A year ago, Xiao Xiao broke up with her boyfriend. He presented her with a bill, demanding repayment. The bill showed that over the course of their two-year relationship, he had transferred more than fifty thousand yuan to her.
Xiao Xiao refused to pay, so her boyfriend sued her. She came to the law firm seeking help. At the time, all the other lawyers were out in court, leaving only Ruan Chutang available.
“That’s not how it was at all,” Xiao Xiao sobbed, her voice trembling. “We lived together for two years. From the very beginning, we agreed to split the rent, utilities, and living expenses equally. He said he would transfer me two thousand yuan each month to cover rent, utilities, and daily costs, and I would also contribute two thousand for our shared expenses.”
“I didn’t think much of it at the time and just went along with what he said. But who would have thought that after we broke up, he’d demand I pay him back, claiming those transfers were gifts given with the intention of marriage and should be returned now that we’ve split up.”
“But that money was clearly for daily expenses. How could it be considered a gift? Over the two years, the gifts he gave me didn’t even add up to five hundred yuan. How does he have the nerve to sue me? Wuwuwu…”
“My two thousand each month came from my parents’ allowance. As a college student, where am I supposed to find fifty thousand yuan to pay him back? I don’t dare tell my parents either. If they found out I was renting a place and living with a guy during college, my dad would beat me to death. Sis, please help me. I really have nowhere else to turn…”
It was ironic, really. Xiao Xiao, a law student, had fallen for a scumbag’s tricks.
A girl with a “love-addled brain” meeting a scumbag—she was practically swindled out of everything she had.
Ruan Chutang sighed helplessly, feeling deep sympathy for the girl before her.
Typically, lawyers wouldn’t take on cases for clients who couldn’t even afford legal fees.
But Ruan Chutang was different. Not only did she take on the case, but she also lent Xiao Xiao the money to pay the legal fees. At the time, Chu Tang thought that Xiao Xiao’s situation was already dire enough. If no one gave her a helping hand, she feared Xiao Xiao might do something drastic out of desperation.
Legal fees aren’t paid directly to the lawyer; the client transfers the money to the law firm, which then pays the lawyer’s salary.
Ruan Chutang had just started practicing law not long before and was working as a salaried lawyer at the firm, earning only seven thousand yuan a month. Without hesitation, she added Xiao Xiao on WeChat and lent her the money to cover the legal fees.
After taking on the case, Ruan Chutang put in considerable effort to gather key evidence and won the lawsuit. Xiao Xiao was both impressed and grateful. As soon as she graduated from college, she came to the law firm to work as Chu Tang’s assistant.
Now, with red-rimmed eyes, Xiao Xiao asked, “Chu Tang, I’m currently registered as a trainee and can’t leave yet. But once my internship is over, can I come find you?”
Ruan Chutang was momentarily taken aback, not expecting Xiao Xiao to ask such a question.
Then, with a gentle smile, she replied, “Of course. My family is in Jiangcheng. If you want to come join me then, just contact me directly.”
“That’s great!” Xiao Xiao’s tears turned to laughter. “Sis, I’ll follow you for life! Wherever you go, I’ll go too. You can’t get tired of having me as your little tail.”
“How could I?”
In the law firm director’s office.
The director, a middle-aged man with glasses, looked at the resignation letter with confusion. “Chu Tang, why are you suddenly resigning? Did you run into any difficulties at work?”
Ruan Chutang shook her head. “No, Director. It’s because of some family matters—I have to go back. I know resigning should be announced a month in advance, but this happened suddenly, and I didn’t anticipate it either. I’m sorry.”
Ruan Chutang added, “The handover of work is almost complete. I have one case left, and the second trial is in ten days. Once that’s over, I’ll be going home. I’m just letting you know ahead of time.”
The director fell silent for a moment before replying, “In that case, alright. I wish you a bright future.”
After leaving the law firm, Ruan Chutang wandered aimlessly down the street.
Night fell, and the city lights began to glow. The evening breeze rustled through the treetops.
A sudden sense of loneliness welled up in Ruan Chutang’s heart.
She was about to leave this city where she had lived for three years.
She remembered when she first arrived in Haicheng—her bank cards had all been frozen by Ruan Shaodong, and she only had a few thousand yuan left in her WeChat wallet. She stayed in a hotel for three days.
During those three days, she found a job and rented a cheap apartment near the law firm.
The rent required a deposit and three months’ payment upfront. After paying, she was almost penniless and relied on help from a close friend in Jiangcheng just to afford meals.
The neighborhood of the cheap apartment was chaotic, with poor security.
Not long after moving in, she encountered a drunkard knocking on her door.
Every night, she would hide under the covers, trembling with fear, too scared to open the door.
When she reported it to the landlord, he said there was nothing he could do.
Left with no choice, she had to move out, only to have the unscrupulous landlord maliciously withhold her deposit.
At first, she tried to reason with the landlord to get her deposit back, but not only did he refuse, he also hurled insults and profanities at her.
Furious, she reported him to “12366” for not issuing invoices and tax evasion, then called “96119” to report fire safety violations. That wasn’t enough—she immediately filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and defamation, leaving the landlord overwhelmed. Before the court even accepted the case, the unscrupulous landlord returned her deposit.
She withdrew the lawsuit for breach of contract but insisted on pursuing the defamation case. In the end, the landlord lost the case for personal insult and had to compensate her.
Thinking of this, Chu Tang suddenly smiled. That was probably the lowest point in her life.
Later, she heard from a girl who used to live next door that the drunkard had been beaten up not long after she moved out—probably because he had messed with the wrong person. The unscrupulous landlord had also disappeared since then.
She simply thought it was karma.
The day she first met Gu Zechuan, she was still a trainee lawyer, accompanying a senior lawyer from the firm to a small company under the Gu Group to discuss the signing of a legal advisory contract.
That day, Gu Zechuan happened to be inspecting the company. According to him, it was love at first sight.
Later, Gu Zechuan pursued her relentlessly, paying attention to every detail and providing emotional support. During that time, he always seemed to appear when she needed him most.
After they got together, Gu Zechuan treated her well, and they shared some sweet moments.
The turning point came on the night of their first anniversary.
They had both had a bit to drink. Gu Zechuan wanted to take things further. He walked over, hugged her, and leaned in to kiss her lips. In a panic, she pushed him away forcefully.
Gu Zechuan looked hurt, his voice hoarse as he asked, “Why?”
Nervously, she stammered, “I… I’m not ready yet. You… give me some time.”
After that, Gu Zechuan wasn’t as good to her as before.
Later on, she never felt ready to take things to the final step with Gu Zechuan, and she wasn’t even willing to kiss him.
She couldn’t quite explain why—maybe it was because it was her first relationship and she didn’t want things to move too fast, or perhaps it was because she knew Gu Zechuan had kissed many women and been with many women, and subconsciously, she found him dirty, unable to accept him physically.
Whatever the reason, looking back now, she only felt relieved.
Returning to the villa, Gu Zechuan wasn’t there.
Ruan Chutang took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.
In ten more days, she could leave this place.
How wonderful.