They surrounded me right after the breakup.

"Since we're going to Shanghai..."

"Wear the new ones."

Xia Yutong suddenly couldn't speak.

That's the logic.

But your bluntness was a bit unexpected!

Xia Yutong blinked hard.

"What about Vaseline?"

"Is it also a necessity?"

Her voice was still trembling.

The intuition of not understanding certain knowledge triggers a desire in legal professionals to seek employment.

Shen Qingning remained expressionless.

"Shanghai has a dry climate."

"It's never a bad thing to have extra."

"???"

Is this reason for dryness valid?

Isn't that pushing yourself too hard?

"So tonight's dinner isn't just a casual affair."

"It's a trap."

"It wouldn't be considered a Feast at Hongmen."

Shen Qingning took out her phone and snapped a picture of Xia Yutong.

In the picture, the girl is holding the black silk bread in her arms.

He tried hard to suppress a smile.

"Send the photos to Jianghan as a preview."

Xia Yutong stretched her leg out from under the table to kick, but Shen Qingning easily dodged it.

"Seriously."

"What do you think... he'll think?"

"Didn't you already know that?"

Xia Yutong lowered her eyelashes.

Yes.

She already knew.

When Jiang Han held his hand by his hospital bedside and told him to rest well.

The last trace of hesitation in Xia Yutong's heart had vanished.

Give it to him as long as he wants it.

……

When Shen Qingning returned home, only the floor lamp was on in the living room.

Lin Yaoyao sat cross-legged on the sofa, with a half-read comic book spread out on her lap.

"You're back? How's Yutong?"

"I ate two bowls of rice."

"That's good."

Lin Yaoyao closed the book and yawned.

"I'm going to sleep now, you should get some rest too."

"You go to sleep first, I'll help Jiang Han pack his luggage."

Lin Yaoyao had just stood up when she heard this, so she sat back down.

"Packing his luggage? Where is he going?"

"Shanghai"

"On business trip?"

Lin Yaoyao wrinkled her nose. "Why the sudden decision to go to Shanghai..."

She suddenly realized something halfway through her sentence.

"Wait, what about the copyright issue with The Three-Body Problem?"

"right."

"He's going alone?"

"No." Shen Qingning bent down and took out slippers from the shoe cabinet. "Yutong is going too."

Lin Yaoyao's expression changed instantly.

"Yutong? She's only been discharged from the hospital for a short time!"

"Even if she's capable, you can't just take advantage of one person!"

Lin Yaoyao was unaware of her best friend's thoughts and was still feeling indignant on her behalf.

Shen Qingning listened and suddenly felt that the other person's choice of words was exceptionally accurate.

What do you mean by "capable"?

Your words have a double meaning!

Lin Yaoyao continued, "Yutong worked overtime for so many days in a row for that case."

"He's lost weight."

"It took me so many days in the hospital to recover."

"She was just discharged from the hospital, and you're already making her work again?"

Lin Yaoyao became angrier the more she talked.

"It's not like the company doesn't have other legal counsel."

Shen Qingning smiled but didn't say anything.

"Say something!"

Lin Yaoyao reached out and tugged at Shen Qingning's sleeve.

"Aren't you always meddling in company affairs? Couldn't you have stopped me?"

Shen Qingning sat down on the armrest of the sofa.

Looking at Lin Yaoyao's puffed-up face.

Suddenly, he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Are you done talking?"

Lin Yaoyao was stunned: "What's with your reaction?"

"After saying all this, aren't you going to refute me at all?"

"And didn't you say that Jianghan has made enemies everywhere?"

"Who will guarantee Yutong's safety after she leaves?"

"What if I encounter one of those persistent and clingy people again?"

"besides."

"Is it necessary to negotiate the copyright of *The Three-Body Problem* face-to-face?"

"Isn't everything solved by video conferencing now?"

Shen Qingning didn't stop what she was doing and turned on the light in the dressing room.

He pulled a black carry-on suitcase out of the cabinet and took two Jianghan shirts out of the closet.

Lay them flat on the bed, and unscrew them one by one.

Start folding clothes.

Lin Yaoyao leaned against the door frame, watching Shen Qingning's movements.

Why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling guilty?

"The copyright for The Three-Body Problem was initiated by Professor Liu Cixin, and the window of opportunity was very short."

"The other party's legal entity's funding chain is about to break down, and they are in a hurry to sell."

"This kind of thing can't be discussed via video conference."

"We must review the documents and discuss the price in person."

Lin Yaoyao snorted.

"You don't necessarily have to bring Yutong along."

"She's not fully recovered yet."

Shen Qingning explained.

"Yutong studies intellectual property rights, and the copyright splitting of science fiction IPs is her specialty."

"No one in the film and television department understands this better than her."

Lin Yaoyao opened her mouth, but found no point of rebuttal.

Shen Qingning put the clothes into the box and spoke meaningfully.

"This time we're going to sign a contract, not to go to court."

"No need to stay up all night writing legal documents."

"There's no need to confront the opposing lawyer."

"Just consider it a change of scenery to clear your head."

Lin Yaoyao suddenly felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Alright."

"I'm sleepy, I'm going back to sleep."

……

The next day, at 8:30 a.m.

VIP lounge at Gyeongju Airport.

When Jiang Han came in, Xia Yutong was already there.

She sat on the sofa by the window.

There was a barely touched Americano in front of me.

She wore a navy blue silk shirt with a thin silk scarf of the same color tied around the collar.

She wore off-white straight-leg trousers and low-heeled pointed leather shoes.

She appeared less professional than usual, but more gentle and inexplicable.

Xia Yutong looked down at her phone.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

Their eyes met in the air for a moment, then simultaneously looked away.

"morning!"

Jiang Han sat down opposite her and placed his briefcase at his feet.

"Good morning... Have you had breakfast?"

"not yet."

"There's a buffet breakfast in the VIP lounge, shall I get you some?"

"No need, I'll go myself."

Jiang Han stood up and walked to the buffet table.

I took two small loaves of bread, a serving of scrambled eggs, and a cup of hot Americano.

When he returned with the plate, he found Xia Yutong looking at the documents he had brought.

You took it upside down...

"Did Qingning look for you last night?"

Jiang Han spoke first, speaking in a casual tone.

"Yes, he treated me to a meal."

"Did she say anything strange?"

"No...no."

Xia Yutong's voice was still so soft, but a very faint blush rose on her cheeks.

"The meeting will begin at 2 PM."

"You can rest for a while after arriving at the hotel this morning."

"You must not have had enough sleep since you took such an early flight."

"I'm fine."

Xia Yutong shook her head.

"Since you've promised to help you review the contract, you can't keep dragging your feet."

"I need to verify the information first."

"It'll be ready in a bit."

Jiang Han noticed that her fingers were trembling slightly.

A brief silence fell between them once again.

Soft piano music was playing in the VIP room.

A woman's voice was softly singing a song about summer.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell on the coffee table between the two people.

Jiang Han was at a loss for words.

I feel that using an honest opening line like "I'm a jerk" would be a bit unfair to Xia Yutong's efforts.

The boarding announcement came through the window.

They both took a deep breath at the same time.

……