Chapter 133

Chapter 133: Speak of the Devil Chu Tang had been very busy lately. Busy scouting locations and recruiting people. After looking around, she eventually rented an entire floor in an office building in the most bustling area of Jiangcheng's city center to serve as the premises for her law firm. Chu Tang named her firm Huayue Law Firm. According to legal regulations, partners of a law firm must be lawyers with more than three years of practice experience. Chu Tang had already accumulated three years of practice experience in Haicheng before, and after returning to Jiangcheng, she had practiced at Shengke for another six months. However, finding several other partners was not such an easy task. Her cousin Su Yu had previously introduced her to many renowned senior lawyers in Jiangcheng, but most of these lawyers had already branched out on their own, running their own firms and serving as their own partners. The law stipulated that a lawyer could not practice at two law firms simultaneously, nor could they serve as a partner at two law firms at the same time. So finding partners had become the foremost challenge during this period. ... That day, Chu Tang was having afternoon tea with her two best friends at Bvlgari. Zhou Xueluo, upon hearing that Chu Tang was preparing to establish her own firm, introduced someone to her. "Do you remember Lu Shuci?" Zhou Xueluo said. "Same year as us, from the law school next door." Ruan Chutang, Chen Yuanyuan, and Zhou Xueluo had all attended Jiangcheng University, a top-tier 985 institution in the country. Jiangcheng University of Political Science and Law, located right next door, was a 211 university and ranked second among law-focused schools in the country, second only to Kyoto University of Political Science and Law. Ruan Chutang said, "Lu Shuci? The name sounds familiar, but I can't quite recall." Chen Yuanyuan slapped the table. "You don't know Lu Shuci? He was the campus heartthrob of the neighboring school! Back then, students from both schools would privately compare him to Jiang Shixu all the time. How do you not know him?" Chu Tang searched her memory for a moment, then shrugged. "I really can't remember. You know I don't care about those things and I don't like socializing. What does a campus heartthrob have to do with me?" "True enough. Back then you were like a bookworm, completely devoted to your studies. While others were dating on weekends, you were holed up in the library. You rejected every guy who confessed to you—didn't even have a single relationship in all four years of college." Chen Yuanyuan shook her head helplessly. "Tell me, why did you work so hard? Your family wealth could last you several lifetimes." Zhou Xueluo smiled gently. "Tangtang has her own aspirations. She's not interested in business; she's determined to become a great lawyer." "But speaking of which, Lu Shuci really does have some looks on him. I actually had a crush on him for a while back then, but unfortunately he had zero interest in me." Chen Yuanyuan sighed. "After my confession was rejected, I was depressed for three whole days." Chu Tang glanced at her with a smile. "Huh? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?" "So embarrassing." Chen Yuanyuan muttered. "Of course I couldn't let you guys know about getting rejected. But the girls who confessed to Lu Shuci could line up from the school gate all the way to France. Getting rejected by him isn't shameful at all." Chu Tang teased her with a laugh. "Aren't you contradicting yourself? One moment you say it's embarrassing, the next you say it's not." "Ugh, you're so annoying." Chen Yuanyuan laughed and swatted at Chu Tang. "Don't be so nitpicky." "Let me show you his photo. He's really handsome! Don't blame me for liking him—those girls comparing him to Jiang Shixu weren't wrong. After all these years, among everyone I know, only Lu Shuci's looks can match Jiang Shixu's." "Ahem, Yuanyuan." Zhou Xueluo glanced at Chu Tang and coughed to hint that Chen Yuanyuan shouldn't mention certain people. Chen Yuanyuan waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, it's fine. It's been so long since they broke up. Our Tangtang doesn't care anymore, right, Tangtang?" Chu Tang smiled somewhat helplessly. "I've moved on, but right now I just want to focus on my career. I'm not interested in men." "No worries, let me show you his photo. Maybe you'll become interested." "You still have his photos saved?" Zhou Xueluo asked in surprise. Chen Yuanyuan scrolled through her phone as she answered, "No, back in college I had them saved on my phone and they auto-synced to Baidu Cloud. I'm too lazy to clean out my Baidu Cloud, so I can scroll back and find them." Chu Tang laughed. "That's one way to do it." A few minutes later, Chen Yuanyuan found Lu Shuci's photo and handed her phone over to Ruan Chutang. "Here, this is Lu Shuci. What do you think? Handsome, right?" Chu Tang lowered her gaze to look at the photo. The background appeared to be a library. The young man sat by the window, head bowed as he read a book, with bookshelves piled full of books behind him. The orange-red sunlight fell upon him, delicately tracing his deep, well-defined features—sharp brows, bright eyes, and a high-bridged nose. His looks were undeniably impressive. Chu Tang stared at the photo, slightly dazed. She felt like she had seen this person somewhere before. There was an indescribable sense of familiarity. Zhou Xueluo also leaned over. "How do you have this photo? Isn't this the library at the University of Political Science and Law? Have you been there?" Chen Yuanyuan: "No, I saved it from the confession wall of the neighboring school. A girl took this photo and posted it on the confession wall to find him." "So, Tangtang? Are you interested after seeing the photo? With a face like his, it's such a waste for him to be a lawyer—he should be a celebrity. Calling it a sculpted face isn't an exaggeration at all." Chu Tang smiled. "I told you, I'm not interested in men right now." Just as she finished speaking, a pleasant male voice chimed in, "That's a pity." Chu Tang followed the voice and looked over, momentarily stunned. Zhou Xueluo and Chen Yuanyuan also turned to look. "Damn! Speak of the devil and he shall appear—this is insane!" Chen Yuanyuan widened her eyes in shock. Zhou Xueluo smiled and greeted politely, "What a coincidence." The man wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp dark gray suit, looking dashing and handsome. As he approached, he smiled slightly. "I had a client meeting nearby. Just finished, and when I saw you all here, I thought I'd come over and say hi." "What a stroke of luck!" Chen Yuanyuan winked at Chu Tang. Chu Tang raised a polite smile and extended her hand to greet Lu Shuci. "Hello, I'm Ruan Chutang." Lu Shuci shook hands with Chu Tang. "Hello, I'm Lu Shuci." Zhou Xueluo said with a smile, "I was just about to introduce you two when you showed up." Lu Shuci smiled softly and asked, "Do you mind if I sit here?" Chen Yuanyuan: "Sit wherever you like." Chen Yuanyuan sat in the middle, with Ruan Chutang and Zhou Xueluo on her left and right respectively. Lu Shuci pulled out a chair and sat down beside Ruan Chutang, asking them, "What were you all just talking about?" "About you," Chen Yuanyuan said. Zhou Xueluo said, "Tangtang is planning to open a law firm recently. I was thinking of introducing you two. If I remember correctly, you've been practicing for over three years now, right? Are you interested in becoming a partner?" Upon hearing this, Lu Shuci looked at Ruan Chutang, his eyes curving slightly, his voice gentle. "May I?" Chu Tang looked at that face, and that sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.