Because of Gu Xuehan's interruption, the previously enchanting atmosphere vanished. After drinking the water Gu Yan poured, Qi Xi actually stayed to discuss a case with Gu Yan seriously. However, as they discussed, their differing viewpoints led to an argument, with neither able to convince the other. In the end, it only ended when Gu Yan, unable to bear it any longer, pinned Qi Xi against the wall and kissed her into submission.
Finally, Gu Yan drove Qi Xi back to her rented apartment. He even packed some braised dishes for her, as Gu Xuehan had instructed.
However, the next morning, while sharing Gu Xuehan's braised dishes with Zhao Yiran, Qi Xi was pondering how to struggle against Gu Xuehan.
Fortunately, although Gu Yan had fieldwork that morning, Gu Xuehan was in the office. Perhaps there was a case to assign, as she called Qi Xi on the internal line, asking her to come to her office.
This was the opportunity Qi Xi had been waiting for. She had deliberately worn a button-down shirt today. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her notebook and, before entering Gu Xuehan's office, purposely misbuttoned a few buttons, then walked into the office with a feigned air of nonchalance.
**
“It's a simple traffic accident case. Our client was driving when the other party ran a red light, forcing her to swerve to avoid a collision, resulting in a single-car accident. The windshield shattered, and glass fragments flew into her face. She’s now hospitalized and may have permanent scarring. Besides filing an insurance claim, we need to sue the party who ran the red light for civil damages. You haven’t handled a traffic case before, have you? You can try this one. Although the amount involved isn't large, it's good practice and will help you grow.”
When Gu Xuehan saw Qi Xi, she didn't act any differently. As usual, she handed Qi Xi the case materials and briefly explained the situation. She seemed busy reviewing some documents and didn't even have time to glance at Qi Xi more than a few times from her computer screen.
Qi Xi's heart pounded with trepidation. After asking Gu Xuehan a few questions about the traffic accident case based on the available materials, she hesitated for a long time. Finally, before leaving Gu Xuehan's office, she steeled her resolve and decided to go for it.
“Oh dear,” Qi Xi said with a very natural tone of surprise, “My buttons are misbuttoned again.”
Her expression revealed genuine frustration and embarrassment. She raised her head slightly and then quickly explained, a bit bashfully, "I always have trouble getting up in the morning and rush to the office, so I always end up buttoning my shirt wrong."
Qi Xi felt her acting was quite natural because Gu Xuehan didn't show any strange expression on her face. It was as if she had only noticed Qi Xi's misbuttoned shirt because Qi Xi had brought it up.
Gu Xuehan glanced at Qi Xi's chest and smiled, "It really is misbuttoned. Pay attention next time. A lawyer's attire also conveys the sense of trust you can give to clients. Being so careless with your buttons is not good for a lawyer."
Qi Xi nodded repeatedly, full of apology, "I will definitely pay attention next time."
However, she still felt guilty and nervous. Even though she had rehearsed the scenario a thousand times before coming and had warned herself not to panic, when the moment arrived, Qi Xi still lost her composure. Even though the timing was not appropriate, before she realized it, she had already, in a way that screamed "I'm hiding something," clarified the events of the previous night—
"Maybe it's because I've been under a lot of pressure lately and haven't been sleeping well, which is why I've misbuttoned my shirt two days in a row. But I definitely won't do it again. Last night I was so out of it that I didn't button it right either."
Actually, as soon as she finished speaking, Qi Xi regretted it. Who would bring up the events of the previous night for no reason? It was too deliberate! And too suspicious!
However, to Qi Xi's surprise, Gu Xuehan looked very surprised after hearing her. "You misbuttoned your shirt yesterday too? I didn't even notice."
She hadn't noticed?!
Gu Xuehan's surprise didn't seem fake. The tension that Qi Xi had been holding onto suddenly loosened. She felt a surge of joy. It seemed Gu Xuehan wasn't as all-seeing as Gu Yan had described.
If Gu Xuehan hadn't even noticed that she had misbuttoned her shirt last night, wouldn't it be even less likely that she had realized what she and Gu Yan had been doing in the living room? Then, wouldn't last night have been a false alarm?!
Qi Xi felt like she had been granted a pardon. She breathed a sigh of relief, turned to smile at Gu Xuehan, and suddenly felt like she could hold her head high in front of Gu Xuehan. "Yeah, I misbuttoned it last night too. It was when I went to Gu Yan's place to get a book. I only realized it on the way home. It was so embarrassing."
Gu Xuehan smiled. "Is that so? I didn't notice. But I didn't expect you and Gu Yan to be so close in private. You'd even borrow books so late at night. Honestly, I thought the two of you might be dating."
Since Gu Xuehan hadn't noticed anything, Qi Xi decided to deny it completely. "No, Attorney Gu, Gu Yan and I are just old classmates and colleagues who are close. Gu Yan is not dating anyone."
"Oh, is that so?" Gu Xuehan tilted her head. "Do you have a boyfriend? Are you considering getting one?"
Qi Xi felt more confident now, and lying became even easier. "I still want to focus on my work for now. I'm not in a hurry to date. I'm still young, after all."
Gu Xuehan seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded at Qi Xi. "Okay, I understand."
Then, she smiled at Qi Xi again. "In that case, I might need to assign some extra overtime work to you recently."
As soon as she heard about work assignments, Qi Xi immediately straightened her back. "Okay, Attorney Gu, I have no problem with that."
Gu Xuehan pursed her lips, then turned her gaze back to the computer screen, casually saying, "Since you don't plan to date anytime soon, you'll have to take on more of the team's workload."
Qi Xi was a bit curious. Although Gu Yan was Gu Xuehan's younger brother, Gu Xuehan, a master of fairness, usually had Qi Xi and Gu Yan work together on many tasks. Now, Gu Xuehan was making an obvious decision to separate their work assignments. Qi Xi couldn't help but ask, "Is Gu Yan also going to be assigned a lot of work and be busy recently?"
"No, not at all," Gu Xuehan said, her red lips parting slightly. "Gu Yan is single. But I've seen that he's always wanted to date since university, but he hasn't been able to for various reasons. A friend of mine's younger sister just met Gu Yan and said she fell in love with him at first sight. I plan to help them get together."
Gu Xuehan smiled kindly at Qi Xi. "I was also going to introduce you to a suitable guy, but since you want to focus on your career, I won't create any obstacles for you. However, I might take Gu Yan to some blind dates. You'll have to take on more work for a while. Of course, with more cases under your belt, your skills will improve faster. I think that aligns perfectly with your determination to develop your career, right?"
Gu Xuehan took a sip of tea and looked at Qi Xi. "You have no problem with that, right?"
Qi Xi was somewhat relieved that Gu Xuehan hadn't realized she and Gu Yan were involved, but when she heard that Gu Xuehan was going to introduce Gu Yan to someone, her heart churned as if she had eaten something bad.
But since she had lied, she had to keep lying. Qi Xi suppressed her emotions and nodded dryly. "No problem."
Just as Qi Xi was turning to leave, her mind in chaos, Gu Xuehan stopped her again. "Since you and Gu Yan are so close, you can help me figure out what kind of girl Gu Yan likes, right?"
After Gu Xuehan finished speaking, she flipped through some photos on her phone. "Out of these, which one do you think Gu Yan would be most interested in?"
"Several?!"
"Isn't it your friend's younger sister who fell in love with Gu Yan at first sight? How come there are so many..."
Gu Xuehan tossed her hair. "Oh, there are too many. I omitted some. Actually, there are also clients, clients' relatives, a clerk from the court, and even Gu Yan's childhood sweetheart neighbor..."
The fire in Qi Xi's heart burned higher and higher. How many people had fallen in love with Gu Yan at first sight?! And Gu Yan even had a childhood sweetheart neighbor?! Why hadn't he told her about this!
Qi Xi held back her anger, but because Gu Xuehan was present, she had to pretend to be calm and leaned over. She only glanced at the first photo on Gu Xuehan's phone and felt unhappy and nervous.
The girl in Gu Xuehan's phone was very beautiful. Qi Xi even thought she was the same type as herself, but her eyes were gentler and more approachable. Perhaps because she was so approachable, she looked quite likable.
Before Qi Xi's sense of crisis could escalate to its peak, Gu Xuehan swiped to the second photo. The girl in this photo looked more mature and glamorous. Then came the third, the fourth...
How come they were getting more and more beautiful!
Qi Xi felt more and more suffocated.
If Gu Yan was treated as single by Gu Xuehan and actually went to meet this series of beauties, what if... what if he couldn't control himself and became distracted!
Besides, even if he didn't become distracted, why could he go meet these beautiful women who were interested in him! He already had her!
The more Qi Xi thought about it, the more frustrated she became. But Gu Xuehan, as if not satisfied with this level of provocation, sighed, "Some of the girls are quite proactive and say they want to pursue Gu Yan. Young girls these days are really admirable, bravely pursuing love. There's nothing wrong with that. Someone like Gu Yan, who's so introverted, might be won over if they're pursued."
"..."
Qi Xi stood still, but the fire in her heart burned even more fiercely.
Gu Xuehan seemed to realize that Qi Xi was still in the office. She was startled and surprised. "What's wrong, Qi Xi? Is there anything else? Why do you look so pale?"
Qi Xi felt like a hardworking undercover agent. She could have successfully completed her mission and retired, but at the last moment, in order to uphold her noble proletarian beliefs, she had chosen to expose herself, completing a suicide attack...
Qi Xi's mouth moved faster than her brain. Her thoughts hadn't caught up, but her mouth had already made a sound—
"Attorney Gu, please don't let Gu Yan go on blind dates."
Gu Xuehan looked surprised. "Hmm?"
Since she had already said it.
Now that it had come to this, whether she stuck her head out or not, it would be the same. Qi Xi thought about it and decided to go all in—
"Gu Yan has a girlfriend. So he doesn't need to go on blind dates."
Gu Xuehan was indeed intrigued. She raised her eyebrows. "But didn't you just say Gu Yan was single?"
Qi Xi, under Gu Xuehan's playful gaze, put on a brave face and said, "He just secretly got into a relationship recently. Because he's afraid it might have a negative impact, he's still keeping it a secret..."
Although she had started talking, when it came to admitting that she was Gu Yan's girlfriend, Qi Xi still hesitated. But as she was still thinking about how to phrase it to sound more confident and composed, she heard Gu Xuehan chuckle—
"Qi Xi, his secret girlfriend is you, isn't it?"
Ah...
Ah???
Gu Xuehan looked at Qi Xi's wide eyes, her tone becoming somewhat amused. "It's a bit hurtful that you're keeping it a secret from me. After all, I've always supported keeping things within the family."
"But... but how did you know..." Qi Xi was completely confused. Her face flushed red. "Didn't you not notice..."
"I didn't notice your buttons," Gu Xuehan took a sip of tea, "But you guys left too many clues."
Qi Xi was mortified. "Is it because Gu Yan's excuses were too full of holes?"
"Not really." Gu Xuehan smiled slyly. "I knew without him saying anything."
How could that be...
Gu Xuehan glanced at Qi Xi. "You know Gu Yan's front door has a motion-sensor light, right?"
Qi Xi nodded, but she didn't understand what that had to do with the topic at hand.
"After you started going upstairs, the motion-sensor light turned on, then off. But after it went off, you guys didn't go inside for a long time." Gu Xuehan smiled. "It was quite a coincidence. I was standing at the door, planning to leave, when I saw the motion-sensor light outside through the crack in the door."
Qi Xi looked at Gu Xuehan blankly. Gu Xuehan just stared at her with a smile.
After a moment, Qi Xi's face began to flush red.
She understood what Gu Xuehan meant.
The motion-sensor light had been off for a long time, and they hadn't gone inside, but they also hadn't continued talking outside to activate the motion-sensor light. So they must have been doing something in the dark that they couldn't do while talking...
Gu Xuehan didn't say anything more, but Qi Xi understood everything—Gu Xuehan had known from that moment that Gu Yan was kissing someone outside, but she didn't know who. And when Qi Xi and Gu Yan opened the door and went inside, Gu Xuehan had caught them red-handed. She didn't need to pay attention to any buttons, nor did she need Gu Yan to concoct a bunch of flimsy excuses, because Gu Xuehan was more perceptive than Qi Xi had imagined.
"The girl who gave the speech at the graduation ceremony, that was you too, right?"
Faced with Gu Xuehan's question, Qi Xi could only lower her head and admit, "Yes, I'm sorry, I misunderstood Gu Yan."
Gu Xuehan didn't mind. She just laughed gleefully. "Now I finally understand why Gu Yan refused to say who it was and refused to take any action to protect her. Oh my, thinking about my brother's journey, it's so pitiful that I can't help but laugh."
"..."
"But I'm really surprised it's you. My brother is really good at holding things back," Gu Xuehan said with emotion. "I was also very surprised when I saw you last night, but thinking about it, there were signs. I just didn't expect an office romance to be happening right under my nose... No wonder I thought Gu Yan had been so strange recently. Several times on the weekend when I asked him to help me translate a document, he told me he was busy. He wasn't like that before. He used to be a workaholic..."
Was Gu Xuehan here to interrogate her?
Qi Xi asked, a bit nervously, "So, Attorney Gu, about office romances..." Qi Xi considered her words and changed her phrasing, "Will you ask one of us, me or Gu Yan, to transfer out of the team? Gu Yan originally wanted to focus on work, but it was my initiative that led him to get into a relationship. It was my fault, not his. If there are any disciplinary measures, I hope they don't affect Gu Yan."
Qi Xi couldn't figure out Gu Xuehan's attitude. The more she spoke, the more anxious she became. "That day at Gu Yan's door, I was the one who pulled Gu Yan, it wasn't his fault..."
Although Jinghe Law Firm didn't have any rules prohibiting office romances, many bosses generally minded if people in the same team or department were dating, fearing that it would affect work efficiency. They would ask one party to transfer to another department, at least, to facilitate management and set an example. Some might even issue an internal disciplinary notice.
Qi Xi felt very uneasy, but she was prepared to accept a transfer. But before she could volunteer, she heard Gu Xuehan say happily, "I support office romances. It's great! You two don't have to worry about not having time for dates because you can work overtime together! Working overtime together is faster! To get off work early for dates, you'll be more motivated and efficient!"
"..." Although Gu Xuehan's answer relieved Qi Xi, she was a bit curious. "Aren't you afraid that if Gu Yan and I have a conflict and break up, it will affect work?"
Gu Xuehan smiled, her voice very certain. "No, Gu Yan will definitely not break up with you."
Qi Xi was stunned.
Gu Xuehan closed her laptop. She was about to say something to Qi Xi when she was interrupted by a sudden door opening—
"Sis."
Standing at the door was none other than Gu Yan.
He must have just returned from fieldwork, as he seemed to be in a hurry. His voice was still a bit breathless and unsteady from running.
Gu Yan walked straight into the office, went to Qi Xi's side, and stood in front of her. "Sis, I heard from a colleague that you've had Qi Xi in here for a long time."
Gu Yan's brow furrowed slightly. Although his expression was calm, his voice revealed a hint of unease. He glanced at Qi Xi and said softly, "It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."
Then, the man looked at Gu Xuehan. "Sis, don't make things difficult for Qi Xi."
Qi Xi desperately tugged on Gu Yan's sleeve, but Gu Yan seemed determined. He not only ignored Qi Xi's actions, but he didn't move. He just used his tall frame to block Qi Xi, preventing her from even seeing Gu Xuehan's expression. She could only hear Gu Xuehan's rather sad voice—
"You're usually very careful at Jinghe and rarely call me 'Sis'. You always call me 'Attorney Gu'. Now, for Qi Xi, you're calling me 'Sis' to try and play the sympathy card."
Gu Yan was caught off guard, and his body clearly paused, but he was still determined. He explained, almost urgently, "I've liked Qi Xi for a long time, since university. She didn't want to date, but I kept pursuing her, and she finally agreed to be with me. Don't blame her. I haven't made any mistakes at work because of her. Even if you need to talk to someone, you shouldn't put pressure on her. Just talk to me."
"Are you two rushing to my door to put on a melodramatic show of star-crossed lovers?" Gu Xuehan's voice sounded helpless. "Qi Xi says she dragged you down, and you say you dragged Qi Xi down. You guys are quite a cohesive 'crime ring.'"
"Go, go, don't be an eyesore in front of me. I'm swamped. If you want to have a 'team building' exercise, go somewhere else after work." Gu Xuehan rubbed her temples. "Close the door on your way out."
Gu Xuehan, ignoring Qi Xi's and Gu Yan's awkward expressions, waved her hand at them, signaling that they could retreat and be dismissed.
Before Qi Xi followed Gu Yan out of the office, almost in sync, she heard Gu Xuehan add, "Also, remember to bring Qi Xi home for dinner when you have time."
...
Did that mean she was going to meet Gu Yan's parents?
Just the thought of such a plan made Qi Xi's heart beat faster and her breathing become shallow. She practically fled from Gu Xuehan's office. She suddenly realized that she had actually tried to deceive Gu Xuehan. It was such a foolish and idiotic act. She and Gu Yan combined couldn't outsmart Gu Xuehan.
Her face flushed red as she walked back to her desk. She wanted to slap herself.
After such an embarrassing scene, Gu Yan was much calmer than Qi Xi. However, the way he frequently picked up his water glass to drink, trying to hide his embarrassment, still revealed that he was not calm.
Qi Xi didn't know what to say, especially since it was still working hours. She could only glare at Gu Yan sternly and then start reviewing the traffic accident case that Gu Xuehan had assigned to her.
Gu Yan didn't say anything either. He started checking his emails, his face calm.
Qi Xi almost thought that he had put the embarrassing incident behind him, if it weren't for Gu Yan's right hand, hidden under the desk, reaching out and gently tugging on Qi Xi's left pinky finger.