Lu Nanyang didn’t expect that on Friday, Mr. Meng would come looking for him again.
During the last class of Friday afternoon, all the students were drowsy under the monotone of the lecture. Even the teacher’s voice sounded tired. As soon as the bell rang, the teacher was out the door, and the previously silent classroom erupted in noise as everyone rushed to pack up for the weekend.
Lu Nanyang was feeling a little dazed under the afternoon sun. He was still nodding off with his head in his hand when he heard a knock on the window beside him.
“Hey, wake up.” Wen Fei nudged him. “Mr. Meng is looking for you.”
Lu Nanyang groggily raised his head and saw a man outside the window with a face full of wrinkles, wearing a smile that looked like it was molded out of wax.
“Whoa!” Lu Nanyang jumped in surprise, suddenly wide awake.
It felt like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
Meng Hezhi walked in through the back door with his hands behind his back, grinning as he stood next to Lu Nanyang. “Taking notes?”
“Uh, I finished already,” Lu Nanyang closed his textbook, a sense of dread creeping in. “Is there something you need, Mr. Meng?”
“It’s a small matter.” Meng Hezhi smiled and casually picked up the water bottle on Lu Nanyang’s desk, examining it. “Xiao Lu, you said you’re not going home this weekend, right? Then would you be willing to do me a favor?”
“Please go ahead,” said Lu Nanyang.
“I took on a civil case a while back, but…” Meng Hezhi sighed. “Lately I’ve been too busy prepping lessons and grading papers. I really don’t have the time.” He spun the water bottle in his hand. “Just think of it as gaining practical experience. What do you say?”
“…Alright.” Lu Nanyang glanced at the water bottle in his hand. “I’ll do it.”
After Meng Hezhi left, Wen Fei immediately leaned over. “Whoa, is Mr. Meng asking you to take on a case for him?”
Lu Nanyang pulled out a napkin and wiped the water bottle clean. “Not just that. He means if I can handle the client, I’ll be the one to go to court too.”
Wen Fei’s eyes lit up. “That’s awesome, Lu-ge! I didn’t think Mr. Meng valued you so much. If you win the case, will you get extra credits or something?”
Lu Nanyang gave a dry laugh.
Credits?
Just from Meng Hezhi’s vague explanation, he already knew this case would be a nightmare. If it worked out, the credit would go to Meng Hezhi. If it didn’t, the blame would fall on him.
He wouldn’t gain a thing from it.
Wen Fei thought Meng Hezhi valued him, but Lu Nanyang could tell—this was just Mr. Meng coming up with a new way to get back at him.
…….
The weather in Yuncheng was beautiful that day. The blue sky was scattered with wisps of cloud drifting lazily in the wind, and the clear sunlight shone through the café window, casting a glow on Xie Quan’s hand.
The girl across from him noticed too, smiling with dimples in her cheeks. “Dr. Xie, your hands are so beautiful.”
“Really?” Xie Quan acted surprised as he removed the cup from his lips. “You’re the first to say that.”
His hand, under the reflection of the water, looked especially pale, with long, elegant fingers and clearly defined knuckles.
Of course, that was a lie. Many people had praised his hands before, saying they looked more like a pianist’s than a doctor’s. He would just smile and say he didn’t have the talent for that.
“Really! That’s such a pity—it means there aren’t enough eyes around you that recognize beauty,” the girl said confidently.
Xie Quan smiled. “You flatter me, Miss Shu.”
This café was quite popular—an internet-famous spot with lines often stretching halfway down the block. Xie Quan had made a reservation a whole week in advance for this date.
Shu Ziyi was the daughter of Shu Guo, the deputy dean of Yuncheng Medical school. She didn’t attend Yuncheng University, and just finding someone to connect him to her had cost Xie Quan quite a bit of effort.
Fortunately, the girl was willing to give him some face—partly thanks to his naturally good looks—so she accepted his invitation.
The dessert in front of them was beautifully presented, with the cream and chocolate releasing a rich aroma, but Xie Quan wasn’t really focused on the food. His mind was racing, thinking about how to deepen his relationship with Shu Ziyi.
“Dr. Xie, aren’t you eating?” Shu Ziyi bit her fork, her big eyes blinking. “Their matcha cake is so good—you should try it too.”
“Alright.” Xie Quan smiled, picked up his fork, and cut off a piece of cake to put into his mouth.
The sticky cream coated the inside of his mouth. He chewed slowly but couldn’t taste anything at all.
“It’s good, right?” Shu Ziyi looked at him expectantly.
“Yeah, it’s really good.” Xie Quan swallowed the cake and praised, “This is better than a lot of places I’ve been to.”
“Same here. It’s not too sweet, and the cream is so fragrant—no wonder so many people come to this place,” Shu Ziyi said enthusiastically. “Thanks for picking such a great spot.”
Seems like the princess was in a good mood. Xie Quan smiled and pushed his cake toward her. “Have some more, then. We can order more if it’s not enough. So you like desserts that aren’t too sweet?”
“Yeah.” Shu Ziyi spoke while eating, “Maybe I take after my dad. He’s never liked sweets since I was a kid. Even on holidays, if relatives brought chocolates, he’d send them back. But I guess it worked out—now that he’s older, he doesn’t have diabetes or fatty liver or anything. Just the smoking—he still can’t quit. Sooner or later, his lungs are going to have problems.”
So the deputy dean, Shu, was a heavy smoker.
Xie Quan silently took note of that, then smiled at Shu Ziyi. “Your father—”
He had just started speaking when the door to the café opened. Xie Quan glanced over and suddenly froze.
The first person to walk in was a woman in a tight skirt and bold lipstick, striding quickly toward the counter. Behind her, running to catch up, was a college student in casual clothes. Xie Quan squinted—and sure enough, it was Lu Nanyang.
“Liu Jie, can you just hear me out? It’ll only take a minute or two, I promise—”
The woman called Liu Jie looked annoyed and completely ignored him. She walked up to the counter and pulled out her phone. “One cappuccino.”
“Okay.”
Before she could pay, Lu Nanyang cut in front of her and told the barista, “Make it two, and add a Black Forest cake. I’ll pay.”
The woman frowned and slapped Lu Nanyang’s hand away. “No need!”
“Liu Jie, just a couple of questions,” Lu Nanyang grabbed her arm, “You said Li Xin’s property was a gift—do you have any proof? A recording, witnesses, chat logs—anything. If it can be proven—”
The woman clearly had no intention of responding. The barista had already packed up the coffee and cake, and she grabbed them and walked out of the store.
“What?” Shu Ziyi asked.
“Hm?” Xie Quan was momentarily distracted. Then he smiled. “Oh, I was going to ask—your father, is he—”
Before he could finish, Lu Nanyang’s voice suddenly rang out, loud and sharp:
“If you can’t prove it, then it’s theft of property—clear as day!”
His voice was so loud that many people in the café turned to look. But before he finished his sentence, the woman had already stormed out the door.
Lu Nanyang started to follow her but was stopped by the barista. “Sir, you haven’t paid for the coffee—”
Lu Nanyang had no choice but to turn back and pay. “What? This expensive?”
“The lady just now took both coffees.” the barista kindly reminded him.
Lu Nanyang: “……”
Xie Quan watched him rush to pay and then push open the door and leave.
This time, Shu Ziyi had also noticed Lu Nanyang. She frowned, “That guy has no manners—shouting in such a quiet café. Don’t mind him. Let’s keep talking.”
“Mm…” Xie Quan withdrew his gaze and rubbed his fingers along the edge of the table. Then he gave Shu Ziyi an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I think I need to go check on something. Let’s reschedule, okay?”
Shu Ziyi blinked. “But…”
“I’m really sorry. I’ll treat you to a nice meal next time.” Xie Quan made an apologetic gesture and picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. “You’ve got my WeChat. Let’s keep in touch.”
“Hey—” Shu Ziyi’s voice trailed behind him.
……
Lu Nanyang ran out of the café, looked around, but didn’t see any sign of that woman, Liu Qiuyan.
He clicked his tongue in frustration and pulled out his phone to try calling her while continuing down the path in search.
Such great weather, yet here he was, wasting his weekend helping Meng Hezhi with this nasty, impossible case. He had no real choice but to say yes—his grades, his degree, even his diploma were on the line. As a student, all he could do was bow his head and obey.
The dial tone rang and rang, but no one answered. Lu Nanyang quickened his pace, frowning, and didn’t realize he was walking into a secluded alley.
By the time he noticed he was surrounded by a group of sketchy-looking young men holding various weapons, it was already too late.
“You’re Lawyer Meng, right?” the one in front rested a metal pipe on his shoulder.
Lu Nanyang frowned. “No, my last name is—”
Before he could finish, the guy shouted, “Get him!”
By the time Xie Quan arrived, this was what he saw: several rough-looking thugs surrounding Lu Nanyang, holding sticks, pipes, and other makeshift weapons, raining down on him.
Xie Quan admitted—his heart skipped a beat in that moment.
But in the very next second, one of the thugs holding a wooden stick was sent flying out of the circle, crashing into a pile of trash and getting a face full of rotten vegetables.
The surrounding thugs froze in place, stunned, and in less than a second, a chorus of pained screams erupted. Lu Nanyang kicked one of them squarely in the chest, forcibly creating a gap in the encirclement.
Xie Quan was momentarily dumbfounded. After all, he was fighting a whole group. Though Lu Nanyang came out with some injuries—blood smeared from the corner of his mouth into a wild, rebellious streak down his cheek—he still looked striking. His fists were clenched tightly, the knuckles clearly defined and stained with vivid red.
“You son of a—” one thug tried to get up from the ground, but Lu Nanyang stomped on his head, pressing his entire face into the dirt.
“Anyone else?” Lu Nanyang asked calmly.
Xie Quan slowly raised his hand, putting his thumb to his lips and biting his nail.
It was a bad habit of his—whenever he got emotionally stirred up, he instinctively bit his nail to control himself.
This version of Lu Nanyang… was seriously turning him on.
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Author’s note:
Just to clarify, Lu Nanyang is acting as an agent in a civil case, not a criminal one, so he doesn’t need a lawyer’s license or other certifications. Civil case agents can be any adult citizen recognized by the court. While Lu Nanyang can’t represent someone as a lawyer, he can do so as a citizen.
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