Lawyer He adjusted his glasses, wearing an expression of strict impartiality: “In a divorce case, if a party has no legitimate reason and still fails to appear in court after receiving a summons, they will face adverse legal consequences. In serious cases, the court may deem that you have waived your right to litigate, and the case could potentially be dismissed.”
Chi Sheng trembled all over, hugging her plush toy and sobbing: “But I don’t want to see him again.”
Song Yunyi exchanged a glance with Lawyer He. After receiving her approval, she stepped forward and comforted her gently: “The judge needs to hear your true wishes directly. Besides, we already have all the evidence under control. You just need to show up, and I guarantee you’ll get the divorce. After that, you’ll never have to see him again.”
But Chi Sheng seemed lost in her own emotions, crying uncontrollably and completely unable to listen.
Feng Cheng walked over and shoved a freshly squeezed vegetable-fruit juice into Song Yunyi’s hands. With his long fingers, he yanked Chi Sheng’s head out from behind the plush toy.
He glanced disdainfully at Chi Sheng’s messy hair and spoke coldly: “You still have the nerve to cry? If you don’t get this sorted out soon, your mother’s heart condition is going to act up.”
Chi Sheng cried even louder. Wiping her tears, she sniffled: “I… I didn’t want it to be like this either… but it’s just too embarrassing, wuwuwu…”
“So you do know it’s embarrassing. Your parents have maintained their dignity their whole lives, and now in middle age they have to become famous because of you. And you can’t even bring yourself to show up in court? Where’s your backbone? Did a dog eat it?”
Song Yunyi grew increasingly alarmed as she listened, worried that the client’s psychological defenses might collapse. She reached out a hand to stop him.
Young Master Feng was still the legendary Young Master Feng—one mouthful from him could resurrect the dead with rage.
But Chi Sheng, perhaps accustomed to being scolded by him, surprisingly took it well. In the end, she even stomped her foot and loudly defended herself: “I do have a backbone!”
“Then stop looking like you’re half-dead all day. My time is precious, you know. I’ll give you a family discount on my appearance fee—let’s say one hundred thousand per minute. I just spent three minutes advising you, so transfer me three hundred thousand.”
Chi Sheng cowered, daring to be angry but not to speak. In the end, she obediently transferred the money.
Song Yunyi was utterly astounded.
Highway robbery…
“Lawyer Song, staring with such wide eyes—are you thinking of splitting the spoils?” Feng Cheng clearly had no shame about swindling his cousin’s money. He thought for a moment, then chuckled lightly, “If you want it, it’s not impossible. But then again, if a lawyer takes money she shouldn’t have, how many years in prison is that?”
Song Yunyi: “President Feng is joking. How would I dare?”
“Then finish that juice. One drop spilled and that’s another hundred thousand.” He added lazily as an afterthought, “Is intimidation a criminal offense?”
What did the two have to do with each other?
Besides, Dingyi’s lawyers weren’t exactly pushovers…
Song Yunyi suddenly felt the juice in her hands was like a hot potato. She turned to ask Lawyer He, only to find that there was no drink in front of Lawyer He at all.
Lawyer He had clearly noticed, but she said nothing and buried herself in her research materials.
Song Yunyi stared solemnly at the juice.
She had strong reason to suspect the juice was poisoned—otherwise, why would Feng Cheng make such a strange request?
Not letting her spill a single drop.
Was she supposed to lick it clean?
Stimulated by Feng Cheng’s remarks, Chi Sheng was in much better shape now. She took off her sunglasses and stared at Song Yunyi, who was sipping the juice in small mouthfuls, for a long while.
A distant memory surfaced. Her eyes slowly widened as she pointed at Song Yunyi: “I remember now! You’re Gu Lianhuai’s…”
Song Yunyi gently interrupted: “Miss Chi, please do get the procedures sorted out as soon as possible.”
Chi Sheng was a bit displeased at being interrupted: “I know that. Don’t interrupt me first—I’ll forget again in a moment. Three years ago at Gu Lianhuai’s birthday banquet, you were the one he brought as his date, weren’t you! What was your surname… Song something?”
Lawyer He looked up at this and furrowed her brow.
Song Yunyi knew she couldn’t fool her way out of it, so she could only nod: “That was me.”
Chi Sheng’s gossip instinct was instantly ignited. She leaned in with great interest: “So how did you manage to win over Gu Lianhuai? Back then, everyone thought he liked Qiao Shuran. How did he end up with you all of a sudden?”
But this time, before Song Yunyi could answer, Feng Cheng’s somewhat icy voice sounded from behind: “A guest has been here this long without even getting a drink of water, and you still have the nerve to sit around leisurely?”
That “guest” was clearly not Song Yunyi.
Lawyer He’s gaze shifted away from Song Yunyi. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she buried herself back in her work.
All of them were people you couldn’t afford to offend.
Chi Sheng pursed her lips, muttered a few words under her breath, then got up and headed toward the kitchen.
She had just been wondering why Feng Cheng had only poured water for Song Yunyi—so it turned out he knew she was Gu Lianhuai’s girlfriend.
Did he poison it?
Should she call an ambulance to wait outside first?
After Chi Sheng left, the reception area fell into an eerie silence once more.
Both of them were waiting for Feng Cheng to leave.
But today, for some reason, Feng Cheng had a screw loose and was uncharacteristically playing the role of a good big brother. He pulled a document from beside Song Yunyi, leaned back on the sofa, and began reading it at his leisure.
Chi Sheng, coming out of the kitchen, was deeply moved by the sight.
See, her cousin did care about her after all!
Song Yunyi and Lawyer He carefully walked Chi Sheng through the questions the judge would ask and what would happen in the courtroom.
An hour later, her phone rang. Song Yunyi glanced at it and saw an unfamiliar number.
She rose with an apologetic expression and walked to the window to answer.
“Are you the guardian of Feng Qiyue?” The moment the call connected, that was the first thing thrown at her.
The background noise on the other end was chaotic, as if something major had happened. Song Yunyi’s heart instantly leapt into her throat.
She covered the receiver and pressed urgently, “Who are you? What happened to him?”
“I’m a coach at Hurricane Boxing Gym. Feng Qiyue is one of our fighters. A fighter who lost couldn’t accept the defeat and had people corner him after the match. Things got messy—bottom line, he’s passed out now. If you can come over, do so; otherwise, we’ll report this to the police.”
The police threat was, of course, a bluff.
She knew Hurricane Boxing Gym—it was an underground fighting ring. Calling the police would be like walking into a trap; it was just a scare tactic for people who didn’t know the ropes.
“Don’t call the police, I’ll come right now!” she said quickly.
She realized that even though he was full of mysteries, she couldn’t bring herself to be indifferent to him.
Protecting him.
It was like an instinct.
Feng Cheng looked at her.
The girl’s calm expression had vanished completely, replaced by clearly visible worry and anxiety.
Whatever the person on the other end said to her, by the time the call ended, her steps were even slightly unsteady.
Song Yunyi hurried over to Lawyer He, her face pale and grave: “Lawyer He, something extremely important has come up and I need to deal with it right now. I have to leave.”
This was no longer a request.
Lawyer He was somewhat surprised—she rarely saw Song Yunyi so emotionally shaken. After a brief moment of thought, she said, “I still have some materials to go over with Miss Chi. You can take a cab yourself.”
“Thank you, Lawyer He.” Song Yunyi quickly expressed her gratitude.
“Don’t thank me so soon. The work that belongs to you, you’ll handle on your own overtime.”
“I understand.”
Song Yunyi explained things to Feng Cheng and Chi Sheng, then grabbed her bag and hurried out.
Taxis couldn’t get into this area, so Song Yunyi ran out while checking her ride-hailing app.
A sudden honk sounded behind her.
Song Yunyi stepped aside to let the car pass, looking down at her order details.
To her surprise, the car stopped right beside her.
Song Yunyi looked over in confusion and saw the limited-edition silver McLaren that had once trended on the city’s social media pulled up next to her.
The window rolled down. The man’s wrist rested casually on the steering wheel as he glanced at her. “Get in.”
What was he doing?
Her tone was distant: “No need, President Feng. I’ve already called a ride.”
“With those short legs of yours, by the time you walk out of the villa district, it’ll be dark.”
Song Yunyi was about to say something else when a honk sounded from behind the McLaren—clearly, the car was blocking the way.
The one actually blocking the road, however, remained completely unruffled, his fingers tapping lazily on the steering wheel. Sunlight fell across his face, and he even squinted his eyes in contentment.
“What are you doing, standing there putting on a drama?! Move if you’re not going!” The driver behind grew impatient and rolled down his window to let loose.
Song Yunyi’s ears instantly turned red. She apologized to the driver and quickly opened the rear door.
“You know how much it costs to have me as your driver?”
That one line nearly made Song Yunyi trip over her own feet. She changed direction and slipped into the passenger seat.