A wise person does not fall in love.

Chapter 4

Seeing Yang Jiali like this, Qi Song comforted him, “Don’t think too much about it. We had a bad hand this time, and the opponent was a seasoned pro. Losing to her isn't disgraceful.”

Yang Jiali felt ashamed, likely recalling his earlier judgment of Guan Lan—a woman, a lecturer at a law school, a part-time lawyer registered at a small firm.

Qi Song was not good at this kind of interaction. Seeing Yang Jiali's reaction, he realized his comfort might have been misplaced, so he added a few more words: “You came from non-litigation work, right?”

“Yes,” Yang Jiali replied, “I used to be in Lawyer Jiang’s group.”

“How long have you been in the litigation group?” Qi Song asked, understanding why this case ended up in Yang Jiali’s hands.

“I transferred during my internship. It’s been about three years now.”

Qi Song chose his words carefully, reminding him, “Don’t think that only criminal defense lawyers face risks. In civil and commercial cases, clients rarely tell the truth. If a lawyer isn’t careful, they might be involved in fraudulent litigation. Even if you don’t go to jail, you could lose your license. Cases and money are secondary; you must protect yourself first.”

Yang Jiali was surprised that Qi Song would say such things to him. After all, Qi Song was notorious for being a tough partner in the litigation group and throughout the entire firm.

“And,” Qi Song continued, “remember, not all judgments are published online. A part-time lawyer with few records might still be a battle-hardened veteran.”

“I understand,” Yang Jiali replied earnestly, “I’ll thoroughly review this case when I get back. Thank you, Lawyer Qi.”

Qi Song nodded, feeling he should pat the young man on the shoulder but ultimately not comfortable with physical contact, refrained.

He never liked such moments. Even when Wang Qian treated him this way in the past, he felt grateful, flattered, and greatly benefited but still found it awkward. The only reason he started this conversation was that Wang Qian mentioned during the mid-year review: “Qi Song, you should spend some effort mentoring the younger ones. Don’t always be so solitary.” Now he could use this as an example in the next review. He had done some mentoring.

After their conversation, Yang Jiali bid him farewell and got into his car.

Qi Song also got into his car, which had been baking under the sun all afternoon, making the interior scorching hot. He started the engine and turned the air conditioning to maximum. Through the window, he saw that Guan Lan’s gray-green Skoda was still parked there. With the stark contrast between the inside and outside, the steam rising from the hood, and the reflection off the windshield, he couldn’t see clearly. He only knew she was sitting in the driver’s seat, unmoving, perhaps closing her eyes to wait for the air conditioning to cool down or even falling asleep.

He told Yang Jiali to go ahead, saying he needed to reply to an email, and waited in his car for a while, wondering whether to go and wake her up. But in just a few moments, she woke up, seemingly stirred by her phone, took a moment, and answered it.

Busy with work, Qi Song thought, smiling quietly as he drove away.

When he reached the market entrance, he found it blocked. A truck unloading goods had broken down and was waiting for a tow, unable to move for a while. The manager directed him to another exit, so he turned around and drove that way.

After passing a commercial-residential building, he could see the exit, but a minivan approached from the opposite direction. The man inside, shirtless and sweaty, stuck out his dark arm and half of his shoulder, shouting at Qi Song, “What’s wrong with you?! Can’t you see this is an entrance?! You’re driving the wrong way!”

Qi Song rolled down his window, his speed slow but his tone calm and unhurried as he explained, “There’s a breakdown up ahead. We have to go out through the entrance. You shouldn’t drive that way.”

The man in the minivan, ready for a fight, was taken aback and mumbled a response before asking, “So what now? The road outside is packed. How do you expect me to back out?” His tone was still aggressive, as if it were all Qi Song’s fault.

Anyone else might have had a few sharp words, but Qi Song maintained his calm demeanor. Lowering his window further, he leaned out to check. The place was narrow, now occupied by a fully loaded vehicle with just enough space for one car to pass. Only a small open area around a corner ten meters behind his side could be used. He pointed to it and said, “I’ll back up a bit so you can turn around there.”

Only then did he notice Guan Lan’s Skoda behind him. Judging by the car’s model, it seemed quite old, probably without a backup camera. Qi Song wondered if she could manage it. But before he could say anything, the Skoda had already shifted into reverse, maneuvering steadily into the small space, demonstrating perfect harmony between driver and car.

Watching in his rearview mirror, Qi Song found it amusing that he had doubted her abilities. She was certainly capable, just as she had proven herself in this case—a seasoned professional.

With the path cleared, the man in the minivan seemed slightly apologetic, nodding at Qi Song and mumbling something indistinct before driving off.

Qi Song and Guan Lan were the only ones left, driving their separate ways from the parking lot—one heading north, the other south, gradually drifting apart.

That evening, Guan Lan communicated the case’s outcome with Xu Mo and then had a video call with Zhao Rui. Xu Mo was a client introduced by Zhao Rui, so it was an update of sorts.

After hearing the details, Zhao Rui exclaimed, “You managed to get so much money back for Xu Mo. How much did you charge for your legal fees?”

Guan Lan replied, “It’s still based on the original agreement.”

Zhao Rui felt it was unfair for her and said, “I’m not that close to Xu Mo, but I referred her to you because you needed the money urgently. You shouldn’t hold back.”

Guan Lan laughed, “The agreement was signed that way. If we lost the case and got nothing, would I have to return the fees?”

“But you won, didn’t you?”

“Mediation doesn’t count as a win or loss.”

“Oh, you saint,” Zhao Rui laughed as usual. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for money.”

“It’s already a lot,” Guan Lan reassured, “Besides, some things I, as a lawyer, shouldn’t say directly. Xu Mo was smart and found the evidence herself.”

“What things? How did she find it? Tell me,” Zhao Rui was curious.

Guan Lan smiled and refused, “Your marriage is happy, you don’t need it. And I can’t tell you, it’s a professional ethics thing.”

Zhao Rui sighed, “If I’d known, I should have referred her to you during her divorce.”

Guan Lan smiled, having heard such remarks many times. All lawsuits stemmed from past mistakes, and by the time it reached litigation, there were no real winners.

“Which lawyer did Zhicheng send?” Zhao Rui asked.

“Yang Jiali and Qi Song. Do you know them?” Guan Lan pulled out a business card and reported the names. Zhao Rui had worked in HR at Zhicheng before moving to another firm, so she knew many lawyers in the field.

“I don’t know this Yang guy, probably new. But Qi Song,” Zhao Rui laughed, “What did you think of him?”

“He’s quite clean,” Guan Lan said.

“Yeah, true,” Zhao Rui reminisced, “When I was at Zhicheng, they used his photo for the firm’s dress code poster. Those posters featured the best-looking guys and girls from each year…”

Guan Lan laughed and explained, “I meant their style is quite clean.”

“What style?” Zhao Rui didn’t understand.

“The way they handled the case,” Guan Lan replied. “The matter itself was messy, but their approach was clean, strictly following the rules, without resorting to trickery even when things looked unfavorable.”

“Oh…” Zhao Rui was less interested in that. “I meant, what did you think of him as a person?”

Guan Lan thought for a moment, recalling that he barely spoke in the mediation room. He wore a suit in 40-degree weather, had glasses, thin and long eyes with single eyelids. The lower half of his face was obscured by the mask.