Chapter 15: Are you mentally ill? Even if you are intermittent!

“Boss…”

Qian Heng sat at his desk without even lifting his head. “There’s a package from Bai Xingmeng at the front desk. It’s some materials she compiled herself—clues about jointly owned assets during her marriage. Go through them first and categorize the valuable ones. Also, take a good look at the divorce judgment between Bai Xingmeng and Xu Jun, especially the sections related to asset division. She’ll be coming in an hour for a brief meeting to discuss the next steps for the lawsuit. Prepare the conference room.”

Huh?

Cheng Yao had been bracing for some form of retaliation from Qian Heng, but to her surprise, he didn’t mention last night at all. He just assigned work as usual.

“Also, put together a list of all the evidence we have on Xu Jun’s hidden assets.”

Cheng Yao nodded, feeling a wave of guilt. She had completely misjudged Qian Heng. A man who had worked his way up to being a partner wouldn’t stoop to petty revenge over some drunken mishap.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to make it up to him. Glancing at his sharp side profile, she volunteered, “Boss, do you need coffee? I can make you some.”

“No need. Just focus on your own work. Making coffee isn’t your job.”

“I don’t mind! At my previous firm, I often made coffee for other lawyers.”

“I don’t think making coffee should be part of a female lawyer’s job description.”

This time, Qian Heng finally looked up. His tone was cold, his gaze indifferent, but his words were firm. “You’re here to work as a lawyer, not to do admin tasks. Don’t think that making coffee for your colleagues or your boss makes you seem more approachable—that’s unprofessional.”

His voice grew sharper. “Do you ever see male lawyers being asked to make coffee? In the legal profession, men and women are equals. No gender is inherently more suited for making coffee, printing documents, or scanning files. Remember that.”

Since she had started working, whether as an intern or at her previous firm, Cheng Yao had frequently been asked to do these secretarial tasks. To be honest, she had always resented it. No one goes through four years of law school just to end up running errands.

She wanted real legal experience, but over time, reality had dulled her resistance. It wasn’t until Qian Heng pointed it out that she realized she had unconsciously accepted this workplace norm—that women often had a harder time getting substantial work than men.

“I’ll speak to Bao Rui and tell him to stop dumping these admin tasks on you.”

For a moment, Cheng Yao was genuinely grateful. Sure, Qian Heng had a bad temper and a terrible attitude, but for a man to say something like this—she respected him for it.

“Tha—”

“Don’t think making me a cup of coffee will hint at your weakness as a woman. In my office, that doesn’t exist.” Qian Heng smirked. “My rule has always been: men are worked like beasts, women are worked like men, and if there aren’t enough men, women are worked like beasts too.”

“…”

“After all, it’s the modern era, isn’t it? Feminism and all. Special treatment for women is just another form of discrimination.”

“…”

“If you were offering coffee to apologize for last night, don’t bother.”

Cheng Yao perked up, ready to thank him for his generosity—until he added:

“That’s not something a cup of coffee can erase.” Qian Heng shot her a glance. “Since we work at the same firm, I won’t go the legal route. We’ll settle this privately. I’ve already listed the direct economic losses in an itemized breakdown and emailed it to you. Check your inbox.”

Cheng Yao was stunned. “You mean… I have to compensate you?” She quickly tried to reason with him. “Boss, I was drunk! I don’t even remember what I did! I wasn’t in control of my actions—I had no intention—”

“How old are you?”

“Huh? I’m 23.”

Qian Heng pursed his lips. “Do you have a mental illness? Even an intermittent one would do.”

What kind of question was that?! Cheng Yao was bewildered. “No?”

Qian Heng scoffed. “You’re over 18 and not mentally impaired. You don’t meet the definition of someone with limited legal capacity, so you’re responsible for your own actions. Being drunk isn’t a legally valid excuse to evade responsibility.”

“…”

“Now, get out.”

“…”

Just as Cheng Yao reached the door, she heard Qian Heng add, “Read more books instead of staring at people’s faces all the time.”

Huh?

“My face is 100% natural. You can stare a thousand times, but you won’t find a trace of plastic surgery.”

“…”

“Wait.”

Cheng Yao: ?

“Go downstairs.”

“What for?”

“Dong Min is here. Keep her away from my office.”

“…”

What a wonderful task.

Well, since she had to pay up anyway, Cheng Yao decided to go all in. “Didn’t you just say that in the legal profession, women should be assigned the same professional work as men, not irrelevant side tasks like this…?”

Qian Heng pulled out a file and tossed it to her. “Then do something professional. This is a confidential document for a client. It can’t be sent by mail, so deliver it in person. The address is just across the street.” He smirked. “And, conveniently, you can distract Dong Min on your way out.”

“…”

“What are you waiting for? Move.”

“…”

…..

Cheng Yao left Qian Heng’s office to deliver the confidential documents to the client. As a decoy, she wandered around outside for a while, successfully diverting the attention of Qian Heng’s misguided admirer, Dong Min, before returning to the office.

In a state of indignation, Cheng Yao opened her email and was nearly floored by the compensation list she saw. Besides the cleaning fee for the Bentley, there was even a charge for an Ermenegildo Zegna custom-made suit jacket…

As a lawyer, Qian Heng was meticulous. Every itemized loss estimate was accompanied by an invoice or an official website price listing, serving as proof of the actual value and cost of the damages. Staring at the series of zeros following the first digit of the suit’s price, Cheng Yao felt like she was about to faint.

It was just a social gathering—not a matchmaking event! Why wear something that expensive?!

Damn Qian Heng!

Damn capitalism!

Damn this morally bankrupt, wealth-gap-ridden society!

Turning her frustration into motivation, Cheng Yao’s work efficiency skyrocketed, and she quickly finished all the preliminary preparations for the afternoon meeting.

As before, Bai Xingmeng arrived punctually.

She came alone this time, without her manager.

Qian Heng, maintaining his professional demeanor, presented the current findings of Junheng’s investigation and got straight to the point:

“We’ve already identified the assets that Xu Jun has concealed. We can file the lawsuit at any time—it’s up to you to decide when.”

Bai Xingmeng paused for a moment before resolutely replying:

“File it immediately.”

“There are still two months left before the statute of limitations expires. Technically, as long as we file within this period, there won’t be any issues.” Qian Heng took a sip of coffee and continued, “However, Xu Jun’s TuanTuan Online is in the process of going public. It’s highly likely that within the next month, they will successfully list on NASDAQ. If you file the lawsuit now, it will undoubtedly disrupt their listing process because I will apply for equity asset preservation as soon as we initiate the case.

“Once the preservation and lawsuit are in place, they must be disclosed during the IPO process. An ongoing legal dispute over unsettled asset division will be like a ticking time bomb in his company. Investors will likely reassess the company’s risks, potentially causing major negative consequences—even jeopardizing the IPO itself.”

Bai Xingmeng’s expression remained unfazed as she quietly watched Qian Heng.

“If you’re willing to wait, then in a month, when TuanTuan Online successfully goes public, the assets available for division will increase several times over. In other words, if you file a month later, I will also receive significantly higher attorney fees.” Qian Heng pursed his lips, his tone calm and serious. “But as your lawyer, I respect whatever choice you make. I’m presenting all the legal options available to ensure you make the most beneficial decision for yourself.”

Logically speaking, this was an incredibly tempting proposal.

All Bai Xingmeng had to do was wait for one month—after that, if TuanTuan Online successfully listed, the amount she could claim would be exponentially greater. If, for some reason, it didn’t list within the month, she could still file at that time without any loss.

However, her response completely caught Cheng Yao off guard—

Her attitude remained firm and unchanging:

“I want to file right now.”

“Alright.”

Qian Heng was as concise as ever, showing no curiosity at all. He didn’t ask a single unnecessary question.

He simply turned to Cheng Yao and said, “I have a video meeting later. After that, go over the evidence checklist with Ms. Bai.” Then, looking at Bai Xingmeng, he added, “If you need anything, just communicate with Lawyer Cheng directly. I’ll take my leave now.”

…..

Cheng Yao was completely caught off guard by Qian Heng’s arrangement.

All this time, she had always been in a subordinate position when receiving clients, often not even needing to speak. This was the first case she was handling as part of Junheng, and it was a high-stakes one at that. Yet, at this moment, she had to face the client alone.

And this client wasn’t just anyone—it was Bai Xingmeng, the currently trending Bai Xingmeng.

Fortunately, before Cheng Yao could rack her brain for a topic of conversation, Bai Xingmeng spoke first.

“Lawyer Cheng, do you think I’m stupid?”

The question took Cheng Yao by surprise.

Luckily, Bai Xingmeng didn’t seem to be expecting an answer.

More often than not, in a divorce dispute, the client wasn’t just seeking legal help—they were also looking for someone to talk to.

“Lawyer Cheng, would you mind chatting with me for a bit? Since you’re a woman, I believe you might understand my feelings better.” Bai Xingmeng offered a slightly apologetic smile. “I know I’m taking up your time, and I’m willing to pay your consultation fees accordingly. But today, I don’t want to talk about cold, rigid legal matters—I just want to talk. I’m a celebrity, and I have no one in my industry I can confide in about personal matters.”

Cheng Yao nodded in understanding. As a lawyer, she had encountered this many times before. It was ironic—many clients had close family and friends in their personal lives, yet they never dared to confide their deepest emotions to them. Instead, they opened up to a lawyer, someone they only had a contractual relationship with.

Compared to their loved ones, they trusted the confidentiality clauses in business contracts more—the heavy penalties for breaching confidentiality reassured them.

Bai Xingmeng lowered her head. “This marriage has brought me so much pain. For him, I violated my management contract, secretly getting married while still under contract. My company retaliated, forcing me to pay massive penalty fees. I was nearly blacklisted, and my career was almost completely ruined.”

Cheng Yao had seen Bai Xingmeng’s career history and gossip posts while following Lingyao Strategy . It was true—she had shot to fame overnight, but just when her career was soaring, she was suddenly half-frozen by her company. From age 23 to 26, she had wasted four crucial years. Four years—prime years for any woman, let alone a celebrity.

Bai Xingmeng’s tone carried a trace of self-mockery. “Maybe women just become fools when they fall in love. Looking back now, I don’t think Xu Jun ever really liked me. When we started dating, his company was still small—nothing like what it is now. I genuinely loved him, but what did I get in return? Years of endless scandals.”

“Was it because of your agency’s restrictions that you couldn’t go public with the relationship?”

She chuckled coldly. “If I had the courage to marry him and blatantly violate my contract, do you think I’d be afraid to make our relationship public?” She gave a weary smile. “He’s the one who didn’t want to go public.”

Cheng Yao was puzzled. “Why?”

“Because half-hidden scandals are more sensational.” Bai Xingmeng laughed bitterly. “I had always maintained a clean public image, never involved in any rumors. But after getting together with him, I was dragged into more scandals than ever in my life. Because of film and drama promotions, I had to cooperate with male leads for publicity stunts while also keeping my relationship with him. The paparazzi caught wind of it and painted me as a two-timing hypocrite. Back then, I was confused and upset. I thought I had done enough to keep things private—how did the paparazzi find out? Now I know—it was Xu Jun who leaked the news himself.”

Cheng Yao was stunned.

Bai Xingmeng gave a wry smile. “Think back, Lawyer Cheng—before Xu Jun’s rumors with me, had you ever heard of TuanTuan Online?”

Cheng Yao thought for a moment and shook her head. She really had no impression of it. Her knowledge of Xu Jun and TuanTuan Online came purely from the wave of dramatic scandals surrounding Bai Xingmeng in those years.

“But after our relationship rumors spread, everyone knew about TuanTuan Online. The first time the paparazzi exposed us, his site gained a million new users in a single day. With each new scandal, his website’s traffic and user count kept growing.”

Now that she mentioned it, it did seem to be the case. Cheng Yao remembered that she had first registered for TuanTuan Online because of those very rumors.

Bai Xingmeng hesitated for a moment before asking, “Lawyer Cheng, if you don’t mind me asking, are you a registered user of TuanTuan Online?”

“Yes.”

“And under what circumstances did you sign up?”

Cheng Yao felt a little embarrassed. “Back then, there was a rumor that Xu Jun had secretly used his site’s homepage to confess to you with initials. I was still in school at the time, and out of curiosity—just like many other users—I went to check it out. But after visiting, I found that TuanTuan Online was actually quite well-made. It had a clean interface, no annoying ads, and its literature section had a vast collection of novels with multiple reading modes. It was very user-friendly. So, I ended up becoming a long-time user.”

Hearing this, Bai Xingmeng’s expression became one of understanding. “Exactly. Many people registered after that incident and became loyal users.” She lowered her gaze. “Even though my marriage with him fell apart, I have to admit—Xu Jun is a capable man. His website’s design and planning are truly impressive. But… there are many talented men in the world. Very few would go to the lengths he did to achieve his goals.”

She paused before adding, “That so-called leak… was entirely orchestrated by him.”

Cheng Yao was utterly shocked.

“There was never any subtle confession—it was all a show he orchestrated himself. First, he deliberately altered the website’s homepage, then hired a team to leak the so-called scoop and hype it up.” Bai Xingmeng’s expression was calm, but her voice still trembled slightly. “From the very first day he met me, what he saw was my traffic. What he needed was my popularity to breathe life into his website—what he wanted was the buzz from a scandal.”

She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Dating a female celebrity—it’s better than any advertisement. The moment the news breaks, netizens will dig up everything about him, and all he has to do is subtly fan the flames behind the scenes. It’s cost-effective, saving him a fortune in marketing expenses while amplifying the effect to an unimaginable degree. Because the people drawn in aren’t just random visitors—they’re real consumers, the most active internet users.”

“He’s the smartest marketing strategist. He knew that turning a company’s leader into an entertainment figure, an idol, was far more effective than traditional corporate promotion—it saved time, effort, and produced much better results.” Bai Xingmeng bit her lip. “It wasn’t until much later that I finally understood… That was his real reason for dating me. That was why he married me.”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

After Marriage:

Cheng Yao: “We had a child, sure, but the child looks like me! This nose bridge may be high, but it’s clearly my nose! You still can’t prove whether yours is natural or not!”

Qian Heng (in a dangerous tone): “Then let’s have another one.”

Cheng Yao: “W-wait! Hold on!”

Qian Heng, smiling as he unbuttons his shirt: “We’ll keep going until you have no doubts left.”

Cheng Yao: “No, no, no! I believe you! Your nose bridge is so perfect! There’s no way it’s fake!!! I was blind!!! Have mercy, Great Leader!!”