Chapter 70

Chapter 70

◎ "I want to try being a hero in my own world." ◎

Previously, Shen Ruzhen had always returned to the small world very early, which meant many vacation days went unused. However, those days were carried over as compensatory time.

When Shen Ruzhen checked, she was astonished to discover she had a full ten-plus days of unused vacation time!

To prevent any complications, she resolved to clear her vacation balance.

As a workaholic, the only way Shen Ruzhen could imagine using her vacation was—naturally—to work!

She meticulously reviewed her to-do list, then held several quick meetings with her assistant, successfully filling her vacation schedule to the brim with work!

In addition to filing and handling cases, she also had several court hearings to attend.

The first hearing was a civil dispute case. The case itself wasn’t complicated, but after over an hour in court, as Shen Ruzhen exited the courthouse, she was intercepted by a reporter.

Shen Ruzhen politely waved her hand: "I’m sorry, but the information regarding this case concerns client privacy and cannot be disclosed publicly..."

The reporter, however, said: "It’s alright, Miss Shen. This interview is about you."

"About me?" Shen Ruzhen was taken aback.

The moment she noticed the reporter’s unwavering gaze, her immediate feeling was one of utter absurdity.

Interview her? What kind of joke was this?

If this were the small world, it might be understandable, given her considerable reputation there.

But this was the real world. What possible reason could there be to interview her?

"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

The reporter said: "Miss Shen Ruzhen, I’d like to understand your relationship with Lawyer Chen Lun."

At these words, Shen Ruzhen’s expression turned completely cold.

She turned to leave: "I have no comment."

"Lawyer Shen," the reporter persisted, blocking her path: "It’s rumored that you and Lawyer Chen Lun have an inappropriate personal relationship. Given that Lawyer Chen is already married, how do you view this relationship?"

"It’s also said that you left Lawyer Chen Lun’s team because of problems in your relationship with him. Is that true?"

"What exactly went wrong between the two of you?"

Shen Ruzhen had intended to simply walk past him, but she hadn’t anticipated that several other reporters, who usually waited near the courthouse for big scoops, were also nearby. The moment they saw Shen Ruzhen being confronted with a microphone, they swarmed around her like bees, their curiosity piqued, instantly blocking her escape route.

Shen Ruzhen was almost amused by the absurdity, unable to believe her bad luck today.

Suddenly, several microphones were thrust in front of her face. White flashes occasionally stung her eyes; she knew the reporters were recording, perhaps even live-streaming...

In her extreme frustration, Shen Ruzhen forced herself to calm down and think of a way to escape.

"I’m sorry, I have work later and no time for an interview..." Halfway through her excuse, Shen Ruzhen stopped herself.

She suddenly, inexplicably, recalled something Cheng Yan had said not long ago: "Lawyer Shen, you must believe in yourself. You’ve already changed so many things, altered the fates of so many people. I believe you can change even more."

At the time, she had simply taken it as ordinary encouragement.

But now...

Was this an opportunity for change?

Shen Ruzhen composed herself, looking at the reporters eager for a big story.

Her voice rang out clearly for everyone to hear: "Can you guarantee that everything I say next will not be maliciously edited or taken out of context?"

The reporters, who had initially been disappointed, widened their eyes at her words, their expressions gleaming with anticipation. They quickly promised: "Yes!" "I’m live right now! We will absolutely not edit it!"

"Very well." Shen Ruzhen no longer hesitated. She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them, her gaze now incredibly clear and resolute, as if bidding a grand farewell to her past timid self.

Her voice rang out firmly before everyone: "There is no personal relationship between me and Chen Lun."

Hearing this, the reporters collectively sighed in disappointment.

"However, Chen Lun spread these rumors because he had ulterior motives; he wanted to conceal the real reason I parted ways with him."

The reporters’ eyes widened at this thunderous news.

Ulterior motives? Concealing the real reason?

This sounded far more explosive than the original gossip!

After all, who was Chen Lun?

A prominent figure in the legal world, he had not only won dozens of high-profile cases but had also contributed to the compilation of numerous legal textbooks. He was practically a dual titan in both legal academia and practice, the "white moonlight" (idealized figure) for countless law students and professionals.

Could this seemingly small, unknown lawyer possibly reveal damaging information about him?

Under the weight of everyone’s skeptical gazes, Shen Ruzhen still spoke: "I am formally accusing Lawyer Chen Lun of allegedly accepting bribes from clients in multiple previous cases, bribing prosecutors and judges, leaking confidential information to opposing parties, and infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of our clients."

Countless camera flashes illuminated Shen Ruzhen’s face, but her expression remained resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

"Our differing philosophies—that is the true reason I left his team."

......

In the age of the internet, her interview content spread like wildfire, reaching countless households in a very short time and topping the trending charts on various social media platforms.

The first call she received was from Wei Xin, a former colleague who had worked with Shen Ruzhen in Chen Lun’s team and, unlike Shen Ruzhen, still remained with the team.

Wei Xin lowered her voice: "Ruzhen, have you gone mad? Lawyer Chen is furious. Do you know what price you’ll pay for provoking him...?"

Shen Ruzhen calmly replied: "I haven’t gone mad."

"I just don’t want to keep making mistakes."

Wei Xin: "You..." She was suddenly touched by those words.

Shen Ruzhen: "Wei Xin, do you remember our original aspirations when we first became lawyers?"

Wei Xin gave a bitter laugh: "But aspirations don’t put food on the table."

Shen Ruzhen sighed: "Yes, aspirations don’t put food on the table, but if we abandon our aspirations, why should we even pursue a career in law? In this day and age, if it were just about making a living, we have so many other paths we could take, so many other industries we could choose."

"If I recall correctly, you were the top scorer in the province. You could have chosen finance or computer science, entered those industries and made a lot of money. So why did you specifically choose law?"

"I..."

"The path of law is so arduous, with few succeeding. If we give up our aspirations just to make a living, does that truly honor all the effort we’ve put in along the way?"

Wei Xin’s voice choked with emotion: "In high school Chinese class, I read a wonderful line: ‘To establish a moral compass for the world, to secure the welfare of the people.’ At that time, I thought if I studied law, perhaps I could achieve such a purpose in life."

Shen Ruzhen’s voice carried a strange magic that brought tears to Wei Xin’s eyes: "Someone told me I must believe in myself, that I could change so many things."

"But I know I’ve failed her words. In her world, I stood tall as a hero, but in my own world, I was just a weak clown."

Shen Ruzhen sighed softly.

"But this time, I want to try—to be a hero in my own world."

[Author's Note]

Good night! [kiss]