After working at the institute for a while, Wen Ruqing had fully adapted to the pace there. Bai Xizhou was even busier than him—shortly after the work year began, he had already been sent on a business trip.
Maybe it was because they had spent so much time together before and after the New Year, but with the sudden drop in how often they saw each other, Wen Ruqing found himself a little unaccustomed to the distance. Thankfully, Bai Xizhou would still take the initiative to message him, asking how he was eating and getting by.
In these small, scattered matters, the days passed slowly, and everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
However, Wen Ruqing was still troubled by one thing: Han Mu from the department next door kept coming over and often asked him out.
To be honest, he didn’t really want to get close to this so-called schoolmate. There was a feeling he couldn’t describe—he just didn’t like him. Wen Ruqing had refused Han Mu many times, but Han Mu didn’t seem to sense his rejection and kept approaching on his own. Wen Ruqing was growing increasingly irritated.
The weather gradually warmed up, and Wen Ruqing switched from his padded jacket to spring clothes. The trees outside the institute began to sprout small green buds—spring had quietly arrived.
One sunny afternoon, he followed his colleagues to move a newly arrived batch of ancient books back to the department.
After they finished, Chen Qi invited Wen Ruqing to the cafeteria for lunch. Just as he finished speaking, Wen Ruqing received a call from the front gate, saying there was a food delivery for him waiting at the security room, and he should hurry to pick it up.
“Are you sure it’s for me?” Wen Ruqing double-checked, because he hadn’t ordered anything.
After getting confirmation, he hung up and turned to Chen Qi. Chen Qi also looked at him.
“When did you order food and not tell me?” Chen Qi clearly didn’t catch the confusion in Wen Ruqing’s expression and only thought he was being left out. “I even invited you to eat in the cafeteria.”
“It wasn’t me. I don’t know what’s going on either,” Wen Ruqing was equally confused. “Anyway, let’s just go check.”
Chen Qi nodded and said he’d go with him. The two headed to the security room.
The food was packed in an insulated bag—no receipt, no restaurant name, no way to tell where it was from.
Wen Ruqing asked the security guard, who said it was delivered by a woman in her 40s or 50s. She only said it was for Wen Ruqing and didn’t leave any message. As for who sent it, he didn’t know.
Chen Qi opened the bag. Inside was a thermal container, and the moment the lid was opened, the aroma of pork ribs filled the room.
“It’s yam and pork rib soup,” Chen Qi, hungry after a busy morning, swallowed. “But there’s carrot in it. I hate carrots.”
“Is it just soup?” Wen Ruqing asked distractedly. He was still thinking about who could’ve sent it.
He had a guess, but wasn’t sure. Bai Xizhou should still be out of town at this time—would he have had the chance?
With doubts in his heart and not wanting to make a scene, the two left the security room with the food and went to the cafeteria.
Though there was a soup, it wasn’t enough for a full meal—just a side.
The cafeteria food was the same as usual. After Chen Qi got his meal, he grabbed a drink. When he returned, he saw Wen Ruqing smiling at his phone.
“Hmm? What’s got you so happy?” Chen Qi sat down across from him. “Did you figure out who sent it?”
“Yeah.” Wen Ruqing nodded.
He had guessed right—it really was Bai Xizhou. In fact, Bai Xizhou had come back to New Town the night before.
[Why did you suddenly send soup?]
[Didn’t you say before you weren’t used to the cafeteria food? I found a private chef to give you an extra meal. The recipe is from Qu Qingchen—it’s good for your stomach.]
Wen Ruqing took a sip of the soup. It wasn’t heavily seasoned, but it was very flavorful. The pork ribs were soft, and the yam and carrots were tender. The hot soup warmed his stomach—it really did feel good.
[Private chefs must be expensive. Lawyer Bai, I should transfer you the money.]
[Just try it according to the recipe first. We’ll figure out the cost later.]
Wen Ruqing stared at that line. It was obvious—he’d probably be receiving these extras for a while.
[Alright then, thank you, Lawyer Bai (＾ｖ＾)]
After putting down his phone, he noticed that Chen Qi was looking at him with a strange expression.
“Want some?” Wen Ruqing was confused and pushed the soup a little toward Chen Qi.
But Chen Qi waved his hand and declined, his face full of mystery like he had just figured something out. He lowered his head and resumed eating.
Wen Ruqing shrugged and ignored whatever was going on in his head.
If Han Mu hadn’t appeared, this meal could’ve been quite enjoyable.
Since Wen Ruqing and Chen Qi came to eat early, they were halfway through their meal when Han Mu arrived. He looked around with his tray, spotted them, and sat right next to Wen Ruqing.
Wen Ruqing frowned slightly and shifted a bit to the side, pretending not to notice, continuing to eat.
“Not bad, getting extra meals. Can I have a taste?”
Before Wen Ruqing could respond, Han Mu’s chopsticks had already reached over.
Wen Ruqing reacted quickly and moved the thermal container away.
“Sorry, I wasn’t planning to share. If you want some, you can order it yourself.” He hadn’t meant to be this direct, but Han Mu’s constant lack of boundaries was seriously off-putting.
“Come on, Old Han, don’t you get it? It’s a love-filled meal,” Chen Qi joked, not noticing the growing tension between the two.
“Love-filled meal?” Han Mu repeated with a mocking tone. “So, you’ve got a boyfriend now?”
Wen Ruqing abruptly stood up and looked down at him. Han Mu wore glasses, and the light reflecting off them made it hard to see his expression. There was a slight smile on his lips, but it didn’t look happy—more like sarcasm.
“Han Mu, we may have gone to the same university, but I didn’t know you back then. Don’t pretend we’re close. I don’t like people I’m not familiar with getting too close. Please respect my boundaries.”
With that, he picked up his tray and thermos and left. Chen Qi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quickly stood up and followed.
Han Mu remained seated. After Wen Ruqing’s outburst, a few people turned their heads to look. Han Mu didn’t show any emotion on his face—not even the slightest anger. But on his tray, the potato slices had already been mashed into mush.
On the other side, Chen Qi caught up to Wen Ruqing.
He didn’t understand what had happened between them, so he asked.
Wen Ruqing, though cold, had always been polite and got along well with the whole department. He didn’t seem like someone who would easily make enemies—so what happened today?
“Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. But the way he looks at me makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think he’s a good person,” Wen Ruqing said honestly. “I won’t have to work with him, will I?”
“Probably not. Before you came, Han Mu barely ever came to our department,” Chen Qi rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. “Now that I think about it, ever since you joined, he’s been coming over more and more. Don’t tell me… he likes you?”
“Huh?” Wen Ruqing almost rolled his eyes—but held it in.
“I heard from Xu Yuanyuan in our department that Han Mu’s gay. She’s seen him with at least four different guys,” Chen Qi lowered his voice and whispered in Wen Ruqing’s ear, trying to prove that his guess wasn’t groundless.
If that were true, then maybe it really did explain all the discomfort.
Wen Ruqing suddenly imagined Han Mu’s face—goosebumps rose all over his body.
Better stay away.
Ever since the cafeteria incident, Han Mu hadn’t shown up at the department for a while. But whenever he did appear, Chen Qi would immediately report it, and Wen Ruqing would flee to the studio as fast as possible.
Thankfully, people from other departments weren’t allowed to casually enter the studio.
Bai Xizhou’s extra meals were still being delivered—sometimes soup, sometimes full dishes. They would usually arrive just a little before the end of the workday, and sometimes Wen Ruqing would take them back to the department first.
“I’m heading out for a bit.” Wen Ruqing glanced at his phone, patted Chen Qi’s shoulder, though his eyes weren’t focused on him at all.
Chen Qi had gotten used to it by now. As soon as Wen Ruqing stood up, it meant it was almost time to get off work—he was even more punctual than an alarm clock. Chen Qi waved him off, telling him not to dawdle.
When he came back, Feng Yuhua was also in the department. She saw Wen Ruqing and naturally noticed the takeout in his hands.
“What’s this? Not used to cafeteria food, so now you’re ordering takeout?” Feng Yuhua didn’t sound reproachful—there was a teasing tone in her voice.
“Feng-jie, you don’t get it. This is romance between lovers,” Xu Yuanyuan leaned back in her chair with a smile. “This isn’t takeout. This is public display of affection.”
It wasn’t the first time Wen Ruqing had explained that it wasn’t from a boyfriend, but no one listened, so he gave up trying. Let them misunderstand—it didn’t matter. Bai Xizhou wasn’t here to hear them gossip anyway.
“Xiao Wen, you’re really lucky,” Feng Yuhua nodded in satisfaction. “It’s fine to be in a relationship, but don’t let it affect your work.”
After saying that, she left. She was just doing her monthly check-in and occasional inspection.
Once Feng Yuhua left, the atmosphere in the department relaxed again.
“Hey, have you all seen that case going around lately?” Xu Yuanyuan rolled her chair over to Chen Qi, looking gossipy.
“What case?” Chen Qi played along enthusiastically.
“You know, that one where a 20-year-old girl murdered her father and hacked her mother, left her critically injured. You haven’t heard of it?”
Xu Yuanyuan nudged Wen Ruqing, trying to draw him into the conversation.
“I’ve heard a little, but I didn’t really follow it.” Wen Ruqing normally didn’t pay much attention to this sort of thing, so he couldn’t give her the reaction she wanted.
The case had stirred up some buzz recently. Even if Wen Ruqing wasn’t interested, the rest of the department had heard about it.
“I saw it trending. That girl looks pretty decent in photos. You’d never think she was capable of something so vicious.”
“Yeah, I heard it too. How could someone do that? They’re her parents. They raised her. Ungrateful brat.”
“I kind of wonder… maybe the girl had her reasons?”
“Ugh, don’t try to empathize with a murderer.”
Everyone started chiming in, mostly expressing outrage. Chen Qi joined in, angrily condemning the girl who killed her father and injured her mother.
“If she doesn’t get the death penalty, the public won’t accept it.” Chen Qi was getting worked up, nearly leaping out of his chair.
Wen Ruqing pressed a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
“I agree she should get the death penalty. But I can’t believe there’s actually a lawyer defending her.” Xu Yuanyuan looked completely baffled. “Seriously, what are those lawyers thinking? Just because they get paid, they can twist right and wrong?”
Maybe it was because Bai Xizhou was a lawyer, but upon hearing Xu Yuanyuan’s comment, Wen Ruqing finally pulled out his phone and looked up the case.
Just as he expected, the internet was overwhelmingly in favor of the death penalty. Most were also cursing the defense lawyer, saying he had no professional ethics, calling him no better than the murderer herself. The language was vile, unbearable to read.
Amid the sea of insults, Wen Ruqing spotted a familiar figure in one of the few available photos.
“Yuanyuan, do you know the name of the defense lawyer?” Wen Ruqing was beginning to think he’d seen wrong, so he asked the better-informed Xu Yuanyuan.
Xu Yuanyuan thought for a moment, then slapped her forehead. “I think his surname is Bai. I saw some netizens saying he might be a lawyer from Xinze.”
The workplace matched. The surname matched too.
Wen Ruqing was a little shaken—was this lawyer, hated by the entire internet, really the Bai Xizhou he knew?
He called Bai Xizhou several times, but none were answered, which made Wen Ruqing even more anxious.
That anxiety stayed with him until the end of the workday. As he left the institute, standing at the gate, he dialed Bai Xizhou again. This time, after two rings, the call connected.
“Look to your left.” Bai Xizhou’s voice sounded casual, but still carried a trace of exhaustion.
Wen Ruqing looked left—and saw Bai Xizhou’s car. He was leaning against the window, waving at him.
Seeing that familiar wave, hearing that familiar voice, all the restlessness and frustration since noon suddenly melted away.
He quickly walked over and got into the passenger seat.
“You called me that many times. Missed me that much?”
“Did you take the case everyone’s talking about online?”
They both spoke at the same time. An awkward silence spread in the car.
“If I say yes, are you going to be like everyone else—think I’m the kind of lawyer who’ll do anything for money?” Bai Xizhou sighed, breaking the silence first.
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, looked at Wen Ruqing—but didn’t light it.
“Go ahead and smoke. Don’t worry about me,” Wen Ruqing said.
But Bai Xizhou still didn’t light it. He just held it between his fingers, staring out the window at the passing cars.
“I took the case through legal aid.”
He didn’t need money, and it wasn’t about taking just any case for a paycheck.
In fact, once this case ended, he wouldn’t get a single cent.
Author note:
The plot of this case was inspired by the drama “The World Between Us” (by the way, it’s a really good show). But it won’t be described in detail in this story. Some legal information may be inaccurate—just take it as part of the author’s own world-building. Please don’t treat it as a reflection of real-world law.
![Poor Little Thing Reborn as a Spoiled Child [ABO]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/529280897e9ecfdd9f221749897bd3c6.jpeg "Poor Little Thing Reborn as a Spoiled Child [ABO]")
