The law was a rule of positive order, the baseline of a public society, defining the boundaries of freedom. It was the sword and shield safeguarding fairness and justice, and also the scale that weighed on every person’s heart.
When the warriors who upheld the dignity of the law abandoned their loyalty, when the impartial scales became laden with lust and profit, when those in high office stepped into the vortex of desire without a single thought… The black-and-white text became meaningless paper, the lofty courtroom became a bustling stage play, and fairness and justice became a tiny boat adrift in muddy waters, swaying and unsteady.
Qin Mu felt as if someone had slammed a hammer hard into his chest. The wave of disappointment and anger that surged up his throat carried the metallic tang of blood. He watched as the once-indestructible city of belief within him collapsed with a thunderous crash, yet he could only stand helplessly among the ruins.
Before, he had felt confident in seeking justice for Teacher Xiao, because he had believed that if he appealed through the judicial system step by step, there would eventually be a place where fairness and justice could be found. But now, it seemed that those seated high and presiding over judgments had long since become puppets, manipulated at will. What justice could there be left to speak of?
Qin Mu clenched his fists, his eyes reddened.
Also a man of law, Teacher Xiao had been viciously retaliated against and lost his life for helping the poor and helpless. Yet these beasts wearing human skin indulged in Zhao Jinchuan’s lawlessness just to satisfy their private desires, feasting on young flesh.
Now, he understood why Shen Liu had brought him here. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that these people could fall so far. After the raging fire of anger had scorched his heart, all that remained was a barren emptiness. He lowered his head as if all strength had been drained from him and leaned his back against the wall, sinking into a long silence.
Shen Liu handed him a cup of hot tea. “Have some.”
Qin Mu shook his head and took a cigarette out of his coat pocket, clamping it between his lips. The cigarette and lighter were ones he had casually asked Tao Ze for earlier that morning—Huanghelou1Yellow Crane Tower 1916, premium tobacco.
He glanced at the man beside him, inquiring.
Shen Liu shrugged. “Go ahead.”
Qin Mu lit up and took a deep drag. The smell of tobacco quietly spread through the room.
“When did you start smoking?” Shen Liu asked.
“A long time ago. I quit, but recently I’ve been having one every now and then.” After taking a puff, his voice became low and hoarse, carrying a rough rasp.
Shen Liu didn’t say anything more.
The room was pitch black, lit only by the faint moonlight and the tiny sparks of a cigarette. The two of them stood on either side of the window, unusually quiet.
By the time Qin Mu finished his cigarette and looked up again, his expression had already calmed down. He opened his mouth and said, “I want the surveillance footage.”
This place had a perfect vantage point and was fully equipped—it was clearly not set up just recently. Shen Liu must not have been watching these people just for fun.
The man leaned his head against the window frame and said lazily, “What, you think you’re capable of wiping them all out in one go?”
“Do what I must and leave the rest to fate,” Qin Mu raised his eyes and stared at Shen Liu. “This is something I have to do. Even if it’s like smashing an egg against a rock, even if it’s like a moth flying into the flame, I don’t care if I lose my life doing it. Life is short. What we call ‘meaning’ is all something we give ourselves. Whether it’s worth it or not depends only on how we feel in our hearts. Why I chose this path, why I made this decision—others might not understand, but you should.” By the end, his voice carried a trace of emotion.
Shen Liu narrowed his eyes slightly. The person in front of him seemed to overlap with the stubborn young man from years ago. The light in his eyes was clear and pure, making it hard to look away.
“I… should understand?” He savoured the lingering weight of the words, drawing out the end with a teasing lilt. He curved his lips into a smile. “They say a man can change in three days. Looks like I really do need to see you with new eyes. You’ve even pulled out that whole defence routine and used it on me. But trying to trick the cards out of my hand with just empty words… Isn’t that a bit greedy?”
Qin Mu took a sip of tea without changing expression. “You went through all this trouble to set up this stage. Wasn’t it all just to wait for me to come and beg you?”
In the time it took to finish a cigarette, he had already figured out the whole story. Shen Liu was the person in the world who understood his temperament best. He naturally knew Qin Mu wouldn’t back down because of this. Bringing him here was probably just to let him see firsthand how hard it would be to win this case, and then sit back and wait for Qin Mu to come knocking on his door, asking for a favour.
Shen Liu let out a short laugh.
Qin Mu leaned against the window and said, “If you want something, just say it.”
“So direct?” Shen Liu gave him a sidelong glance and said teasingly, “What if I ask you to run naked outside?”
Qin Mu shot him a look from the corner of his eye.
“Kidding. Don’t take it seriously.”
“Are you giving it or not?” Qin Mu’s patience had run out.
“No rush. Let’s go over things first.” Shen Liu refilled his cup and leisurely counted off on his fingers. “You want justice for those victims? You’ll need to win the lawsuit. To win the lawsuit, you’ll have to bring down Zhao Jinchuan. To bring down Zhao Jinchuan, you’ll need to deal with his father. His father, Zhao Dongsheng, is the Zhao family’s cash cow. He was deeply rooted and hard to topple. Above Zhao Dongsheng are two older brothers. The eldest, Zhao Qiming, is currently in a heated power struggle with my dad over that seat. The second brother, Zhao Weiguo, commands a number of soldiers. In addition, there’s an older sister overseas acting as their overseas shield. And above all of them is the old General Zhao, practically a spirit in human form. Nearly a hundred years old, yet still vigorous. Just a few days ago, he was in a wheelchair casting votes.”
“Besides the immediate family, the Zhaos also have seventy or eighty extended relatives. Going up against this kind of clan usually ends in one of two ways: either you uproot them completely, or you’re left without even a whole corpse. Which do you think you’ll be?”
Qin Mu remained silent.
“So rather than handing over the evidence and letting you run off to get yourself killed, it’s more valuable to keep it in my hands and save it for a bigger move.”
Qin Mu’s pupils contracted sharply as he locked his gaze on him.
“Didn’t you say you wanted revenge? Then why are you glaring at me?” The man’s tone was nonchalant, as if he had just made a trivial decision over something unimportant.
“This is my business. It shouldn’t involve you,” Qin Mu’s tone turned stiff.
Shen Liu’s gaze slowly traced a circle across his face. “There’s a whole lot of things that ‘shouldn’t’ be, and not a single one of the things that ‘should’ be done has actually been done.”
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned.
“Don’t get it? I’ll teach you.” Shen Liu strolled toward him unhurriedly. “Right now, I’m your only chance to take down Zhao Jinchuan. What you should do is lower your pride and try to win me over. Do everything you can to coax me into fighting the Zhao family for you. You should gradually play the card of our old relationship, make me willing to go up against Zhao Jinchuan for your sake. At the very least, you should be flirting, playing mind games, carefully calculating how to get me to offer more resources and connections for your use.”
Shen Liu stopped in front of him and asked, “Have you learned that yet?”
Qin Mu frowned and had just opened his mouth when that man suddenly stepped even closer, the oppressive feeling intensifying. He instinctively tensed up, wanting to retreat, but there was only a wall behind him—no way out.
“What’s wrong, can’t do it?” The man’s voice sank lower. “I’d go so far as to draw my sword in rage, yet you disdain playing the femme fatale. Clinging tightly to your pride, you would rather throw yourself into the fire than ask me for help. Are you that determined to draw a line between us?”
This kind of closeness made Qin Mu extremely uncomfortable. He raised his hand, wanting to push the man away, but the next second, his wrist was forcefully pinned to his side. Their chests pressed together, and even through their clothes, he could feel the other man’s firm and unyielding muscles.
“You—”
“You wish.” Shen Liu leaned his face close to Qin Mu’s ear, biting down on those three words with deliberate force, as if he were about to sink his teeth harshly into his neck. “The things you can’t do, I’ll do for you. The things you want, I’ll make them happen for you. The condition is simple—accompany me for one night. As for how, I’ll make the rules. If you can’t accept it, then obediently go back to K City tonight, and from now on, never involve yourself in anything related to the Zhao family again.”
Qin Mu widened his eyes in disbelief. The situation before him had entirely veered off his expectations, throwing him into utter disarray. He broke free from the hold and shoved hard, gritting his teeth. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Shen Liu’s leg bumped into the coffee table, and the teacup shattered on the floor. Almost instantly, the door swung open, and the man with the thin long-face along with a few others rushed in, startling Qin Mu.
Shen Liu frowned impatiently and said coldly, “Get out.”
The bodyguards, seeing that he was unharmed, quickly withdrew.
He turned back to Qin Mu and said unhurriedly, “If you want to go crazy, I’ll go crazy with you. Isn’t that touching?”
“This is my business. It has nothing to do with you.” Qin Mu kept a stern face, but couldn’t suppress the anxiety and restlessness inside him.
Shen Liu looked at him for a moment, then smiled. “Whether it has to do with me or not, that’s for me to decide. Haven’t you heard? I’m one of the big names in J City too. My temper’s not much better than Zhao Jinchuan’s. He likes trading sex for favours—I like it too. If you piss me off, you might not even make it back to K City.”
“I don’t need your help, and you can’t force me to go down this path.”
“You do need my help. You just don’t want to pay this kind of price.” Shen Liu’s gaze swept across Qin Mu’s face as he said indifferently, “Just now, you were vowing with such certainty that you had to go through with it, even if it cost your life. Now that the chance is right in front of you, you’re backing down? Taking down the Zhao family is a high-risk investment. One wrong step and you’ll lose everything, down to your underwear. Honestly speaking, I’m not even asking too much. You’ve seen firsthand the Zhao family’s connections and methods. You should understand that apart from me, you don’t have a better option.”
He raised his hand and smoothed the collar and front of Qin Mu’s shirt, which had been rumpled during the scuffle. His voice was unusually gentle. “Think about it carefully. No matter how unbearable, it’s only one night. It’s a very worthwhile deal. I’ll give you time to consider, give me your answer once you’re home.”
With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Qin Mu stood frozen on the spot for a long time, unable to move.
The ride home was both brief and endless. The neon lights outside the car window and the receding nightscape became fleeting shadows reflected in Qin Mu’s eyes. His mind, like a rusted projector, lost its ability to move forward, and instead kept replaying past scenes—fragmented, scattered, and blurry.
What was right? What was wrong? What kind of choice should he make?
When the weight on the scale was his own life, Qin Mu could wager it without hesitation. But the moment Shen Liu stepped onto that scale, he suddenly lost his courage. He hadn’t expected Shen Liu to get involved, let alone offer such a condition. By now, he could no longer see through the man beside him.
The car remained silent the entire way. Back at the villa, Qin Mu stopped at the foot of the stairs. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “Why do this? You, toward me…” He hesitated, as if still unsure what the right words were.
Shen Liu, standing on the stairs, turned around, lazily curling his lips. “It’s just a one-night stand. Don’t overthink it.”
Qin Mu fell silent, his lips pressed into a rigid line. He closed his eyes, clenched his hand tightly at his side, as if it took all his strength to force out the word.
“Deal.”
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