Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“What do you mean work under me? I don’t want some little wolf puppy.” Gu Nianzhi pouted with a dismissive expression.
Huo Shaoheng raised a brow in surprise. In a somewhat sarcastic tone, he said, “You still want to raise a little wolf puppy. That is very ambitious.”
Gu Nianzhi balled her hands into fists. Her anger was growing, but she quickly calmed down and said with a half-smile, “You’re too kind with the compliments. I’ll be sure to notify you when I want to raise a little wolf puppy.”
Huo Shaoheng reacted quickly. He grabbed her arm while leaning forward to whisper quietly in her ear. “Mrs. Huo, you’d have to wait three years even if you wanted to raise a little wolf puppy.”
Gu Nianzhi didn’t even turn around before grunting. She calmly replied, “I’ll consider it.” Struggling out of Huo Shaoheng’s grasp, she quickly walked toward the dorm elevator. Huo Shaoheng looked down and lit a cigarette. Placing it in his lip, he inhaled and crossed his arms as he leaned against the car door to quietly watch Gu Nianzhi’s back disappear in the elevator. There was a subtle, inexplicable smile on his face. After silently smoking the cigarette in front of Gu Nianzhi’s dorm building, he got into his car to leave.
Gu Nianzhi returned to her dorm. She didn’t take much time to consider what Huo Shaoheng’s words meant. Her attention was completely monopolized by the photo and data Ye Xuan had given her. She stared at the photo she photoshopped all night. She firmly memorized that man’s appearance in her heart before locking it up in her password-protected photo album. Afterward, she looked at the Gu assets inventory Ye Xuan had given her. She began verifying it while also formulating the next step in her court debate strategy.
…
Gu Yanran returned from the first trial and immediately delved into anxiety and unease. She kept asking Jin Wanyi, “Lawyer Jin, how can you agree to their conditions without my permission? You didn’t even ask me at all!”
Jin Wanyi rolled her eyes and said with dissatisfaction, “Miss Gu, we signed a full agency retainer agreement. I am your representative lawyer, so you must listen to what I say when it comes to matters of the law.”
“But won’t we be tripped up by her if my father never completed any adoption papers?” Gu Yanran’s willowy brows pulled back. Her gaze was extremely harsh as she said, “It’ll end up being our fault if we can’t present it when the time comes! Lawyer Jin, tell me, how you can put me in a situation like this?”
This was truly Jin Wanyi’s mistake. Even though she was unwilling to face it, she had no choice but to admit that Gu Nianzhi was more skillful than her. Jin Wanyi thought about it sullenly for a while. Leaning in her chair, she sternly said, “Miss Gu, tell me the truth. Did your father have any official adoption papers or not? If he did, take it out and call it a day.” She thought Gu Yanran was saying Gu Nianzhi did not complete official adoption procedures in order to monopolize the entire Gu fortune.
Gu Yanran froze before sitting down impatiently. “As far as I know, there really weren’t.”
“He really didn’t have any? That makes things very difficult…” Jin Wanyi squeezed her pen. She tapped it on the notebook on the desk. Her brain quickly thought of a solution. “If we declare to the court that we are unable to present official adoption papers, then the court would not consider her an adopted daughter. Instead, they’ll process it according to her identification documents issued by the Barbados government. If that happens, it doesn’t matter if she’s adopted or not. She’s sure to inherit a part of the Gu estate.”
Gu Yanran propped her head up with her hand and leaned weakly against the couch. Her gaze wandered as she thought about how Jin Wanyi was truly an unskilled as a lawyer. If Wen Shouyi was present, she would help think of the best solution. Unfortunately, Wen Shouyi had even given up her lawyer’s qualifications in the largest law firm in the United States and returned home. It was truly a shame As she thought about Wen Shouyi, she quietly sighed.
Jin Wanyi considered it for a long time. She felt that she had completely been misled by Gu Yanran on the first day of trials. All her work had been for nothing. Suppressing the displeasure in her heart, she warned herself to not go against the money. When she looked up at Gu Yanran again, Jin Wanyi had resumed her standard, professional smile. She kindly asked, “Miss Gu, how about you give me the contact information for your father’s lawyer? I’ll contact him and see if has legal adoption instruments or anything like a will.”
Gu Yanran languidly raised her head to look up at her. A look of vigilance flashed across her eyes. “I’ll contact the lawyer. Lawyer Jin should start by helping me complete the formal extension documents as required by the court.”
Jin Wanyi could tell that Gu Yanran was guarding against her, so she kept smiling and nodded. “OK, then I look forward to your good news.” The truth was, Jin Wanyi had already given up the idea of taking advantage of Gu Nianzhi’s adoption papers. From Gu Yanran’s behavior, she could already tell that Gu Nianzhi was properly adopted by Gu Xiangwen. However, Gu Yanran was too ashamed to bring out the legal documents since it was a slap to her face. She planned to gloss it over even if she couldn’t present the legal documents and still continue to fight the estate feud. As a result, Jin Wanyi began working on the next stage of preparations. She asked, “Right, can you give me a copy of the Gu assets inventory? That way I can be well prepared to deal with Gu Nianzhi’s questioning.” This was something that had to be submitted. The kind of inventory to be submitted depended on Gu Yanran’s mood. When Gu Yanran walked out of Jin Wanyi’s office, she unhappily got into her car. Rubbing her phone, she contemplated for a long time before finally ordering her driver to stop at a convenience store at the side of the road. She borrowed the convenience store’s landline to call a number she thought she’d never dial. The phone rang for a while before it was picked up. Gu Yanran quickly shared her recent experiences.
The line was quiet for a long time before a woman’s voice angrily screamed, “Gu Yanran, you trash!”
“Please help me one last time.” Gu Yanran was not angry no matter how much the person yelled at her.
“It’s impossible to support long-term poverty. Gu Yanran, I think I’ve already done more than enough for you.” The other person refused to help.
Gu Yanran was silent for a while before saying, “I don’t want to force you, but if I lose this lawsuit, Gu Nianzhi will become one of the richest people around. Also, I won’t be able to stop myself from telling other people about the things you’ve done…”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I don’t dare, but a frantic dog can jump over walls, let alone a human.” Gu Yanran finally calmed down once she latched onto the person’s weakness to make her help think of a solution. After the woman on the phone fiercely scolded her, she still unhappily provided advice. Gu Yanran instantly felt enlightened.
…
After finishing the call, Gu Yanran returned to her apartment on Third Ring Road of the Imperial Capital. She was in a visibly better mood. Humming a tune, she changed out of her clothes and wrapped a towel on her head. She had on an apron and sleeve protectors. She happily cleaned the entire apartment. Whether her mood was good or not, she loved to clean. It could be considered a rather strange way for her to relieve stress. As expected, the phone call she made relieved much of her stress. Even the most difficult thing could be simply resolved when it arrived in that person’s hands. There was a spectrum when it came to human abilities. As a lawyer, Jin Wanyi was far too shabby. Compared to that other person, she couldn’t even compete with her pinky finger.
After cleaning up her apartment, it was already dark outside. Gu Yanran took a shower and ordered Japanese food from a four-star Michelin restaurant in the Imperial Capital to be delivered. She also opened a bottle of French Bordeaux red wine. Candles were lit on the dining table, and faint piano music floated in the air. There was also the subtle scent of a bouquet of roses at the entrance. Gu Yanran looked at everything with pride before snapping her fingers loudly and calling Ye Xuan. “Xuan, did you have dinner yet? Come here and eat with me. I’ve ordered your favorite Japanese Kobe steak, as well as French Bordeaux red wine.” Gu Yanran’s raspy voice had a powerful allure that Ye Xuan had never been able to resist.
As expected, the breathing on the phone suddenly grew ragged. Gu Yanran looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with some regret. He really was an adorable little wolf puppy, so she wanted to give him a final chance. “Xuan, come here. We can forget all the unhappy things from before and start anew. As long as you come, we can register for marriage tomorrow.” Gu Yanran continued to seduce Ye Xuan. She thought about it over and over again. No matter what, she wouldn’t consider herself defeated as long as Ye Xuan stood by her side. That was also what the other person had said. If she could win Ye Xuan over, things would be quickly resolved. If by chance that wasn’t possible, she would have no choice but to painfully cut him off. Gu Yanran really liked Ye Xuan a lot. She also had a certain amount of confidence in her allure, so she refused to accept the worst possible outcome. She thought Ye Xuan was still angry because he was jealous of Prime Minister Tan.
Ye Xuan took a deep breath and quickly composed his emotions. Tightly gripping the phone, he sternly said, “Yanran, how about you settle things with Gu Nianzhi outside of court? As long as you settle it outside of court, we can start all over again.”
“Really?!” Gu Yanran was overjoyed. She thought she understood Ye Xuan best of all, so that person wasn’t completely right with what she said. She immediately replied, “OK, I can settle with her outside of court, as long as Gu Nianzhi accepts my terms.”
Ye Xuan was silent for a while before saying, “Yanran, I already gave the Gu assets inventory to Gu Nianzhi. As long as you divide the estate with her evenly…”
“What? What did you say? Do you dare say that to me again?” Gu Yanran instantly changed expressions. She stood up from the dining table with a whoosh. Her face was pale and looked vicious.
Ye Xuan snickered and asked “So what if I say it again? I’m telling you, I already gave it to Gu Nianzhi. I’m returning things to their owner. Do you have a problem with that?” Ye Xuan was both disappointed and saddened by Gu Yanran’s reaction. She was a woman he had truly loved. Although he had mistaken her for someone else, the love he invested was not a mistake.
“What problem do I have with that? Ye Xuan, how dare you say such a thing! What right do you have to give my family’s things to an outsider? Did you really think you were a part of my family?!” Gu Yanran fiercely admonished him.
Ye Xuan only thought she was being preposterous. Draping his hand over the top of his head, he suddenly burst into laughter. He had barely caught his breath as he said, “Gu Yanran, I’ve never met anyone as delusional as much as you. I suggest you see a psychiatrist. If you are unwilling to see a psychiatrist, I’ll gift Uncle Gu’s words to you as a final message. ‘Don’t think lies become truth when you repeat them a thousand times! Lies will forever be lies. They will never become true.’ At the same time, don’t overly drain the last bit of love between us, Gu Yanran!”
“Love? Te Xuan, we didn’t have any love left when you decided to deal with the Gu assets without regard for my wishes or permission. You better know what’s good for you!” As Gu Yanran spoke, she threw the phone down. It hit the dining room wall and shattered into pieces. She still hadn’t vented her anger, so she flipped over the entire dining table and watched the steak and red wine spill on the floor before feeling a bit better. It seemed the other person was right. If Ye Xuan could not be loyal to her, there was no need to keep him. He knew way too much about her.
