In Jiangcheng, early October brought the lingering heat of summer right on schedule.
The sweet-scented osmanthus trees in the residential complex seemed to have been fooled by the weather. Their rich fragrance felt strangely out of place in the stuffy heat.
Ni Xia sat by the window in a coffee shop, directly beneath the air vent. The cold air had already made her hands and feet numb.
Yet her heart was beating unusually fast. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she had stayed up late the night before or because she had drunk too much coffee today.
Fortunately, it was getting late, and customers were gradually leaving. Ni Xia finally got the chance to change seats.
After moving away from the air vent, she ordered another cup of coffee.
When the waitress saw the order at the counter, she came over and asked, “Miss, you’ve already had three cups of coffee this afternoon. Why don’t you have some juice instead?”
She was right.
If Ni Xia drank another cup, she might as well join the army in place of her father tonight.
So she nodded. “Then please change it to a glass of orange juice.”
After the waitress left, Ni Xia took out her phone and sent a message to Feifei.
[Ni Xia]: Sister Feifei, are you still in the meeting?
When Ni Xia arrived here at two in the afternoon, Feifei had already told her she was in a meeting.
Now it was six o’clock. The employees in the office building were already starting to leave work one after another, yet the “meeting” Feifei had mentioned still wasn’t over.
Even the recent China-US meeting had only lasted a hundred minutes.
But although Ni Xia knew that Feifei was brushing her off, she had no choice but to pretend she didn’t understand.
Even though Feifei had no intention of letting her go upstairs and had simply left her waiting there, Ni Xia could only swallow her anger.
After all, she was the one who needed their help right now.
Thinking about this made Ni Xia feel even more miserable.
Not long ago, she had been a promising young director, working herself to the bone for her upcoming film, Bailey’s Underwater World.
It wasn’t a major project with a famous intellectual property or a star-studded cast. But she and her best friend, Gu Yusheng, had spent four years carefully developing it.
From the script to the special effects, they had personally checked every step. The entire production team was eager to bring this imaginative science-fiction story to the big screen.
Everything had been progressing smoothly.
Then, just as Ni Xia and Gu Yusheng were happily confirming the menu for their production’s opening banquet with the hotel, they suddenly received the news that Zhongyue Huitou had decided to withdraw its investment.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Ni Xia was completely caught off guard.
There had been no warning and no clear explanation. No matter how hard she struggled, all she could do was watch helplessly as the hotel canceled their reservation, the equipment was taken away, and the actors one by one joined other productions.
Even now, Zhongyue Huitou still hadn’t given them a clear explanation.
First, they said the company’s cash flow was having problems. Then they said the company had different opinions about the project’s market prospects, expected returns, and even the terms they had previously negotiated.
Today, they had simply stopped replying to messages and answering calls.
Ni Xia had been losing sleep night after night. Now, all she could do was wait helplessly outside their company, hoping to get the second round of investment that could save the project.
But—
The coffee shop was almost empty, and more and more people were coming out of the office building. Yet Feifei still hadn’t replied to her message.
Ni Xia could no longer sit still. She picked up her bag and walked outside.
She went against the flow of people and stopped at the entrance of the office building, standing on tiptoe to look inside.
People kept coming out in waves, but Feifei was nowhere to be seen.
Before she realized it, the elevators had stopped running so frequently. Everyone who was supposed to leave work had already gone.
Even the sky had turned completely dark.
By now, Ni Xia’s heart had already sunk halfway. Still, she tried to comfort herself.
It was fine if she had to wait until the end of the workday. Perhaps Feifei would have more time to talk to her then.
So she sent another message.
[Ni Xia]: Sister Feifei, have you finished work?
This time, Feifei replied immediately.
[Feifei]: Oh my, Xia Xia, you’re still there?
[Feifei]: I’m really sorry. I was so busy today that I completely forgot. I’ve already gone to meet a client. What should we do?
[Feifei]: Ah! I was so busy that I completely lost track of time. Why don’t we meet another day?
The cold air from the lobby’s air conditioner blew straight into Ni Xia’s face, like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her head.
Whether it was the heart palpitations caused by three cups of coffee or the anger that had built up after waiting all afternoon, Ni Xia felt her hands trembling.
She couldn’t even bring herself to type a message blaming Feifei.
She wanted to keep some dignity, but at the same time, she couldn’t accept being treated like a fool.
Finally, her nose began to sting. As tears threatened to fill her eyes, Ni Xia turned around and left.
Back in her car, Ni Xia turned on the air conditioner and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.
The streets of the CBD were filled with traffic, and car horns sounded one after another. Everything was shut out by the car windows.
The only sound inside the car was the air conditioner.
Yet Ni Xia’s mind was still in complete turmoil.
The repeated blows she had suffered recently had left her completely exhausted.
It felt as if she had fallen into a well. She was desperately trying to climb up by pressing her hands and feet against the walls, but she still couldn’t stop herself from falling deeper.
After a long while, her emotions finally settled down.
That was when Gu Yusheng called.
“How did it go?”
Ni Xia took a deep breath.
“I waited all afternoon. I didn’t even get to see her.”
“Damn it, what a bunch of jerks!” Gu Yusheng couldn’t hold back her anger. “Back then, they kept calling us ‘dear’ while begging us to take their investment. They were practically begging to work with us, even when they were about to go into surgery. And now they’re acting like they never knew us. Do they really think we’re not people?”
Ni Xia said nothing.
Gu Yusheng also fell silent.
The seconds on the call continued ticking, as if measuring how angry the two of them were.
“What do you think?” Gu Yusheng finally asked. “Should we get a lawyer?”
“Get one.”
Ni Xia almost spat the words through clenched teeth.
They could accept hardship.
They could accept failure.
But they could never accept watching all their hard work go to waste because someone else had broken their promise.
“Find one right away. We’re going all the way with them!”
“Okay, I’ll leave it to you. I’m about to board my flight,” Gu Yusheng said.
During this time, they had also been trying to find new investors.
Unfortunately, a big-budget science-fiction movie had been released recently and completely bombed at the box office, losing a huge amount of money.
That failure had made investors wary. The moment they heard the word “science fiction,” they immediately shut the door on them. They wouldn’t even discuss the project.
At the moment, Gu Yusheng was running around everywhere. Every day, she was either at an airport or on her way to one.
Before hanging up, she couldn’t help cursing again.
“I refuse to believe that in a society ruled by law, there’s nothing we can do about these people!”
Exactly.
Why could they tear up a contract that was clearly written and signed by both sides?
Did the law mean nothing to them?
By this point, Ni Xia was determined to fight simply to stand up for herself.
But Zhongyue Huitou had a powerful legal team. Taking them to court would not be easy.
Ni Xia remained sitting in her car, quickly scrolling through her WeChat contacts. Her brows became more and more tightly knitted.
She had spent the past few years constantly working within the same circle, yet she hadn’t made a single friend in the legal field.
And finding a lawyer was not something she could announce publicly.
After thinking for a long time, Ni Xia finally opened the chat with her younger cousin, Qianqian, who worked in legal affairs.
[Ni Xia]: Qianqian, are you free right now? There’s something I need your help with.
The reply came quickly.
[Xu Qian]: Sister Xia Xia, I just got off work! What’s wrong?
Ni Xia briefly explained what had happened and then asked whether Qianqian could recommend a suitable lawyer.
[Xu Qian]: You definitely came to the right person!
[Xu Qian]: Do you remember the contract arbitration case involving The Autumn Thief last year? The final result can’t be made public, but I asked around before. The lawyer managed to negotiate a really good settlement for his client.
Of course, Ni Xia knew about it.
The Autumn Thief had been in almost exactly the same situation as their project.
The investor had withdrawn halfway through production, leaving the entire film in ruins. The producer had taken the investor to court.
As for the settlement they had obtained—
“Really good” was an understatement.
It had been an exceptionally good settlement.
And the investor sued in The Autumn Thief case had been even more powerful and well-connected than Zhongyue Huitou. When they lost the case, it caused quite a stir in the film industry.
It was precisely because of the success of The Autumn Thief that Ni Xia and Gu Yusheng had decided that if negotiations failed, they would take legal action.
Ni Xia’s eyes immediately lit up.
[Ni Xia]: You know that lawyer?
[Xu Qian]: I know of him, haha. He’s my senior from university. He was already very famous when we were in school.
[Xu Qian]: I’ve heard that over the past few years, he’s handled many cases in your industry. Anyway, I’ve never heard of him losing a case.
[Ni Xia]: What’s his name? Which law firm does he work for?
[Xu Qian]: His name is You Jue. He works at Hengtong Law Firm. Do you know that firm? It’s really impressive!
She even sent Ni Xia the law firm’s official WeChat account.
But Ni Xia wasn’t paying any attention to the words “Hengtong Law Firm.”
Her eyes were fixed on the name Xu Qian had sent.
You Jue…
Wait.
You Jue?
As she silently repeated the name, fragments of a vague memory slowly came together in her mind.
Was this the same You Jue who had been her high school classmate?
Surely it wasn’t just someone with the same name?
The name wasn’t very common.
And as far as she remembered, You Jue had gone to a university specializing in law and political science after high school.
It should be him.
But Ni Xia tried hard to dig through her memories, hoping to remember more about him.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much.
It wasn’t that Ni Xia had a bad memory.
It was simply that she and this person had barely interacted at all.
You Jue had transferred into their class during their second year of high school.
He was handsome and an excellent student.
The arrival of such a transfer student was like a thunderclap in their otherwise boring high school life.
During the first few days of school, the girls talked about almost nothing except You Jue.
Ni Xia had also been briefly curious about him.
But although he was eye-catching, You Jue was far from approachable. Apart from a few outgoing boys, he rarely interacted with other classmates.
As for Ni Xia, she was the type who paid no attention to anything outside her studies and focused entirely on her schoolwork.
Her heavy workload and strict family upbringing had formed a natural barrier around her, keeping her within a very small social circle.
Before long, the small ripple You Jue had caused in Ni Xia’s life quietly disappeared.
Like all her other classmates, he eventually became part of the calm surface of her everyday life.
Even when they occasionally crossed paths in the classroom hallway, they would simply pass each other without saying a word.
So, after seven or eight years, the only thing Ni Xia clearly remembered about You Jue was the handsome face that had caused such a sensation back then.
He was good-looking.
And there had always been a cold, arrogant air about him that made people hesitate to approach him.
But what was he like now, after becoming a lawyer?
Ni Xia’s curiosity was piqued.
She opened the law firm’s official account and searched for his name.
The internet was slow, and the page took forever to load.
Several seconds later, You Jue’s profile finally appeared.
Ni Xia stared at the screen in disbelief.
Had You Jue’s appearance changed that much?
Or had her taste changed?
The boy in a school uniform from her memories was now only a blurry image in her mind.
But the man in a perfectly tailored suit on the screen seemed to hit her eyes head-on.
Looking closely at his features, she could still recognize the familiar eyebrows and eyes. There were still traces of the high school boy she remembered.
But he was also completely different.
The youthful awkwardness had disappeared. The sharpness in his eyes was even stronger, while his facial features had become more defined and refined.
His confidence now seemed completely natural, as though the years had finally revealed his true character.
Ni Xia had seen countless male actors over the years, so she was long past being impressed by handsome men.
Yet without realizing it, she stared at You Jue’s photo for quite some time.
It wasn’t until a car passed beside her, its bright headlights flashing across the window, that Ni Xia finally snapped back to reality.
She quickly looked at the information beside his photo.
She had to admit that the law firm’s straightforward and down-to-earth writing style gave her even more confidence.
She read through You Jue’s case record, and a smile slowly appeared on her face.
Perfect.
He was exactly the kind of lawyer she needed.
It was like finding a pillow when you were sleepy, or a watermelon vendor when you were dying of thirst.
The worried expression on Ni Xia’s face disappeared. Her eyes were bright again, and even her fingers moved quickly as she typed.
[Ni Xia]: I know You Jue. We were high school classmates.
[Xu Qian]: What a coincidence!!!
Ni Xia happily sent a voice message.
“I’m going to find him right now!”
With that, she opened the class group chat that had been inactive for years, found You Jue’s WeChat account, and sent him a friend request.
The Next Day, Noon
Ni Xia had lost count of how many times she had checked her phone.
There was still no response on WeChat.
Had You Jue really not looked at his phone since yesterday afternoon?
Ni Xia, who had been full of hope at first, began to feel uneasy.
If You Jue was really that busy, wouldn’t he have no time to take her case?
No.
That couldn’t be.
Even the busiest person wouldn’t go an entire day without checking their phone, right?
Then maybe You Jue didn’t know that the person who had added him was his old classmate?
That didn’t make sense either.
She had added him directly through their class group chat. Her request clearly included her name and the reason for contacting him.
Time passed second by second.
Ni Xia’s attention never left her phone. Even while she was on calls, she would occasionally check WeChat.
By three in the afternoon, You Jue still hadn’t accepted her friend request.
Reason told Ni Xia to wait a little longer.
But she couldn’t afford to wait.
Ever since Zhongyue Huitou breached their agreement, the project had practically come to a complete halt.
If she and Gu Yusheng couldn’t find a solution soon, all their years of hard work would truly be wasted.
Ni Xia paced back and forth across the living room several times, gripping her phone.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, put on her coat, and walked out.
Thirty minutes later, she arrived at Hengtong Law Firm.
Just as Ni Xia had imagined, the office was simple yet impressive. It had the kind of grand atmosphere that made it obvious the firm had won plenty of major lawsuits.
She looked around before calmly walking toward the reception desk and taking off her sunglasses.
Hearing footsteps, the receptionist, who was organizing some documents, looked up.
“Hello—”
The moment she saw Ni Xia, a clear look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
“Are you here for a consultation, or do you already have an appointment with a lawyer?”
“I’m here to see Lawyer You Jue.”
“Of course. Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
Ni Xia hesitated slightly before continuing.
“I’m his high school classmate. My name is Ni Xia. Could you please help me find him?”
The receptionist nodded and picked up the phone to dial an extension.
The call was answered quickly.
“Lawyer You, there’s a Ms. Ni Xia at the front desk asking to see you. She says she’s your high school classmate.”
The moment the receptionist said her name, Ni Xia suddenly became nervous.
She hadn’t seen You Jue for seven or eight years, and they hadn’t been close even when they were classmates.
What should she say when she saw him later?
How could she avoid making things awkward?
“Miss…”
While Ni Xia was silently preparing what to say, the receptionist hung up the phone and looked at her awkwardly.
“Lawyer You says he doesn’t know you.”