Ji Xu ignored Cheng Yue’s pitiful appearance and didn’t remind him about what he should be doing. After giving Cheng Yue a glance, he focused on eating his own breakfast.
Cheng Yue, feeling embarrassed, wiped his nose and then sat down on the sofa. It was only when he looked down at the socks on the floor that he realized he wasn’t wearing any shoes.
He looked around and saw his scattered shoes not far off. Cheng Yue went over to put on his shoes, noticed some cash that had fallen out of his backpack, picked up the bills, stuffed them into his pocket, and then picked up his backpack, dusted it off, and leaned back on the sofa, feeling tired.
Before closing his eyes, he shot a resentful glance at Ji Xu, who was eating his breakfast with gusto.
Whether he ate or not, Cheng Yue didn’t care. He wasn’t hungry.
As Cheng Yue grumbled to himself, he soon grew too tired and had to close his eyes. He was about to fall asleep when a sudden chill jolted him awake.
He remembered that Ji Xu seemed to have a thing against him sleeping on the sofa. Unable to voice his frustration, Cheng Yue shifted his position slightly, trying to align his back and neck with the back of the sofa.
If he couldn’t sleep, he could at least lean against it.
As Cheng Yue fumed and quietly grumbled to himself, he eventually fell asleep with his backpack hugged tightly.
After finishing his breakfast and tidying up, Ji Xu looked up at the curled-up Cheng Yue in the corner of the sofa.
Although Cheng Yue was only a few days short of turning 17, he looked taller and more mature compared to boys his age due to his long legs and arms. Curled up like this, he appeared somewhat pitiful.
Ji Xu observed for a moment, then took the stack of folders from his desk and left the office. He had noticed the dark circles under Cheng Yue’s eyes and wasn’t against him sleeping on the sofa. It was just the scattered shoes and things that bothered him.
When Zhang Mengmeng saw Ji Xu’s office door suddenly open, she quickly stood up from her desk. “Lawyer Ji.”
Ji Xu placed the folders he was holding on Zhang Mengmeng’s desk and said, “Please organize these materials and give them back to me.”
“Sure.” Zhang Mengmeng nodded and handed Ji Xu a folder she had taken out in the morning. “Here is the basic information on Luo Fengxing that you asked me to look into.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Ji Xu took the folder and walked directly toward Tang Jing’s office while flipping through it.
The information only included Luo Fengxing’s basic personal details, numerous business partners, and his children.
“The information isn’t deep,” Tang Jing said with a sigh, leaning back in his large leather chair. He tossed the folder onto his desk and closed his eyes, continuing to mumble, “There’s too little evidence, the higher-ups are too stubborn, and those disabled kids’ statements can’t be used as evidence. Mu Jia has also angered the big shots and is now under constant surveillance and control. Why did you have to wade into this mess? It’s driving me crazy.”
Ji Xu flipped through the numerous documents without sparing Tang Jing even a glance.
“Stop looking. There are only a few sheets of paper; it’s not going to magically reveal anything,” Tang Jing advised. When he saw that Ji Xu was completely ignoring him, he could only helplessly turn on his computer to search for more potentially useful information.
Cheng Yue woke up vaguely to the smell of food.
With his eyes half-closed, he saw a figure moving in front of him.
“Hey, little handsome, you’re awake?”
Zhang Mengmeng, smiling and holding several takeout boxes, said to Cheng Yue, who had just opened his eyes. “Perfect timing; Lawyer Ji asked me to bring you some food. It just arrived.”
“Ah?” Cheng Yue rubbed his eyes, sat up on the sofa, and looked at the smiling girl in front of him, a bit confused.
“I’m Lawyer Ji’s assistant,” Zhang Mengmeng said. Seeing Cheng Yue’s disheveled, just-woken-up state, her motherly instincts kicked in. She hadn’t expected to see a living little puppy at the office. The tousled blond hair looked incredibly cute and she wanted to ruffle it.
“Oh, thanks.” Cheng Yue threw his backpack on the floor and looked at the three dishes and a soup on the table. His stomach immediately growled.
Hearing Cheng Yue’s stomach rumble, Zhang Mengmeng tactfully said goodbye and walked out the door.
“Um… sister…” Cheng Yue looked at the empty desk and asked Zhang Mengmeng, “Where’s Ji Xu?”
“Lawyer Ji has more work to do and will be back later,” Zhang Mengmeng replied.
Cheng Yue snorted dismissively, muttering as he ate, “How much can this crappy job bring in? Is it necessary to work through lunch?”
When Ji Xu returned, he saw Cheng Yue, who had finished eating, lying on the sofa with a burp.
The food and dishes on the table were left messy, with some soup even spilled near the edge. Ji Xu’s already unpleasant mood worsened.
Though Ji Xu rarely showed his emotions, his face remained calm, but his eyes were slightly colder than usual.
“You have it tough. Working during lunch? What a mess.” Cheng Yue, oblivious to Ji Xu’s angry expression, continued to act arrogantly and complained about the office.
“The sunlight outside is too glaring, and the sofa is uncomfortable and hard on the back.”
“Really tough for you. Why don’t you just lie down on the street today? It’s spacious and suits your status,” Ji Xu said, hanging his coat on the chair back, unfastening his tie, and sitting in his office chair to relax.
Cheng Yue was taken aback, blinked a few times, and then responded angrily, “Are you scolding me?”
Ji Xu sighed and pointed at the mess of food containers on the table.
“Clean up your stuff.”
Cheng Yue, unable to retort, reluctantly gathered the containers and tidied them into a plastic bag.
Seeing that Cheng Yue had cleaned up, Ji Xu picked up the urn from the desk and bent down to pick up Cheng Yue’s backpack.
Cheng Yue grabbed a plastic bag and saw Ji Xu heading towards the door. He quickly followed, catching up to Ji Xu and asking, “Are you off work?”
“Mm-hmm,” Ji Xu replied. When Cheng Yue tossed the two plastic bags into the trash can, Ji Xu threw his backpack at him.
“Hey!” Cheng Yue was startled. The backpack was a limited-edition collab piece, and although he usually tossed it around, he couldn’t afford any damage.
He hurriedly caught the backpack but nearly toppled into the trash can. In a panic, he grabbed Ji Xu’s clothes, but due to the angle and Ji Xu’s foot slipping, the shirt didn’t help cushion the fall.
Instead, as Cheng Yue watched buttons pop out in slow motion, he realized at the moment he hit the ground that, although he was still alive, he felt as though he was already dead.
Ji Xu had taken off his coat in the office, and Cheng Yue had pulled on his shirt. The sound of the shirt tearing and buttons popping made Ji Xu want to sever the hand he had extended to help Cheng Yue.
“Ah!”
A few women’s screams made Cheng Yue, sitting on the floor, gulp nervously and begin to process the situation.
They were near the elevator, and the elevator girls, likely just back from lunch, were all blushing and covering their mouths, pretending not to see.
Ji Xu glanced at the five or six girls in front, slightly turned his body, and put on his suit jacket.
Cheng Yue slowly got up from the floor, carefully holding his backpack, and tried to stay calm while anxiously observing Ji Xu’s expression.
Ji Xu struggled to suppress his urge to kill Cheng Yue on the spot, repeating to himself mentally.
Minors cannot be harmed. As a lawyer, I must follow the law.
Don’t challenge the law. Respect any country’s laws and regulations.
Be kind to classmates, respect elders, be united and friendly, and always be enthusiastic and kind.
Cheng Yue swallowed hard, nervously handing over the few buttons he had picked up from the floor. “Do… do you still need these?”
The string of harmonious and friendly thoughts in Ji Xu’s mind snapped.
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