Chapter 21.1 - Beauty’s Knife (1)
Cong Rong felt a bit dizzy from being teased and gently supported him, “Let me take you back to rest first?”
Once inside the house, she helped Wen Shaoqing sit on the sofa, poured him a cup of hot water, then went to the fridge to find something to eat. When she returned with a few slices of bread warmed in the microwave, Wen Shaoqing was already leaning on the sofa asleep. Although his posture didn’t look comfortable, his breathing was steady and deep, showing he was truly exhausted.
She placed the plate on the low table in front of the sofa, lightly patted Wen Shaoqing, and softly said, “Don’t sleep here; you might catch a cold. I’ll leave now, you should go to bed.”
He was probably fast asleep and didn’t respond. Cong Rong had no choice but to carefully lay him down, placed a pillow under his head, then went to the bedroom to grab a blanket to cover him. After finishing, she stood there watching him for a while. Seeing no sign of him waking, she finally left.
When Cong Rong arrived at the law firm, she immediately ran into Tan Size.
Tan Size was about to leave but stopped and teased her, “Oh, Lawyer Cong, you’re late today!”
Cong Rong hurried upstairs, flustered, “I have a client meeting, they’re arriving soon. I have to prepare, no time to chat, move aside.”
Tan Size called after her, “The final round of interviews this afternoon. Shangguan isn’t here, so you’ll have to shake things up a bit.”
Without turning, Cong Rong asked, “What time?”
“2 to 4 pm.”
“Alright.”
Just as Cong Rong entered her office and caught her breath, her assistant knocked and informed her that the client had arrived. She took the materials and went to the meeting room.
After seeing the client off, Cong Rong glanced at the time and then at her phone—no WeChat messages, no texts, no calls. She suddenly worried about Wen Shaoqing. It was almost noon; she wondered if he had woken up.
During lunch, Wen Shaoqing finally called her, thanking her for the help earlier in the morning and invited her to dinner.
Cong Rong politely declined because she had an appointment with Zhong Zhen and asked about his health.
Wen Shaoqing assured her he was fine and expressed that there would be time to meet later.
That afternoon, Cong Rong showed up on time for the interview. She casually flipped through the documents and quietly asked Tan Size sitting beside her, “This is the final round. There shouldn’t be any weird candidates, right?”
Tan Size smirked like he was enjoying the show, “No weirdos, but there is a princess syndrome case. She has some connections, so we can’t outright reject her. That’s why I saved her for last, waiting for Shangguan to handle it.”
Cong Rong looked puzzled, “What’s Shangguan got to do with it?”
Tan Size smiled mysteriously, “Just wait and see.”
Most law students are rigid and dull. Halfway through, Cong Rong felt bored until a chubby young man came in.
“My name’s Qu Dazhuang. ‘Zhuang’ means strong. My parents want me to become a great lawyer, so they named me this.”
Tan Size couldn’t help but mock, “You think just because you’re called ‘Big Lawyer’ you’ll become one? Look at you, you don’t look smart at all.”
The earnest young man scratched his head, looking confused, “Huh? What should I be called then?”
Cong Rong smiled quietly, asked a few questions, and silently checked a box on the form—he was honest and steady, quite good.
After the young man left, Cong Rong glanced at Tan Size’s evaluation and saw he had also checked the box.
She raised an eyebrow at him. Tan Size spun his pen and explained, “I said he’s promising, that’s why I teased him. I don’t bother wasting words on people I don’t like.”
Turning a page, he pointed, “Here comes the main event.”
The “main event” was a princess syndrome case: Xiong Jingjing, a pretty girl, graduate of a prestigious school, and quite professionally competent.
At first, Cong Rong didn’t notice any princess syndrome until the girl suddenly demanded, “I don’t work overtime. Everything else I agree with.”
Cong Rong and Tan Size exchanged a glance and fell silent.
Tan Size smiled, “We don’t work overtime.”
Xiong Jingjing looked surprised.
Tan Size suddenly stopped smiling, “Because we never leave work.”
Xiong Jingjing’s face showed embarrassment, “Anyway, I don’t do overtime.”
Tan Size stayed firm, “I’ve been in this business a long time, and I’ve never met a lawyer who doesn’t work overtime.”
Xiong Jingjing was impatient, “My dad is Xiong Zhengping. You’ve probably heard of him?”
Cong Rong raised an eyebrow. Of course, she had heard of the Xiong family—she was a rich heiress.
Tan Size laughed, then pointed at Cong Rong, “Do you know who her grandfather is?”
Xiong Jingjing glanced at Cong Rong, “Who?”
“Her grandfather is Cong Kangbo, and her father is Cong Xinghan. Oh, and your dad was also her grandfather’s student. She works overtime at the firm every day, then goes home to work more. No limits on location, time, or workload, and there’s basically no overtime pay.”
After hearing this, Xiong Jingjing glanced at Cong Rong again, twitched the corners of her mouth, but finally said no more.
Taking advantage of a pause between questions, Cong Rong tilted her head and quietly asked, “Is it true that Judge Xiong really was my grandfather’s student?”
Tan Size also lowered his voice, “You didn’t know?”
“My grandfather had so many students. How could I possibly know them all?”
