Chapter 83 Meeting Tianwei’s Ex (Skip If You Don’t Want To Meet Her)

"Exactly. Do you have a problem with me being here, Sun Tianwei?"

In front of them, Chao Ping choked. Thankfully he wasn't drinking his coffee, or he would have spat it all over his keyboard and ruined it. The finance department definitely wasn't going to give him money to replace it.

But more importantly, that man was Sun Tianwei, the oldest son of billionaire Sun Haowei, the one most likely to inherit his wealth and power?

Chao Ping thanked his past self for having the restraint to not give him the middle finger. He only gave a few sarcastic comments… surely that was acceptable?

Hopefully?

If it wasn't, Chao Ping could just say hello to living in the countryside or a dying border town, after he gets unceremoniously exiled from working in any city in the country. Chao Ping sent a mental prayer to his mom.

'Sorry mom, for all your efforts to raise me into someone of value, I went and told a billionaire's son a video was only 144 pixels in quality. My bank balance will also be 144 yuan at this rate.'

Luckily for Chao Ping, Sun Tianwei's focus was entirely taken by the sudden reappearance of Lian Xingzi. Chao Ping's words were completely forgotten.

"What are you doing here?" Sun Tianwei barked out.

"Getting information to defend my client, of course. In fact, I should be asking you that question, seeing that you're not actually a lawyer."

Sun Tianwei let out an angry hmph. Lian Xingzi smirked, knowing that she made her point, and then turned back to Officer Tang.

"So, based on what I heard - "

"Overheard, you mean," Sun Tianwei muttered.

Chao Ping turned his head slightly so he could watch both of them from the corner of his eye. For a son of a billionaire, Sun Tianwei was starting to sound incredibly petty.

"As I was saying before someone so rudely interrupted me," Lian Xingzi said in a louder voice, one of her high heels threateningly close to Sun Tianwei's feet, "it seems increasingly likely that my client is innocent, or at least an unknowing accomplice to a crime. On such grounds, I would like to argue for my client to be released for the time being."

"Definitely not," Tianwei replied. "That man is definitely guilty of something. I heard it in the room."

"And how would you know that it was an admission of guilt? Did you put him up to it?" Xingzi retorted.

Tianwei was angered, but could do nothing more than to point fingers at her. Xingzi scoffed at his actions, delighting in his lack of verbal response.

"Besides, in case some people forget, everyone is innocent until proven guilty," She added with a sharp look at Sun Tianwei. Chao Ping had to hand it to her, this woman had guts. She didn't like Sun Tianwei, and she didn't even bother hiding it.

"What's more, the most suspicious one here is you." She pointed out. "You do not have a valid reason to be here."

"Of course I do," he argued. "Just because you don't accept it doesn't mean it isn't valid."

"You - "

"You what -"

"Will the both of you please quiet down? We're distracting the team from their jobs." Officer Tang said, watching as they naturally gravitated towards each other just so they could continue to argue with each other.

The tech team didn't need any more excuses to be distracted from work, for even without the bitter, immature, lover's spat in front of them, they'd certainly find other ways to entertain themselves - and Officer Tang can't have them doing that. They had to focus on catching the hacker that corrupted their footage.

The both of them hastily collected themselves, springing apart with identical looks of disgust on their faces. Their eyes clearly believed that it was all the other party's fault that they were caught doing something so embarrassing like arguing in a public workspace.

"Chao Ping, show Lawyer Lian the footage." He instructed. Even if Sun Tianwei didn't like it, as a defence lawyer, Lian Xingzi had the right to collect evidence.

More importantly, part of him did believe Lin Tao was innocent. He had worked in the station for years, and the biggest trouble he had ever caused was when he tried to throw a juice box that wasn't properly sealed into the dustbin, causing juice to splatter everywhere.

But of course, he wasn't going to tell Sun Tianwei that.

Instead, he gave Lawyer Lian a brief recap of what they've discovered, choosing not to tell her of their inferences. With her intelligence, she can make her own inferences to build a strong case for Lin Tao's innocence.

Lawyer Lian had also taken Jian Zhi's statement after Lin Tao's. It was unfair for her to have to juggle two defendants, but public servants were always overworked.

Case in point: himself.

"Thank you so much for your help, Officer Tang and Chao Ping," she smiled winningly at the both of them, "I'm glad to know that some people are willing to give everyone a fair chance at the trial."

She then deliberately flicked her ponytail to swat Sun Tianwei in the face as she turned away to leave. Sun Tianwei got hit - not with her hair, but with the strong scent of lilies that used to drive him half-mad with lust, nearly a lifetime ago.

He huffed, refusing to move an inch. He wasn't budging from his very spot.

"Wow, she's so amazing," Chao Ping couldn't help but exclaim. "And so beautiful too."

"No she's not," Sun Tianwei replied with his mouth, but his heart knew otherwise.

He would not have hated Lian Xingzi so much if she didn't have the nerve to be that amazing, that beautiful, that capable of winning over his heart and then dropping it into the trash compactor with no prior warning.

"Right." Chao Ping said, clearly disbelieving, but he had enough self-preservation to not continue prodding at a wealthy man's heartbreak.

"Anyway, my team will be working on tracking the culprit that hacked our CCTVs, and we'll see if we have any digital signature in the doctored footage." Chao Ping continued, a gentle hint for their guests to leave. This was already too much excitement for the tech team.

Tianwei and Officer Tang nodded, and left them to their own devices. While Officer Tang busied himself with other aspects of the investigation, Tianwei tried his best to focus.

Unfortunately, thoughts of her continued to creep up in his mind unknowingly, even when he tried to banish them.

The brightness of her smile, the warmth of her hands, the scent of her hair in the morning. One by one they sprung up unbidden, like mushrooms after rain.

It was distracting him to madness.

He should have listened to his father back then, when he said that she wasn't well-suited for him. He would have saved himself the trouble of falling in love with a woman that was incompatible with their lifestyle!

Speaking of incompatible couples, he hoped that Jingwei and Miss Li Xue Ning would have a happier ending. His plan for the inheritance depended on it.

May his late mother give these fools some divine guidance!