CH 111

This question made Joe startle even more visibly than Gu Yan had. “What do you mean? Am I not allowed to?”

He checked the mansion ablaze with lights behind him, saying, puzzled, “Your law firm sent me an invite.” 

Gu Yan, “An invitation from Southcross?”

He didn’t have a strong sense of belonging towards Southcross Law Firm. To him, it was just a simple concept of cooperation. The only reason why he hadn’t changed firms after the many years here was because of his friendship with the senior manager, Adams.

So, especially in front of people he was close to, he would rarely describe Southcross as ‘my’ firm, and instead call it by name.

Joe was aware of this; he was merely startled earlier and only now recovered to correct his words. “Right. A partner surnamed Gao from Southcross told me about it. But from how surprised you look… has there been some miscommunication?” 

Yan Suizhi said, “They told us that it was an internal company event to welcome the interns. Did they change it last-minute?”

Gu Yan asked, “When did you receive the invitation?”

“A few days ago,” Joe said. “I thought for sure that you’d find an excuse to stay away and rejected Mr Gao at first. So when I found out just last night that the both of you were attending, I changed my mind and especially came down without a word to give you guys a pleasant surprise. But now you only look surprised but not pleased at all!”

Young Master Joe grumbled half in jest, even turning over naturally to pat Ke Jin. “What friends, right?”

The focus in Ke Jin’s eyes was a bit dispersed. His response came belatedly after the words were spoken, his dark eyes slowly turning over.

But Joe remained unfailingly patient. He waited for Ke Jin to meet his eyes then smiled, telling Gu Yan, “Look. He thinks so, too.”

Gu Yan wore his exasperation on his face.

“Do you know who else was invited?” he went on to ask. 

“From what I heard, it’s almost Mr Gao’s birthday, so there’ll certainly be a party. Though, I think that he’s aiming to build a network with the rich and powerful. So… Manson, Badel, Cliff, and so on are sure to be invited. Oh, and free spirits like me.”

Joe briefly dropped a few examples and said, “But it looks like there’s an information mismatch. That makes more sense; I was just saying how could it be possible that you’d attend an event like this. Even I think it’s a complete bore.”

After the information exchange, all of them were utterly disenchanted.

“I really hate being duped,” Joe said. “Why don’t we just leave now and have fun by ourselves…” 

Before he could finish, a few people came out of the hotel, welcoming them with beaming smiles—Southcross’ partners and senior managers. Adams was right in front, winking furiously at Gu Yan.

And now, they couldn’t dash off even if they wanted to.

Young Master Joe didn’t shun away. He laughed stiffly, and, with his face as gloomy as a grave, was welcomed into the hotel along with Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan.

The two mansion-style buildings of the hotel sandwiched a wide glass-enclosed garden, which was where the event was organised. 

The moment Yan Suizhi set foot inside, he caught sight of the quaking interns, huddled in front of a dining table at an inconspicuous corner, like a covey of quails.

“Ruan,” Luke looked at Yan Suizhi like he was looking upon his saviour, but due to the atmosphere, could only frantically wave his arms, “Psst, Ruan. Over here—”

In comparison to everyone else, they’d at least be a little more amusing.

So, Yan Suizhi raised his hand in greeting and walked over towards them. 

Gu Yan swept a glance across the venue and followed behind him.

Along with Joe and Ke Jin…

Luke severely underestimated his power to summon four people with one wave. He immediately whipped his head away, slapping his mouth. “Whose brilliant idea was it to call him over…”

These interns normally got along well with Yan Suizhi, but they were like mice encountering a cat in front of Gu Yan, let alone that stranger, Joe, who was plainly shitton loaded. 

“Good evening, Lawyer Gu. And these two are…?”

The interns wore pitiful puppy-eyed expressions. Yan Suizhi could barely stand it.

Yan Suizhi turned his head to look at Gu Yan. Gu Yan very calmly turned his head to look at Joe. Joe’s expression was the picture of innocence.

“Nevermind. Let me make introductions,” Yan Suizhi involuntarily smiled. 

However, Young Master Joe cut in before he could. “I’m Joe; a senior several batches before yours. You’re all from Maze University, right?”

He was never one to introduce himself with his surname. Rather than carrying the status of his family’s influence, he preferred to emphasise his sense of being as an individual.

The interns hastily nodded. “Yes, we all are.”

This style of self-introduction which positioned himself simply as their senior and ignored any other identities, settled the quaking interns. 

“Oh,” Joe said, “Though I was in the same year as your Lawyer Gu, I’m actually a few years older. So, technically, your Lawyer Gu has to call me big brother. You guys can just call me whatever you want.”

Gu Yan, “…”

The interns, “…”

Yan Suizhi was astonished. Whilst everyone’s attention wasn’t on them, his lowered fingers lightly hooked Gu Yan’s. “Joe’s older than you?” 

He’d always believed these two to be the same age. This discrepancy was even more pronounced when taking their personalities into account, which invariably made Gu Yan seem older.

Lawyer Gu took delight in this minuscule action.

But he didn’t give a response. Young Master Joe perked up when he caught a few keywords. “Yeah, bet you wouldn’t have guessed, right? I’m older than him, only that I repeated a few grades and ended up in the same batch as him.”

He said this with particular candidness, instantly making the interns feel more comfortable around him. 

“Did you study law as well?” Freida wore her curiosity on her face; after all, she’d never heard of a student by this name from the law school before.

“Do I look like that sort of person?”

“Uh…”

“I think that your dean probably wouldn’t allow such a rambunctious student like me in the law school.” Young Master Joe declared, “Nor am I a masochist.” 

“…”

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Then, he pointed to Ke Jin, and his voice turned more tender. “This is an authentic graduate from your law school, surnamed Ke. He’s the same age as Gu. They attended the same year.” 

The psychiatrist who took care of Ke Jin’s mental health had said that they shouldn’t give him excessive special attention. Treating him normally would agitate his emotions less.

But it was actually difficult to accomplish this in real life. No matter who it was, they’d always treat him differently. Only Joe was doing his best to follow the doctor’s instructions.

Anyone from the law faculty would have heard wind of Ke Jin’s situation. So, despite their curiosity, the group of interns politely greeted this senior but didn’t try to probe.

“How long have you been here?” Yan Suizhi glanced deeper into the garden, asking Luke. 

“Quite a while now.”

Freida, unable to hold herself back, whispered, “Didn’t they say that it was just going to be the people in the firm? Is there something wrong with my comprehension skills? Why is it so extravagant? And half the people here are those I’ve only ever seen in articles.”

“I just asked around a bit. It’s not just these,” Anna said. “There’ll still be another wave arriving tomorrow.”

The garden was splendidly lit. Sofas and dining tables were arranged across the space, as well as various entertainment set-ups, not lacking in comparison to indoor events. The roof was also entirely glass, and, with a lift of the head, galaxies were spread above as far as the eye could see. 

“If you ignore the pretentious mosquito-buzz of social niceties, it’s a pretty nice place,” Joe said. “I rather like this corner. We’ll just settle down here and enjoy our wine; anyone mind, boys and girls?”

He was a hit with the interns. They hurriedly shook their heads, smiling. “Not at all, not at all.”

But it was clear that this wish wasn’t so easily attained.

Those guests weren’t going to let them off just because they ignored them. 

Some came only to exchange greetings, whereas some came to cosy up.

In short, their corner never saw a moment’s peace; there was a constant stream of people dropping by with their glasses of wine.

The interns were desolate.

There was no lack of those curious about Yan Suizhi. 

“Where’s that celebrated intern?”

“I’ve also heard about him.”

“Yeah, the one in Manson’s case.”

This basically summed up the standard conversation openers. 

Gu Yan and Joe were always the first to greet the people who came over, one keeping at arm’s length, the other devil-may-care.

The two of them would block most of the alcohol. The more persistent would stay behind to chat a bit more, and would always clink their glasses with Yan Suizhi.

In general, the flow of the conversation would go like this:

“Oh, you must be that intern, right?” 

Yan Suizhi played dumb. “Who?”

“Wasn’t it you? The intern who accepted Manson’s case.”

Yan Suizhi, “I wasn’t the one who accepted it.”

“Was I mistaken?” 

“It was a fluke that the Legal Aid Bureau assigned it to me.”

The other party, “…”

“I heard that your court performance was very remarkable.”

Yan Suizhi, “You should probably be commending my teacher; it’s all thanks to his remote guidance.” 

“It’s good for the young to be humble, but there’s no need to be so modest. That an intern can fight a lawsuit so brilliantly can’t be solely due to the efforts of the teacher.”

Yan Suizhi, “That’s true. It was also thanks to modern comms technology.”

The other party, “…”

“At least you delivered it well in court. I heard that you were very composed.” 

Yan Suizhi, “I just barely made it through. My legs were trembling throughout. Luckily, the design of the defence table perfectly hid my lower body.”

The other party, “…”

“I had the honour of sitting in during the trial. Your defence arguments were masterfully made. It’s shocking that an intern could do this well.”

Yan Suizhi, “Then your shock is superfluous. I wasn’t the one who came up with them.” 

He even turned his head, solemnly telling Gu Yan, “Teacher, this gentleman is praising you.”

The other party, “…”

Still remembering that he was wearing the sheepskin of an intern, the way he spoke now was world’s apart from back when he was the dean.

But this didn’t make the conversation any more pleasant. 

Whilst sending them packing, he silently noted down those more curious towards him.

“My God,” Luke counted on his fingers. “Do you know who those people were? The hotshot partners from our firm. Then there’s also Mr Qin, one of the frontrunners in smart currency. And Mr Cliff’s family owns one-third of the space shuttles in operation in the alliance. But he seems to invest more in shipping? Mr Badel, too… what does his family do again?”

“Pharmaceuticals,” Freida said. “Anyway, there are all sorts of people here.”

Every law firm in the alliance hankered over building networks with various industries nowadays. 

So, social gatherings like this were unavoidable, only that the interns were overwhelmed by the spectacle.

But not long later, their respective mentors arrived, leading them around to make introductions with the various hotshots. Even the old fogey Hobbes was present in the end.

He had spent several days tossing and turning in the hospital, but ultimately shook off the suspicion that he was infected, then rested at home for a day. This was the first time that he had made an appearance in public since then.

“You…” When Hobbes saw Gu Yan, his gaze turned complicated. “You actually accepted the Elderly Bobblehead case.” 

It was hard to tell if there was more surprise or more ridicule in his voice. For the lack of a better way to put it, it was a bit like a senior looking upon an unruly junior who wasn’t following convention.

“They sought me out, so I took it,” Gu Yan’s response was very calm.

Hobbes darted a look towards Adams, drinking with others a way’s off. “What surprised me even more was that your senior manager actually agreed to it.”

Gu Yan said, “Yes.” 

Hobbes had never been fond of chatting, especially given that he had nothing to talk about with Gu Yan. Hearing this, he narrowed those hawk-like eyes and said, “Sure enough, I can’t comprehend what you young people think.”

His gaze swept across Yan Suizhi’s body, pausing for a brief moment, then he said to Luke, “Come along. What’s the point of participating in this reception if you keep hiding in a corner?”

Luke nervously scratched his head, said his goodbyes to Yan Suizhi, and followed Hobbes off.

They quickly gathered around the partner surnamed Gao and proceeded to chat with Cliff and Badel, swiftly becoming one with the pack. 

“That old man actually has moments where he laughs,” Yan Suizhi watched Hobbes over there and sighed.

Joe said, “He even smiled at me just now.”

Truth be told, this was only normal. After all, the clout that these people possessed wasn’t what an average person could match. With the right connections, people could get backing at critical moments. Few would dissent with them at the risk of their career development, including this shrewd old fogey, Hobbes.

However, it wasn’t some time before that crowd dispersed— 

Some were late in coming.

A group of at least ten people arrived, but most stopped at the entrance of the garden, standing in twos and threes outside like dutiful sentries at their post.

Only three people actually entered the gate, among them two were brothers, similar in countenance but contrary in temperaments. The older one had short hair and his gaze never stopped on anyone for more than a brief second, exuding an air of disdain.

Coincidentally, Yan Suizhi had even met him face-to-face at the courthouse in Tian Qin recently. 

He was the eldest son of the Manson family—Brewer Manson.

A waiter carried a tray over. Brewer Manson didn’t spare him a glance, taking a random glass from it. The three black diamond studs and a large ‘K’ adorning the ring on his finger glinted under the light, opulent and ostentatious.

Half a step behind him was the second son of the Manson family, Miller Manson. His hair was longer than his brothers’, swept rakishly back with a few stray strands that fell out of place, complementing the playful look in his eyes. He had also picked up a glass of wine on his way in, raising his brows and taking a few sips on his own before even making his greetings. He also had an accessory similarly adorned with a large ‘K’ and three black diamonds like Brewer’s, except that it was a stud pinned to his ear instead of a ring, making him look rather much like a… player on the prowl.

The remaining person was the two brothers’ assistant. 

“Oh, right. How is George Manson doing?”

Compared to these two, the youngest master of the Manson family was, in truth… just a little young master. Yan Suizhi didn’t see him around, so he casually asked Joe about it.

“He should be able to be discharged in a few more days,” Joe said.

“He hasn’t recovered yet?” 

“Actually, he recovered a few days ago. He just hasn’t said anything and has been unresponsive to everyone.” Joe shrugged, silently drinking a mouthful of wine.

Not much word got out to the public, but Joe had received a tip from the inside yesterday morning. Zhao Zemu was the one who set his hand down against the Mansons’ young master, and it was unlikely that they had gotten it wrong this time.

After hearing the news, Joe went to Manson’s ward, wanting to inform him about the results of the investigation. However, despite chatting his mouth off, he was unable to find a way to broach the topic.

Ultimately, it was Manson himself who shifted his gaze away from the window, saying, “You never used to beat around the bush this much.” 

This was the first time that Young Master Manson had taken the initiative to speak in the many days since his recovery. Before, he was either staring insipidly into space or sleeping.

Joe grunted and fell silent for a moment. Then, he said, “It’s Zhao Zemu.”

Manson heard him, yet the expression on his face didn’t change nor did it show the slightest surprise. He’d only turned his gaze back from the window, only speaking after a moment. “Mm… I know.”

“You know?” Joe was taken aback at that time. 

However, after that, Manson didn’t say anything more.

“…Later, I gave it some thought, and it did make sense. Maybe he wasn’t completely wasted when he laid in the bathtub that day,” Joe mumbled under his breath.

And it was then that he suddenly understood why Manson would appear so pallid ever since he came to consciousness, like everything disgusted him. Maybe it was because he knew who was the one behind it.

“But why would he? I still can’t figure it out.” 

“What did Zhao Zemu say?” Gu Yan asked.

Joe said, “What he told the police was that during the years that Manson was more of an asshole, he’d done and said stuff that humiliated him, as if the Zhaos were only worthy of following behind the Mansons and lifting their coattails. Added alongside the falling out that the Zhao and Manson families had some time ago, he hated how they’d practically been cast aside. He wanted to do a little something to gain the attention of the Manson family’s two oldest sons, such as removing obstacles for them… people can believe this crap if they want, but in any case, I think it’s bollocks.”

He shot a sidelong glance at Miller Manson and said, in thought, “His excuse ended up getting Miller Manson to make an excursion to the police station. But it was only for a day, and nothing came out of it.”

The Manson brothers had a hard time getting in. 

Because the moment that they stopped walking, almost everyone present swarmed over to them.

After a round of pleasantries, the wine glasses that they’d just taken were emptied.

“At least let me take a seat first,” Brewer Manson joked to several of them. “Do you plan to keep me at the door?”

Chuckling, they walked towards a sofa. Now that the crowd had dispersed slightly, Brewer Manson’s gaze swept over to the corner where Yan Suizhi and the others were chatting. 

Miller Manson looked over as well, his playful gaze pausing on Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan for a while before finally landing on Joe.

He informed Brewer Manson, then leisurely walked over with a hand in his pocket. Behind him, Brewer Manson frowned but didn’t stop him, only nodding his head at Gu Yan from afar, then walking away amidst the crowd.

Miller Manson tipped his glass towards Joe. “Look who we have here! What brings you here?”

Joe also tipped his glass at him, but he didn’t drink from it, turning the question back to him matter-of-factly, “My friend’s here. Why wouldn’t I be here?” 

“Oh—I thought that with your father attending, you certainly wouldn’t make an appearance.”

“Is he present? Point him out for me?” Joe said shortly.

He could still pretend to be polite with Brewer Manson, but not with this one.

“Won’t he be? He’s probably arriving tomorrow, in that case.” 

Miller Manson, almost casually, swept his gaze around the venue, speaking with a somewhat unnerving drawl in his voice.

Joe rolled his eyes to the sky.

“Young and talented, eh, Lawyer Gu?” Miller Manson quit teasing Joe and clinked glasses with Gu Yan. Then, he looked at Yan Suizhi, and his eyes crinkled. “This must be Lawyer Gu’s intern.”

Holding his glass, he pointed his little finger at Yan Suizhi, saying with an expression of remorse, “I heard from Brewer that your court performance that day was very impressive. I’ve always been chagrined that I had to attend an appointment that day, or I wouldn’t have missed it.” 

Now, there was a lot to unpack here. During the trial, his younger brother George Manson was still on his deathbed at the hospital, yet he actually had gone to attend an appointment.

Worse still, he’d actually said this without any scruple whatsoever.

Whoever wrote those articles about the two brothers with haggard faces, austere expressions, and suchlike must have been blind.

Yan Suizhi hadn’t had many interactions with this man before, but he could sense from these short few sentences that he was even more arrogant than his elder brother, Brewer Manson, and had less sense to restrain himself. 

“In return, let me make a toast to you,” Miller Manson said. “Where’s your drink?”

Yan Suizhi’s eyebrows lifted. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a glass cup being stuffed into his hand.

He lowered his head and took a look. It was a glass of milk.

“…” 

Yan Suizhi calmly took it.

Miller Manson made an angry snort of laughter. “…What do you mean by this, Lawyer Gu?”

Before Gu Yan could open his mouth, Yan Suizhi said with a smile on his lips, “I’ve had my stomach changed thrice because I drank uninhibitedly from a young age, burning ulcers into my stomach. It happened to bleed a few days ago, so I don’t really dare to drink right now. Of course, if Mr Manson insists on it, I can sacrifice my fourth stomach.”

It sounded quite terrifying. 

“…”

Miller Manson accidentally imagined it, and when he next looked at the wine glass in his hand, his own stomach started to churn.

“This will do.” His face was green. He perfunctorily clinked his wine glass with Yan Suizhi’s glass of milk, then turned heel and left.

After sending the tetchy man off, Yan Suizhi turned his head over to see that Joe’s face was also frog green, asking him haltingly, “You’ve changed your stomach thrice?” 

Yan Suizhi, “Did you actually take my word for it?”

Joe, “…You sounded especially sincere.”

Yan Suizhi’s voice turned even more sincere, “I’ve even died once.”

Joe, “…” 

The young master looked at Gu Yan with dissatisfaction broadcasting from his face. “Your intern is taking me for a fool; aren’t you going to manage him?”

Gu Yan calmly sipped his drink. “I’ll manage him later.”

Joe, “…”

Not everyone was in attendance yet. The main event was scheduled for the next day. Along with the guests being travel-worn, this night came to an early close. 

The law firm allocated rooms for everyone, from the Mansons down to the interns. However, there were differences in the treatment they received. The Mansons each had a floor to themselves, and every floor even had a separate security lock and a dedicated butler. The elite lawyers in the firm were given presidential suites, whereas the interns stayed in the mansion in front, with two to a suite.

Whatever sequence they followed, somehow, when it came to Yan Suizhi, he was incidentally the odd one out and assigned to a single room.

Gu Yan’s brows knit when he heard the room arrangements.

Young Master Joe was actually a very attentive person. He noticed this and also discovered that Yan Suizhi was staying alone. Without further ado, simply based on ‘an intern of my friend is also my intern’, he whisked Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi both to his floor. 

“Ke Jin and I are the only ones staying on this floor. It’s rather dull,” Joe said.

Each floor resembled a private residence. A dedicated butler was assigned to each floor, and past the security lock, there was a living room, dining room, small pool, and gym area, as well as several room suites.

Joe settled Ke Jin into one of the rooms, then stayed in the most convenient room to watch over him.

“Isn’t it troublesome to take care of him like this? Why don’t you just share a room?” Yan Suizhi was puzzled when he saw this. 

Gu Yan said in a low voice, “They did stay together at first out of convenience, but someone made an article out of it later, which wouldn’t reflect well on Ke Jin.”

Yan Suizhi cottoned on. “Then why haven’t I seen that article before?”

“Joe suppressed it. But after that, he had always been very vigilant.” Gu Yan glanced at the placement of this hotel floor. “The privacy here should be very high. However, it’s already a habit by now; it’s this way even at his place.”

“What are you mumbling about?” Joe came over and said, “Just pick any two rooms. Right, Gu, do you have time before you sleep? If you do, come and have a drink with me.” 

They didn’t have much interest in drinking during the dinner just now, but now that they weren’t amidst outsiders, Joe seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

Gu Yan patted Yan Suizhi, saying in a low voice. “Go pick a room first. I’m going to talk to him; I happen to have something I want to ask him as well.”