Chapter 36 - 1#

When Catherine handed me that folder, I was momentarily stunned. Catherine, however, seemed to hold back, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. “Ren, you can think it over. It’s actually a pretty good opportunity.”

The United States is a country that values law, and competition in the legal profession is fierce. To build a career, besides relying on ability, connections are also crucial. There aren’t many successful examples like Catherine, who started from scratch and made a name for herself.

Becoming Du Yijie’s exclusive legal counsel would indeed be a good path. Catherine was right—it was a great opportunity.

But when I held that folder in my hands, I had an illusion of being unable to breathe.

Catherine glanced at me, reached out and firmly grasped my hand, and said softly, “Ren, you don’t have to answer right away. Think it over carefully. If you truly feel you can’t serve Mr. Du, no one will force you…”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” I interrupted her, lowering my eyes for a moment. “I… I just need a moment to process it. Give me some time. I’m sorry.”

Catherine nodded, then frowned. “Ren, did something happen?”

“Nothing…”

I shook my head, stood up from my seat, and forced a smile. “I’ll go take care of things first.”

“Ren.” Catherine called me back, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly. “Don’t forget your agreement with Judy.”

My expression relaxed a bit. Maybe it was because of Zhang Ting’s influence, but I scratched my head. “Is the little princess mad?”

“Mhm.” Catherine lifted her chin. “Judy said she won’t share the next batch of cookies with Uncle Ren. What do you think?”

I smiled, planning to pick up Judy after work with Catherine.

But just as I was making that plan, my phone rang.

[Little Qi.]

Hearing Du Yijie’s voice after a few days suddenly felt like a long-lost reunion. My palms were slightly sweaty.

[Little Qi, are you free tonight? I’d like to have dinner with you.]

I could vaguely see my reflection on the office desk. I wiped my face with the back of my hand; it felt a bit warm.

[Little Qi, why aren’t you saying anything?]

I dazedly hummed in response, then heard Du Yijie say softly—[Say something. I want to hear your voice.] [What should I say? That you like me? Huh?] I grew even more silent, while Du Yijie laughed on the other end.

Anyway, when I left work on time, as soon as I stepped out of the building, I saw Du Yijie’s usual black car. He was standing outside, dressed in a sharp suit, looking strikingly handsome from a distance and attracting many glances. I pinched my nose, forced myself to stay calm, and walked over to him. When Du Yijie saw me, he stubbed out his cigarette and smiled at me.

Du Yijie said, “What do you want to eat?” He spun the steering wheel with one hand and glanced at me sideways.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth. “How about a Chinese restaurant? The one I usually go to. The food is pretty good.”

At a large round table, it was just the two of us, but he had ordered enough to cover the whole table.

When the waiter brought out a steamed carp, Du Yijie picked up a piece, put it on a plate, carefully removed the bones, and then pushed the plate in front of me. “You’ve only been gone a few days, and you’ve already lost weight. Eat more.”

“But this is way too much…”

Du Yijie said, “I thought you were too thin before. When I held you the other day, your bones really stuck out.”

I looked up, my chopsticks holding a piece of beef still in mid-air. Du Yijie continued, unfazed, “You were better when you were a little chubby. It was nice and snug holding you.”

I lowered my head to drink some soup but ended up choking, coughing until my face was as red as a monkey’s butt.

When we came out of the restaurant, a few steps from the entrance were two ragged children. One of them was wearing a large hat that covered most of their face. When they turned and saw us come out, the child pulled up the younger sibling sitting on the ground, and they trotted over. The older one took off the hat. It was a girl. She held the hat out toward me.

I was stunned for a moment before I understood. I reached into my pocket, but before I could pull anything out, a bill suddenly appeared and slipped into the old hat. The girl looked down, startled, then looked up, full of joy, and said, “Thank you!” before pulling her younger sibling and running off quickly, gradually disappearing from sight.

Du Yijie watched, lost in thought. It wasn’t until we were sitting in the car that he spoke. “When I was little, there was a really hard time. My sister used to take me out begging too.”

I paused.

Du Yijie shook his head and smiled.

“Later, Uncle Han found us, and things got a little better, but honestly, not by much. My sister still had to go out to find work. It was only after I started working for him that life finally stopped being so hard.”

Du Yijie rarely mentioned his own past. As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed my hand, sighing. “I know I’m not a good person. I’ve suffered a lot before, so when I find something good, I want to hold on tight.”

He lifted my hand, slowly brought it to his lips, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Little Qi, do you know? I never thought I’d meet you again. Back then… I felt I wasn’t good enough for you. Do you understand that feeling?”

I nodded and hummed in agreement. Du Yijie, as if intoxicated, kissed my palm and slowly opened his eyes.

“But it’s different now, Little Qi.”

Du Yijie asked, “Little Qi, how do you feel about me?”

I was speechless. I looked up at him, but he didn’t give me a chance to answer. He just said, “No matter what, give me a chance.”

“You’ll find out that I’m actually the best person for you.”

As he said this, his expression darkened a little, but his eyes seemed to flicker.

I spent the whole night thinking about things, and I drifted off into a dream without realizing it—under the big tree that afternoon, little chubby me was reading a book, and the teenage Du Yijie sat beside me, occasionally glancing up at me with a faint smile, poking my cheek with his finger.

It felt so unreal, like it had never happened.

So when I woke up, I looked at the folder I had brought back and casually tossed on the table, feeling a bit lost.

In the morning, I told Catherine what I thought. I actually believed that Counselor Cambella from the same firm was more suited for the job. This wasn’t a game; I thought I was better off doing small tasks like organizing files, earning a steady salary, and saving up enough to go on a solo trip during the year-end holidays.

Catherine sighed. “Mr. Du will be very disappointed.”

I didn’t comment. Not long after I walked out of the office, Catherine came out herself with the folder, placed it in front of me, and shrugged with a helpless smile. “My dear Ren, Mr. Du said he hopes you’ll reject him in person.”

And the meeting place was set at that club—the place where Du Yijie and I had accidentally met after ten years apart.

I had complicated feelings about that place. The last time I came with Cheng Chen, it was out of necessity, and I ended up getting hurt. I never expected that the club’s secret owner was Du Yijie. I pushed the door open nervously, and a waiter was about to greet me. I blushed, avoiding the ambiguous gazes of the seductive women, and handed the business card Catherine had given me to the waiter.

The waiter glanced at it, nodded, and bowed even more respectfully. “Sir, this way, please.”

I didn’t look around much. The waiter led me to an elevator. Surprised, I followed him in. He took out a platinum card, inserted it into a slot on the elevator button panel, and the gold-embossed doors closed. He pressed the fifth floor, the highest one, then turned to look at me with a professional smile.

“Is this your first time here, sir?”

I hesitated and hummed in response. The waiter didn’t say much, only adding, “Have a pleasant time.”

Huh…?

“Ding—”

When the doors opened, I was stunned.

I could only say that the scene before me was a world apart from the building’s exterior. It was like a hidden paradise behind a facade—luxuriously decorated, with a hazy, dim atmosphere and an ambiguous pink hue. The large space was scattered with many people, all impeccably dressed. Even the waiters were sharply attired, with gold glinting on their collar clips.

I stood there dazedly until someone suddenly called out, snapping me back to reality.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” The newcomer wore a black shirt, his bow tie undone, his eyebrows raised. A-De walked over to me, waved the waiter away, and turned to me. “You’re here to see Brother Du? He just had something to take care of; he left just before you came.”

“Then… I’ll come back when he’s here…” A-De was exhaling smoke in front of me, and I squinted uncomfortably. He suddenly threw his arm around my shoulder and laughed, “Since you’re already here, why rush off? You think this place is easy to get into? Come on, have a drink before you go.”

I couldn’t refuse, and he dragged me toward the center of the room.

In the center was a large stage with a dazzling crystal chandelier that was almost blinding. The stage lights were dim. A-De pulled me onto a sofa, and a waiter immediately served drinks.

“I must say, you have great timing. The show’s about to start.” He took out a cigarette case, put one in his mouth, bent down to light it, and then moved the case closer to me. I shook my head to refuse. A-De chuckled and put the case away. “Right, you’ve always been a good boy. Brother Du likes you clean like that.”

I lowered my head and glanced around. I noticed that the crowd included many prominent political figures, puffing on cigars, surrounded by graceful, seductive women. There were also quite a few androgynous-looking boys mixed in. It was a scene of pure indulgence and decadence.

I felt extremely uncomfortable and didn’t dare to look around. A-De laughed again and nudged my shoulder. “Don’t be so tense. Since you’re already sitting, just relax.” He handed me a glass of red wine, which glowed with an eerie red under the dim light.

“This is a place for people to unwind.” A-De took a sip, his smile turning cold. “As long as you have money, anyone can come in and have fun. This is what we do. And this is just Brother Du’s smallest business.”

The crystal chandelier suddenly dimmed, and the stage lit up with multicolored lights. I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes. Through the haze of smoke, I seemed to see a slender figure—bare back exposed, wearing a tight silver dance outfit, slowly swaying with a waist like a water snake.

Her long hair flowed like a stream, and her hands traced over her body to the music, from her chest down to her thighs, then slowly moved to below her abdomen. Under the almost see-through dance costume, she seemed to be wearing nothing at all. I shot up from my seat, but A-De grabbed my sleeve and said coldly, “What are you doing? It’s just starting. At least have some respect, okay?”

I stared blankly ahead, watching the person on stage slowly turn around. Her features were like a painting, with light makeup looking incredibly alluring under the colorful lights. Her crimson lips were slightly parted, as if inviting a kiss.

“Tch, this one’s not bad looking.” A-De laughed. “I thought the final act would be something special. Turns out it’s just slutty—what are you doing!”

I rushed forward like a madman. A-De couldn’t hold me back, but before I could reach the stage, two bodyguards stopped me and shoved me to the ground. There were gasps from the crowd.

The commotion made the person on stage stop dancing. She looked down, meeting my gaze in shock.

That person… was Li Ling.

——

Li Ling’s face turned pale. She slowly raised her hand to cover her mouth. Curses and complaints rose from all around.

“Hey, why did it stop? What’s going on?”

“Li Ling—! What are you doing?! Get down here!!” I shouted fiercely. The two black security guards covered my mouth. As the music started again, I struggled violently.

Li Ling looked up in a daze, her once lively eyes full of confusion.

Suddenly, there was a crisp clap behind me. I twisted my head with difficulty. A-De was clapping, a smile on his face but no warmth in his eyes.

“Little chubby one’s got some guts.” He brushed off his slightly wrinkled clothes. “But this isn’t the time for you to play the hero. Tsk tsk…”

He stubbed out his cigarette, cast a cold glance at the stage, and raised his voice. “What kind of trash is putting on an act here? Either dance or don’t. Call the manager up here. How dare they put on something like this? Trying to ruin the place?”

He kicked the burly Black security guards, then pulled me up from the ground with one hand. The moment I broke free, I tried to climb onto the stage to drag Li Ling down. Li Ling choked back a sob, bit her lip, and tightened her clothes, then hurriedly ran off the stage and straight toward the back.

“Oh, the dancing girl ran off. Whatever. Looks like you know her. I’ll let it slide for Brother Du’s sake.” A-De shrugged. I gritted my teeth and pushed him hard.

“Li Ling is not that kind of person!” I growled.

A-De staggered back a step, his face darkening. He grabbed me by the collar and glared at me fiercely.

“Listen up, Your Highness. You think anyone can stand on that stage? It takes real skill to pull that off.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t your fairy-tale world, Ren. Open your eyes—do you know how much we’re going to lose because of your stunt tonight?” He shoved me away hard and laughed. “Right, right, right. Don’t you have some powerful backer? That uncle of yours, right? I heard he’s pretty tough. Go cry on his lap! I remember he dotes on you like crazy. How did he let you end up like this?”

I shot him a look. “Shut up.”

I slapped his hand away from my chin and stumbled quickly toward the direction Li Ling had gone.

The Black security guards were about to chase me, but A-De called out from behind.

“Let him go. As long as the job’s done.”

Past the backstage of the stage, I found the dressing area. I quickly weaved through the garishly dressed women, looking around frantically but not seeing Li Ling.

I was panting. Just then, two women passed by me, arm in arm. One of them pouted and said irritably, “What’s wrong with that blonde? She bumped into me and didn’t even apologize. It hurts.”

“Where did she go?!” I suddenly looked up, grabbing the woman who had spoken.

The two exchanged glances, then hesitantly pointed in a direction. “She… went that way, toward the stairs. You…”

I muttered a quick thanks and ran off. The direction led to a fire escape. I chased down the stairs, and after only a short while, I vaguely heard sobbing.

Jagged, restrained crying.

I slowed down instinctively and looked down from above.

Li Ling was sitting on the ground, her head buried in her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably. Under the yellow light at the stairwell, her bare back was glaringly pale.

I picked up the high-heeled shoes from the floor and slowly approached her.

“…Li Ling.”

She flinched violently and looked up at me.

I saw her feet—only one shoe was on. Her hair was messy, her makeup a complete mess. Her clothes seemed to have been snagged on something, leaving a tear that exposed a large area of skin.

I crouched down slowly, picked up her other bare foot, and gently put the shoe on her.

She sobbed. I took off my suit jacket and draped it over her.

I reached out and smoothed her tangled hair.

I said, “You look better… without makeup.”

She looked up. When she tried to reach out to touch me, I noticed her palm was scraped, the skin broken and oozing blood.

“Your hand…” I grabbed her wrist.

Li Ling stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly jumped up to run again. I quickly grabbed her.

“Don’t touch me!!” she screamed.

“You’re hurt! Come with me!”

Li Ling struggled fiercely, even kicking. She backed me against the wall, then staggered, leaning on the wall, and rushed down the stairs. Suddenly, her foot slipped.

“Li Ling!!”

I quickly wrapped my arms around her from behind. She shrieked, and we both tumbled back to the ground, barely avoiding rolling down the stairs.

“Li Ling? Are you okay? Let me see, Li Ling—”

She gasped and yelled frantically, “Don’t touch me! Go away! Get away from me!”

“Li Ling—Li Ling!!”