Chapter 52.1: Qian Heng? Blind date?! I, Cheng Yao, object to this in my real name!

Cheng Yao returned home filled with complicated feelings, only to find the Pikachu that Qian Heng had always kept by his side and never let her touch, now sitting at her bedroom door.

What’s going on? Was he asking her to wash it? Or did he want her to personally deliver it to the girl he was giving it to?

Puzzled, Cheng Yao picked up the Pikachu and knocked on Qian Heng’s door.

“Boss?”

Qian Heng opened the door, glanced at the Pikachu, and said expressionlessly, “It’s yours now.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want it anymore.”

Cheng Yao hesitated, then asked tentatively, “I thought you were giving it to someone—a pretty girl with a nice figure or something…”

Qian Heng looked at her warily. “You heard that?”

“No, no, I didn’t hear anything!”

“Oh, that was just a random excuse I made up at the time,” Qian Heng said, pursing his lips. “I needed a reason to reject that kid.” Then his expression turned disdainful. “Besides, why would I give someone something like this? I’m only giving it to you because I don’t want it anymore. And don’t go having any weird, dirty thoughts just because this Pikachu is yellow.”

“…”

Cheng Yao couldn’t help muttering, “You suddenly say you don’t want it, but weren’t you practically glued to it when you brought it back?”

Qian Heng looked away and focused on the book in his hands. “Now that I think about it, I’m about to move soon. Hauling this thing back and forth is a hassle. Plus, this big yellow thing totally clashes with the aesthetic of my villa.”

Hearing the mention of moving reminded Cheng Yao of something. “By the way, Boss, when exactly are you moving out?”

It was a casual question, but Qian Heng’s reaction was explosive. He raised an eyebrow dangerously. “Why? Do I, a legal tenant who pays rent, need to submit a formal report to you about when I move?”

“…”

Cheng Yao was left speechless. On her way back to her room, she kept muttering to herself—what’s with him? Wasn’t it Qian Heng himself who said he was only temporarily staying in this “beneath-his-level” apartment because he had no choice, and that he’d move out as soon as the Dong Min case was resolved and his villa was renovated?

Dong Min had indeed come by multiple times to harass Qian Heng because of the Dong Shan case, and Cheng Yao had done her utmost to fend her off each time. But now the Dong Shan case had been completely settled, and Dong Min had gone abroad for studies with her mother Jiang Wenxiu. She wouldn’t be back anytime soon, and certainly wouldn’t be bothering Qian Heng anymore.

As for Qian Heng’s villa, Cheng Yao clearly remembered overhearing him just a week or two ago confirming a final inspection with the renovation team.

The more she thought about it, the less sense it made. So she just played on her phone. Still, through a twist of fate, she had ended up with the limited edition Pikachu plush she loved. That was pretty lucky.

She glanced at the big Pikachu sitting on her nightstand and couldn’t help feeling happy—when suddenly, a lightbulb went off in her head—

She figured out why Qian Heng had been in a bad mood today!!!

He! Got! Rejected!

He’d obviously cared so much about this Pikachu, lovingly carrying it all the way home to give to someone. But when the moment came, he just shoved it at her and flat-out denied he ever intended to gift it to someone. He even refused to acknowledge what he said on the beach. And he got all touchy when asked about moving.

Why?!

Because Qian Heng had poured his heart out and got nothing in return!

He probably brought the Pikachu to the girl to show off—and she didn’t want it!

This was truly a case of “I offered my heart to the moon, but the moon lit up the ditch instead.”

Cheng Yao immediately shared this earth-shattering discovery with the “Wealth and Glory Squad.”

“HIGH ALERT! Qian-par has been in a bad mood lately—most likely, very probably, practically confirmed: HE’S HEARTBROKEN!!! Please proceed with caution. Do not provoke Qian-par! Avoid him in hallways!!”

Tan Ying and Bao Rui immediately popped up and flooded the chat with exclamation mark rants as usual.

These two die-hard cultists of the Five Poisons had absolutely zero sympathy for their cult leader’s romantic woes. Besides merciless laughter, all they offered was schadenfreude…

Office camaraderie? In Junheng? Doesn’t exist.

*****

After returning from her business trip, Cheng Yao took a short rest before diving back into work.

She could clearly feel that ever since the Dong Shan case, Qian Heng had started loosening his grip on her. For many cases, he would only give a broad directive, leaving the specific execution entirely to her.

She stumbled her way through each case, but discovered that being hands-on—even if it meant taking a few wrong turns—allowed her to gain a wealth of valuable experience. What reassured her most was that whenever her approach strayed off course, Qian Heng would always appear like a savior and effortlessly steer her back in the right direction.

At the same time, Qian Heng almost always paired her with Bao Rui. Though Bao Rui was the type to crack jokes constantly, when it came to work, he was absolutely reliable—professional and thorough. His different working style from Qian Heng also became a valuable learning opportunity for Cheng Yao.

When it came to dealing with clients and rejecting unreasonable demands, Qian Heng would shut things down with a cold and decisive “no.” Bao Rui, on the other hand, could always manage to turn things around with finesse and tact, subtly getting the client to agree with his way of doing things.

Cheng Yao knew she didn’t have Qian Heng’s level of skill, so she didn’t have his confidence to say no so bluntly. Bao Rui’s gentler approach was much more suited to her, and she learned a lot from him.

She also realized that the cases Qian Heng assigned her weren’t random—he carefully picked ones she hadn’t handled before, and subtly nudged her to learn as much as possible from Bao Rui.

Since the Dong Shan case, Cheng Yao felt like a sponge, soaking up knowledge and experience each and every day with greedy delight.

Just as she and Bao Rui had successfully wrapped up another custody dispute case, and she was gearing up for her parents’ visit to City A this Sunday for a high school reunion, Cheng Yao got a call from Li Mengting.

But this time, Li Mengting wasn’t calling with a cheerful invitation to her wedding banquet in City A. On the phone, she was completely breaking down, crying so hard she was nearly choking on her sobs.

“Haozi says he doesn’t want to be with me anymore,” Li Mengting’s voice was shaking with tears. “He’s made up his mind—he wants me to get rid of the baby. Yao Yao, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Cheng Yao was stunned. Wasn’t Zhang Hao the one who had changed himself for Li Mengting? How could things suddenly turn out like this?

“You’re pregnant—try not to let your emotions swing too wildly. It’s not good for the baby,” Cheng Yao forced herself to stay calm and spoke in a soothing tone. “Where are you? Let’s talk in person.”

*****

Cheng Yao found Li Mengting at a dessert shop. Her belly was noticeably bigger now—it was obvious from any angle that she was pregnant. Her eyes were red and swollen like peaches, her face pale and haggard. Even Cheng Yao couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy just looking at her.

“What happened?”

Li Mengting choked back her sobs. “Didn’t I tell you last time that we were planning to hold a small banquet in City A for our friends and colleagues there? I brought it up to Haozi again last night, and he brushed it off again . This kind of thing has happened more than once. But I’ve already told all my friends and classmates in City A—how can I suddenly just cancel it? And lately, for the past half month or so, he’s been working overtime non-stop. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and he’s still not home. I just feel like he only cares about work, like he doesn’t give a damn about me or the baby. So I lost it and we had a big fight.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks again.

“I wasn’t asking for much. I just wanted him to apologize and comfort me a little, and agree to set a date for the banquet. But instead, he blew up at me—called me useless for not making a cent, spending his money, and still having the nerve to nag. He said just because I’m pregnant, I think I can boss him around. Then he said he couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t want to be with me. He even pushed me over, despite me being pregnant—and smashed up a bunch of stuff at home.”

Cheng Yao waited until Li Mengting had calmed down a bit before starting to gently analyze the situation.

“First, think about it—when couples argue, is it possible you’re not completely in the right either? Like, is Haozi really that busy lately? Is he under a lot of pressure? After marriage—especially with a baby on the way—there are tons of expenses. He might be feeling overwhelmed. You can’t just expect him to constantly comfort you and care for you. Love goes both ways. Do you think maybe you haven’t shown him enough concern, either? Like at home—do you make him breakfast or dinner?”

Li Mengting froze. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Cheng Yao to be so blunt, or to not just side with her and start cursing Zhang Hao out too. Instead, Cheng Yao was pointing out her possible faults—head-on.

Seeing her expression, Cheng Yao added, “I’m not not on your side. But if all I do is go along with you and call Zhang Hao a jerk and tell you to dump him—would that solve anything? Sure, he’s definitely in the wrong this time. But is he really some irredeemable scumbag? Or are there issues on both sides? Last time I saw him, he seemed to really care about you. It doesn’t make sense for him to flip so suddenly.”

Li Mengting bit her lip. “But… I’m pregnant,” she said. “Am I supposed to be waddling around cooking all day too?”

Cheng Yao gave her a pointed look. “Then what have you been doing at home since you got pregnant?”

“Just… watching shows, reading novels, trying to relax.”

Well. There it was—the root of the problem.

Cheng Yao took a bite of her brownie. “Being pregnant shouldn’t be a special privilege. If you have the energy to binge dramas and read novels, then you haven’t suddenly become too delicate to touch water. Cooking meals isn’t about slaving over a hot stove. It’s just a gesture. Boiling some noodles, steaming a bun—are those really impossible?”

“This is your marriage, your call. If you think what Zhang Hao did is unforgivable, or if there’s something else that crossed your bottom line and you want to get an abortion and divorce him—I’ll go with you, no questions asked. But if you think maybe you do have some part in this and that Zhang Hao is still fundamentally a good guy you want to stay with, then talk it out properly.”

Society and real life aren’t perfectly fair between men and women—whether in the workplace or in daily life, men often still hold the upper hand. Over time, this has shaped a public narrative.

When it comes to relationships—especially marriage—any mistake a man makes tends to get blown way out of proportion. Public opinion quickly turns into: Don’t look for husbands in the trash bin , or Stay single and child-free for peace of mind . And just like that, the man gets labeled a scumbag.

But often, it might just be one careless comment after a long day of overtime. Or he forgot a birthday. Or it’s just a breakdown in communication. Yes, he was wrong—but it’s not a capital offense.

When a friend runs into relationship trouble, if it’s not a serious red-flag issue, just blindly taking their side is like fanning the flames. It reinforces the illusion that “I’m totally in the right and it’s all his fault”—which does nothing to solve the actual problem, and only makes it worse.