Chapter 8

Chapter 8: She Only Felt Relief A year ago, Xiao Xiao broke up with her boyfriend. The boyfriend presented her with an itemized bill demanding repayment, which showed that over their two-plus years of dating, he had transferred over fifty thousand yuan to her. Xiao Xiao refused to pay, and her boyfriend sued her. She came to the law firm seeking help. At the time, all the other lawyers were out in court—only Ruan Chutang was there. "That's not how it was at all." Xiao Xiao sobbed between hiccups. "We lived together for two years. From the very beginning, we agreed to split rent, utilities, and living expenses fifty-fifty. He said he'd transfer me two thousand a month to cover his share of rent, utilities, and living costs, and I'd also put in two thousand for our joint expenses." "I didn't think much of it back then and just did what he said. But who knew that after we broke up, he'd demand the money back, claiming those transfers were gifts made with the intention of marriage, so I should return them since we split up." "But that money was clearly for daily expenses—how could it be gifts? Over the two years, the gifts he gave me didn't even total five hundred yuan. How does he have the nerve to sue me? Wuwuwu..." "That two thousand a month was still living expenses my parents gave me. I'm a college student—where am I supposed to find fifty thousand yuan to pay him back? And I don't dare tell my parents. If they found out I was renting a place and living with a guy during college, my dad would beat me to death. Sister, please help me. I'm truly at my wit's end..." Ironic, really—Xiao Xiao was a law student, yet she'd fallen for a scumbag's scheme. A girl with a love-struck heart running into a scumbag gets fleeced down to her last pair of underwear. Ruan Chutang let out a helpless sigh, deeply sympathetic to the girl before her. By normal standards, lawyers generally wouldn't take cases from clients who couldn't even afford legal fees. But Ruan Chutang was different. Not only did she take the case, she even lent Xiao Xiao money to cover the legal fees. At the time, Chutang thought that Xiao Xiao's situation was already dire enough—if no one gave her a hand, she feared Xiao Xiao might do something rash out of despair. Legal fees weren't paid directly to the representing lawyer; the client transferred them to the firm, which then paid the lawyer's salary. Ruan Chutang had just started practicing back then, working as a salaried lawyer at the firm earning only seven thousand a month. Without a second thought, she added Xiao Xiao on WeChat and lent her the money to pay the fees. After taking the case, Ruan Chutang put in considerable effort to obtain key evidence and won the lawsuit. Xiao Xiao was both impressed and grateful, and the moment she graduated from university, she came to the firm to work as Chutang's assistant. Now, with red-rimmed eyes, Xiao Xiao asked, "Sister Chutang, my license is already registered here so I can't leave yet. Once my internship period is up, can I come find you?" Ruan Chutang was stunned for a moment, not expecting Xiao Xiao to ask that. Then, with a gentle smile, she replied, "Of course you can. My home is in Jiangcheng. If you ever want to come and join me, just contact me directly." "That's wonderful!" Xiao Xiao's tears turned into a smile. "Sister, I'm sticking with you for life! Wherever you go, I'll follow. You can't abandon your little shadow." "How could I ever." At the law firm director's office. The director was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He looked at the resignation letter with confusion. "Chutang, why the sudden resignation? Have you run into some difficulties at work?" Ruan Chutang shook her head. "No, Director. It's something at home—I have to go back. I know resignations should be announced a month in advance, but this came up suddenly and I didn't anticipate it. I'm sorry." Ruan Chutang added, "The handover is mostly done. I still have one case with a second-instance hearing in ten days. Once the hearing is over, I'll be heading home. I wanted to let you know in advance." The director was silent for a moment, then replied, "Since that's the case, alright then. Wishing you a bright future." Ruan Chutang walked out of the law firm and wandered aimlessly down the street. Night had fallen, streetlights were coming on, and the evening breeze rustled through the treetops. A sudden sense of loneliness welled up in Ruan Chutang's heart. She was about to leave this city she'd lived in for three years. She remembered when she first arrived in Haicheng—her bank cards had all been frozen by Ruan Shaodong, and she only had a few thousand yuan in spare change on WeChat. She stayed in a hotel for three days. During those three days, she found a job and rented a cheap apartment near the law firm. Rent and deposit were paid on a one-month deposit, three-months-upfront basis. After paying, she was nearly penniless and only survived thanks to support from her best friend back in Jiangcheng. The cheap apartment complex was a mixed bag of people, and public security was poor. Not long after she moved in, a drunk came banging on her door. Every night in the dead of night, she'd hide under her blanket, trembling in fear, not daring to open the door. When she reported it to the landlord, the landlord said there was nothing he could do. Left with no choice, she had to move, and the unscrupulous landlord maliciously withheld her deposit. At first, she politely asked for the deposit back, but the crooked landlord not only refused to return it—he hurled abuse at her with all kinds of foul language. In a fit of anger, she called "12366" to report the landlord for not issuing invoices and evading taxes, then called "96119" to report fire safety violations. That wasn't enough—she immediately went to court to sue for breach of contract and defamation, throwing the landlord into complete disarray. Before the court had even accepted the case, the unscrupulous landlord had already returned her deposit. She withdrew the breach of contract lawsuit but insisted on keeping the defamation suit. In the end, the landlord lost the defamation case and was ordered to pay her compensation. Thinking back on this, Chutang suddenly smiled. That had probably been the most humiliating period of her life. Later, she heard from the girl who had lived next door that the drunkard had been beaten up shortly after she moved out—probably for messing with someone he shouldn't have. The unscrupulous landlord had also vanished without a trace since then. She simply felt it was karma. On the day she first met Gu Zechuan, she was still a trainee lawyer, accompanying a senior lawyer from her firm to a small company under the Gu Group to discuss the signing of a legal counsel contract. That day, Gu Zechuan happened to be inspecting that company. According to him, it was love at first sight for him. Afterward, Gu Zechuan pursued her relentlessly, paying attention to every detail and providing ample emotional support. During that time, he always appeared when she needed him most. After they got together, Gu Zechuan treated her well too. They did share a sweet period together. The turning point came on the night of their first anniversary. They had both had a bit to drink. Gu Zechuan wanted to take things all the way. He walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and lowered his head to kiss her lips. In a panic, she shoved him away forcefully. Gu Zechuan looked hurt, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Why?" She was so nervous she stammered, "I... I'm not ready yet. Give me... give me some time." After that, Gu Zechuan wasn't as good to her as before. Later on, she still wasn't ready to go all the way with Gu Zechuan, and she wouldn't even kiss him. She couldn't quite explain why. Maybe it was because this was her first relationship and she didn't want things to move so fast. Or maybe it was because she knew Gu Zechuan had kissed many women and slept with many women, and subconsciously she found him dirty—her body couldn't accept it. Whatever the reason, looking back now, she only felt relief. Back at the villa, Gu Zechuan wasn't there. Ruan Chutang took a shower and fell into a deep sleep. Ten more days, and she could leave this place. How wonderful.