Chapter 2: Collaboration

Chapter 2: Collaboration

From the moment he received Little Mute's message at noon to now, "elated" would be an apt word to describe Tang Yun's feelings; he was uncommonly aware of the dopamine release in his brain.

Never before had anyone, or anything, managed to distract him from his work in such a delightful manner.

As the car sped towards the hotel, he was a mix of anxiety and excitement. The sensation of his clothes being roughly torn off, his body collapsing onto the plush bed, made his heart feel like it was caught in a whirlpool, oscillating uneasily as it sank.

He was enraptured by this utopian

realm,

indulging in pleasure and losing himself.

However, the moment he settled into his car and saw the flurry of group messages, voice call notifications, and client inquiries on his work phone, his euphoric spirit felt like it had been hit on the head, plunging back into his weary body.

The inquiring individual had sent numerous voice messages, each lasting 60 seconds. Tang Yun attempted a text conversion but realized the lady spoke in a southern dialect. He had no choice but to play the audio.

He wasn’t native to the south, but having spent a decade in this city since his freshman year, he could roughly understand the dialect.

The elderly lady had inadvertently discovered that her husband had been consorting with prostitutes, a three-year-long “collaboration” with expenses ranging from three to five hundred each time, amounting to nearly a hundred thousand so far, infuriating her beyond words.

"I saw these on his WeChat and Qiuqiu transactions. Sometimes he even sent that woman red envelopes, especially during the New Year or Valentine’s Day, all in cash. I’m unsure of the total amount or if he bought her other gifts. Attorney Tang, can you think of a way to make that vixen return the money?" The lady's voice, likely post-tears and filled with anger, was rough and nasal, sounding rather formidable.

Tang Yun frowned as he listened. Based on his experience,

Nevertheless, he maintained professionalism. After understanding the basic situation, he said, "The money your husband spent on his affairs has been gone for a while. Whether it can be reclaimed depends on the circumstances. If it's convenient for you, please come to our law firm tomorrow. We can discuss in detail how to address the issue."

There was also a fiercely competitive female entrepreneur who wanted to file for divorce. Her reason? Her husband had kept several mistresses outside their marriage. She demanded that he leave with nothing, not even the underwear he was wearing.

Tang Yun patiently responded, "Firstly, underwear is considered a personal item. According to Article 1063 of the Civil Code, personal property of a spouse is not divided during a divorce. Secondly, the evidence you provided only proves that your husband had affairs, which is not a severe offense. If you proceed with the divorce, he still has a right to a share of the marital assets, albeit potentially a smaller one."

The entrepreneur's world seemed to crumble. She exclaimed, "Come on! He cheated! With multiple women! He betrayed our family. Isn’t that a grave mistake? What counts as a grave mistake then? Murder or arson?"

This reaction is common among clients. Tang Yun had anticipated it, but unfortunately, the law only sets a basic moral standard that people must adhere to and cannot guarantee everything.

"Judicially, only bigamy, cohabitation with another, domestic violence, and abuse or abandonment of family members are considered grave mistakes."

The female entrepreneur vented her frustrations in a long voice message. Sensing her tone, Tang Yun said, "When it comes to asset division, the judge's subjective judgment plays a significant role. If you really want to proceed with the divorce, we'll do our utmost to advocate for your rights."

In addition, there was a man recently released from prison for illegal gambling. He's considering a change in profession and wants to start a bed and breakfast. While he has some awareness of the rule of law, it's quite minimal. He's currently seeking advice on installing hidden cameras in private rooms without breaking any laws.

Rubbing his temple, Tang Yun advised, "I'd recommend not installing them."

By the time he returned to his residential complex, it was very late. Only a few windows were lit, and the roads were empty and silent. Wild cats hidden behind flower beds were out for a stroll.

Tang Yun, cautious not to hurt them, drove slowly. His headlights suddenly illuminated a familiar figure. Long legs, casual stylish attire, luxury brands from head to toe, and that distinct, confident walk—everything was unmistakably familiar.

"Liang Song?" Tang Yun called out as he rolled down his car window.

The man turned around and smiled, "I was hoping to surprise you. What kept you out so late?"

Liang Song was Tang Yun's first friend when he moved to the south city. During Tang Yun's first year of university, after paying his tuition, he was nearly broke and took a weekend job. Liang Song was the owner of the cafe where he worked and also his current landlord.

Liang Song was only two years older than Tang Yun. He came from a wealthy family involved in the food business. Reportedly, he received nearly a thousand in monthly allowance during his primary school years, and now his family earns millions annually just from rent.

Unfortunately, the young man wasn't the brightest. Despite his parents investing heavily in his private high school education, he was consistently at the bottom of his class, more engrossed in his relationship with a top student. After dropping out in his second year, he used the allowance from his parents to start various businesses.

Since Tang Yun got to know him, Liang Song had tried over ten different ventures—from bubble tea shops, chicken snack bars, agritourism, fresh supermarkets, murder mystery games, libraries, cinemas, to gyms. There was hardly an industry he didn't touch. However, misfortune seemed to follow him—none of these businesses were profitable.

At thirty, one can't remain directionless. Thus, his parents cut off his funds, hoping this would push him to return home, get married,

have children,

and take over the family business.

Liang Song was distressed lately because, like Tang Yun, he wasn't straight. Tang Yun even learned about the dating app "Oxygen Seeker" from Liang Song.

Leung Song was well-informed about his relationship with the mute boy.

"So, did you finally get to see what he looks like today?" Leung Song pressed the elevator button, curiosity evident in his voice about this topic for quite some time.

"No," Tang Yun shook his head, "he said given our current rapport, there's no need to know each other too intimately. It might rob us of the thrill of spontaneity. He wants me to imagine him as a character from an anime."

"You've got some restraint. I'd be dying of curiosity," Leung Song mused. "I'd definitely sneak a peek while he's asleep or in the shower."

Tang Yun had thought about it, "But sneaking off his mask would be impolite. He might get upset."

"Oh? You care about his feelings now?" Leung Song sounded surprised, both in tone and expression. "Thinking of a long-term thing, are we?"

Tang Yun hesitated momentarily on that.

He had grown fond of the mute boy: his damp, tousled hair after a shower, his chiseled jawline, the well-defined muscles that exuded strength, those warm, skilled hands, and even the breathless whispers close to his ear.

The current dynamics with the mute boy was something Tang Yun cherished; they were intimate, closer than anyone else, yet didn't invade each other's lives. The mysteries fueled imaginations, and humans always have a special place for the imagined.

A preference for the imagined.

。

Yet, "long-term" implied stability and would end the fantasies.

The fact that the mute boy had a disfigured face was undeniable. His inability to speak was also a reality.

Tang Yun admitted candidly, "I am selfish. I doubt I can fall for his real self."

The elevator doors slid open. Both exited, with Tang Yun's apartment situated right off the elevator, transforming the common area into a foyer.

Leung Song changed into indoor shoes and promptly keyed in the door code.

"Perhaps his face isn't as bad as you imagine? Besides, with today's medical advancements, some reconstruction might make him presentable," Leung Song suggested.

Closing the door, Tang Yun responded, "Let's not overthink. It's just for fun. And he hasn't shown signs of being smitten either. He might move on after a few encounters."

"Damn!" Leung Song exclaimed, "A guy with disabilities gets to play around like this?"

Truthfully, Tang Yun knew little about the mute boy's past relationships. Everything was based on intuition.

"I think he's quite adept at it anyway."

Liang Song patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Honestly, I think your current approach is pretty good. Be together if you like each other, and decisively part ways if not. It's better than being taken advantage of."

Tang Yun knew he was referring to Shen Ji'en, but objectively speaking, Tang Yun didn't feel exploited. Instead, he saw it as an inevitable chapter of growth.

Shen Ji'en was Tang Yun's first love, an orthopedic surgeon in a top-tier hospital. They met at the gym owned by Liang Song.

Back then, Tang Yun was only a sophomore in college, naive and innocent, with a burning desire for love. When Doctor Shen confessed his feelings, they swiftly fell into a passionate relationship, and Tang Yun moved into Shen's apartment.

Every quality Shen Ji'en possessed matched Tang Yun's expectations of a partner. Or perhaps, Shen Ji'en set the standard of an ideal type deep in Tang Yun's heart.

Ever since then, whenever Tang Yun met someone new, he would make comparisons: this one isn't as handsome as Shen Ji'en, that one isn't as smart, and another one's cooking is dreadful in comparison.

Though Doctor Shen is an excellent person, he is six years older than Tang Yun and has never come out to his family. With no intentions to do so and facing increasing pressure to marry, he initially used his busy work schedule as an excuse but later began attending matchmaking sessions.

By the time Tang Yun discovered this, he found flirtatious chats with a female kindergarten teacher on Shen's WeChat.

Shen Ji'en was terrified that night, frozen for a moment before reaching out to embrace Tang Yun, pleading, "I just want to marry to appease my family and give them peace of mind."

After a moment of profound shock, Tang Yun responded with cold, mocking calmness: "And after the wedding? Divorce? Or have a child? Raise a child?"

Shen Ji'en had no answers to those questions, much like their relationship, which ultimately lacked a satisfying conclusion.

The conversation about their relationship didn't last long. Liang Song had brought some barbecue and beer on his way. The two sat in the living room, watching

a comedy

variety show that went perfectly with their meal.

New messages popped up consecutively in the work group chat. Tang Yun initially didn't want to check, but seeing a private message from Jiang Mie, he couldn't ignore it any longer.

Jiang Mie was his mentor, also one of the partners at the law firm, and Tang Yun's superior.

Most importantly, most of Tang Yun's cases came from Jiang Mie, someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Jiang Mie asked: [Do you know about Xiang Heng Group?]

For Tang Yun, Xiang Heng Group was a distant entity, only known through news. But Liang Song was quite familiar with it.

Xiang Heng was a multinational company established in the early nineties, primarily dealing in electronic products and tech services. In recent years, they ventured deeper into artificial intelligence and virtual reality technology.

"Era"

"Founded in its early years as a joint-stock company, it stands as one of the domestically renowned real estate conglomerates. Over these fast-paced decades of economic growth, its ventures have expanded continuously, spanning across sectors like culture, finance, and technology."

"The cinema in competition with Liang Song's family is owned by the Xiang Heng Group; hence, Liang Song holds an adversarial attitude towards them."

"What's wrong? Your boss isn't taking on Xiang Heng's case, is he?"

Liang Song's words proved prophetic.

"The head of Xiang Heng's construction division discovered during an inspection that certain materials and the quality of construction didn't match the terms of the contract. They issued rectification notices to the construction company. Yet, two weeks have passed without any change, compromising the quality of the project."

"Xiang Heng has decided to sue this construction firm, demanding compensation for the project and delay penalties."

"Jiang Mie has been swamped lately and plans to delegate this case to Tang Yun."

"You're kidding, right?" Liang Song was taken aback, "Such a massive conglomerate, and they don't have a dedicated legal department? They need an external law firm?"

Tang Yun wasn't surprised. "The pandemic in recent years has adversely affected all sectors, especially real estate. To sustain operations, companies would naturally cut down departments to reduce costs. Departments unrelated to core operations, like legal and HR, are usually the first to be outsourced."

"If the company can't afford staff, they have to resort to outsourcing."

"Well, it's all good. After all, you're the one making money!" Liang Song quickly lightened up, patting Tang Yun on the back, urging, "Negotiate well with them and charge them a hefty sum!"

"Lawyers have specific fee guidelines; there's no overcharging. Moreover, the heir to Xiang Heng Group seems to have old ties with Jiang Mie," Tang Yun didn't feel like explaining further.

To better understand his client, Tang Yun searched online about Xiang Heng Group and found connections to its founder, Kuang Ji Chong, his wife Xiang Ling, and their son, Kuang Yan He.

Only his profile picture was grayed out, with no personal images uploaded. His age and educational background remained undisclosed, but he's currently serving as the CEO of Xiang Heng Group.

It seems he's following in his father's footsteps.

Tang Yun checked Weibo for "Kuang Yan He". He found him quickly, but his Weibo was quite bland, mainly reposting real estate news and sharing perplexing long-headed meetings.

Many users mentioned him on Weibo Square.

Clearly, most were Xiang Heng employees, routinely tagging him during company promotions, while others seemed like old classmates, their messages revealing a mix of reverence and flattery.

Tang Yun's scrolling fingers paused on a particular post.

Yuan Bo, a popular comedic influencer, posted: "Sheep's tail can indeed revitalize a man's vigor. Tried and tested, it works!"

But that's not the main point. The highlight is a netizen named "Happy Chunky Dude" who shared this post, tagged Kuang Yan He, and commented: "Maybe you should give this a try, might just be the thing you need."

"Pfft."

"So the young guy has some performance issues? That's unfortunate!"

Tang Yun immediately handed his phone to the person next to him.

Realizing what it was about, Liang Song burst into laughter, slapping his thigh, and remarked in a rather unkind tone: "Guess he's doomed to be a zero then!"