Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Lu Shuci's Concern At the Jiang family's old residence. In the first-floor hall. Lin Yueying, upon hearing that Ruan Jiaojiao had returned safely, finally broke into a smile she hadn't worn in a long time. "It's good that she's back. It's good that she's back." Jiang Yi's brow relaxed as he asked, "What did the Ruan family say?" Jiang Shixu's expression remained unchanged, his tone calm as he replied, "Nothing much." Lin Yueying was taken aback. "I'll go visit Jiaojiao at the Ruan family tomorrow. I'll buy some proper gifts and apologize to Ruan Shaodong and his wife. After all, Jiaojiao was kidnapped because of our family." Upon hearing this, Elder Mrs. Jiang gave a cold snort and pursed her lips in displeasure. "There's no need for that. Didn't the girl come back safe and sound? Nothing happened to her. Why go crawling and groveling like that? Yueying, you are the madam of the Jiang family. Your status is what it is. You need to understand that every word and action of yours represents the Jiang family. Don't do things that lower your standing." Lin Yueying frowned. "Mother, how is this lowering our standing? When something like this happens, if we just ignore it, that would be the truly improper thing to do." Jiang Shixu said, "Grandmother, this kidnapping has caused Jiaojiao severe psychological trauma. Her mental state is very unstable right now." The implication was clear—Ruan Jiaojiao was hardly "back safe and sound," and the Jiang family bore responsibility for this matter. "Heh." Displeasure filled Elder Mrs. Jiang's eyes. "Isn't she just a little frightened? It's normal for a child with timid nerves to get scared. She'll be fine in a few days. Don't make such a fuss over nothing." Lin Yueying's brow remained furrowed as she looked from Elder Mrs. Jiang to Jiang Shixu, appearing as though she wanted to say something but held back. Jiang Shixu remained as indifferent as ever, as if he hadn't heard his grandmother's sarcastic remarks at all. He simply turned to Lin Yueying and said, "If you want to visit Jiaojiao, you should let Uncle Ruan or Aunt Yang know in advance and ask for their opinion. Jiaojiao is receiving psychological treatment at home right now, so she may not be able to receive visitors." Lin Yueying nodded. "Alright." Seeing herself being ignored, Elder Mrs. Jiang's face darkened with displeasure. "Shixu, are you deliberately going against your grandmother?" Jiang Shixu's thin lips parted slightly. "How could I? You consider yourself too dignified to visit the Ruan family—that's your prerogative. I can't control you, can I?" "Are you really not understanding me, or are you pretending not to?" Elder Mrs. Jiang then turned to her daughter-in-law Lin Yueying. "And you're not allowed to go either!" "Mother..." Lin Yueying looked troubled. "Brother, please don't argue with Grandmother..." Xu Jingxuan said in a soft voice. Jiang Shixu didn't even glance at Xu Jingxuan. He stood up and said, "I still have things to do. I'll be going now." With that, he turned and left. "Brother—" Xu Jingxuan called out to his retreating figure. "Look at him! What kind of behavior is that!" Elder Mrs. Jiang was furious. "Mother, I should be going too." Lin Yueying glanced at Elder Mrs. Jiang's expression and softened her voice, speaking placatingly. "Please calm down." Elder Mrs. Jiang looked coldly at Lin Yueying. "Calm down? If you didn't make me angry, I wouldn't need to calm down, would I?" Lin Yueying was left speechless, letting out a silent sigh. "Grandmother, try the tea Xuanxuan brewed—Pre-rain Longjing, your favorite." Xu Jingxuan picked up the teacup and handed it to Elder Mrs. Jiang. "See if my tea ceremony skills have improved." Elder Mrs. Jiang took a sip, and her expression softened somewhat. "Xuanxuan is still the one who knows how to be considerate." Lin Yueying glanced at Xu Jingxuan but said nothing, turning to leave. Jiang Yi had never had much say in this household, and since the troublemaker this time was his illegitimate son, he had even less face to speak up. He played deaf and dumb to the smoke and fire between Elder Mrs. Jiang and Jiang Shixu, pretending he hadn't heard a thing. He took a sip of tea, made a few token remarks, and left as well. ... During the law firm meeting, Chu Tang was somewhat distracted. After the meeting ended, she returned to her office to organize her materials. Before long, a knock sounded at the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Lu Shuci appeared at the entrance. "Lawyer Ruan, may I come in?" Chu Tang nodded. "Please, come in." Lu Shuci walked in. Chu Tang asked, "Are you here to discuss the Hengyang case? I was just about to go find you. That case counts as a difficult one—I'd like to hear your thoughts." Hengyang was a biotechnology company whose CEO was an old friend of Ruan Shaodong's. Shortly after Chu Tang's law firm opened, Hengyang had commissioned several cases. Among them was one with a very complex legal relationship and incomplete evidence—litigating it would carry significant risk. But Lu Shuci shook his head and said, "I'm not here about the Hengyang case." Chu Tang looked up, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. "Then why?" "Have you had something on your mind lately?" Chu Tang paused. "You noticed?" "Mhm." Lu Shuci smiled. "You keep zoning out. You might as well have 'I have something on my mind' written all over your face." Chu Tang pressed her lips together. "Is it really that obvious?" "Very obvious." "Alright." Chu Tang lowered her eyelashes, sounding a bit subdued. "Something happened at home recently." Lu Shuci's gaze deepened with concern. "May I ask what happened?" Chu Tang thought for a moment, then said, "Something happened to my younger sister. Her mental state is very poor right now, and I'm really worried about her." "I know the most authoritative and professional psychiatrist in the country," Lu Shuci said. "Maybe they could help." "Not for now, thank you." Chu Tang shook her head. "We already have a psychiatrist providing in-home treatment. We'll see how it goes for a while—if it doesn't work out, I'll reach out to you. Thanks, Lawyer Lu." Lu Shuci's gaze softened. "Don't stand on ceremony with me." "After all, I'm one of the partners, so technically I'm one of the firm's bosses." Lu Shuci smiled, joking, "If you're not in good shape and it affects your work, and we lose the case and can't collect the final payment, I'd be the one taking the loss." Chu Tang knew he was joking and smiled back. "Don't worry, Boss Lu. I won't let you take a loss. I may be worried, but my professional competence is beyond question." She picked up a judgment document and waved it at Lu Shuci. "See, I just received another winning judgment. The court ruled in our favor on all claims, and the final payment of 150,000 yuan in legal fees just came through." Lu Shuci's eyes curved into a smile. "Impressive, as expected of Lawyer Ruan." Chu Tang's mood lifted a little, and she joked, "Don't worry, working with me won't leave you eating wind." Lu Shuci's eyes sparkled with amusement, his tone gentle. "Good." Soon it was time to leave for the day. The firm's staff filed out one by one. Chu Tang finished organizing her case files, turned off the lights in her office, closed the door, and headed out of the firm. "Lawyer Ruan." Lu Shuci called out. Chu Tang turned to look. "What's up?" Lu Shuci walked over, his long, handsome eyes smiling behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "Weren't you going to discuss the Hengyang case with me? There's a new Western restaurant nearby—a friend told me the food is pretty good. How about we talk over dinner?" Chu Tang paused for a moment. "Sure." Even though work hours were over, Chu Tang didn't mind discussing work with Lu Shuci after hours. After all, she wasn't working for someone else—this was her own law firm, and the Hengyang case was one she was handling personally. She was genuinely grateful that Lu Shuci was willing to sacrifice his own rest time to discuss the case with her. Chu Tang smiled and said, "This meal's on me, Lawyer Lu. Consider it a thank-you for helping me analyze the case." "Sure." Lu Shuci didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed. Chu Tang pressed the elevator button, and Lu Shuci stood quietly beside her, waiting.