Night
Inside the Zhongxin Law Firm office, a fierce argument was erupting.
Chen Zhuo clutched a thick stack of documents in his hand, his fingertips turning white from the pressure. Unable to contain his anger any longer, he slammed them onto the table.
“Director Qian, I am absolutely certain that in this matter, Gu Nanci is the victim! Why is the company spreading such shameless lies online?”
Opposite him, a middle-aged man held a cigar between his fingers. Even when confronted and questioned, he maintained a smiling tone. “Oh, Xiao Chen, you’re here! Come, have a seat! Young people shouldn’t be so hot-tempered!”
“I need an explanation,” Chen Zhuo said solemnly.
An explanation for being silenced without a word, for having his retainer withdrawn without consultation, and even for publicly slandering his client across the entire internet!
Smoke slowly curled upward, obscuring the calculating, worldly eyes of the middle-aged man.
“Chen Zhuo, you’re truly outstanding for a young man. In all your years at the firm, you’ve maintained a one hundred percent success rate. Whether it’s your character, reputation, or professional ability, I, Director Qian, genuinely admire you. Really, if I were your age, I definitely wouldn’t have achieved as much as you!”
“However—” Qian Tao took a deep drag, and the smoke, which had begun to dissipate, gathered once more, veiling his contemptuous eyes. “As your senior, let me give you a piece of advice.”
“A person must know how to read the situation.”
“When the waves crash in one direction, you should quickly move the opposite way. If you recklessly charge forward without regard for the consequences, you’ll eventually drown.”
“So? Is that your justification for aiding the wicked, disregarding fairness, supporting the wrongdoer, and using your influence to oppress the victim?” Chen Zhuo retorted angrily. “Director Qian, we both studied law. The law should be a weapon to uphold justice, not a blade turned against the vulnerable!”
The atmosphere instantly turned tense and silent.
Qian Tao’s expression darkened in an instant. “What lofty talk of justice! You’re just a greenhorn who’s been out in society for a few years. Do you really think handling a few cases makes you some self-righteous champion of justice? Seems to me you’ve read too many utopian ideals in school and your brain’s gone rusty!”
“The other party is a powerful figure from Linbei. With just a stomp of their foot, who knows if you’ll even have a career in this industry tomorrow! And you still dare to overestimate yourself and try to fight against them? Let me tell you, that client of yours, Gu Nanci, who’s causing such an uproar online—within a week, he’ll absolutely vanish without a trace!”
“And then what? You’re a lawyer, rushing recklessly to the front lines for someone else. Don’t you care about your own future?”
There was some truth to what Qian Tao said.
In many such cases, under the pressure of power and public opinion, it’s often not the lawyer who gives in first, but the client who abandons the fight.
In the end, all efforts would come to nothing.
And he would still be resented.
Qian Tao said coldly, “You’re filled with a sense of justice with nowhere to channel it, but can you guarantee that Gu Nanci will persist to the end?”
“You’re still young, with a bright future ahead of you. Give it up. People can’t fight against capital!” Qian Tao’s words were like exquisitely packaged, expensive honey—full of temptation.
But the next second, he heard Chen Zhuo’s resolute voice:
“Impossible.”
“If it’s Gu Nanci, he definitely won’t.”
Although they had only been together for a few short days, Chen Zhuo was absolutely certain of this.
That young man had a light in his eyes, ambition in his heart, and, most importantly, a burning desire to climb higher.
Such a person would never yield easily!
And he would be more resilient than anyone, determined to clear his name!
“You! Fool! Utterly incorrigible!” Qian Tao was so angry he stopped smoking his cigar, slamming the table hard.
“Fine! If you insist on continuing, then our small temple can’t accommodate a Buddha like you! You’re not afraid of getting yourself dirty, but we at Zhongxin fear being dragged down! Choose between justice and your job, decide for yourself!”
With that, Qian Tao stormed off in anger.
Chen Zhuo closed his eyes, his mind a tangled mess, his fingertips gripping the edge of the table so tightly they turned a frightening shade of white…
.
Gu Nanci didn’t sleep until nearly dawn.
It really turned out as Wen Jiuyi had pessimistically predicted—she pulled an all-nighter.
However, it wasn’t because the adaptation was particularly difficult.
Dik’s equipment was more professional. To achieve better results, Gu Nanci no longer just wrote a score and casually added it into a demo software like when selling songs. Instead, she spent most of the night teaching herself, finally becoming thoroughly familiar with this world’s professional production software and music equipment.
Then she rearranged, produced, and made adjustments, finishing her work just as the sun rose the next day.
Afterward, she sent a message to hand it over to Wen Jiuyi and Cheng Yang.
Actually, Gu Nanci could also choreograph, even better than Wen Jiuyi.
After all, she had only been reborn into a different body. Although she lost her former dancing skills, the years of rigorous training had left her dance knowledge and ingrained habits solidly embedded in her mind.
But!
Gu Nanci took a deep breath, feeling her heart pounding erratically and her body weak and unsteady.
…Damn! Another daily trick for speeding toward the underworld.
Gu. Workaholic who regrets it after getting carried away. Nan. Weakened version. Ci: If she pulls another all-nighter, she’s a dog!
Wen Jiuyi and Cheng Yang worked quickly too, finishing before noon. Gu Nanci, having barely met the minimum sleep requirement, returned with noticeably low spirits.
The three began their official joint rehearsal.
Soon, news of the Yang Yici group’s rearrangement reached the program team.
Unsurprisingly, it drew a wave of skepticism.
The competition requirement was to create everything independently, with no external assistance. Without professional instructors present, a few trainees modifying the song on their own?
It was simply unbelievable!
The staff members scoffed, thinking the group was just messing around, unsure what chaotic mess they would produce on stage.
Almost anticipating what a disastrous scene it would be, a few kind-hearted staff members couldn’t bear to watch and tried to quietly warn them.
But not long after, a bizarre scene unfolded in the practice room.
One by one, people entered with worried expressions and furrowed brows.
Within minutes, they all emerged with identical looks of shock, their steps unsteady, questioning their lives as they pushed the door open again…