“‘Heavy metal, simply put, is rock music performed with a somewhat exaggerated intensity. The guitar, as the main element of this kind of music, is played louder than usual during performance, carrying a sense of vengeance.'”

“‘In the past, only in jazz was the bass treated as a primary instrument, but in heavy metal rock, the bass has become just as important as the vocals. Compared to ordinary pop music, the drums are played harder and faster, creating an impact on the listener. And finally, the singer—who lets the audience experience the emotions and sensations of death, sex, hallucinogenic drugs or alcohol, and the shock of other new things, making themes that already appeared in pop music seem more real and believable, possibly even more terrifying.'”

…

Holed up in her rented apartment, Qi Xi recited the definition and origins of heavy metal rock from an online encyclopedia entry, her head spinning with every word. What even was any of this!

Not even memorizing legal statutes for the bar exam had ever given Qi Xi this much of a headache.

Could someone please tell her why, besides heavy metal, there was also black metal, and within black metal there were multiple subgenres too, like depressive black metal, death black metal; and beyond black metal, there was also glam metal, industrial metal, and all sorts of other offshoots…

Even after reading through it once, Qi Xi still hadn’t managed to fully wrap her head around any of it.

In the end, after burning the midnight oil, Qi Xi barely managed to cram her way into becoming someone with a passable, surface-level grasp of heavy metal rock theory. She figured that as long as the conversation didn’t go too deep, she probably wouldn’t get exposed.

In any case, the next day, Qi Xi showed up outside the rock music venue at the agreed time to meet Gu Yan, armed with confidence in her newfound knowledge and a pair of deep, heavy dark circles under her eyes.

She’d originally wanted to demonstrate her sincerity by arriving at the meeting spot first to wait for Gu Yan, and worried about traffic, had arrived nearly half an hour before their scheduled time.

Except, no matter how Qi Xi thought about it, she hadn’t expected that even arriving this early, Gu Yan would already be there waiting when she showed up.

He spotted Qi Xi, and was visibly taken aback too: “Why are you here so early?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” Qi Xi checked her watch, confirming she hadn’t misread it. “Weren’t we supposed to meet in half an hour?”

Gu Yan cleared his throat and looked toward a billboard in the distance, his manner still quite composed: “Oh, I happened to be passing through on an errand, and it went faster than expected, so I got here a bit early.”

Qi Xi was curious: “What errand?”

Since the two of them were classmates, and now coworkers too, this kind of polite small talk from Qi Xi was really just a normal part of social interaction, similar to asking “have you eaten yet”—generally used to make conversation when there’s nothing else to say, and in these situations, Gu Yan just needed to give a polite, perfunctory response.

Qi Xi hadn’t actually expected to learn what Gu Yan had been busy with either, hadn’t really cared, but unexpectedly, faced with this question, Gu Yan reacted as though facing a formidable enemy, freezing up for a good while before oddly emphasizing: “Anyway, it was something.”

He glanced at Qi Xi and added: “That’s why I got here early.”

After saying this, Gu Yan glanced at Qi Xi again and cleared his throat: “What about you? So early?”

“I was just worried about traffic, wanted to get here early, but the roads were actually pretty clear today, so I ended up way too early…” As Qi Xi finished speaking, she couldn’t help but yawn.

She’d stayed up late the night before, and the after-effects were hitting hard today, but since the concert wasn’t starting until the afternoon, now, warmed by the mid-afternoon sun, Qi Xi felt herself getting a little drowsy.

But she keenly noticed that while she herself was sporting two huge dark circles under her eyes, Gu Yan was no better off—beneath his fair, pale eyes were also two conspicuously large dark circles.

Back in school, Qi Xi had often pulled all-nighters cramming before exams, so dark circles were practically routine for her. But Gu Yan…

As she recalled, Gu Yan never stayed up late—his schedule was as regular as a retired government official’s. Qi Xi had once deeply resented Gu Yan’s effortless composure, because it seemed like he got first place without ever having to try hard for it.

Except…

Except now, Gu Yan had these two dreadful, heavy dark circles under his eyes…

Because his skin was so fair, these two dark circles were now impossible to overlook on his face, making him look almost like a handsome panda that people just wanted to cherish and protect.

Just how late had he stayed up last night?

Was there really something in this world worth Gu Yan losing that much sleep over?

Logically speaking, none of Gu Yan’s current cases should require staying up working that late into the night… so could it be he’d been studying? Reviewing case files or some kind of practice handbook in the middle of the night?

As Qi Xi secretly sized Gu Yan up, she couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of competitive urgency inside. After all, she was on the same team as Gu Yan, and they’d graduated from the same school; now, their boss was Gu Yan’s own sister. If Gu Yan was significantly more outstanding than her, that gap would be painfully obvious…

As it turned out, this time it was Gu Yan who spoke up first on the topic of staying up late, asking exactly what was on Qi Xi’s mind: “Did you stay up late last night? Why are your dark circles this bad? Haven’t you not had much work lately?”

Qi Xi gave an awkward little laugh and made up an excuse: “I… I was just too excited about coming to listen to heavy metal rock today, couldn’t sleep…” She looked at Gu Yan. “What about you? Your dark circles are pretty noticeable too.”

Gu Yan pressed his lips together and said, calmly: “Oh, I was pretty excited too.”

Watching Gu Yan’s unruffled composure and expressionless face, Qi Xi couldn’t help but marvel again—was this the kind of restraint people who accomplished great things were supposed to have?

On the surface, Gu Yan showed absolutely no sign of how much he was supposedly looking forward to this heavy metal concert, yet he kept glancing repeatedly toward the entrance of another venue nearby where a ball game was being held—but deep down, had he actually been so excited he’d lost sleep over it all night?

Still, Qi Xi couldn’t help but notice Gu Yan’s glances toward the ball game entrance, and casually remarked: “Do you want to watch the game?”

Gu Yan had clearly been looking that way the whole time Qi Xi hadn’t asked, but the moment she did, he immediately snapped his gaze back, refuting her with an air of righteous indignation: “Oh, no, I much prefer heavy metal rock.”

Made sense—according to the “Complete Guide to Gu Yan,” Gu Yan only liked niche, unconventional things, and had nothing but disdain for something as mundane and ordinary as watching a ball game, a typical guy’s hobby.

But Qi Xi checked the time, and since they’d both arrived so early, with still a good while before the venue opened, rather than standing around like fools outside the entrance, she figured they might as well find a café for a drink.

No sooner said than done—Qi Xi immediately made an enthusiastic suggestion: “There’s a good dessert and drink place nearby, let me take you there!”

This particular dessert shop was run by a Frenchman, reportedly once a Michelin-starred chef. The taste really was authentic, so despite not being especially budget-friendly, business was still brisk thanks to the quality, drawing plenty of couples and influencers looking to check it off their list.

The “Complete Guide to Gu Yan” had noted that Gu Yan loved sweets, so Qi Xi felt this choice should hit exactly the right spot for him.

Even though Qi Xi couldn’t fathom what was so great about heavy metal rock, she was in complete agreement about the wonders of desserts. The moment she stepped into the dessert shop and saw the exquisite macarons and various treats displayed in the window, she found herself unable to look away.

Once they sat down and got the menu, Qi Xi’s eyes practically lit up: “Wow, look how many new items they’ve got! This sakura pudding, and this chocolate tart, and these new macaron flavors…”

She wanted to try everything…

But Qi Xi glanced at the prices and knew she should just pick one. Even though she’d now paid off her debt to Gu Yan, rent and everyday expenses still added up. The lawyers making real money were the seasoned, top-tier ones—trainee lawyers like them didn’t earn much at all. To prove she wouldn’t go running back to her family for money, Qi Xi had started living quite frugally these days.

Though she wanted everything, she couldn’t buy it all.

“Have you decided?” Since ordering and paying required going up to the counter, Gu Yan looked at Qi Xi, quite naturally. “Once you’ve picked, I’ll go pay.” He lowered his gaze. “You already covered the concert tickets, so today’s food is on me.”

Qi Xi didn’t stand on ceremony with Gu Yan. Struggling with indecision, she stared at the menu for a long while before finally settling on something: “I’ll get the sakura pudding, and a mocha.”

Gu Yan said nothing, simply went and got in line to pay.

Soon, the server brought over the dessert and drink, and their table drew the attention of several other couples nearby—

Because Gu Yan had ordered almost every single new item, and even most of the old ones…

It took the server two separate trips just to bring out all the desserts, filling the entire table.

Every single item at this dessert shop was exquisite, and every single one was expensive. Ordering this much certainly wasn’t cheap…

Qi Xi looked at Gu Yan in disbelief. Even though she knew from the “Complete Guide to Gu Yan” that he liked sweets, she hadn’t expected him to like them this much. She’d only ordered the sakura pudding—so did that mean everything else was Gu Yan’s order?

“You ordered all this?”

Gu Yan gave a soft “Mm.”

Since he was the one paying, and it was entirely his own choice to order all of it, Qi Xi didn’t say anything more, simply and obediently pulled her own sakura pudding and mocha toward herself.

Except, despite ordering so much, Gu Yan himself barely ate any of it. He only ate one chestnut-flavored macaron, and even while eating it, his brow furrowed slightly—if Qi Xi hadn’t known he loved sweets, just watching him, she might have thought the man was forcing himself to endure something overwhelmingly sweet.

After finishing that one macaron, Gu Yan stopped eating entirely.

“You’re not eating anymore?” Qi Xi checked the time. “You’d better hurry and finish up, or we’ll need to head in soon.”

Gu Yan showed not the slightest hint of regret. He merely glanced over the array of exquisite desserts covering the table and said, plainly: “Oh, I suddenly don’t feel like eating anymore.”

After saying this, he glanced at Qi Xi and added briefly: “I ate a bit too much at home before coming. I wanted to try everything earlier, but after eating just the one, I found I couldn’t eat any more.”

So then…

Gu Yan glanced at the table full of desserts: “But well, since it’s all already ordered and paid for, and we’re running a bit tight on time before the concert, why don’t you help me finish it up?”

Qi Xi certainly had no problem helping finish it off, but… a gentleman doesn’t take what another cherishes.

“Do you want to box it up and take it home?” I’ll go grab a takeout container for you.”

Unfortunately, Gu Yan didn’t seem interested in Qi Xi’s suggestion. He glanced at her and said, breezily: “My sister doesn’t let me bring this much dessert home.”

Huh?

Qi Xi was a little surprised.

Gu Yan said, calm and composed: “Because she’s on a diet, and seeing dessert around might make her lose control and ruin all her progress. If I brought it home, she’d retaliate against me.”

Sure enough, every woman was never quite satisfied with her own figure. Gu Xuehan already had such a great figure, and yet here she was, still dieting! It seemed even someone as sharp and composed as Attorney Gu wasn’t entirely immune to the body-image anxiety women faced in society.

But…

But Qi Xi wasn’t afraid of getting fat for the sake of sweets!

Now that Gu Yan had said as much, could Qi Xi really refuse to go along with it?

After all, Qi Xi’s love for sweets meant her stomach always had room reserved for dessert.

She declared with grand, self-congratulatory flair: “If Attorney Gu doesn’t want to put on the weight, then let me put it on for her! Consider it doing my part to ease the boss’s burden!”

Ignoring Gu Yan’s rather exasperated look, Qi Xi wasted no time and dug right in.

As she ate, she thought about trying to make conversation with Gu Yan to close the distance between them, and after some deliberation, decided to use the heavy metal concert they were about to attend as an icebreaker: “Out of all the different subgenres of heavy metal, which one do you like?”

The moment she thought about everything she’d memorized the night before, Qi Xi didn’t want to waste it, and kept thinking about how she’d surely find a way to put it to use today, showing off this “shared interest” of theirs in front of Gu Yan.

Except, before she even got the chance to “show off,” Gu Yan spoke first—

“Heavy metal actually breaks down into a lot of different styles, including black metal, industrial metal, death metal, and so on.”

“To put it simply, ‘in heavy metal rock, the bass has become just as important as the vocals. Compared to ordinary pop music, the drums are played harder and faster, creating an impact on the listener. And finally, the singer—who lets the audience experience the emotions and sensations of death, sex, hallucinogenic drugs or alcohol, and the shock of other new things, making themes that already appeared in pop music seem even more real and believable, possibly even more terrifying’…”

Qi Xi didn’t think much of it at first, but the further she listened, the more confused she grew.

Gu Yan really did sound like he knew exactly what he was talking about, as if he had a deep understanding of heavy metal rock, like a genuine enthusiast, but…

But wasn’t what he was saying right now exactly what she’d crammed and memorized off the encyclopedia website the night before, word for word, staying up late? It matched almost exactly, without a single word off!

Was Gu Yan, a supposedly deep enthusiast of heavy metal rock, also in the habit of memorizing encyclopedia entries?

But if he genuinely loved something, surely his understanding of heavy metal rock wouldn’t be so superficially limited to just what an encyclopedia entry offered?

Qi Xi was full of questions, but in the end, dessert stopped up her mouth. The moment sweets touched her tongue, she completely forgot about everything else around her.

Even though Gu Yan had been rather wasteful with his ordering, everything he’d gotten was exactly what Qi Xi had been agonizing over whether to buy earlier, so now, thanks to Gu Yan’s sudden loss of appetite, Qi Xi got to try every new item the dessert shop had to offer.

By the time they left the dessert shop, Qi Xi felt a deep sense of contentment.

But that contentment was quickly shattered once they entered the concert venue and the heavy metal show officially began—

Despite all the frantic preparation she’d done the night before, Qi Xi had never imagined a live heavy metal show would be like this.

Loud, chaotic, packed with a jumble of clashing elements, along with an undercurrent of gloom, restlessness, and fragmented emotion.

Plenty of fans around her were shouting and screaming, but Qi Xi couldn’t sense any of their excitement or fervor at all—she just found it deafening. The lights swept chaotically across the venue, nearly forcing her eyes shut, and if her eyes were suffering, her ears were suffering even more.

She turned her head to look at Gu Yan, wanting to understand why he’d enjoy this kind of music, but Qi Xi couldn’t find any trace of intoxication or immersion on his face at all. He looked about as overwhelmed as she felt, his slightly furrowed brow looking nothing like someone who was particularly enjoying this heavy metal performance.

Out of nowhere, Qi Xi suddenly found herself with a curious suspicion.

Could it be… that Gu Yan doesn’t actually like heavy metal rock at all?