Chapter 44
Xia Wansheng was observing the Qingjiang Legal Aid office, where he had received several business cards.
The interior was pleasant, decorated with bright, cheerful colors, designed to create a welcoming atmosphere for clients.
“Orange brings warmth. Our boss studied psychology and chose this style for the decor.” The intern, Ran Hong, walked over.
After searching for a while, he finally found a low-battery portable charger and handed it to Xia Wansheng.
“Your boss seems to have a good reputation in the industry.” Xia Wansheng thought he must be on good terms with the family doctors, otherwise they wouldn’t be giving out his business cards.
“Maybe because our boss is very mysterious, he’s usually not here, we only see him in special circumstances.” Ran Hong resumed wiping the leaves of the money tree, then added after some thought.
He didn’t know where the boss got these money trees, claiming they were blessed and instructing them to take good care of them, lest they be harmed by ill-intentioned people.
“What kind of ‘special circumstances’?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
Was this small legal aid office some kind of underground contact point?
“Usually when someone rich and powerful is involved,” Ran Hong scratched his head, “We don’t know the details, we just know that whenever the boss appears, it’s usually a tricky situation.”
Sometimes, the day after they sent a client abroad, the office would receive death threats.
The staff would panic, nervously calling their boss.
Then their seemingly carefree boss, Xiang Haichao, would unexpectedly arrive early in the morning, his beige trench coat standing out among a group of black-suited bodyguards.
They would try to persuade him to close the office for a few days.
But the boss would just silently glance at the person leading the group, then make a phone call.
After that, he would turn around and go back inside to relax.
The leader of the group, feeling challenged, was about to attack when his subordinate suddenly alerted him to a phone call. The leader’s expression changed upon seeing the caller ID.
He even started bowing as he listened, the tense atmosphere instantly dissipating.
In the end, he even tried to approach their boss for a handshake, but Xiang Haichao, his hands still in his pockets, didn’t even glance at him, turning around and walking back inside.
The imposing group outside could only retreat dejectedly.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone, but Xiang Haichao simply walked into the office and asked, “Do you have instant noodles?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” “I’ll make some for you right away, boss!”
Their boss actually had a powerful backer! They no longer had to be afraid of offending anyone!
“That’s basically what happened, and then suddenly, we became famous, many people came to us for help.” Ran Hong scratched his head sheepishly.
From this perspective, this place was indeed worth recommending, Xia Wansheng thought, looking at his phone.
After charging for a few minutes, his phone finally turned on. He quickly powered it up.
Just as the lengthy boot animation started, the doorbell chimed, someone entered, a young man with a calm expression.
Xiang Haichao glanced at Xia Wansheng, noticing his tired appearance, assuming he was also seeking help, then said to Ran Hong lazily: “Make three portions of instant noodles.”
Then he went to lie down on the comfortable sofa in the back and play games, patting Xia Wansheng’s shoulder as he passed by, telling him to make himself at home.
“…”
Although he hadn’t said a word, Ran Hong’s description was incredibly accurate. He knew instantly this was the boss.
The boot animation finally finished. Xia Wansheng saw several missed calls and instinctively tried to check them.
His phone rang again. Startled by the sudden sound, he instinctively moved to go outside to answer, dropping the charger onto the floor.
Xiang Haichao, seeing his reaction, his initially indifferent gaze turning serious.
Such a severe reaction, he seemed terrified just by seeing the caller ID, yet unable to escape for some reason.
He patted Ran Hong, who was holding a bowl of noodles, asking if he knew what had happened.
Ran Hong shook his head innocently, “He just said his phone died and wanted to borrow a charger.”
Xiang Haichao glanced at Xia Wansheng, who was carefully opening the heavy glass door, cautious after having dropped the charger.
To others, it looked like he was terrified of what was about to happen, fear ingrained in his bones.
There must be a deeper story here.
Courage was a fleeting thing on such a cold night.
This phone call might be the last straw.
Xia Wansheng, oblivious, reached the door, wondering why Yu Congyan was calling him so late at night.
“Wait,” Xiang Haichao stepped forward and closed the door, stopping him.
“???” Xia Wansheng was puzzled.
“It’s warm inside, answer the phone here.” Xiang Haichao suggested sincerely.
“Yes, yes, it’s windy outside, you won’t be able to hear clearly.” Ran Hong, realizing his boss’s intention, quickly chimed in.
They stood on either side of the door like guardians, making Xia Wansheng wonder if he had stumbled into some strange organization.
But they didn’t seem like it, and running a scam in a registered legal aid office would be too brazen, wouldn’t it?
“Then I’ll answer it here?” Xia Wansheng asked tentatively.
Seeing him finally understand, both of them relaxed.
Xia Wansheng also breathed a sigh of relief and was about to answer when the call ended.
He could only sigh and call back, hoping it wasn’t anything urgent.
Downstairs at the entertainment company building.
Yu Congyan looked at the deserted street, the situation seeming even more dire.
He had called without much hope, but this time, it wasn’t switched off. The familiar ringing seemed to mock his suspicion, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.
A false alarm would be fine.
He held his breath, waiting for the other person to answer, but it seemed things weren’t that simple.
The ringing stopped, but there was no answer.
Yu Congyan felt his heart clench. Without hesitation, he called Xia Wansheng’s agent.
Ji Yang, exhausted from working overtime, answered the phone listlessly, “Ah, asking about Xia Wansheng? Didn’t he say he was tired and left?”
“His phone is unreachable, did he say where he was going?” Yu Congyan asked directly.
Finding him was the priority, everything else could wait. Perhaps, with some luck, he could hear it from Xia Wansheng himself.
“I didn’t ask…” Ji Yang thought for a long time, his sleep-deprived brain hurting even more now.
Xia Wansheng was missing, was he really alright after working overtime for so long?
“I understand, thank you.” Yu Congyan hung up.
Xia Wansheng tried calling back, but it was busy.
He sent his location, “Qingjiang Legal Aid,” with an explanation, but before he could send it, his phone died again.
“…” Even with the charger, it still died.
Xia Wansheng could only sit back down, then noticed the two men across from him eating instant noodles. Xiang Haichao even offered him a seat, suggesting he join them while watching a drama.
Such a familiar overtime scene, Xia Wansheng felt like he was back in his original world.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary lawyer, why did you suddenly decide to open a legal aid office?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
Although this person looked unkempt, his aura was imposing. Combined with Ran Hong’s story, he probably came from a wealthy family.
“That’s a long story,” Xiang Haichao looked away from his drama for a second, “My first love was threatened before.”
“But I sent them all to jail, one by one.” He said casually.
Ran Hong, listening beside them, was shocked, then relaxed after hearing his boss had gotten his revenge, only for his next words to make him nervous again.
“But it was too late, she still left me in the end.” Xiang Haichao sighed.
Ran Hong and Xia Wansheng exchanged glances, both wanting to ask, but not daring to.
What did “left” mean…
The doorbell suddenly chimed. Yu Congyan, following the lone location update, anxiously searched for Xia Wansheng, only to find the three of them eating noodles.
Ran Hong and Xia Wansheng, engrossed in the story, looked up in unison.
“…” Thankfully, it was a false alarm.
Xia Wansheng quickly stood up to explain, “My phone died, is anything urgent?”
“Yu Congyan? Why are you here?!” Xiang Haichao seemed even more surprised than him.
He abruptly stood up, almost knocking over the small table, thankfully Ran Hong managed to stabilize it, saving their food.
“It’s only been a few years, how could you do this?!”
Xiang Haichao became increasingly agitated, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to confront him.
He looked like a righteous hero descending from the heavens!
