Chapter 9: Humiliation

Gu Sheng had been beautiful since childhood. Even though she had become gaunt and malnourished over time, when she lifted her head to look at someone, her eyes still shone with an extraordinary brightness.

“Not bad,” He Wenzhou replied when asked. His gaze briefly flicked toward the two people entangled ahead, then he lowered his brows and cast a measured look, his dark eyes inscrutable as he appraised her with a hint of curiosity. “I think you’re quite interesting.”

Gu Sheng thought he was mocking her. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, said nothing, and reached out to hail a taxi on the street.

Tonight’s ultimate goal was still to get the creditor home safely.

But before a car could be summoned, there was a sudden sharp snap against the back of Gu Sheng’s hand. Startled, she looked up to see the culprit tossing a set of car keys toward her. Reflexively, she bent down to pick them up.

“What are you doing standing there like an idiot?” He Wenzhou sneered. “Did you think I called you over to hail a cab because I don’t have hands?”

His words were cutting.

Clutching the keys, Gu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then recalled that He Wenzhou had earlier asked if she could drive.

So he had called her all the way here to be his driver.

Pride can be fleeting when one’s pockets are empty. Gu Sheng thought he could have easily hired a professional chauffeur, yet he had chosen to spend money to inconvenience her instead.

Still, having received two hundred and fifty yuan was pure profit for her, so she kept quiet, bowing her head meekly as she followed He Wenzhou into an outrageously expensive black Jeep. The vehicle was nearly as tall as a person, making her hands tremble slightly as she started the engine. She couldn’t help but marvel at how He Wenzhou had swapped two cars in a single day—his wealth was indeed a mystery.

In the end, though, He Wenzhou did call a chauffeur to drive them back. His excuse was that seeing Gu Sheng confuse the brake and accelerator made him doubt the legitimacy of her driver’s license, and he feared she might crash the car deliberately to avoid repaying the debt.

Forget it.

Not worth the risk.

Gu Sheng felt deeply wronged by his accusations and explained that she simply hadn’t driven in a long time and was a bit rusty.

But He Wenzhou dismissed her words as mere excuses.

Once inside the car, Gu Sheng instinctively sat in the front passenger seat, leaving the entire back row for He Wenzhou to lie down comfortably and sober up. The chauffeur followed the navigation silently, and the enclosed cabin fell into a heavy silence.

The atmosphere grew bleak.

Leaning against the corner, Gu Sheng considered that she barely knew He Wenzhou and, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have gotten into this car at all. But fate had intertwined their debts, and she couldn’t refuse his demand. She tried several times to start a casual conversation but found nothing to say, so she remained quiet the entire way.

Now and then, she glanced out at the swirling night, and her eyes would inadvertently catch He Wenzhou’s dark, shadowed gaze reflected in the rearview mirror. His eyes were dim yet sharp, as if scrutinizing her.

More like an examination.

Gu Sheng believed she had not offended him all day, yet being stared at so intently made her uneasy. She whispered softly, “He Lu…”

After a long pause, a low voice came from the shadowy back seat. “Hmm?”

Seeing he gave no sign of opening up, Gu Sheng took a deep breath and asked directly, “What are you looking at?”

He Wenzhou’s reply was blunt: “You.”

Gu Sheng was taken aback, but his tone was flat, emotionless, cold and hard, without a trace of anything else.

It was like being interrogated.

She found herself at a loss for words until He Wenzhou’s mood seemed to lighten, his voice lifting at the end. “Why stop asking?”

Caught off guard, Gu Sheng opened her mouth but couldn’t find a response.

He Wenzhou pressed on. “Nothing you want to say to me?”

Biting her lip, Gu Sheng racked her brain, initially thinking he was referring to the incident outside the club.

It’s said that one should be polite and grateful, especially when dealing with a big creditor like He Wenzhou who seldom makes a move. Gu Sheng quickly understood and turned her head slightly, offering a sincere thanks, “Thank you, He Lu, for rescuing me just now and lending me a hand.”

Her legs were unsteady. Without He Wenzhou, she would have fallen terribly in front of that couple.

When he didn’t respond, Gu Sheng thought her flattery was too faint, but a snort came from behind.

“Forget it. I hate empty flattery the most.” He Wenzhou gave her a half-hearted glance. “If you really mean it, it’s better to pay back the debt sooner rather than later. When the money and goods are settled, water under the bridge—that’s more important than anything else.”

Gu Sheng was silenced by his sharp words.

She had sincerely wanted to thank him, but his biting tongue left her speechless.

After a pause, Gu Sheng raised her brow, her dry eyes filled with earnest straightforwardness. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay it back as soon as I can.”

After all, He Wenzhou was infamous for recognizing money but not people.

Repaying the debt was the most practical thing.

Yet the car fell silent again on the return journey.

After a long while, as the vehicle smoothly rounded a bend onto a flat road, He Wenzhou slowly lifted his eyelids and glanced at Gu Sheng’s tousled short hair. Suddenly, he asked, “There’s something I’m curious about and want to ask you.”

“Hm?” Gu Sheng looked up in surprise, meeting his gaze through the rearview mirror. “What is it?”

He Wenzhou asked with a hint of puzzlement, “Why did you become a lawyer?”

He wasn’t asking about the word itself but probing her resolve in the profession.

Gu Sheng was momentarily stunned. After some thought, she answered succinctly and earnestly, “To pursue justice.”

Those four words carried immense meaning.

To uphold justice, to help the weak, to maintain fairness and righteousness between society and the people… Each was a responsibility and obligation inherent in the profession, making this pursuit especially steadfast and weighty.

This was likely the original aspiration and dream of every practitioner.

He Wenzhou raised an eyebrow, his meaning unclear. “Not bad.”

After a pause, he asked again, “Do you still remember the oath you took when you started practicing?”

“I do.”

He Wenzhou’s gaze darkened, leaving no room for negotiation. “Recite it.”

Seeing He Wenzhou serious as if he were an examiner, Gu Sheng furrowed her brow in confusion and began hesitantly, “I shall wield the law as my sword to defend justice, determined to reveal the truth and fear no power, I…”

At that point, she seemed to realize something and stiffened, as if her tongue had been caught, choking on the words.

“Fear no power…”

Gu Sheng nervously looked up, meeting those mocking eyes reflected in the rearview mirror and instantly grasped his intention.

“Since you remember,” he narrowed his eyes and suddenly smiled, “why did you take the blame for Zhao Qinglang?”

He Wenzhou’s straightforward question drained the color from Gu Sheng’s face. Even the chauffeur’s glance toward her changed.

Taking the blame for someone else was also illegal.

Gu Sheng felt as if her throat was being strangled. She opened her mouth but struggled to speak, “It’s not like that…”

But she couldn’t find a reason.

While Gu Sheng remained painfully silent, the car steadily pulled up outside the gate of a luxury residential complex.

They had arrived.

As the car stopped, Gu Sheng trembled, followed by He Wenzhou’s unabashed mockery.

“You don’t even have your original intention, Lawyer Gu…” He raised the corner of his eye impatiently, deliberately using the term to irk her. “Someone as reckless as you would do well to cling to the Zhao family’s branches early on. Don’t let a mistress or other women cloud your judgment and end up empty-handed. That would be such a waste of effort…”

“Tsk tsk.”

“All for nothing.”