ECG -Chapter 59 Master Shen

Lin Hao looked at her fluttering long eyelashes and felt a little helpless.

He really liked this little girl, but the feeling was more like affection for a younger sister—or even a daughter.

Yes.

That was exactly the feeling.

It had absolutely nothing to do with “size”…

He had lived for forty-two years. Unlike Wu Xiaozhou and the others, who were like a bunch of kids barely weaned from milk, thinking bigger was always better. In reality, both a waist that fit in one hand and overwhelming curves had their own unique charms. What the hell did those boys know?

As for Chu Xiaomei, he simply didn’t feel that kind of attraction between a man and a woman.

He hadn’t noticed it before. Even when Wu Xiaozhou had reminded him about it, he hadn’t taken it seriously. But today, he could clearly see it—this girl really did have feelings for him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this now.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that simply coming to see him and lying on his bed claiming she wanted to take a nap meant she liked him. It was just one of those things that could only be understood intuitively, not explained in words.

Lin Hao’s instincts were right.

At that moment, Chu Xiaomei could hear her own heartbeat.

She was extremely nervous. Part of her hoped Lin Hao would suddenly rush over and hold her, while another part of her was afraid.

She liked him.

From the very first moment she saw him.

Lin Hao wasn’t the kind of boy who stunned people with his looks at first glance, but he was incredibly pleasant to look at. He had a particularly clean and refreshing presence.

What Chu Xiaomei loved most were his eyes.

Those eyes were deep and full of wisdom, like those of a middle-aged man who had weathered countless hardships, making people feel safe and secure.

After quite a while, she secretly opened her eyes a tiny crack.

The moment she saw Lin Hao, she angrily shut them again.

Lin Hao was leaning against Wu Xiaozhou’s bed, holding a book and reading attentively. He hadn’t looked at her again even once.

“What an unromantic pig! Stupid pig!”

Chu Xiaomei cursed bitterly in her heart.

Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she unexpectedly fell asleep for real not long afterward.

When Lin Hao heard the steady rhythm of her breathing, he let out a long sigh of relief. Quietly setting down his book, he grabbed his cigarettes and walked into the corridor.

Chu Xiaomei was beautiful and a genuinely good girl.

But she simply wasn’t his type.

Having experienced too much in his previous life, he constantly reminded himself in this new life to enjoy his university years and even find a girlfriend while in college.

Yet the shadows of his former life still lingered in his heart.

He didn’t want—and didn’t dare—to fall in love so casually anymore.

He needed a woman who could make him devote himself completely, someone worthy of his wholehearted commitment and sacrifice.

And all of that had to be built upon one foundation:

He first had to become strong enough himself.

With a long sigh, he lit a cigarette and smoked silently.

He thought of Ren Qing, who had abandoned her studies to follow him across the country…

Ai Xiaonan, who had quietly stayed by his side for three years…

The beautiful Zhang Yuchun from the Beijing Dance Academy…

Xiao Yin, the stubborn female drummer from Dali…

And Xiao Xiaoyu, who sang jazz at Point Stone Bar in Harbin…

Looking back now, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to every one of those relationships.

Yet he had been unable to give them anything.

No stable home.

No stable income.

No future they could actually reach out and grasp.

He knew he had wronged them.

He had broken their hearts.

Even in death, he still owed them.

“Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, no other water will do; once you’ve seen Wushan’s clouds, all others pale in comparison.”

Whenever he thought of these things, he couldn’t forgive himself.

How should he reject Chu Xiaomei?

The problem was that she had never actually confessed.

If he brought it up himself, wouldn’t that hurt her too much?

…

Wu Xiaozhou and Fatty Meng had been dragged beneath a patch of shade. The two of them had become so engrossed in watching girls’ legs that they were nearly roasted by the sun.

“Hello? Lawyer Wei? Hi!”

Wu Xiaozhou called the lawyer.

“Hello, Mr. Wu.”

It was the first time anyone had ever called him Mr. Wu, and he felt a little excited inside.

Following the address Lawyer Wei provided, the two of them took a taxi to the North Third Ring Road.

Lawyer Wei’s law firm was located in an exceptionally tall office building. The marble floor in the lobby was so shiny it looked as though it had just been licked clean.

The pair were like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. They were even questioned by security for quite a while.

Lawyer Wei was very courteous.

He personally waited for them by the elevators, and after meeting Wu Xiaozhou and Fatty Meng, he didn’t show the slightest hint of disrespect because of their young age.

Once seated in his spacious, immaculate office, a young woman in a black business suit brought them two cups of coffee.

“Mr. Wu.”

Lawyer Wei was a middle-aged man with a square face and a somewhat stern appearance.

Wu Xiaozhou set down his coffee cup and looked toward him.

“Just a moment ago, the lawyer hired by Fenghua Fashion called me,” Attorney Wei said.

Wu Xiaozhou nodded without saying anything. Lin Hao had specifically told him that sometimes saying nothing was better than saying something.

Secretly, he was puzzled. Had Lin Hao really predicted this?

Attorney Wei was also curious about the two young men in front of him. They looked no older than their early twenties. Though both were well-built, neither looked like someone involved in the underworld.

That reminded him of a phone call he had received a few days earlier.

At the time, he had been lying on a bed in the Holiday Hotel while the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.

The moment he saw the caller ID, he sat bolt upright.

“Wei Yuan!” A deep, hoarse voice came from the other end.

“Fifth Master,” he replied cautiously.

“Mhm. At the Holiday again?”

Wei Yuan’s heart pounded wildly. Sweat immediately broke out on his forehead, the saliva in his mouth vanished, and his throat became dry.

“Yes,” he managed to say.

The other side remained silent for a long while. He didn’t dare speak again.

“Feng Xiangyu already knows. He’s on his way.”

The call ended immediately afterward.

Wei Yuan got dressed as fast as he could and rushed out without looking back.

In the hallway, he hesitated for a moment and was about to press the elevator button when his phone rang again.

“Fire escape. Room 2121.”

After knocking on the door of Room 2121, he found Fifth Master Shen sitting alone in the suite’s living room, leisurely drinking tea. On the table sat his familiar set of delicate huanghuali wood tea utensils.

Wei Yuan first nodded to the bald man who had opened the door and quietly greeted him.

“Shitou.”

The bald man grinned. The scar stretching from the corner of his right eye to the corner of his mouth twisted with the movement.

Wei Yuan walked over to Fifth Master Shen, nervous and uneasy.

“Fifth Master.”

Though his hair was completely silver, Fifth Master Shen appeared to be no more than forty-five or forty-six years old. He was short, with a fair and gaunt face that showed little emotion.

“Sit. Have some tea.”

Shen waved a hand.

Wei Yuan only took a small sip, enough to moisten his dry throat.

“One of my brothers in the Northeast has a case. Take it.”

Wei Yuan was surprised. Shen hadn’t mentioned the hotel incident at all. Why was he suddenly assigning him a case?

“Yes, of course,” he quickly agreed.

“This brother of mine is closer than family. You may win, but you absolutely may not lose.”

Fifth Master Shen glanced at him sideways.

“Understood.”

“I’ve already sent the documents to your email. You can go now.”

After saying that, Shen waved him away.

Wei Yuan stood up and bowed respectfully before heading for the door.

Just as he reached it, he heard Shen’s casual voice behind him.

“Don’t underestimate Feng Xiangyu, that coal boss. He’s quite serious about this mistress of his. End it.”

Wei Yuan said nothing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Shitou stood there with his mouth open, silently laughing at him.

Wei Yuan rolled his eyes at him, turned back to bow once more toward Shen, and finally left the room.

…

“What do they mean?” Wu Xiaozhou asked.

Wei Yuan placed both hands on the table, lightly tapping one finger against its surface.

“Fenghua Fashion wants to settle out of court.”

Wu Xiaozhou wasn’t particularly surprised. Lin Hao had already analyzed every possible outcome and even told him how to respond.

“What are their conditions?” he asked.

“They’ll pay 200,000 yuan for the copyright to Father if we voluntarily withdraw the lawsuit. But…”

Wu Xiaozhou smiled.

“But we also have to issue a statement admitting that we sued the wrong people?”