7. Chapter Seven
Lin Wu lowered her eyes and extended her hand politely to shake his.
Their palms met, and for about three to five seconds, Lin Wu felt the warmth of his palm and sensed the faint calluses there.
He exercised regularly and occasionally engaged in activities like rock climbing, so the skin on his hands was not as delicate and soft.
She was quite aware of this.
After all, his palms and fingers had once left marks on her without any resistance.
In that instant, Lin Wu felt somewhat dazed.
It wasn’t until Chen Zuo casually scratched her palm that she suddenly looked up at him, suppressing her surprise and replying calmly, “President Chen, I’ve heard so much about you.”
“...”
After a brief introduction, Chen Zuo sat down on the other side of the conference table, diagonally opposite Lin Wu.
Li Xiang briefly explained Chen Zuo’s purpose for coming to the law firm: there was an internal dispute at Fengxing Investment Bank that required collaboration between a legal team and the company’s legal department.
As for which legal team to hire, Fengxing had not made a final decision yet.
Lin Wu didn’t pay close attention to what Li Xiang said afterward; her focus remained on the palm Chen Zuo had just scratched. She hadn’t expected Chen Zuo to dare make such a frivolous and intimate gesture in front of so many people.
Did he really believe no one would call him out on the spot?!
Lin Wu frowned slightly and looked toward Chen Zuo.
Noticing her gaze, the instigator glanced at her indifferently, his demeanor noble and his expression stern.
Lin Wu paused, annoyed, and averted her eyes.
Moments later, the screen of the phone tucked inside her notebook lit up.
Chen Zuo: “Lawyer Lin.”
Lin Wu lowered her eyes, staring at the top of the screen where it said “typing...” without moving.
A few seconds later, a new message popped up: “An urgent move, please forgive me, Lawyer Lin.”
Seeing this, Lin Wu wanted to ask what was so urgent.
Suddenly, she realized she must have been somewhat distracted when shaking hands with Chen Zuo.
Acknowledging this, Lin Wu felt quite regretful.
After a silent moment, she was about to reply when a colleague sitting beside her leaned over, eyes fixed on her phone screen. “Lawyer Lin, who are you—”
Before she could finish, Lin Wu abruptly closed her phone.
The slight commotion on their side caused Li Xiang, who was still speaking, to pause, glance their way, then continue with his unfinished topic.
“...”
For the remainder of the meeting, Lin Wu dared not drift off again.
The colleague beside her discreetly shifted aside and sat up straight, behaving very properly.
—
When the meeting ended, colleagues gradually stood and left.
Lin Wu dawdled until the last moment. As she stepped out of the conference room, Li Xiang, who had escorted Chen Zuo and others to the elevator, glanced at her and said in a low voice, “Lin Wu, come to my office.”
The lawyers who knew what had happened exchanged sympathetic looks with her.
Lin Wu: “...”
It wasn’t that serious.
Li Xiang calling her was probably not about her inattentiveness during the meeting.
She followed Li Xiang into his office. He raised his chin slightly, signaling, “Sit.”
Lin Wu didn’t hesitate and pulled out the chair opposite him.
Li Xiang took a call first, and only after hanging up did he ask Lin Wu, “Want something to drink?”
“Aren’t I here to be reprimanded?” Lin Wu said, “No thanks.”
Li Xiang glanced at her without expression. “Who dares to scold you?”
“The boss,” Lin Wu joked.
Li Xiang clicked his tongue lightly, his tone unexpectedly tinged with a hint of bitterness. “Among the bosses who scold you, I’m definitely not one.”
Lin Wu looked puzzled. “Why?”
“If I scolded you, that idle young lady at home would immediately rush to the law firm to argue with me,” Li Xiang said straightforwardly.
The young lady he referred to was He Jiayun, Lin Wu’s university classmate and Li Xiang’s childhood acquaintance and good-natured rival. He was three years older than them and had already secured a graduate research position when they were freshmen, founding the law firm.
When He Jiayun learned this, she was the first to offer full support in spirit and money.
Though she only held a small share and was listed as a partner, she didn’t work at the firm daily.
Hearing Li Xiang’s words, Lin Wu couldn’t help but smile. “Not that bad.”
She spoke softly, “My attitude was off during today’s meeting. If I’m reprimanded, I deserve it.”
Li Xiang said, “You’re not the only one who wasn’t focused in the meeting.”
He didn’t want to dwell on it and said gently, “I called you here to ask if you’re interested in the Fengxing case.”
Lin Wu was taken aback and looked up at him. “Didn’t you say President Chen hasn’t decided yet?”
That was what was said in the meeting just now; Fengxing was looking for a capable legal team.
Li Xiang replied, “I talked to him. He favors our law firm.”
He paused and looked at Lin Wu. “He asked about you.”
Lin Wu hesitated, feeling a little uneasy. “Asked about me?”
Li Xiang nodded and smiled. “Lawyer Lin has quite a reputation in the industry. President Chen inquired a bit.”
Hearing this, Lin Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“And then?” she asked with curiosity.
—
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. “And then what?”
Lin Wu: “...”
Realizing what she meant, Li Xiang chuckled. “He said he had seen the securities case you handled. He thought you did an excellent job.”
Hearing Chen Zuo’s praise through Li Xiang, Lin Wu felt a bit shy but also quietly proud.
She had spent months deeply involved in that case and had ultimately lived up to expectations.
That case had earned her the well-deserved title of Lawyer Lin in the industry.
She hadn’t expected Chen Zuo to have seen it.
Li Xiang chatted with her a bit more and then lowered his voice. “President Chen asked me to recommend a legal team. I was thinking of recommending Lawyer Yu’s team; Yu has handled similar cases and is fully capable. But President Chen specifically asked about you. I recalled your previous cases, and you could take on the Fengxing case as well, but—”
“What?” Lin Wu looked up.
Li Xiang said, “Can you handle it?”
He knew Lin Wu was busy with many cases. If the new case was simple, she could manage easily. But the Fengxing case would demand as much time and effort as any of her current cases. He worried she might find it hard to coordinate her schedule.
Lin Wu understood Li Xiang’s concerns; he knew her mental state well.
She was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Xiang. “Let’s see what Fengxing thinks first. I’ll follow the arrangement.”
Li Xiang understood. “Alright, I’ll talk to President Chen again.”
Lin Wu nodded.
“Get back to work,” Li Xiang ended the formal conversation, reminding her, “Next time in a meeting, don’t be so jumpy when using your phone. I’m not strict enough to forbid little distractions in dull meetings.”
Lin Wu: “...”
She felt slightly embarrassed and touched her nose, sheepishly saying, “Got it.”
—
Leaving Li Xiang’s office, Lin Wu strolled to the restroom.
At the door, she ran into the female lawyer who had sat beside her.
The other woman greeted first, “Lawyer Lin.”
“Lawyer Ying,” Lin Wu replied.
Ying Shuyue smiled and asked, “Did Senior Brother scold you?”
Ying Shuyue was Li Xiang’s direct junior; both had the same graduate advisor.
Most of the time, Ying Shuyue called Li Xiang “Senior Brother.”
Lin Wu smiled faintly. “Just mentioned my zoning out.”
Ying Shuyue raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Since when did Senior Brother get so strict? You weren’t the only one playing with their phone.”
Lin Wu casually replied, “I made more noise.”
“...” Ying Shuyue chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to react so strongly.”
She paused and asked curiously, “You weren’t chatting with a boyfriend just now, were you?”
Lin Wu’s expression was indifferent. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“That must have been my mistake,” Ying Shuyue said with a smile. “Lawyer Lin is famous in our firm as a workaholic; it doesn’t seem like you’d have a boyfriend.”
Lin Wu said nothing, unwilling to argue—workaholics could have boyfriends too. No law prohibited workaholics from having relationships.
She forced a small smile and prepared to enter the inner restroom.
Before she could go in, Ying Shuyue added, “What do you think about the Fengxing case? Interested?”
Lin Wu glanced at her. “Whether I’m interested doesn’t matter.”
Looking Ying Shuyue squarely in the eye, she said bluntly, “It depends on which legal team President Chen from Fengxing prefers.”
After speaking, Lin Wu added, “If Ying Lawyer wants to discuss work, come to my office later. I’m going to the restroom first.”
Ying Shuyue was left speechless for a while.
Lin Wu stopped looking at her and stepped into the inner restroom.
When Lin Wu came out, Ying Shuyue was no longer by the sink.
Lin Wu felt relieved, quickly washed her hands, returned to her office, and closed the door firmly, signaling she wanted no visitors.
After handling a few urgent emails, Lin Wu’s phone screen lit up.
She picked it up and suddenly remembered she hadn’t replied to Chen Zuo’s message.
At this moment, the new message was still from Chen Zuo.
But... what did a single period mean?
Lin Wu stared at the period, hesitating before replying with a question mark.
Chen Zuo: “Sent by mistake.”
Lin Wu: “?”
Unable to hold back, she teased, “President Chen, you seem quite idle.”
Chen Zuo pretended not to notice her sarcasm and replied seriously, “Not really.”
Not very idle.
Lin Wu was momentarily at a loss for words, holding her phone unsure what to say next.
Suddenly, Chen Zuo asked, “Are you free tonight?”
Lin Wu was alert. “President Chen, today isn’t Friday.”
Chen Zuo raised an eyebrow and leisurely asked, “You mean you’re only free on Fridays?”
Lin Wu: “...”
This man really knew how to twist her meaning.
She closed her eyes and reminded herself that he was likely to be her client for a long time. As the service provider, they had to be polite to the client—after all, the client was the money holder.
With this in mind, Lin Wu calmly asked, “Is this about the case?”
Chen Zuo: “Sort of. I have a few questions to ask you.”
Lin Wu frowned. “So President Chen hasn’t decided on a preferred lawyer yet?”
Chen Zuo: “Not yet.”
Lin Wu: “Then why contact me?”
Was he looking for free labor?
Just as this thought flashed through her mind, Chen Zuo sent a new message: “I can pay you consultation fees.”
Lin Wu raised her eyebrows and wiggled her long fingers. “My consultation fees are expensive.”
Chen Zuo: “How expensive?”
Lin Wu named a high price: “Ten thousand yuan per minute.”
Chen Zuo: “That is expensive indeed.”
Seeing this message, Lin Wu snorted coldly, ready to sarcastically tell him to give up if he couldn’t afford it. Then a new message popped up:
200,000.00
Please accept the payment.
“...”
Lin Wu was stunned for three seconds and couldn’t help but ask, “...Do you have more money than you know what to do with?”
He believed her when she was joking?
Chen Zuo: “Not to that extent.”
Chen Zuo smirked and asked the person opposite him, “What do you think, Lawyer Lin?”
Seeing his persistent attitude, Lin Wu knew she would meet Chen Zuo tonight no matter what.
Thinking this, she agreed, “In that case, I will provide a twenty-minute consultation for President Chen.”
Chen Zuo: “See you tonight.”
Lin Wu didn’t reply to this message.
She put down her phone and resumed working. She studied the case, even having lunch in the office.
—
At closing time, there was a knock at Lin Wu’s office door.
She answered, “Come in.”
Yu Xinzhi pushed the door open. “Still not done?”
Lin Wu hesitated and nodded. “Yeah. What’s up?”
Yu Xinzhi smiled and stepped closer. “Didn’t you say you wanted to watch a play?”
Lin Wu nodded. She had mentioned missing a play once due to overtime when dining with colleagues.
Yu Xinzhi held two tickets, placed them on her desk, and said softly, “A friend gave me two tickets for this Saturday. I’m not interested, so you can invite a friend.”
Lin Wu lowered her eyes, feeling conflicted. “Lawyer Yu, I—”
“It’s really a gift,” Yu Xinzhi knew what she meant and smiled gently. “No pressure. I’m genuinely not interested. You decide.”
Not giving Lin Wu a chance to refuse, Yu Xinzhi didn’t insist on going with her. “Take them. I’m off now. Don’t work too late.”
Lin Wu opened her mouth but could only say helplessly, “Thank you, Lawyer Yu.”
Yu Xinzhi smiled warmly. “You’re welcome, little junior sister.”
“...”
After Yu Xinzhi left, Lin Wu stared at the two tickets on her desk and felt troubled.
With Yu Xinzhi’s attitude, she truly didn’t know what to do.
Before Lin Wu could ponder further, her phone rang.
Without looking at the caller ID, she answered, “Hello, who is this?”
There was a brief silence, then a deep, pleasant male voice said, “Lawyer Lin, it’s time to leave work.”
Lin Wu was stunned. She glanced at her phone—6:30 p.m., not even late.
“I haven’t finished my work yet,” she said puzzled. “Are you in a hurry?”
Chen Zuo had just taken over this branch. Didn’t he need to work overtime? Was an investment bank this idle?
Lin Wu expected him to say politely that it wasn’t urgent.
She never imagined Chen Zuo would calmly reply, “Yes, very urgent.”
His words left Lin Wu momentarily speechless.
After a pause, she relented, “Send me the meeting address. I’ll come over now.”
Chen Zuo: “Okay.”
After hanging up, Lin Wu received an address from Chen Zuo. It was for an upscale private dining restaurant near her home that required reservations.
Lin Wu was puzzled. “President Chen, did you send me the wrong address?”
Why send her a restaurant location?
Chen Zuo: “No.”
Lin Wu: “?”
Chen Zuo, anticipating her doubt, explained, “You might not know, but I like to talk business over food.”