Sun Heng glanced at Lawyer Cao and smiled playfully. “Lawyer Cao, your memory fails you. We have met quite a few times.”
Cao frowned and thought deeply for a moment until the recognition flashed in his eyes. He remembered who she was: the woman who had barged into his office to whisk Shen Moran away.
At the time, she had boasted about a massive trademark case. Later, when the firm’s head rushed to ask Shen Moran about it, she had honestly replied that the woman was her friend and the case was real, though it was not guaranteed to go to their firm. Since there were only a handful of top-tier firms in the country and many famous lawyers, and large corporations usually had their own legal departments, Cao had immediately assumed Shen Moran was playing a prank on him just to embarrass him.
Now that Sun Heng had appeared before him again, Cao’s expression soured instantly.
“I remember now.” Cao walked a step closer to Sun Heng, his face dark. “You are Shen’s friend, aren’t you? You came here talking nonsense before, and now you dare to return?” He turned to look at Lu Zaiyi. “Who let her in?”
Lu Zaiyi did not know about the bad blood between them. Startled by Cao’s roar, she trembled and replied truthfully, “It was Shen who brought her in personally.”
Cao was infuriated. “This is a workplace. How can you just let an outsider wander in? Get her out of here.”
Lu Zaiyi was bewildered. Everyone in the firm knew that Cao and Shen were on bad terms and were constantly competing, but they had always maintained a veneer of professionalism. There was no precedent for kicking out a colleague’s guest.
“But…” Lu Zaiyi tried to speak, but seeing the anger on Cao’s face, she lost her nerve. She looked at Sun Heng imploringly, hoping she would offer to leave on her own. After all, Shen had originally intended to have her sent home.
But Sun Heng was not someone who could be easily pushed around. She leaned against the front desk, scoffing, “Is this how your firm treats people?”
Cao replied, “We only host guests with legitimate business.”
Sun Heng retorted, “How do you know I do not have business?”
Cao glanced at the casts on her arms and asked, “Do you have a legal issue?”
Sun Heng laughed. “Even if I did, I would not come to you.”
Cao was furious, feeling mocked by this woman again. Stomping his foot, he yelled at the receptionists, “What are you staring at? Get her out of here!”
Sun Heng immediately raised her hands and shouted, “Hey, my arms are fractured. If any of you dare to touch me, you will regret it!”
The staff looked at one another, not daring to move.
Though her arms were fragile, she brandished them like a weapon, standing with such confidence that she seemed to be daring them to push her. Knowing the woman was a handful, Cao turned to leave, unwilling to deal with such a shameless troublemaker.
Sun Heng, however, stopped him.
“Wait a moment.” Sun Heng extended her cast-covered arm toward Cao. He cautiously took a step back, gesturing with his eyes for her to explain.
Sun Heng said, “I am a friend of Shen. We have a wonderful relationship, both at work and in life. I am not particularly talented, but I care deeply for my friends. I will overlook what happened last time, but I hope you do not repeat it. After all, we are colleagues. Shen just wants to work hard; I hope we can mind our own business and live in peace.”
Cao looked at her with dark eyes, snorted, and walked around her.
Sun Heng watched him go, unsure if he had taken the message to heart. At the very least, she had made her point. If anyone bullied Shen Moran in the future, she would be back.
It was past 11:00 PM when Shen Moran finally parked the car at home.
She did not go up immediately. She opened her phone to receive several files and checked that her colleagues had all returned home safely before letting out a sigh of relief. She had spent the entire afternoon dealing with Yuan’s case. Finally catching a breather, she just wanted to sit in the car and rest for a moment.
Looking up, Shen Moran noticed her apartment lights were still on.
She glanced at the time; it was nearly 11:30 PM. It was so late—was Su Nian staying up?
Shen Moran was strict about sleep, even though she often stayed up late herself. She did not want Su Nian to ruin her sleep schedule, thinking that learning was tiring enough; she needed plenty of rest to keep her brain sharp.
Perhaps Su Nian was already asleep and it was Sun Heng waiting for her?
Earlier that afternoon, Lu Zaiyi had told her about the scene at the firm. At the time, she had only read the text without much reaction and gone back to work. But now, looking at the light shining in the darkness, she felt a subtle, delicate sensation—the feeling of having someone to back her up, waiting for her at home.
Shen Moran stared at the light for a few minutes before decisively picking up her materials and heading upstairs.
Upon opening the door, only the light in the dining room was on. There were dishes covered by a bowl on the table, likely food saved for her.
“You are home.”
Sun Heng appeared at the guest room door, hands on her hips. “Why are you back so late? The food left for you has already gone cold.”
Shen Moran looked at her, moved, and asked softly, “Did you make this?”
“Of course not.” Sun Heng walked out of the room. “Su Nian wanted to cook for you, and I provided guidance. I must say, the little girl is quite talented; the food tastes pretty good.”
As Sun Heng walked over, Shen Moran’s gaze shifted from her face to her attire.
Unlike the black, robe-like pajamas from yesterday, Sun Heng wore a short, silk pajama set today. Her beautiful collarbone and neck were completely exposed, and the simple top looked incredibly relaxed.
The pajama pants were short, ending mid-thigh, revealing two slender legs.
Shen Moran noticed that Sun Heng had a small mole not only on her face and neck but also a tiny one on her ankle.
This person—was she doing this on purpose?
Shen Moran turned her head, refusing to look at her legs. She lowered her head to set her things down and asked in a calm tone, “What did you cook?”
“Tomato scrambled eggs, luffa soup, and braised pork ribs,” Sun Heng said, leaning against the cabinet.
Shen Moran nodded and put on her slippers to walk over and lift the bowl to peek inside.
Just then, she felt a warmth behind her. A hot body leaned against her back, and Sun Heng cooed, “The food is cold, should I reheat it for you?”
Shen Moran looked back at the woman resting her head on her shoulder. Seeing that Sun Heng showed no sign of letting go, she let her lean in even more, smiling as she asked, “Why do you not go take a shower? I will heat the food up for you.”
Shen Moran felt half her shoulder burning. Sun Heng was too close; her breathing alone made Shen Moran’s heart race. After a long pause, she asked, “Can you manage?”
Sun Heng tilted her head and held up her mobile right hand, wiggling her fingers to show she was fine.
Shen Moran was still worried and told her to wait until she finished her shower, but when she came out, Sun Heng had already heated the food.
“It is just a quick spin in the microwave; it is not heavy.” Sun Heng sat in a chair, smiling brightly at Shen Moran. “Come and taste your sister’s handiwork.”
Shen Moran stared at the food and pulled out a chair.
The rice was kept warm and still felt lukewarm. The tomato eggs were a bit sweet, the soup was slightly salty, and the braised pork ribs were quite good—at least, they were tasty enough to go with rice.
Sun Heng watched Shen Moran eating politely, mouthful by mouthful, and asked, “Did Yuan not feed you dinner?”
Shen Moran lowered her eyes and took a bite of egg. “They had arrangements, but I did not have time to eat. I just grabbed a few bites while busy.”
“That Yuan is hopeless. He does something wrong and then ruins your dinner? That is bullying.”
“Nothing I can do; it is work.”
Sun Heng sat lazily, legs crossed, watching Shen Moran. In truth, the local business circle was small. Even though Yuan Haiqiang was in construction materials and Sun Heng was in food, she had heard of him at various banquets.
Yuan Haiqiang was an upstart. His family had received housing compensation during demolition, and lacking skills, he had started a transport company with friends, using dirty tactics to steal business and smash vehicles. Later, hearing construction materials were profitable, he switched industries.
After switching, his thug-like style remained aggressive. He often stole trade secrets from competitors and rammed bidders’ vehicles—common tactics. Although the nature of these acts was severe, they rarely caused mass casualties, so he would just pay up and apologize, and others could not pursue the matter further.
A louse does not fear an extra bite; Yuan Haiqiang thrived regardless of his reputation.
Sun Heng could not understand why Shen Moran would defend him—especially since this time the charge was the sexual assault of a minor under fourteen. It was incredibly vile.
“Moran,” Sun Heng could not help but ask, “why do you want to defend a bad person?”