Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Then Can We Be Friends? Shu Mingyue was so warm and sincere that Chu Tang ultimately accepted the gift. "Thank you, Miss Shu." A smile curled at the corners of Shu Mingyue's lips, radiant and captivating. "Calling me Miss Shu is too formal. We've been through life-and-death together—just call me Mingyue from now on." Chu Tang couldn't help but laugh. So sudden? Seeing that Chu Tang hadn't called her by name, Shu Mingyue let out a mock-indignant "hmph." "Is it because we're rivals in love that you won't say it?" Her demeanor was very different from before. Especially that "hmph"—it carried a hint of coyness, a stark contrast to her usual image as a domineering female CEO. Chu Tang saw sincerity in Shu Mingyue's eyes. She tried opening her mouth and called out, "Mingyue." The smile in Shu Mingyue's eyes deepened, and she called back "Chu Tang" with a lifted corner of her mouth. It was a strange feeling. Could rivals in love actually get along like this? Quite refreshing. Chu Tang smiled. "Thank you for the gift. I really like it." "I'm glad you like it." Shu Mingyue beamed. "I was worried you might not think much of it." Chu Tang said, "I thought you came to talk to me about the case." "What's there to talk about? I've already said everything I needed to say. I believe in your abilities—go get 'em." "Okay." In truth, Chu Tang had already seen it from the Xiang Qian incident—Shu Mingyue was actually very simple and kind at heart. Shu Mingyue gave her whole heart to her friends, only to be betrayed in return. Honestly, Chu Tang felt sympathy for her. But considering Shu Mingyue's pride, she kept that sympathy hidden. Someone as proud as Shu Mingyue surely wouldn't want to see pity in others' eyes. Chu Tang never expected Shu Mingyue to take the initiative to befriend her. "Then can we be friends?" Shu Mingyue asked with complete sincerity. Chu Tang was taken aback for a moment. Shu Mingyue lowered her head dejectedly. "You don't want to?" "No." Chu Tang took Shu Mingyue's hand. "It's not that I don't want to—I'm just a bit surprised. I didn't react in time." "So that means you agree?" Surprise flickered in Shu Mingyue's eyes. Chu Tang nodded. "That's wonderful." A bright smile spread across Shu Mingyue's face. Chu Tang's mood lifted along with it. "But there's something I need to make clear." Shu Mingyue turned serious. "Even though we're friends now, I'm still not giving up on A Xu. We can compete fairly." Seeing how earnest she looked, Chu Tang couldn't help but laugh. "I never even thought about competing with you." Shu Mingyue shot her a look. "Oh, what's that saying again—the favored one always acts with impunity. Tsk tsk, you're so bold just because you know he loves you." Chu Tang lowered her eyes, the smile fading from her lips. Her voice was soft, carrying a sense of helplessness. "I'm not acting with impunity. He and I... we truly can't go back." Shu Mingyue looked at Chu Tang's dejected expression and unexpectedly felt a pang of regret. She was startled by her own thought. She must be crazy! Shouldn't she be happy? Why would she feel regret? Shu Mingyue quickly shook her head, trying to shake the absurd thought out of her mind. Chu Tang couldn't help but laugh at her head-shaking. "What are you doing?" "I must be going crazy..." Shu Mingyue laughed. "I just thought it was a shame about you and A Xu." Chu Tang: "..." "Yeah, you really are crazy..." ... On the last day of May, Chu Tang flew to Haicheng. She had come to Haicheng to work after a falling-out with her family, and she'd met a girl while renting an apartment. The girl's name was Yang Mengyuan. She was Chu Tang's neighbor, worked in sales, and had a lively, outgoing personality—warm and friendly, the type to get chummy right away. Chu Tang remembered that day she'd forgotten her keys when leaving the house. She called the landlady, who said she was picking up her daughter from school and asked Chu Tang to wait. So she stood by the door waiting. Yang Mengyuan lived right across from Chu Tang. Seeing Chu Tang waiting outside, she asked warmly, "Hey, did you forget your keys?" Chu Tang nodded. "Yeah, the landlady has a spare. I just called her, but she's busy and asked me to wait half an hour." Yang Mengyuan asked, "Want to come sit at my place?" Back then, their work schedules were about the same, so they ran into each other almost every day. After Yang Mengyuan took the initiative to greet Chu Tang a few times, they got acquainted. But it was only a nodding acquaintance—not really close. Chu Tang went to Yang Mengyuan's rental and sat for a while. Yang Mengyuan washed some fruit for her and chatted with her for a bit. After that, the two grew closer. On weekends they'd make plans to eat out and go shopping together. It was fair to say Yang Mengyuan was the first friend Chu Tang made in Haicheng. But later, Yang Mengyuan went back to her hometown to get married and have kids, and Chu Tang never saw her again. Still, they occasionally chatted on WeChat. This time, Chu Tang went to Haicheng specifically to see Yang Mengyuan. A few days earlier, Yang Mengyuan had suddenly reached out to Chu Tang, asking if she could help with a lawsuit. After asking for more details, Chu Tang learned that Yang Mengyuan's husband had gone into business with two brothers from the same village who he had grown up with. They had invested over two hundred thousand yuan—all the savings the couple had accumulated over the past few years. Later, one of the men ran off with the money. They reported it to the police and found him, but by then he had already squandered it all. Yang Mengyuan and her husband wanted to sue the man to get their money back. The case wasn't particularly complicated. When they had first decided to go into business together, the three of them had signed a contract and pressed their fingerprints in black and white. The transfers had gone through the bank, and all the transaction records were there—the evidence was complete. But it wasn't simple either. The man had spent all the money and was now unemployed with no source of income. Even if the court ruled in Yang Mengyuan's husband's favor, the defendant had no money to his name, making it very difficult to recover the funds even at the enforcement stage. Yang Mengyuan was sobbing uncontrollably on the phone, begging Chu Tang to help her. Yang Mengyuan lived in a village under a county town in Haicheng. She didn't have many connections, and among the people she knew, Chu Tang was the only lawyer who could help. She had no choice but to turn to Chu Tang. Chu Tang had always been clear about favors and grievances. For those who were kind to her, she repaid even the smallest kindness with overwhelming gratitude. That day when she had forgotten her keys, Yang Mengyuan's simple act of kindness had stayed with her for a long time. So Chu Tang brought A Wen to the village where Yang Mengyuan lived. The village was over twenty kilometers from downtown Haicheng, in a very remote location. Yang Mengyuan's house was a three-story self-built rural home. When Chu Tang and A Wen arrived, Yang Mengyuan's family greeted them with great warmth. Unfortunately, on the day Chu Tang was about to leave, a torrential rainstorm broke out.