for.

And besides —

Besides, if she went to the US, she wouldn’t have to face Gu Yan anymore. After all, from the earlier employment survey, she recalled Gu Yan had listed that he planned to go straight into a law firm.

But when Qi Xi came home, brimming with hope for the future, and told her father the incredible news, she got neither congratulations nor praise in return.

Qi Ruiming wasn’t just unhappy — he was practically apoplectic. “Didn’t we agree you’d take the civil service exam after graduation? You secretly took the LSAT? Secretly applied to a school?”

“But Dad—”

“Didn’t you promise me you’d study for the civil service exam and get a stable nine-to-five job? I know the civil service exam is brutally competitive, but it’s not like I insisted you had to get into the courts or prosecutor’s office specifically. If you don’t pass, I know people at the Rong City Daily — I could pull some strings and get you an editor position at their legal publications section. Easy work, you could study on the side and try the civil service exam again next year.”

The same old lecture, all over again.

Choking back her frustration, Qi Xi argued back. “But I want to be a lawyer. If I graduate from Columbia’s JD program, whether I work in the US or come back here, I’d be far more competitive applying to law firms, the pay wouldn’t be bad either, and I’d have better options overall…”

Qi Ruiming didn’t give her the chance to finish, cutting her off again — this time with an air of heartfelt wisdom. “Xi Xi, you’re a girl. You don’t need to live so exhausted. Take it easy, find a stable, respectable nine-to-five, and later find a good match to marry, and focus your future on raising the next generation and supporting your husband well. Look at your mother — she graduated from Rongda Law School too, just like you and me — isn’t her life pretty relaxed and happy now? What’s wrong with that?”

Qi Ruiming furrowed his brow. “As for being a lawyer — that’s a man’s job. Do you know how much pressure there is working at a law firm? I’ve been through it myself, and I really don’t want you to live that exhausting a life. Look at the top partners at any firm — how many of them are women? Being a lawyer isn’t as simple as you think — you’d have to socialize, drink, network to bring in clients. Just look at how busy I am. You’re a girl — is that really the kind of life you want?”

He went on, coaxing her along. “Right now you’re just infatuated with the idea of it. Once you actually became a lawyer, you’d grow to resent it. Besides, women’s legal reasoning just isn’t as strong as men’s, generally speaking — look at yourself, four years in law school, when did you ever beat that Gu Yan kid in your class? Wasn’t he always ahead of you? It’s like that in school, and it’ll only be worse once you’re out in the real world, in the workplace.”

“There are plenty of excellent male lawyers out there, far more than you ever encountered in school. And you — you’re too competitive, not soft enough. Working at a firm would only sharpen that stubborn streak of yours even further, and your future marriage won’t be happy for it. I’m only saying this for your own good…”

With a mix of gentle coaxing and firm pressure, Qi Ruiming finally arrived at what he’d really meant to say all along.

“Anyway — if you’re going to the US, I’m not paying for it.”

He had promised, back when this all started, that if she got into Columbia’s JD program, he’d cover the tuition!

“But Dad, you said you would—”

“First, girls don’t need that much schooling — your bachelor’s degree is more than enough. Second, I don’t have that kind of money. JD tuition in the US is enormous for just one year, and Columbia’s in New York — you know how expensive it is to live there. I don’t have that kind of money. Being a lawyer doesn’t pay as much as you think. It’s not easy for me either. I’ve still got case materials to prepare tonight, this late.”

Qi Ruiming’s stance was firm. When he finished, he shot an irritated glance at Qi Xi’s mother, Xi Wen, who was sitting nearby. “Can’t you manage your daughter? A girl, and still this unreasonable!”

…

Qi Xi finally understood — from the very start, Qi Ruiming had never intended to pay for her to study in the US. He’d only agreed so readily back then because he’d assumed she’d never actually get into Columbia’s JD program in the first place.

But—

But even though her father wasn’t an especially successful lawyer, he was at least a junior partner at a small firm, and covering the tuition wasn’t beyond his means. And she was an only child — there were no other siblings competing for the money.

Qi Xi’s heart filled with hurt and frustration. The moment Qi Ruiming left the room, she turned to her mother, Xi Wen, to vent. “He just looks down on girls. If I were his son and had gotten into Columbia’s JD program, he’d sell the house to send me there.”

Xi Wen’s voice was gentle, helpless. “Xi Xi, don’t fight with your father, his work stress is heavy too. It’s my fault, really — if I had a job, your father wouldn’t be so exhausted, and there’d be money for your schooling. But what he said isn’t wrong either — it’s a blessing for a girl to live a peaceful, stable life.”

Qi Xi slammed the door and threw herself onto her bed, unwilling to hear another word of her parents’ tired old refrains.

Most top American law schools were private, with steep tuition. For an international student like her, simply being accepted was already something to be grateful for — she couldn’t dream of scholarships, and unlike domestic American students, she had no access to student loans either.

Her father’s attitude had thoroughly crushed her hope — her JD dream was likely dead.

…

**

“So, after getting such an amazing offer, you just… can’t go?”

Qi Xi had spent two weeks at home recovering before she could barely accept this painful reality, and finally arranged to meet Zhao Yiran for a meal.

Facing the question, Qi Xi nodded listlessly. “No money, no say in the matter.”

“So what will you do? Take the editor job your dad arranged at the legal publication?”

“I’m not going.” Qi Xi’s face was set with stubborn determination — she wasn’t one to accept defeat easily. “I sent out applications urgently, and I’ve already gotten an offer from Jingzhe Law Firm. There’s no way I’m going to give my father the satisfaction. He doesn’t believe I can be a lawyer, so I’m going to be one out of spite. I got an offer from Columbia straight out of undergrad — if I work for a couple of years first, my resume will look even better, and maybe I can apply to an even better school later. If he won’t pay, I’ll save up and pay for myself.”

Zhao Yiran looked thoroughly impressed. “Qi Xi, do you know how much you make people hate you? Whether it’s a Columbia offer or a top firm offer, you toss it out like you’re mentioning some scallions you picked up at the store. Must be nice being a top student — you really can do whatever you want.”

Jingzhe was actually a quite excellent boutique firm in Rong City, fiercely competitive to get into, so landing an offer there was genuinely good news. But Qi Xi suddenly felt a flicker of anxiety. “Wait — is Gu Yan going to be at Jingzhe too?”

“No, no, don’t worry.” Zhao Yiran lowered her voice. “I heard the latest news — right before graduation, Gu Yan suddenly decided to go study abroad in the US, isn’t planning to work domestically at all. Since you’d been planning on the US too, I figured you might feel some pressure about it, so I didn’t mention it before.”

Qi Xi felt a stab of guilt. “Is it because I slandered him at the ceremony, and now he wants to leave the country to escape the memory?”

“No, actually — I heard he’d already decided to go abroad before the ceremony even happened.”

Wait, really?!

Qi Xi’s gloomy mood lifted at once, like clouds parting to reveal the sun. “Heaven is on my side! If he’s heading overseas and I’m staying here, we’ll never cross paths again — problem solved for life!”

Even with a small pang of envy over Gu Yan’s chance to study abroad, Qi Xi quickly bounced back.

After all, given the enormous debt of guilt she owed him, having that particular creditor sail off across the ocean was, if anything, a relief.

Carrying that sense of ease with her, Qi Xi soon reported for her first day at Jingzhe.

**

“Since your application came in a bit late, even though your résumé is excellent across the board, all our other senior partners’ teams are already full, so we’re placing you with one of our newest partners, Gu Xuehan.”

The HR staffer walked Qi Xi around the firm while explaining warmly. “But Partner Gu is young and driven — the youngest person ever promoted to partner here — and since her team is just being built, if you work hard, you’ll end up as a core member down the line. She’ll meet with you shortly for a chat.”

Qi Xi had looked up Gu Xuehan online — another top graduate from Rongda Law School, whose speed in making partner was practically unheard of. She was beautiful, sharp, clearly a formidable career woman. Despite only just making partner, her revenue in her first year had already ranked first in the entire firm. Several legal forums were already tipping her as the strongest rising star at the firm.

“I’ve seen a lot of forums calling Lawyer Gu the new goddess of the legal world.” Qi Xi said, a little starstruck. “Working under her, I’m sure I’ll learn so much.”

Maybe it was the overly serious atmosphere of the firm, but Qi Xi’s flattering tone made the HR colleague pause, and they gave her an odd look. “Whoever calls her a ‘goddess’ definitely doesn’t work at this firm. But you will learn a lot working under her, that much is true.”

“Go on in.”

At the colleague’s prompt, Qi Xi straightened herself up, and with barely any time to think, walked into Gu Xuehan’s office amid a mix of nerves and anticipation.

And then she was hit with a wave of visual impact — Gu Xuehan looked even better in person than in the firm’s official photos, wearing a sharp designer suit, radiating calm and elegance. Maybe it was simply the natural fondness one felt toward a senior from the same alma mater, but Qi Xi kept feeling there was something oddly familiar about the shape of her brows, something that put her instantly at ease.

No wonder no one at the firm called Gu Xuehan a goddess — Qi Xi felt her looks and bearing were beyond what the word “goddess” could even capture.

Seeing Qi Xi’s face, Gu Xuehan looked briefly surprised too, then smiled. “Looks like my team just became the best-looking one at the firm. Welcome to Jingzhe, Qi Xi.”

Qi Xi straightened her posture unconsciously — moving from school into the workplace still left her a little on edge.

“Though I have a fair caseload, my goal for this team is small but sharp. Most projects here have been handled by lawyers without a dedicated mentor. This time, building my own team, I want to personally mentor two new hires — think of it as keeping things close to home. Besides you, there’s one other, a young man — my younger brother, as it happens. Don’t worry, though, I’ll never play favorites when it comes to casework or income distribution…”

So her future teammate would be the boss’s little brother?

Better make sure to get on his good side, then!

Qi Xi’s mind was already racing through strategies for building rapport, when Gu Xuehan continued.

“My brother should actually be your classmate — you’re both graduating from Rongda Law School this year.”

Classmates, that was fine — she got along with pretty much all the guys in her class, except Zhang Jialiang and Gu Yan. But Zhang Jialiang had gone back to his hometown for work, and Gu Yan — well, he was headed abroad.

Gu Xuehan’s brother — cousin, or half-brother? If he also had the surname Gu, could it be Gu Cheng or Gu Yimin?

Both of those she got along fine with — normal classmate relationships, nothing bad between them.

Qi Xi’s nerves settled. Working alongside an old classmate on the same team — she was starting to think her future work life might actually be pretty pleasant.

“Take the next few days to settle in, get your onboarding paperwork sorted, then we’ll ease you into a small case to warm up. My brother’s at the courthouse filing a case right now — he should be back around the time you’re done, and I’ll take you both out for a simple welcome dinner.”

Gu Xuehan took a sip of water, then looked at Qi Xi, her posture still elegant. “About your warm-up case — there’s actually something I’d like to ask you.”

Qi Xi immediately snapped to full alertness. “I wouldn’t say ‘ask,’ please, go ahead.”

“No need to be nervous, it’s just a personal matter.” Gu Xuehan smiled. “Since you and my brother went to the same school — do you know who slandered him at the graduation ceremony?”

“…”

Qi Xi froze.

Was this… was this what she thought it was?

She stared at Gu Xuehan, feeling faintly certain she was about to need emergency resuscitation.

Gu Xuehan, taking another sip of water, didn’t notice how rigid Qi Xi had gone. Her voice was cool. “As his sister, and as a lawyer, I have to defend my own brother’s rights.”

Gu Xuehan continued, glancing over at Qi Xi again, her red lips curving faintly. “I forgot to mention — my brother is Gu Yan. Your future teammate. Do you two know each other well?”

“…” Qi Xi was fairly certain she could now be declared dead on arrival and sent straight to the crematorium.

Gu Yan? Wasn’t he supposed to be going abroad?!

Before she could even process the shock, Gu Xuehan, elegant and cool as ever, continued. “I need you to look into this girl — her name, ID number, and contact information.”

“This is your first assignment — due diligence. I heard several people recorded videos of it at the time, though it seems every version I tried to find has been deleted after complaints. I want you to track down that video evidence.”

Gu Xuehan, brisk and decisive by nature, wrapped up her instructions quickly. “That’s your first case. Consider it a warm-up.”

“…” Qi Xi didn’t know what expression to make anymore, beyond a strained smile.

Just then, the office door opened, and a face Qi Xi had truly believed she’d never have to see again appeared in the doorway.

“The case is filed. Also, the client for that small loan contract dispute wants to move this afternoon’s meeting…”

“Gu Yan, perfect timing. Let me introduce you to another member of the team — also your classmate — Qi Xi.”

“…”

At this point, Qi Xi genuinely felt like weeping without tears.

She was really living out the old saying — enemies are fated to meet, even on the road to the underworld.