When Zhao Junjie's lackeys saw him about to leave, they panicked.
"Little Boss Zhao! Don't abandon us!"
"Little Boss Zhao, save us! You can’t just leave us behind!"
It wasn’t until the police arrived that these small-time thugs finally understood why that bespectacled young man had said those seemingly random words earlier.
Turns out, he was setting them up—leading them straight to jail.
Zhao Junjie knew he couldn’t gain any advantage here today, so he reassured them, "Don’t worry, I’ll get you out!"
Zhao Tianyi sneered at his words. "Get them out? Have you asked me first?"
This year, his law firm’s conviction rate was nearly 100%. Once they set their sights on someone, not a single one escaped the clutches of the law—their iron rice bowl was secured.
Yes, conviction rate. Most law firms only talked about their win rate, but Tianyi Law Firm boasted not just a high win rate but also an unmatched conviction rate.
Zhao Tianyi pulled out his phone and sent Zhang Dawei a text, instructing him to find a way to take on these guys’ defense.
How? Simple.
They’d proactively offer their legal services. If these idiots refused Zhang Dawei and insisted on another lawyer, they’d just intercept the competition—throw some money around and hijack the case.
Not many lawyers dared to go up against Zhang Dawei anyway.
Zhang Dawei was a rare breed in the legal profession—probably the only defense attorney in the country with a near-perfect track record of sending his own clients to jail.
If he’d been anywhere else, he’d have been dumped in a river long ago.
Luckily, he had protection at Tianyi Law Firm.
After Zhao Junjie slunk away in defeat, his unlucky underlings were hauled off by the police.
Guo Yani stared at the girl before her—dressed in designer labels, exuding an air of effortless elegance—hesitating, unsure how to speak to her.
Or perhaps too intimidated to try.
Liu Yutong also felt a little helpless. Truthfully, when she ran into her childhood classmate from the same village, she hadn’t planned on acknowledging her right away.
It wasn’t that she looked down on her—she just knew too well how these reunions went.
Meeting again after years, with such a vast difference in status, often brought not joy but awkwardness and distance.
If she’d been alone, or if this hadn’t been such a formal setting, she wouldn’t have pretended not to recognize Guo Yani.
But plans never survived reality.
"Yani, it’s been a while," Liu Yutong stepped forward, concern in her voice. "Are you hurt?"
Guo Yani, usually quick with words, suddenly found herself tongue-tied. "I… I’m fine."
Liu Yutong turned to Ma Da and the others. "You all go ahead and wait downstairs."
"Yes, Miss." The group complied and left—except for Yun Cheng, who stood rooted in place like a wooden post.
Liu Yutong didn’t comment, simply taking Guo Yani’s hand. "Let’s talk in your office first."
Guo Yani nodded and pushed open the door to the property management office, leading her inside.
The office was empty—there weren’t many staff to begin with, and the cleaners and security guards didn’t stay there.
Usually, only the manager and two agents, including Guo Yani, worked inside, handling leasing and tenant inquiries.
The other agent was out showing a client around, which was why Guo Yani had been alone when Zhao Junjie and his gang cornered her.
The two sat facing each other on the office sofa, the air thick with the bittersweet tension of reunion.
Guo Yani studied her transformed childhood friend and finally spoke. "Yutong, you’ve changed so much. I almost didn’t recognize you."
Liu Yutong smiled. "Maybe it’s just the magic of growing up. It’s been two years, hasn’t it? No wonder you didn’t recognize me."
Guo Yani nodded, nostalgia flickering in her eyes. "Almost two years, yeah."
She’d dropped out before finishing high school, following relatives to work in the south for over a year before returning to Bright Pearl City last month.
Truthfully, she still longed for bigger cities—like the capital—but her family worried. They didn’t want her too far away, afraid she’d meet someone from another city, marry, and never come back.
So she returned.
Parents with daughters always worried more.
They reminisced about village life, school days, even their elementary teacher…
"Yani, didn’t you get into the attached high school of Normal University? Why didn’t you keep studying? Your grades were good," Liu Yutong asked.
Guo Yani’s smile dimmed. "Not really. My scores weren’t college material. And you know how things were at home—my brother needed to go to school, so I thought I’d work early and help out."
"It’s fine now. This job doesn’t pay much, but it’s stable and easy. Plus, home’s close—I can visit whenever."
"But you—not only did you get into Finance University, you’re so successful now…"
Guo Yani suddenly worried her words might sound like she was fishing for something and quickly changed the subject. "Oh, Yutong, we have a class group chat. Want to join?"
She braced for rejection.
After all, they seemed worlds apart now.
But Liu Yutong agreed readily. "Sure, send me the group info later. I might not check often, though—I’m usually busy."
Guo Yani’s eyes lit up. "That’s okay! Just having you in the group will make everyone happy."
As their conversation wound down, Liu Yutong briefly mentioned the building’s access system.
Only then did Guo Yani realize the mystery tenant who’d leased ten floors at once was none other than her childhood friend.
Ten floors—that was millions in annual rent!
An unimaginable sum to her, earning barely a thousand a month. The thought of Liu Yutong casually paying that much was staggering.
Just as they finished talking, Manager Chen walked in.
Spotting Liu Yutong with Guo Yani, he immediately plastered on a smile. "Miss Liu! What brings you here in person? You could’ve just called—no need to trouble yourself."
Liu Yutong smiled. "No trouble. I was passing by and thought I’d visit an old classmate."
Manager Chen’s smile faltered for a split second as he glanced at Guo Yani, then turned even more ingratiating. "So you know Guo Yani! What a coincidence! Yani, why didn’t you mention you were friends with Miss Liu? Take the day off—consider it approved—and keep her company!"
Guo Yani opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Liu Yutong stood up and said, "No need, Manager Chen. We’ve caught up enough for today. Yani, let’s have dinner together sometime?"
Guo Yani nodded. "Sure."
As Liu Yutong reached the door, Guo Yani suddenly called out to her, "Oh, Yutong, now that you’re doing well financially… if you can avoid going home for the holidays, maybe don’t."
Liu Yutong’s steps faltered slightly. She didn’t turn around or ask why—just left without another word.
