A wise person does not fall in love.

Chapter 7

The day before the Financial Law and Business Forum, Guan Lan received the meeting schedule.

At that time, she had just finished a court session and, as she turned on her phone, it buzzed incessantly with incoming messages and emails.

The letter was from Dean He Xianfeng of the law school, informing her that her lecture was scheduled for the third slot on the first evening, followed by a dinner and cocktail reception.

The theme of this forum was "The New Landscape and Perspectives of Family Offices," which essentially dealt with issues related to marriage, divorce, trusts, and inheritance for the wealthy. Her lecture topic was "The Division of Responsibilities Between Corporate Counsel and Family Lawyers," and her name was listed as Ms. Guan Lan from A City Political Law University. The organizers seemed to think her title of "lecturer" wasn’t impressive enough, so they used the more ambiguous term "Ms."

She called back to confirm the timing and said, “The lecture is fine, but I might skip the reception afterward.”

Dean He Xianfeng responded with a smile, “Do you have something else that evening? Children, or a case outside?”

His question made it difficult for Guan Lan to answer. There had been voices in the department suggesting that she often had personal issues—whether it was her elder’s illness, her child’s school problems, or frequent absences from meetings due to her** work.

While it was allowed for law professors to do** work as lawyers, in reality, it was mostly professors and associate professors who did so. As a junior lecturer, she had to be discreet and low-key.

Fortunately, Dean He Xianfeng, who had always been supportive of her, had never put her in a difficult position and was now actively addressing the matter. He said, “Is it because of the last incident?”

Guan Lan smiled softly, not needing to elaborate.

On the other end of the phone, Dean He Xianfeng paused and continued gently, “The old lawyers in the Bar Association do have some outdated habits. But you should not assume that working at a university means you can remain in an ivory tower. You need to learn to handle these public matters. Otherwise, with so many young teachers, why would anyone pay more attention to you or give you an opportunity?”

Guan Lan remained silent, thinking to herself, "Isn’t it because of my abilities?"

Dean He Xianfeng seemed to sense her thoughts and continued, “You are one of my protégés. I know your educational background and abilities. You are among the best in the department. Given the current situation, you don’t need to be anxious; I’m anxious for you. This seminar aligns perfectly with your research direction. Use this opportunity to perform well, and finding a law firm to collaborate with will be easy. It’s much better than taking on small cases one by one. Also, with the new academic year approaching, you’ll need to prepare for the promotion review…”

Guan Lan wanted to ask what this “absolute advantage” was, but she took a deep breath and replied, “Understood, Dean He. I will do my best.”

After hanging up, she checked her phone again. The remaining messages were mostly from clients inquiring about her cases. She responded to each one.

The last few messages were from a student.

The student, named Zhang Jingran, who had a good relationship with her, sent a cheerful message: “Professor Guan, I have good news! Last year, someone reported you for taking cases outside affecting your classes. This year, your teaching evaluation was the highest in the department. The promotion is secured!”

Guan Lan chuckled. The “promotion certificate,” a red book for senior titles, was now even known to students.

She replied on WeChat, “Where did you hear this?”

Zhang Jingran quickly responded, “I saw it at the department office today.”

Guan Lan felt a tinge of self-mockery. Even a third-year student knew more than she did. She replied, “Don’t worry about me. How’s your internship at Zhicheng going?”

Zhang Jingran: “Busy as hell, plus preparing for the bar exam and LSAT.”

Guan Lan: “Decided to go abroad? Are you applying to the same school as your economics boyfriend?”

Zhang Jingran sent a disdainful emoji followed by, “Who’s he?”

Guan Lan smiled, self-mocking once more. Today’s kids were indeed smarter than her past self.

Putting down her phone, she left the courthouse and drove to pick up her daughter Li Erya from her mother Chen Minli’s place. It was dusk, and the city lights were just starting to shine. Her gray-green Skoda blended into the traffic, a tiny grain of sand moving through the city’s glow.

As she turned into the residential area where her mother lived, it was already dark. She found a place to park and, with her hand on the car door, hesitated before opening it. She sat in the dark for a moment, reflecting on Zhang Jingran’s last comment: “Who’s he?”

In that instant, Guan Lan wondered where she would be now if she had had this awareness back then. What would she be doing?

The forum was held in a scenic area next to the South Suburb University Town.

Qi Song parked his car in the parking lot outside the scenic area, just across the street from the law school he was once familiar with.

From the car window, he saw Jiang Yuan arriving as well, getting out of a Honda Odyssey. As he walked toward him, Jiang Yuan said with a sarcastic tone, “Being single is really the best! Unlike me, only fit to drive a family car. On weekends, I can’t even take my son to his interest classes and have to ask my wife for time off just to come out. It’s like I’m sneaking out for fun, even though it’s a task assigned by the firm.”

Qi Song smiled and got out of the car, walking with him toward the dock.

Jiang Yuan continued, “Actually, I’ve been thinking about changing my car lately—looked at Porsches first, then settled for a Tesla. But then I thought about the mortgage and the kids’ expenses. Forget it. I’ll just get a new set of tires and make do with it for another year. Unlike you, who are so wise. I haven’t earned enough, and the family expenses are already maxed out. The old adage of getting married before establishing a career is just outdated nonsense.”

Qi Song just smiled, not engaging further. He had heard this kind of talk many times before.

Jiang Yuan, only a year older than Qi Song, married early at twenty-seven to a high school classmate. They were each other’s first love. Now, they had completed their task of having two children—a six-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. His wife stayed at home full-time to manage the household and raise the children.

Perhaps due to the stress, Jiang Yuan showed signs of a midlife crisis early on. He envied Qi Song’s single life, where he could enjoy things without worrying about family expenses, buying cars he liked, and choosing houses without considering the number of bedrooms or proximity to good schools. Unlike him, who had just bought a 400-square-meter villa with gardens in front and back, five suites, and eight bathrooms, with a mortgage of 128,000 a month. Last year, he paid a sponsorship fee to get his eldest child into Baoyu Gang School and was now looking for connections to get his younger child into Song Qingling School. Routine expenses for dental care and eye exams also amounted to tens of thousands.

To others, this might sound like whining or boasting. Only Qi Song saw his genuine struggle, hard to imagine why anyone would willingly live such a life, constantly surrounded by noise, with no moments of peace. He almost felt like patting his heart, relieved that he had not fallen into such a gentle trap.

Arriving at the dock, they were greeted by the hotel’s steward, who ushered them onto a small yacht. They settled into the cabin, and after a short wait, the engine roared to life, and the yacht set off into the wetlands.

As they talked about work, Qi Song joined in and teased, “When you strike it rich, don’t forget to bring me along.”

“This year, with the market being this terrible, how can anyone get rich?” Jiang Yuan began his latest round of complaints. “The nine major investment banks have already released their Q2 performance. The performance of the mergers and acquisitions and capital markets departments is similar to Q1, down more than seventy percent from last year. IPOs are practically in free fall. They’re all relying on S&T and commodities to make money in the secondary market. Our law firm is down the food chain. In the first half of the year, the billable hours for my team members were only in the teens per month.”