After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 5

He Yining’s office decor was quite cold, dominated by light gray tones. The reception area featured a partitioned tea room, and behind the desk stood floor-to-ceiling cabinets filled with legal books.

The office wasn’t as large as Ming Sian had imagined; having seen too many CEO offices in TV dramas, she had almost forgotten that space in Hong Kong is worth its weight in gold.

In a location like Exchange Square, a few dozen square meters of office space can cost hundreds of thousands in monthly rent; buying it would start at twenty million at the very least.

Furthermore, Anning Law Firm was just an ordinary firm under the He family name, used for the eldest miss to practice her skills—yet this space covered over three hundred square meters across two floors, with monthly rent in the millions.

This was the gap. She truly didn’t know what He Yining saw in the original host—she had good grades and looks, sure, but she also had a filthy soul. If He Yining wanted to find a good-looking, honest top student, it should be quite easy.

Once He Yining “awakened” to the plot, Ming Sian would be in trouble.

For now, she had to work obediently at the law firm. Otherwise, as a second-year student, getting slapped with a lawsuit and being blacklisted by the industry would be worse than just switching majors early. Anyway, for the time being, she couldn’t leave the firm.

Ming Sian looked up at He Yining, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window. “Boss.”

During her three years of running her own studio, she had learned a profound lesson: the Boss is harder to deal with than the client.

He Yining walked straight to the sofa, sat down, and poured two cups of tea. “Sit.”

Ming Sian wore a black casual suit with a white T-shirt and white sneakers. Overall, she gave off the vibe of a youthful novice. As an assistant in the secretarial office rather than a lawyer, she didn’t need to be too particular about her outfit.

Besides, the original host only had so many clothes; even if she wanted to be particular, she couldn’t afford to be.

Compared to He Yining’s attire, she appeared somewhat immature.

The great lawyer He Yining wore long, straight black trousers paired with a slight turtleneck thin sweater that perfectly accentuated her waistline. It was a perfect interpretation of “everything below the chest is legs.” This outfit made her look cold and resilient.

The necklace on her neck had been changed to a traditional gold filigree gourd inlaid with rubies. On her wrist, she wore a Super Seven crystal bracelet, and a butterfly mother-of-pearl brooch added a touch of gentleness.

Few people wear exaggerated jewelry in daily life, but for someone of He Yining’s status, this ensemble was actually quite low-key.

Ming Sian didn’t pay close attention. Seeing her gaze drifting, a flash of playfulness crossed He Yining’s eyes. “You want to leave?”

So direct… Ming Sian met her eyes and sat up a bit straighter, not intending to hide it.

“Lawyer He, I am only a second-year law student and will return to the mainland in the future. Your firm doesn’t really need a second-year student. As far as I know, except for a few interns, your firm requires a Master’s degree. It’s a losing proposition to train an intern who is destined to leave. Coincidentally, I also want to leave, so why not make it easy for both of us?”

The “Green Seedling Program” of Anning Law Firm selected outstanding students from Hong Kong University for training, signing long-term contracts after the internship and even sponsoring graduate studies. It was a method of securing talent in advance, but it required a high investment, so few were willing to do it.

Ming Sian didn’t believe that after saying all this, He Yining would still have a reason to keep her. If she did, it would truly be out of ill intent.

“When you accepted the scholarship, did you not look at the contract?”

“?”

He Yining gestured for her to drink tea—a polite kind of coldness. She picked up a tablet nearby, pulled up a contract, and placed it directly on the coffee table.

The meaning was clear: I don’t want to explain, look for yourself.

Fine, Eldest Miss.

Ming Sian replied inwardly, picked up the tablet, and read the contract seriously. After reading the whole thing, she reached two conclusions: an 800,000 HKD scholarship and a requirement to work for a He-affiliated law firm for ten years after graduating and passing the internship.

800,000? Ming Sian only had 10,000 in her bank account. After last month’s salary and paying fixed expenses, that was all that was left.

Where did the 800,000 go?

Textual memories regarding the 800,000 appeared in her mind, but she couldn’t be bothered to investigate the money right now. Her gaze was fixed on the original host’s signature.

She had signed an indenture. The consequences of a breach were clearly written: she would need to pay back the scholarship.

Calling it a scholarship was less accurate than calling it a zero-interest student loan. She certainly couldn’t produce 800,000.

“There is another contract.” He Yining’s voice was very pleasant—a mature, “cool beauty” tone. If this were a radio drama, Ming Sian would definitely buy the whole series.

The next contract was the original host’s agreement to join the Green Seedling Program. The internship period was one year. If passed, Anning Law Firm would reimburse the original host’s tuition and 80% of her graduate school fees, as well as pay for her PCLL. The condition was that she work for the firm for eight years after graduating. Breach of contract would result in liquidated damages paid to the firm.

The two contracts were like supplementary terms to each other.

For example, if Anning spent one million to train her, she needed to work for ten years. If she breached the contract after only one year, she would need to pay 900,000 in damages.

The contract also specified a two-year non-compete period.

Once she graduated and joined officially, Anning promised a salary no lower than 80% of a lawyer of the same level in the same company.

If she failed the internship, she would receive a bad review from the He family, making it difficult to work in the legal industry in the future.

To be honest, Anning Law Firm hadn’t scammed the original host in either contract. They were spending real money, after all. If you want to leave, you can, as long as you pay back the money used to train you. A clean break for everyone.

The problem was: Ming Sian had no money.

Ming Sian lowered her voice and spoke very gently and politely, “If Lawyer He has nothing else, I will take my leave.”

Since that’s the case, I’ll just slack off for a year. I don’t believe I’ll pass the internship. Anyway, she wouldn’t be staying in Hong Kong.

He Yining seemed to see through her thoughts. “Do your work well. You wouldn’t want to work for free every month, would you?”

How can such a beautiful woman say such wicked words? He Yining! Bad woman!

Ming Sian: “…” That “dog woman” actually threatened her. It made sense; if she’s working anyway, failing to do the job would result in her salary being docked to zero. She’d earn no money and waste her time.

No, she had to think of a way to not neglect her work while also ensuring she didn’t pass the internship.

As she was leaving, she suddenly turned back and raised an eyebrow at He Yining. “Lawyer He, you’ve gone to such trouble to keep me here. You haven’t… taken a liking to me, have you?”

That’s right—she would do her work well but act in a way that disgusted He Yining. As long as He Yining didn’t pass her internship, what did it matter how well the work was done?

He Yining’s eyes turned icy. Ming Sian’s heart fluttered slightly, but she didn’t back down. “Lawyer He, are suppressants really supposed to be injected into the arm?”

Before the words fully landed, Ming Sian had already slipped out, leaving a thin-lipped, brooding He Yining behind.

He Yining casually tossed the teacup Ming Sian had used into the trash, stood up, and made a call. “Tell Jerry to come to my office.”

Ming Sian knew she was acting like she deserved a beating, so she wouldn’t give He Yining a chance to deal with her. The days ahead were long; she wondered how much longer He Yining could tolerate her.

Anyway, she wouldn’t do anything else—she’d just mess with He Yining.

As soon as she went downstairs, she ran into Jerry, who was about to go up. He glared at her hatefully. “Just you wait.”

Psh! Who’s afraid of who?

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: I’ve signed the indenture, how can I run?

He Yining: You are not allowed to run.