Chapter 2: The Lame Man

Gu Sheng was too stunned to speak.

She believed that, apart from their courtroom confrontations, she had never offended He Wenzhou in any other capacity. She looked up, her withered, lifeless eyes filled with confusion. "Lawyer He, what do you mean by this?"

He Wenzhou didn't look back as he gestured toward his car. Someone soon stepped out against the biting wind and handed over a document bag, which he shoved directly into Gu Sheng's hands.

Gu Sheng froze. At He Wenzhou’s signal, she carefully tore open the plastic seal inch by inch. As she looked down, she counted the contents: a thick legal representation agreement, interspersed with numerous invoices. Her heart grew colder with every page she turned, until her gaze rested on the line for the client’s name. Her mind shattered.

Client: Gu Sheng.
Retained Attorney: He Wenzhou.

"When did this happen?" Gu Sheng was utterly shocked. "You were the one who helped me overturn the case!"

"Who else?" He Wenzhou stood with his hands behind his back. "Why else do you think you’re standing here in one piece?"

Gu Sheng was momentarily speechless. Recalling the words of the female prison guard, she felt a daze wash over her; she had never imagined that Zhao Qinglang would ask him for help. But on second thought, it made sense. Aside from He Wenzhou, who acted with utter disregard for convention, no one in the entire Beijing elite circle dared to make an enemy of the Wang family. He Wenzhou was the best choice.

Gu Sheng felt no joy. She bit her lip and tested him anxiously, "Lawyer He, did you find the culprit?"

"No." He Wenzhou keenly captured her subtle shift in emotion. "It’s quite a coincidence, though—the Wang family dropped the charges."

He paused, studying her face, which was pale with cold. He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms with a languid, mocking smile. "Lawyer Gu has the perfect timing and circumstances, but what exactly are you afraid of?"

Gu Sheng trembled. She didn't dare look up; the little bit of color left in her face drained away to a deathly white.

"I’m just curious," she said, her eyelashes fluttering. Fearing that he would press further, she quickly grabbed the stack of invoices to change the subject. "Lawyer He, what is the total for your legal fees? Give me your QR code, I’ll scan..."

But the next second, her eyes widened as she swallowed her words, stunned by the exorbitant amount. Seven figures?

"So expensive?" Gu Sheng felt a jolt of terror. "Lawyer He, you aren't joking, are you?"

"Lawyer Gu thinks it’s expensive—a joke—now?" He Wenzhou lowered his gaze, his expression sharp as if his eyes held blades. "Then when you were taking the fall for someone else and shielding them, why didn't you think of the law as a joke?"

This remark hit her like a thunderbolt, as if a secret she held deep inside had been laid bare for all to see. She felt the world was so cold that her face had gone numb. It took a long time for her to stammer, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Is that so?" He Wenzhou had expected this, and he smiled with contempt. "No matter. Regardless, I’m here to collect my fee."

Gu Sheng’s expression was wretched. She realized that some things could not be hidden from a man as meticulous as He Wenzhou.

"No money, then?" He Wenzhou said with profound implication. "But I imagine that if you were willing to sacrifice your future for someone, that person—if they had even a shred of conscience—wouldn't abandon you to face such debts alone, would they?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a flashy, eye-catching red sports car roared toward them from a distance. He Wenzhou’s eyes darkened, and he smiled without warmth. "What a coincidence. Speak of the devil."

Gu Sheng recognized the car; it was Zhao Qinglang’s prized possession, and his license plate bore her birthday. As she watched the car approach, her gaze followed it, causing her to miss the way He Wenzhou’s expression turned increasingly cold.

As the car drew nearer—

"Gu Sheng."

It was the first time someone had called her by her full name so sharply. Gu Sheng was startled and looked up in a panic, meeting He Wenzhou’s inscrutable gaze. He glanced imperceptibly at her ankle and asked, "Is it worth it, to ruin yourself for someone else?"

Gu Sheng was stunned. Before she could react, He Wenzhou turned around, got into his car, and left without looking back. Under the dim, overcast sky, the black Bentley turned and brushed past the flamboyant red sports car. At the moment they veered in opposite directions, it felt as if the world were being neatly severed in two.

Zhao Qinglang watched from afar as Gu Sheng spoke with a man. He arrived just as the man was leaving, missing his face entirely. When he stepped out of the car, coat in hand, he found Gu Sheng standing in the wind, looking like a soul who had lost her way.

"Sheng-sheng, what are you daydreaming about?" Zhao Qinglang asked. He kept glancing back until the shadow of the Bentley disappeared, then wrapped his coat around Gu Sheng’s frozen frame. "I’m sorry I’m late."

They hadn't seen each other since she went to prison. Seeing that Zhao Qinglang was still as handsome as ever, she felt no joy in their reunion; instead, a sense of alienation welled up from her heart. She shook her head and said softly, "It's alright."

Zhao Qinglang looked at Gu Sheng, now thin as a rail and stripped of her former radiance. His eyes turned red, and he fumbled to tighten the collar around her, his voice trembling. "Sheng-sheng, let's go home."

He hugged her cautiously and walked toward the sports car, but stopped after only a few steps, looking puzzled.

"Sheng-sheng, the way you’re walking..."

As he spoke, he looked down, catching sight of the ugly scar on Gu Sheng's right ankle—a silent accusation of how she had become a cripple in prison. At that moment, he was too shocked to speak.

"How did this happen!" Zhao Qinglang’s eyes went wide, and he said angrily, "Sheng-sheng, who did this?"

Gu Sheng was calm. For Zhao Qinglang, her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, she had seen his most unappealing sides, and she had never intended to hide this particular ugliness.

"It was broken by someone in prison," Gu Sheng said, looking at him quietly. "The bone pierced the flesh, the tendons were severed, and I bled all over the floor without any treatment. By the time the bone and flesh healed, it had turned out like this."

A chill ran down Zhao Qinglang’s back.

After a pause, Gu Sheng added, "You know who did it."

"Damn it, was it that bastard Wang Xiao?" Zhao Qinglang’s face turned ghastly. "I knew it. He did it on purpose. When he couldn't have you, he had to destroy you, so no one could have anything!"

"If I had only known back then, I should have..." Zhao Qinglang stopped himself, suddenly realizing something, and fell into an embarrassed, sullen silence.

But he was still frantic, hopping about in agitation. "What are we going to do? Can it be fixed at the hospital? Sheng-sheng, if it doesn't get better, won't you really be a cripple? If we go out together, my friends will laugh me to death!"

Gu Sheng’s expression turned cold. She said nothing, and Zhao Qinglang realized his mistake, slapping his own mouth in a desperate attempt to apologize.

"Sheng-sheng, I didn't mean it." Zhao Qinglang looked sincere. "I was just worried about your health. Think about it, what girl doesn't love wearing high heels? I’m just afraid you’ll be heartbroken when you realize you can't."

But Gu Sheng knew him best. He had a fixation; he loved her slender, beautiful ankles and often gifted her expensive, exquisite high heels. Yet, in this moment, seeing her in her most wretched state, his face showed not pity, but disappointment.

Yes, she was a cripple who walked with a comical gait, and being with her would only be a source of embarrassment for him.

Gu Sheng stared at Zhao Qinglang, but through his panicked eyes, she remembered He Wenzhou. He had asked, "Is it worth it?"

Gu Sheng smiled silently, unable to answer even herself. She only said, "It doesn't matter."

Hearing those words, she saw Zhao Qinglang visibly sigh with relief.

"My Sheng-sheng is the best." Zhao Qinglang playfully opened the passenger door for her. "Let's go home. Mom and Dad are waiting anxiously."