Shen Chuo didn’t eat much, nor did he inform Zhang Ruimin before leaving. Instead, he went straight back to his office on this floor.

A student came to report on the progress of their research, but Shen Chuo listened absentmindedly. He gave some random guidance and dismissed the person, then drank half a bottle of mineral water to calm his racing heart.

“I’m Pei Tingyue, Qide’s legal advisor.”

When the man introduced himself, he didn’t mention the incident from three months ago, but as soon as he spoke, Shen Chuo confirmed that he was the other half on the marriage certificate he had just received.

Shen Chuo pretended to be clueless, knowing his acting skills were poor. So, he made an excuse and fled.

One-night stands might not mean much to others, but Shen Chuo instinctively felt it was troublesome. He didn’t want people to know, especially in their kind of workplace, where homosexuality was particularly taboo.

So he regretted it, deeply regretted it. He wished he could go back in time and slap his past self three months ago.

In the afternoon, Zhang Ruimin came again and asked Shen Chuo if he felt pressured. “I didn’t tell you in the morning because the dean finally approved it today. You don’t need to worry. Although the project is now under your responsibility, I will oversee it overall. What we will do in cooperation with Qide aligns with your current research direction. With the resources of such a big company, as long as we can deliver, we can quickly achieve results. Just focus on your work.”

“I understand, thank you, teacher.” Shen Chuo sincerely expressed his gratitude. This opportunity was rare, and Zhang Ruimin’s trust in him was not easy to come by.

“You know what to do,” Zhang Ruimin saw that Shen Chuo had packed up his things, and casually asked, “Leaving so early today?”

“I have an appointment in the afternoon to sign a contract with the agent and seller for the house I’ve been eyeing. I plan to finalize it.” Shen Chuo said.

“That’s good. It’s good to act early,” Zhang Ruimin was genuinely happy for him, “You go ahead. Also, help me bring something to Zhang Tong.”

“Sure.”

At three thirty, Shen Chuo left the school and took the subway to the downtown area.

The house he had his eyes on was three kilometers away from the school, in an old community with a good environment and complete supporting facilities. It was the most suitable small-sized unit he had found, with a down payment of seven hundred thousand, just enough for his savings over the years.

The agency was located in a bustling area of the city. After signing the contract with the seller, Shen Chuo paid the down payment on the spot and agreed to complete the subsequent procedures within a month. Finally relieved, he finally had his own place in this city.

Afterward, he called Zhang Tong and said he had something for her. She suggested he come directly to the law firm: “I won’t finish work this early. Wait for me to finish, and I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

So Shen Chuo took the subway again.

Zhang Tong was Zhang Ruimin’s only daughter. She had just graduated from the law school of Huai University and was now working as a legal assistant at a large law firm in the city while preparing for the bar exam.

By the time Shen Chuo arrived at the designated place using navigation, it was almost five thirty. Zhang Tong’s workplace was located in a park, and the location was a bit tricky to find.

There were three buildings in the park: A, B, and C. After asking the security guard, Shen Chuo went straight in. As he approached, he heard a commotion. Passing through the dense shrubs, he saw a crowd gathered around a six-story building, making a racket like a marketplace.

Shen Chuo was somewhat surprised. Following the crowd’s gaze upward, he was stunned—

Standing on the edge of the rooftop terrace was a middle-aged man who appeared anxious. He paced back and forth, occasionally making dangerous movements, clearly contemplating jumping off the building!

“Isn’t that the guy who comes to harass Lawyer Pei every few days? How did he get to the rooftop?”

“What grudges and grievances could there be to make someone want to commit suicide like this…”

“It seems he has a contract dispute with Lawyer Pei’s small company. He won in the first trial, but after Lawyer Pei took over in the second trial, he lost again. Moreover, he was counter-sued by Qide Technology. He didn’t receive the contract payment and now has to compensate Qide Technology. After the company went bankrupt, I heard his wife took the child and ran away. So now he comes to harass Lawyer Pei every day.”

“But don’t say it loud. If your mentor hears it, he’ll scold you for being unprofessional. Whether it’s a pit or not, this is called freedom in law.”

Shen Chuo frowned, and someone patted him on the shoulder from behind: “Senior brother!”

It was Zhang Tong. Both of them graduated from Huai University, although not in the same major. Calling him “senior brother” wasn’t entirely wrong.

Shen Chuo turned around, and Zhang Tong asked him with a smile, “Are you here to watch the excitement too?”

“Is this excitement? Someone might die,” Shen Chuo said, “They mentioned ‘Lawyer Pei.’ Is that Pei Tingyue?”

“You know Lawyer Pei? Oh right, Qide Technology seems to have cooperation with your school. He is Qide’s legal advisor.”

Shen Chuo fell silent. At noon in the office, he had searched for information about Pei Tingyue. He knew that he was a famous commercial lawyer in this Jinling firm, so it wasn’t hard to make the connection.

Initially, Shen Chuo was reluctant to come to the law firm at Zhang Tong’s request. But then he thought that Lawyer Pei was probably very busy, so he might not even meet him. That’s why he came, and unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, he witnessed the “excitement.”

Zhang Tong wanted to say something more, but a car drove in and parked in the nearby parking space, a pricey Mercedes.

Someone whispered, “Lawyer Pei’s car.”

Pei Tingyue and his assistant got out of the car, and the surrounding chatter suddenly stopped.

Shen Chuo couldn’t help but glance at him. Pei Tingyue was tall and well-built, with deep facial features. The curve from his brow bone to his nose was particularly smooth and superior. He looked really good.

Because of the hot weather, he had unbuttoned one button of his gray shirt and didn’t wear a tie. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a tan forearm. Compared to the other neatly dressed elite lawyers, he seemed a bit more rebellious, but also not to be messed with.

The head of security went over to brief Pei Tingyue on the current situation. The man who was about to jump insisted on seeing him, threatening to jump from the Jinling building if he didn’t show up, intending to make their firm completely notorious.

Pei Tingyue listened patiently for a moment, then lifted his eyelids: “Has the police been called?”

The head of security quickly replied, “Yes, they have. The police and firefighters should be here soon.”

“That’s good.”

Pei Tingyue was about to leave, not even bothering to look up.

An intern couldn’t help but pluck up the courage and said, “Mr. Pei, aren’t you going to take a look? He seems particularly agitated…”

Pei Tingyue’s gaze shifted: “I’ve already looked. If he really jumps, will you take responsibility for me? Help me handle it?”

The intern lowered their head.

“If you want to be a good Samaritan, go persuade him. If you can convince him not to jump, I’ll apply to the director to give you a medal for bravery.”

The intern shook his head instinctively: “No, no, I won’t.”

Pei Tingyue ignored him and took a few steps. Suddenly, he turned his gaze in Shen Chuo’s direction. Shen Chuo immediately lowered his head, pretending to look at his phone.

Half a minute later, when he looked up again, the man had already entered the neighboring building.

Zhang Tong sighed softly, “Pei Tingyue is truly unshakeable.”

Shen Chuo thought to himself, clearly, he’s just cold-hearted.

At six o’clock, Zhang Tong finished work and took Shen Chuo to a grilled fish restaurant opposite the park.

“It’s fortunate that no one died,” Zhang Tong said, eating with lingering fear, “Otherwise, my dad would find an excuse to lecture me and forbid me from being a lawyer.”

Shen Chuo wanted to laugh. He handed over the things Zhang Ruimin had brought: “Teacher said these are snacks you like. He’s really thoughtful. When you have time, go home and visit him.”

Zhang Tong pushed the things aside: “I’ll wait until after I finish the exam.”

Zhang Ruimin wanted her to stay at the university after pursuing further studies, but she was determined to become a lawyer. Both father and daughter were stubborn, and neither could convince the other. After Zhang Tong started working, she moved out and rented a place nearby to live alone. She hardly got along with her father, so Shen Chuo, who had a good relationship with her, often acted as a messenger between them.

“Do you really want to be a lawyer?” Shen Chuo asked her. “Aren’t you afraid of getting involved in dangerous situations? It seems quite risky.”

“If someone hates you so much, it’s also a kind of recognition of your abilities. Besides, not everyone acts as ruthlessly as Lawyer Pei,” Zhang Tong gossiped. “You don’t know, that guy has been coming to our firm to harass him for almost two months now. Usually, most people would meet and appease the other party. But not Lawyer Pei, he doesn’t even spare him a glance, and just tells the security guards to kick him out every time.”

“I can tell,” Shen Chuo said.

Being indifferent and unaffected even when threatened with suicide, it was clear that he wasn’t an ordinary person.

“Pei Tingyue is indeed different from others. He’s quite capable. He’s already a senior partner in our firm at such a young age. But he’s quite something, infamous for being cold and ruthless, prioritizing interests, weak in morality, and only empathizing with money. He specializes in helping wealthy people in lawsuits,” Zhang Tong said excitedly. “He doesn’t just handle civil and commercial litigation; he also handles criminal defense in the field of corporate crime. In that high-profile organized crime case in Huaicheng last year, he was the defense lawyer for the second defendant. He managed to dismiss two of the three charges brought by the prosecution. Originally facing a recommended sentence of twenty-one years, the final verdict was just three years. I don’t know how much his legal fees were for that case, but it’s definitely not less than eight figures.”

Shen Chuo listened with a furrowed brow. “Are you criticizing him or praising his actions?”

“Of course, I admire him,” Zhang Tong said casually. “I heard that when he first started out, he dared to challenge well-known senior lawyers in court, didn’t apply for a postponement when others ambushed him with evidence, reviewed new evidence on the spot, found loopholes one by one, and grilled the opposing side, leaving them speechless.You might call him a ‘litigation thug,’ but you need real skills to be one.”

“It’s a pity I didn’t interview for his team at the time. I really wanted to work with him.”

“You’d better not ,” Shen Chuo reminded her. “If your father finds out, he’ll tie you up and bring you home. It’s best not to mention that you admire such a person in front of your dad.”

“I won’t mention it. Speaking of my dad, did he introduce another blind date to you? Are you really not going to tell him you like men?”

Shen Chuo: “Let’s talk about it later. I’m afraid the teacher won’t accept it.”

Zhang Tong was the only person who knew about his sexual orientation. She had pursued him relentlessly a couple of years ago, but he had to confess that he liked men. Since then, Zhang Tong had treated him as a “sister.”

“Although our firm has many talented men, most of them are hypocritical. Actually, it’s better if they openly show their ‘I’m cold-hearted and ruthless’ attitude like Pei Tingyue. Otherwise, who knows what they’re like behind closed doors? Otherwise, I could introduce you to a few…”

“You worry about yourself,” Shen Chuo interrupted her nonsense.

As they were finishing up their grilled fish, Shen Chuo received a text message from an unknown number on his phone.

【After you finish eating, come out and meet me.】

Shen Chuo was puzzled, thinking it might be some new type of scam, so he hesitated before replying: 【Who are you?】

A new message popped up on the screen.

【Your husband.】