Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“I will get back as soon as possible.” He Zhichu’s brows furrowed. I was just thinking of checking on Seth’s injuries at the hospital tomorrow. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to make it.

Gu Nianzhi held onto He Zhichu’s daily schedule and case progression files. Looking at He Zhichu, his flirtatious eyes were not cold and aloof as usual, but instead they had looks of urgency and guilt.

Biting her lips, Gu Nianzhi wondered if He Zhichu was worried about his father. What exactly happened? With He Zhichu not saying a word, it’d seem weird if she asked. Therefore, she nodded obediently. “I’ll get Smith to go to the hospital with me to visit Seth. Don’t worry, Professor He.”

He Zhichu forced a smile. “I’m not worried. He won’t be able to get any advantage from you.” It seemed like He Zhichu was already fine and had some sarcasm in his words, but Gu Nianzhi couldn’t be sure. It sounded like he was praising her, but it also sounded like he was mocking her.

He Zhichu had always liked being weird when he talked. However, he had been a lot better during this period of time. On the other hand, when he had said that just now, did the sarcasm come due to being worried about his father?

It was okay. Gu Nianzhi was secretly forgiving and decided to let it go. No matter what, parents were priority. Even though Gu Nianzhi could not remember what hers looked like, she understood how others felt about their parents. “…Professor He, you’ll be leaving tonight. Have you bought your ticket?” Gu Nianzhi changed the topic and looked around his suite. However, she did not see any packed luggage.

He Zhichu nodded slightly. “I’ve booked my ticket. My flight departs at one o’clock in the morning.” Looking at his watch, he continued, “I have three hours.”

“That’s not a lot of time!” Gu Nianzhi was utterly surprised. “You will not be taking your private jet?” From Gu Nianzhi’s point of view, it made more sense to go back in your own plane, didn’t it?

He Zhichu looked down at her, his flirtatious eyes sparkling. “It’ll take too long for them to come. Just waiting for them to come over would take seven to eight hours. I cannot wait that long.”

Nodding, Gu Nianzhi replied, “I understand, Professor He. Is your father unwell?” Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a rush and not even have time to wait for his private jet.

“Yes… I heard that he was injured yesterday. He only regained consciousness today.” He Zhichu tried his best to control his anxiety. “He might have to undergo an open-skull surgery. My family couldn’t decide, so I have to go back.”

“Don’t worry, Professor He. Your father will be fine.” Gu Nianzhi calmed herself down and began to comfort He Zhichu. “If something had really happened, your family would have alerted you, wouldn’t they?”

Taken aback, He Zhichu actually felt that what Gu Nianzhi said made sense. However, in the blink of an eye, he frowned again and did not dare to take such a risk. He Zhichu placed his arm on Gu Nianzhi’s shoulder. He did not apply pressure; he just rested on it lightly. Gu Nianzhi did not feel anything out of the ordinary.

“Nianzhi, would you be willing to go back with me?” He Zhichu’s voice sounded clear but cold, but that was only a façade. It was just like a volcano that was covered by thick snow, looking cold on the outside, but he was burning, almost exploding, on the inside.

Gu Nianzhi did not expect that He Zhichu would invite her to his place. Scratching her head, she wanted to reject him politely. Thus, she laughed awkwardly. “Professor He, it wouldn’t be nice now, would it? Your family should all be worried. Why would I go and mess things up even more? Moreover, my case hasn’t ended here. I am not going anywhere.”

Retracting his arm, He Zhichu returned the smile awkwardly as well. He had not expected Gu Nianzhi to go back with him, anyway. He just couldn’t help himself. Even if she were to agree, he wouldn’t bring her back now. It wasn’t time yet.

Due to the sudden awkward question, He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi fell into silence. Gu Nianzhi felt the tension in the air. Coughing lightly, she cleared her throat. He Zhichu changed the topic swiftly. “Yes. School term’s about to begin again. I’ll inform the school that you’re on an internship.”

He Zhichu knew that Gu Nianzhi cared about this case a lot. Moreover, she was already a postgraduate. Allowing her to fight for cases outside of school would be amazing practice—way better than doing miscellaneous work in a law firm.

“Thank you, Professor He!” Gu Nianzhi’s eyes sparkled. She was overjoyed. She had been fretting over this. She did not want to go back to school yet, as she really wanted to finish fighting this case for Li Haiqing’s parents. In order to feel appeased, she wanted to see Seth put behind bars.

Patting her shoulders, He Zhichu said, “Go back and rest. You’ll have to liaise with the colleagues henceforth.”

Gu Nianzhi bowed to He Zhichu deeply. “Professor He, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to win these two cases.”

“I trust you. Now, go back to bed.” He Zhichu turned and was about to return to his bedroom.

Gu Nianzhi called out softly, “Professor He, let me take you to the airport.”

“It’s okay.” He Zhichu replied without turning around. “I need to speak to the four of them. Go back to your room.”

Gu Nianzhi acknowledged him and brought both forms back to her room.

He Zhichu called the four assistants and informed them of his family emergency. He briefed them to liaise with Gu Nianzhi and bring the case through. If they were unable to do so, then they were to delay the case to the best of their abilities and wait for him to come back.

He Zhichu estimated that he would be home for a fortnight at most. If it could be done quickly, he could be back in a week. He would definitely be able to come back before the case entered the hearing phase, therefore, he did not say much.

The assistants did not mind much. They were capable lawyers in America. They only agreed to be He Zhichu’s assistants because he was way better than they were. Otherwise, if they were required to go to court, they were more than capable to win cases, too.

…

Upon returning to her room, Gu Nianzhi changed into her pajamas and crawled back into bed. She opened the book of German Law and continued reading until she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore before turning out the light.

She looked out of the window before falling asleep. She did not close her curtains, so she could see the night sky directly from her room. The stars sparkled in the clear night sky, with an occasional red blinking dot appearing. Those were the flights taking off at night. Gu Nianzhi squinted. Was that Professor He’s flight? Just when He Zhichu was worried about his family, Gu Nianzhi felt her eyelids becoming even heavier. She fell asleep, just like that.

In the Munich District Hospital, Ramona was standing by outside the operating room, crying her heart out. Her badly beaten up son was in critical condition on the operating table now. A couple of police officers stood by the door, emotionless.

This was the protocol for a highly dangerous criminal. Even though Seth’s case hadn’t been finalized, the negative impact led to the government standing guard wherever he might be.

…

Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day and realized that it was already past nine o’clock in the morning. He Zhichu had been waking her up at seven o’clock in the morning during this period of time, and they would go for breakfast together. She had gotten used to that. Now that no one was there to wake her up, she had overslept.

Thankfully, she did not have to attend court that day. Gu Nianzhi sat up in bed. Habits are scary things, really…

After washing up, she went to the restaurant in the main lobby for breakfast. She called Smith along the way and asked him for a convenient time to visit Seth in the hospital. He Zhichu had already briefed Smith on this yesterday. Smith’s lazy voice came from the other end of the line. “Have you had breakfast already, Gu? We can leave now if you have.”

He had been up way earlier. He had been busy with the case and the setting up of the branch, so he was even busier than the others. Therefore, he had gotten used to turning in late and getting up early.

Gu Nianzhi replied hastily, “I just finished my breakfast. Shall we leave now?”

“Sure. Where are you?” Smith picked up his bag. “I’ll go to the hospital before going to the branch office. What about you?”

Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a while, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. “Hospital first, then come back and arrange the court records.”

Smith nodded in approval. This student is really hardworking and smart. No wonder Professor He takes such great care of her. Smith had already arrived at the restaurant at the hotel lobby during the call. He saw Gu Nianzhi standing up from the table. She wore a navy blue silk dress today. It had three quarter sleeves and showed Gu Nianzhi’s delicate wrists. She had a watch on her left wrist.

Smith came from a family with heritage in America known as “old money,” which meant that he had seen his fair share of things. After taking a glance at the watch, he was immediately attracted to it. It had a sleek design, but the details were intricate and luxurious. One look, and he knew that it was a custom made model that one could not get, even if they were rich.

He only realized that it was from Bvlgari, the king of mechanical watches, after she walked closer to him. He was taken aback. When did Bvlgari release custom watches? Then, he looked at Gu Nianzhi again, and the way he looked at her changed. From how he used to joke around with her mindlessly in the past, there was a careful sense of friendliness now. It felt totally different.

Gu Nianzhi was not dim. The moment Smith walked over and had a glance at her watch, his attitude towards her changed. She knew exactly what was going on but did not say anything and pretended to not notice. Carrying her Chanel Le Boy handbag and wearing a huge hat with netting to shield her face from the sun, Gu Nianzhi had a smile on her face as she walked alongside Smith.

They talked in hushed voices, but Smith became even more respectful towards her. He maintained his gentlemanliness and did his best not to go overboard with his jokes as they exited the hotel. Then, he called their chauffeur, and they headed directly to the Munich District Hospital.

This hospital was situated in an old castle. The small windows in the sharp tower were covered with white lacy curtains. Every single window had a small area for potted plants that contained red and purple morning glories. The plants crawled all over the tower’s walls.

Gu Nianzhi got out of the car and looked at the hospital that looked just like a castle. Smiling, she asked, “How many years has this hospital been here? The colors look creepy.” The bottom of the walls had moss growing on them. Even the stairs were in their original state, built with stone.

Smith searched for the hospital on his phone. “This castle has a history of over 200 years. However, it has only been a hospital for a few decades. They had a revamp just over a decade ago, so the interior should be comparable to a normal hospital’s.”