Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Xu Jingxuan Comes to Provoke On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Chu Tang returned to the law firm to start work. On her first day back, the firm received an unexpected visitor. Xu Jingxuan, dressed in a high-end designer suit, carrying a limited-edition Hermès bag, strode into Shengke Law Firm on high heels and went straight to Ruan Chutang's office. The office door wasn't locked, and Xu Jingxuan walked in without knocking. Ruan Chutang was on the phone. She looked up and saw Xu Jingxuan, who had come uninvited, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Let's leave it here for now. Something's come up on my end, I'll hang up." Xu Jingxuan sat down on the sofa like she owned the place, casually setting her bag aside as she looked around Ruan Chutang's office. "This place of yours is really small. You call this an office?" Chu Tang hung up the phone and looked up at her with a blank expression. "What are you doing here?" Xu Jingxuan curled her lips. "I forgot to tell you—I've invested in your law firm. I'm now one of the behind-the-scenes bosses. I'm your superior." Chu Tang's gaze remained calm, as if she wasn't surprised at all. "And then?" Xu Jingxuan smiled at Chu Tang. "There's no one else here today, so I won't bother pretending. Ruan Chutang, I really hate you, you know that?" Chu Tang picked up her water cup and took a calm sip. "Is that so? I don't like you either." "Heh." Xu Jingxuan laughed dismissively. "Grandma was right—you lawyers are sharp-tongued. That's all you can do, run your mouth in front of me. Back when I called you Sister Ruan out of respect for being my brother's fiancée, you actually started thinking you were somebody." A smug gleam flashed in Xu Jingxuan's eyes as she sneered, "You don't know yet, do you? Grandma is setting up blind dates for my brother. You and him can never be together again." Chu Tang's movements paused for a moment, her heart stinging as if pricked by something. But she didn't show it in front of Xu Jingxuan. Chu Tang looked up with a flawless smile. "That's great then. It just proves that even without me, you still can't marry into the Jiang family. Your grandma is already arranging blind dates for Jiang Shixu—how can you still be smiling? If I were you, I'd be hiding under the covers crying all day." The smug smile on Xu Jingxuan's face froze instantly. Her mocking gaze turned to shock in a split second. "You... you know everything?" Ruan Chutang let out a cold laugh. "Everyone with eyes can see what you feel for your brother. It's only because you don't dare pull any tricks in front of the Jiang family that Mrs. Jiang hasn't already kicked you out of the house." Xu Jingxuan's face turned slightly pale. "So what if you know? Even if you told the Jiang family now, no one would believe you!" "Do you think I'm like you? Stirring up trouble and causing drama everywhere?" Ruan Chutang's eyes turned slightly cold, her voice laced with disdain. "What do I care about your feelings for Jiang Shixu? At the end of the day, you're the daughter of the Jiang family's housekeeper and Mrs. Jiang's adopted daughter. There's no way Mrs. Jiang would ever tolerate you harboring those feelings for Jiang Shixu." Xu Jingxuan shot up from her seat in fury, her face flushed with humiliation and anger. "So what? For him, I'd never marry anyone else! And you—you'll never have anything to do with him again!" Chu Tang's heart trembled, a flicker of loneliness passing through her eyes. "Then I wish you all the best with that." Chu Tang lowered her gaze to hide her emotions and began tidying up the things on her desk. "What are you doing?" Xu Jingxuan asked. Chu Tang ignored her. She quickly stood up, opened the office door, and walked out. Outside the office of the firm's director. Chu Tang knocked lightly. "Come in." Chu Tang got straight to the point: "Director, I want to resign." The director was taken aback. "What's wrong? Why would you resign on the first day back after the New Year?" Last time, when Chu Tang went on a business trip with the director to Nancheng, she casually won the Tenghua Group's ten-year case representation contract and legal counsel contract with a simple bet. In his eyes, she was now a money tree and a cash cow—there was no way he'd let her leave easily. Chu Tang didn't beat around the bush either. She said directly, "Xu Jingxuan and I have personal grievances. I refuse to work for her." These non-independent lawyers at the firm might look glamorous, but at the end of the day, they were still employees—working for the firm. Every case these lawyers handled came with a cut taken by the firm, and those cuts ultimately went to the partners and investors as dividends. So no matter how many cases Chu Tang handled, she was still just an employee. She hadn't cared about that before—she'd come here to hone her skills. But now things were different. With Xu Jingxuan as one of the bosses, every case she handled from now on would be working for Xu Jingxuan. And knowing Xu Jingxuan's nature, she would definitely make trouble for her. She didn't want to stay here and make her own life miserable. When the director heard that Ruan Chutang and Xu Jingxuan had a grudge, his head started spinning. Xu Jingxuan had thrown in an investment of eighty million at the drop of a hat. With such a deep-pocketed partner, he'd been waking up laughing in his dreams every night. Besides, Xu Jingxuan was the adopted daughter of the Jiang family. If they could establish a connection with the Jiang family through her, the law firm would not only secure its position as the top firm in Jiangcheng but might even have a shot at becoming number one nationwide. However, Ruan Chutang had just secured the firm's biggest case in history, and he was reluctant to let her go. "Director, no need to deliberate. My mind is made up. I'll hand over my work to my colleagues over the next few days." "Xiao Ruan, are you sure you won't reconsider? Our Shengke is the top firm in Jiangcheng. Both our compensation and career prospects far surpass other firms. Once you leave Shengke, it'll be hard to find a job this good." Chu Tang gently shook her head. "I won't reconsider." She had already made up her mind. After leaving Shengke, she would start her own law firm. Having gained enough experience over the past six months or so, she planned to use her resources and connections to recruit top-tier lawyers and top graduates from prestigious universities. She was confident she could surpass Shengke and lead her firm to the top position in Jiangcheng. In the past, she had been arrogant and self-assured, believing she could succeed without relying on her family's resources and connections. But reality had dealt her a harsh blow. In this society, trying to rise through sheer merit alone without family background, resources, or connections was incredibly difficult—especially when she had a formidable rival like the Jiang family's adopted daughter backing her opponent. Chu Tang had come to her senses. Building her career was what truly mattered. ...... Three days later, Chu Tang finished handing over her work and officially resigned from Shengke. Yu Jiaojiao was reluctant to see her go, her eyes reddening. "Lawyer Ruan, are you really leaving?" Chu Tang smiled and hugged Yu Jiaojiao, whispering in her ear, "I'm starting my own practice. Once you get your lawyer's license, you're welcome to join me." Yu Jiaojiao's eyes lit up, and her tears instantly receded. "Great! I'll definitely come!" "I'll be waiting for you." Chu Tang patted Yu Jiaojiao's shoulder and smiled at her. "Soon you'll be a lawyer too. Lawyer Yu, I look forward to having you on board."