After returning from the orphanage, Shen Moran signed Su Nian up for tutoring classes. Regardless of how the child wailed, wiped away tears, or called to complain, Shen Moran remained unmoved. Every evening at 9:30 PM, she would pick her up from the tutoring center, and on weekends, she would drop her off and pick her up in the afternoon, keeping the girl under her constant supervision.
Su Nian could not escape this routine and had no choice but to honestly do her homework at home.
At first, Shen Moran worried that Sun Heng would actively invite Su Nian out to play. She even prepared a list of excuses to refuse her, but after more than two weeks, Sun Heng had not made a single move. This made Shen Moran feel quite strange.
What on earth is wrong with this woman? Is she playing hard to get?
Sun Heng had not thought of looking for Shen Moran for a while because she was busy pulling strings to fix the road to the orphanage. The road had fallen into disrepair and was full of potholes, and the community kept passing the buck without taking any action.
Since they would not handle it, Sun Heng decided to do it herself. She paid for the road repairs out of her own pocket and contacted a construction crew that very day, determined to build a solid cement road that could accommodate vehicles.
Just as she finished these tasks, someone came to see her uninvited.
“My dear.”
Ruan Xin arrived wearing a black knit camisole with cutouts, layered under a small mink coat that left her rounded shoulders bare. It was hard to tell if she was hot or cold.
Sun Heng was surprised to see her appear at her doorstep and quickly let her in.
“Why are you here?” Sun Heng was still in her pajamas. She looked at Ruan Xin, who was wearing full makeup, a new hairstyle, and an elegant outfit, as she sat gracefully on the sofa. She examined her for a moment and asked, “Are you going on a date?”
“Something like that. I have a client to meet this afternoon.” Ruan Xin took a small box out of her bag and asked, “May I smoke?”
Sun Heng replied, “No.”
Ruan Xin said “Oh,” put the box back, and leaned on the sofa, resting her head on her hand. “I came to you because I need a favor. You know a lot of people, so help me find a lawyer you know. A friend of mine has a case and needs a reliable lawyer for a lawsuit.”
A lawyer?
Sun Heng’s eyes lit up instantly. Was Shen Moran not a lawyer?
She had been worrying about how to find a reason to meet her, and now the opportunity had come knocking. Naturally, Sun Heng would not let it pass.
“Yes, of course, I know reliable lawyers.” Sun Heng smiled brilliantly. She moved closer to sit beside Ruan Xin, draping an arm around her shoulder like a close friend, and asked, “What kind of friend is this, and what is the case specifically? Tell me about it.”
That evening, Shen Moran packed her things and walked out of the office. The firm was empty as everyone had already gone home. After locking the doors and windows, she drove off to pick up Su Nian from tutoring.
On the way, Shen Moran bought a box of sushi for Su Nian to have a quick snack.
When she arrived, there were still fifteen minutes left before Su Nian’s class ended. Shen Moran parked the car by the roadside and relaxed against the seat when her phone pinged with a notification.
Shen Moran glanced at it and tapped it open to see Sun Heng’s avatar at the very top. The bright red ‘1’ looked particularly eye-catching.
Sun Heng’s avatar was pure black. One could only see a few specks of starlight against the dark background if they clicked on it, but it looked like a solid color at first glance.
Sun Heng had sent Shen Moran a voice message, which was only a few seconds long.
Shen Moran did not want to listen to it.
Why was this woman looking for her again? Furthermore, she sent a voice message instead of typing. Shen Moran did not particularly want to hear her voice. Yet, she worried it might be something related to Su Nian. Besides, she thought, what harm could there be in listening to it?
She tapped the message, and Sun Heng’s voice echoed in the car.
“Moran, are you free in the next couple of days? A friend of mine has encountered some trouble and needs a lawyer for a lawsuit. Let me know when you are available, and I will come to find you so we can talk.”
Shen Moran discovered that Sun Heng’s voice was actually quite pleasant.
It was like the autumn wind; when it was not being loud, it actually carried a touch of coolness. Still, Shen Moran could hear the lightness and tentativeness in her tone, as if she really wanted to talk to her.
Shen Moran listened to the message twice before pressing the screen to reply: “I am quite busy these past two days and do not have time. I will refer you to some of my colleagues; their experience is also very rich.”
Without waiting for Sun Heng’s reply, she sent over the business cards of several colleagues from the firm.
Perhaps it was because Shen Moran had refused so abruptly, but Sun Heng only sent an OK emoji and did not respond again, which made Shen Moran feel a bit guilty.
Did I refuse too obviously? Will this woman overthink it?
After pondering it, Shen Moran felt that was not right. She had intended to refuse Sun Heng anyway, and a refusal via text was no different from a refusal in person. Besides, she was truly busy; even if she were facing Sun Heng, she would still say she was busy.
Just as Shen Moran was wondering whether she should offer a slight explanation to Sun Heng, the car door was suddenly yanked open, nearly causing Shen Moran to drop her phone.
“Sister!”
Su Nian sat down with a thud and hugged her backpack. “Did you bring any food? I am starving, and I want something spicy.”
Shen Moran clutched her phone, glanced at her, and handed her the box of sushi from the back seat. “There is nothing spicy. Just make do with this, and I will cook you instant noodles when we get home.”
Su Nian opened the sushi box while muttering, “I wanted to eat the barbecue wraps from the Sky Garden. Sister, when will you take me to eat there again?”
Shen Moran frowned. “Why on earth are you mentioning Sun Heng?”
Su Nian’s hand, which was in the middle of stuffing a piece of sushi into her mouth, paused. She looked up curiously. “Sister, when did I mention Sister Sun Heng?”
Shen Moran’s face stiffened. “You just mentioned the barbecue at the Sky Garden, did you not? Is that not Sun Heng’s restaurant?”
“It is Sister Sun Heng’s restaurant, but I did not mention her.” Su Nian’s eyes darted around, and she asked curiously, “Sister, did Sister Sun Heng come looking for you? Does she miss me? Does she want to make an appointment to see me?”
“No,” Shen Moran said. “Why would she want to make an appointment with a little brat like you?”
Su Nian wanted to continue, but Shen Moran scolded her, “If you do not stop talking, you can take the bus home yourself in the future.”
Su Nian knew which was more comfortable between taking the bus and being picked up by car. To avoid being blown by the cold wind in winter, she obediently ate the sushi. However, she could not help but glance at Shen Moran while eating, her small, dark eyes darting like a little squirrel.
Shen Moran saw her but pretended not to, her expression remaining sour.
Shen Moran thought this was just a small episode, but the next day, when she entered the office, she saw a familiar figure leaning against the front desk chatting with the receptionist. The person had her back to Shen Moran, wearing a long black trench coat over jeans and combat boots, her hair tied in a high ponytail with a golden-orange lemon hair tie.
Wait.
A golden-orange lemon hair tie?
Just as Shen Moran thought the tie looked familiar, the receptionist greeted her with a smile: “Good morning, Lawyer Shen. This lady is here to see you.”
The woman in the black trench coat turned around. Seeing Shen Moran standing behind her, she smiled and greeted her, “Hi Moran, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Shen Moran: “…”
She knew this woman was like a ghost that would not go away.
Sun Heng was used to Shen Moran’s indifference. She waved at the receptionist and followed Shen Moran into her office, folding her arms behind her as she said, “Wow, you have quite a lot of lawyers at your firm. Even the receptionist is an intern lawyer?”
Shen Moran explained, “The front desk is staffed by intern lawyers on rotation. They can understand a client’s needs immediately, which is more professional than a regular receptionist.”
“I understand,” Sun Heng smiled and followed her into the office. “Professional people handling professional tasks; that is good.”
Inside the office, Shen Moran put her things down and turned to face Sun Heng. Since the person was already there, she had no reason to chase her away. She was also curious about how she had found her.
“Did I tell you the address of my firm?” Shen Moran asked.
“No,” Sun Heng smiled candidly. “I just looked it up on the map, came up, and asked for your name, and your receptionist told me.”
Shen Moran recalled that she had indeed posted news about her law firm on social media, so Sun Heng must have seen it then.
She sat down and looked up at Sun Heng, maintaining a polite distance. The sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window made her face look pale. Her light-colored brows and eyes appeared somewhat ethereal as she spoke to Sun Heng in the same concise, calm tone she used with countless clients: “Sit down. Tell me about your problem, and I will see if I can help you.”
Sun Heng happily pulled out a chair and sat down. She explained the situation to Shen Moran.
“My friend’s situation is quite complicated.” Sun Heng intended to warn Shen Moran beforehand. “I have to tell you slowly. If you think you can take this case, I will tell her.”
Shen Moran nodded, glanced at the time, and said, “We are friends, so I will not charge you a consultation fee, but please keep it brief.”
Sun Heng revealed her white teeth with a smile. “Alright, alright, I promise not to be long-winded.”
The case was a bit complex. Sun Heng narrated the timeline to Shen Moran. Ruan Xin’s friend was named Xiang Anqing, and she wanted to fight for custody of a child with whom she had no biological connection.
“The child’s mother was a long-term victim of domestic violence by the child’s father, so she divorced him and later began a relationship with Xiang Anqing.” Sun Heng watched Shen Moran, continuing to speak as she observed her reaction. “Moran, since you handle clients, you should not be against homosexuality, right?”
“I am not,” Shen Moran said.
“That is good,” Sun Heng said meaningfully. “I thought you were resistant to same-sex attraction.”
Shen Moran raised her eyelids to glance at her. Sun Heng smiled back at her gaze. Seeing Shen Moran preparing to open her mouth to kick her out, she continued, “Later, the child lived very happily with both mothers, but last month…”
Sun Heng’s expression darkened. She told Shen Moran, “The child’s father discovered that his ex-wife was in a relationship with a woman, so he went to their home with a knife and stabbed the child’s mother to death. Now the father is waiting for the verdict, and my friend wants to fight for custody of the child.”