Chapter 1 – The Intern

The weather today was quite pleasant. Sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, drenching the floor in a golden hue that lent the room a sense of lazy warmth—bright and comfortable.

A man stepped across the wool rug, his gaze fixed on the mirror. He arched a brow with a hint of regret, tracing the faint, barely noticeable lines at the corners of his eyes. Fortunately, his face remained composed and handsome, exuding a gentle, scholarly air. He possessed an impeccable temperament and a tall, slender frame; to him, time was merely an embellishment. He was like a fine wine that had settled, growing only more mellow and profound with age.

He adjusted his necktie before the mirror, finishing with a light spray of perfume on his cuffs.

Xie Chengyun had just celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday yesterday. He had stayed up late chatting with a group of friends, the conversation drifting through topics of work, memories of their time abroad, and their current career trajectories. As their glasses clinked under the bright, shimmering lights, he caught his own reflection in the curve of the crystal and felt a sudden wave of sentiment. Time truly moved fast; in the blink of an eye, he was already on the path to thirty.

He was nearly thirty, and he was still alone.

In the past, Xie Chengyun hadn’t cared much about having someone by his side. After all, true love was something one could only hope for, not demand. But now, at this golden age, with his career and social network flourishing and his path to future promotions clear, new desires began to surface.

He felt that the old adage—”Lust follows food and warmth”—wasn’t entirely without merit. Although he had dated several people over the years, they had always ended in amicable partings for various reasons. The last time he had been instantly captivated was last year, at a welcome-home party for a friend at a bar. It was a stylist named An Di—radiant, beautiful, and confidently flamboyant. Xie Chengyun adored that kind of temperament; it felt unique and vibrant compared to his own disciplined, rule-bound circle, and he had been immediately drawn in.

Regrettably, the other man already had someone he liked—a straight man, and in Xie Chengyun’s eyes, a rather jealous and hot-headed young brat. Yet, they had been together for over a year now. Xie Chengyun had once ungenerously predicted they wouldn’t last long, but their relationship had proven surprisingly stable. Fortunately, he was the type to let go easily, and he and An Di remained on reasonably good terms as friends.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Xie Chengyun picked up his briefcase from the entryway and took the elevator down to the basement to drive to the law firm.

Hengli was one of the top renowned law firms in the country and his current place of work. It was situated in the heart of City A, adjacent to the most bustling commercial district. Xie Chengyun had originally studied in the UK, and after completing his LLB and LLM at LSE, he had smoothly transitioned into the Magic Circle. However, because his family and most of his friends were in China, he chose to transfer to the Hong Kong office of that foreign firm a year later as a transition. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he accepted an invitation to resign and join Hengli in his hometown of City A.

Lost in these memories, he parked his car in his designated spot and swiped his card to head upstairs.

“Lawyer Xie, a belated happy birthday,” the receptionist stood up quickly the moment she saw him enter. “I didn’t get the chance to say it in person over the weekend.”

“Thank you,” Xie Chengyun replied with a smile and a nod, adding a casual compliment, “That dress suits you very well today; it brings out your complexion.”

“Really!” The girl’s face flushed slightly. Xie Chengyun didn’t put on airs; he was gentle and handsome, and most people found it hard to remain composed when he offered a compliment. It was only a pity that his sexual orientation was no secret in their circle, leaving many young women to sigh with regret just thinking about it.

“Yes.”

With a soft smile in his eyes, Xie Chengyun walked past. The office wasn’t too crowded today, as many were out on field assignments or business trips. Those who saw him enter greeted him one after another.

“Morning, Partner Xie.”

“Morning, Xiao Zhao.”

His office was private, situated right next to the pantry. The walls appeared to be transparent glass, but while he could see out, no one could see in. His desk was neatly organized, adorned with several small succulent plants—holiday gifts from female colleagues. They managed to add a touch of greenery to his otherwise impersonal workspace.

“Lawyer Xie, would you like some coffee?” The office door was suddenly knocked upon, followed by a male voice.

“It is fine, I can brew a cup of tea myself,” Xie Chengyun looked toward the door at the somewhat frail-looking young man, Chen Xinyu. “Go on and get back to your work.”

“Oh, okay.” Chen Xinyu took two steps away before suddenly turning back to hand him a gift box. “A birthday gift, Lawyer Xie. The delivery didn’t arrive yesterday; it was sent to my hometown address.”

Xie Chengyun looked at the exquisitely wrapped gift and arched a brow. “How can I let you youngsters give me gifts?”

“Ah, it didn’t cost much. You might not even think much of it, but it’s the thought that counts,” Chen Xinyu scratched the back of his head. “I’ll head out now, then.”

Once Chen Xinyu left, Xie Chengyun unwrapped the box. Inside was a safety charm, and beneath it lay a letter. The contents were simple but written with great sincerity.

The letter explained that he had prayed for this charm while traveling in Japan with his girlfriend. Since Xie Chengyun often traveled for business, he had specifically sought it out for him. The end of the letter expressed deep gratitude for Xie Chengyun’s constant guidance and mentioned how much he had learned under his tutelage.

Chen Xinyu had been with the firm for quite some time now, since his graduation. Before Xie Chengyun was promoted to partner, Chen Xinyu had been following him to work on IPO projects. Now, he was gradually growing into a lawyer who could handle matters independently. Xie Chengyun had watched him evolve from a green novice to someone who was mature and capable. For instance, his emotional intelligence now was significantly higher than when he first started.

Smiling, Xie Chengyun tucked the gift box away, placed the safety charm in his drawer, and sent a “Thank you, that was very thoughtful” over WeChat. An emoji response came back almost instantly.

After handling the immediate tasks at hand, Xie Chengyun stood up to head to the pantry for water, but his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was Wang Zhihe calling. Wang Zhihe was a senior partner at Hengli, much older and more experienced than him. They had met through an introduction at a banquet, and despite their age gap, many of their views aligned perfectly, leading them to become close friends. Wang Zhihe admired him as a brilliant young talent and had been the one to invite him to Hengli.

“Xiao Xie, how was your birthday? I’ve been flying all over the place and couldn’t even accompany you this time.”

“It is quite alright, Lawyer Wang. We have plenty of time ahead,” Xie Chengyun said, rubbing his neck. “How is the progress on your end?”

“Sigh, it is what it is. I am actually calling to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“Remember that intern I interviewed over video? He was exceptionally good, passed the written test too. But my mentor from my doctoral studies pushed one of his current students onto me. I interviewed him, and his credentials are quite decent. Although the first one was clearly better, he is my mentor, after all; I have to give him that face. You have a lot on your plate right now, so I wanted to ask—do you need anyone on your end?”

“Projects aren’t particularly hectic lately. The team isn’t lacking people for the moment.”

“No, Xiao Xie, I have to tell you about this one,” Wang Zhihe heard the subtle rejection and lowered his voice over the phone. “The first intern was internally recommended by an old classmate of mine. This classmate is an MD at Haishen with a very wide network. He recommended his nephew to me. The kid is quite excellent. If it weren’t for my mentor sending me several emails…”

Xie Chengyun knew Haishen was a well-known brokerage in City B, though he hadn’t had much contact with them due to his specific practice areas. He fell silent for a moment. He had already guessed the person had connections the moment he heard Wang Zhihe was personally interviewing an intern. Senior partners usually didn’t bother with such things.

“Take his nephew under your wing. That’s a resource for the future,” Wang Zhihe appealed to his reason.

“The firm has plenty of other non-litigation teams, and this is such a lucrative resource. I am curious why you only considered me, Lawyer Wang.” Xie Chengyun was truly curious about that point.

“I admire you among the younger generation, Xiao Xie. And since this is my classmate’s nephew, I wouldn’t feel right handing him over to anyone else,” Wang Zhihe’s voice dropped even lower. “Besides, this young man is very capable. During the interview, he specifically mentioned he’d long admired your reputation. Wasn’t that practically naming you as the one he wanted to work for? Anyway, intern work is just dirty work. You can teach him a thing or two in passing. He’s just here to learn during his gap year.”

Xie Chengyun thought about it; interns had high turnover anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal. Usually, a senior would be responsible for the day-to-day training. “Fine. Since you’ve put it that way and the candidate is capable, it would be a bit unreasonable for me to refuse again.”

“You have to personally keep him by your side. My old classmate said you can even use him as an assistant,” Wang Zhihe said, as if seeing through Xie Chengyun’s thoughts.

“Fine, then he’ll stay with me, pour my water, and carry my bags,” Xie Chengyun joked.

Hearing Xie Chengyun’s tone, Wang Zhihe laughed on the other end. “I’ll send you his resume. He’s supposed to report today, but he called me early this morning to ask for leave because of traffic, saying he’d be late. I only just remembered this, or he would have arrived and not found me.”

“Understood. Thank you, Lawyer Wang.”

Xie Chengyun hadn’t expected Wang Zhihe to have already calculated that he wouldn’t refuse, arranging for the person to come in today. He massaged his forehead, sighed, and hung up before clicking on the resume Wang Zhihe had sent. There were copies in both Chinese and English. He gave them a cursory glance. The name was Qi Yanze. There was no photo. He had studied in the US, majoring in Finance at Stern—a powerhouse program—and had graduated early after completing his credits in three years. He was currently a JD candidate with a very high GPA and LSAT score. Most notably, he was only twenty-two.

In terms of education, grades, and school extracurriculars, this resume was indeed flawlessly excellent. A finance background paired with law was perfect for IPO work. It was just a pity there were so few law-related internships—only one pro-bono stint, which had little relevance to non-litigation work. Xie Chengyun didn’t quite understand why someone with this resume hadn’t applied to a foreign firm; at the very least, the internship pay would be higher.

However, given Wang Zhihe’s glowing praise, Xie Chengyun still felt a bit of anticipation. After all, interns didn’t do very deep work, and since this one came with his own background, as long as he didn’t have the temperament of a pampered young master, there would be no problem.

After a while, Xie Chengyun locked his phone screen, set it on the desk, and walked toward the pantry.

…

When he entered, two female colleagues were inside making coffee, chatting as they brewed.

“I think he’s really handsome. I almost couldn’t hold it together the first time I saw him during the interview. You youngsters will definitely like him.”

“How handsome?”

“Think about video conference resolution—even through that, he looked as handsome as a celebrity.”

“More handsome than Lawyer Xie?”

“They aren’t the same type.”

“What are you two chatting about?” Xie Chengyun coughed lightly, placing his cup with the tea bag under the water dispenser.

The one who looked slightly older was the HR manager at Hengli, Sister Lin. Upon hearing Xie Chengyun’s voice, she turned around quite naturally. “We’re praising your looks, Lawyer Xie.”

“Thank you,” Xie Chengyun chuckled softly.

“Once you cross this threshold, you’ll be thirty. Are you planning to wait until thirty-five to get married like me?” Sister Lin looked at Xie Chengyun’s well-maintained appearance with a hint of envy. “To be honest, you don’t look thirty at all.”

“Sister Lin, I can’t tell you’re thirty-eight either,” Xie Chengyun took a sip of water. “If I haven’t met the right person, why get married?”

“Sigh, it’s hard enough for straight people to find someone reliable, let alone for your community,” Sister Lin sighed. “Just kidding. These things should just follow their natural course.”

Xie Chengyun was about to speak when the glass door of the pantry was suddenly knocked. It was the receptionist standing at the entrance.

“Lawyer Xie, your intern is here. I’ve taken him to his workstation.” She paused, then explained again, “Lawyer Wang should have spoken to you about him.”

Before Xie Chengyun could respond, he saw Sister Lin take a sip of her coffee, turning her head to grab the hand of the younger woman beside her with a look of great anticipation. “Xiao Feng, remember to take a few extra looks later.”