Chapter 41: To round it off, it means we slept together!

“Huh? Where’s my phone?!”

In the darkness, Cheng Yao finally remembered her phone. After that fall, who knew where it had landed or what it was buried under? She couldn’t even see the light from the flashlight function. The room was pitch black, making it nearly impossible to find.

“Boss, can you call my phone?”

After fumbling around for a while, Cheng Yao had no choice but to ask Qian Heng, who had remained silent, for help.

Qian Heng didn’t respond, but at least he took out his phone and dialed her number.

A familiar ringtone rang out from a pile of miscellaneous items near Qian Heng’s feet. Cheng Yao sighed in relief. Seeing that the phone was closer to him, Qian Heng bent down to pick it up—

Cheng Yao had just relaxed, but the moment she saw his movement, something suddenly occurred to her. She struggled to get up and retrieve it herself, but her sprained ankle made her movements sluggish. Before she could react, Qian Heng had already picked up her phone. Out of habit, he glanced at the illuminated screen—

“DANGER AHEAD! DANGER AHEAD!!!”

In that instant, giant warning signs flashed through Cheng Yao’s mind. She had a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.

Sure enough, Qian Heng froze after seeing the screen. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his face darkening with a dangerous expression. He let out a cold laugh and then turned the screen toward her.

“Explain.”

Qian Heng’s phone call hadn’t ended yet, so Cheng Yao’s phone was still vibrating.

She stared at the screen, looking at the contact name displayed—”Stupid Jerk”—and in that moment, she felt like she might as well drop dead from a heart attack.

“I…” Cheng Yao stammered. “It’s… a nickname! A term of endearment! I only use it for people I feel really close to. Think about it—if you really analyze the words ‘stupid jerk,’ don’t you think they carry a hint of affection and exasperation? And adding ‘stinky’ in front of it just gives it an irreplaceable emotional depth! Like, you know how parents sometimes call their kids ‘stinky baby’? It sounds mean, but it’s actually full of love! Right? Right?”

Qian Heng remained expressionless. “Do you call your dear parents that too?”

“…”

“Or are you just madly in love with me?”

“…”

Even with her usual ability to joke around and talk her way out of things, Cheng Yao found herself at a loss for words. She had saved her boss’s number as “Stupid Jerk”—how was she supposed to explain this? There was no saving it!

The silence grew awkward. Fortunately, Qian Heng finally spoke again, his tone no longer as infuriated as before.

“Get out.”

“Huh???”

Qian Heng snorted. “We’ve talked enough about trust law. Why are you still in my room?”

No way! I can’t leave! The power’s still out! I’m not going back no matter what!

Cheng Yao knew that if they talked about anything else, Qian Heng would definitely kick her out. But when it came to professional topics, he seemed to be fully engaged!

So she quickly said, “Boss! It’s a long night, and I can’t sleep. Since we’ve finished discussing trust law, why don’t we talk about how insurance law affects family wealth inheritance? Or family trust policies? Or the difficulties in handling family insurance disputes?”

“No. Get out.”

This time, Cheng Yao had clearly miscalculated—Qian Heng refused without hesitation.

“Then how about the practical challenges in inheritance law?”

Qian Heng pressed his lips together. “Cheng Yao, go to bed.”

“Boss, you’re moving away soon, and my time basking in your greatness is running out. Can I… Can I stay in your room tonight?” Cheng Yao braced herself. “I’ll sleep on the floor! Just being able to breathe the same air as you would be an honor…”

Qian Heng crossed his arms. “Speak normally.”

Damn, he was completely unmoved…

Cheng Yao continued to struggle. “Boss… I just really, really want to sleep on your floor tonight. A fortune teller said I have a looming disaster and that I must sleep here to ward it off…”

Qian Heng sneered, flashing his sharp white teeth. “Cheng Yao, what makes you think I’d allow you to sleep on my floor? Oh, is it because of this ‘deep affection’ you’ve shown by saving my number as ‘Stupid Jerk’?”

“…”

Cheng Yao wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but when Qian Heng said “deep affection,” he enunciated every word with a gritted-teeth intensity, like he was barely holding himself back…

Faced with this, Cheng Yao could only come up with another excuse. “My ankle is sprained… I can’t walk…”

“Do you need me to carry you out like a sack of rice?”

Qian Heng leaned against the wall and began rolling up his sleeves, looking as if he was really about to pick her up and throw her out.

Terrified of being left alone in the dark, Cheng Yao abandoned all dignity. She dropped to her knees and latched onto Qian Heng’s leg.

“I’m not leaving!”

Qian Heng was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to actually resort to literally hugging his leg.

He tried to shake her off, but since her ankle was injured, he couldn’t use much force. As they struggled, Cheng Yao clung even tighter.

“Cheng Yao!” Qian Heng gritted his teeth. “If you don’t let go, I’ll sue you for sexual harassment tomorrow!”

“Go ahead! The success rate for sexual harassment cases is low anyway because of how hard it is to prove. Even if you wanted to sue me, you wouldn’t have any evidence.”

Cheng Yao retorted with full confidence, and for the first time in her life, she realized—studying law was actually useful in real-life situations!

Qian Heng was on the verge of exploding. “You. Stand. Up. Right. Now.”

“No! I’m sleeping on the floor!”

…

Qian Heng looked down at the fluffy head clinging to his leg and felt a headache coming on.

“Boss, please don’t kick me out! I’ll tell you the truth!” Cheng Yao was on the verge of tears. “I watched a horror movie tonight, and now I’m scared of the dark. Please, I beg you! I’ll stay completely silent in the room, like I don’t even exist. I’m terrified of ghosts—I can’t go back to my room alone! I’m even willing to work five days of unpaid overtime in exchange for sleeping on the floor! Really, Boss, I’m begging you!”

Honestly, as soon as she said this, Cheng Yao had already prepared herself to be unceremoniously thrown out by Qian Heng.

But to her surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he actually stopped in his tracks.

“You’re afraid of ghosts?”

“Yes! Aren’t you?”

Qian Heng scoffed, his tone full of disdain. “If you’ve done nothing wrong, why would you fear ghosts knocking at your door?”

That’s not the point at all!!!

Cheng Yao nearly screamed in frustration. Of course Qian Heng wasn’t scared—he was the kind of person who probably scared ghosts away!

“Stop watching those superstitious horror movies.” Qian Heng’s voice was as calm as if he were casually reviewing his dinner. “Fine, get up. I’m going to sleep. You can sleep on the left side of the floor.”

Huh???

Wait a minute…

Qian Heng glanced at Cheng Yao, who was still sitting there dumbfounded. He raised an eyebrow, though his expression seemed slightly unnatural.

“I’ve already granted your wish of sleeping on the floor. What more do you want?”

Cheng Yao still couldn’t believe it. “You… you’re really letting me sleep on the floor?”

“Unless you were expecting to sleep in the bed?” Qian Heng turned his head away. “Ever heard the saying, ‘No one else may snore beside the emperor’s bed’? ¹ The phrase “No one else may snore beside the emperor’s bed” (卧榻之侧岂容他人鼾睡) comes from ancient Chinese history and literature. It essentially means “How can I tolerate others encroaching on my territory?” or “I will not allow anyone to challenge my authority or invade my space.”

In this context, Qian Heng is using it humorously (or maybe arrogantly) to imply that his bed is his exclusive space, and Cheng Yao has no right to share it. It’s his way of telling her not to overstep her bounds. What gave you the courage to think you could sleep next to me?”

“….”

Cheng Yao scratched her head. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that… in TV dramas, in situations like this, doesn’t the guy usually give up his bed for the girl?”

“Go to sleep. If you want that kind of scenario, you can dream about it.”

“…”

No matter what, thanks to her relentless persistence, Cheng Yao had finally fought her way through and won the (questionable?) privilege of sleeping on the floor in her boss’s room.

Unfortunately, after all the fuss, she was now wide awake.

Lying on the mat on the floor, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, on the bed, Qian Heng seemed to be doing the same.

Cheng Yao hesitantly called out, “Boss?”

“What?”

As expected, Qian Heng wasn’t asleep either. Maybe it was just the late-night atmosphere, but his voice carried a trace of helplessness.

Cheng Yao cleared her throat. “Since we’re both awake, why don’t we chat for a bit? We’ve lived together for so long, but we’ve never really had a proper conversation. Didn’t you say talking to you should feel like making money every minute? I’d like to enjoy that one last time…”

Qian Heng was silent for a long time.

Finally, he spoke. His voice was a little dry, but to Cheng Yao’s surprise, he didn’t refuse. There was just a slight awkwardness to it.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“How about your experiences as a lawyer over the years? I’ve always been curious—do successful lawyers like you ever go through the same struggles as us newbies? And how did you overcome them?”

After asking, Cheng Yao realized it might not be a great question. Even if Qian Heng shared his experiences, they probably wouldn’t be applicable to her. Their abilities were on completely different levels, and the challenges he faced were likely nothing like hers.

Qian Heng was silent for a long time.

So long that Cheng Yao thought he had fallen asleep.

Then, finally, she heard his voice.

“The early years of my career were… pretty tough too.”

Huh???

Cheng Yao perked up immediately. She sat up on the floor, her head lifted as she looked at Qian Heng. His answer was completely unexpected.

In her mind, Qian Heng had always been effortlessly powerful, as if he had never faced any struggles like she had…

“My family was against me becoming a lawyer.”

Ah…

So it was one of those “If you fail as a lawyer, you’ll have to go home and inherit the family business” situations…

Cheng Yao thought to herself, Yep, different social class, different kinds of problems.

Qian Heng looked back on his past, his tone calm but tinged with a hint of regret.

“My parents tried to force me into submission by imposing a complete financial blockade on me. I had just graduated and didn’t have a single cent to my name. My older brother secretly tried to help me out, but at the time, I must have been out of my mind because I refused—just to prove a point.”

As he spoke, there was even a trace of wistfulness in his voice. “In the end, I had no choice but to live in a basement. I couldn’t even afford a meal from Shaxian Snacks. One time, I ate at a roadside stall, got acute gastroenteritis, and spent a whole week vomiting and having diarrhea. And just then, I finally landed a client, but they were in another district. So there I was, clutching my stomach in pain, still running back and forth to deliver documents and communicate with them—just to hold on to a client whose legal fees were only five thousand yuan. It was freezing, and I had to brave the wind and rain….”

!!!

Qian Heng had a story like this? He had been this down and out? It sounded almost unreal.

“But according to Bao Rui, Boss, you seemed quite polished and successful right from the start of your career?”

Qian Heng chuckled, his tone indifferent, as if he wasn’t talking about himself. “That’s because I played the part well. Luckily, before my dad cut me off financially, I had already bought the most expensive suit I could afford.”

“I was practically broke, but every day, I wore that pre-bought suit. No matter the weather, no matter the client, I always presented myself in a suit, maintaining the most professional appearance. A lawyer must project a competent and reliable image. No matter how tough things get, it doesn’t matter if others look down on you—you must never look down on yourself. Because if even you don’t respect yourself, who else will?”

“Unfortunately, the senior lawyer I was training under couldn’t stand me because of this. He thought I was just some rich kid playing around, that I became a lawyer just for show. So he made things difficult for me—constantly setting traps, intercepting crucial client information, hiding key facts and evidence. Because of him, I almost lost several lawsuits.”

Cheng Yao was taken aback. She had never imagined Qian Heng had gone through such things.

“It was a big law firm. I won’t mention its name, but it had branches nationwide. I joined full of hope, only to find that many lawyers spent more energy on internal politics than on their actual work. Instead of focusing on improving their legal expertise, senior lawyers were more concerned with forming cliques and suppressing newcomers.” Qian Heng’s voice remained steady. “That’s when I swore I would never join another large corporate-style law firm again. If I ever had my own firm, I’d keep it small but elite—a tight-knit team, highly efficient, where every person’s expertise could be maximized.”

And suddenly, Cheng Yao understood.

This was why the atmosphere at Junheng was always so good.

This was why colleagues here could joke around but never schemed against each other.

This was why Qian Heng always shared his knowledge so openly, even going out of his way to guide her on legal principles.

Because that was just the kind of person he was—strict yet upright, sharp-tongued but pure-hearted.

“The current team at Junheng is the result of careful selection. Those without real skills, those unwilling to work hard, and those with ulterior motives—we’ve long since gotten rid of them.”

This work environment was one of the biggest reasons Cheng Yao loved Junheng. And now, she realized it wasn’t by chance—it was something Qian Heng had deliberately cultivated.

In the end, whether it was her professional growth or the supportive atmosphere of the firm, the person she owed the most to was Qian Heng.

Because of him, she had this safe, clean, and structured environment to grow in.

Because of him, she was able to overcome the blow of the Bai Xingmeng case and move forward.

Because of him, she could focus entirely on improving her skills, without being distracted by office politics.

“So, that mentor who tried to suppress you… what happened to him? Did you ever face him in court and completely crush him?”

“Him?” Qian Heng snorted disdainfully. “I haven’t seen him in ages. People like that—who spend all their time scheming against newcomers instead of honing their craft—how could they possibly survive in the long run? Besides, his judgment was just too poor.”

Cheng Yao, feeling indignant on his behalf, decided to throw in a compliment. “Exactly! What a fool to underestimate you, Qian Par! Anyone with a brain could tell at a glance that you were bound to be a rising star. He was just making an enemy out of himself!”

“It’s not even about that,” Qian Heng’s voice was filled with displeasure. “Was he blind? With my demeanor and presence, how could he possibly think I was just some ordinary rich kid? Absolutely unacceptable.”

“……”