Chapter 56

Xu Shijia’s head was throbbing, and it felt as though he had just woken up from a long sleep, having had a complex and absurd dream.

In the dream, sometimes Lin Shu’s smiling face appeared, then her angry eyes staring at him, and then her resentful expression, all tangled in a long and confusing plot.

He sat up, only to realize that he wasn’t in his apartment, but at his family’s villa.

Xu Shijia’s head still felt a bit foggy.

He deeply regretted impulsively drinking last night.

But he had been marginalized by Lin Shu, feeling her avoidance, which made him feel both wronged and unwilling to accept it. She even seemed to be getting to know other men, smiling at them, while only giving him a cold shoulder. Xu Shijia found it hard not to be impulsive in such a situation.

Xu Shijia went downstairs and saw his older brother, Wang Yizhou, drinking coffee at the dining table.

“Bro, did you drive me home last night?”

“No, it was Pan Yu who brought you back. Lin Shu told him you were drunk and in the small garden.” Wang Yizhou glanced at Xu Shijia. “Next time, be careful. Don’t drink in front of your boss. You know how you act when you’ve been drinking. Always losing your composure in front of superiors can affect their impression of you and won’t do your career any favors.”

“Pan Yu?”

The name seemed to be a key, precisely fitting into the lock of Xu Shijia’s foggy memory.

Fragments of last night’s events flooded back into his mind.

Was it a dream, or…?

Xu Shijia’s face fell, and a bad premonition formed in his heart. “Bro, my clothes from yesterday…”

“Oh, the housekeeper took them to the dry cleaners. What did you do? When Pan Yu found you, you were sitting in a dirty pond, and your suit was thrown to the side. Wasn’t that your favorite limited-edition haute couture suit?”

Wang Yizhou’s words wiped out the last bit of hope Xu Shijia had left.

What had he done?

Xu Shijia nearly wanted to pull his hair out and lift himself off the ground.

“I need to get to the office quickly.”

Ignoring Wang Yizhou’s advice, “There’s still some time before work starts. Have breakfast first,” Xu Shijia quickly washed up, changed into a suit, and with a serious expression, pressed his lips together, heading straight for Tianhao’s office building.

He was eager to see Lin Shu and explain everything that had happened last night.

He had made such a mess.

Lin Shu had every right to hit him with her bag.

Xu Shijia rushed to the law firm, but Lin Shu wasn’t there yet. However, Tianhao’s senior partner, Chen Par, was already in the office.

Although Xu Shijia wasn’t very familiar with him, his father and older brother were involved in the legal consultancy business with Tianhao, so he nodded at Chen Par and greeted him.

Chen Par seemed surprised that Xu Shijia was there so early.

But quickly, he returned the greeting with a “Good morning” and then smiled: “Xu Shijia, since you’re here and not busy, could you come by my office for a bit? There are some work adjustments I need to discuss with you.”

…

When Lin Shu arrived at the office, she didn’t see Xu Shijia. Not having to face him immediately avoided a lot of awkwardness, and she let out a sigh of relief.

However, ten minutes later, Xu Shijia—whom she didn’t want to see—stormed into her office.

He didn’t even knock. Panting, looking upset, his eyes filled with disbelief, he asked:

“Lin Shu, you want to transfer me to another team? Why?!”

It had to happen eventually.

Lin Shu took the most composed stance and was already prepared with a polished reason:

“I’m leading a new team. I don’t have much experience and not enough cases to distribute. The other members of the team need the cases more than you. My energy is limited, and with more people, I can’t give them the attention they deserve. You have excellent qualifications. If you stay in my team long-term, I fear you’ll be underutilized. So, after discussing with Chen Par, I’ve decided to transfer you to his team. Besides, he’s in charge of Xinhao’s business anyway.”

Lin Shu wanted a peaceful resolution.

At this point, she had given Xu Shijia face. If he were even a little bit rational, he’d know that stepping down gracefully was the best choice for him right now.

But Xu Shijia seemed determined to make things difficult. His attitude was intense: “I don’t want to!” He glared at Lin Shu, his eyes filled with anger. “I want to stay in your team!”

“You don’t have any cases. I’ll bring them to you, but you object because I’ll be taking a cut from others. I don’t want any part of it.”

“Lin Shu, what did I do wrong? Why do you want to transfer me? Not long ago, you said I was your most valued subordinate. Why are you suddenly handing me over to someone else? Didn’t you say you would personally train me, guide me step by step?”

Lin Shu looked up and her gaze met Xu Shijia’s furious eyes. He glared at her like a wronged partner, full of hurt, rejection, and bitterness.

Lin Shu had been holding back her emotions, trying to handle the situation calmly and rationally. But Xu Shijia’s expression angered her.

How dare he be angry? How dare he feel unjust?

Did he forget what he had done?

Lin Shu’s anger flared: “Xu Shijia, do you really not know why I want you gone?”

Did he forget his overstep and insolence from last night?

With this, Xu Shijia didn’t show any guilt. Instead, he looked at Lin Shu and said, “Is it because of last night?”

So he remembered.

Lin Shu sneered: “I thought you were going to pretend to be clueless, to act like you had amnesia.”

“Since you remember, I won’t need to explain why I’m transferring you anymore.”

But to Lin Shu’s surprise, Xu Shijia didn’t calm down. Instead, he seemed resolute, as if he was ready to go all in:

“Lin Shu, I was wrong last night, I apologize.”

An apology wouldn’t work.

Lin Shu could already predict what Xu Shijia would say next—he’d probably claim he was drunk, had mistaken someone, and hoped Lin Shu would be magnanimous and pretend it never happened. He would likely try to use such words to brush aside his outrageous behavior from last night.

But Lin Shu had already prepared her counterarguments.

However, as she stood ready, Xu Shijia didn’t follow the script she expected.

He still stared at Lin Shu fiercely: “Lin Shu, I like you.”

Lin Shu froze.

Now it was her turn to stare at Xu Shijia.

This wasn’t the development she expected. Something had gone off track.

After confessing, Xu Shijia seemed to throw down his last card, his expression one of surrender and self-destruction:

“Yes, I like you. I like you so much that I overstepped, acted irrationally, and got furious when you avoided me.”

“I don’t want you to smile at other men, don’t want you to be close to other men. I wish there was no other man in your life except for me. I’d prefer even the ants in front of you weren’t male.”

Lin Shu was completely unprepared for this situation. She tried to keep calm, but her anger broke through: “What are you saying? Are you really this childish? Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Xu Shijia’s gaze didn’t falter, staring directly at Lin Shu: “Yes, I’m childish. I’m this childish because I love you.”

Although Lin Shu sat in the boss’s chair and Xu Shijia stood as a subordinate, in that moment, it felt like the roles had reversed. She was suddenly at a loss and confused.

How had things come to this?

“I was wrong yesterday. I was drunk. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have kissed you without saying anything. That was disrespectful. I should’ve done this now—openly confessed my feelings, got your approval, and then kissed you.”

Lin Shu didn’t have time to process the awkwardness and shock of such a passionate confession—

“Xu Shijia, this is an office! Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Xu Shijia wasn’t going to back down: “So what if it’s an office? What’s the problem with liking someone regardless of the occasion? Besides, the only time I can see you is at work. Every time I enter this office and see you, I lose my rationality. What’s wrong with that?”

The problem was huge.

Last night’s behavior had already been reckless and overstepped, and today, adding a confession didn’t make things any better.

His ex-girlfriend was pregnant, but was he really turning to someone else now? Had he grown tired of her and started to focus on Lin Shu?

Naturally, Xu Shijia’s first love was still pregnant, and they hadn’t yet gotten married. Xu Shijia could break up with her for a new love without breaking any laws, though it was morally questionable. However, Lin Shu couldn’t and wouldn’t accept becoming a part of such a betrayal.

Principle came first in this situation.

Lin Shu didn’t want to give Xu Shijia any opening. If she questioned his relationship with his first love, it would imply she was wavering in response to his confession. Even if she just asked a single question, Xu Shijia was smart enough to sense a weakness.

The best response was a firm rejection to close off any possibilities:

“Xu Shijia, thank you for your confession, but I don’t have any feelings for you beyond friendship. I can’t respond to you.”

Lin Shu lowered her gaze, avoiding Xu Shijia’s eyes: “It’s better if you move to Chen Par’s team. Last night’s behavior made me feel disrespected, and your confession today has made things even more awkward. My rejection is bound to leave some friction between us, and I don’t think we can continue working together in this kind of relationship.”

Xu Shijia didn’t expect this development. He stared at Lin Shu in silence.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, in disbelief: “I don’t believe it. You don’t like me at all?”

Lin Shu answered resolutely, not giving him an inch: “No.”

But Xu Shijia didn’t give up: “No? That’s fine. I have time to make you like me. After all, you haven’t liked anyone yet.”

So, did this mean that once she liked someone else, he’d stop pestering her?

Lin Shu felt irritated and disoriented inside. She glared at Xu Shijia, deciding to use a white lie to end this once and for all: “How could I not? I think Pan Yu is pretty good. I have a positive impression of him.”

“You’ve only met Pan Yu once! How can you tell anything about him?”

“Love at first sight.”

Xu Shijia’s eyes burned with a stubborn, relentless fire: “Lin Shu, do you even know what love at first sight is?! Your version of it is unreliable!”

What? Now he was questioning the boss?

Lin Shu was about to snap and tell Xu Shijia to leave when she suddenly heard Iron Bull’s panicked voice from outside the office:

“Lin Par, a pregnant woman came to look for Xu Shijia! I saw him earlier this morning, but now he’s gone, and I don’t know where he went. I was going to have her wait in the meeting room, but then she suddenly had stomach pains and started bleeding…”

As Iron Bull’s flustered voice echoed, the office door was pushed open, and he finally noticed the situation inside. He looked at Xu Shijia and froze for a second: “No wonder I couldn’t find you, you’re here in Lin Par’s office! There’s a pregnant woman looking for you!”

Iron Bull then turned to Lin Shu with an urgent, pleading look: “Lin Par, this woman seems to be having a miscarriage. I’ve already called an ambulance, but I don’t know her, and she’s pregnant, so I’m not sure what to do…”

A pregnant woman, looking for Xu Shijia…

Lin Shu immediately had an inkling of what was happening.

Hearing Iron Bull’s words, Xu Shijia’s face grew serious. He stopped arguing with Lin Shu, stood up, and the three of them rushed to the meeting room.

When they opened the door, Xu Shijia’s face immediately shifted into one of surprise when he saw the woman.

“Senior? What are you doing here?”

The woman, whom Xu Shijia referred to as “Senior,” replied weakly: “I was passing by your law firm and wanted to come up and sit for a while…”

Inside the meeting room, the woman with a noticeably swollen belly was sitting helplessly on a chair, groaning in pain. Her face was pale, her long hair drenched in cold sweat, and beneath her seat, there was a large puddle of blood.

By this point, Lin Shu understood everything.

Xu Shijia’s first love, whom he had known in high school, was now pregnant. The “Senior” title confirmed their relationship.

This was most likely his pregnant first love, coming to visit her baby’s father at the law firm.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. The priority was getting the woman to the hospital immediately.

Fortunately, the ambulance arrived in time. Xu Shijia, as the father of the child, naturally had to accompany her. Lin Shu hadn’t planned on going, but it didn’t seem appropriate to send Iron Bull alone with a pregnant woman, and Xu Mingmei had been sent to visit a client by Lin Shu…

Reluctantly, Lin Shu gritted her teeth and decided to join them in the ambulance.

Xu Shijia gently comforted his pregnant first love, Lin Yiqing, and it was then that Lin Shu learned her name.

Xu Shijia appeared calm, his demeanor steady, looking like a model father-to-be. He was genuinely worried about Lin Yiqing, completely unaware that just a short while ago, he had shamelessly tried to confess to Lin Shu and ditch his old love for a new one.

He was quite good at pretending.

With his looks and charm, Xu Shijia could likely deceive even the most astute in the world of liars and cheaters.

However, he lacked experience. Once they arrived at the hospital’s maternity ward, though he wanted to help, he clearly didn’t know what to do, and Lin Shu had to run around helping.

Lin Yiqing’s bleeding was severe, and although the baby wasn’t full-term, the doctors decided to perform an emergency C-section for the safety of both the mother and child.

Fortunately, the operation was successful, and after more than an hour of waiting outside the operating room, Lin Shu and Xu Shijia finally received the good news.

“The mother and child are safe, it’s a boy. Although he wasn’t full term, he weighs almost five pounds! However, since he’s a premature baby, he still needs to be placed in an incubator for observation.”

As long as they were safe, that was all that mattered.

Lin Shu let out a sigh of relief. However, when she looked at Xu Shijia beside her, although he too seemed to relax with the news of the mother and child being safe, his expression didn’t show any particular happiness.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?”

Xu Shijia was stunned for a moment.

After the tense atmosphere of the rescue, now that it had relaxed, he turned sarcastic: “Why should I be happy?”

Xu Shijia looked at Lin Shu: “I just got rejected after confessing my feelings. What’s there to be happy about?”

Still playing dumb?

Lin Shu could no longer hold back. After Lin Yiqing nearly died giving birth to his child, this man was still playing games?

Lin Shu coldly said, “You’re becoming a father, and you’re not happy? Speaking of which, I almost forgot to congratulate you on the birth of your son.”

This time, Xu Shijia was the one who was stunned.

He widened his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

After a moment, Xu Shijia seemed to realize something: “You mean, the child Lin Yiqing has is mine?”

Isn’t it yours?

Heh.

Was he trying to get out of it, pretending it wasn’t his?

Xu Shijia’s attitude became more intense: “Lin Yiqing is my senior, yes. But the child is not mine! She’s just a potential client I was in touch with through Xu Mingmei! We reconnected after she consulted on a divorce agreement, but I haven’t spoken to her in years!”

“Lin Shu, what are you imagining?!”

Now it was Lin Shu’s turn to be stunned.

The child Lin Yiqing had wasn’t Xu Shijia’s? Lin Yiqing wasn’t his first love? She was just a recently reconnected senior and potential client?

Then…

Did Xu Mingmei make a mistake?

However, Xu Shijia had never confirmed the news about his first love being pregnant; the information came from Xu Mingmei, a colleague.

This initial assumption wasn’t entirely fair to Xu Shijia, but Lin Shu, caught up in her emotional turmoil and embarrassment, couldn’t bring herself to directly confirm it with Xu Shijia. She knew that in such matters, the one who initiates the questioning is the one who cares more, and that would put her at a disadvantage.

So…

Lin Shu’s heart started racing wildly.

The Xu Shijia standing before her now looked astonished and disbelieving. He was being completely upfront, and his expression showed that Xu Mingmei’s information was wrong. He looked aggrieved and angry.

So… Xu Shijia wasn’t with his first love, and he confessed to her—did this mean he had finally turned the page on that failed first love?

Lin Shu recalled what happened last night and began to feel guilty.

No one is perfect. Even she couldn’t stay completely calm about everything. She could only maintain control over the big principles.

But if Xu Shijia wasn’t a scumbag, then she had hit him with her bag and intended to transfer him…

She had even planned to move him to another team…

Normally, Lin Shu was a calm person. She believed in seeing things for herself in cases, rather than relying on hearsay. But when it came to matters that involved her own feelings, maybe she just couldn’t stay rational.

Because of her past experience with Tao Lei and Lin Shiyao, Lin Shu had developed an excessive sense of pride in her relationships, feeling unable to let go of her dignity or ask questions for fear of humiliation and being looked down upon.

The more she cared, the more she wanted to keep her head held high, to show her pride.

And so, Lin Shu made a grave mistake.

She had impulsively misunderstood the situation.

Because she cared, she found it hard to remain calm and detached.

She didn’t even ask for clarification, and without distinguishing anything, she rejected Xu Shijia’s confession outright!

Lin Shu started to feel regret, recalling that moment not too long ago.

When an ordinary girl is confessed to, even if the person isn’t someone she likes, she would still feel flattered and respected to be loved.

This was a precious feeling, one Lin Shu had never experienced in her self-conscious youth.

But when Xu Shijia confessed to her, due to the shock, confusion, and immense anger and humiliation, she didn’t have the chance to experience such positive emotions.

She hadn’t even had time to process the confession’s details before rejecting him based on principle.

And she still liked Xu Shijia…

Lin Shu couldn’t describe the complicated emotions she was feeling now.

But at this point, no matter the personal feelings involved, she had to maintain composure for the sake of her dignity as a boss.

She pursed her lips and kept a calm expression: “This is not something I imagined. It’s what someone with knowledge of the situation told me.”

Lin Shu managed to remain calm, but Xu Shijia didn’t. He was too angry to control his expression, glaring at her with fury: “You believe what others say?!”

“Am I really that terrible? Lin Shu, am I the type of person who likes you and then goes around messing with others?”

“Someone with inside knowledge? Who’s spreading these rumors? Who knows anything about my business?!” Xu Shijia was seething, “Is it some guy you know? Someone trying to attack me, saying I’m already a dad? Whoever it is, if I find out who spread these lies, I’ll sue them to death! I curse them to be miserable for the rest of their life! I curse them to have a son who will never find anyone to marry!”

“Let me think who it could be…”

Xu Shijia was furious and immediately began trying to figure out who spread the rumor. But after a moment, it seemed like he remembered something. His expression changed, and the fierce energy he had before calmed down.

He glanced at Lin Shu, cleared his throat, and suddenly switched his tone: “Forget it. I’m a big person. This is obviously a misunderstanding. It might not even have been done with ill intent. We should forgive others. I shouldn’t curse someone to be miserable for life, especially not their son. That’s a bit too much…”

Xu Shijia looked at Lin Shu and explained, “Lin Yiqing just happens to be Xu Mingmei’s friend. I heard she became a lawyer, so I went to her to understand the situation. Xu Mingmei is an inexperienced newbie, and she was unsure when it came to handling clients and expanding the business. Since I heard that Lin Yiqing was my senior from high school, she asked me to join her in overseeing things. That’s why I got in touch with Lin Yiqing.”

At this point, Xu Shijia softened his tone and shifted his gaze. “When I meet other women, it’s always for business purposes.” He awkwardly added, “I’m not doing it for myself.”

Although he stopped there, his words “I’m doing it all for you” were clearly conveyed through his eyes and his hesitation.

“Lin Shu, I’m still single, and I’ve always been single. Have you considered me? I’m not interested in anyone else. I only like you.”