Chapter 45.2: “You dare to touch my people?”

Just as she thought the conversation would pass, a cool hand suddenly gripped her chin and forcibly turned her face toward him.

Qian Heng held her jaw in place, his grip firm and unyielding, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“What happened?”

He was too close. So close that Cheng Yao instinctively held her breath. His deep black eyes stared directly into hers.

She lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together. “Nothing.” Then she tried to change the subject. “Boss, we should get ready for the meeting.”

“Talk. Tell me why you were crying. If you don’t, you’re not going to that meeting.”

“……”

His voice was just as domineering as his actions. His tall frame blocked the doorway completely, making it clear that she wasn’t leaving until she answered.

“Cheng Yao, I’ve told you before—if you want to cry, you need to submit an application first. Only if I approve it are you allowed to cry. Crying behind my back? I’m deducting your entire year-end bonus.”

Cheng Yao panicked and finally lifted her head to glare at him. “I… I was just watching a really touching TV drama! It made me cry! I didn’t have time to submit an application!”

Qian Heng leaned against the door, his face expressionless. “Which drama? What was the storyline? Which network aired it? Who were the lead actors? And which exact line made you cry?”

He crossed his arms. “Answer correctly, and I’ll let you off.”

“……”

“Get even one answer wrong, and I’ll deduct your entire bonus.”

“……”

It was an outright threat. But strangely, Cheng Yao didn’t feel scared at all. Instead, she felt an unexpected urge to laugh.

Her boss… when he got toxic, he was really like a pufferfish. Highly poisonous, yet when puffed up, not scary at all—just a little… cute.

The anger and exhaustion from Tang Bing’s harassment still weighed on her, but somehow, Qian Heng’s absurd words lifted her mood a little.

She looked up at him again, still contemplating how to respond, when Qian Heng spoke again.

“I’ll give you one minute. If you don’t talk, I’m deducting your bonus.”

She should have hesitated. But for some reason, she suddenly wanted to tell him.

If it was Qian Heng… it should be fine, right?

At this moment, she felt an impulse—an urge to speak up, even if it affected Qian Heng’s work. Because under his unwavering gaze, Cheng Yao wanted to tell him.

She didn’t even realize that her trust in Qian Heng was almost blind at this point. But deep inside, she was certain—if she told Qian Heng, at least he wouldn’t judge her for it.

At least he wouldn’t think that, as the victim, she must have done something wrong. He wouldn’t believe she had been too careless and that was why she was targeted. He wouldn’t assume that it was her lack of vigilance that gave someone an opportunity to take advantage.

Cheng Yao didn’t know why, but she just felt that if it was Qian Heng, he wouldn’t be like those people on the internet, who demanded victims be “perfect” to be believed. He wouldn’t sneer and ask, “Why didn’t this happen to anyone else? Why only you? Isn’t it because you were stupid?”

He had a sharp tongue and never spared anyone, but Cheng Yao believed that when it came to matters of right and wrong, Qian Heng would never blame the victim.

“There was some unpleasantness with Tang Bing.” Cheng Yao finally spoke. She let go of her earlier nervousness, stepped aside, and invited Qian Heng into the room.

“He harassed you?”

To her surprise, Qian Heng didn’t even need to ask—he had already guessed it.

The look on her face confirmed his suspicion. His lips pressed into a thin line. “I thought so.” His voice was cold. “Give me your phone.”

“Huh?”

“He sent you harassing messages, didn’t he?” Qian Heng’s expression was dark. “Give it to me. I want to see what kind of garbage he sent.”

“No…” Cheng Yao hesitated for a moment before finally gathering her courage. “Just now, he asked me to go to the conference room early to help set up the meeting materials and connect the computer to the projector…”

As she recounted what had happened, Qian Heng remained silent. He didn’t interrupt, just listened quietly.

His entire face was hidden in the shadows, and Cheng Yao didn’t dare look at him. She was afraid to see his expression.

What would he look like?

She didn’t know. And suddenly, she didn’t want to know.

When she finally finished telling him everything Tang Bing had done, Qian Heng still didn’t say anything. No response at all, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

For a moment, Cheng Yao felt a wave of sadness—and regret.

She had been too reckless. She shouldn’t have told Qian Heng. What could saying it change? Did speaking about it make Tang Bing’s harassment disappear? Could time turn back? Could the sickening memory of being touched just vanish?

Now that she had told him, all she had done was put Qian Heng in an impossible situation.

On one side, a subordinate who had been harassed.

On the other, a client worth billions.

Cheng Yao felt embarrassed and awkward. Her face was even redder than when Tang Bing had harassed her earlier. She lowered her head, frustration and helplessness filling her heart. “Forget it, Boss. It’s my own fault. I didn’t have enough awareness to protect myself. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything.”

After a long silence, Qian Heng finally spoke. His expression was dark, likely due to the uncomfortable situation. He fixed his gaze on Cheng Yao and asked, “Did you keep any evidence?”

Cheng Yao was momentarily stunned before nodding. “Yes, I recorded it.”

“Give it to me.”

Even though she had solid evidence, that video was still a humiliating memory for her. No matter what, she didn’t want Qian Heng to see her like that—to see her being harassed by Tang Bing.

“Forget it,” Cheng Yao said, trying to sound indifferent. “It was just a couple of touches. There’s no real loss. And now that I have the video, he won’t dare to try anything in future meetings…”

“Give it to me.” Qian Heng’s lips were pressed into a firm line, his expression already looking extremely unpleasant. “Cheng Yao.”

Normally, Qian Heng had a sharp tongue, but Cheng Yao could always read his mood from his expression. This time, however, his aura was downright intimidating, making her feel completely lost.

Unable to resist the pressure, she handed over her phone.

“Earphones.”

For some reason, after taking her phone, Qian Heng also asked for her earphones. After plugging them in, he glanced at her again. “Turn around. Face the wall.”

Cheng Yao was completely baffled. What kind of person was this?! He took her phone, watched her recorded video, used her earphones—now he was making her face the wall?

But after turning around, she realized there was an advantage to it. At least she didn’t have to relive the incident by watching or listening to the video again. She didn’t have to be forced to remember Tang Bing’s disgusting actions once more.

She waited a long time. Finally, Qian Heng finished watching. His face was cold as he tossed the phone back into her arms and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

Qian Heng glanced at her. “It’s time for the meeting with Tang Bing.”

“Oh… oh.” Cheng Yao felt awkward. She smoothed her hair and followed behind Qian Heng as they walked out.

Qian Heng, walking ahead, was calm and composed. His long legs carried him forward steadily. He didn’t look at Cheng Yao again; he simply walked on, his mood seemingly affected yet also unaffected at the same time.

For a moment, Cheng Yao felt complicated and uneasy. After thinking for a while, she felt like she finally understood Qian Heng’s behavior.

Of course, he must be angry that his subordinate had been harassed. But completely falling out with a heavyweight client over just an incident of inappropriate touching? That didn’t seem rational or professional.

Especially since Qian Heng and Tang Bing had already signed a legal representation agreement. Unless they could negotiate a cancellation, or the client’s request involved illegal activities, a lawyer couldn’t refuse to represent their client without a valid reason. If Qian Heng unilaterally refused, Tang Bing could directly file a complaint with the bar association, and they would penalize him.

Risking a disciplinary action from the bar association and potentially losing a billion-dollar client just to stand up for her?

Cheng Yao thought about it and couldn’t help but mock herself.

It seemed that Qian Heng’s approach was to downplay the incident, keep silent about it, and let it naturally fade away—turning a big issue into a small one, and a small one into nothing.

Although Cheng Yao felt disappointed, she had to admit that this was the most rational and mutually beneficial course of action.

As she was mentally preparing herself, she and Qian Heng arrived at the meeting room door.

Without any expression, Qian Heng pushed the door open. Sure enough, Tang Bing was already inside, wearing a wide smile as he waited for them.

“Lawyer Qian, Lawyer Cheng, please have a seat, please have a seat. Regarding my case—”

However, before Tang Bing could finish his sentence, Qian Heng—who had remained completely silent ever since learning about Tang Bing’s harassment—cut him off before he could say another word.

With his fist.