Qi Xi felt temporarily free from worries and anxieties. At this moment, she almost had a grasp on her own life—her issues with her father had been handled, and her relationship with Gu Yan seemed less volatile.
She became enthusiastic about her work again, feeling that the more she did, the smoother it went. However, Gu Yan, who sat beside her, seemed burdened with concerns from the early morning.
Helping others in times of trouble was definitely the best way to open up a friendship!
Qi Xi felt she couldn't miss this opportunity, especially with her blind date tonight, where she'd rely on Gu Yan's cover.
With determination, Qi Xi bought a delicious durian layered cake. During their lunch break, she decided to use Gu Yan's love for food as a way to start a conversation. "Gu Yan, what trouble have you encountered with the case?"
But as soon as she brought up Gu Yan's worries, his face grew even gloomier as he looked at the durian.
Enthusiastically, Qi Xi asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Seemingly, the case had dampened Gu Yan's appetite, and he reluctantly took a few bites of the durian cake before setting the spoon down. He clearly didn't want to talk about it, but he couldn't resist Qi Xi's persistent questioning.
Finally, he lowered his gaze and briefly explained the situation, "It's a custody dispute case. I've already sorted out all the evidence and information, and the response is ready. We have a good chance of winning this one, but in custody cases, the parties involved must appear in court. Originally, the hearing was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and the client agreed to it. But now, they've changed their mind and refuse to show up."
"Is there any way to request a postponement?" Qi Xi blinked, curious.
"The opposing party resides abroad and is only available tomorrow. If we ask for an extension, who knows when the case will be rescheduled."
Qi Xi was puzzled, "If you have a good chance of winning, why would your client refuse to attend?"
Gu Yan pursed his lips and succinctly explained, "The client believes in superstitious matters like auspicious and inauspicious days. He calculated his fate and claims that tomorrow is a day of disaster for him. He's afraid something terrible will happen if he leaves home, so he absolutely refuses to attend court."
Strange, there's all kinds of people in this world.
But Qi Xi felt confident in finding a solution, "How long until your client arrives?"
"Probably half an hour."
"Alright, once he's here, just keep him occupied, don't let him leave. Wait for me; I'll be back soon." Qi Xi smiled at Gu Yan confidently, "I'll make sure he attends the court tomorrow."
Gu Yan looked skeptical, "You don't know how superstitious and stubborn he can be about auspicious days. Maybe you should try reasoning with him..."
What's the harm in trying?!
Half an hour later, when Qi Xi hurried back, the client, an old man, was causing a scene in the meeting room, pointing at Gu Yan's face and shouting—
"Do you, a young lawyer, even understand anything? I've been studying "I Ching" and "Bagua" for many years, and I've calculated that tomorrow will bring disaster if I go out. I'm sure of it! I did the same calculation before when I was supposed to travel, and I didn't go. The bus I was supposed to be on overturned! Five people died, and over ten others were seriously injured!"
*The I Ching (or Yi Jing), also known as the Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Bagua is a set of trigrams used in the I Ching and Taoist cosmology.
"The divination for this time is even more dangerous. I'll die if I go to court. Can you take responsibility for me if I go and die? I won't go! Tell the judge to hold the hearing today and give me the verdict today!"
Gu Yan wasn't frightened by the client's fierce demeanor; he remained composed and tried to calm the client's emotions while explaining the situation. Unfortunately, the old man completely ignored him, his face turning red and his neck thick with anger.
At the same time, the sound of Qi Xi opening the meeting room door caught the attention of both the old man and Gu Yan.
Gu Yan stood up first and almost hurried to the door, lowering his voice to quickly say to Qi Xi, "His emotions are unstable, and he has shown occasional violent tendencies before. It's not safe here; let me handle it."
But Qi Xi wasn't afraid at all; she confidently smiled at Gu Yan and said, "I've found some help! Don't worry!"
After saying that, she turned around and called out behind her, "Come in, Taoist!"
Only then did Qi Xi open the door and respectfully stood by the door, inviting the person behind her into the meeting room.
Gu Yan finally saw the person—a Taoist dressed in Taoist robe with a small beard, exuding a sense of Taoist charm.
The Taoist carried himself quite properly, making a refined gesture as soon as he entered the meeting room.
The old man who was making the fuss in the meeting room stared at the Taoist before looking at Gu Yan, asking, "Who is this person?"
"I am Taoist Zhengyangzi, practicing at Baiyun Temple. I came specifically to read a divination for this Taoist friend here."
Baiyun Temple was quite famous, and the old man, obsessed with the I Ching and divination, looked both eager and skeptical, "You're from Baiyun Temple? Do you really understand the I Ching?"
The Taoist smiled faintly, "I have some understanding."
The old man still didn't believe it, "Are you really a Taoist? Then tell me the Four Sacred Taoist Mountains?"
"Naturally, they are Mount Qiyun in Anhui, Mount Wudang in Hubei, Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, and Mount Longhu in Jiangxi."
"And the founder of Taoism? What about our teachings?"
...
The old man did seem to have done quite a bit of research on Taoism, asking a bunch of miscellaneous questions. The Taoist responded gracefully and confidently to each question. Before long, the old man's emotions calmed down, and he began respectfully addressing the Taoist as "Master Zhengyang."
"Friend, after calculating, I foresee that tomorrow, if you go out, you might encounter a bloody disaster."
Hearing the Taoist Zhengyang's words, the old man became even more excited, "Exactly! I knew it! My calculations can't be wrong." He glared at Qi Xi and Gu Yan, "You see, Master Zhengyang and I see eye to eye!"
"But it's not unsolvable." The Taoist stroked his beard, pointed to Qi Xi beside him, and said, "This young intern has a close connection with me. Upon hearing your situation, she has asked for a talisman on your behalf. As long as you carry it with you, not only will you be safe outside tomorrow, but your ill fortune will turn into good, and your destiny will be smooth and clear..."
As he spoke, the Taoist took out a piece of talisman paper, a brush from his bag, and improvised a "ghost-drawing talisman," even moistening it with his own saliva. He then folded the talisman and handed it solemnly to the old man.
...
Finally, as Qi Xi saw the Taoist off, the old man held the talisman as if it were a treasure, his face full of reverence. Once the Taoist left, he turned around and began thanking Qi Xi profusely, "Thank you so much! I owe you a lot! Thank you, thank you! Tomorrow, I'll definitely bring the Taoist's talisman and attend the court! Thanks to both of you! Thank you, thank you!"
...
Watching the old man's departure, his mood completely different from when he arrived at the firm, Gu Yan's face displayed a rather complicated expression.
He glanced at Qi Xi, "Is that it?"
Qi Xi nodded confidently, "That's it."
"Where did you find the Taoist? Is he a genuine one?"
"Fake, the fortune-teller under the school bridge. Remember how everyone used to complain about him on the campus forum? He would approach anyone, claiming they had impending doom and offering to sell them a talisman to ward it off. We've lodged countless complaints, but he keeps coming back. Remember when he was selling the 'heart-changing' talisman? Not a single one worked." Qi Xi couldn't help but mutter, "But his jinxes seem quite effective."
"..." Gu Yan appeared utterly speechless.
Shaking her head, Qi Xi continued, "You know, these fortune-tellers nowadays have quite an arsenal of knowledge. Look at how professionally he answered those questions just now, enough to impress anyone. They can hoodwink most people easily."
Gu Yan probably didn't expect that after all the effort he put into explaining legal procedures and analyzing the pros and cons, the matter would end this way. His face still showed shock and incredulity as he asked, "How did you convince this Taoist to come here?"
"Two hundred yuan, clearly stated and no deception."
"..."
Qi Xi sighed, "Sometimes, you have to use magic to defeat magic, and use superstition to overcome superstition, you know?"
She smiled at Gu Yan and said, "So, what do you think? I'm quite resourceful, and problem-solving is super efficient, with a cost of just two hundred yuan."
Qi Xi hummed a little tune, clearly in a good mood. She patted Gu Yan on the shoulder and said, "Between friends, that's how it works - you help me, and I help you. So, tonight during my date, pay attention to my messages, and when it's time to call, give me a ring!"
As expected, just after lunch, Qi Xi's father sent her the location and time for tonight's "blind date." Without hesitation, she forwarded it to Gu Yan and said, "Normally, you'd just have to make a call, but I'm giving you the address too. In case I encounter someone like last night, who feels way too good about themselves and loves to linger, I'll have to trouble you to step in again."
Qi Xi clasped her hands together and made a pleasing gesture towards Gu Yan. Then, as if she remembered something, she added, "But please, don't buy any meals tonight. I really don't have the money to pay you back."
Perhaps because helping Gu Yan resolve the court issue today had put him in a good mood, he nodded in agreement, "Okay."
In the evening, Qi Xi didn't bother dressing up much and went to the restaurant in her work attire. Her initial plan was to have a polite chat during dinner for about half an hour and then instruct Gu Yan through WeChat to call her.
However, to her surprise, the blind date arranged by Qi Ruiming turned out to be quite handsome. The guy was three years older than Qi Xi, already a vice president in a subsidiary of his family's company. He carried a gentlemanly air, had a sophisticated manner of speaking, and displayed a good sense of humor. Just listening to him mock his own lawyer made Qi Xi want to chuckle.
Although she didn't feel any romantic interest, his older brother vibe was quite affable, and while they chatted, Qi Xi could hear some of the entrepreneur's needs and expectations for legal services. Putting herself in his shoes and considering the matter was quite useful, and perhaps it was worth trying to be friends.
Qi Xi decided to finish the meal. In the meantime, she sneakily sent a text to Gu Yan—
"This one is not bad tonight, you don't need to call me!"
However, she had no idea if Gu Yan simply missed her message entirely or if he deliberately ignored it. Almost half an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of a call from him. Just when Qi Xi thought to herself that he might be busy, her phone rang.
As she was discussing the construction of the legal system in start-up companies with the other person, she quickly rejected Gu Yan's call, intending to call him back later. But to her surprise, Gu Yan seemed relentless. Almost immediately, a new call came through.
This time, Qi Xi put her phone on silent mode. She smiled at her date and explained, "Just some harassing calls, hahaha."
Unfortunately, what Qi Xi didn't expect was that fifteen minutes later, it wasn't her phone that rang but rather the door of the private room.
Immediately after, she heard Gu Yan's familiar and indifferent voice—
"Qi Xi, I'm here to take you home."
Qi Xi followed the voice and saw Gu Yan standing at the entrance. Although he didn't have any court appearance today, he was dressed in a full suit, meticulously groomed, and exuded an aura of maturity and professionalism. With his impeccable proportions and icy-cold demeanor, he seemed like the poster boy for a chaste and untouchable figure. And this figure, at this moment, was staring at Qi Xi with a stern expression, as if demanding her immediate departure.
"Still not leaving?"