âBut she can beat people up.â Ji Lin said calmly, âLater on, she will definitely abuse you domestically. I donât want me to have to advocate for you in the future for personal injury lawsuits. Youâd better calm down and donât give up your principles for food, donât you always like gentle girls?â
When it came to the value of Bai Duanduanâs strength, Rong Sheng really fell into contemplation, âWhat you said makes senseâ¦â But he said reluctantly, âI donât care if I canât eat, but when I think of her making food for Lin Hui in the future, Iâm not happy.â
Rong Sheng stroked his chin. As soon as he saw Bai Duanduan walking back not far away, he lowered his voice and said to Ji Lin, âForget it, you wait for me to find out the truth.â
When Bai Duanduan returned from the toilet, she felt that the atmosphere between Rong Sheng and Ji Lin was strange. Rong Sheng seemed to be in high spirits, while Ji Lin was a bit pale, and she didnât know if the two had quarreled after she left.
The inexplicable question from Rong Sheng afterwards reinforced Bai Duanduanâs suspicions â
They must have really quarrelled!
After all, Rongshengâs question was both abrupt and completely out of context, and seemed as if he was trying to forcibly change the subjectââ
âLawyer Bai, Iâm just curious to ask, you and Lin Hui, that⦠have you⦠reconciled recently?â
Rong Sheng looked carefully worded and seemed cautious, yet Bai Duanduan still keenly sensed his embarrassment and concern for Ji Lin, and all right, it was 100% certain that this was indeed Rong Shengâs attempt to change the subject.
Although she didnât expect how Rong Sheng knew about the fact that he and Lin Hui had a falling out and that the relationship had recently eased up again, Bai Duanduan thought about it and thoughtfully cooperated with Rong Sheng, âYes, itâs not as tense as before, and the relationship has eased up a bit.â
Unfortunately, her words seemed to do little to divert the awkward atmosphere between Rong Sheng and Ji Lin, because as soon as her words left her mouth, Bai Duanduan noticed that Ji Linâs face grew a few shades darker, and Rong Shengâs face showed the tension of a great enemy.
âDidnât you guys feel like you were all dead to each other before? How come things have eased up again?â
Bai Duanduan looked at Rong Sheng, feeling that he was desperate for her to say more to buffer the atmosphere between him and Ji Lin, so she said respectfully, âItâs true that before, my relationship with him had almost dropped to a freezing point because of Du Xinyi, and there was no trust between us. But now that some time has passed and I have calmed down, and he has also calmed down. Looking at the past again, I am not as furious as I was at that time, and he have also realized his problems and mistakes and apologized to me. Iâm not the kind of person to hold on to the past, plus I remembered the time we spent together in the past, plus how well he treated me in the past, so I tried not to think about how badly he treated me before, and now that time has changed, I feel that my heart is like water, and there is no need to be so confrontational, after all, we are all in the same circle â¦â¦â
Rong Sheng seemed so captivated by Bai Duanduanâs words that he even forgot to pay attention to Ji Lin as he gossiped, âLin Hui used to be nice to you?â
There was one thing to say that when Lin Hui had not changed, he was indeed very good to herself, so good that after all that had happened, he frankly admitted his fault, and Bai Duanduan still could not refuse coldly.
Call her naive or childish, there was still a small piece of expectation deep inside Bai Duanduanâ heart, hoping that Lin Hui had not become so awful, or at least would change back.
Thinking of this, Bai Duanduan also nodded, âHe used to be very kind to me.â
Rong Sheng pressed on, âHow was he good to you?â
Before Bai Duanduan answered, she noticed a small detail, that is, although Ji Lin pretended to be looking elsewhere, after Rong Sheng asked, he stole a quick glance at herself, obviously also interested in the answer to this question.
Itâs alright, this operation of hers seems to have successfully shifted the embarrassing atmosphere between Rong Sheng and Ji Lin.
Inwardly, Bai Duanduan thought of getting these two men back together, and remembering what Lin Hui had said, she hoped that Ji Lin would break his prejudice against him if she answers this question, so she also became more generous and open, âI was brought up by him personally. As you know, he was my teacher at university, he took care of me in university. From university to the workplace, itâs like he witnessed my youth and growth. I feel that he was a participant in every important stage of my life. I was always quite reckless, quick-tempered, sometimes fussy. People said I couldnât be a good lawyer, but Lin Hui believed in me. He was very patient with me and always encouraged me, so he brought me step by step to where I am today. Although I am still far from being a good lawyer, I am finally able to be on my own, and for that I am always really grateful to him.â
But then she donât know how it became like that laterâ¦
When Bai Duanduan finished speaking, she glanced at Ji Lin, who still wasnât looking at herself and was looking into the distance of the forest park, yet his brows were furrowed and his face didnât look too good again.
What was wrong with him?
Bai Duanduan was puzzled, thought for a while, and decided to change to a more vivid way of storytelling, giving more examples instead of being so boring as straightforward narrative, âWhen I first started working, I use to work a lot of overtime, my diet was irregular, Lin Hui used to cooked for me and tell me to go to his house to eat.â
It was indeed true. When sister Ye Zhaoxia also had not yet had an accident, Lin Hui liked to cook, and every time he made a dish, he would invite her to eat it together.
Rong Sheng was obviously a bit incredulous, âNo? Youâre such a good cook yourself, you can still get used to other peopleâs cooking? No no, what I mainly want to ask is, does Lin Hui still know how to cook?â
Bai Duanduan thought about her current persona of being a capable cook in Rong Shengâs mind and said awkwardly, âThis, Iâm more casual about my taste in food, and Lin Huiâs cooking is not bad, but then the law firm is getting more and more busy, and he canât possibly waste time cooking.â
Rong Shengâs eyes rolled as he glanced at Ji Lin, then rubbed his chin, âSo thatâs how it is. He treats you well in other places apart from cooking for you?â
âEn.â Bai Duanduan thought for a moment, and now also seriously recalled the exchange, âHe was quite generous to me and offered a very high salary at the beginning. In fact, according to my level of education and experience, I would certainly not get this salary in other law firms. He would also usually bring me a gift when he was on a business trip, and he would buy the expensive one, and not be stingyâ¦â
When she thinks about that year, when Ye Zhaoxia was still alive, Lin Hui was still sunny, elegant and gentle, and whenever he went on business trips, he would bring two gifts, one for Ye Zhaoxia and one for herself.
Ye Zhaoxia and Lin Hui treated Bai Duanduan as their own sister. These two people were in love and supported each other, and together they took care of Bai Duanduan, who was like a small child to them. At that time, Lin Hui represented many disadvantaged workers and did a lot of public interest litigation to defend their rights, without asking for a penny, just to help those employees who were being exploited by companies.
When Bai Duanduan recalled Ye Zhaoxiaâs smiling face and Lin Huiâs smiling eyes, and then thought about how things have changed since then, she suddenly felt a pain in her heart.
Bai Duanduan sighed as she thought of this, âI know you may have some misconceptions about Lin Hui, but heâs really not a bad person. Although heâs really lost himself a bit now, inside heâs always felt like a very kind person.â
Although she and Lin Hui did not get along very well and could no longer work together because of various frictions such as difference in philosophy, Bai Duanduan still wanted to believe that the Lin Hui who had abandoned his pride and knelt down for her had not completely disappeared.
Only Bai Duanduan didnât notice that when she said this, Ji Lin suddenly raised his head, as if he was about to speak, but in the end he didnât say anything and just clenched his fist to death.
Rong Sheng, however, frowned after Bai Duanduan spoke of Lin Huiâs kindness. He glanced quickly at Ji Lin and then immediately and abruptly changed the subject, âBy the way, whatâs the secret to your braised pork? Why is it better than all the braised pork Iâve ever eaten?â
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