Don’t worry about that Du fellow for now, think about how to tell your mum. Your uncle and I are waiting for you here, hurry over!
Wen Dongrong’s tone carried a hint of gritted teeth.
It wasn’t clear if he was angry at Du Li for stirring up trouble or resentful of Wen Ying for dragging him into it with her sweet-talking bribe.
You seem pretty accepting of it, so Mum should, probably be okay?
Heh.
Wen Dongrong only gave Wen Ying a cold laugh before hanging up.
Wen Ying was tough-talking with her dad, but once the call ended, her shoulders slumped.
What do I do if Mum finds out!
This hot potato, Wen Ying tossed to Xie Qian.
Deng Shangwei couldn’t get through earlier because Xie Qian had asked Wen Ying to turn off her phone to focus on work.
Today, Wang Shuang had family matters, so Wen Ying was alone at Xie Qian’s place for special training. Xie Qian handed her the marked papers, thinking this was a good thing: I never agreed with you hiding it from your family. One lie needs more lies to cover it. The more you lie to your parents, the guiltier you’ll feel facing them. You’re planting mines.
Wen Ying needed to let her parents gradually see her uniqueness, her maturity beyond her peers, not deliberately hide it, such behaviour was itself childish, showing she couldn’t handle her relationship with her parents well.
Trust is easily broken but hard to rebuild. Though Wen Ying’s family situation differed from Xie Qian’s, he was qualified to say this, he could never rebuild trust with Xie Jinghu!
Since she’d have to come clean eventually, rather than waiting for a so-called good moment, it was better to be exposed now by chance.
At least now there’s an external enemy. Deal with internal matters before external ones, your parents surely understand that.
Xie Qian’s words comforted Wen Ying a tiny bit, really just a tiny bit.
The lawsuit’s outcome was certain, external disputes would settle eventually, and then it’d be Manager Chen’s turn to deal with her.
Luckily, she’d had the foresight to drag Old Wen into it.
Facing a storm together was better than facing it alone.
Wen Ying felt a bit calmer and nodded at Xie Qian, I get what you mean. I’ll head back now. My dad didn’t even finish his shift and rushed back to Chengdu, he’s waiting for me!
Apparently, Wen Dongrong and Deng Shangwei had reached some agreement, now just waiting for Wen Ying to join in.
Xie Qian had Wen Ying take a taxi.
Tell Lawyer Zheng about Han Qin switching lawyers. You’re in the lead now, but don’t get cocky. Until the verdict’s out, anything can change. This Lawyer Du seems tough to deal with.
In this situation, most lawyers would wait for the verdict and appeal if needed. Not Du Li, he wanted the plaintiff to drop the case and settle before the first ruling!
What kind of nerve was that?
Xie Qian analysed for Wen Ying, who blushed.
You need thick skin to be a lawyer, and Xie Qian talking about Du Li in front of her felt like he was indirectly scolding her.
I’ll tell Lawyer Zheng on the way. I really have to go, or that Du Li might go to my mum.
The same bombshell would have different outcomes if Wen Ying confessed to Chen Ru herself versus someone exposing her.
Xie Qian saw Wen Ying into the taxi and called his cousin-in-law, Jiang Youjia.
Jiang Youjia was a Chengdu local, and the Jiang family was respectable there. Jiang Youjia could dig up info on Du Li better than Xie Qian could alone.
In the taxi, Wen Ying took a deep breath and called Zheng Zhihe.
Han Qin switched lawyers. Today, the lawyer went to my dad, trying to convince my parents to drop the case and settle. His name’s Du Li.
Zheng Zhihe sounded like he’d been poisoned mute, taking ages to find his voice.
Stay calm, we professional lawyers never panic!
Zheng Zhihe didn’t mention the feud between his mentor and Du Li, it was irrelevant to the client and would only cause anxiety.
He focused on practical matters: Do you think your parents would agree to settle?
Du Li was persuasive and would likely convince the magazine and Han Qin that settling was better than losing big in court.
Zheng Zhihe had demanded 300,000 yuan in compensation for Wen Ying in court, but everyone knew the judge wouldn’t award that much.
If Du Li convinced the magazine and Han Qin to offer 300,000 for a private settlement, would Wen Ying’s parents be tempted?
Du Li’s silver tongue could bring the dead back to life!
And 300,000 was no small sum.
With Youth Idol’s success, Wen Ying’s royalties already exceeded 300,000, but who’d turn down more money?
Zheng Zhihe had met Wen Ying and knew how sharp and rational she was, but did she realise her reputation as a bestselling author was worth far more than 300,000?
Wen Ying was pondering the same question Zheng Zhihe raised.
She knew Du Li’s style as well as Zheng Zhihe did.
Du Li was great at tempting people!
Could her parents resist Du Li’s settlement offer, that didn’t need much thought. Wen Ying confidently reassured Zheng Zhihe: My parents won’t agree to settle.
Sure, her secret being exposed would bring a storm at home, but that was a family matter.
Internal issues stay internal. Facing external temptations, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong wouldn’t budge!
Wen Ying wasn’t blindly trusting her parents, she was judging fairly.
Both Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong’s jobs involved handling money.
Chen Ru dealt with heaps of cash at the bank but never pocketed depositors’ money.
Wen Dongrong also had chances to take bribes, but in her past life and now, the Wen family’s wealth came from buying property when prices were low, seizing opportunities as a dual-income family, not from Wen Dongrong taking gifts.
If this couple were money-grubbers, they’d have long fawned over Chen Li and Deng Shangwei.
In reality, not only did they not suck up to their rich sister and brother-in-law, Chen Ru still looked down on Deng Shangwei!
That’s perfect.
Zheng Zhihe finally cracked a smile, As long as the client’s resolve is firm, it doesn’t matter who represents Aige and Han Qin.
Du Li loved stirring trouble, but had he finally met his match?
Zheng Zhihe half-believed Wen Ying. If possible, he wanted to meet her parents himself.
Wen Ying’s forehead beaded with sweat, Let me talk to my mum first, then you can meet them, Lawyer Zheng.
As she spoke, Wen Ying arrived at the mall.
Huh, didn’t they say they’d wait at the entrance? Where were Old Wen and her uncle?
…
After lunch, Wen Dongrong’s secret stash wasn’t spent. After eating, he took the rest to a nearby bookstore.
The boss had asked to see Youth Idol, so Wen Dongrong had to buy copies to share at work.
Big-hearted, he included Old Li in the gift list.
Eight copies then?
Eight wasn’t enough.
Besides work colleagues and the boss, friends would need copies too.
And the Wen family relatives.
Wen Dongrong calculated he’d need at least 30 copies of Youth Idol.
One book cost 32 yuan, 30 books made 960 yuan.
He hadn’t thought ahead when ordering food, now he didn’t have enough to buy 30 books!
