Chapter 40: A Chance Encounter with an Acquaintance

In the oppressive and heavy atmosphere, Yang Qingqing’s breathing grew increasingly shallow. Just as she was about to say something, Fang Lian suddenly let out a giggle.

"Sister, I was just teasing you..."

Fang Lian patted Yang Qingqing’s shoulder lightly. "I’m glad it was you taking care of Yan Xuan these past two days; I wouldn't have trusted anyone else."

Yang Qingqing knew she wasn't very emotionally intelligent and wasn't one for beating around the bush, so she decided to be direct.

"Fang Lian, do you actually think I’m having an affair with Yan Xuan behind your back?"

Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon. Her Yang family martial arts were fierce and direct; she had no time for playing mind games.

"We’ve been best friends for three years in high school. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? How could I ever make a move on your boyfriend!"

Fang Lian was momentarily speechless. Yang Qingqing’s blunt questioning made her feel like a clown, so she had to try to brush it off.

"I said I was joking. Don’t take it so seriously, Qingqing."

"Xiao Lian, I don’t think it’s funny at all."

"I need to go get some sleep; I have classes this afternoon."

"Xiao Lian, you..."

Yang Qingqing wanted to continue, but Fang Lian forcefully shifted the subject.

"Qingqing, I’ll have to trouble you to go to the supermarket this afternoon. I’ve sent you the list."

Watching Fang Lian close her bedroom door, Yang Qingqing stood stunned in place, her expression thoughtful. Although her emotional intelligence wasn't top-tier, she could tell that something was wrong with Fang Lian’s mood.

Had she been tormented by that old man again?

That beastly old man—just how perverted were the things he did to her best friend?

If he had the guts, he should come for her instead!

Behind the wheel, Yan Xuan suddenly let out a sneeze. As he raised his hand to rub his nose, he aggravated his injury, causing him to wince in pain.

After parking the car, Yan Xuan looked up at the towering office building. Confirming the address was correct, he stepped out and entered.

The building had been completed recently; the location wasn't great, the rent was cheap, and there were few tenants. Aside from a law firm, there was only a self-media company and a study-abroad agency. The rest of the units were either under renovation or still vacant.

Were law firms found online really reliable?

Watching the elevator slowly ascend, Yan Xuan felt a sense of doubt.

When the doors opened, the seven large characters of "XX Law Firm" greeted him, with a row of stylish English letters underneath.

There were quite a few people waiting in the hallway, making business seem brisk, but Yan Xuan understood the reality of it. The legal circle was relatively closed off; referrals from acquaintances were usually the best route. Those who searched for legal consultations online were either ignorant of the law or common folk like him who lacked connections.

After all, on the internet, you never know if you're dealing with a human or a dog, making it impossible to establish the high level of trust that legal services required. Most successful lawyers obtained their clients through their own networks and disdained paying "protection fees" to search engines.

So, despite the crowd outside this firm, ninety percent of them were, like Yan Xuan, just poor suckers naively looking for lawyers on the web.

"I should just ask someone for help..."

Yan Xuan was about to turn around and leave when the receptionist hurried over to him.

"Sir, do you need legal consultation?"

The receptionist’s reaction was overly enthusiastic. Yan Xuan was puzzled until he realized he was holding his Bentley car keys in his hand.

"Wrong place, sorry."

Yan Xuan turned and pressed the elevator button, waiting in silence. The receptionist kept chattering away beside him, clearly unwilling to let such a big fish get away.

With a ding, the elevator arrived. Yan Xuan stepped inside, and his ears finally found some peace.

There was another girl in the elevator, about twenty years old, round-faced and chubby. Judging by the floor, she was likely a student from the study-abroad agency. After Yan Xuan entered, the girl would steal glances at him from time to time, and finally, she secretly pulled out her phone and opened the camera.

"Miss, please turn off your flash."

Yan Xuan scolded her sharply, startling the girl into quickly putting her phone away.

Secretly filming? Was he really that handsome?

When the elevator doors opened, Yan Xuan strode out, not bothering to dwell on the girl.

Once he was far away, the girl hurriedly took out her phone and forwarded the photo she had just taken to a friend marked "Xiao Qi," then dialed the number.

A lazy, soft, and lethargic voice came from the other end.

"Why are you calling, Senior Sister? It’s five in the morning here!"

"I think I just ran into your ex-boyfriend. I’ve sent you the photo; take a look!"

"Huh? What a coincidence!?"

After a brief shock, the tone on the other end shifted to a delighted, high-pitched one.

"It’s him, alright! Why is he with you, Senior Sister? Is he planning to study abroad!?"

"Are you hoping he’s here to see you?"

"I... I... I don’t want that at all!"

"I’m sorry to disappoint you. He just walked out of a bush-league law firm. We’re just in the same office building."

"A law firm? Is he looking for a lawyer?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

After a few more pleasantries, they hung up.

At the same time, Yan Xuan returned to his car, opened his phone, and pulled up the contact marked "Xiao Qi." Before he could type anything, a message popped up.

Xiao Qi: You’re looking for a lawyer?

Yan Xuan: How did you know?

Xiao Qi: The girl in the elevator earlier is my senior sister. You even accused her of taking secret photos of you.

Yan Xuan: ...

Xiao Qi: Don’t you think it’s quite a coincidence?

Yan Xuan: Is it? Hasn’t our fate always been like this?

The message, which was usually replied to instantly, remained silent for several minutes.

Xiao Qi: Don’t go to those bush-league law firms; they just take your money and don't get anything done.

Yan Xuan sighed and smiled. Based on his understanding of her, a long silence followed by a sudden change of subject meant she was feeling guilty.

Yan Xuan: Are you worried about me?

Xiao Qi: Who’s worried about you! I just wanted to send some business to my friend.

A few seconds later, Yan Xuan received a shared contact card.

Yan Xuan: The lawyer you’re introducing must be very expensive, right?

Xiao Qi: I’ll put in a word for you. If it’s just a minor case, they won’t charge you a consultation fee. If you really can’t afford it later, you can come to me...

Yan Xuan: (Emoji, smiling)

Introducing business to a friend while telling them not to charge a fee—had she not realized she was contradicting herself?

Yan Xuan: It’s fine, if I can’t afford it, I’ll just look for a sugar mommy.

Xiao Qi: ...

Yan Xuan wanted to leave it at that, but in the end, he picked up his phone, pressed the voice memo button, and whispered a single sentence.

"Thank you."

It was 5:30 AM local time in a student apartment at Sciences Po in Paris.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the girl, awakened by the notification, was no longer sleepy.

She poked her head out from under the covers, raised a hand to tuck her messy long brown hair behind her ears, and revealed a pair of slender, phoenix-shaped brows. Beneath them, her pupils were dark and clear like jade—gentle, elegant, and filled with a rare intellectual and scholarly air.

Perhaps because the room's heating was set too high, her slightly pursed pink lips looked a bit dry, and tiny beads of sweat dotted her petite, delicate nose, reflecting a pearl-like luster under the dim light of her phone.

"Thank you."

She pressed play on the voice message. Listening to the familiar voice, she suddenly felt a strange pang in her heart.

Her fair, jade-like fingers hovered over the voice call button, hesitating for a long time before slowly pulling away.

She began to replay the voice note from Yan Xuan over and over again. After listening to that single "Thank you" dozens of times, she finally put the phone down with lingering reluctance and ducked back under the covers.

"You're welcome."

The girl whispered softly, buried in her blankets.

No one heard her...