Chapter 67

Xu Shijia, feeling pleased with himself for exposing Zhao Zhongcheng, casually asked Lin Shu for “some praise,” and then, satisfied, left the office.

Fortunately, in the afternoon, he behaved himself and, after work, went with Lin Shu to attend Professor Wang Hanzhong’s banquet.

Compared to their last meeting, Professor Wang Hanzhong had lost some weight and appeared darker, but he seemed in better spirits. He was thrilled to learn that not only Lin Shu, but also the young heir of Xinho, was a fan of his, which made him very proud and happy.

So, Professor Wang didn’t hold back. He generously handed Lin Shu and Xu Shijia each a signed copy of his new book and began passionately talking about it.

“My book *Pig Herd Socializing* can actually solve 70% of human social problems if you read it carefully!”

“Just like humans, pigs also have bonding, fighting, competition, and interaction…”

Lin Shu didn’t come tonight to talk about pigs. She was more interested in discussing cows.

When the moment was right, Lin Shu gave Xu Shijia a look.

The next second, Xu Shijia played along—

“Hey, Tie Niu, I think I have a bit of a stomachache. It’s an old problem, I just need to get some medicine, but it’s hurting so much that I can’t move properly. Could you help me go to a nearby pharmacy to buy something?”

Tie Niu, always kind-hearted, immediately stood up to help Xu Shijia. “Let’s go, I’ll take you.”

He waved at Lin Shu and then walked out with Xu Shijia.

Once they were gone, Lin Shu stopped pretending. She interrupted Professor Wang’s lecture on pig herding and got straight to the point: “Professor Wang, the reason I came to see you today, aside from getting this precious signed book, is to talk to you about Tie Niu.”

When Professor Wang Hanzhong heard this, he became a little nervous. “Lin lawyer, has Tie Niu been performing poorly recently?”

“Not at all. Tie Niu has always been the most reliable member of our team. His work attitude is excellent, he’s meticulous and detail-oriented, and he’s a man of integrity. But because of this, we can’t neglect him just because he’s more mature than the others in the team.”

Lin Shu spoke sincerely, “Our team started with members who each had their own flaws. But the other members have gradually overcome their issues or turned their weaknesses into strengths, and their work is becoming more and more on track. Tie Niu, in fact, has always had the best foundation and work ethic in the team. I can’t just watch as the others grow, while Tie Niu stays in the same place.”

“Tie Niu is great in many ways, but there is one issue that’s hindering his career development…” Lin Shu turned her gaze to Professor Wang Hanzhong. “Although Tie Niu communicates very well with clients over the phone and email, he has trouble communicating with them face-to-face.”

A lawyer with such a problem can’t independently take on cases, and certainly can’t go to court. Over time, Tie Niu would only be able to remain marginalized, doing clerical and support work.

His colleagues, other lawyers who started around the same time, would become more mature and experienced, but Tie Niu wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace. Watching everyone else move forward while he stays stuck in place, how would Tie Niu feel?

Professor Wang Hanzhong, of course, understood Lin Shu’s hint.

Lin Shu turned to Professor Wang: “Tie Niu says he has a psychological barrier when it comes to meeting clients. But when I asked him about the cause, he refused to say.” Lin Shu calmly analyzed, “Since it’s a psychological issue, there should be a way to address it. I want to try guiding Tie Niu to take the first step, but first, I need to understand what kind of psychological trauma has led to this situation.”

As Tie Niu’s father, Professor Wang Hanzhong sighed. “Tie Niu… this child…”

There was a look of guilt on his face. “Actually, it’s my fault.”

“My fault?” Lin Shu asked, puzzled.

Professor Wang continued, “This goes back to his high school days. At that time, I was working on a veterinary medicine project related to cattle. To make it easier, I brought the whole family to live on a farm. At that time, the local news came to do an interview for a science program, showcasing the daily life of livestock workers. It was a live broadcast.”

Professor Wang Hanzhong seemed embarrassed as he recalled the incident. “During the live broadcast, something unexpected happened. After the cows ate the veterinary medicine, they had a strong reaction, which caused a problem for Tie Niu… In short, Tie Niu ended up on camera by accident. And the show was selected for the summer viewing list for schools, so nearly every student saw it. Tie Niu became famous overnight, and whenever he went out, people recognized him…”

Professor Wang’s explanation was vague.

Lin Shu furrowed her brow and couldn’t hold back. “What kind of accident was it? Did a cow charge into Tie Niu?”

Professor Wang’s face turned even more awkward. “Well… not exactly. If it had been a simple collision, it would have been better. The problem was… the veterinary medicine… was meant to stimulate the cows’ breeding instincts. That day, my assistant researcher made a mistake in the formula, and one bull got too much. The bull broke out of the pen and, coincidentally, Tie Niu was with me on the farm. The bull, for some reason, mistook Tie Niu for a cow and started chasing him, trying to mate with him…”

Lin Shu: “…”

So, after being drugged, the bull thought Tie Niu was a cow, and this scene ended up being witnessed by most of the middle and elementary school students…

“When Tie Niu was little, he’d never seen anything like this. He ran away crying, and ended up right in the live broadcast shot. His screams were so loud that they interrupted my interview with the host. The bull, all riled up, kept chasing Tie Niu, aggressively trying to mount him. It was summer, and Tie Niu was wearing shorts, which got torn by the bull’s horns. So, in the broadcast, all viewers saw was Tie Niu running with his bare butt while being chased by a bull…”

“…” Lin Shu felt that calling it tragic didn’t even begin to describe Tie Niu’s experience.

Professor Wang Hanzhong, clearly feeling uncomfortable, searched something on his phone and handed it to Lin Shu.

“This is a discussion thread from that program’s comments. Here, take a look yourself, Lin Lawyer.”

Lin Shu took the phone and immediately understood how traumatic this incident must have been for Tie Niu. The comments in the thread were almost all about laughing at and mocking him.

“That’s my classmate! Wang Tie Niu! Oh my God! How did he end up with his bare butt being chased by a bull!”

“This bull is in heat, brothers, but it’s not looking for a cow, it’s after Tie Niu! Hahaha, his name is perfect, it’s exactly what the bull loves.”

“Man of the bull!”

“This year’s most handsome guy in our school? Definitely Wang Tie Niu!”

“Why should he get first place?”

“Because bulls can’t resist him! Who else has that charm? Even the bull wants to screw him, hahaha, you can see his pants are off, he’s clearly seducing the bull!”

…

Kids, unlike adults, often don’t know how to hold back their words, and their comments were filled with mockery and sarcasm.

It was a truly epic social death experience.

Professor Wang Hanzhong took the phone back and sighed deeply. “This event became a thorn in Tie Niu’s heart. At school, people would recognize him and mock him, which made him too afraid to make friends during his teenage years, afraid that others would tease him about it.”

“I did consider asking Tie Niu to change his name, but he refused. Even though I was the one who gave him the name, his mother loved it very much before she passed away. She always liked calling him ‘our cow.’ Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see him grow up. Tie Niu was very close to his mom, and he felt that the name ‘Wang Tie Niu’ was a memory she left for him, so he refused to change it, even if it meant being recognized and mocked.”

“Finally, when he started working, I encouraged Tie Niu to move past it. It was such an old issue, surely everyone had forgotten by now. He agreed and bravely took on his first client. But, as luck would have it, that client recognized him and shouted, ‘The man of the bull!’ Since then, Tie Niu hasn’t been able to meet clients again, always fearing that they’ll recognize him and embarrass him.”

“So, this psychological issue became more and more serious. Whenever he had to meet a client, he feared they’d recognize him and laugh at him. Over time, it became worse.”

Professor Wang Hanzhong was full of regret. “In the end, it’s my fault. I’ve tried to help him and even took him to therapy, but nothing worked. Tie Niu’s condition is my responsibility, and I haven’t dared to push him to change his name after all these years.”

“Lin Lawyer, thank you for caring so much about Tie Niu and considering his future. But if Tie Niu really can’t overcome this psychological issue, as his parents, we don’t want to force him. After all, he now has a decent job, and as long as he’s happy and healthy, that’s enough…”

…

Lin Shu never expected that there was such a story behind Tie Niu.

She comforted Professor Wang Hanzhong with a few kind words but still didn’t want to give up on helping Tie Niu.

As a parent, Professor Wang Hanzhong, out of love for his child and feelings of guilt, had refrained from interfering with Tie Niu over the years after trying everything he could. However, Lin Shu had witnessed Tie Niu’s dedication to his work. Tie Niu wasn’t someone without ambition or career aspirations; he was meticulous and caring about his tasks. A person like him, if held back by psychological shadows from his youth, would be a great regret for his life and a loss to the legal profession.

Lin Shu didn’t mind if she didn’t know the full story, but once she did, she felt she had an obligation to help Tie Niu.

What Tie Niu feared was that people would recognize him once they saw his face. That’s why he became nervous and stammered when facing clients, and such situations often arose. But in situations where his face wasn’t seen—whether through email or phone calls—he was professional and trustworthy.

So, what if she found him a client who wouldn’t see his face? Wouldn’t that allow Tie Niu to overcome his psychological barrier and serve them?

…

Soon, the diligent Xu Shijia received Lin Shu’s WeChat message and brought Tie Niu back to the private room.

The group chatted for a little longer before ending the meal on a friendly note.

Once the dinner ended, Tie Niu, who had not seen his father in a while, naturally accompanied his father back home, leaving Lin Shu and Xu Shijia behind.

“Did I do well today?” As soon as Tie Niu and his father left, Xu Shijia dropped his polite façade and began subtly hinting at his contribution. “I pretended to have a stomach ache in the middle of the meeting to stall for time, so Tie Niu would have to wait for me. I spent more than ten minutes in the bathroom just to help you out.”

“Over ten minutes! In that kind of public restroom! Do you know how many germs are in there and what it smells like?” Xu Shijia exaggerated. “I was sure I couldn’t hold it anymore, but thinking about you, I stuck it out. I sacrificed myself to complete the mission you gave me.”

He then sighed dramatically, “Although I did it for Tie Niu, who am I kidding? I like you, and I admit it. I’m just chewing on the bitterness of life.”

However, after hearing Lin Shu explain the origin of Tie Niu’s psychological trauma, his sarcasm quickly turned into deep sympathy.

“Poor Tie Niu!” Xu Shijia’s face showed concern. “I can’t imagine if that happened to me, I’d probably have already moved to outer space. Tie Niu’s dad really gave him a good name, though. It’s strong. If Tie Niu can get through this, he really is something!”

Lin Shu nodded. “That’s why we need to help him.”

Teamwork is all about advancing and retreating together, no one left behind. Everyone is equally important; Tie Niu can’t be left out.

Lin Shu looked at Xu Shijia and made a decision. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to take Zhao Zhongcheng’s case.”

Xu Shijia immediately frowned in confusion. “Although finding a blind client for Tie Niu could work, Zhao Zhongcheng is a fake blind man! He fakes blindness to attract traffic and make money. His character is terrible. What’s the point of taking on his case?”

Lin Shu smiled. “Blind clients are easy to find, but fake blind ones are much harder.”

“Good thing I didn’t turn down Zhao Zhongcheng’s case earlier. Now I realize, Tie Niu’s situation might require him.”

“Zhao Zhongcheng is a well-known ‘blind man’ on the internet, so Tie Niu will never suspect him. Tie Niu can safely handle his case without worrying about being recognized. Once the case is over, we can tell him the truth that Zhao Zhongcheng is not really blind.”

Lin Shu left it at that, but Xu Shijia quickly understood her plan. “You want to use this method to break Tie Niu’s psychological barrier? Make him realize that the first client he had just happened to recognize him by accident, and that most clients wouldn’t even recognize him, especially since not everyone has seen that embarrassing program.”

“And meeting a normal client doesn’t mean he’ll ‘break down’—his psychological issue can actually be managed and controlled?”

Lin Shu smiled. “You’re pretty smart.”

Xu Shijia was a little smug. “Of course. Otherwise, why would you choose me? In this team, I’m the one you picked.”

“…” Lin Shu thought, is there anyone else in the team who could even be chosen? And why did she have to pick someone from her own team?

But Xu Shijia, ignoring Lin Shu’s exasperation, was in high spirits again. “But you probably liked me because of my looks. You definitely saw my face and body first, then later you got attracted to my brilliant mind.”

As he spoke, seeing no one else around, he started to act a bit inappropriately. He grabbed Lin Shu’s hand and placed it on his own waist. “Today I’m in a good mood, a free treat. Go ahead, feel it.”

Lin Shu was almost pulled along by him. Xu Shijia’s waist was slim, but the muscles were tight and full of strength. Lin Shu couldn’t explain why, but her mind was flooded with memories of her chaotic first night—confused recollections of a slim waist, strong hands, rough movements…

The memory from that night was so jumbled, and even though she never saw the man’s face clearly, for some strange reason, his blurred face now seemed to overlap with Xu Shijia’s.

Lin Shu quickly pulled her hand back as if it were burned.

Her face turned a deep shade of red.

She didn’t know why her mind was making such random connections.

Damn, did she really become confused and attracted to Xu Shijia based on his looks?

Was that the only reason for these absurd thoughts?

Lin Shu felt like she needed a cold shower to clear her head.