Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Fei Family's Order to Expel the Guest
Lin Yuxia arrived at the law firm at eight o’clock, an hour earlier than the official start time. Yet, a third of the workstations were already occupied, and even the director’s office door was open.
She couldn’t help but wonder: are domestic law firms really this intense?
She knocked on the door.
Director Wu invited her in. Just as he said “Have a seat,” his phone rang.
“Sorry, I need to take this call.” Wu swiped to answer, and the next moment said, “What? Someone died?”
Sitting in the director’s office, Lin Yuxia watched his expression darken with each passing second. She quietly regretted showing up at this hour.
After hanging up, Wu wasted no time with pleasantries and got straight to the point:
“Xiao Lin, you just returned from abroad, right? Have you ever handled construction dispute cases?”
“I have,” Lin Yuxia replied. “I’ve dealt with contracts worth three hundred million yuan...”
“No, no, no,” Director Wu interrupted. “I mean, has a worker died on site and the family is causing trouble? Have you handled cases like that?”
Lin Yuxia was silent for three seconds. “No, I haven’t.”
“Perfect. Head out now to the Second Municipal Hospital to meet Lawyer Li from our firm. She’s the lead on this case. I’ll give you her number. Today, just assist her and learn well. This will help you fill that gap in your experience.”
Work came unexpectedly fast. Lin Yuxia grabbed her bag without delay and took a taxi to the hospital.
On the way, she called Lawyer Li and got a rough understanding of the case.
In short, a worker fell from scaffolding at a construction site and hit his head, now in critical condition. The family sought compensation from the contractor, who couldn’t pay, so they hired Lawyer Li to represent them.
Arriving at the hospital, Lin Yuxia was immediately taken aback by the chaotic scene.
The family’s surname was Han. A rural woman in her forties, loud and weeping bitterly, sat in the corridor wailing:
“I have elderly above and children below. My husband fell into a vegetative state, barely alive, lying in bed. The medical bills are over ten thousand a day. How am I supposed to support my whole family?”
Doctors and nurses tried to soothe her, to no avail.
Security guards arrived, but in this era of universal social media, no one dared intervene.
Lin Yuxia, used to interacting with the wealthy and powerful, had never seen such a scene of despair and turmoil.
After a moment’s pause, she leaned over to Lawyer Li and whispered, “Didn’t the director say the person died?”
Li looked troubled. “No, not dead yet, but close. The family deliberately exaggerated this over the phone to get the director’s attention. Aunt Han is tough to deal with, causing disruptions at the site every few days, even halting work.”
Lin Yuxia rubbed her forehead. “By the way, Li, do you have the case files? Could I take a look?”
Li said yes and sent her scanned copies.
Finding a quiet corner, Lin Yuxia began to study them. Ten minutes later, she closed her laptop and told Lawyer Li:
“From the evidence, the client who contracted the project has fulfilled their duty of care. The subcontractor is mainly responsible for the accident.”
Li nodded, then glanced at Lin Yuxia with approval. To identify the responsible party in just ten minutes, this young woman had skill.
“So, what are we waiting for? Let’s negotiate compensation with the subcontractor,” Lin Yuxia said.
Li smiled bitterly. “Do you think I haven’t tried? They say they have no money. The contractor has the funds, but they’re not liable.”
Hearing this, Aunt Han’s cries grew louder, a heart-wrenching accusation:
“How can they have no liability? My husband fell to his death on their site! How is that no one’s responsibility?”
Li fell silent.
Lin Yuxia analyzed, “Instead of deadlock, why not negotiate with the contractor? After all, the work stoppage is causing them losses too.”
Li asked skeptically, “You mean asking the contractor for money directly? Is that feasible?”
Lin Yuxia smiled, “How will we know without trying?”
Half an hour later, Lin Yuxia stood in the lobby of Shengyue Group, staring at the huge logo on the white wall, feeling a strange familiarity.
Where had she seen it before?
A flash of insight prompted her to pull out Fei Xun’s business card.
She held it up and compared the logo on the card to the one on the wall.
Strangely, they were identical.
The receptionist listened to Lin Yuxia’s purpose and made a perfunctory call to the president’s office.
“Sorry, Miss Lin, Mr. Fei’s schedule is fully booked today.”
Lin Yuxia had heard this excuse many times. Not wanting to trouble the receptionist, she stepped aside, took out her phone, and dialed the number on the card.
After three rings, someone answered.
“Who’s this?”
Fei Xun’s lazy voice drifted from the receiver, sounding nothing like someone overwhelmed with work.
“Mr. Fei, it’s me, Lin Yuxia.”
Fei Xun was sipping tea. Hearing her name, his thin lips curved into a faint smile against the cup’s rim.
“Oh, it’s little sister Yuxia. What’s up? Here to ask for the money back?”
Lin Yuxia: “...No, I still need a little more time to repay.”
“Then what is it? Do we have other business?”
“Mr. Fei, I’m downstairs in your building now. Could I take a few minutes of your time?”
The president’s private elevator whisked Lin Yuxia straight to the top floor.
Fei Xun’s office was unusually large.
The black, white, and gray decor was simple and understated, but sunlight streaming through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows made the floor shimmer with golden light.
Was it gilded? Lin Yuxia wondered whimsically.
She was more grounded, knowing the materials were imported stone from South Africa, costing no less than pure gold per square meter.
When Lin Yuxia appeared at the office door, Fei Xun was standing with his back to it, hands in pockets, motionless as if gazing at the river view outside.
His gray shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing two lean, muscular forearms; broad shoulders, narrow waist, the shirt neatly tucked into his trousers.
The black pants hugged his legs just right, outlining long, straight, well-proportioned limbs.
Frankly, Lin Yuxia would give Fei Xun’s appearance a 9.9 out of 10—only 0.1 less than her perfect score for Shen Yan.
But the moment Fei Xun spoke, she wished she could give him a negative score.
Completely oblivious, Fei Xun’s first words were enough to irritate anyone:
“Sister, why are you wearing your parents’ clothes today?”
He was mocking her formal attire.
She shot back, “The receptionist said you were very busy, but you don’t look busy at all.”
“Am I?” Fei Xun removed his earpiece. “I just finished the overseas branch’s performance report. Which eye did you see that I’m relaxing?”
“At my level, if I still spent my days running errands and chasing business, this company would be doomed.”
Alright, no one could match Fei Xun’s flair for posturing.
Lin Yuxia decided not to waste words and got straight to the point:
“Mr. Fei, I’m here today as an intern lawyer from Zhongcheng Law Firm to discuss a matter. Han Xuejuan is our client; her husband was severely injured falling at one of your company’s construction sites...”
“Wait,” Fei interrupted, “What did you just say?”
Patiently, Lin Yuxia repeated, “Han Xuejuan’s husband at your company’s site...”
Fei interrupted again, “Say the previous sentence.”
Lin Yuxia thought for a moment, keeping a smile, “I said I’m here as an intern lawyer from Zhongcheng to discuss business with you.”
Fei’s lips curled into an ambiguous smile. “A lawyer?”
Lin Yuxia nodded inwardly thinking, “Do you think I’m just some pretty face from a wealthy family?”
But her proud spark lasted less than a second before Fei strode to his desk, coldly grabbed the phone, and dialed an internal line:
“Have the legal affairs manager come here.”
Soon, the legal affairs manager arrived.
Fei pointed to Lin Yuxia and said to the manager: “This is Lawyer Lin from Zhongcheng—oh, no, an intern lawyer. General Manager Chen, please take care of her.”
Then he smiled at Lin Yuxia: “Little sister Yuxia, if it’s personal, we can meet privately. If it’s legal affairs, coordinate with General Manager Chen.”
His attitude might as well have been stamped with the words “You’re not welcome.”