Chapter 9

Wang Tie Niu felt that Xinhe was probably really going to collapse. After taking just one day off, the “crown prince” Xu Shijia appeared back at the office the next day, yawning while diligently working. In his cup floated a few strands of caterpillar fungus.

Drinking caterpillar fungus while working—what kind of spirit was this?

It turns out that a family downfall is the best catalyst for a man’s growth.

To his astonishment, Xu Shijia and Lin Shu had even managed to secure JinYan’s legal consulting contract, something that seemed like an impossible task.

The crown prince must have been pushed to the brink, saying he was taking time off, only to secretly work overtime with Lin Shu the night before?

Thinking about this, all of Wang Tie Niu’s sympathy for Xu Shijia vanished.

How was Xu Shijia any different from those “fake slackers” who claimed they weren’t studying but secretly crammed hard at home? He outwardly showed disdain for the boss, but then snuck off to attend the annual gala with her like a little toady!

Now that Xu Shijia had worked with Lin Shu to land the JinYan contract, it was only natural that he’d be involved in all of JinYan’s future legal business and litigation.

Wasn’t this a case of earning easy clients and income?

Because of this, Lin Shu had even called Wang Tie Niu into her office—

“Tie Niu, I’ll have Xu Shijia handle JinYan’s legal matters moving forward. I’ll also assign you suitable cases as they come. Since Xu Shijia has less experience than you, this will give him a chance to catch up, which will also help ease your workload. Plus, he needs the income from these cases more than you do, so I’m sure you’ll understand.”

“Of course, I’d like you to keep this matter confidential. I’m only telling you because you’re the most trustworthy and reliable person on the team. Please also guide and support Xu Shijia whenever you can.”

In just a few words, she had revealed a wealth of information.

If the “crown prince” now needed the income more than him, it was clear that…

Xinhe really was in trouble!

But as Wang Tie Niu looked at his stock portfolio and thought of Xu Shijia’s fake slacker behavior, old and new grievances welled up inside him.

He had already sold off all his Xinhe shares a few days ago, thinking he could finally sleep soundly. However, inexplicably, after he sold them, Xinhe’s stock continued to soar. All told, Wang Tie Niu had lost around 100,000 yuan, meaning half a year’s work had gone down the drain!

These publicly listed companies love to deceive retail investors, manipulating the market! They must be falsifying their financial disclosures! How could Xinhe’s stock still be rising when even the “crown prince” had fallen so low that he had to come work here?

Still, Lin Shu’s words did make Wang Tie Niu feel a little better.

Back when Xu Shijia was the high-flying “crown prince” and occasionally visited the firm, Wang Tie Niu had always been on edge around him. He’d jump at the chance to do any tedious or difficult work, terrified of offending him in any way. But now…

Now that the crown prince needed client income even more than himself, it seemed that their relationship would become more of an equal partnership.

It was indeed time for the crown prince to gain some experience; that way, he wouldn’t be the only one doing the dirty and hard work anymore!

If he had to mentor him, then so be it.

As one of Lin Shu’s most trusted team members, Wang Tie Niu felt a sense of duty in taking on this responsibility.

**

Xu Shijia was not in a good mood.

Although he didn’t know how things had come to be, he found himself inexplicably serving Lin Shu once again.

This morning, during the busiest time, his brother, Wang Yizhou, called him up and invited him to dinner that night.

“I can’t, I’m not free tonight.”

Typically, Wang Yizhou was succinct in his communication. After Xu Shijia’s refusal, he wouldn’t ask any further questions. However, for some reason, this time was different.

On the other end of the line, Wang Yizhou’s tone was subtle: “Oh, so you’re working overtime?”

“What overtime?!” Xu Shijia almost reflexively retorted. “I’m just going to play basketball with a good friend tonight; I want to relax a bit. Plus, I’ve been feeling a bit heavy lately, so I don’t want to have dinner.”

“Oh—”

Although Wang Yizhou’s drawn-out response before hanging up was strange, Xu Shijia didn’t have time to think too much about it.

Because—

“Xu Shijia, can you help print and bind this material together? You don’t know how to use the printer? I’ll show you.”

“Xu Shijia, I’m forwarding you a few legal consultations for clients you’re responsible for; please reply to them. The clients are pushing for responses.”

“You’re going to buy coffee? Get me a cup too! I’ll transfer you the money later!”

…

Xu Shijia started to suspect he was dreaming.

Had Wang Tie Niu really changed his ways?

In the past, he had been eager to take on Xu Shijia’s tasks, always cautious around him, and now he was acting so casually?

But as if to validate that all this was real, Wang Tie Niu even called out to him with familiarity: “You bought from that coffee shop downstairs, right? I have a coupon; I’ll send it to you! You can save a few bucks!”

“…”

Fine, he could endure being treated like a servant, but did he really need a few bucks?

Xu Shijia’s expression darkened: “Are you treating me like a younger brother?”

He was about to make a sarcastic remark when Wang Tie Niu excitedly patted his shoulder—

“You noticed, huh!” Wang Tie Niu said with excitement. “I thought about it, and you can call me Brother Tie Niu. Even though I’m younger than you, I do look older, and I need to live up to that title. From now on, in my heart, you’re like my brother; feel free to ask me anything you don’t understand.”

“…”

Xu Shijia was at a loss for words, but he realized he couldn’t completely distance himself from the group; otherwise, he wouldn’t get the inside gossip and news.

He thought for a moment: “In the future, if Lin Shu has any updates or news, make sure to share it with me right away.”

Xu Shijia cleared his throat and added, “After all, Lin Shu is our boss; it’ll help me arrange my own matters if I know her whereabouts.”

“Of course!” Wang Tie Niu agreed eagerly. “I understand!”

He was so enthusiastic: “I’ll create a group chat!”

Wang Tie Niu acted quickly. Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Shijia found himself added to a group chat. After creating the group, Wang Tie Niu quickly tagged Liu Xuhui—

“Brother Hui, you’re the most experienced and skilled among us; could you give our group a fitting name?”

Liu Xuhui did not disappoint; a minute later, Xu Shijia discovered the group had been aptly named—

“Tiandao Nursing Home.”

Xu Shijia: “…”

In the nursing home, Wang Tie Niu remained spirited: “Xu Shijia, we’re all friends now! In the future, not only will I share news about Lin Shu, but also insights on life, case-sharing, group-buying information—everything I’ll share with you without reservation!”

Wang Tie Niu said so and did so. Immediately after, he sent several motivational quotes—

“If you put in a little more effort than others, you’ll achieve more; if you have a little more ambition than others, you’ll succeed more; if you persevere a little more than others, you’ll win; if you’re a bit more dedicated than others, you’ll create miracles!”

“Keep going, Xu Shijia! A true strong person is not one who cries, but one who runs with tears!”

…

Although Xu Shijia didn’t understand why he had to run with tears, Tie Niu probably thought he wasn’t crying enough.

Moments later, he tagged Xu Shijia again, sending a few short videos and skits—

“These are some I watched recently that I thought were great, and I’m sharing them with you! After watching, I believe you’ll be so inspired you’ll be moved to tears!”

Xu Shijia opened the titles—

“After My Family Went Bankrupt, I Became the Strongest Son-in-Law”

“The Rich Man’s Comeback—The Rise of the Working Emperor”

“The Return of the Poor Man, Dragon King”

…

One minute after becoming friends with Wang Tie Niu, Xu Shijia deeply regretted it.

He should just distance himself from the crowd.

**

Lin Shu successfully secured the JinYan contract and smoothly reassured Wang Tie Niu, who hadn’t yet obtained any client sources, before finally relaxing and taking a sip of her coffee.

Just as she was about to organize her work for the day, Xu Shijia knocked on the door and entered, informing her that JinYan was urging the scholarship to be finalized.

“The lawyer fees from JinYan have been received, and now they’re pressing us on when we’ll arrange the scholarship,” Xu Shijia said, pulling out the contract. “The contract amount is 500,000. At 10%, we need to contribute 50,000, so how are we going to come up with this 50,000?”

“Fifty thousand counts as our team’s revenue. I checked with the finance department, and it’s impossible to refund the client directly from the revenue. This commitment has to be borne by an individual,” Xu Shijia glanced at Lin Shu. “So, are you going to cover this 50,000?”

He then glanced at Lin Shu again: “So do you need me to…”

Lin Shu interrupted him: “We don’t need to contribute a single cent.”

She looked at Xu Shijia, tapping her fingers lightly on the table: “Xu Shijia, for employees to spend their own money on work is just like a woman spending money on a man—completely not worth it.”

Xu Shijia was taken aback: “So you plan to just not pay this 50,000 at all?”

But such a breach of promise would not only be dishonest, but also provoke someone like Jin Yan’s Li Dewen, who would not let it slide easily.

Xu Shijia understood this, and Lin Shu certainly did too.

“Of course we’ll pay, but the cost should come from Li Dewen himself.” Lin Shu had already thought this through. “Since this money is for the scholarship, it naturally should be tied to some training or educational program. Only after a successful assessment can they be eligible to receive it, right?”

“So, you need to contact Li Dewen and tell him that we can provide the scholarship, but the prerequisite is that he needs to plan a training course for the employees. After all, since it’s a scholarship provided by Tianhao Law Firm, it’s quite reasonable for the training content to be legal in nature, and the subsequent assessments will be conducted by us, ensuring that the recipients of the scholarship are determined fairly, rather than having them choose internally, which would be more subjective.”

“Then send him the categories of legal training we can offer, let him choose, and increase the related quotes by 50,000. Once he selects the training category, let him know that due to the complexities of financial operations, if they pay the training fee first and we pay the scholarship later, they would incur additional tax losses, which is not worth it. So, we can directly deduct the 50,000 from the training quote and treat it as payment for the scholarship. They just need to pay us the discounted amount of 50,000, and the deducted 50,000 can be listed internally by them as the scholarship.”

Lin Shu smiled gently: “This way, we not only don’t have to pay the 50,000, but we also make some money from the legal training fees, thus increasing our revenue.”

“…”

“Remember, being lenient to clients is being cruel to yourself.” Lin Shu ignored the shock on Xu Shijia’s face and continued to educate him. “Sometimes, being a lawyer and being in sales have similar principles, like convincing him that he’s getting a good deal. Raise the original price, then create a big promotion, and establish a sense of scarcity, making him feel that if he doesn’t buy the legal training, he’s losing out on that 50,000.”

On this point, Lin Shu had nearly a cunning experience: “And securing this training is beneficial for us. Frequently appearing at Jin Yan will make it easier for their employees and contracted streamers to recognize and trust us. When people seek legal advice, they tend to prefer familiar and trustworthy lawyers rather than so-called top-tier lawyers.”

…

Lin Shu knew her theory was correct, but she didn’t expect it would be validated so quickly.

Before Xu Shijia could leave her office, she received a call from an unfamiliar number.

The other party generously introduced themselves—

“Hello, Lawyer Lin. I’m the contracted streamer from Jin Yan Media, ‘A House, Two People, Three Meals, Four Seasons.’ I’m currently facing a legal issue. Could we meet?”

How could she pass up a case that had come knocking?

Lin Shu immediately confirmed a meeting time with them: “I have some other clients in the afternoon and will be a bit busy, but I have a free slot at three o’clock.”

After hanging up, Xu Shijia was indeed taken aback: “We have other clients this afternoon?”

Lin Shu actually hoped there were.

But this worthless team hadn’t left behind any good business, so Lin Shu had to start from scratch to generate revenue.

“Of course, we don’t have any,” Lin Shu rubbed her temples, “but if you tell clients you’re available at any time in the afternoon, it makes you seem too free, as if you have no business. It gives the impression that you’re not in demand, which could lead clients to question your professional abilities. Additionally, we need enough time to conduct preliminary client research.”

She turned to Xu Shijia: “Check on the status of the ‘A House, Two People, Three Meals, Four Seasons’ account and report back to me.”

Fortunately, even though Xu Shijia had no insight into workplace dynamics, his work capabilities were decent.

Before long, he entered Lin Shu’s office with the information.

The “A House, Two People, Three Meals, Four Seasons” account had amassed millions of followers across multiple platforms, making it one of the absolute top internet celebrities. The account typically shared daily life and cooking videos, focusing on home-style dishes that looked warm and inviting, without any ostentation or excessive editing. Each video was narrated in a friendly tone, creating a strong sense of intimacy.

After briefly explaining, Xu Shijia pulled out his phone: “You can take a look at the past videos from this account.”

Lin Shu opened the videos and found a gentle and pretty girl on screen, whose voice was equally soft as she explained the reasons for the dish: “Because Brother Peng has been a bit anemic after his recent health check, today we’re making stir-fried pig liver with green peppers…”

Lin Shu was somewhat surprised: “A woman?”

But the person who had just called her was clearly a man.

“This account is a couple’s joint account. The girl is named Zheng Xiaoxiao, and her boyfriend is Zhong Peng. Zhong Peng was diagnosed with cancer before, so Zheng Xiaoxiao started this account to document their journey fighting cancer. She has been caring for Zhong Peng and cooking for him. The account’s name reflects Zheng Xiaoxiao’s hope for them to live a simple life, just the two of them sharing meals through the seasons.”

“Zhong Peng comes from a poor family; his parents divorced when he was young, and various reasons led him to only complete a college diploma. However, Zheng Xiaoxiao is a typical rich beauty, having studied abroad for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees, and returned to the country afterward. The two of them were classmates in elementary and high school, each other’s first loves—essentially childhood sweethearts. Even though Zheng Xiaoxiao’s parents opposed their relationship, they managed to stay together through thick and thin.”

Lin Shu suddenly realized that the person who had just called her was likely Zhong Peng.

Xu Shijia added, “Because the couple has a very strong relationship and their daily life is quite sweet, Zheng Xiaoxiao knows how to find material, and the quality of their videos is very high. Plus, her unwavering support for Zhong Peng has garnered them a lot of attention. Now, their account has millions of followers across various platforms, and they can casually charge hundreds of thousands for an advertisement. They even tried live-stream selling before, and the results were outstanding.”

“So there are legal disputes related to live-streaming sales or business matters?”

This was quite common.

Lin Shu glanced at the materials Xu Shijia had gathered, somewhat surprised: “Zhong Peng even wrote a book and gave speeches?”

“Yes. Zhong Peng was diagnosed with colon cancer, but fortunately, after surgery and chemotherapy, there was no recurrence, so he has essentially recovered. Once Zheng Xiaoxiao’s account gained traction, he also stepped into the spotlight, using his experiences to inspire other patients. Now he’s somewhat like a motivational blogger, and he has even given talks at several universities.”

Xu Shijia added: “Now there’s a large group of female fans, and the momentum is even stronger than when Zheng Xiaoxiao first started. Just take a look.”

Lin Shu flipped through the comments and indeed found several that had received a lot of likes, urging Zhong Peng to appear more:

“Where’s Brother Peng? It’s been a while since he showed up.”

“I miss Brother Peng!”

…

Lin Shu continued to scroll and finally found a few videos featuring Zhong Peng.

After seeing Zhong Peng’s face, Lin Shu began to understand why he had attracted so many female fans later on.

“He’s actually quite handsome.”

Her offhand remark caught Xu Shijia’s attention. He grabbed his phone to take a look, practically sneering: “You call this handsome?”

Xu Shijia wore a serious expression: “Not really.”

He scoffed, “The threshold for being an internet celebrity is really low. I’d definitely be more popular than him.”

To be fair, in comparison to Xu Shijia, Zhong Peng didn’t really hold up, but Lin Shu found Xu Shijia’s proud tone quite irritating.

She held back for a moment but couldn’t resist: “Then why don’t you just change careers? Being an internet celebrity makes money much faster than being a lawyer.”

“No way,” Xu Shijia rejected outright. “I don’t like being in the spotlight, and having too many fans would disrupt my life.”

“…”

Lin Shu felt Xu Shijia was overthinking it a bit, but she didn’t say anything because she noticed that Zhong Peng had quite a few male fans as well in the videos.

Xu Shijia seemed to have realized this too, sighing: “He really is impressive. Not only does he cater to female fans, but he has male fans as well. If I went into this line of work, I wouldn’t have any male fans.”

Lin Shu was taken aback: “What do you mean?”

Xu Shijia pouted: “He graduated from a junior college, comes from a poor background, has nothing, and had cancer. Now he has overcome his illness, succeeded in the media industry, made money, published a book, and become a celebrity, all while having a beautiful, wealthy girlfriend like Zheng Xiaoxiao who stands by him. He’s the epitome of a comeback story, which is exactly the kind of persona that underprivileged men admire.”

“As for me, I’m doing well in every aspect. Sharing my life will only invite jealousy from other men.” He seemed to have experienced something and spoke with lingering fear: “You have no idea how ugly jealous men can be.”

“…”

Xu Shijia lamented: “So I can’t be an internet celebrity.”

“It’s fine if you can’t be an internet celebrity; you can be a lawyer.”

Xu Shijia’s information retrieval skills were commendable. In a short time, he had thoroughly sorted out the account’s history.

Lin Shu felt he deserved some praise: “Information retrieval and analysis are crucial skills for lawyers. You have a lot of potential in our field, not to mention that being a lawyer is not just a young person’s game.”

“A lot of internet celebrities will be replaced by younger, prettier ones as they age or become less attractive; but a lawyer won’t face that. Even if a lawyer ages or looks unattractive, their qualifications remain, and they actually become more sought after as they gain experience. If you do well in our field, you’ll never be unemployed…”

Lin Shu genuinely wanted to compliment Xu Shijia, but before she could finish, Xu Shijia interrupted her.

With a serious expression, he said, “I might grow old, but I definitely won’t become ugly.”

“…”

You might not even grow old; I think you might get beaten to death for being insufferable before that happens.