Holy shit, isn’t this straight out of a drama?!
Fatty had assumed Prosecutor Lin was the reserved, subtle type, but damn, this was direct as hell. No hesitation, no beating around the bush.
His respect skyrocketed. He forgot all about his spatula, now fully invested in the show.
Bro, the guy just dropped four aces. You gonna play your two jokers, or are you gonna fold?!
In the end, the sea cucumber soup didn’t get dumped on Fatty’s head—it was set down exactly where it belonged, on Lin Hening’s table.
Food was meant to be eaten, not wasted. Gu Fei had respect for every meal.
After placing the bowl down, he lifted his head and met Lin Hening’s gaze from a few steps away.
“I do like you,” Gu Fei said calmly.
His lips moved effortlessly, his tone steady and certain—each syllable falling into place as naturally as breathing.
Lin Hening had been mostly joking, only about 70% serious and 30% teasing.
But he hadn’t expected Gu Fei to answer with 100% certainty.
Now it was his turn to be caught off guard.
Lin Hening stared at Gu Fei.
Gu Fei, in turn, stared right back.
The restaurant was empty.
Zhou Zhou was outside playing with the neighbor’s kid.
The back kitchen door was shut.
In the bright, open space of the dining hall, it was just the two of them.
Then—
“Boss, one order of stir-fried eggplant, takeout!”
A customer’s booming voice shattered the tension.
Gu Fei turned to handle the order. “Fifteen yuan. Alipay or WeChat?”
Lin Hening sat there, sipping his soup as the sound of the payment scanner beeped. He didn’t say anything.
Ten minutes later, the customer left, takeout bag in hand.
Lin Hening, now halfway through his soup, lifted his bowl and gestured with his finger.
Gu Fei saw the signal and walked over.
Lin Hening chuckled. “How much do you like me?”
Gu Fei: “Full marks.”
Lin Hening’s smile deepened. “Be honest.”
Gu Fei replied, “I multiplied it by ten.”
“…?”
Lin Hening’s eyes widened in shock. “Just ten points?!”
What the actual hell?
Me?! The dazzling, utterly charming me?!
Only worth ten points in Gu Fei’s eyes? Just ten???
Gu Fei calmly pulled out a napkin and wiped up the sea cucumber soup that Lin Hening had accidentally spilled on the table. “I was talking about your score for me.”
Lin Hening, on the verge of emotional breakdown from this insult, froze. “Huh?”
“I was guessing,” Gu Fei said. “Was I right?”
Lin Hening was momentarily speechless. He neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, “So, you’re not just skilled at joint realignment, huh? You dabble in psychology too? That’s quite the crossover.”
Gu Fei neither confirmed nor denied that either.
But Lin Hening wasn’t about to let it go. “What about your score? How many points do I get?”
Gu Fei smiled. “I already answered.”
Lin Hening frowned. “When?”
Gu Fei just kept smiling, saying nothing.
A realization suddenly struck Lin Hening.
Full marks.
You… you… you…
Lin Hening couldn’t believe it. Suspicion crept into his heart.
Wasn’t he supposed to have zero relationship experience?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a clueless romantic newbie?
Who the hell taught him these smooth lines?!
Where did you learn this from?! Confess!!
Lin Hening rubbed his forehead. “Gu Fei, your way of confessing is definitely… unique.”
Gu Fei chuckled.
Lin Hening smirked. “But if you say you’re full marks and I’m only ten, doesn’t that make you kinda pathetic?”
Gu Fei was just about to reply when Lin Hening’s phone rang. It was a call from Xiaowei—he had to take it.
Three seconds into the call, Lin Hening’s expression turned serious, and he immediately got up.
Gu Fei didn’t ask a single question. He just walked to the coat rack, pulled down Lin Hening’s puffer jacket, and handed it to him.
Lin Hening put it on while speaking into the phone. “You go first. I’ll be there soon.”
Gu Fei strode over to open the shop door for him. “Drive safe.”
Lin Hening glanced at him. “Thanks.”
The suspect in the Lotus Dismemberment Case had attempted suicide in detention.
By the time Lin Hening arrived, the suspect was lying in a hospital bed, one wrist cuffed to the headboard, his head wrapped in gauze, eyes closed, looking weak.
The officer in charge said, “It’s nothing, just a couple of scratches.”
Lin Hening entered the hospital room, Xiaowei following closely behind, notebook in hand.
Lin Hening said, “The doctors told me your head injury isn’t even as bad as a regular trip-and-fall.”
The suspect cracked one eye open and immediately started groaning exaggeratedly, “Ow, ow, ow…”
Lin Hening exhaled slowly, keeping his patience as he advised the suspect to confess and stop resisting the inevitable.
But the suspect screamed instead, “I want a lawyer! I’m not saying anything! I want my dad!” His agitation made the handcuffs jangle loudly.
Xiaowei leaned in and whispered to Lin Hening, “His defense lawyer just arrived.”
Lin Hening turned—and was momentarily stunned.
A long-lost old rival.
The defense lawyer for the Liuxia New Year’s Eve massacre.
Surname: Ma.
After losing that case, Lawyer Ma had suffered a breakdown, quit his law firm, and vanished overseas. Lin Hening had thought he’d changed professions entirely.
Now, here he was, standing before him with a polite smile.
Lin Hening smiled back. “Long time no see.”
Before either could say more, the suspect let out an ear-piercing wail, clinging to Lawyer Ma’s arm like his life depended on it. “My head hurts, I’m dizzy, I feel like throwing up!”
Lawyer Ma said, “Prosecutor Lin, my client is unwell. He needs rest.”
Lin Hening didn’t move. His gaze swept over the suspect, who visibly trembled before burying his face into his ‘lifeline’s’ shoulder.
Lin Hening curled his lips into a half-smile and turned to leave with Xiaowei.
Once outside, Xiaowei’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Prosecutor Lin, I know that lawyer! His name is Ma Huai, right? You’ve faced him three times before—and won all three!”
Lin Hening was quite proud of his own excellence, but when it came to the rookie, Xiao Wei, he still had to assert his authority. At the very least, he had to maintain the demeanor of a mentor. So, he cleared his throat and spoke with a stern expression, “Don’t make it sound like a personal grudge. I won because the culprit broke the law, and the evidence was irrefutable. We won’t wrong a good person, and we certainly won’t let a bad person go free.”
Xiao Wei immediately looked at him with admiration. “Master, you’re so humble! You’re seriously so cool!”
The devoted fan insisted on treating him to a late-night snack. The mentor and apprentice ended up at a roadside food cart eating oden while Xiao Wei excitedly recounted how he became a die-hard fan of Lin Hening. It all started years ago with the public trial of the Liu family massacre. Xiao Wei happened to be there and witnessed firsthand the intense battle of wits between the prosecution and defense. Even more so, he had the privilege of seeing Lin Hening completely dominate the courtroom with an unstoppable presence. It was love at first sight.
He had repeated this story to Lin Hening at least eighty times since their first day working together. Lin Hening told him to cut back on the flattery, but Xiao Wei swore to the heavens that every word was heartfelt.
Lin Hening, amused, rewarded him with a fish ball. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a WeChat message from Gu Fei.
Full marks versus ten points—this not only made Gu Fei seem a little pitiful, but it also made Lin Hening feel a bit cold-blooded and heartless. That was what he thought at the time, both amused and exasperated.
Gu Fei: [Not pitiful, because you’ve given me ten times the distance to chase you.]
Ten times the distance—how much time did that translate to?
Gu Fei was savoring this time.
Lin Hening stared at the brief message, lost in thought.
He suddenly felt like the protagonist of a romance game, with a progress bar above his head. The player, Gu Fei, was tirelessly and painstakingly filling the pink progress bar bit by bit.
Lin Hening chuckled at his own imagination and typed back: [Seriously?]
Gu Fei: [I don’t joke about things like this.]
Gu Fei: [Prosecutor Lin, may I have your approval for my pursuit?]
A warmth spread through Lin Hening’s chest.
The juicy meatball in his mouth was flavorful, but its artificial seasoning suddenly felt overwhelming. He found himself craving the sea cucumber soup he had left unfinished earlier. He had rushed out and only had half a bowl—kind of regrettable that he hadn’t just downed it before leaving.
Lin Hening was about to reply when someone called his name. Looking up, he saw Ma Huai coming down from the pedestrian bridge.
Lin Hening quickly pocketed his phone, and in an instant, his face shifted into a flawless businesslike smile—not too familiar and enthusiastic, but not too distant or cold either. A slight, perfectly measured smile.
Then, he turned to his assistant. “Lawyer Ma is here for oden too. Enjoy your meal.”
Ma Huai smiled warmly. “Prosecutor Lin, let’s just say we coincidentally ran into each other while getting oden—why rush off?”
Lin Hening rolled his eyes internally. “Prosecutors and defense attorneys handling the same case cannot meet privately. After this, you’ll need to submit a written report to your law firm, and I’ll have to report it to the supervisory department within three days. All this unnecessary trouble because you refuse to avoid suspicion.”
Xiao Wei, feeling uneasy, found Ma Huai’s behavior increasingly irritating—like those people during the pandemic who refused to wear masks and then mocked those who did for being overly cautious.
Ma Huai chuckled. “Yes, yes, my mistake. I got carried away after not seeing you for so many years.”
The food vendor handed over a steaming bowl of oden, which Ma Huai took as he continued, “Mainly, I just couldn’t help saying hello after seeing my mentor’s son. I had to check in and send regards on behalf of your mother.”
Lin Hening froze for a full three seconds. “What did you just say?”
“After I lost that case back then, I left for the U.S. Honestly, it hit me so hard I almost switched careers to sales. Then, by sheer chance, I met your mother. She appreciated my skills and brought me under her wing. I joined the Wen faction, so in a way, we’re family now.”
The more Lin Hening listened, the more his blood pressure soared. When he heard the words “we’re family,” he almost choked on his own breath. He couldn’t even maintain a polite three-percent smile anymore—his face turned ice-cold.
“Stop making up family ties. Who the hell is family with you?!”
What the hell?! Was this some kind of joke?!
His mother, who hadn’t contacted him in over twenty years, who hadn’t even sent a single word on his eighteenth birthday—now she sends him this massive ‘gift’? Surprise? Shock?
Lin Hening threw his food container into the trash. “See you in court. Xiao Wei, let’s go.”
This time, it was personal.
He wasn’t mad at lawyers in general—after all, lawyers were just doing their job. They took cases, defended their clients, and fought for their interests. A good lawyer firmly believed in their client’s innocence and did everything in their power to defend them. That was their duty.
Even if a suspect was acquitted, that was on the prosecution and the police for failing to present sufficient evidence.
Lin Hening had met many such lawyers—intelligent, sharp, and formidable. He respected and admired their talent.
But Ma Huai was different.
He was the type who only cared about money, who blatantly disregarded the law, exploited legal loopholes, and would do whatever it took to win—a complete and utter legal opportunist.
Compared to Wen Zhi, he was just as bad, if not worse.
No wonder they ended up as master and disciple.
Lin Hening let out a sharp, bitter laugh. It was only hours later that he vaguely remembered—he might have forgotten to reply to someone’s WeChat message.
Gu Fei sat holding his phone, waiting and waiting. He unlocked the screen every now and then to check, then refreshed the chat just in case. The last message still lingered on his own words: “May I have your approval for my pursuit?”
Still no reply?
A silent rejection? Was Lin Hening ignoring him to avoid the awkwardness of turning him down?
No—that wasn’t Lin Hening’s style.
If he didn’t agree, he would say so clearly and decisively. He wouldn’t leave someone hanging, teasing them with mixed signals.
Gu Fei reasoned that Lin Hening was probably just busy. With that thought, he finally set his phone down, which had been warmed by his grip for the past two hours. Just as he was about to close his eyes and sleep, his phone vibrated again.
Instantly alert, he grabbed it and unlocked the screen.
It was an incoming call.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t from Lin Hening.
Answering, Gu Fei heard his old neighbor’s voice. “Xiao Fei, you need to come home right away. Your dad is causing trouble again!”
Gu Fei’s face darkened, his brows furrowing tightly. He muttered a brief acknowledgment, then lay in bed, unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
Early the next morning, he left Zhou Zhou and Fatty in charge of the shop and drove back to Xinghua Village.
Before he even stepped inside, he could already hear a rough male voice cursing, “Damn woman, can’t you be more gentle? You’re hurting me! Cough, cough… Do you even know how to feed water properly? Trying to choke me to death, are you?!”
Gu Fei glanced at the iron shovel leaning against the doorway. When he was a kid, he had to grab it every time he came home, just to feel safe. Later, he stopped needing it. Now, it was completely unnecessary.
As he walked into the house, the man in the wheelchair, paralyzed on one side, instantly fell silent.
Without even sparing him a glance, Gu Fei strode over and snatched the bowl from Xu Fenli’s hands, pouring the entire contents over Gu Dalei’s face.
“Argh!” Gu Dalei shrieked, thrashing like a beached, flailing fish. “You little bastard, are you trying to kill me?! You dare lay a hand on me? I’m your father!”
Gu Fei remained expressionless. “Say that again.”
Gu Dalei panted heavily, his face flushing red. “You found out you’re not my biological son, so now you don’t want to take care of me? You ungrateful piece of shit! I raised you! Without me, you wouldn’t be where you are today!”
Xu Fenli, frightened, reached out to pull Gu Fei away, but he wasn’t interested in making a scene and attracting nosy neighbors. He didn’t care about losing face, but Xu Fenli still had to live here.
Gripping his foster mother’s arm, he said, “Mom, let’s go outside.”
Gu Dalei’s expression changed in an instant—panic flashing across his face before turning into rage. “Come back! Get your ass back here! You heartless brat, you ungrateful bastard! Go to hell for all I care! Xu Fenli, you stand right there! Don’t think you can just walk away! You owe me!”
Gu Fei’s arm tensed. Xu Fenli hesitated, then stopped moving.
His foster mother, standing beside him, looked utterly worn down by life. She was barely in her fifties but looked like she was over seventy.
Yet, when she was young, she had been the most beautiful woman in Xinghua Village.
Though her family wasn’t well-off, she had her beauty, her diligence, and a gentle nature. She had no shortage of admirers—there was no reason she should’ve ended up with Gu Dalei.
It was because of that one fateful night when she was on her way home from a late shift. A thug followed her, not only trying to rob her but also attempting to assault her. In her moment of desperation, Gu Dalei happened to pass by. He had been drinking with friends and was heading home in the middle of the night when he heard her cries for help. Without hesitation, he charged forward to fight off the thug. During the struggle, the thug stabbed him with a knife, leaving him permanently infertile.
Because of that, Xu Fenli married him out of gratitude.
Since he had lost his ability to have children to save her, his mother resented Xu Fenli bitterly. Every day, she treated her like a servant, bossing her around, yelling at her over every little thing. At first, Gu Dalei would defend her, but as time passed and he watched his friends start families and have children, he grew resentful. The thought of being unable to have children filled him with regret, and he took it out on the “culprit”—Xu Fenli.
When he lost his job, his temper worsened. Xu Fenli endured everything, even when he started hitting her, convinced by that one phrase: “You owe me.”
She had always been meek and gentle, and after so many years of abuse, she had simply grown used to it.
Gu Fei had tried to get her out of this situation before, but she always refused to leave.
This time, however, she suddenly broke free from his grip, turned back to the house, and glared at Gu Dalei. “I owe you, but Xiao Fei doesn’t! He doesn’t owe you anything!”
Gu Dalei’s eyes widened in shock. “You damn woman, who do you think you’re talking to?! You dare talk back to me?!”
When Gu Fei was fifteen or sixteen, Gu Dalei had stopped hitting Xu Fenli. Because every time he did, Gu Fei would retaliate tenfold—pinning him down and beating him mercilessly. Even when Gu Dalei begged for mercy, it didn’t matter. Xu Fenli would have to call four or five neighbors to pry him off.
After a few times, Gu Dalei lost his nerve.
Later, he ran off to escape debt collectors. By the time he returned, Gu Fei had already finished his military service—stronger and more disciplined than ever. Now, a single look from him was enough to shut Gu Dalei up.
But some habits never change. He couldn’t hit anymore, so he resorted to verbal abuse.
Gu Fei followed Xu Fenli into the house. “I warned you to watch your mouth.”
Gu Dalei, knowing he couldn’t fight back, shouted defiantly, “I’m already paralyzed! What can you do to me now? Hit me again? Leave me bedridden? Fine! Then your mother will be the one to take care of me!”
Gu Fei let out a cold laugh. “I didn’t come back to argue. I came to take my mom away.”
Gu Dalei’s expression froze. “What?”
Gu Fei said calmly, “Everything that’s happened to you is karma. She’s been your servant for over thirty years—she doesn’t owe you anything anymore. I’ll pay for your surgery and hospital care. After that, I don’t owe you a damn thing either. We’re done.”
Xu Fenli covered her face, sobbing, as Gu Fei took her hand and led her away.
Realizing they were serious, Gu Dalei panicked. He opened his mouth to curse again, but as they kept walking, he saw them stepping out of the house, out of the yard. His face turned pale with fear, and he tumbled out of his wheelchair onto the ground.
“Wait! You can’t just leave me here! What am I supposed to do?! Are you really going to let me die alone in this house?! Gu Fei! Son! Fenli, Fenli! Wife!!”
—
Outside, Xu Fenli clutched Gu Fei’s hand, hesitating. “If we just leave like this… he’ll die alone in there.”
Gu Fei responded coldly, “Then let him die.”
Xu Fenli: “But what will the neighbors say?”
“Life is for yourself to live—why care about other people’s gossip?” Gu Fei knew Xu Fenli had a soft heart. Just being called “wife” was enough to make her start remembering the good in Gu Dalei.
Gu Fei could only laugh in exasperation. It was impossible to comprehend the mindset of rural women like Xu Fenli, who were willing to endure a lifetime of mistreatment in the name of loyalty. Fortunately, Lin Hening didn’t know about this, and Gu Fei had no intention of telling him—he wanted Lin Hening’s health to remain perfectly intact.
Xu Fenli: “The neighborhood committee won’t just ignore him. They’ll call me sooner or later.”
Gu Fei: “Change your number.”
Xu Fenli didn’t say anything else. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Then I’ll go pack my things.”
Gu Fei told her there was everything she needed at his place, and all the junk at home should just be thrown away. But Xu Fenli was sentimental, so she still went back.
Gu Fei had no choice but to wait under the streetlamp, smoking a cigarette.
A nosy neighbor, who had been eavesdropping for quite a while, finally ran up and said, “Xiao Fei, you’re really taking your mother away? What about your father? If he throws a fit, he’ll be wailing like a ghost and making our lives miserable!”
Gu Fei’s expression was cold. “Don’t worry—he’ll be too weak to shout after starving for a few days.”
The neighbor choked on their words, thinking, Yep, definitely not his biological son. That’s some real ruthlessness.
But to be fair, Gu Dalei truly deserved it. This was just karma coming full circle—justice, in a way.
Back then, the Gu family had been ashamed of their inability to continue the family line, so they kept it a secret. Then, out of nowhere, a three-year-old boy appeared, and they claimed he was Xu Fenli and Gu Dalei’s biological son.
The neighbors weren’t stupid. Everyone knew Xu Fenli had picked up an abandoned child from the streets.
Every time Gu Dalei saw Gu Fei, he was reminded of his own infertility. Gu Fei’s very existence was a knife constantly stabbing at that wound. And the thought that everything he owned would one day be inherited by this “wild child” only fueled his resentment. So, he started calling him “little bandit, little bandit” in mockery—and that’s how Gu Fei got his name.
Xu Fenli, lacking much education, thought the name sounded strong and tough—someone with a name like that wouldn’t be bullied. So, she accepted it.
Later, it was Teacher Zhou who told her that the “Fei” in Gu Fei’s name came from the phrase “You Fei Junzi” (a virtuous gentleman).
—
Gu Fei glanced into the courtyard, wondering why Xu Fenli hadn’t come out yet.
A neighbor grinned and said, “Xiao Fei, do you have a girlfriend yet? If not, I can introduce you to someone! It’s almost New Year—shouldn’t you bring a wife home for your mother?”
Gu Fei finished his cigarette, tossed it on the ground, and crushed it under his shoe. “Thanks, but I already have someone.”
The neighbor’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh? Who is she? What does she do?”
Gu Fei: “A prosecutor.”
Neighbor: “?”
Gu Fei repeated, “He’s a prosecutor. He works at the Yunzhou City People’s Procuratorate.”
The neighbor was stunned for a long moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. “Oh, come on! Stop joking!”
A small restaurant owner in love with a high-ranking prosecutor? It sounded just like a toad lusting after a swan. The saying was crude but not wrong.
The neighbor hesitated, then asked, “So… what’s his family background like?”
Gu Fei thought for a moment and gave a conservative estimate. “Just in terms of cars, they own more than ten. The cheapest one is worth at least four million.”
The neighbor was completely dumbfounded, taking a full thirty seconds to process that information.
If it were anyone else, they would have assumed it was just a joke. But this was Gu Fei—and Gu Fei didn’t joke.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, the neighbor forced a half-smile. “Don’t take offense, but when finding a partner, it’s better to choose someone with a similar background. It’s not about social climbing—it’s just that if your partner is too outstanding, you won’t be able to keep them in check after marriage. You’d always feel inferior, always be beneath them. That kind of life would be suffocating! What, do you want to be a servant?”
Gu Fei blinked, bent down to pick up his cigarette butt, walked a few steps away, and tossed it into a trash bin. Then he turned back and said, “First of all, he’s not the kind of person who would use his status to oppress me, so that’s not an issue. Secondly, I’m well aware of my own worth. I’ll give him my best and love him with everything I have. I don’t feel inferior to him, and I don’t feel stifled by enjoying what he offers.”
“If you feel suffocated, it just means you don’t love them.”
The neighbor was left speechless.
Gu Fei continued, “Feeling insecure isn’t just about looking down on yourself—it also puts pressure on the other person. I don’t want to belittle myself, and I don’t want to burden him either.”
The neighbor gave an awkward chuckle, thinking, Wow, isn’t this guy a little too full of himself?
Gu Fei: “I know I’m not good enough for him, and I fall short in many ways. That’s why I’ll simply do my best in the areas where I can match him.”
His phone buzzed with a WeChat message.
Gu Fei: [Prosecutor Lin, do I have your approval to proceed?]
Lin Hening: [Approved.]
