《First-Class Lawyer》 Chapter 1 It was the end of November, early winter in De Carma. The sound of the morning bells rang from the central square as per usual. A flock of grey pigeons took flight in a flutter of wings, like a cloud of dust sweeping skyward. It was a gloomy, cold and dreary day - the perfect kind of day to rob a house or send off the dead. All in all, the weather was an appropriate reflection of Yan Suizhis current mood. A few short months ago, he had held the title of First-ss Lawyer and had also been the dean of the interster Maze Universitysw school. Dressed immactely from head to toe, he had been attending a garden party hosted for the elites But in the blink of an eye, he had be virtually penniless. It was around 8 oclock in the morning and he was strolling through the bustling ck market of De Carmas west end. He sipped slowly at his coffee while his gaze swept across the many signs in front of the shops lining the street. His skin was beautiful and fair, but his expression was one of immense distaste. It was almost as if the drink he was sipping was not coffee, but unfiltered cat shit [1]. He had been there for half the day in search of an appropriate shop, a shop that could look into a few things for him and hopefully forge a document or two. Five minutester, Yan Suizhi came to a stop in front of a store with a small, narrow door. The digital sign outside the shop disyed two lines: ckrock Repair Shop We Do Everything! Fantastic. Yan Suizhi crumpled up the coffee cup, tossed it into the electronic recycling bin on the side of the road, then stepped inside the shop. Good morning, The shopkeeper, whose unruly hair was practically a birds nest, poked his head out from behind the counter. Is there anything I can help you with? The heater in the shop was on full st and even Yan Suizhi, who was a bit wary of the cold, could feel its warmth. He peeled off his ck gloves and from his coat pocket, he pulled out a metal ring and set it on the counter. Please look into this for me. It was a flexible smart device that could take any shape. Most people preferred a ring-shaped design that was easy to carry with them - bracelets, rings, earrings...even anklets and waistbands. Yan Suizhis tastes were not quite so obscure, so the object in his hand was merely a in, unadorned ring. What is it that you want to check? Everything that can be checked. Alrighty. The shopkeeper set up his equipment and after giving the device a few taps, a hologram was projected. There was a pitiful amount of information disyed on the hologram. In fact, it was so clean that it might as well havee straight from the manufacturer. There were only four items in total: one identification card, one asset card, one shuttle ticket to a neighbouring and one electronically constructed audio file. The shopkeeper, as a matter of principle, wouldnt casually rifle through the contents without permission. However, Yan Suizhi had no such qualms and knew the contents of these four items inside out - after all, he had already flipped through them a few dozen times over the past two days. The identity card was a temporary fake ID. The name on the ID was Ruan Ye, a recent university graduate who, like any typical new grad, probably didnt know shit. The asset card was from the ck market. It was unregistered and probably fake and the bnce on the card wasnt enough for him to live on for more than a month or two. The shuttle ticket was a one-way ticket with no return flight. It was basically telling him to get the hell out of here and run as far away as he possibly could. Is this everything? the shopkeeper asked. In his mind, Yan Suizhi let out a grimugh. Yes, thats everything. By everything, he didnt mean just the contents of the smart device - he meant everything, as in, this was literally all the worldly belongings he had to his name. Living life on the edge, as they say. And all he had done to deserve this was attend a garden party at the end of May The wine being served that day had been rather weak and he had an upset stomach after only half a round of drinks. He had made his excuses to the other guests and had left first. Eventually, he had found a hotel where he could sleep it off. Little did he know, this sleep wouldst six whole months. He had slept from summer until winter and when he opened his eyes, it was already November. That was two days ago. He woke up inside an apartment in the ck market, the smart device in question ced beside his pillow. Aside from the smart device, he didnt even have two sticks to rub together. Thankfully, there was all sorts of news avable online and it didnt take much effort to piece together the whole story. On the day of the party, there happened to be an explosion at the hotel he was staying at. He had been in the wrong ce at the wrong time and had ended up as one of the unfortunate souls that perished in the ident. However, he was an unfortunate soul that was rtively well-known while he was alive. As a result, all the major news sites had posted embellished headlines on the front page expressing shock and regret that he had passed at the height of his prime. They had dragged it on for two months, almost as if it was a dog they were taking out on a long stroll, before their coverage slowly trickled off and he was eventually forgotten. The truth, however, wasnt so simple. The electronic audio file on the smart device had given him a partial exnation. The truth was, someone had saved him from the explosion and had spent the past six months performing a short-term gene modification operation on him. The operation had fine-tuned his appearance and physiological age, and allowed him to temporarily maintain the appearance of a new graduate. A fake ID had been prepared for him, as well as money and a shuttle ticket so that he could fly far away from De Carma. In short, everything seemed to point towards the fact that the explosion had been a premeditated vendetta. He wasnt just some poor, unfortunate soul caught in the mix - he was the primary target. However, it would be too much to ask a first-rate shyster like Yan Suizhi to give a list of people that he could have wronged. There were simply too many to count - even the devil himself wouldnt be able to keep track. And so, Yan Suizhis only choice was to find someone from the ck market to look into the matter. Even if they couldnt figure out the main culprit, it would be enough if they could at least find out the name of his savior. Half an hourter, the shopkeeper raised his head and rubbed his eyes - his search hade up empty handed. Yan Suizhi frowned, Theres nothing on it thats traceable? No, its clean as a whistle. What about the smart device itself? Its an anonymous model from the ck market, so its too hard to trace. The radices cover so many gxies itd be like finding a needle in a haystack thats the size of the universe. Yan Suizhi fiddled with the ring-shaped smart device and eventually said, Alright, how about this? Can you help me resell the shuttle ticket? The shopkeeper shot a nce at the ticket, then shook his head. I cant help you. I thought you did everything? Yan Suizhi nodded towards the sign outside the door. Its just an exaggeration. Yan Suizhi didnt argue and merely nodded his head a little. I have one final request. What is it? Tell me, the shopkeeper said politely. Ive got to solve at least one of your problems today - otherwise, I may as well toss that sign away. I need a proof of registration document. Yan Suizhi said, To Maze Universitysw school, specifically to Southcross Law Firm. Maze Universitysw school was De Carmas oldest and most renownedw school. In fact, it was probably the oldest and most renownedw school in the Jade System. It had ties to all the topw firms in the region and as long as a student had proof of registration at the school, they could choose any firm toplete an internship at. Of course, whether or not the student would be epted full-time at a firm was still dependent on their performance. Yan Suizhi, however, didnt care if anyone gave him a full-time offer. He just had to get his foot in the door at the Southcross Law Firm. The reason was because Southcross was the firm in charge of the case involving the explosion, the explosion that supposedly cut him off at his prime. A registration document? The shopkeepers head swelled just hearing the words. He replied sincerely, I honestly cant help you with that. Looks like you were lying when you said you couldnt help me with that shuttle ticket then. The shopkeeper: ...... Is this really the ck market? Fine, fine, fine, Ill resell the ticket for you! the shopkeeper muttered, throwing up his hands. The point is that I dont earn much of a margin from it, plus its annoying and it''s easy to get caught Hair still thoroughly mussed, the shopkeeper continued grumbling for 20 more minutes. Yan Suizhi acted as if he hadnt heard him, and waited calmly as if he had all the time in the world. Alright, its done. Do you want to transfer the money for the shuttle ticket onto your asset card? Yan Sizhui nodded. While youre at it, why dont you sort out the registration too? The shopkeepers face crumpled. The registration cant be done, my friend. Im not joking this time. Why not? Registration documents arent particrlyplex by nature. Rest assured, Im only using it for a short while so it wont be traced back to you. Yan Suizhi waspletely unbothered about forging something from his own university. The shopkeeper, however, was very bothered. Forging the registration itself doesnt take much skill, I can get it done for you in two minutes. But the signature is beyond me! You have to understand, the technology they use to verify signatures nowadays is incredible. Yan Suizhi raised a brow. What signature? Each schools proof of registration has the deans signature, which has an official record and theyre always strict about those things. Im telling you, it cant be done! Yan Sizhui, who had been in a foul mood for the past two days, finally let out augh. Its not a problem at all. The shopkeeper was 80% certain that this student had gone crazy. Five minutester, the shopkeeper realized the person who had gone crazy wasnt the student, it was him. The reason being, he had watched with his own two eyes as the student signed the deans name on the fake registration with a careless flourish. And when the signature was uploaded to the automatic verification system, it was actually approved! It was only after the student had swaggered off with his newly forged registration that the shopkeeper finally recovered his senses. He wanted to smack himself on the head for his slow reaction and thought dejectedly, goddammit, I forgot to ask if that kid wanted a job! ___ Five dayster, Yan Suizhi found himself sitting inside the most prestigiousw firm in De Carma. The sofa in the waiting area was warm and cozy and yet the interns who hade to report for duty were all sitting rigidly. Yan Suizhi was the only one who was sitting with his legs crossed and his chin on his hands as he yed with the ring-shaped smart device in his hand. He was lost in thought, his posture graceful and rxed. He didnt look at all like a student who was waiting to be interviewed - he looked more like he was here to interview the students. The blond kid sitting beside him kept stealing nces at him here and there. Within ten short minutes, he had nced over at least a dozen times. Hey buddy, do I look like an exam screen or something? Yan Suizhi said suddenly, lifting his eyes. The mouthful of coffee that the blond kid had just drank immediately shot back out. Flustered, he scrambled for a few napkins and wiped at his coffee-stained chin as he replied. Huh? Of course not he answered, embarrassed. Then why did you shiver every time you nced over, like you stepped on an electrical cord? Whenever Yan Suizhi was being sarcastic, he wore a faint smile on his lips. His features gave the impression that he was cold and aloof, so whenever he broke into a smile, it was as if all the iciness in his expression had melted away. It was the kind of smile that could fool anyone and even the very people he was mocking somehow convinced themselves that it was just his way of expressing friendliness. This blond kid was no exception. Not only was he oblivious to the fact that he was being ridiculed, he actually felt that he was the one at fault for staring so rudely. Im sorry. Its just that...you look a bit like our dean. He halted for a bit after he spoke, then corrected himself. Our previous dean, I mean. You know who Im talking about, right? The really young and really famous Professor Yan. You dont look exactly like him, of course, since youre a lot younger. Its only at certain angles, and its sort of the way you sit too...anyway, it just reminded me of our annual research conference so I couldnt help but get nervous. As the blond kid spoke about the previous dean, an expression of pity crossed his face. He let out a sigh and said, He was supposed to attend the research conference this year, and the graduation ceremony too. The ident was so unexpected and he was so young when he passed away - its a real shame isnt it? He had been trying to find somemon ground but when he raised his head, he was met with Yan Suizhis offended expression. The blond kid: ...... While Yan Suizhi was still caught up in his weird,plicated feelings about being mourned by someone right in front of him, the human resources manager in charge of the interns arrived. After checking over their registration documents, she guided the interns upstairs. ...weve already epted three rounds of interns so there arent manywyers left who have the capacity to take on an intern. Ill introduce you first and once they have a better understanding, well let you know who your assignedwyer is On their way up, the HR manager also gave them some background about the firm and a few key points to remember. However, Yan Suizhi didnt pay any attention to thetter half of her speech. He had seen a familiar face. When they were halfway up the stairs, a fewwyers just so happened to be making their way down the same flight of stairs. Thewyer at the back of the group was very tall, with extremely handsome features. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand while the other hand was pressed against his white wireless earpiece - he seemed to be in the middle of a call with someone. Thewyer nced down at the group of his interns from the corner of his eye, his gaze calm and indifferent as it swept past them - the aura he gave off was one that was cold and unapproachable. The youngwyers name was Gu Yan, and he was an old student of Yan Suizhis. Running into an old student was no surprise in this particr field, especially at such a prestigiousw firm where half thewyers had probably graduated from Maze University. However, there were thousands of new students each year and the esteemed Professor Yan basically forgot their faces as soon as he saw them. He seldom interacted with them and the ones he remembered could be counted on one hand. Gu Yan, however, was one of the few students he could count on that one hand. Why? The first reason was because, technically speaking, Gu Yan was once a student under his direct charge. The second reason was because this particr student constantly wore a cool expression around him and always seemed to have a bone to pick with him. Trantor''s Notes cat shit is the literal trantion but it also refers to kopi luwak, which is an extremely expensive type of coffee that uses partially digested coffee cherries that are pooped out by cat-like animals known as Asian palm civets. Chapter 2 At the beginning, their student-teacher rtionship hadnt been all that bad. Maze University had a tradition where, three months after their start date, new students were asked to select a professor as their direct mentor. This meant that students who had just started adapting to their new surroundings and new sses were forced to quickly settle in and n out a clear path for their future. It was a wonderful tradition - on paper perhaps. The actual execution, however, was a bit of a joke. Every year, when it came time for students to make their selection, the senior students would gather in the schools electronics marketce. With beaming faces, they would peddle their AI inventions and meds iming to cure selection anxiety and even specialty lottery tickets to snag certain professors. The services offered wereprehensive and the whole process had be a well-oiled machine. Although the process may be absurd, the end result was still more or less the same - the majority of students still ended up choosing the professor who gave them a good impression. Based on Gu Yans personality, Yan Suizhi knew Gu Yan hadnt selected him through some lottery. Gu Yan must have followed the proper selection procedures, which meant that he had made a genuine attempt to walk the mountainous path of his revered masters teachings. However, someone must have fed Gu-tongxue [1] rat poison along the way, and it was why he had leapt off the mountain without so much as a word. In those rare moments when Yan Suizhis conscience would emerge, he would ponder over this particr problem. Unfortunately, he was never able to think on it for more than a few minutes before being interrupted by work matters. It was to the extent that, for a long time, he wasnt able to figure out why this Gu-tongxue was so opposed to him. Eventually, Gu Yan had graduated and there was no need for Yan Suizhi to ponder anymore. ___ Going up and down the stairs took less than half a minute but the esteemed Professor Yan still managed to zone out within that time. When he recovered his senses, Gu Yan had already stepped aside to let the group of interns pass. Gu Yan was his old student, after all, and Yan Sizhui couldnt help but feel a bit rueful that under the current circumstances, there was so little fanfare to their reunion. When he was about to turn a corner on the second floor, Yan Suizhi turned back and cast another nce downstairs. At that exact moment, Gu Yan, who had reached the bottom step, removed his wireless earpiece and looked up in his direction. Yan Suizhi froze. However, it was only a fleeting nce. Gu Yans gaze didnt linger and he coolly withdrew it without a single shift in his expression or a change in his gait. He was already pushing open a door downstairs without a backward nce. This was apletely normal reaction from a typical stranger and Yan Suizhi merely raised a brow, scratched the back of his head and turned on his heels. He strolled casually to the tail-end of the intern group and entered the conference room on the second floor. The rooms we passed by just now are ourwyers offices, said Miss Fizz, the human resources manager. More often than not, you wouldnt be able to catch even a glimpse of them in there so today''s your lucky day. You had a chance to greet a few of them on the stairs as well, though it seems some of you might have been otherwise preupied. The otherwise preupied Yan Suizhi responded with a small smile and raised his hand. So sorry about that, I was probably too nervous. Everyone: ...... His words could only be ssified as pure and utter nonsense - anyone with eyes could see that he wasnt fucking nervous at all! Fizz waved a hand with a smile. Not to worry. Young gentlemen who are a sight for sore eyes can always make my terrible temper go away. Perhaps it was because Miss Fizz seemed approachable, but two of the girls in the group struck up the courage to ask, Are thewyers downstairs epting interns? All of them? Fizzs expression was one that said I''ve been there too and she replied, I wish I could answer yes, all of them but unfortunately, theres one particrwyer whos the exception. Which one? Miss Fizz smiled. Im afraid that if I give you the answer, your faces will be full of woe. My face was more full of woe than anyone else''s when I first found out. Oh...alright then, the two girls said slowly. They had evidently caught on, probably because of some sort of mutual understanding between fellow admirers of aesthetics. One could only guess if the other boys had figured it out for themselves but the blond kid who looked as if he had stepped on an electrical cord sure didnt. He just stared nkly at them as they chatted. The esteemed Professor Yan nced at the blond kid with a critical eye, and gave him the same kind of silent assessment he had once used to sift through students and pick out the truly gifted. In Yan Suizhis opinion, the kid had all but reached the end of the road of his career. Hisck of ability to grasp hidden meanings and read between the lines was worrying and if he were ever to go to court, the opposition would probably reduce him to a puddle of tears. The two girls may be disappointed but Yan Suizhi was pping his hands together in glee on the inside. He thanked his lucky stars that the zombie-faced Gu-tongxue didnt ept any interns. Otherwise, in the event that disaster struck and he was assigned to Gu Yan, their roles as student and teacher would be thrown into chaos and be terribly awkward. Why doesnt he take on any interns? One of the more lively girls was still keen on carrying on the conversation. Fizz didnt seem to be tired of the topic either and replied, Hes worried that his temper will drive away any interns, at least thats what he told management. While its not clear if he was just giving them an excuse, I still think theres a bit of truth to it. Really? Is his temper that bad? Thats not it, but She paused, seemingly incapable of finding the right words. In the end, she simply shrugged and said, Anyway, dont get your hopes up,dies. Yan Sizhui was standing off to the side, as calm andposed as you please, as he listened to their conversation. Based on his understanding of Gu-tongxues personality, the reason he didnt ept interns wasnt because he was worried about pissing off the interns. The more likely reason was because management was afraid that the interns would anger him enough to drive him away. The chances of that happening were pretty high. Fizz continued to chat idly with the interns and after a short while, thewyers that had been busy with something downstairs finally came back up and pushed open the door to the meeting room. Once they had filed into the room and sat down, Fizzs eyes scanned the room and she said, perplexed, Wheres More? He said he coulde by the office to meet the interns. Is he not here yet? I didnt see him today, said a serious-lookingwyer with grey eyes and grey hair. Youre sure he was free? You can all chat first, Ill go get ahold of him, Fizz said, then turned on her stiletto heels and left the room. Though it was simply a chat, in reality it was simply a less formal version of an interview. And while it was meant to be casual, an interview was still an interview and the topic always came back to past experience, the details of which were attached to an electronic file containing their registration documents. Throughout the process, the esteemed Professor Yan maintained a graceful, rxed smile and didnt speak as he looked at the other interns. Given that his registration was from the ck market, the electronic file was fake as well. And seeing as he was a counterfeit student, he had kept it modest - after all, the more he said, the easier it was to slip up and give himself away. As a result, the sections in his electronic file noting his past experience as well as his awards and activities section were all but nk. At first nce, one would think that there was something wrong with thework and the file hadnt loaded properly. Moreover, his posture was too calm and too rxed, and he had even shamelessly shifted his seat closer to the otherwyers. Over the course of the fourteen-minute interview, the interns subconsciously began to treat him as yet another interviewer. Even thewyers didnt notice that he had infiltrated their group. As they nodded along, engrossed in a particr conversation, there were a few instances where they tossed out a this batch of interns arent too bad, right? at Yan Suizhi. Professor Yan, ever the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed wolf, had smiled pleasantly as he replied, Yes, theyre not bad at all. And when thewyers left the conference room, they didnt notice anything wrong at all. Yan Suizhi was more than pleased with the results. The fact that he hadnt instinctively turned things around and interviewed thewyers himself was already a demonstration of great restraint. However, ten minutester, he could no longer bring himself to smile. With hurried steps, Fizz rushed back and forth between thewyers offices upstairs and managements offices on the lower floor. Her high heels clicked incessantly and it was obvious that she was caught up in an issue that had cropped up at thest minute. You really want to do this? Are you sure? Why do I get the feeling that this is a dangerous idea? Fizzs voice floated through the half-opened door. She spoke quickly and there was something like...schadenfreude in her tone. Im sure, I just spoke to him, a low male voice replied. Did you get wrecked? The man clicked his tongue, Stopughing, well just do it this way. Hurry up and go inside, dont leave those students hanging. The students in the conference room nced at each other nervously, faces filled with confusion. A few momentster, Fizz walked through the door. She cleared her throat and said with a small smile, All of you did an excellent job and thewyers were very pleased with what you''ve shown. However, I have a bit of bad news to share. Lawyer More was supposed to take on an intern but unfortunately, he was involved in a shuttle ident. Right now, hes stuck between two nearbys and itll be over half a month before he can return. As a result, the intern that was meant to work with him will be paired with anotherwyer. Yan Suizhi suddenly had a very bad feeling. His sixth sense was selective in its uracy. The chances of it being correct was about fifty-fifty and it only worked when the oue was unclear. One could call it speaking tragedies into existence or better yet, having a crows mouth. Fizz continued, Let me go over your assignments. Miss Philida, Lawyer Dean is pleased to be working with you in theing period. Congrattions, Henry, Lawyer Aves will be your teacher She went down the list of names and eventually turned towards Yan Suizhi with a radiant smile. Ive mentioned it already but I want to apologize again on behalf of Lawyer More. However, Id like to congratte you as Lawyer Gu will be your teacher going forward. Good luck. Yan Suizhi ...... Although the words she had uttered were good luck, her tone made them sound more like do your best. The esteemed Professor Yan looked as if someone had sshed a bucket of liquid nitrogen in his face - the faint smile on his lips was so frozen it had almost split in half. It took a few seconds for his expression to thaw and he replied, Thank you. Ill do my best to not piss off your distinguishedwyer and drive him away but...no promises. After all, Yan Suizhi had pissed him off plenty of times back in the day. Also Yan Suizhi thought to himself with a smile, Youre better off telling Gu Yan to do his best. Youngsters should look out for themselves. Half an hourter, Yan Suizhi found himself sitting behind the interns desk that Fizz had found someone to set up. He was face-to-face with Gu Yan, who was seated behind his ownrgerwyers desk. Yan Suizhi took a silent sip of his coffee. ...... Gu Yan took a sip of his coffee as well. ...... The atmosphere was truly somber and for a moment, it was hard to tell who was visiting whose grave, and whose cup of coffee seemed like it was filled with cat shit. Chapter 3 The organizational structure at Southcross Law Firm was typical of anyw firm. The underlying operations were managed by the firm in coordination with itswyers, but each individualwyer was rtively independent. As a result, awyers work never ovepped with anothers and they each had arge office to call their own. Once the door was closed, they could iste themselves from the rest of the firm and were usually left alone, barring extraordinary circumstances. It was the type of work setting where one could pretend to be blind and deaf, just dont bother me. Yan Suizhi had gotten used to this kind of work culture years ago. However, Miss Fizz wasn''t aware that he was ustomed to it and while they were moving his items into the office, she purposely lowered her voice and said, Sharing an office with awyer isnt easy. New interns are always nervous and I totally get it. Last year, there was a young man who was too scared to even go to the bathroom on his first day. I remember when I saw him at lunch, his face had turned green, and when I asked him why, he said the office felt too quiet and confined. He was afraid that the slightest movement would cause his teacher to take notice. His willpower must have been truly admirable, Yan Suizhi praised. Dontugh. Miss Fizz continued. Over the next little while, its possible that you and Lawyer Gu will spend a lot more time outside rather than inside the office. However, I hope you can still feel a sense of belonging here. Even if your desk isnt asrge as Lawyer Gus, this is still your office and at least 30% of the territory is rightfully yours. So use it freely, dont hold back and be confident. Yan Suizhi wasnt sure if she was aware of it herself, but to his ears, she sounded like she was reciting a eulogy. ___ It was clear that Miss Fizz had underestimated him. Not only was Yan Suizhi brimming with confidence but he had nearly turned the tables and be the master of the house. Every time his mind wandered, he subconsciously began thinking of the office as his. It was easy to think of the chair he was currently upying was actually thewyers seat and the aloof Gu-tongxue [1] - who was sitting across from him and drinking coffee - was actually the intern he had blindly picked up because he didnt have enough headaches as it were. It was to the extent that he nearly opened his mouth a few times to assign Gu Yan some work to do. Thankfully, he had quick reflexes and each time he opened his mouth, he instantly recovered his senses and mmed on the breaks, then schooled his expression and calmly closed his mouth again. He med his dyed reaction on the coffee. It was far too hot and the dense cloud of white steam made it much too easy to zone out. Also...the design of office was all too familiar. At first nce, the ce may as well have been born from the same womb as the deans office he had once upied. Furthermore, it bore a strong resemnce to hiswyers office at Southlew as well. Yan Suizhis eyes took in his surroundings and for some odd reason, he was struck by a small sense of gratification. Although their teacher-student rtionship hadnt been all that great, there were still some intrinsic qualities that had been inherited. It sure looked as if a certain aesthetic had been passed down, didnt it? Yan Suizhi smiled cheerfully and was about topliment the offices design, but before he could open his mouth and squeeze out a few words, Gu Yan had already set down his coffee cup and said condescendingly, I wasnt nning on taking on any interns. Gu Yan''s voice was pleasing to the ear and his tone was particrly unperturbed. If one were to ignore the actual words he was saying, it was easy for listeners to feel the urge to to listen to him speak a little more. However, this wasnt the first time that Yan Suizhi had met Gu Yan and he had basically be physically immune to the effects of Gu Yans voice and any misconceptions it could create. Moreover, the contents of Gu Yans speech were simply impossible to ignore. So you''re not nning on epting interns? What a coincidence, I was thinking along the same lines! Actually, you can just pass me along to any of the otherwyers. As long as I dont have to be here with you, anywhere else will do. Yan Suizhi gave these inner thoughts a mental polish and edited them into a format that was less likely to piss someone off. He was about to open his mouth but Gu Yan spoke again, giving his coffee cup a light swirl, As a result, I havent made any preparations ahead of time on your ount. I heard that the firm has an experience manual that gives an overview of how tasks should be assigned to interns - apparently, it keeps interns too busy running around to cause trouble, but Ive never flipped through the manual myself so I cant guarantee that youll have a normal internship experience. Yan Suizhi raised an eyebrow. He seldom had the chance to listen to such a long speech from Gu-tongxue outside the courtroom and at first listen, his words were rtively tolerable. Of course, it was merely tolerable and was a far cry from delightful - after all, the speaker was more or less expressionless and his tone was just as cool as before. Yan Suizhi wasnt particrly interested in the type of experience that one should gain from an internship or what duties Gu Yan nned on assigning him. He didnt care much about the details; instead, he was more entertained by the fact that Gu Yan was actually talking like a proper person. However If you can speak properly to an intern that was forced on you, then why did you always pull such a long face at the professor that you yourself hand-picked after careful deliberation? In his mind, Yan Suizhi let out a deep, regretful sigh. But it didnt matter; perhaps his new identity and these new surroundings would give him the chance to get along with Gu-tongxue. At least they had started off on the right foot. However, his wave of regret didntst long. The office hologram on his desk suddenly spat out a whole pile of holographic files. Lawyer Gu was not a talkative man by nature and he had already reached the limits of his niceties after the long speech he had just delivered. And so, after a handful of words, he simply sent Yan Suizhi the internship manual that Fizz had prepared beforehand. Take a look, Gu Yan said. Im going to take a call. Yan Suizhis finger swiped at the holographic screen a few times. Fortunately, the manual was not as lengthy as he had imagined and there was little redundancy. Overall, it was fairly concise and quite suitable for a young interns mentality. It was rather spirited too, and certainly reflected Miss Fizzs style. He briefly skimmed the sections detailing the internship experience and certain rules set by the firm. As a matter of fact, he skimmed through the entire manual. After all, he wasnt truly a novice and he hadnte here for the internship experience. Head propped in one hand, he casually flipped through the pages until eventually, his gaze paused on a particr number. Internship sry - 60 xi per day [2] To a student, 60 xi was just enough for three meals a day, and there was no point wondering if thered be any extra left over. However, this kind of pay wasmonce amongw firms in De Carma. There was a unanimous, if unspoken, agreement that during the early stages of an internship, interns were actually more trouble than they were worth. Awyer assigning tasks to an intern did so with a knife pressed to their heart. The reason being, once an intern is finished with the task, there was an 80% to 90% chance that thewyer would have to re-do the whole thing while simultaneously offering suggestions for improvement. It was basically like doing double the workload. Among the interns, there were also some who simply coasted along and their illustrious contributions were the reason for the increased risk ofwyers working themselves to death. Not only are you an inconvenience, but youre a danger to my health. The fact that Im not charging you tuition and am forced to pay you a significant sum must mean I''m dreaming, right? The interns themselves were well aware of the situation, so there was little objection to a stipend-like sry that was essentially paid as a matter of form. After all, they would have a chance to recoup it one day. When Yan Suizhi saw the sry amount, his initial response was to let a mental ''tsk'' and an empathetic sigh on behalf of these poor students. However, he suddenly remembered that right now, he was a poor student himself. He choked on his sigh before he could finish and began coughing so much that his world felt upended. While he was recovering from his coughing fit with his head in his hands, Gu Yans voice had somehow drifted closer. Whats the time and ce? Yaba Ind? Im not going. Gu Yan was still on a call with someone but had filled a ss of water in passing and had set it on the intern''s desk. Yan Suizhi started, then raised his head and looked over. Had Gu-tongxue gotten out of the wrong side of the bed today? To think there were actually times where he would act concerned. In the end, he heard Gu Yan rap the surface of the desk with his knuckles. He nced down and said coolly, Im rather curious about what part of the manual made your face so red that you look like you''re about to pass out. ...... How remarkable. The toxicity radiating from Gu Yan was spot on. Gu Yan didnt have his headset on so the voice of the person on the other end was on speaker. However, the volume was on low and Yan Suizhi barely managed to hear a few words at close range. What do you mean about to pass out? A male voice asked on the other end. Who are you talking to? Yan Suizhi actually felt that the mans voice sounded rather familiar but at that moment, he couldnt remember where he had heard it. The intern, Gu Yan said. Fine then, the man replied. So youre really noting? I extended such a sincere invitation but youre not even going to bother giving me face? Even Geetasing along. In an instant, Gu Yans face became even more frigid. Soon enough, Yan Suizhi understood the reason behind the sudden change in his expression. Youre really bringing along that aquaphobic dog of yours while you surf betweens The corner of Yan Suizhis lips twitched a little. Who are you calling an aquaphobic dog? She falls asleep at 2 a.m. sharp every night and is even more punctual than you. It wouldnt feel right if I had to spend even one day apart from such an amazing dog!" ...... The man on the other end was a chatterbox and prattled on for a long while. He seemed to be trying to persuade Gu Yan to attend some party or other. However, Yan Suizhi couldnt hear the rest of the conversation because Gu Yan had already walked back to his own desk. After that, no matter what the person on the other end said, Gu Yan simply gave curt replies that put an end to the discussion. No. Im busy. I have a court appearance. Yan Suizhi pondered over it a little more and still felt that the mans voice was familiar. However, before he could figure it out, Gu Yan had already hung up and was looking over at him. Youre finished with the manual? Do you have any questions? Yan Suizhi shook his head, then paused midway when a thought suddenly urred. Oh, hold on. After speaking, he tapped on his smart device and selected the asset card interface. When he nced at the bnce, the choking feeling suddenly returned. After taking a spin around the ck market, the money he had left over was barely enough tost him the week. Hence, he raised his head and shed Gu Yan a smile. I do have a question. Gu Yan nodded, indicating for him to continue. Can sries be paid in advance? ...... Gu Yan stared back at him, face expressionless. He fell silent for a moment, then said, Youve been looking at the manual this whole time and thats your question? Mm Even the esteemed Professor Yan with his bushy wolfs tail felt as if his thick skin couldnt hold up much longer. Two secondster, Gu Yan calmly pulled out an internalmunicator and said, Fizz, please transfer three months of pay to this intern and then tell him to go home. Yan Suizhi: ...... The Yan Suizhi who had thought that he could get along with Gu-tongxue had probably ingested leftovers that had already gone bad. Trantor''s Notes tongxue = student xi = literal trantion is ''west'' but this is the currency used in the novel Chapter 4 Where the heck did Gu Yan pick up the habit of sending someone packing without another word??? It sure wasnt me who taught him that, Yan Suizhi thought to himself. Yan Suizhi would never wear a long-suffering expression if he were sending someone packing - instead, he would simply tell them to get the hell out with a smile on his face. However, he couldnt afford to get the hell out at the moment. He hadnt even read a single punctuation mark from the file about the explosion case yet. Yan Suizhi shot a nce at the news feed that hadnt yet been stowed away - it was 10:15 a.m., which meant that only 1 hour and 11 minutes had passed since it was announced that he would be assigned to Gu Yan. He had probably set a new record at Southcross Law firm. Less than an hour had passed since he had reported for duty, but he was already being mercilessly booted from his post. It was unprecedented. Perhaps it was because it was such a sudden turn of events, and waspletely beyond what he had anticipated, but Yan Suizhi wasnt actually that angry. In fact, he almost felt the urge tough He was the kind of person who was rather impudent when it came to his speech and his actions, and he tended to do whatever came to mind. As a result, one corner of his mouth lifted. And so, when Gu Yan eventually hung up the call and turned his head, he was met with the sight of an intern who was still smiling even though he had just been asked to leave. The interns eyes as well as the corner of his lips held a hint of a faint, cheerful smile. Gu Yan: ...... Oh no. Yan Sizhuis smile suddenly vanished and he lowered his eyes to gaze at his fingertips. He used a finger and pushed aside the translucent screen blocking the way, then gazed up at Gu Yan once more. Im so sorry Like hell youre sorry! Yan Suizhi could almost see these exact words written across Gu Yans stony face, but Gu Yan simply pressed his thin lips together and frowned back at him. Gu Yan then wordlessly looked away, almost as if his very lifespan would be shortened if he so much as nced at Yan Suizhi. Theputer on thewyers desk let out a series of warning beeps, and then whirred to life as it spat out one holographic page after another. The pages formed a small stack in front of Gu Yan but showed no signs of stopping. From the looks of it, he really was rather busy. While theputer frantically beeped away, Fizz rushed upstairs. The brisk stato of her high heels sounded almost as if she were about to go into battle. It was only when she stepped onto the grey carpet in Gu Yans office that the sound was abruptly cut off. Gu? I was at a bit of a loss just now and was halfway through the process before I realized it. Fizz pulled the door closed behind her and quickly shot a nce at Yan Suizhi. Whats the matter with the intern? Its only been an hour but youre sending him home? Gu Yan lightly tossed aside the document in his hand and the holographic paper automatically returned to its original ce. I said Im not fit to take on an intern. Huh? Yan Suizhi was startled. He had thought Gu Yan would have used his behaviour just now as an excuse and tossed it out as some sort of justification. On second thought, however, the past Gu Yan had acted as he had now - he seldom offered detailed exnations and rarely involved a third party to argue about who had started it and why he had retaliated.even if he had good reason to do so. It was almost contrary to how one would act in the court ofw and it wasnt clear if it was an upational habit. Somewyers be increasingly adept at arguing in their private lives and would prattle on about facts or evidence. Gu Yan, however, seemed to be theplete opposite. As Gu Yan spoke, he didnt spare a single nce at Yan Suizhi. It was almost as if the eyes beneath his knitted brows had already seen enough of him. Fizz wasnt convinced by his words. But I thought Adams had already talked you into it an hour ago? You took a look at the interns file and epted. He said that even though you didnt seem very willing - and had even given him a few jabs - you still agreed in the end. I quoted him word for word, you know. Yan Suizhi was even more astonished. Anyone who looked at his barren file would assume he was dead-weight that was simply coasting. Otherwise, why did the otherwyers select their respective interns and left him for More, who wasnt on the scene? They were all worried about adding unnecessary stress to their lives. And yet, given his personality, Gu Yan had actually nodded his head when he had reviewed that kind of file? Youve got to be kidding. If his and Gu Yans student-teacher rtionship back in the day had been one of beauty and tranquility, he certainly would have suspected that Gu Yan had recognized him and was reluctantly bending the rules for his sake. Unfortunately, the reality was, if Gu Yan had truly recognized him, he probably would have been booted from the office even sooner. Whats more, he wouldnt have received a single penny of the three months worth of sry. The esteemed Professor Yan was very confident in his assessment. I did agree at the time, Gu Yan said, but now Ive changed my mind. But whenever you agree to something, you never go back on your word, Fizz said. Youve never gone back on your word before. Well, I have now. ...... Fizz looked as if even her high heels were about to snap. The three months worth of sry ispensation for going back on my word. He can seek out More in two weeks, Gu Yan said. Huh? What? Fizz quickly nced over and blinked at Yan Suizhi. Seek out More? Gu Yan breathed through his nose and replied coolly, Mm. You want him to seek out More? ...... So youre not trying to get him to leave? ...... Even though Gu Yan had already returned to the information on theputer and didnt bother answering the question, his rigid silence could be taken as another form of assent. Yan Suizhi was at aplete loss. Even though youre so pissed that you wont even look at me, youre still not asking me to leave? And on top of not kicking me out, youre actually giving me money? Gu-tongxue [1], are you sleepwalking? Honestly speaking, Gu, youve been acting kind of weird today, Fizzmented. She had taken the words right out of Yan Suizhis mouth. However, this was the only sentiment they shared. A secondter, Fizz added with a grin, But its very charming! If you really were going to ask him to leave, it would be quite the hassle on my end. After all, we have an agreement with Maze University so if we rejected a student, wed have to hand over a whole bunch of documents. These days, I get dizzy just looking at words on a screen and the very sight of a document makes my organs hurt. Lawyer Gu, who had remainedrgely silent, finally spoke up. I get dizzy just looking at interns. Fizz: ...... Yan Suizhi: ...... Alright then, either way you seem to be brimming with goodwill today. There was no rationality behind Fizzspliments. Ruan, what do you think? As she spoke, she turned her head towards Yan Suizhi. Ruan? Whos that? The esteemed Professor Yan smiled faintly and gazed back at her for five seconds. During these five second, the entire office was flooded with a stifling sort of silence. Fizzs high heels were about to snap again. Five secondster, Yan Suizhi finally remembered the fake name that God knows who had given him - Ruan Ye. Ruan. Ye. If someone were to use just one of the characters it was kind of [2] Yan Suizhi mentally reced the word Ruan [2] and said, Everything Ive said in the past hour was inappropriate and I truly apologize. Its why Im a bit too embarrassed to even speak at this point. No worries, new hires are bound to make a few mistakes. It would be odd if they didnt Miss Fizz rambled on about how mistakes can be overlooked and forgiven, almost as if she was talking in enormous circles. In the end, even Gu Yan, who had been minding his own business and reading through his document, couldnt listen anymore and looked up. So when exactly are you going to transfer this intern to More? Miss Fizz cleared her throat, The reason Ive been talking in circles was so that I could get to this point eventually. And? He cant be transferred. ......On what grounds? Im actually pretty efficient so his registration papers have gone through the entire process and its been linked to your name already. Themittees already approved it so the transfer cant be done. Fizz snuck a nce at him. So what youre saying is, you didnt aplish a single one of the tasks I asked of you? Gu Yan said. No, I did manage to take care of one thing, Fizz answered. Ive applied for the advanced sry payment to be processed. The moment she finished speaking, Yan Suizhis asset card let out a ding to announce a new notification. To make matters worse, the smart device had been in his possession for only a few days so he hadnt changed any of the settings. The device was still in its default setting and the crisp sound of the systems synthesized voice dered: Payment received: 4680 xi Category: Sry Advance ount of origin: Business ount of Gu Yan Processed by: Irene Fizz Current Bnce: 5022 xi [3] Yan Suizhi: ...... You had to admit, Southcross Law Firm was sometimes terrifyingly efficient. Why didnt you ask about the situation first before doling out the money? And it was Gu Yans money that was being doled out, too. The office once again sunk into a deathly silence. It was difficult to say what part of the smart devices announcement was more dizzying. A momentter, Fizz swiveled her head and gave Yan Suizhi an almost incredulous look. If the sry advance hadnt been transferred, your bnce was only about 300 xi? How were you going to survive? Even Gu Yan, who had been averting his eyes this whole time, turned to gaze at him. Yan Suizhi shrugged his shoulders and said casually with a smile, Thankfully, I didnt have to find out. Perhaps it was because his bnce was so dreadful, but Gu Yan seemed stunned. In the end, the whole fuss that morning about asking the intern to leave was left unsettled and Yan Suizhi was officially stationed in Lawyer Gus office. Moreover, he had received the acknowledgement and eptance of the Lawyer Gu himself. Gu Yan left him alone and was so busy that he barely paused to rest. Midway through, he found some time to contact an administrative assistant downstairs to deal with an issue, then left the office after receiving a call. Before leaving, he put together a package containing the past five years of case documents and unceremoniously transferred it to Yan Suizhi. Organizing files was a task that almost all interns would receive at the beginning of their internship. In the past, Yan Suizhi himself had delegated this type of work to interns and was no stranger to the task. Truth to tell, this kind of job was tedious, dull and blinding - it was incredibly annoying. However, Yan Suizhi was extremely pleased. Why had he borrowed the identity of an intern to enter Southcross Law Firm? It was so that he could take on the type of task that no intern could avoid. This way, he could openly investigate all sorts of detailed information about the explosion case from start to finish. Yan Suizhisputer spent an hour just spitting out holographic pages and it worked away until lunchtime. When folded, the holographic documents were stacked so high that his desk and his very person were basically buried alive. In the end, theputer finally shut its trap only when the other intern - the blond kid - came by to ask if he wanted to eat. Oh god, that many? Luke sighed. Was Lawyer Gu in charge of all these cases? I dont know, I havent looked too closely. Yan Suizhi let the documents copse and in an instant, one page after another waspressed into a thin surface that didnt look quite as daunting as before. The simtion is a little too good sometimes, Luke said. Did he tell you when you have to finish organizing it? And why do you look so pleased about it? It was because Yan Suizhi could finally take a look at his cause of death. However, Luke would probably be terrified if he were to say the thought aloud, so Yan Suizhi was very considerate and made up an excuse. Its because we can finally eat. When he and Luke set off, they bumped into a few of the other interns. Together, they found a restaurant close to the firm. Lets cherish this rare opportunity to sit down and eat a good meal, grinned the intern named Philida. Once things get busy, we wont be able to eat properly again and will probably start shedding pounds without even trying. Once she was finished speaking, another intern named Anna nced at Yan Suizhi. Ruan? Howe youre eating even less than us two? Yan Suizhis problem was one that wasmon to manywyers - he didnt have a very good stomach. The problem was rather annoying but it wasnt a be all end all - if your stomach endured so much that it went to waste, you could simply undergo an operation to switch it out for a new one. Though it wasnt a life-threatening operation, it wasnt a matter to be taken lightly either. After all, stomachs couldnt be reced constantly but you still had to eat everyday - you had to be careful at every meal so as to avoid upsetting it further. Yan Suizhi had to be especially cautious these days because he hadnt eaten normally in half a year and couldnt ingest too much at the moment. However, he didnt like discussing these little ailments and so he unhurriedly swallowed a mouthful of food and took a sip of warm water. He grinned at them and said, I have to tackle so many files when I get back so I better not eat too much. Id just throw it up. Luke, who was already on his second helping, choked on a mouthful of pasta and turned his head to cough like a true idiot. When they were halfway through lunch, Yan Suizhi suddenly received a message. It was a notification from the apartment he was staying at. When his saviour had rented the apartment, they had used his fake identity and his smart devices contact number and hadnt left a single trace. The content of the message was fairly short - there were only two sentences and once Yan Suizhi nced over it, he had trouble keeping his food down. The apartment was notifying him that his rental period wasing to an end tomorrow, and that if he wanted to extend the lease, he had to pay the rent upfront. Half a years worth of rent. ...... In all his years, the esteemed Professor Yan had never felt stressed about money. He hadnt even looked at his files yet and already felt like throwing up. The message also said that he would receive a call shortly that would carry out a voice confirmation with him. Five minutester, Yan Suizhi suddenly got a call from a number he didnt recognize. He figured it was the apartment that had called. He picked up immediately and smiled as he said, Sorry, I wont be extending the lease. He had no money and wouldnt dream of renting it. On the other end, the caller fell silent for a few seconds. To his surprise, they didnt say a word and hung up. ...... Yan Suizhi couldnt make head nor tail of it. Normally speaking, customer service reps didnt have this kind of attitude, right??? Trantor''s Notes tongxue = student the ''ruan'' in yan suizhi''s alias sounds like the word for ''soft'' whereas the ''ye'' part means ''wild''. when he mentally reces the ''ruan'' part, I think he''s implying that he had been acting kind of wild. xi = literal trantion is ''west'' but this is the currency used in the novel Chapter 5 Whats up? Is your lease about to expire? With some effort, Luke managed to swallow down his forkful of noodles and spoke with his mouth half-full. No wonder I dont remember seeing you around. Youre not often at school, are you? Yan Suizhi nodded. No, not very often. --- Maze University had a hall of fame. Being a top-notch school, there was naturally a whole throng of alumni. If someones name could be disyed in the hall of fame and be a part of the schools history, it was an honour in and of itself. Yan Suizhis portrait had already been ced in thew schools hall of fame for a few years now. His portrait was surrounded by fellow hall-of-famers, all of whom were old or middle-aged. The portrait was painted with an odd but very unique and distinctive style. He was, without a doubt, the youngest person in the hall of fame...... He was also the one who had died the earliest. The portrait had probably been moved to the hall of fame for the deceased by now to be used as a mourning portrait. One shouldnt think too hard about these kinds of things - it was easy to get a stomachache just thinking about it. In short, as a member of the hall of fame his life had been plentiful as well as extremely busy. Although he had held the title of dean and had stayed in a spacious office designed to his tastes, he actually hadnt spent all that much time within Maze University itself. Normally, he would only stay at the school for a few days to take care of any important matters that arose in the university or thew school. And while he was at it, he would set aside a bit of time to piss off his students. Or rather, piss off one particr student. When he wasnt at the university, he was at Southlew Law Firm. He was rarely in his own home. This had actually been the butt of a joke at one point. Six years ago, when De Carma underwent a reform, everyones personal records had to be registered and confirmed a second time. Of course, this wasnt like the olden days so these kinds of records didnt have to be entered into the system word by word. It was generated based on things such as asset card usage and was automatically analyzed. The registration process only required a quick nce and an in-person signature as confirmation. One of the items included in the personal records file was principal residence. The system would determine the location based on how long you stayed in a particr spot and automatically filtered by length of time and frequency. When Yan Suizhi had gone to the records office for the confirmation, the data for the principle residence column had rippled past and in the end, four words had popped up: Long distance space shuttle The young woman in charge of the file hadughed so hard she fell off her chair. No matter how graceful of an expression that frequent flyer Professor Yan tried to maintain, it couldnt hide the fact that his face had turned green. However, it still couldntpare to the green in his face at the present moment. Yan Suizhi removed his earpiece and yed with it in his hand. He gave the message from the apartment another silent look. His lease was ending tomorrow, which meant that he definitely had to move out today. Of course, all his worldly belongings could fit into the pocket of his coat so there was no need to physically move anything. The important part was that he still had to find a new ce to stay for the time being He had 5022 xi [1] in total, and if he excluded expenses for food and travel, where could he even afford to live? You havent found a new ce yet? Anna surmised. She sat across from him and because of the angle of the holographic screen, other people were unable to see its contents. Of course, she wasnt in the habit of peeping at other peoples messages and was only asking out of concern when she noticed that Yan Suizhi hadnt touch the rest of his lunch. Hm? Yan Suizhi raised his head and smiled softly, Im looking for one right now. Why dont you live at school? Luke suggested. Our dormitory is pretty close to Southcross and its subsidized during our internship period. This subsidy was one of thew schools specialties. Every year, during the internship period, thew school would set aside some funds to give to students who made an honest effort during their internship. Its glorified name was intern schrship but was usually known as a subsidy. It also had a nickname that was rather long and was called, we know you interns dont have money and are dirt poor so well hand out a bit of cash to save your life. Truthfully, it wasnt a whole lot. It was paid monthly and was about 30 xi a day, and was just enough to cover transportation costs with maybe a smidgen left over. Meat from a mosquito is still meat, Luke said, praising the subsidy. Yan Suizhi thought mentally, Thanks for reminding me; I don''t even get to eat mosquito meat. He was a poor imitation of a student - counterfeit goods, if you will - and could probably keep up the pretense at thew firm. If he were to go to school, he would be a sitting duck just waiting to give the game away. He was afraid that he might end up walking down his usual path and head straight through the door to the deans office. Besides, did the school have files rted to the explosion case? Nope. --- That afternoon, Yan Suizhi remained the sole upant and beneficiary of the spacious office. Gu Yan evidently wasnt in the habit of disclosing his whereabouts before heading out so Yan Suizhi had no idea where he had gone and whether or not he would return to the office today. Even if he didnt return, Yan Suizhi wouldnt be surprised. After all, he himself used to have a simr lifestyle. The file folder had been copsed into a few thin sheets and didnt look like such an eyesore. However, Yan Suizhi wasnt in a rush to organize it. Instead, he first searched up the words explosion case in the folder. Theputer let out a jingle and all the information rted to explosion case were pulled up. Page after page of documents were stacked in front of Yan Suizhi. It really was rather useful but...werent there way too many fucking pages? Whats more, it was obvious that it wasnt just one explosion case - there must have been at least five cases, if not more. Yan Suizhi folded his arms and leaned heavily against the back of the chair. He was so pissed that he was about to burst outughing. Did Southcross Law Firm do nothing else but pick out all sorts of explosion cases to take on?? Ruan? While Yan Suizhis head was still pounding, Luke knocked on the door. He stuck his head inside and nced around, looking as if he were some sort of robber. Why dont you pull a ski mask over your face first thene back? When the esteemed Professor Yan was in a foul mood, he would start mocking people with a smile on his face. The target of his mockery let out augh and entered. Youre too funny. Yan Suizhi: ...Not as funny as you, evidently. Guoshi [2] still hasnte back? Luke stepped gingerly into the office. He didnt understand why the two female students wanted to work in this office. In any case, the very sight of Guoshis icy expression - which was basically a static photograph - was enough to instill fear in him, even before being acquainted. If he was back, would you still have the guts toe inside? Yan Suizhis jab was as effective as a needle that drew blood with a single jab. No, I wouldnt dare. He seems even harder to get close to than my teacher, Luke replied, his mouth twitching. His teacher was called Hobbs and had silver hair, eagle-like eyes and a thin frame. He was a veteranwyer that had an elite sort of temperament. However, when it came to icy expressions, he was still no match for Gu Yan. Hows your file organizationing along? I did something stupid, Luke said. What happened? My hand slipped and I dragged a document into the permanent delete bin. What document? Yan Suizhi still hadnt shown a reaction. Ah? You havent seen it yet? Luke used his fingers to draw the outline of a square. It was a document like this. It specified what order the files should be organized in and which documents go first. Oh, that list? Yan Suizhi said. He straightened in his hair and swiped his finger to look through his own files. I didnt see it yet. Its not a big deal even if its permanently deleted - just ask your teacher to send you another copy. Lukeughed dryly. My teacher? No, no, no, Im scared. ...... Besides, he left the office, Luke added so as as not to seem so terrified. He doesnt seem to like me very much. He said hes going to see the client but didnt bring me along. Yan Suizhi said consolingly, Don''t worry about it. At least he told you why he was heading out. My teacher didnt even look at me before he left. Also, they normally dont bring interns with them on the first day, Professor Yan said lightly. To the intern, its like suddenly picking a fight for the whole day, and to thewyer, its an added headache to deal with - both sides have to keep their cool. Luke: ...... It actually made a bit of sense. I found it. Yan Suizhis search had pulled up the documents that listed items such as File Cover, Table of Contents, Engagement Letter etc. in order. Right, right, thats the one. Alright, you can head back. Ill send a copy directly to yourputer, Yan Suizhi said. Luke expressed his eternal gratitude and for a moment, Yan Suizhi wondered if he hadnt actually sent a document and had, instead, sent a million xi. --- Although eachwyers office at Southcross Law Firm was independent, the fact that they shared the same management and human resources department meant that there was a custommunication system set up for internal purposes. Yan Suizhi looked up Lukes name on the list and sent him the document. He was about to close the window but from the corner of his eye, he noticed Gu Yans name on the list. The status symbol next to his name indicated that he could be reached. The esteemed Professor Yan stared at it for two seconds, then suddenly had an idea. He raised a brow, opened up Gu Yans window and sent a message: -Lawyer Gu, are we allowed to stay overnight at the office? The esteemed Professor Yan, who hadnt suffered shortages of funds in ages, had nned it all out. Since his lease was ending and he hadnt found a new home that was suitable (read: cheap and to his taste), then he may as well make do and spend the next few days at the office. It wasnt as if he hadnt spent nights at the office in the past when things got busy - one could even say that he had plenty of experience. However, there was no sign of activity for a while after the message was sent. Yan Suizhi stared at the screen and tried cating himself for a bit, but was unable to suppress his temper in the end. He sent out another line: -Lawyer Gu? After about a minute, there was finally a sound indicating a new notification. Yan Suizhi lifted his gaze. Gu Yan hadnt said a single word and had directly sent over a screenshot. What the hell? Yan Suizhi tapped it open and realized that the image was from the internship manual. It contained a line from the manual that said: Note on etiquette: Interns should address their mentor as teacher. The single sentence was like a half-assed attempt at an execution - the cut was far from clean and the head was still attached. It was clear that Gu Yans reply was just for show and he had probably pulled something out offhandedly and sent it over. The esteemed Professor Yan smiled as he looked at the messaging screen and thought, Teacher???? A student like you must have balls of steel. He was struck speechless by the fact that his seniority had been thrown into disorder. Although his mouth wasnt able to move, his hands were still functioning. Yan Suizhi chortled then gave the holographic screen a few jabs as he typed his third message to the balls of steel Gu Yan. -Alright then. Guoshi, I want to stay overnight at the office. This time, the reply came within moments and Gu Yan typed as if every single letter was more precious than gold: -Reason being How could Yan Suizhi tell his own student something as absurd as to avoid sleeping on the streets? Even if said student didnt act like a student at all. However, Yan Suizhi gave it some thought and felt that he still wanted to save face this time, so he bullshitted a reply: -To work overtime. Have to organize files. Gu Yan didnt respond for a long time. He had probably been struck dumb by Yan Suizhis fighting spirit. A minuteter, Gu Yan responded: -Work overtime at home. I The esteemed Professor Yan was so livid he leaned into the back of his chair once more. Screw you! If I had a home, would I have to work overtime in the first ce? His greatest regret in life was that he had taught such an unlucky bastard like Gu Yan. It had been years since Gu Yan had graduated, and yet he still managed to add to Yan Suizhis stress levels with pinpoint uracy. Fortunately, this type of rage didnt persist for very long. That evening, the messaging screen that Yan Suizhi had mmed shut came back to life. There was a new message from Gu Yan: -Come to Port Newsa at 6 oclock. Yan Suizhizily sent a reply: -To do what -Business trip -? Trantor''s Notes xi = literal trantion is ''west'' but this is the currency used in the novel