Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 49

Old Mr. Zong pernonally visited the QY Law Firm.

Wei Minjun stood outside Gu Qing’s office, and she was not allowed to enter from the beginning to the end of their conversation.

She had a long face. Remembering Old Mr. Zong’s sharp gaze when he looked at her at the door, she felt that the case had been completely messed up in her hands.

The complication occurred this afternoon. A financial director from the involved trading company of the Zong family was exposed.

According to the police investigation, the latter had handled another batch of bad debts.

Wei Minjun had been treating this case as an ordinary financial fraud case. She only needed to present the foreign trade company’s orders during the court defense, and the case would be settled.

The Zong family could completely clear their name in this case, as the company was technically the victim.

But the police’s latest investigation showed that a portion of the funds handled by the financial director, exceeding 3 billion yuan, was potentially involved in money laundering—using his position to turn the Zong family’s trading company into a shell for money laundering.

If this was not handled carefully, the entire Zong family would be implicated.

After all, the legal representative of the company was the Zong family’s eldest son.

Wei Minjun was competent enough to handle simple financial cases, but when dealing with complex, intricate financial cases like this, she could only assist Gu Qing.

Three hours later, Gu Qing personally saw Old Mr. Zong off to his car.

It was midsummer in Hong Kong. When Gu Qing walked back inside, Wei Minjun offered her a wet wipe ingratiatingly, but noticed that there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on the woman’s forehead.

Behind her was a scorching 37-degree summer day, yet there was no sign of sweat on Gu Qing’s face.

Her pure white shirt was tucked into a black pencil skirt. She wore her usual composure.

Wei Minjun’s expression was awkward. She curled her fingers and, putting on a brave face, laughed and took the wet wipe back.

She actually wanted to be involved in the Zong family case.

Even if she wasn’t fully capable, this case was initially handled by her.

Wei Minjun pressed the elevator button for Gu Qing. After Gu Qing walked inside, she shamelessly followed her in: “Lawyer Gu, can I be involved in the Zong Corporation case with you?”

Wei Minjun was an older employee who had followed Gu Qing for a long time. She knew that Gu Qing disliked people who talked too much. Instead of beating around the bush and using clever words.

It was better to state her request directly.

As expected, Gu Qing wasn’t angry about the case going awry in Wei Minjun’s hands. She only glanced at Wei Minjun and asked with her usual indifferent, cool voice: “This time it involves a business trip.”

Wei Minjun quickly replied without thinking: “No problem.”

A business trip was a certainty.

The latest evidence the police tracked down showed that a portion of the illicit funds flowing out of the Zong Trading Company had gone to Jiangcheng.

The destination of this business trip was likely Jiangcheng.

Furthermore, with new evidence in the Zong financial crime case, the trial would inevitably be postponed.

Given Gu Qing’s sense of time, she would undoubtedly try to collect all usable evidence as quickly as possible before the trial.

As long as she proved that the Zong family was not involved in the case from the beginning, the case would be solved.

Seeing no objection from Wei Minjun, Gu Qing pulled back her gaze and focused on her phone screen.

She lowered her eyes and instructed absentmindedly: “Prepare. The flight is the day after tomorrow.”

“Understood.” Wei Minjun’s expression relaxed, and a huge weight was lifted from her heart.

She looked up, about to thank Gu Qing, when her peripheral vision happened to catch Gu Qing’s phone screen.

At this moment, a chat box on a green social app was open on Gu Qing’s phone screen. The woman’s cold, fair fingers repeatedly traced the transfer record on the screen.

This made it difficult for Wei Minjun not to notice the large Arabic numerals: QY Law Firm Gu transferred 520 to Yuyu.

Wei Minjun’s eyes almost popped out.

She didn’t believe Gu Qing was a woman extravagant enough to casually send people 520. After all, Lawyer Gu was icy cold and heartless.

Forget about flirting with a 520 transfer; even a smile from her was a rare sight.

So, the question was, who was this Yuyu?

Wei Minjun took three seconds to vaguely recall that Gu Qing had also been acting strangely when she boarded the flight.

With a rough guess in mind, Wei Minjun thought, Well done, Lawyer Gu. You usually pretend to be so proper, ascetic, and aloof.

I didn’t expect you to be so openly perverse while secretly pursuing someone. Congratulations!

Although she thought this, Wei Minjun certainly couldn’t say it. She leaned forward two steps. She was full of gossip and instigated: “Is that the beauty from the plane? I noticed she was quite popular.”

“If you like her, pursue her quickly. When it comes to chasing a partner, you must never save face. Missing a moment means missing a lifetime. If someone else gets there first, you’ll regret it.”

Wei Minjun’s words carried the bitterness of someone who had been through it.

Three years ago, when she traveled to Jiangcheng.

She met an idiot in a bar. It was late at night, and in the dim lights, they became excited and found a suite to hook up.

It was initially a mutually consenting affair, but the idiot was displeased when he woke up.

He insisted that he only liked attractive people and would not date her unless Wei Minjun got plastic surgery to look like the famous idol Yue Yue.

Wei Minjun was a woman with a temper. She thought at the time that there were plenty of fish in the sea. Since the other party found her ugly, being forced into a relationship would only lead to the idiot exploiting her in the future.

So, when he threw a fit, she honestly told him: “Go find your idol.”

Later, the person actually pursued the idol, checking in daily on a certain social media platform, showing off idol merchandise, attending concerts…

He spent huge sums of money to support the idol’s fan club.

Recently, the idol was involved in a scandal, and she heard he was interested in someone new.

Wei Minjun was incredibly jealous. She didn’t dare to look at the idiot’s messages. Only she knew the mixture of feelings she had.

She spoke to Gu Qing with the air of an experienced elder: “Young person, some intense pursuit games are too costly for us. Don’t ruin yourself…”

Gu Qing narrowed her eyes, not clearly hearing what Wei Minjun was saying.

She was somewhat distracted, her deep blue eyes occasionally glancing at the WeChat interface.

A full four hours had passed, and the transfer amount had still not been accepted by the other party.

Gu Qing thoughtfully looked up and stared at the experienced Wei Minjun. She asked flatly: “Is it common for a stranger to over-transfer 520 yuan in social interactions?”

“Of course not common. It’s not like it’s 250?”

Wei Minjun didn’t think and subconsciously looked at Gu Qing. The woman was standing in the shadows. Her phoenix eyes instantly curved upward, and her thin lips unconsciously hooked into a smile.

Seeing Gu Qing smile for the first time, Wei Minjun was stunned for three full seconds, as if she had been encouraged.

She forced a smile and pointed at the transfer information on Gu Qing’s phone screen: “Young people have many ways of dating now. For example, the other person definitely won’t reply to your last message at night, but they’ll reply the next day, so they can talk to you for another day.”

Gu Qing’s eyes moved. She pondered for a moment and seriously nodded.

She gave Wei Minjun a look of request for instruction.

Wei Minjun found a sense of achievement in Gu Qing’s presence for the first time.

She pointed at the transfer record and continued enthusiastically: “Do you know why the other party didn’t accept the 520 transfer? They are waiting for 24 hours to reject it and then send you a 520 back. It’s mutual affection, Lawyer Gu. Your pursuit is solid…”

Gu Qing gave a low “mm.” Her tone didn’t have much fluctuation, only a slight upward inflection in the drawn-out ending sound, showing a cheerful reserve.

However, this cheerfulness didn’t last.

The elevator door chimed open at that moment. The secretary rushed into the elevator, holding a stack of high-piled documents that obscured her vision.

She rushed toward the direction where Gu Qing was standing.

Gu Qing instinctively stepped aside. Her finger swiped the screen and accidentally sent a period punctuation mark in the chat box.

At the same moment, a message popped up in the chat box: [Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]

Gu Qing: …

A sudden message notification sound in the elevator.

Wei Minjun subconsciously looked down. When she saw the exclamation mark indicating she was blocked.

She gasped. Perhaps infected by her idiot ex, she added a clumsy final blow: “Ah! Lawyer Gu, she actually blocked you…”

Gu Qing suppressed the emotion in her eyes. She turned back expressionlessly and lightly glanced at Wei Minjun. Her gaze was like a razor blade scraping across Wei Minjun’s face.

It was a look telling her to shut up.

Gu Qing’s chest rose and fell. She suppressed the urge to furiously lecture Ling Yu.

She told herself that this was the second time she had been blocked. There was nothing strange about it. Practice makes perfect.

Gu Qing was annoyed. She walked with her long, straight legs back to her office, leaving Wei Minjun, who was eager to ask about the Zong case strategy, outside the door.

Half an hour later.

The secretary came in and brewed her a cup of coffee. Gu Qing’s hand, which was signing documents, paused. Her phone rang at that moment. She glanced at the screen.

She motioned toward the door, and the secretary wisely backed out.

Gu Qing leaned back in her swivel chair. She expertly pulled a lady’s cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth, but did not light it.

She was planning to quit smoking.

Perhaps her slow answering speed was the reason. The call automatically disconnected, and then rang again.

Fang Jia: “Are you in Hong Kong City?”

“What’s up?” Gu Qing raised her eyebrows. QY Law Firm’s base was in Hong Kong City. Out of 365 days a year, Gu Qing spent about one-third of her time in Hong Kong, excluding business trips.

Fang Jia had a partnership with Gu Jewelry in the last two years, so she often traveled to Hong Kong.

Especially since the Gu family’s jewelry exhibition was about to start. Fang Jia being in Hong Kong wasn’t surprising.

The other party was calling to invite her to a gathering, but Gu Qing was leaving for a business trip to Jiangcheng the day after tomorrow. She had to finish the remaining documents at the firm.

She couldn’t spare the time for Fang Jia’s gathering.

Gu Qing added: “I have a case. I’m going on a business trip to Jiangcheng the day after tomorrow.”

The unspoken meaning was that she didn’t have time.

Fang Jia paused, then suddenly smiled mysteriously: “That’s perfect. I’m flying tomorrow. Shall we go back together?”

Gu Qing casually pressed the lighter with her thumb, lowered her head, and familiar to the movement, brought the tip of the cigarette close to the flame, but pulled it away just as it was about to ignite.

The spark flared up and flickered in front of her eyes. Gu Qing refused mercilessly: “I still have some things to arrange at the firm.”

“No way. With your efficiency, can’t you finish everything tonight?”

“No.” Gu Qing was brief. Her eyes swept across the room and suddenly landed on the jewelry exhibition invitation on her desk. She subtly changed the subject: “The Gu family’s jewelry exhibition doesn’t start until June 15th. What are you going back for now?”

Fang Jia clearly hesitated. Her tone was hesitant: “Yuyu is back from abroad. She was invited by the second-generation crowd to party at a nightclub tomorrow night. So I…”

Fang Jia was a thousand-year-old fox who had achieved mastery. Ling Yu had asked her to bring friends.

Fang Jia didn’t trust any of her unreliable friends in Jiangcheng. The most reliable person she could think of was Gu Qing.

Two years ago, in the auditorium of the HKU postgraduate graduation, Fang Jia was actually present. She personally witnessed Gu Qing’s flat-out refusal of Ling Yu’s confession. She could tell that Gu Qing truly had no interest in Ling Yu.

Furthermore, even if she did have feelings, Gu Qing would go to extreme lengths to avoid the person she cared about.

The disaster that happened at the rehabilitation hospital two years ago…

That was the underground power’s declaration of war on Gu Qing.

Gu Qing would absolutely never expose anyone as her weakness in front of her enemies again.

Therefore, for Fang Jia, Gu Qing was definitely not a love rival.

Fang Jia carefully chose her words, trying to persuade Gu Qing: “You know Yuyu, and she did pursue you, didn’t she? Nightclubs are a mixed bag. If too many people go tomorrow night, and Yuyu gets drunk, anything could happen…”

“Clang.” The lighter slipped out of her hand. Gu Qing used her tongue to push the cigarette away from her lips, interrupting her: “Flight?”

“You wouldn’t want to see a young girl… Huh?” Fang Jia jumped up from the sofa. She paused and couldn’t help but laugh: “Good sister. I owe you one.”

Gu Qing raised her eyebrows. She didn’t tell the other party that it wasn’t a favor. She just couldn’t control her mouth with her intellect.

…

Outside the office, the sun was setting. Gu Qing leaned forward, maintaining the same posture for a long time.

She looked at the concrete ground outside. A large pool of bloody human fragments appeared in her mind’s eye.

Gu Qing watched indifferently. She lit her first cigarette of the day.

In the office without electric lights, the glow of the cigarette tip flickered in her fingers.

Gu Qing stood quietly in the shadow, as if blending into the air.

After a long time, the city lights came on brightly.

The darkness lurked in the shadows. Gu Qing lifted her eyelids. Her clear eyes stared at the unrestrained night. She curved her lips indifferently.

Her world was often a black, endless darkness…

But a light had once appeared in her memory.

She had deliberately suppressed it in her heart. Now, when she recalled it, she could only long for it every moment.