Chapter 22

This was too much information for Lin Shu to process, and she stood there, stunned.

“Wait, are you saying… Bai Feng’s wife is Liu Xuhui’s ex-wife?”

“Yes,” Xu Shijia nodded. “Even though I didn’t work much before, I’m still up to date on the gossip around the office.”

“But Bai Feng and his wife’s long-term love story is supposed to be a great romance, right?”

“History is written by the victors. Does Liu Xuhui have the resources and influence to clear his name or to expose Bai Feng for being the third party, or his ex-wife for cheating while they were still married? Liu Xuhui wanted to speak up, to tell the truth, but who would listen to him?”

Xu Shijia lowered his voice. “You told Bai Feng that someone from our team is Liu Xuhui, right? Of course, Bai Feng is interested. He’s itching for a chance to humiliate Liu Xuhui in every possible way.”

“The three of them were classmates in the same cohort at Rongda Law School. Back then, Liu Xuhui was this brilliant scholar, a charismatic top student. He wasn’t just a bookworm; he was well-liked, a campus star. He was in the promotional videos for several years of Rongda’s law school, and he gave the speech as the honor graduate at the commencement ceremony. He was reliable, and even before graduating, Tianhao Law Firm had offered him a high-paying job. His ex-wife was the campus beauty, and they started dating in their first year of university. They were together for four years, and got married right after graduation.”

“As for Bai Feng, he was a total slacker back then. His grades were terrible, and he didn’t even get into Rongda Law on merit—his father paid to get him in. He was known for being sleazy and learned all those underhanded tricks early on. He even bribed people ahead of time to win the student council election. His character was… let’s just say questionable. He chased after Liu Xuhui’s ex-wife for a long time, but she never gave him the time of day.”

Seeing that Lin Shu might be skeptical, Xu Shijia glanced at her and added, “I wasn’t in their class, but I went to the same school and department. I’m not completely clueless about what happened. This is a well-known secret at our law school. I’m not making it up.”

“Then how did things end up like this…?”

The story should have ended with Liu Xuhui and his wife living happily together, not… this.

“How did it happen? It all started when Liu Xuhui’s daughter was born.”

Xu Shijia pursed his lips. “The prenatal checkups were all fine, but after she was born, they discovered she was congenitally deaf and mute.”

Something like this?

“I didn’t want to tell you at first, since he doesn’t like people bringing up his daughter’s disability, but I was worried you’d be used as a pawn. If you had unwittingly passed Bai Feng’s business to Liu Xuhui, that would’ve been such an insult to him.”

Lin Shu had never known any of this before.

Now that things had gone this far, Xu Shijia didn’t hold back anymore. “Back when Liu Xuhui worked at Tianhao, he was being groomed as the successor by the senior partner who has since retired. He was very hardworking, highly capable, and full of ambition. If it weren’t for his daughter, he’d be leading our team today.”

So what happened…?

Perhaps sensing Lin Shu’s unspoken question, Xu Shijia shrugged and explained, “Liu Xuhui quickly accepted the fact that his daughter was born deaf and mute, but her mother couldn’t handle it. Especially since the child needed special treatments, long-term speech therapy, rehabilitation, and learning sign language. All of this required a tremendous amount of money and effort.”

“Many couples can share joy, but not hardship. Sometimes, having an unhealthy child is enough to destroy a family.”

“Liu Xuhui’s ex-wife had always lived a smooth, privileged life, admired and pampered by everyone. She had never faced a real setback, so when her own child was born disabled, she couldn’t accept it. Add to that the sacrifices needed to raise a deaf child, the costs involved, and the fact that Liu Xuhui’s parents were simple, honest farmers from outside Rong City, unable to offer any help. The couple began to argue more, and a rift grew between them.”

Lin Shu could guess the rest of the story without Xu Shijia needing to say more. “So that’s when Bai Feng, already successful in his career, swooped in under the pretense of comforting an old classmate. He grew close to Liu Xuhui’s wife, and over time, they had an affair. Eventually, Liu Xuhui’s wife became his ex-wife and then Bai Feng’s current wife?”

Xu Shijia lazily nodded. “As unoriginal as it sounds, yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

The seemingly perfect marriage between Bai Feng and his wife now had an entirely different context. Their “fairytale” romance was built on the ruins of a broken family.

Whether it was due to the stresses of everyday life or the overwhelming burden of raising a disabled child, Liu Xuhui’s ex-wife ultimately chose to engage in a disgraceful affair while still married. She abandoned her husband and child, burying that chapter of her life as a mistake she needed to erase.

How must Liu Xuhui feel about this?

How must the child she left behind feel?

A deaf child is only deaf, not ignorant of everything.

At that moment, whatever good impression Lin Shu had of Bai Feng and his wife completely vanished.

She suddenly understood why Liu Xuhui, once an ambitious and talented young man, had turned into a middle-aged man who no longer cared about his career prospects and was just coasting through life.

Life often delivers one blow after another, but not everyone has the courage or the opportunities to keep rising again, like the protagonists in TV dramas.

Xu Shijia’s tone was flat. “This society isn’t just full of people who are shallow and opportunistic—schools can be that way, too. Back when Liu Xuhui was thriving, he was Rongda Law School’s poster child. The school invited him to all their events. But now, years have passed, and Liu Xuhui has faded into obscurity, while Bai Feng, with his slick ways and questionable tactics, has packaged himself as an entrepreneur. Now, the alumni association is clinging to Bai Feng’s coattails, inviting him to represent the school at every event as a ‘notable alumnus.’”

The definition of success, whether on campus or in society, revolves around conventional achievements, but the criteria are completely different. On campus, people still value fairness and scorn those who break the rules. But once you step into society, the “real world” creeps in, and most people adopt a mindset of “mock the poor, not the immoral.”

…

If Lin Shu hadn’t known the whole backstory, she might have mistakenly assigned Bai Feng’s business to Liu Xuhui in a well-meaning but disastrous move.

“So is that why you have such disdain for this charity gala and the organizers?” Lin Shu glanced at Xu Shijia. “You’re more righteous than you let on. Next time, explain earlier to avoid misunderstandings.”

Xu Shijia averted his gaze awkwardly, pretending to be indifferent. “It’s just because Bai Feng is ugly. Him standing there offends my aesthetic sensibilities, and this whole charity gala is as bad as his looks.”

“Besides, why should I explain myself to prevent your misunderstanding? Do I look like someone who’s worried about what others think?”

Then, with a glance at Lin Shu, he added irritably, “And if you’re always misunderstanding people, maybe it’s because you lack kindness and see things through a biased lens. You should reflect on that.”

“…” Lin Shu regretted being nice to Xu Shijia.

But now that she knew the truth behind Bai Feng and his wife’s seemingly perfect love story, she couldn’t look at them the same way.

What puzzled Lin Shu even more was—

“If Liu Xuhui’s ex-wife abandoned her deaf daughter to be with Bai Feng, and they now have a healthy son, why did they decide to adopt a deaf child?”

“Compensatory psychology.”

Xu Shijia shrugged. “She probably feels ashamed for abandoning her deaf daughter. She knows it was awful, but she doesn’t want to face it. She’s never visited her daughter, yet she craves praise and recognition. So, instead of reconciling with her own child, she adopts an unrelated deaf child, pretends to be a kind and charitable mother, donates to organizations that support deaf children, and uses it to comfort herself. It’s her way of convincing herself she’s done her duty as a mother and masking her guilt and insecurity.”

“And if the past ever gets dug up, she can spin it as a tragic story of a failed marriage where she was ‘forced’ to abandon her deaf daughter, living in sorrow every day. She can play the part of a mother who now ‘redeems’ herself by adopting and donating to deaf children.”

Xu Shijia snorted coldly, “She’s just preparing for the worst, afraid that her ex-husband will come back to bother her once she’s doing well. She’s even thought ahead about her defense. But unfortunately, she judges others by her own standards. Not everyone abandons their responsibilities and chooses the easy way out. Liu Xuhui has never sought her out, nor has he ever played the victim with this situation.”

Lin Shu turned her gaze towards Bai Feng’s wife, who was elegantly conversing with another wealthy woman. Time had been kind to her, leaving no visible traces on her face.

Xu Shijia was right.

Did she really feel ashamed deep down?

Probably not.

Because if she had the chance to choose again, she would still take the same path.

Bearing responsibility and moving forward is much harder than it seems; escaping is always easier and less burdensome.

“And adopting a deaf child, being ‘good’ to him, is all just for show,” Xu Shijia’s voice turned cold. “I walked away earlier because I saw Bai Fan head to the bathroom, so I followed him and tried something. Turns out the kid doesn’t understand lip reading at all, and this couple, who claim to care so deeply for deaf children, haven’t even learned sign language. They didn’t even hire a sign language interpreter for him.”

No wonder earlier, when Bai Feng spoke to Bai Fan, asking him to bring out the first auction item, Bai Fan paused in confusion.

He had no idea what Bai Feng was saying.

Clearly, their venture into the hearing aid chip market wasn’t about helping adopted deaf children but simply because there was a lucrative business opportunity.

…

Once you know the ugly truth, no matter how polished the exterior, it only becomes more off-putting.

Lin Shu had completely lost interest in the charity gala. After exchanging business cards with a few potential clients and making some brief social rounds, she decided to leave.

At this hour, it was too late to go back to the law firm. “I’ll take the subway home. You can head back on your own.”

“Alright.”

Xu Shijia readily agreed to Lin Shu’s suggestion. With one hand in his pocket, he stood there lazily. The city’s neon lights cast a soft glow around him, and his dark suit accentuated his tall figure. His long legs and aristocratic demeanor were striking—like a classic wealthy heir.

Lin Shu watched as he took out his phone and opened a ride-hailing app, clearly intending to call a car.

But moments later, his previously relaxed expression changed.

She saw him frown, looking incredulous, before exiting the app and opening his mobile banking app.

He stared at his balance, his expression growing more bewildered.

While Lin Shu couldn’t see the exact amount from her angle, it was clear from his reaction that it was a three-digit figure.

Is that all the money he has left?

Xu Shijia’s financial habits and savings were even worse than Lin Shu had imagined.

He sure knew how to spend!

Despite only having that much left, he’d still been sipping expensive coffee in the morning, enjoying a lavish private chef lunch, and now, he was trying to call a car for the night.

But it was evident that Xu Shijia had come to a rude awakening.

He didn’t look pleased. “Don’t ride-hailing apps usually let you pay after the ride? Why does it ask me to preload money into the account before I can place an order? Can’t I just pay when I arrive?”

This guy really had no idea how ordinary life worked. He must have come down to earth to “experience life.”

“If the destination is far, sometimes they require prepayment to prevent fare evasion,” Lin Shu explained flatly. “I thought that was common knowledge.”

Xu Shijia loosened his tie, trying to cover his embarrassment, and assumed an aloof posture. “Oh, I used to have a driver.”

He added, “I’m okay with taking a private car for short distances, but for longer ones, I have stricter safety requirements. I feel safer with the family driver.”

“So why are you calling a car now?”

“It’s not a bad idea to occasionally experience life like you ordinary people.”

Ha, still putting on an act.

Lin Shu smiled at him.

Xu Shijia looked away awkwardly, glancing at the street, before turning back to Lin Shu with forced nonchalance. “By the way, can you teach me how to take the subway?”

He tried to sound confident, but his voice faltered, betraying his unease. “I mainly need help figuring out which line to take and where to get off.”

“Weren’t you planning to take a private car?” Lin Shu asked, feigning ignorance. “Is the subway good enough for you? It’s rush hour now, and the trains are packed. Doesn’t really suit your status and style, does it?”

“And your apartment is pretty far from here. You’ll need to change lines several times, and it’ll take at least an hour. For people like you, isn’t time money?”

“You go to such lengths to save time—like getting expensive coffee delivered in the morning. How could you waste time on the subway? You’ve got so much potential. With the time you’d save, you could definitely become a junior partner in five years. No way you should waste your life on the subway.”

But at this moment, faced with Lin Shu’s “praise,” Xu Shijia couldn’t muster a smile.

His expression grew increasingly awkward.

Lin Shu watched as he forced a smile and tried to appear nonchalant. “To be a good lawyer, you need to stay grounded. After all, clients come from all walks of life. If you don’t experience ordinary life, you’ll have trouble relating to clients, and communication will suffer. Since you think so highly of me, I guess I’ll make the effort.”

Despite having only a three-digit balance, Xu Shijia couldn’t shake his habits. After finishing, he straightened his clothes, returning to his typical wealthy heir persona. “And since you mentioned rush hour, it must be pretty crowded, right? I’ll accompany you. I can help you get a seat—after all, my legs are longer, so I’ll get on the train faster.”

After saying this, he looked at Lin Shu with a smug expression, as if to say, “You’re lucky to have me with you.” He even deliberately shifted his legs to emphasize their length.

Clearly, he was quite proud of his legs. Noticing Lin Shu’s gaze lingering on them, Xu Shijia smiled.

“Nice, right?” He flashed a grin at Lin Shu, glancing down at his own legs. “I’ve been admiring them for years, and I still can’t help but be amazed. The people riding the subway with me today are in for a treat.”

“…”

Lin Shu had originally planned to lend Xu Shijia some money for a taxi to send him on his way, but now she changed her mind.

He needed to take the subway and get a reality check.