The car was silent for a moment.
Ji Xu carefully wiped his hands before opening the door and getting out.
Seeing this, Cheng Yue, still holding the urn, quickly followed suit. He didn’t know where he was, and if he wasn’t careful, he would probably end up getting lost, like stumbling into a maze with no way out.
“Have you had breakfast?” Ji Xu glanced at him.
Cheng Yue nodded, then thought for a moment and shook his head.
“Did you eat or not?” Ji Xu led him towards the elevator.
“I did,” Cheng Yue said softly, “but I’m still hungry.”
Ji Xu pressed the elevator button and glanced at the urn Cheng Yue was holding.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Anything is fine.” Cheng Yue was a bit uncomfortable with his concern, feeling that if he answered incorrectly, Ji Xu might slap him.
Ji Xu looked at him and thought Cheng Yue was like a plastic bottle—making a lot of noise but actually quite timid, leaking air with the slightest hit.
The elevator doors opened, and Ji Xu led him inside.
Cheng Yue looked at the floor buttons that Ji Xu had pressed and asked, puzzled, “Where are we going? Why are we going so high up for breakfast?”
Ji Xu, looking at a message from his assistant on his phone, replied casually, “We’re going to my office. I don’t have time to take you back, so you can wait for me in my office until I get off work.”
“Oh.” Cheng Yue nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable about being sent to the old man’s place again.
It wasn’t that he disliked the old man, but being sent back there so soon after running around in the morning made him feel embarrassed and awkward.
When the elevator doors opened, Ji Xu stepped out, and for a moment, Cheng Yue, who was following, disappeared from view.
Great, everything Ji Xu had said seemed pointless; the kid had wandered off again.
Ji Xu, frowning as he looked at the descending elevator display, was about to get angry when he saw the display slowly stop and then start rising again.
When the elevator doors opened, Cheng Yue, worried that he had pressed the wrong floor, looked out and saw Ji Xu standing outside the elevator. He felt relieved and awkwardly wiped his nose with his hand.
“I was lost in thought and forgot to get out.”
Seeing Cheng Yue’s sheepish smile, Ji Xu couldn’t bring himself to get angry. He slowed his pace and led Cheng Yue into the office building.
As they walked, Ji Xu advised him, “Don’t wander around. If you want something to eat, just tell me. We’ll go back together after work.”
“Got it.” Cheng Yue, annoyed by his nagging, nodded casually and looked around curiously at the surroundings.
After passing through a long white transparent glass corridor, they reached the reception area.
Cheng Yue read the words on the wall behind the reception desk: Heng Yi Law Firm.
Now Cheng Yue understood why Ji Xu was so impressive with his words—he was a lawyer. No wonder.
The receptionist greeted them with a smile. “Good morning, Lawyer Ji. Is this your brother?”
Ji Xu, with no visible expression, glanced at Cheng Yue and simply replied, “My son.”
Cheng Yue didn’t immediately react but instinctively felt something was off.
When he saw Ji Xu walking towards the office area, he suddenly widened his eyes and protested, “Who’s your son! Why do you talk so much! Are you showing off with eight tongues or something?”
Ji Xu remained silent and gave him a sidelong glance.
Cheng Yue immediately shut up, swallowing hard and feeling a bit scared. The kick Ji Xu had given him was still sore, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself further. Besides, there was a young woman looking at them.
But Cheng Yue was more afraid of Ji Xu’s cold demeanor. After hesitating for a moment, he followed along, biting his lip.
“Keep talking, and you’ll lose your tongue,” Ji Xu whispered in his ear, then gave the receptionist a polite smile. “Sorry, my kid doesn’t know any better.”
“No problem, no problem,” the receptionist quickly waved her hand, a bit intimidated by Ji Xu. Though he was always well-dressed and had a charming face, she felt uneasy around him.
Even though he sometimes smiled and greeted them when he was in a good mood, she was still scared. How should she put it—“a beast in human clothing” or “a gentleman with a dark side”? Either way, she wasn’t sure what lay beneath his suit.
Ji Xu placed his hand on Cheng Yue’s neck, almost dragging him forward.
“Wow,” Tang Jing, holding a cup of coffee and coming out of the break room, saw them and was surprised.
“Ji Xu, what are you doing? Picking up strays is illegal!”
“I wouldn’t take this even if he’s for free,” Ji Xu replied, showing no expression, and pointed to an office ahead. He then looked at Cheng Yue, indicating for him to go inside first.
Cheng Yue glanced at the chubby man with the coffee, rolled his eyes, and walked toward the office.
“Hey, this kid’s got quite the attitude,” Tang Jing said with a smirk, his small eyes squinting into slits. “That eye-roll looks like he’s been blind for decades.”
“Just a firecracker; if you dare light it, it’ll explode.” Ji Xu glanced at the folder Cheng Yue was holding and asked, “How is Mu Jia doing recently? How far along are you with the task she assigned?”
“Not very far,” Tang Jing sighed deeply and patted the folder in his hand. “Mu Jia is quite stubborn. Those disabled people are on the gray edge of the law. She reported those issues and is even suing, so it’s no wonder those higher-ups want to crush her. Only you can take on this burden.”
“Right,” Ji Xu continued, “I remember there was a trader named Luo Fengxing in the materials Mu Jia provided?”
“Luo Fengxing?” Tang Jing immediately flipped through the folder and found the name among the last few lines.
“Yes, that’s right. He’s listed, but he’s just a middleman with no substantial criminal record.”
“Start from here and gather his information,” Ji Xu instructed before turning and entering his office.
There was no rush; there was another matter to handle inside.
As soon as Ji Xu pushed open the door, his gaze turned colder. He frowned at Cheng Yue sprawled haphazardly on the office sofa.
Cheng Yue had even removed his shoes, leaving them scattered like the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd stars never to meet.
His backpack, which he had been carrying, was thrown on the floor, and its zipper had somehow come undone, scattering some bills on the ground.
The only thing Cheng Yue had placed properly was the urn, positioned squarely in the center of Ji Xu’s desk.
“Get up.” Ji Xu closed the door behind him and kicked the backpack towards the side of the sofa.
Cheng Yue, who hadn’t slept all night, was incredibly tired. He pressed a pillow over his head, pretending not to hear anything.
“I’m giving you one minute. The way you came in is how you need to leave.” Ji Xu’s voice was calm, but his gaze was dark as he looked at the person lying on the sofa.
Cheng Yue kept his eyes closed, pretending to be dead. His mind was too tired to focus, and his eyelids wouldn’t even twitch. He thought that even if he was asleep, Ji Xu couldn’t really do anything to him, could he?
A minute later, Ji Xu demonstrated that he indeed could do something.
“Ah! Are you crazy! Let me down!”
Cheng Yue kicked his legs, feeling sick as his stomach was pressed against Ji Xu’s shoulder. “You’re a lunatic! You’re supposed to be a guardian! Hitting a kid, aren’t you embarrassed!”
Ji Xu said nothing, carrying Cheng Yue to the office restroom and then throwing him on the floor. He reached for the showerhead.
“I’m sorry!” Cheng Yue was quick to admit his mistake. Seeing that Ji Xu was about to hit him, he immediately curled up and began to cry out in pain even before the punishment began.
His cries were genuine, heartfelt, and agonizing.
If Ji Xu hadn’t seen his hands still attached to his arms, he might have thought he had really done something to Cheng Yue.
The kid had a lot of nerve despite being so small.
Ji Xu kicked Cheng Yue’s butt, which was curled up in the corner, and said impatiently, “Get up.”
“I’m not getting up. If I do, you’ll just hit me,” Cheng Yue said, hugging his head and not moving. He wasn’t stupid; his mother used to do the same thing, claiming that if she didn’t beat him, he’d just run away. What’s the point of getting up?
Besides, presenting his butt was safer; after all, he had more flesh there.
“You have three seconds. Either you stand up now, or you stay in the restroom all day.” As Ji Xu finished speaking, Zhang Mengmeng entered with breakfast.
“Lawyer Ji, breakfast is here. I’ve put it on the desk for you,” Zhang Mengmeng called out as she left.
“By the way, you might as well skip the meal,” Ji Xu said and turned to leave.
Seeing Ji Xu’s decisive exit, Cheng Yue thought about breakfast and then his own empty stomach. Within moments, he got up quickly, realizing that his pride and stubbornness were meaningless.
It wasn’t like a TV drama; he wasn’t going to stay in the restroom.
When Ji Xu saw Cheng Yue come out, he looked up at him briefly and, with no visible expression, sat at his desk and began eating the breakfast that had been delivered.
Cheng Yue walked over, swallowed nervously, and, unable to admit he also wanted to eat, said, “The fish looks unfresh, and the vegetables don’t seem very tasty.”
Ji Xu looked up at him with a neutral expression but found the situation amusing and muttered “idiot” under his breath.
Cheng Yue regretted his comment immediately as his stomach growled loudly.
Cheng Yue: “……”
