CM | Chapter 21

At 1:00 p.m., Gu Yao arrived at Jiangcheng First Detention Center as agreed.

She drove into the parking lot and looked out through the window at the surroundings. A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, and she knew she must have been here a year ago.

Gu Yao got out of the car and stood by it, scanning the area, but she did not see Xu Shuo.

She took out her phone and was about to contact him when a black sedan drove in from the entrance.

The black car pulled up in front of Gu Yao, and the window rolled down automatically, revealing a handsome male face.

Xu Shuo wore sunglasses. His jawline was sharp as if carved by a blade, his thin lips curling slightly. Still in a suit, he looked every inch the smooth operator as he flashed her a smile.

But the moment he opened his mouth, he became intolerable: “I’m really sorry for making a beauty wait for me. I promise this won’t happen again.”

Gu Yao made no reply. She looked expressionlessly at Xu Shuo as he backed neatly into the parking space in one smooth motion. After he had finished showing off, she walked to the passenger seat, pulled the door open, and got in.

Once seated, she asked without looking at him, “Where are the things?”

Xu Shuo lifted his chin and pointed at the glove compartment. “There.”

Gu Yao opened it and took out a kraft paper envelope. After flipping through it for a few glances, she saw a printed page covered in dense handwritten notes. It should have been the diary of the girl from Lixin Orphanage. Inside were also a stack of photos and several sheets of documents. She gave them a quick look, and they seemed to be the materials Xu Shuo had gathered on Zhu Shengxi.

Gu Yao tucked the envelope into her own bag. Just then, Xu Shuo asked, “Don’t you think the way we’re meeting like this is a lot like a wife, before divorcing her husband, hiring a private detective to investigate evidence of his cheating and adultery?”

Gu Yao was in no mood to trade barbs with him. She turned her head and saw Xu Shuo resting one hand on the steering wheel, looking at her with obvious amusement.

Gu Yao shot back, “You’re here to visit someone in detention today?”

“Yeah, so I probably can’t play knight in shining armor and take you back. I’ve got something else to do.”

Gu Yao resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could not understand how this man had grown up at all, and why no one had corrected his worst habits when he was at his most unbearable teenage years.

“Who are you here to visit? Tian Fang?”

Xu Shuo clicked his tongue twice. “Miss Gu, that’s confidential business. Asking me so many questions comes at a price.”

Gu Yao sneered. “Stop pretending. You asked me to come here because you wanted me to have direct contact with Tian Fang. Otherwise, you could’ve just mailed me these documents.”

“Oh? And what do I get out of having you two meet face-to-face?”

“You need my psychological analysis to help find Tian Fang’s weak point. You can’t record video inside the detention center, so you needed me to come in person and see her with my own eyes. I suggest you stop talking nonsense and get straight to the point.”

Gu Yao punctured every bit of pretense without mercy. After speaking, she did not wait for Xu Shuo’s response and simply pushed open the door and got out.

Xu Shuo shook his head with a smile and followed.

The two of them walked side by side toward the detention center entrance. It was only a two or three minute walk from the parking lot.

Xu Shuo had both hands in his pockets, sunglasses on, tall and long-legged. He walked with such flair, as if the road were a runway. A showy lawyer like him was not exactly common.

Gu Yao kept a cold face the entire way. Wearing a dark casual set with no jewelry, she was impossible to categorize at a glance. Doctor, lawyer, maybe accountant, or even an administrative secretary.

As they walked, Gu Yao asked, “Tian Fang already hired the lawyer from Zhaoyang, the firm she’s employed by, to defend her. You’re barging in and trying to snatch the case at this point. What are you after, being so unprofessional? A bad reputation?”

The sun was hanging overhead, blazing down.

Xu Shuo, however, seemed to be enjoying the scorching heat. He smiled and said, “According to the law, a client has the right to hire lawyers from two different firms, and can sign both a retention agreement and an agency agreement with the two lawyers at the same time. So my behavior is absolutely protected by law.”

Gu Yao asked casually, “Oh? Then when did Tian Fang hire you?”

“Maybe she’s about to hire me.”

Gu Yao paused.

So he and Tian Fang still had not reached an agreement?

“Isn’t it a bit late for you to come and volunteer yourself now?”

“It’s never too late.”

“True. Right now all the media and the public are paying attention to this case. If you can successfully dig out a corner, it’ll be like firing your first shot in Jiangcheng. Broaden your network, make connections with the powerful.”

“We’ve only known each other for two days, and you’ve already figured me out completely. Looks like you must’ve spent quite a while thinking about me before bed last night.”

Gu Yao gave him a sidelong glance. By then, they had already reached the detention center gates. Xu Shuo showed his credentials, quickly completed the paperwork, and entered with Gu Yao.

Gu Yao watched everything. Visiting someone in detention required submitting a request in advance, and only after approval from the facility could a time be arranged. Clearly, Xu Shuo had prepared for this case long before.

By the time the two of them reached the visitation room and waited for Tian Fang to arrive, Gu Yao spoke again.

“Are you confident you can win this lawsuit?”

Xu Shuo had atrocious table manners. Although his back was straight against the chair, he sat with one leg crossed over the other, one hand drumming on the tabletop. He did not even have a single file in his hands. How did he look like someone here to help with the defense?

“Whether I have confidence or not, that’ll have to wait until Tian Fang agrees to hire me. After that, I can formally communicate and negotiate the defense strategy with the lawyers from Zhaoyang, and naturally I’ll be able to see the autopsy and forensic reports too. As for whether we win or lose, that depends on defense skill.”

Gu Yao sounded mildly surprised. “What if the evidence is conclusive? What if this is a case that’s definitely going to lose? What can you possibly gain from it then?”

Xu Shuo curved his lips slightly and glanced at her sidelong. “Sometimes losing can be more advantageous than winning. If you win without making a sound, so what if you’re battle-tested and undefeated? If nobody knows who you are, then nobody knows. On the other hand, you can also lose beautifully and make a name for yourself.”

Gu Yao could not hold back and turned away to roll her eyes.

At that moment, a woman’s figure appeared in the corridor outside the visitation room. She was brought to the door by a prison guard, had her handcuffs removed, and stepped inside.

The door closed. The woman looked at the two of them with some confusion and some caution.

This woman was Tian Fang. She looked no older than twenty-five at most. Her skin was very fair, her figure very thin, and even bare-faced she had a certain prettiness. Unfortunately, days of fear and anxiety had left her haggard. There were bruises and injuries on her face, and the way she walked was unnatural too.

Gu Yao watched Tian Fang silently. It was hard to connect the nervous woman in front of her with the one who had smiled coyly in Jeane Bar.

Tian Fang came to the table and sat down.

Xu Shuo smiled as he handed over a business card and introduced himself, “Hello, Miss Tian. I’m a lawyer from Mingshuo Law Firm. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Tian Fang looked surprised. She picked up the card and read it, murmuring, “Xu… Shuo…”

Then she looked up again, confused. “Lawyer Xu, I don’t think I’ve hired you. What are you here for?”

Xu Shuo lifted a brow. “Oh, I know. You’ve hired Zhaoyang Law Firm. But I think you may still need a lawyer from another firm to assist them with the defense, so I came to recommend myself.”

Tian Fang froze, then subconsciously glanced at Gu Yao, who had not made a sound from beginning to end.

For some reason, she really disliked the way Gu Yao looked at her. It did not feel like someone looking at a person. It felt like someone looking at an object, trying to study something from it, just like the police in an interrogation room.

Tian Fang said, “Sorry, but I’ve already hired a lawyer, and from Jiangcheng’s most famous firm at that. As for your firm, Lawyer Xu, this is the first time I’ve even heard of it.”

Xu Shuo said, “That’s normal. It was only established less than half a month ago. But whether a lawsuit is won or lost doesn’t depend on fame. Some judges in particular hate big-name firms, especially lawyers who get so used to winning that they become swollen with pride. They can intimidate ordinary judges a bit by force of momentum, but for a major case like yours that’s drawing the attention of the whole city, fame can become a double-edged sword instead.”

Tian Fang said dismissively, “Is that so? I also work at Zhaoyang, so I know very well its chances of winning and the kinds of cases it handles. I have enough confidence in Zhaoyang. May I ask, Lawyer Xu, how many criminal cases have you handled?”

Xu Shuo smiled faintly. “If Miss Tian is willing to hire me, this will be my first case in Jiangcheng.”

Tian Fang: “…”

A long silence followed. None of the three people in the room spoke.

Gu Yao kept her posture from before, observing Tian Fang’s behavior and the bruises on her face.

Xu Shuo also kept smiling. He really could turn business solicitation into something with a style all its own. There was no one like him.

Tian Fang was first shocked, then fell into thought. Suspicion surfaced in her eyes. Then she was the first to break the silence. “You have neither reputation nor ability, and you still want me to hire you?”

Xu Shuo did not answer that question. Instead, he said, “There’s a case like this. A woman with the surname Li repeatedly refused the pursuit of a man with the surname Zhang. After Zhang’s advances failed, he threatened her with a fruit knife. During their struggle, Li suffered multiple injuries. In order to protect herself, she accidentally killed Zhang. May I ask, Miss Tian, based on your legal knowledge, what legal punishment do you think this woman should receive in this case?”

Tian Fang said impatiently, “That’s obviously justifiable defense. She doesn’t need to bear criminal responsibility.”

“Oh.” Xu Shuo blinked, and the smile on his face vanished instantly. Then he said slowly, “If Miss Li doesn’t need to bear criminal responsibility, then why would her lawyer still defend her under the charge of negligent homicide?”

Tian Fang’s expression changed at once. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Xu Shuo did not pursue the issue. After all, what he needed to do had already been done. Tian Fang, caught off guard, had already exposed a flaw, enough for Gu Yao to see clearly.

Xu Shuo turned his head and glanced at Gu Yao, while also signaling Tian Fang. “Right, I haven’t introduced her yet. This Miss Gu is a very famous psychological expert in Jiangcheng. I specially asked her to come because I wanted to see if Miss Tian needs any help, for example, whether your spirit has suffered a huge shock because of this incident and you’ve developed PTSD. Maybe Miss Gu can give you some professional advice.”

Psychological expert?

Tian Fang first looked startled, then her expression became even more resistant and wary than before. She propped herself up on the table and stood, saying anxiously, “I’m not sick. I don’t need a psychological expert. I think it’s you who has a problem!”

Just then, Gu Yao suddenly spoke. “Miss Tian, where did the injuries on your face come from?”

Tian Fang froze. “What does that have to do with you?”

Gu Yao asked again, “And your leg, why are you limping?”

Tian Fang took a deep breath, as if someone had poked at a dead spot she did not want to touch. She turned and started for the door.

But Gu Yao’s voice followed at an unhurried pace. “I think the doctor should already have examined your injuries. If you have ever suffered inappropriate sexual conduct or sexual abuse, you should tell the truth.”

Tian Fang had already reached the door, but at those words she stopped again. She suddenly turned around, a flash of terror crossing her pale face, but it was quickly suppressed.

Tian Fang tried to calm herself. She looked at Xu Shuo, then at Gu Yao.

She had worked at Zhaoyang Law Firm for the past two years. There was no major figure in Jiangcheng she had not heard of. Even if she had never met them in person, she would look up their information and know their appearance and background, otherwise if she ever ran into them at a gathering, she would not even know how to strike up a relationship.

But these man and woman, she did not know where they had come from. Their clothes were high-end custom pieces, worth a fortune. They wore no jewelry, yet their outfits somehow still gave off an air of wealth and status.

And the two of them had just shown up uninvited, sitting side by side, one calm and unhurried, the other unflappable, yet she could not see through either of them.

Wait!

That lawyer named Xu Shuo just said this psychologist’s surname was Gu?

Thinking of this, Tian Fang’s expression suddenly changed.

At the same time, Gu Yao spoke again. “I also have a case. The wife has been abused and beaten by her husband for years, but the wife has no work experience and cannot survive without him, so she can only endure it day after day. Then one day, the husband got drunk and fell asleep. In a burst of anger, the wife finally snapped and stabbed a watermelon knife into his chest. Tell me, should this wife bear criminal responsibility? During the years she suffered her husband’s abuse, as a victim, did she really do nothing wrong at all?”

Tian Fang did not answer immediately.

Instead, Xu Shuo chimed in, “Miss Gu, based on your analysis, what exactly is wrong with this wife?”

Gu Yao said, “If the husband is the culprit behind this tragedy, then the wife, to some extent, is an accomplice. Her endurance, her indulgence, and her keeping her husband’s wrongdoing secret, all of that became a catalyst that intensified the violence.”

Tian Fang finally spoke, her voice unsteady. “What does any of that have to do with me?”

Gu Yao lifted her brows with a cold smile. “It has nothing to do with you? Then may I ask, why would your resume list your menstrual cycle? Surely it wasn’t to make it convenient to take a ‘sick leave’ every month, was it?”

Tian Fang’s face changed again.

“How do you know?”

Xu Shuo jumped in for the second time, still looking sincerely curious. “Oh? So it wasn’t to take sick leave, then why was it?”

Gu Yao glanced at him. “At first I didn’t understand either. Then I thought about it carefully. If I were a successful man, and also a man with a strong desire to control both money and women, my time would be precious. If I went out to have fun for the thrill of it, and also to relieve pressure in other areas, then I definitely wouldn’t want my mood ruined by the inconvenience of a woman’s monthly period when I was using my position to pressure her into sex.”

As she said this, Gu Yao met Xu Shuo’s eyes. His playfulness and his solemn pretense were both clearly visible to her.

Only when Gu Yao could not stand it anymore did she turn back to Tian Fang. “Miss Tian, do you think my analysis makes sense?”

Tian Fang stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Her mind was in complete chaos. She simply could not figure out how these two people who had seemingly popped out of nowhere knew so much!

When Tian Fang finally regained her senses, she immediately pulled open the door to the visitation room. She did not want to stay in this room for even one more second!

However, just then, Gu Yao’s voice caught up from behind her.

“Wait.”

Tian Fang stopped, and then heard several footsteps in high heels behind her.

Gu Yao came to her side and looked at her. Her voice was very soft. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gu Yao. Maybe my name sounds familiar to you?”

Tian Fang’s body suddenly shook. She subconsciously looked at Gu Yao, then quickly turned her face away, as if avoiding something.

Then she limped toward the prison guard, nearly falling because she was walking too fast.

Gu Yao stared at Tian Fang’s retreating figure and did not move for a long while.

It was not until Xu Shuo came up behind Gu Yao and clicked his tongue that she finally moved. “It’s all your fault. You ruined my case.”

Gu Yao: “…”