What Comes Around Goes Around - Chapter 15.1

“Boss…”

Sitting at his desk, Qian Heng said without even lifting his head, “There are some case materials delivered by Bai Xingmeng at the front desk. They consist of some clues about their common marital property which she has sorted out by herself. Study it first and then classify the valuable information. And also take a good look at the divorce judgments of Xu Jun and Bai Xingmeng’s case, especially those that involve anything about the division of property. An hour later, Bai Xingmeng will come here to discuss the plans for the next lawsuit. So, be prepared before coming to the conference room. “

Huh?

Cheng Yao had originally thought that Qian Heng would retaliate against her for what happened last night. But, she didn’t expect that as soon as she entered his office, he would not only not mention anything about last night but would also normally assign her work.

“Also, remember to make an extensive list of all the evidence of Xu Jun’s hidden property that we currently have.”

Cheng Yao nodded, feeling very ashamed. It seemed that she had treated a gentleman like a villain. How could a kind partner like Qian Heng calculate against a drunk newcomer!

The more she thought about it, the more Cheng Yao wanted to do something to make up for her mistakes. She glanced at Qian Heng’s handsome profile, and earnestly asked, “Boss, do you need coffee? I’ll prepare some for you.”

“No. You just need to do your job well. You don’t need to make coffee.”

“It’s okay. I used to make it for other lawyers in my previous office.”

“I don’t think making coffee is a part of the job description of a female lawyer. You are here to work as a lawyer, not to do administrative work. I hope you don’t think that helping your colleagues or boss to make coffee is something very amicable. No, it’s highly unprofessional.” Qian Heng finally raised his head this time; his eyes were cold and alienated. Even though he spoke indifferently, his tone was quite harsh. “Do you think someone would ask a male lawyer to make coffee for others? In the legal profession, both men and women are equal, and no gender is more suitable to do supplementary tasks like making coffee, printing documents, copying, or scanning. Always remember this.”

Ever since she started working after her graduation, Cheng Yao had been often sent to do such secretarial tasks both during her internship and job tenure in the last law firm. To be honest, Cheng Yao resisted it subconsciously. After all, she hadn’t attended four years of law school to do odd jobs at a law firm. 

She wanted to study and take up cases, but over time, her initial unwillingness was eventually wiped out by reality. It wasn’t until Qian Heng had mentioned this that Cheng Yao realized that she had unwittingly seemed to have acquiesced to this kind of unspoken rule of the workplace- It was always more difficult for girls to access core jobs than boys.

“I will tell Bao Rui not to always throw these secretarial jobs to you.”

Cheng Yao suddenly felt very grateful. Although Qian Heng had a bad temper and a nasty attitude, he could say something like this as a man. Because of these words, Cheng Yao was in awe of him.

“Thanks…”

“Don’t expect to pour me a cup of coffee just to imply that you are a weak woman. Such things don’t exist here. My principle has always been that men can be used as cattle while women can be used as men. And when men are not enough, then women can be also used as cattle.”¹ Qian Heng smiled, “After all, in this new era, doesn’t everyone talk about feminism? The preferential treatment of women is also another kind of discrimination.”

“…”

“If you wanted to make some coffee for me just to make amends for those things that happened last night, then there’s no need.”

Cheng Yao raised her head in surprise, wanting to thank Qian Heng for his generosity. However…

“That’s not something that can be written off just with a cup of coffee.” Qian Heng glanced at Cheng Yao, “Since we both work and live in the same place, I won’t go through the legal channels, and settle it down with you privately. I have made a list of all the financial losses that you’ve caused me and I’ve sent it to your email. So, please check it.”

Cheng Yao was shocked, “You mean, I have to compensate you with money?” She explained anxiously, “Boss, I was drunk last night. In fact, I don’t really remember what I did. I lost control of my behavior. Everything I did yesterday was just an unconscious…”

“How old are you?”

“Huh? 23 years old.”

Qian Heng pursed his lips, “Do you have any mental health problems? It’s fine even if it is intermittent.”

What problem??? Cheng Yao denied with a dazed expression, “No.”

Qian Heng snorted coldly, “If a person is eighteen years old or above and is not a mentally ill person who cannot discern his or her actions, or does not meet the criteria for a person with limited intellectual capacity, then he or she is responsible for whatever they do. Drinking does not constitute a legal reason to evade responsibility.”

“…”

Qian Heng waved his hand dismissively, “Get out.”

“…”

Just as Cheng Yao was about to walk out of the door, she heard her noble boss add, “Study more whenever you’re free. Don’t just stare at other people’s faces all the time.”

Huh?

“My face is 100% natural. Even if you see it ten thousand times, you won’t find any signs of plastic surgery.”

“…”

“Wait a minute.”

Cheng Yao:?

“Go downstairs.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Dong Min is here. Help me chase her away. Don’t let her come to my office.”

“…”

‘Hah, what a professional job!’

In any case, Cheng Yao knew she would lose money, so she was ready to court death, “Didn’t you just say that in the legal profession, women should do jobs as per their profession, not these inexplicable and irrelevant things…”

Qian Heng picked up a document from the table and threw it to Cheng Yao, “Then do something professional. This is a confidential document that is needed by a client. It is not convenient for mailing, so you’ll have to personally deliver this to the client. The address is not far away. It’s the office building opposite us.” Qian Heng smiled, “Then also chase away Dong Min on your way.”

“….”

“What are you standing there in a daze? Why aren’t you leaving?”

“…”

* * *

Cheng Yao then went out of Qian Heng’s office and sent the confidential materials to the client. She wandered outside for a while and then by acting like a smoke grenade, she successfully chased away Qian Heng’s blind admirer Dong Min before returning to the office.

In grief, Cheng Yao opened the email and saw the compensation list which almost made her faint. In addition to Bentley’s car washing and cleaning costs, she also had to compensate for Ermenegildo Zegna’s custom-made suit jacket…     

As a lawyer, Qian Heng was very meticulous. At the end of each column of loss estimates, he had attached materials that could prove the actual value and expenses of the loss, such as invoices or official website pricing. Cheng Yao looked at the string of zeros behind the first digit of the suit, only to feel immense anger.     

‘It was just going out for dinner, not a blind date. Why did you have to wear such expensive clothes!! This vicious Qian Heng! This evil capitalist! Why is there such a huge disparity between the rich and the poor in this morally bankrupt society!!‘

Cheng Yao turned her grief and anger into strength, and her work efficiency increased exponentially. She immediately prepared all the preliminary materials needed for the afternoon meeting.     

This time, Bai Xingmeng arrived on time. Today, her agent did not accompany her, and she came by herself.     

Qian Heng, professionally reported to her the current situation investigated by Jun Heng, and said straightforwardly, “Now that we have a clue about Xu Jun’s hidden property, we can file a lawsuit any time. It just depends on when you want to.”     

Bai Xingmeng paused and said decisively, “Let’s sue him now.”

“There are still two months before the statute of limitations expires. In theory, as long as the lawsuit is filed within these two months, it will be fine.” Qian Heng took a sip of his coffee. “But Xu Jun’s Tuan Tuan Online is already going through the listing process, and it is likely to be successfully listed on the Nasdaq next month. If we sue him now, it will disrupt the listing process as I will apply for a freezing injunction on his share rights. Then once the lawsuit is filed, he will definitely have to disclose this during the listing process. The unresolved judicial procedures for the property division will be like a buried landmine for his company. The investors of the company will likely reassess the risks of the company, which will create a great negative impact on the company. It may even affect the company’s listing.”

There were no fluctuations in Bai Xingmeng’s expression as she quietly looked at Qian Heng.

“If you are willing to wait, Tuan Tuan Online will be successfully listed on Nasdaq next month. So if you sue then, the property you can apply for the division will be directly doubled. In other words, if you sue in a month, my lawyer’s fee will also multiply by several times.” Qian Heng pursed his lips and said with a serious and steady attitude, “But as a lawyer, I respect the choices of my client and I also take account of all the possible outcomes of the legal measures we can take. I can only hope that you make the best decision for yourself with a full understanding.”

Logically, this was a very good plan. After all, what Bai Xingmeng only had to do was wait for a month. After this, if Tuan Tuan gets successfully listed, then the money she would get would be incomparable to the current arrangement, and if Tuan Tuan does not get listed in a month, it still won’t be too late to file a lawsuit.

However, Bai Xingmeng’s answer surprised Cheng Yao.

Her attitude was resolute, “I will sue now.”

“Okay.” Qian Heng said plainly. There wasn’t even a twinge of curiosity in his tone. He didn’t ask much, just turned his head and looked at Cheng Yao, “Cheng Yao, I have a video conference later, so you and Miss Bai check the evidence list.” Then he looked at Bai Xingmeng, “Miss Bai if you have any questions, you can directly communicate with Lawyer Cheng. I will excuse myself first.”

1. What he means there is that his driving principle is based on the idea that men are to do the work of cattle (rough or menial jobs that need more hard work) and women to do the work of men (physical work that can be done without much qualification) and when there are not enough men at hand, women can also be employed to do the work of ‘cattle’. So in simpler words, he doesn’t care about the gender of a person.  If he wants work done, he expects it to be done without expecting any pity or respect from him. Thank you Yao Ran for helping me understand this context.