Chapter 4: Thank you for your grace!!

Cheng Yao, covered in dust and grime, finally managed to unclog the pipes. After tidying up her room for a bit, the doorbell rang.

Qian Heng opened the door, and Cheng Yao watched in shock as movers carried in box after box of luggage.

She stared at the mountain of belongings filling up the living room. Who said men don’t have much luggage???

Just shoes alone—there were over a dozen pairs. Suits? More than twenty. And ties—an entire box of them…

Compared to her own pitifully sparse wardrobe, Cheng Yao suddenly felt like she had failed as a woman.

Among Qian Heng’s many boxes, there were even three large cases of Evian water.

“Don’t use tap water for boiling from now on,” Qian Heng said, noticing Cheng Yao’s gaze. He turned to glance at her. “From now on, only use Evian.”

“Actually, boiled tap water is perfectly fine. It’s not harmful to your health. Drinking Evian all the time is basically the same as burning money…”

“It won’t harm my health,” Qian Heng replied with a smile. “But it would harm my sense of style.”

“…”

“I work hard every day so that I can live exactly how I want. Burning money? I can afford it.” Qian Heng gave Cheng Yao a look. “I’ve noticed that a lot of people like you have a fundamental misunderstanding—you think that by saving a little here and there, your life will get better. But that’s never the case. If you want a better life, you have to work harder for it. Cutting expenses won’t improve your quality of life— increasing your income will. ”

“…Right.”

“As an extra employee benefit, you can drink Evian with me.”

Wow, thanks so much, Your Majesty…

Before heading to his room, Qian Heng delivered one final dose of toxic positivity:

“I hope you work hard enough so that one day, even without me, you can afford to drink Evian.”

“…”

*****

By the time everything was finally sorted out, it was already 8 PM. Cheng Yao quickly turned on the TV and tuned in to Starshine Satellite TV.

She had been following Lingyao’s Strategy recently—a drama about the protagonist, Lingyao, who starts as a lowly laundry maid and works her way up to become a female imperial physician. The plot was gripping, and most importantly, the lead actress, Bai Xingmeng, was stunningly beautiful and delivered an excellent performance. The romance between the male and female leads was incredibly sweet, making it a dream watch for anyone with a romantic heart.

Cheng Yao was so absorbed that she didn’t even notice when Qian Heng came out of his room—until the drama cut to a commercial break.

“Didn’t you say that the real difference between people lies in how they utilize their time after work?” Qian Heng sneered, seizing the moment. “Weren’t you planning to seriously study legal knowledge?”

“Well… sometimes TV shows actually involve legal concepts,” Cheng Yao defended herself with a straight face. “Learning through entertainment can sometimes be an alternative approach.”

Unfortunately, at that very moment, the commercial ended, and the heroine, Lingyao, reappeared in full traditional costume…

Qian Heng glanced at the screen. “Learning law from a historical drama? That’s certainly… an alternative approach.”

“I… I’m reviewing the history of China’s legal system! This show involves ancient Chinese punishments…”

Qian Heng stared at her.

Cheng Yao felt like she couldn’t keep up the act any longer…

“Watch less of these mind-numbing dramas. Spend more time reading court case precedents.” Qian Heng issued his final judgment.

Cheng Yao muttered, “Don’t you follow any celebrities? Don’t you think Bai Xingmeng is gorgeous? I really like her! And her acting is truly impressive—she was completely forgotten a few years ago, but she clawed her way back with sheer talent and persistence to land this role.”

“No. I don’t follow celebrities. Celebrities follow me.”

Cheng Yao: ???

“I don’t waste time or money on other people. I prefer when people pay to talk to me.” Qian Heng’s tone was unbearably arrogant. “That includes celebrities.”

Cheng Yao rolled her eyes internally. Yeah, sure, keep showing off. Like some big-time star is actually going to pay to talk to you… Boss, are you dreaming in broad daylight? At least come up with a more believable lie!

“Anyway, I suggest you turn off the TV.”

Cheng Yao frowned. “Boss, I never slack off at work. Now that I’m off duty, can’t I just watch some TV? It’s not like it’s illegal.”

“No, it’s not illegal. But I’m going to sleep.”

Cheng Yao checked the time. Qian Heng is only 27 or 28… Why does he have the sleep schedule of a senior citizen?

Besides…

“I’ve got the volume really low. It’s not loud enough to disturb your sleep.”

“I don’t allow any noise when I sleep,” Qian Heng declared matter-of-factly. “Even if the TV volume is low, your movements in the living room will inevitably cause some noise.”

Cheng Yao was getting annoyed. “If you think my noise is disturbing the peace, then go ahead and sue me. If Lawyer Qian Heng can bring back a court judgment against me, I’ll fully comply with the ruling.”

Qian Heng pressed his lips together, visibly displeased. But he had no counterargument for Cheng Yao’s shamelessness.

Seething, he grabbed a bottle of Evian, chugged it down in frustration, shot Cheng Yao a murderous glare, and then stormed back into his room.

*****

No matter what, Cheng Yao found herself swept into a chaotic cohabitation with her toxic boss.

Fortunately, since Qian Heng left for work very early, by the time Cheng Yao woke up, he was already gone—allowing her to avoid any further interactions with him.

On her second day at the firm, Cheng Yao finally managed to match most of her colleagues’ names with their faces.

Today, she finally met Tan Ying, who was on the same team as her. Tan Ying had a gentle and elegant demeanor in both speech and mannerisms.

“Hi, I’m Tan Ying. Even though you’ve been working a year longer than I have, I went to grad school, so I’m actually two years older than you. I might not be able to offer you much work experience, but if you ever have any issues in life, feel free to ask me,” she said with a playful wink. “Especially when it comes to relationships.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yao finally felt a bit more at ease. Sure, Qian Heng was absolutely insufferable, but at least her team members seemed nice—Bao Rui appeared to be a straightforward and easygoing guy, and Tan Ying was warm and kind. That was some consolation.

Just as Cheng Yao was about to express her gratitude for Tan Ying’s kindness, Tan Ying’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID before answering.

“I told you to stop calling me! Do you not understand human language? Ha! Me, using a dummy account to slander your new girlfriend on Weibo? Jealous of her looks?” Tan Ying’s demeanor made a complete 180, her aura turning sharp and aggressive. “Let me be brutally honest—your new girlfriend is ugly as hell. Even with makeup, she couldn’t look half as good as me if I were cremated!”

“…”

Bao Rui helpfully explained, “That was her ex.”

Uh… Cheng Yao thought to herself, Maybe I shouldn’t ask her for relationship advice after all…

*****

Aside from her own team members, Cheng Yao also got to know the three other new hires besides Tan Ying.

These three newcomers were each assigned to work under different partners. Two of them, Li Minglei and Chen Cheng, were both graduates of A University’s law school. However, Li Minglei had gone on to complete an LLM at Berkeley, while Chen Cheng stayed at A University to finish his master’s degree. The third new hire was a woman named Wang Lu, who had transferred from another law firm and already had three years of work experience.

Cheng Yao had just exchanged a few words with the new hires when Bao Rui approached.

“Cheng Yao, conference room 5. Meeting to discuss a case. Bring your notebook.”

By the time Cheng Yao arrived, Qian Heng was already seated in the conference room. Bao Rui had finished setting up his laptop and the projector, displaying the details of the case they would be analyzing today.

“A married couple—the husband owns a business. Before their marriage, they signed a prenuptial agreement stating that if they divorced, neither party would divide the other’s premarital assets, and only jointly acquired assets after marriage would be subject to division. Six months into the marriage, they divorced due to irreconcilable differences. Because of the prenuptial agreement and the short duration of the marriage, the wife only received 700,000 yuan in cash. However, she has recently discovered that her ex-husband’s company is about to receive investment and go public. She now believes that the assets she received in the divorce settlement may not have been fair. She has approached us to investigate whether there was any concealment or fraudulent transfer of assets during their marriage so she can claim a larger share.”

Qian Heng glanced at the projector screen. “This is a client I’m currently working with. Naturally, the actual case is more complex, and I’ve simplified some details. As per usual, I will be selecting one associate lawyer to assist me on this case. Tan Ying is already busy with another case, so this will be between you, Bao Rui, and Cheng Yao. You can discuss the case and present your perspectives. Whoever offers the most thorough and insightful analysis will be selected to join the case.”

Bao Rui was the first to speak. “How long has it been since the divorce?”

The timeline was crucial. There was a statute of limitations for contesting asset division after divorce.

“One year and ten months.”

“Then we’re still within the valid period. If one spouse conceals, transfers, sells, damages joint marital property, or fabricates debts to embezzle assets, the other party has two years from the time of discovery to file a lawsuit under post-divorce property disputes.”

“Correct.”

“That makes things easier. Since the husband owns a business, we should start by investigating his company. During the marriage, did he establish any subsidiaries under his existing business? Did he invest in other companies through it? Or did the company increase its capital during their marriage? If any of these things happened, we can determine his shareholding structure and use that to claim additional compensation for the client,” Bao Rui said, sounding excited. “Plus, with the company going public, its valuation has skyrocketed. If we win this case, my down payment for a house is basically covered. But time is tight—we have to complete our investigation and file the lawsuit within the next two months.”

…

The case discussion turned into what felt like a one-man show by Bao Rui. It was no surprise that Qian Heng ultimately chose him to assist with the case. Meanwhile, Cheng Yao felt more like a note-taker, barely managing to keep up with Qian Heng and Bao Rui’s rapid exchange of ideas.

Qian Heng was highly efficiency-driven, so the meeting wrapped up quickly.

“I’ll email you the detailed case materials later,” he told Bao Rui. “You can start investigating the husband’s company and financial assets.”

Bao Rui accepted the task and left.

Cheng Yao was about to follow him out when Qian Heng stopped her.

“Bao Rui came up with nine points of analysis for the case. What about you?” Qian Heng snorted coldly. “You couldn’t even get a word in, could you? Are you planning to switch careers and become a stenographer or a meeting recorder?”

Cheng Yao bit her lip but didn’t argue back. He was right. The gap between her and Bao Rui was clear—while she was still searching her mind for the relevant legal provisions, Bao Rui had already rattled them off effortlessly. While her brain was a blank slate trying to figure out where to even start investigating the husband’s assets, Bao Rui had already laid out a clear, structured analysis.

“Do you want to know how to improve?”

Qian Heng might be unbearably toxic, but there was no denying his expertise. Recognizing her shortcomings, Cheng Yao humbly admitted, “Boss, please teach me. I know my foundation is weak, but I’ll work hard to catch up!”

“Starting tonight, I don’t want to see you watching TV in the living room.”

“…”

Qian Heng spoke with complete seriousness. “With a foundation this bad, do you think you have the right to watch dramas? Come to my office. I have a few case files from previous cases. Finish reading them all this week and annotate each one with your insights and reflections. Submit them to me next Monday.”

Qian Heng! You’re just using your power for personal revenge!

Cheng Yao was fuming inside.

This was all a setup! The whole conversation had been leading to “No TV at night” !

This guy was so venomous. Afraid she might slack off again in a few days, he even came up with this whole study-and-evaluation plan!

Dragging her feet, Cheng Yao followed Qian Heng to his office. When she finally emerged, carrying the so-called “few” case files, her face was pale.

A few?

This was an entire stack !

Thankfully, Bao Rui happened to walk by and took some of the files from her, helping to carry them to her desk.

“Cheng Yao, there’s still a bit more.”

The moment she collapsed into her chair, the internal phone rang. Qian Heng’s devilish voice summoned her again.

One trip after another…

By the time she was finally done, her entire desk was buried under case files.

Bao Rui looked at her with sympathy. “Par* Qian rarely pays this much attention to new hires. Normally, he wouldn’t even hold a meeting just to discuss a case. According to him, his time is worth 166.666 RMB per minute, so every extra word he says to us costs him over a hundred bucks. Usually, case discussions are just handled through team-wide emails.”

“I’ve also never seen him keep such a close eye on a newbie or personally push them to study.” Bao Rui glanced at the mountain of case files on Cheng Yao’s desk. “Given his usual complete indifference toward new hires, this is really unusual.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Could it be because you’re pretty? Maybe Par Qian came up with all these excuses just to spend more time with you? Picture this—late-night case discussions under the moonlight, role-playing as opposing lawyers, passionately fighting over asset division and child custody, arguing until dawn… Wow, just imagining it feels so romantic .”

Bao Rui, have you been poisoned by Qian Heng too?!

Cheng Yao felt like weeping.

This wasn’t some glamorous or prestigious training program—this was a den of pure evil!

Author’s Note:

【Mini Theater】

Five Venoms Cult Grand Protector Bao Rui: Lately, our Cult Leader seems to be in a bad mood. I feel like we should offer up a disciple to entertain him a bit?

Five Venoms Cult Senior Disciple Tan Ying: I think our newest recruit, Cheng Yao, is a good choice. How about…???

Five Venoms Cult Grand Protector Bao Rui: It’s settled! Go, Pikachu!

Cheng Yao: …