Tan Wenxi quickly regretted it, because he hadn't expected that Gu Xuehan's offer to make him her assistant was not just empty words. He had originally thought that she was just using it as an excuse to take care of his pride, a roundabout way to provide him with financial assistance, and that there wouldn't be much actual work. In the end, for a part-time job paying 4,000 yuan a month, she gave him a workload that felt like it should be worth 40,000 yuan a month—
"These case files are all the ones I've handled since I graduated and joined Jinghe Law Firm. Although I've been organizing and categorizing them on and off, new ones keep coming in before I can finish the old ones. Since you're here, help me sort, bind, and organize all of these this month, and then put them in Jinghe's archive room."
"Also, the plants on my desk, remember to water and maintain them every few days. The administrative department has already warned me that if my plant replacement rate remains so high, the firm will charge me separately."
"You're also responsible for picking up all my packages from the administrative front desk and arranging them in chronological order..."
On his first day of work, Gu Xuehan mercilessly assigned Tan Wenxi a pile of tasks.
"Also, bring your ID card and a copy of it to the administrative department to go through the process. Even though it's only a one-month part-time job, there's still a contract process, including signing a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you fulfill your confidentiality obligations regarding any client information or past case details you might become aware of during your part-time employment."
...
After Gu Xuehan finished speaking, she left the temporary workstation assigned to Tan Wenxi and went back to her own office, closing the door behind her to work.
Tan Wenxi looked at the closed door and suddenly began to doubt the purpose of what he was doing—his original intention was to have a reasonable opportunity to interact more with Gu Xuehan. However, the reality was that not only was there no such opportunity, but he also had to sweet-talk the lady in the administrative department to delay signing the contract because he couldn't provide his real ID card. The worst part was...
Tan Wenxi looked at the mountain of case files in front of him and felt a sense of despair.
Gu Xuehan was much busier than he had imagined. She was either in video conferences with clients or out of the office attending court hearings or meeting with clients. Even if Tan Wenxi stayed at the law firm every day, there were few opportunities to see her or chat with her.
But no matter what, as long as one wants to make an impression, one can always find a way.
Even when he couldn't see Gu Xuehan, Tan Wenxi found ways to make his presence known—
For example, the milk he warmed for Gu Xuehan every morning, the coffee he brought her after lunch, and the various soups and broths he prepared for her in a slow cooker if she stayed late to work overtime. After all, the housekeeper at Tan Wenxi's home was very good at making soup, so he took advantage of that.
And sure enough, his soup-making skills quickly gained Gu Xuehan's approval.
After drinking the soup Tan Wenxi prepared, she made a rare exception and sent Tan Wenxi a message to express her gratitude.
Naturally, Tan Wenxi became even more enthusiastic.
But no matter how much soup he made, how much he took care of Gu Xuehan's daily life, or how much he helped Gu Xuehan complete the case file organization, he always felt that it wasn't enough to make Gu Xuehan look at him in a new light.
Tan Wenxi thought about it and decided that he needed to step up his game.
**
Gu Xuehan felt that her most correct decision recently was to hire Tan Wenxi as a temporary assistant. She had to admit that this young man had strong work abilities and a very good understanding. He had done an excellent job just organizing the case files. Even some of the international case files, which were entirely in English, Gu Xuehan saw that he had also categorized and placed them on the correct shelves.
He might be much smarter than she thought, and he was hardworking, diligent, and very meticulous.
Gu Xuehan wasn't stupid. The milk in the morning, the coffee at noon, the fruit and desserts in the afternoon, and the soup or porridge in the evening—she knew what Tan Wenxi was trying to do.
He had persisted much longer than any of the men who had pursued her before.
Gu Xuehan had no plans for a relationship recently, let alone a relationship with a younger man. She hated wasting time and felt that dating a younger man required some degree of training and guidance. She wasn't running a charity; she had no interest in taking responsibility for teaching a naive young man to be mature and well-behaved.
But Tan Wenxi was also very clever. Since their reunion, he had completely avoided any ambiguous signals or inappropriate behavior. Everything he did was impeccable—you could easily interpret it all as the actions of a part-time assistant trying to please you.
Because of this, Gu Xuehan had no opportunity to express any opinion on the matter. After all, if Tan Wenxi had confessed his feelings directly, she could have clearly rejected him. But now, if she took the initiative to do something, it would seem like she was being presumptuous.
Fortunately, Gu Xuehan was very busy, and even with Tan Wenxi as a part-time assistant, he wouldn't have many more opportunities to interact with her.
The turning point came when the one-month part-time period was about to end. That night, Gu Xuehan had just retrieved several suitcases of case files from overseas for several international marriage cases she was handling. Gu Yan, that guy, had gone to his mother-in-law's house for dinner again. With no other choice, she called Tan Wenxi to help her carry them.
She didn't know if it was because her boxes of case files were packed in expensive-looking suitcases, leading people to mistakenly believe that they contained something valuable.
As Gu Xuehan was dragging one of the smaller suitcases out of the car, a young man wearing a baseball cap and a mask suddenly emerged from the blind spot behind her car and tried to grab the suitcase from Gu Xuehan's hand.
These were important pieces of evidence that had just been retrieved!
The other party's intention was clearly to rob her, intending to grab the suitcase and run. But Gu Xuehan not only didn't let go, but she also instinctively grabbed the other party.
If this robber was just after money, it would be one thing, but the evidence crucial to her client's case absolutely could not be lost!
However, Gu Xuehan hadn't expected that the other party, perhaps truly believing she was a wealthy person, had come prepared. He pulled out a folding knife from his side and was about to slash at Gu Xuehan's hand.
Gu Xuehan only hesitated for half a second, still deciding not to withdraw her hand. Her lawyer's instinct still made her want to protect the evidence. She angrily rebuked the other party—
"There's nothing valuable inside, just documents!"
But the robber was in no state of mind to listen to this. His movement towards Gu Xuehan did not stop.
However, just as Gu Xuehan was preparing to endure the impending pain and was about to kick the other party, someone rushed over, pulled Gu Xuehan away, and blocked the knife for her.
Everything happened so fast that Gu Xuehan only knew that she hadn't been hurt at all.
Tan Wenxi pulled her away from behind, and then, disregarding the cut on his hand from the robber, he punched the suspect hard. Not only did he save the box of evidence that was almost stolen, but when Gu Xuehan regained her composure and looked at Tan Wenxi, she saw that the usually well-behaved Tan Wenxi was using a very standard and skilled kneeling restraint to completely subdue the impulsive robber.
Blood was flowing from one of Tan Wenxi's hands, but he seemed to feel no pain. He just looked at the person he was restraining with a very fierce expression.
At that moment, Gu Xuehan felt that Tan Wenxi was somewhat unfamiliar. The sense of incongruity she had felt before about Tan Wenxi rose again. She always felt that Tan Wenxi was Tan Wenxi, but also not Tan Wenxi.
Her lawyer's instincts made her feel that Tan Wenxi was a little suspicious.
If it weren't for her preconceived notions, Gu Xuehan wouldn't have accepted his identity so quickly.
But...
But now was not the time to think about these things. Shortly after Gu Xuehan called the police, the police arrived and took the suspect away. After she made an appointment with the police to give a statement the next day, she planned to take Tan Wenxi to get his wound treated.
However, Tan Wenxi was very resistant to going to the hospital. He looked a little childish, losing that particularly well-behaved feeling, and instead acted like a spoiled brat: "I don't want to go to the hospital. I hate hospitals. It's not a big injury, just a surface cut. Just find a pharmacy and buy some hydrogen peroxide or iodine to disinfect and clean it, and then put on a bandage."
In the end, Gu Xuehan couldn't convince him, but Tan Wenxi was injured because he was protecting her and the evidence. Gu Xuehan couldn't just let him go to a pharmacy and deal with it himself. Her home wasn't far from here, and she had a complete first-aid kit at home.
"If you don't want to go to the hospital, then come home with me. I'll take care of it for you."
Sure enough, as soon as she mentioned going home with her, Tan Wenxi perked up. The guy who had just been saying it was just a minor injury suddenly started acting weak: "Oh, Sister, I think it really needs to be treated. I'm a little scared of hospitals, but going to your place is fine. The atmosphere is less stressful. I have a bit of a psychological shadow from going to the hospital when I was a child, but the wound isn't particularly shallow. You should disinfect and bandage it carefully, don't do it too simply..."
He blinked his eyes: "After all, I'm still young. If it leaves a scar, I'm also afraid it will have an impact in the future."
Gu Xuehan was too lazy to deal with him. She brought him into the house, took out the first-aid kit, and began to clean Tan Wenxi's wound.
It clearly didn't hurt, but Tan Wenxi still cried out very miserably, as if he had sacrificed half his life to protect Gu Xuehan.
His cries made Gu Xuehan stop. She looked at Tan Wenxi expressionlessly: "You're screaming like you're about to have an amputation." She glanced at Tan Wenxi's wound with some disdain. "Keep screaming, scream some more. I see the wound has stopped bleeding and is starting to scab over."
"..."
Tan Wenxi looked a little embarrassed, but his behavior showed no sign of shame.
After Gu Xuehan finished treating his wound, before being ushered out of the house by Gu Xuehan, he started making new demands—
"Sister, I helped you work overtime and carry these materials tonight, and I haven't even had dinner yet..."
Gu Xuehan thought about it, and it was true, even she hadn't eaten dinner because she was busy working overtime: "Then let's order takeout together. What do you want to eat?"
"Ordering takeout is too unhealthy." Tan Wenxi returned to his well-behaved demeanor. "And takeout is too expensive and wasteful. Sister, what ingredients do you have at home? Just make me something simple."
As Tan Wenxi spoke, he walked over to Gu Xuehan's refrigerator: "Anything, even a boiled egg... If you find it too troublesome, I can cook too."
To be honest, although Tan Wenxi wasn't very skilled at cooking, he had lived abroad for many years and had some experience taking care of himself. He could easily make a simple meal. He just wanted to desperately show off his domestic qualities.
He finished speaking, opened Gu Xuehan's refrigerator, and then couldn't say another word.
Because Gu Xuehan's refrigerator was empty except for Perrier water and beverages. There were no vegetables, meat, milk, or any other ingredients, not even a single egg.
Tan Wenxi looked at the empty refrigerator in disbelief: "Are you a fairy? Do you live on water alone?"
Gu Xuehan was initially a little angry that Tan Wenxi had opened her refrigerator, but after hearing his words, she couldn't help but smile a little. However, she quickly suppressed it and returned to her usual calm and rational self.
"I'm very busy. I don't have time to cook. It's better not to buy ingredients than to buy them and have them go bad and waste resources."
Tan Wenxi raised an eyebrow. Perhaps because they were talking about everyday topics, from that moment on, he no longer called Gu Xuehan "Sister" in that well-behaved manner, but instead used the tone of speaking to a peer: "But you could also hire a housekeeper."
Perhaps young children were all like this, lacking respect for their elders. Gu Xuehan didn't mind. She opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of Perrier, opened it, and took a sip: "I'm not home often. I spend more time at the law firm. Even if I hired a housekeeper, I probably wouldn't have many opportunities to eat at home."
"Before coming up, I saw a supermarket at the entrance of the building. Let's go buy some groceries now."
Gu Xuehan expressed her disdain for Tan Wenxi's suggestion: "Although your hand was injured because of me, don't expect me to cook for you. Not all women enjoy cooking. I don't cook myself, firstly because I don't have time to cook, and secondly because I'm really not good at cooking. I don't feel any sense of accomplishment or joy in cooking."
But Tan Wenxi wasn't discouraged at all. He looked very matter-of-fact: "You don't have to cook. I can cook!"
Although Gu Xuehan was completely unwilling, she was still dragged by Tan Wenxi to the supermarket downstairs.
She didn't know how things had developed to this point. She was in the supermarket with a somewhat suspicious young man, buying cabbage, carrots, and green peppers.
Gu Xuehan felt that she hadn't bought such mundane things in a supermarket since high school.
But Tan Wenxi was very serious about choosing them. He even explained the nutritional value of each different vegetable to Gu Xuehan, looking very knowledgeable and particular.
Gu Xuehan was already starting to find him suspicious, but she still held back, only quietly observing his every move.
A person might be able to pretend for a while, but in a long-term relationship, their true personality will always inevitably show—for example, Tan Wenxi might not be as well-behaved and obedient as he had previously shown, and a lot of the information he gave Gu Xuehan was not so truthful.
Judging from the way he selected vegetables and ingredients, and his efficiency.
First, he definitely wasn't raised in a poor family. Because if he were a child from an average family, he would instinctively look at the discount section or promotional area when buying groceries. But Tan Wenxi didn't. He ignored the word "discount" and went straight to the expensive imported and organic sections, not even glancing at the price tags. He was also very knowledgeable about how to cook those imported sea fish.
Second, he was definitely not a timid younger brother who needed someone to protect him. Because he was clearly very purposeful when buying and choosing things, he knew exactly what he wanted, and he hardly hesitated for even a second—deducing from such details, in life, he was probably also a person with clear goals, not someone with an indecisive personality.
Third, he was definitely not very obedient. Because from the moment he and Gu Xuehan were together tonight, the self-assuredness, calmness, and composure in his eyes had already begun to subtly emerge—if he were a normal, inexperienced young man, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle everything so quickly and decisively after being accidentally injured by a robber. But Tan Wenxi seemed to have a clear mind, and he didn't even show any nervousness. He seemed to have a lot of experience on the spot and a strong enough heart to deal with emergencies.
But to say that he was completely disobedient, it seemed that it could not be denied like that.
Because in the end, after Tan Wenxi bought the corresponding ingredients, he went straight back to Gu Xuehan's house with Gu Xuehan, and then this young man went straight into the kitchen, paying no attention to the fact that his hand was still injured, insisting on cooking a meal for Gu Xuehan.
"You don't have to feel burdened. I have to eat too, it's not all for you."
He smiled at Gu Xuehan and pointed to the sofa: "You can watch TV and rest for a while. I'll be quick."
After Tan Wenxi finished speaking, he turned and went into the kitchen.
Gu Xuehan listened to the sound of chopping vegetables coming from the kitchen and suddenly felt a little dazed. It seemed that since she started working and living alone, her home rarely had such a lively atmosphere. But listening to the rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables in the kitchen, followed by the sound of vegetables being stir-fried in the pot, and the sound of oil heating up and crackling, Gu Xuehan suddenly felt that she actually missed and loved this kind of warmth.
She didn't hate cooking that much, as long as she wasn't the one doing the cooking.
In ancient Chinese fairy tales, it was always the Snail Maiden who cooked. Now that it was a new era, the person cooking could totally be a Snail Lad.
Note: The Snail Maiden is a traditional Chinese folktale that tells the story of a beautiful maiden who emerges from a snail shell to become a mysterious housekeeper for a poor farmer.
If Tan Wenxi was willing to be her little servant, it seemed that it might not be impossible.
As for Tan Wenxi's intentional concealment, Gu Xuehan didn't care at all. She had a hundred ways to do due diligence. She was a partner, after all.
After all, Gu Xuehan's philosophy had always been very simple—if she fell for a liar, first give the other party a chance, be lenient to those who confess and severe to those who resist, and then supplement it with education. If the other party did not cooperate with the confession and was not easy to educate, then be straightforward, directly break their legs and bring them back, ensuring that the liar had no way to continue cheating and could only live an honest life.
Very simple, very wise.