The Xinsheng case didn’t leave much of an impression on Gu Xuehan; the only lasting after-effect was Wenxi, who, after being added on WeChat, kept sending her intermittent messages—sharing a nice view outside his window, a good drink he’d had, a stray cat on the street, or a reminder about rain or snow.
At first, Gu Xuehan paid no attention. This wasn’t the first time she’d encountered this kind of thing—every man who’d pursued her or shown interest eventually withered under her prolonged indifference, some lasting only half a month, others up to three. Eventually, after getting no response for long enough, they’d all quietly disappear.
Gu Xuehan didn’t think Wenxi would last much longer than the rest.
To her surprise, three months later he was still persistently messaging her, nearly every other day, sharing fragments of daily life while also, on occasion, inviting her out to eat.
Probably typical behavior for someone playing the role of a younger brother—abundant energy, plenty of free time.
Gu Xuehan naturally ignored him; she never once replied.
The good news was that half a month earlier, Wenxi had mentioned finding a job and paid back the money he owed her. He’d also said that to express his gratitude, he hoped to treat her to a meal. Gu Xuehan accepted the transfer but ignored the dinner invitation entirely—she’d been swamped with work around then and hadn’t even replied.
Still, she had to admit, the photos Wenxi took really were quite good. Even without ever responding, under his persistence, she’d almost developed a daily habit of checking them.
Recently, Wenxi had mentioned finding work as a warehouse manager while continuing to study for the exam.
Seeing him bounce back and stay so positive, Gu Xuehan felt relieved, figuring she’d inadvertently steered a lost young man back onto the right path.
But her relief didn’t last long, because that evening, having taken on a divorce case for a client who owned a bar, she went to the expensive establishment as requested to communicate and gather evidence. After finishing up, she spotted Wenxi in the alley outside the bar.
This chance encounter caught Tan Wenxi off guard too. A friend of his had happened to return from abroad that night, and their circle had arranged a welcome-back gathering at the bar. After drinks and idle chat, finding the place a bit stuffy, they’d stepped outside into the quieter alley to smoke and talk.
Tan Wenxi wasn’t the oldest of the group, but he was the most central figure—wealthiest background, broadest perspective, most experience. As heir to the family business, his methods were also the sharpest and most decisive, so his friends all deferred to him.
“Wenxi, did you really deal with your uncle?”
Tan Wenxi took a leisurely drag on his cigarette, raising an eyebrow with indifference. “Isn’t it said you should always leave some room for future encounters?”
Someone let out a scornful laugh. “I’ve had it out for Tan Weixiang for a while—throwing his weight around just because he’s older, using his seniority to push people around.”
“So he can just lie down and let you take him apart?”
Tan Wenxi exhaled a smoke ring and gave a cold smile. “Of course not. And if he didn’t struggle at all, wouldn’t that take half the fun out of it?”
“You’ve already handled everything at Xinsheng—why’s it been so hard to get ahold of you lately? What have you been up to?”
Tan Wenxi toyed with his lighter. “Chasing someone. Haven’t caught her yet.”
Tan Wenxi normally seemed easygoing, but once someone crossed his line, he was the type to hold a grudge and retaliate ruthlessly. His friends knew this well—his temperament had never had much to do with kindness or tolerance.
Tan Wenxi, unable to catch someone? His friends perked right up.
But before this friend could press further, from one end of the alley came the sound of approaching high heels, followed by a pleasant female voice—
“Wenxi? What are you doing here?”
Under the dim alley light, the group finally got a clear look at the newcomer—a strikingly beautiful woman, her expression utterly devoid of girlish softness, carrying an elegant, cool aura, her lovely voice equally icy. Without addressing anyone else, she called out only the intimate name “Wenxi,” her brow slightly furrowed, her expression toward the men smoking in the alley plainly disdainful, and the look she gave Tan Wenxi seemed ready to demand an explanation.
It had to be admitted—this was an exceptionally beautiful woman, and not just in looks. She carried tremendous presence, sharp and unshakeable, the kind of composure that came from a demanding profession. The friend nearest Tan Wenxi immediately thought: this is not someone to be trifled with.
Everyone settled in expecting a show, since Tan Wenxi had never lacked women circling him hoping to marry into wealth, none of whom had ever succeeded—he was utterly cold toward them, no matter how beautiful, never granting them any courtesy. And toward a woman calling him “Wenxi” with such over-familiarity, they expected even less mercy.
Beautiful as she was, the friends braced themselves to watch Tan Wenxi’s usual impatient, merciless treatment play out.
But just as they settled in to watch, the usually cold Tan Wenxi’s expression flipped instantly—
In practically the same breath, he snuffed out his cigarette, tossed it aside, and even flung his beloved, expensive lighter into the nearby bushes, his face suddenly awash with helplessness and vulnerability.
To the stunned, speechless disbelief of everyone present, Tan Wenxi looked toward the woman at the mouth of the alley with pleading eyes, and, without a shred of self-consciousness, called out—
“Sister! Save me!”???
Just as his friends’ faces filled with confusion, the beautiful woman had already reached the group. Her brow slightly furrowed, she glanced briefly at everyone else before turning her full attention to Tan Wenxi: “What’s going on here?” Her expression was full of disdain. “Why are you hanging around with these people?”
Tan Wenxi practically bolted to her side like a frightened puppy seeking its owner, looking utterly innocent, sounding almost afraid: “I came to apply for a part-time server job at the bar, but I accidentally bumped into someone and spilled a drink on their clothes. They cornered me in this alley demanding compensation, and were about to hit me. If you hadn’t come, sister, I really don’t know what they would’ve done!”
“…”
Tan Wenxi delivered this with impressive fluency, his acting worthy of an award—careful, frightened, timid, exactly like some naive young man who’d never seen the world, all while still managing to keep his composure in front of his baffled friends—
“Sister, can you help me? I just wanted to find some work here…”
…
Running into Wenxi today had been pure coincidence for Gu Xuehan, but having found him in trouble, she felt she couldn’t simply look away—after all, Wenxi mustering the courage to work hard and support himself was something worth encouraging.
She glanced at the men surrounding him—every one of them looking like an idle, spoiled rich kid, the type to cause trouble out of sheer boredom while smoking outside a bar—and her opinion of them soured instantly. By contrast, Wenxi, fair-skinned and well-behaved, with a pair of frightened, deer-like eyes, made her want to protect him at once.
Gu Xuehan pulled out a business card. “If Wenxi’s actions caused you any financial loss, we’re prepared to compensate you—provided you can prove the causal connection. In the meantime, please communicate through lawful means. Cornering someone in an alley like this—if I hadn’t shown up, you’d have hit him, wouldn’t you?”
“From now on, Wenxi is my client. Any communication regarding this, please direct to me.”
With that, Gu Xuehan didn’t bother even glancing at the repulsive rich kids again, simply calling to Wenxi: “Come on, let’s go.”
…
And so, under his friends’ stunned gazes, Wenxi trotted after Gu Xuehan, thoroughly content, matching her step for step.
Once the group recovered, they looked down at the business card—
“Gu Xuehan, Partner, Jinghe Law Firm.”
They exchanged glances, everyone understanding at once—this was probably the woman Tan Wenxi had been unsuccessfully pursuing lately.
But…
“Jinghe’s one of those boutique firms that’s brutally hard to hire. My dad’s company tried to bring them on once, but their fee quote was so high even my dad balked, and it never went through. This beauty’s already a partner there at her age—she must have real skill…”
“Tan Wenxi, chasing a law firm partner like that? Isn’t he worried about getting skinned alive down the road…?”
“His acting’s not bad—pretending to be so pitiful, ‘sister, sister’—only Tan Wenxi could be that shameless.”
“But she’s really something—that aura, that ice-queen vibe. No wonder Tan Wenxi’s willing to debase himself like that.”
“He clearly hasn’t told her his real identity. Isn’t he worried about getting his legs broken once she finds out…?”
The friends ultimately arrived at a unanimous verdict—true to form for Tan Wenxi, admirably bold, adaptable, and shameless enough to try anything.
Tan Wenxi had been genuinely surprised—he’d originally been sending Gu Xuehan warm greetings every few days, all to no avail; his messages always sank without a trace. If it weren’t for her instantly transferring back the five thousand yuan he owed her, he might’ve suspected he’d added a fake account.
He’d exhausted every idea trying to get her to agree to meet up, none of it working. Just as he was scheming up new tactics, the opportunity he’d been searching for landed in his lap entirely by chance.
He hadn’t expected that a night out drinking would lead to running into Gu Xuehan, and now here he was, being escorted away, protected by her.
This beautiful lawyer, it seemed, responded to gentleness rather than force—cold as her words sounded, she clearly had an instinctive sympathy for the vulnerable.
Sitting in her car now, Tan Wenxi still felt somewhat unreal about the whole thing.
Gu Xuehan, by contrast, seemed far calmer, though she was paying noticeably more attention to him than usual.
“Are you alright?” Though her tone stayed calm, a hint of concern slipped through. “Is something not going well with the warehouse job? Why come to a bar for part-time work? This kind of place has a pretty mixed crowd, all sorts of people passing through, and the hours usually flip day and night—it’s really not suited to you. Besides, weren’t you studying for the exam? A schedule like this would easily leave you too drained to study.”
Gu Xuehan genuinely disliked meddling in others’ affairs, but she also couldn’t ignore something happening right in front of her.
Wenxi still looked shaken, somewhat sheepish: “Things are fine at the warehouse. I just wanted to earn a bit more, and the pay here was decent, so I thought I’d try it. I didn’t expect…”
Because the alley had been dim, Gu Xuehan hadn’t gotten a clear look earlier, but she noticed now that, probably for this bar job, Wenxi’s outfit tonight was noticeably nicer than usual—no longer the same clothes from their previous two meetings.
Though probably still nothing particularly expensive, just a step up from his usual threadbare wardrobe, he carried himself a bit differently. Looking again, though, sitting obediently and quietly in the passenger seat, he was still the same Wenxi.
Perhaps that fleeting impression had just been a trick of the light.
Perhaps because he seemed so quiet and well-behaved, Gu Xuehan couldn’t help offering some reassurance: “If that person gives you any more trouble, just call me. I’ll handle it.”
Sure enough, at this, Wenxi’s face lit up with an overwhelmed, grateful expression, but before he could say anything, Gu Xuehan cut him off, unmoved—
“Don’t read too much into it. I just happened to be passing by.”
This time Wenxi seemed to behave, no longer saying anything forward, simply thanking her sincerely.
But soon a troubled, somewhat embarrassed look crossed his face: “But… sister, if I can’t keep the bar job, my income will drop quite a bit…”
“Isn’t your mother’s medical care already fully covered by Xinsheng?” Gu Xuehan asked, puzzled. “Is there still a gap? Did they promise everything up front and start backpedaling when it came time to deliver?”
“No, it’s not that.” He smiled faintly. “Young Master Tan’s a man of his word—there’s nothing to worry about there. I just want my mom somewhere nicer to live—closer to the hospital, to make the back-and-forth for treatment easier. I can’t very well have Xinsheng cover that, and the gap isn’t huge—one more part-time job would cover it. I just didn’t expect…”
At this, he grew visibly anxious. “I’m not sure what else I could find… and next month’s my mom’s birthday. I wanted to save up for a gift, but money’s tight now…”
His voice nearly cracked, sounding genuinely anxious, his eyes pleading: “Sister…”
Gu Xuehan thought of her own younger brother, Gu Yan. As an older sister, she wasn’t without moments of wishing he’d look at her with that same pleading dependence—but her own brother had never really been the type, growing cold and reserved since adolescence, keeping everything bottled up, determined to handle everything himself, let alone ask her for help.
So being looked at this way by Wenxi, and called “sister” like that, she couldn’t help but project a little onto the role.
By the time she realized it, the words had already left her mouth—
“The two interns on my team are both on leave right now, so there’s actually been a lot of miscellaneous work piling up. You haven’t studied law and aren’t from a related field, so you can’t do anything too technical, but organizing and binding case files, or helping me carry materials when I go to court or client meetings—you could manage that. My interns will probably be out for about half a month; during that time you could work as a temporary administrative assistant. If you’re willing, you can work part-time for me for the next half month.”
Actually, the words were barely out of her mouth before she regretted them—Wenxi, a college dropout with no formal background in the field, could really only help with so much. But before she could say anything else, his eyes had already lit up like a dog receiving a treat, agreeing instantly—if he’d had a tail, it probably would have been wagging furiously.
“Thank you, sister! I can do it! I’ll do whatever you need!”