CH 1

It was the end of November, early winter in De Carma. The sound of the morning bells rang from the central square as per usual. A flock of grey pigeons took flight in a flutter of wings, like a cloud of dust sweeping skyward.

It was a gloomy, cold and dreary day - the perfect kind of day to rob a house or send off the dead. All in all, the weather was an appropriate reflection of Yan Suizhi’s current mood.

A few short months ago, he had held the title of First-Class Lawyer and had also been the dean of the interstellar Maze University’s law school. Dressed immaculately from head to toe, he had been attending a garden party hosted for the elites…

But in the blink of an eye, he had become virtually penniless.

It was around 8 o’clock in the morning and he was strolling through the bustling black market of De Carma’s west end. He sipped slowly at his coffee while his gaze swept across the many signs in front of the shops lining the street.

His skin was beautiful and fair, but his expression was one of immense distaste. It was almost as if the drink he was sipping was not coffee, but unfiltered cat shit [1].

He had been there for half the day in search of an appropriate shop, a shop that could look into a few things for him and hopefully forge a document or two.

Five minutes later, Yan Suizhi came to a stop in front of a store with a small, narrow door. The digital sign outside the shop displayed two lines:

Blackrock Repair Shop

We Do Everything!

Fantastic.

Yan Suizhi crumpled up the coffee cup, tossed it into the electronic recycling bin on the side of the road, then stepped inside the shop.

“Good morning,” The shopkeeper, whose unruly hair was practically a bird’s nest, poked his head out from behind the counter. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

The heater in the shop was on full blast and even Yan Suizhi, who was a bit wary of the cold, could feel its warmth. He peeled off his black gloves and from his coat pocket, he pulled out a metal ring and set it on the counter. “Please look into this for me.”

It was a flexible smart device that could take any shape. Most people preferred a ring-shaped design that was easy to carry with them - bracelets, rings, earrings...even anklets and waistbands.

Yan Suizhi’s tastes were not quite so obscure, so the object in his hand was merely a plain, unadorned ring.

“What is it that you want to check?”

“Everything that can be checked.”

“Alrighty.”

The shopkeeper set up his equipment and after giving the device a few taps, a hologram was projected.

There was a pitiful amount of information displayed on the hologram. In fact, it was so clean that it might as well have come straight from the manufacturer.

There were only four items in total: one identification card, one asset card, one shuttle ticket to a neighbouring planet and one electronically constructed audio file.

The shopkeeper, as a matter of principle, wouldn’t casually rifle through the contents without permission. However, Yan Suizhi had no such qualms and knew the contents of these four items inside out - after all, he had already flipped through them a few dozen times over the past two days.

The identity card was a temporary fake ID. The name on the ID was ‘Ruan Ye’, a recent university graduate who, like any typical new grad, probably didn’t know shit.

The asset card was from the black market. It was unregistered and probably fake and the balance on the card wasn’t enough for him to live on for more than a month or two.

The shuttle ticket was a one-way ticket with no return flight. It was basically telling him to get the hell out of here and run as far away as he possibly could.

“Is this everything?” the shopkeeper asked.

In his mind, Yan Suizhi let out a grim laugh. “Yes, that’s everything.”

By ‘everything’, he didn’t mean just the contents of the smart device - he meant everything, as in, this was literally all the worldly belongings he had to his name.

Living life on the edge, as they say.

And all he had done to deserve this was attend a garden party at the end of May…

The wine being served that day had been rather weak and he had an upset stomach after only half a round of drinks. He had made his excuses to the other guests and had left first. Eventually, he had found a hotel where he could sleep it off.

Little did he know, this ‘sleep’ would last six whole months. He had slept from summer until winter and when he opened his eyes, it was already November.

That was two days ago.

He woke up inside an apartment in the black market, the smart device in question placed beside his pillow. Aside from the smart device, he didn’t even have two sticks to rub together.

Thankfully, there was all sorts of news available online and it didn’t take much effort to piece together the whole story. On the day of the party, there happened to be an explosion at the hotel he was staying at. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had ended up as one of the unfortunate souls that perished in the accident.

However, he was an unfortunate soul that was relatively well-known while he was alive. As a result, all the major news sites had posted embellished headlines on the front page expressing shock and regret that he had passed at the height of his prime. They had dragged it on for two months, almost as if it was a dog they were taking out on a long stroll, before their coverage slowly trickled off and he was eventually forgotten.

The truth, however, wasn’t so simple.

The electronic audio file on the smart device had given him a partial explanation.

The truth was, someone had saved him from the explosion and had spent the past six months performing a short-term gene modification operation on him. The operation had fine-tuned his appearance and physiological age, and allowed him to temporarily maintain the appearance of a new graduate. A fake ID had been prepared for him, as well as money and a shuttle ticket so that he could fly far away from De Carma.

In short, everything seemed to point towards the fact that the explosion had been a premeditated vendetta. He wasn’t just some poor, unfortunate soul caught in the mix - he was the primary target.

However, it would be too much to ask a first-rate shyster like Yan Suizhi to give a list of people that he could have wronged. There were simply too many to count - even the devil himself wouldn’t be able to keep track.

And so, Yan Suizhi’s only choice was to find someone from the black market to look into the matter. Even if they couldn’t figure out the main culprit, it would be enough if they could at least find out the name of his savior.

Half an hour later, the shopkeeper raised his head and rubbed his eyes - his search had come up empty handed.

Yan Suizhi frowned, “There’s nothing on it that’s traceable?”

“No, it’s clean as a whistle.”

“What about the smart device itself?”

“It’s an anonymous model from the black market, so it’s too hard to trace. The radices cover so many galaxies it’d be like finding a needle in a haystack that’s the size of the universe.”

Yan Suizhi fiddled with the ring-shaped smart device and eventually said, “Alright, how about this? Can you help me resell the shuttle ticket?

The shopkeeper shot a glance at the ticket, then shook his head. “I can’t help you.”

“I thought you did everything?” Yan Suizhi nodded towards the sign outside the door.

“It’s just an exaggeration.”

Yan Suizhi didn’t argue and merely nodded his head a little. “I have one final request.”

“What is it? Tell me,” the shopkeeper said politely. “I’ve got to solve at least one of your problems today - otherwise, I may as well toss that sign away.”

“I need a proof of registration document.” Yan Suizhi said, “To Maze University’s law school, specifically to Southcross Law Firm.”

Maze University’s law school was De Carma’s oldest and most renowned law school. In fact, it was probably the oldest and most renowned law school in the Jade System. It had ties to all the top law firms in the region and as long as a student had proof of registration at the school, they could choose any firm to complete an internship at. Of course, whether or not the student would be accepted full-time at a firm was still dependent on their performance.

Yan Suizhi, however, didn’t care if anyone gave him a full-time offer. He just had to get his foot in the door at the Southcross Law Firm. The reason was because Southcross was the firm in charge of the case involving the explosion, the explosion that supposedly ‘cut him off at his prime’.

“A registration document?” The shopkeeper’s head swelled just hearing the words. He replied sincerely, “I honestly can’t help you with that.”

“Looks like you were lying when you said you couldn’t help me with that shuttle ticket then.”

The shopkeeper: “......”

“Is this really the black market?”

“Fine, fine, fine, I’ll resell the ticket for you!” the shopkeeper muttered, throwing up his hands. “The point is that I don’t earn much of a margin from it, plus it’s annoying and it's easy to get caught…”

Hair still thoroughly mussed, the shopkeeper continued grumbling for 20 more minutes. Yan Suizhi acted as if he hadn’t heard him, and waited calmly as if he had all the time in the world.

“Alright, it’s done. Do you want to transfer the money for the shuttle ticket onto your asset card?”

Yan Sizhui nodded. “While you’re at it, why don’t you sort out the registration too?”

The shopkeeper’s face crumpled. “The registration can’t be done, my friend. I’m not joking this time.”

“Why not? Registration documents aren’t particularly complex by nature. Rest assured, I’m only using it for a short while so it won’t be traced back to you.”

Yan Suizhi was completely unbothered about forging something from his own university. The shopkeeper, however, was very bothered.

“Forging the registration itself doesn’t take much skill, I can get it done for you in two minutes. But the signature is beyond me! You have to understand, the technology they use to verify signatures nowadays is incredible.”

Yan Suizhi raised a brow. “What signature?”

“Each school’s proof of registration has the dean’s signature, which has an official record and they’re always strict about those things. I’m telling you, it can’t be done!”

Yan Sizhui, who had been in a foul mood for the past two days, finally let out a laugh. “It’s not a problem at all.”

The shopkeeper was 80% certain that this student had gone crazy.

Five minutes later, the shopkeeper realized the person who had gone crazy wasn’t the student, it was him.

The reason being, he had watched with his own two eyes as the student signed the dean’s name on the fake registration with a careless flourish. And when the signature was uploaded to the automatic verification system, it was actually approved!

It was only after the student had swaggered off with his newly forged registration that the shopkeeper finally recovered his senses. He wanted to smack himself on the head for his slow reaction and thought dejectedly, ‘goddammit, I forgot to ask if that kid wanted a job!’

___

Five days later, Yan Suizhi found himself sitting inside the most prestigious law firm in De Carma.

The sofa in the waiting area was warm and cozy and yet the interns who had come to report for duty were all sitting rigidly. Yan Suizhi was the only one who was sitting with his legs crossed and his chin on his hands as he played with the ring-shaped smart device in his hand. He was lost in thought, his posture graceful and relaxed.

He didn’t look at all like a student who was waiting to be interviewed - he looked more like he was here to interview the students.

The blond kid sitting beside him kept stealing glances at him here and there. Within ten short minutes, he had glanced over at least a dozen times.

“Hey buddy, do I look like an exam screen or something?” Yan Suizhi said suddenly, lifting his eyes.

The mouthful of coffee that the blond kid had just drank immediately shot back out.

Flustered, he scrambled for a few napkins and wiped at his coffee-stained chin as he replied. “Huh? Of course not…” he answered, embarrassed.

“Then why did you shiver every time you glanced over, like you stepped on an electrical cord?”

Whenever Yan Suizhi was being sarcastic, he wore a faint smile on his lips. His features gave the impression that he was cold and aloof, so whenever he broke into a smile, it was as if all the iciness in his expression had melted away.

It was the kind of smile that could fool anyone and even the very people he was mocking somehow convinced themselves that it was just his way of expressing friendliness.

This blond kid was no exception. Not only was he oblivious to the fact that he was being ridiculed, he actually felt that he was the one at fault for staring so rudely. “I’m sorry. It’s just that...you look a bit like our dean.”

He halted for a bit after he spoke, then corrected himself. “Our previous dean, I mean. You know who I’m talking about, right? The really young and really famous Professor Yan. You don’t look exactly like him, of course, since you’re a lot younger. It’s only at certain angles, and it’s sort of the way you sit too...anyway, it just reminded me of our annual research conference so I couldn’t help but get nervous.”

As the blond kid spoke about the previous dean, an expression of pity crossed his face. He let out a sigh and said, “He was supposed to attend the research conference this year, and the graduation ceremony too. The accident was so unexpected and he was so young when he passed away - it’s a real shame isn’t it?”

He had been trying to find some common ground but when he raised his head, he was met with Yan Suizhi’s offended expression.

The blond kid: “......”

While Yan Suizhi was still caught up in his weird, complicated feelings about being mourned by someone right in front of him, the human resources manager in charge of the interns arrived. After checking over their registration documents, she guided the interns upstairs.

“...we’ve already accepted three rounds of interns so there aren’t many lawyers left who have the capacity to take on an intern. I’ll introduce you first and once they have a better understanding, we’ll let you know who your assigned lawyer is…”

On their way up, the HR manager also gave them some background about the firm and a few key points to remember. However, Yan Suizhi didn’t pay any attention to the latter half of her speech.

He had seen a familiar face.

When they were halfway up the stairs, a few lawyers just so happened to be making their way down the same flight of stairs. The lawyer at the back of the group was very tall, with extremely handsome features. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand while the other hand was pressed against his white wireless earpiece - he seemed to be in the middle of a call with someone.

The lawyer glanced down at the group of his interns from the corner of his eye, his gaze calm and indifferent as it swept past them - the aura he gave off was one that was cold and unapproachable.

The young lawyer’s name was Gu Yan, and he was an old student of Yan Suizhi’s.

Running into an old student was no surprise in this particular field, especially at such a prestigious law firm where half the lawyers had probably graduated from Maze University. However, there were thousands of new students each year and the esteemed Professor Yan basically forgot their faces as soon as he saw them. He seldom interacted with them and the ones he remembered could be counted on one hand.

Gu Yan, however, was one of the few students he could count on that one hand.

Why?

The first reason was because, technically speaking, Gu Yan was once a student under his direct charge.

The second reason was because this particular student constantly wore a cool expression around him and always seemed to have a bone to pick with him.

Translator's Notes

‘cat shit’ is the literal translation but it also refers to kopi luwak, which is an extremely expensive type of coffee that uses partially digested coffee cherries that are pooped out by cat-like animals known as Asian palm civets.