He is Lovestruck in the Revenge-Chapter 182 - 175 Taking by Force Changling Marries into a

Chapter 182: 175: Taking by Force, Changling Marries into a Wealthy Family (Second Update)

Chapter 182: 175: Taking by Force, Changling Marries into a Wealthy Family (Second Update)

Gu Kaiyun pushed open the bedroom door.

The curtains in the room were drawn, and agarwood incense burned on the table. He walked to the window and pulled it open, only for a sliver of light to sneak in, prompting Xie Shang, who lay in bed, to raise his hand to shield his eyes.

“Don’t open it; it’s blinding,” he said.

Gu Kaiyun let the curtain fall and glanced at the medicine bottles by the bed.

He couldn’t keep prescribing medicine for him at this rate—it wasn’t acceptable.

He went over and extinguished the lit agarwood in the burner. “What incense did you light?”

It must have been burning for a while, the scent of gardenias was strong.

Xie Shang’s hand remained over his eyes; he hadn’t slept. “Chinese honeycomb,” he replied.

Gu Kaiyun had heard of Chinese honeycomb, no wonder he had been smelling the scent of gardenias on Xie Shang lately.

“You didn’t sleep last night?”

Xie Shang did not respond.

Gu Kaiyun sat down in a nearby chair, feather duster in hand, dusting off the incense ash that had settled on the burner. His demeanor was refined, his fingers neatly manicured, and even the trivial items in his grasp seemed as if they were valuable works of art. “I heard from Dongzhou that you’re heading to KE; everything has been arranged. Have you made up your mind?” he asked.

“Mhm.”

As a lawyer, Xie Shang had all the necessary qualifications.

He had served as a legal consultant several times before and had even helped He Dongzhou’s friend deal with international cases. He could start practicing law again whenever he wanted.

“I know you don’t like being a lawyer,” Gu Kaiyun observed.

Xie Shang said, “Whether I like it or not isn’t important.”

Gu Kaiyun knew for whom he was doing this.

Previously, Xie Shang had been indifferent in his pursuits, too smooth sailing, thus nothing could truly bind him. Raised in the Xie Family, he developed a rebellious streak, and no one could control him.

Now, the ever-burning Daydream Fragrance in the burner was evidence, evidence of his surrender to someone else.

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“You’re acting so unlike yourself; it’s disconcerting,” Gu Kaiyun said, as he tidied up the incense tools on the table. “I used to think you weren’t this kind of person.”

He had thought Xie Shang would remain an eagle soaring high forever.

Xie Shang sat up, deciding not to sleep anymore. “With someone like you resorting to forceful methods, no one should be surprised by what I do,” he remarked.

Indeed.

Gu Kaiyun could understand; he had never thought he would act so recklessly himself. It made sense; birds of a feather flock together. He Dongzhou was such a person, Xie Shang was, and so was he himself—all too persistent once they set their minds on something, willing to break through walls, and preferring to lose an arm rather than let go of their desires. This trait wasn’t necessarily commendable.

Xie Shang asked, “How does it feel to take by force?”

“A bit of regret,” Gu Kaiyun admitted.

Gu Kaiyun was truly a gentleman.

The eldest grandson raised personally by the Gu Family patriarch, he was gentle and elegant, cool and restrained, pure as ice and snow, with a discipline that matched that of a saint, garnering praises for his conduct and moral integrity.

“How so?”

Gu Kaiyun spoke the truth, “Should have seized it sooner.”

*****

Xie Shang joined the KE headquarters, in the capacity of a lawyer.

The founders of KE were Xie Jingxian and his two elder cousins. The partners’ meeting was the highest authority in KE law firm, and although the law firm was not a company, the founders’ grandsons still had no green light. Xie Shang had rarely dealt with cases in recent years, and had been a consultant several times. He did not meet the requirement of practicing for over five years and hadn’t generated revenue yet, so he could not apply to be a partner.

KE was different from other law firms. Apart from the partners, all were salaried lawyers, and of course, the salaries were very high. KE was known for its financial might.

The seven senior partners formed KE’s decision-making body, the Management Committee, with three of them named Xie. Outsiders jokingly said that it was not without reason that KE was called the Xie Family law firm. The founder and the chairman of the Management Committee were from the Xie Family. For generations, the Xie Family had been involved in legal work, possessing top-level connections. A large part of KE’s cases came from the Xie Family’s resources and the goodwill built up over generations. Even with a salaried system, many lawyers aspired to work at KE.

Within half a month, Xie Shang participated in two cases, not as a defense attorney but as an assistant.

Kong Zhongyu was one of the seven members of the KE Management Committee and a close friend and classmate of Xie Liangjiang. He specialized in criminal cases, known for his sharp wits and attention to detail.

“The moment Xie Shang arrived, the Rong Family requested a change of lawyer. Lawyer Xie,” Kong Zhongyu said, with a hint of jest in his voice, “your family’s young master is quite something.”

Xie Shang’s involvement in those two cases had resulted in revenue hitting eight figures. The timing was impeccable; it was no coincidence that a change of lawyer happened as soon as he arrived.

Kong Zhongyu knew the Xie Family’s eldest grandson was not simple, but he was still surprised; before Xie Shang was involved in KE, he had somehow managed to grasp the intricacies of internal personnel and case sources without anyone noticing.

Xie Liangjiang, on the other hand, was not so surprised. “He’s my son; he takes after me,” he said.

Kong Zhongyu asked earnestly, “Aren’t you afraid he will replace you?”

Although the old master of the Xie Family had retired, he still held the title of member of the Management Committee, and his influence in the law firm remained substantial. He seemed to favor his grandson over his son, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought him along to every important event to ensure that the grandson had access to all resources and connections.

Moreover, with the Su Family’s involvement, if it really came down to a fight between father and son, it’s not certain that the older ginger would be spicier than the new.

“If he can do it, then that’s his capability,” replied Xie Liangjiang.

Had it been anyone else vying for position, Xie Liangjiang wouldn’t have said such a thing, but after all, it was his son, and his heart still held a protective instinct. Kong Zhongyu didn’t pursue the matter further, as it was the Xie Family’s internal affair.

Kong Zhongyu left, closing the door behind him.

Song Jin, Xie Liangjiang’s assistant, filled his cup with tea. Song Jin had long been capable of handling cases independently, but in terms of position, he was Xie Liangjiang’s assistant lawyer: “Aren’t you worried that he’ll do something to your detriment?”

Xie Liangjiang didn’t respond.

Filled with concern for his boss, Song Jin suggested, “Director, we still need to be cautious.”

Xie Liangjiang looked up, annoyed, his gaze sharp behind his glasses, “Watch your words. That’s my son.”

His son, he could criticize, but not everyone else was entitled to do so.

Saturday.

Xie Jingxian called Xie Shang to the Flower Chamber Hall, and kept him for lunch. Xie Liangjiang wasn’t around, nor was Xie Jiwen, who had taken his wife and kids out, leaving just the two of them at the dining table.

Xie Jingxian asked, “Are you adjusting well to the law firm?”

Xie Shang put down his chopsticks to answer.

“It’s okay.”

“If you encounter something you don’t understand and you don’t want to ask your father, you can go to your second granduncle.”

The family of Xie Jingxian’s cousin was also in the legal profession, with some being lawyers and others working in the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts.

Xie Shang acknowledged with a sound.

“That thing with what’s-her-name,” Xie Jingxian didn’t mention the name directly, “is it really over?”

Lately, no one in the Xie Family had brought up Wen Changling in front of Xie Shang. He appeared quite normal, but those who knew him understood that he was adept at controlling his emotions.

He replied, light-heartedly, “It’s over.”

“Who brought it up?”

“She did.”

Xie Jingxian felt both relieved and upset. He preferred no further involvement between his family and someone with the Wen surname, but it also irked him inside. How was his grandson of the Xie Family lacking in any way? Many old folks had been inquiring on behalf of their granddaughters, both openly and covertly—why was it that he was the one who got dumped?

“Grandfather, why did you initially want my uncle to take over your position?”

Like Xie Shang, Xie Qingze felt no passion or even a slight aversion to the profession of being a lawyer.

“He was the most suitable,” Xie Jingxian replied earnestly, also serving as a warning to Xie Shang, “Besides professional ability, a lawyer’s bottom line and principles are also very important.”

“What about my father?”

Xie Jingxian was silent for a moment: “His ambition was too great.”

A lawyer is, after all, not the same as a businessman.

Under Xie Liangjiang’s management these past years, the scale of KE had more than doubled, with branches opened in many countries, and now KE was filled with a commercial atmosphere.

“I’m full, please enjoy your meal.”

Xie Shang left the dining table.

Xie Jingxian also stood up and went to the kitchen, instructing the cooking staff, “Prepare some nutritious soup later and have Ji Fu take it back with him.” He noticed that Xie Shang had lost a lot of weight.

Upstairs.

Xie Shang was on a phone call.

“Xie Shang,” said He Dongzhou, “I just saw Wen Changling. Do you know where?”

Before Xie Shang could ask,

“At West Mountain Capital, the Qin Family.”

He Dongzhou was a foster child taken in by the Qin Family as a form of surety.