A Tough Fate to Crack

The next day.

October 2.

At eight in the morning, Xu De got up early, washed, ate breakfast, and prepared to leave for work.

Back in the grind after so long, he couldn't help feeling a little wistful.

There was something almost nostalgic about being ordered around and worked like an ox. But if he had to live that way for good... no, Xu De definitely wouldn't stand for it.

"I need to get my own law firm up and running soon."

Xu De firmed up his resolve.

A law firm wasn't a one-man shop.

In 2002, solo law practices weren't yet an option. He could only set up a partnership, and that required at least three lawyers. In other words, he still needed to find two more people...

"Oh, right. The leftovers."

Just before leaving, Xu De remembered something. He opened the door again and took a pile of food from the fridge.

He put it in a plastic bag, then carried it outside.

The chill had yet to leave the streets at eight o'clock.

Most pedestrians walked alone in silence. White steam still rose from the breakfast stalls along the roadside, and cars streamed past.

Xu De wove through the crowd. When he reached the mouth of an alley...

He caught a glimpse of someone huddled in a corner at the far end.

The figure was painfully thin, all skin and bones. Their flimsy clothes were filthy, their hair was matted, and the sunken eyes beneath it were full of wariness.

Crouched there with their back hunched, they looked less like a person than a wary stray dog.

Xu De meant to approach, but after two steps, surprise flashed in his eyes.

"There's someone else here?"

A... woman was crouching in front of the little beggar.

That was why the child looked so wary.

"Are you going to eat it? It'll get cold soon."

The woman was dressed simply, in a white shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. She spoke to the beggar as she held out the breakfast she'd bought.

The beggar looked about sixteen. Instead of taking it, the child grew even more guarded and quietly edged back a step.

The woman looked puzzled.

Then...

"Ahem!"

At the sound behind her, Lin Yue rose onto her toes and turned her head while still crouching.

Xu De stood at the alley entrance, clearing his throat at the beggar.

Lin Yue saw the food he was carrying and immediately understood that he had come for the same reason she had. She offered a kind warning:

"He seems a little timid. You..."

Before she could finish, a dark figure darted past her and trudged reluctantly up to Xu De.

Surprise appeared in Lin Yue's eyes. She was about to speak, but when she saw what Xu De did next, she stared in disbelief.

He said...

"Squat."

Xu De made a gesture as he spoke to the child.

Defiance showed in the child's eyes, but at the sight of the hot food, the child swallowed and obediently squatted.

"Turn around," Xu De added.

The scavenging child looked humiliated but still spun around on the spot while squatting.

Satisfied, Xu De held out his hand. "Go ahead and eat."

Only then did the child take the leftovers, shooting him an aggrieved look.

The child was about to leave when Xu De called him back. His face was stern.

"Did you say thank you?"

The scavenging boy's face stiffened slightly. "Th-thank you!"

His voice was a little hoarse, but still young.

Then he turned and ran far away.

With the food delivered, Xu De was about to leave, but someone called out to him.

"Do you know that child?"

Lin Yue stared at him wide-eyed, disbelief and a strange look on her face.

Only then did Xu De look at her. With one glance... he paused.

Though he'd lived two lifetimes, he couldn't deny it: the young woman before him was strikingly beautiful.

Willow-leaf brows, cherry-red lips, skin like jade...

She had pinned her hair up in a bun, though the style looked less ordinary than something a Taoist priest might wear.

At the moment, her lovely eyes were full of curiosity.

"What you did just now..."

Lin Yue hesitated. To be honest, she'd thought Xu De looked a little like he was playing with a pet...

Xu De came back to himself and steadied his thoughts. "I don't know him. I've just seen him a few times."

Lin Yue didn't believe him. She'd approached the child several times herself, but each time he'd fled before she could get close. He was extremely alert!

After a moment's thought, she asked curiously, "Why isn't he afraid of you?"

"Maybe he hates me," Xu De said.

"Hates you?" Lin Yue stood up, looking doubtful. "If he hates you, why would he come near you?"

"Because he needs to eat to survive."

Xu De went on to explain:

"He isn't stupid. He won't trust kindness that comes out of nowhere. But if I make him do tricks for my amusement... he'll assume that's all I want, rather than suspect some other motive."

Sometimes, too much courtesy and politeness didn't bring people closer.

A deep friendship between two men, for instance, might begin with an offhand insult.

"I see!"

Lin Yue struck her left palm with her right fist, understanding dawning.

"You were too polite, so he thought you wanted something from him," Xu De explained. "Next time you want to feed him, just have him spin a couple of times or perform some little trick."

"Or..."

It wasn't often Xu De met someone else who liked feeding strays, so he freely shared what he'd learned.

By the time he finished,

Lin Yue found him stranger than ever.

Still, there was admiration in her eyes. She glanced at his suit, then at the employee badge on his chest.

"You're a lawyer?" she asked curiously. "What kind of cases do you handle? Criminal or civil?"

Xu De frowned slightly. She was being rather familiar.

They'd only just met, so he gave an evasive answer. "I'm a model of professional ethics in the field of law."

Lin Yue: ?

A lawyer who was a model of ethics...

Lin Yue gave him an odd look. Thinking back to his "feeding procedure," she felt it had less to do with ethics than with a mischievous streak.

"What about you?" Xu De asked. "Are you a Taoist priest?"

"Half right. I'm not just a Taoist priest."

Lin Yue nodded.

Xu De glanced at the bun held in place by a hairpin. His interest piqued, he folded his arms.

"And how should I address you, Taoist master?"

"You can call me..."

Lin Yue hadn't intended to hide it, but the words stopped on her lips.

He'd deliberately avoided giving his name, after all, and fed her that line about being a model of ethics...

After a long moment of thought,

Lin Yue had an idea.

She suddenly straightened, the plain white shirt across her chest shifting slightly. Then she declared:

"You can call me..."

"The Nine Heavens Flying Dragon, Jade-Faced Thunder Primordial Lord Who Universally Transforms All Living Beings, Subdues Demons, and Grants Ten Thousand Years of Life."

Xu De: ?

"Just how tough is her fate... to bear a name like that?"

Nine in the morning.

Inside Jinmao Law Firm.

Xu De had left the alley and arrived at the time clock right on schedule. Even as he clocked in, his mind kept returning to the woman in the alley who had left him speechless.

The thought of her still amazed him.

A name that long...

Could her fate really withstand it?

"Forget it. I fobbed her off when she asked about me, so it's only fair she did the same."

As Xu De thought this, he entered the main office.

He was about to head to his desk when suddenly...

"Ah, Lawyer Xu! There you are. I've been waiting for you. Hold on a moment!"

Xu De stopped and turned.

Sun Hao, dressed in a suit, rose from one side of the office with a beaming smile and walked slowly toward him.

That smile... it was a fox paying a friendly visit to the henhouse. Nothing good could come of it!

That was what Xu De thought, though he kept his expression neutral. "What can I do for you, Team Leader Sun?"

"Something good, of course!"

Sun Hao came up beside Xu De, still smiling, then changed tack.

"Didn't you say you wanted more cases to boost your numbers, Lawyer Xu?"

"And yesterday, you resolved that tricky special consultation for Client 103 in no time. You showed everyone what a top graduate can do!"

"As it happens, the firm has just assigned our team a criminal case."

"What perfect timing!"

Sun Hao smiled as though he genuinely had Xu De's interests at heart and said casually,

"So I gave the case to you straightaway."

"What do you think?"

"Think you can handle it?"