“Dr. Lu, go take care of work. I’ll just stay home.”
Gu Nianyi had already taken leave from the office. Cheng Fanglin hadn’t dared refuse, and for now, no one else knew about the disastrous dinner.
After resting a bit, she headed that afternoon to a forensic appraisal center to get an official injury report.
She also needed to know Lin Yuezhou’s condition, in case she had to adapt her story.
The coroner’s preliminary assessment: Lin Yuezhou had only minor injuries. A few stitches on his head—nothing serious. His groin would heal with some rest.
He’d gotten off too easy. She should have kicked him harder.
Through a friend’s introduction, Gu Nianyi made it to Ruishan Law Firm before evening to meet with a lawyer named Wen Shuyu.
Wen was kind and had a bright, generous presence. Even as a woman herself, Gu Nianyi found herself quite taken with her.
In just ten minutes, Gu Nianyi laid out the full details of the incident. “I want to sue him. Even if the outcome isn’t what I hope for, I still want to sue him.”
She knew that even if she won, the sentence wouldn’t be long.
But she had to do it. She absolutely had to.
It was the first time Wen Shuyu had met a woman who, after such trauma, could recount the events so clearly, along with her exact demands.
She understood why Gu Nianyi was willing to invest her time and money in a case with such an obviously foreseeable result.
Wen Shuyu explained to her, “We can’t file a civil suit directly. You need to gather the evidence, report it to the police, and let the public security bureau investigate and file the case. Then they’ll hand it over to the procuratorate. If the evidence holds up, the procuratorate will bring a public prosecution to the court.”
It was truly difficult. Forcing victims to collect their own evidence inflicted a secondary wound.
“I understand. I’ll go get it.”
Gu Nianyi showed no hesitation. She knew how hard it would be.
Wen Shuyu smiled. “I’ll stand with you and make sure he gets the punishment he deserves.”
Meanwhile, Lin Yuezhou had woken up and was ranting that he wanted to sue Gu Nianyi for intentional assault.
The news made both Gu Nianyi and Wen Shuyu laugh.
“I don’t believe he can twist black into white.”
“I won’t let him twist black into white.”
Back home from the law firm, Gu Nianyi skipped dinner entirely and holed up in the study to sort through her materials.
She didn’t even notice Lu Jin’an’s return.
He spotted Wen Shuyu’s business card on the corner of the desk, and once again, she pushed him out.
He had thought they were drawing closer, but it had all been wishful thinking on his part.
Considering her recent injury, Lu Jin’an reined in his emotions. “Why didn’t you come to me for help? You know what the Lu Family can do—how much hassle you could avoid.”
Gu Nianyi set her laptop aside and looked up at him. “Dr. Lu, I know the Lu Family could crush him, force an apology and compensation out of him. But I can’t go that route. Not this time. This time, I want to wield the law as my weapon, not some greater power or connections.”
Her gaze burned with resolve, shining brightly.
“Because girls like me—ordinary people with no power, no influence, no backing—we only have the law to protect ourselves. People might call me an idealist, but I have to try. I’m not just suing him; I want an open trial for the whole world to see.”
She wanted everyone to know about his monstrous actions.
She wanted to show others that this wasn’t some trivial matter. It was a crime.
“No matter the outcome—one month, two months, or even if I lose outright—I have to do this. I’ll regret it forever if I don’t. And if I stay silent, some other girl might get hurt next.”
Gu Nianyi paused in thought for a moment before speaking slowly. “Dr. Lu, this fight will be tough because my injuries weren’t severe. The public might judge me, criticize me—ask why I went to that dinner, why I wore makeup. It could even drag you down. Maybe we should…”
The world held so much hostility toward women, shoving all the blame onto them.
She knew the path ahead was fraught with obstacles, long and grueling, with no guarantee of satisfaction. But she wasn’t afraid.
She didn’t want to drag innocents into it.
Loneliness was something she could handle; she was used to it.
This was a side of Gu Nianyi that Lu Jin’an had never seen before.
He almost wished she weren’t so gentle, so strong—wished she were a little more selfish.
His voice stayed soft as he looked at her fragile frame, knowing the unyielding strength at her core.
She was like an orchid blooming wildly amid mountain snow.
And that flower had landed squarely in his heart.
Leaving an indelible mark.
Lu Jin’an drew Gu Nianyi into his arms, holding her tight, his heart aching for her. “Gu Nianyi, let go ahead and fight.”
“I believe in you. You’ll win.”
He would always be her backup.
Over the next few days, Wen Shuyu and Gu Nianyi tracked down the others who had been there that night.
Cheng Fanglin and the other guy stuck to their story: they had no idea what went down in the private room. All they knew was that when they opened the door, Lin Yuezhou lay in a pool of blood.
It was just as they’d expected. They hadn’t counted on any help from them anyway.
The fact that they didn’t turn on her or spread lies was victory enough.
They saved the last person for the end: the girl who had helped Gu Nianyi that night.
Her name was Zhong Yu, a recent college grad who’d been at the company for a while. She was usually timid, blending into the background.
She’d been called in at the last minute that day.
Gu Nianyi and Wen Shuyu didn’t hold out much hope. Lin Yuezhou was the general manager—powerful and connected—while Zhong Yu was just a regular employee.
They met at a discreet, private restaurant.
Zhong Yu pulled out a phone. “Sis, I’ve got evidence right here.”
She had deliberately left her backup phone in the room, capturing the crucial proof.
Maybe she just couldn’t stand by and watch her suffer.
Zhong Yu hesitated. “If I hadn’t given this to you, would you blame me?”
“No.”
Gu Nianyi gazed at the young woman, still so innocent-faced, and shook her head with a smile. “You’re in a tough spot too. Jobs are scarce these days. Protecting yourself, surviving—there’s no shame in that.”
Wen Shuyu pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, dear.”
That recording boosted their odds tremendously. They turned it over to the police.
Now it was a waiting game until the procuratorate filed for prosecution.
With time before the trial, Gu Nianyi squeezed in work on Cheng Fanglin’s files whenever she could.
One more scum to deal with.
Gu Nianyi had been run ragged lately, and Lu Jin’an had seen it all. “This stuff might just get him fired or suspended at worst. But I’ve got other evidence—enough to put him behind bars eating prison slop for years.”
He hadn’t pulled strings, just used legit channels to dig up Cheng Fanglin’s financial dirt.
One crime on top of another.
Gu Nianyi eyed the USB drive on the table. She had said she wouldn’t use the Lu Family’s influence; taking it would betray her principles.
Lu Jin’an read her mind and pressed the drive into her hand. “I get it—you don’t want to tap Lu Family resources. But Gu Nianyi, we’re married. This is one of the few things I can do for you as your husband.”
“Dr. Lu, thank you.”
Gu Nianyi grabbed his arm in a hug, then realized how intimate it was and let go fast.
Lu Jin’an arched a brow. “Verbal thanks only?”
Gu Nianyi blinked. “Then I’ll buy you dinner.”
Lu Jin’an paused. “…”
Did he look like a man who couldn’t afford a meal?
“The Lu Family is your resource. Use it wisely.”
Gu Nianyi slipped a letter to the company’s disciplinary committee. Cheng Fanglin got called in for questioning on the spot.
Mistreating subordinates might slide as an internal matter.
But embezzling over a million in research funds and abusing his position for personal gain? Those wouldn’t be brushed off lightly.
On a dreary rainy day, the trial went ahead as scheduled. Gu Nianyi’s motion for a live-streamed public hearing was shot down by Lin Yuezhou.
Lu Jin’an hadn’t meddled in the case at all.
He trusted her.
He waited just outside the courtroom.
The facts were clear, the evidence ironclad. Gu Nianyi read the verdict.
She had won.
Even if the sentence was light—just six months.
It was the best she could have hoped for.
The long, bitter rain had finally ended.
Clouds parted, mists cleared.
Look—the sun rose steady as ever.
Gu Nianyi spotted Ming Yue rushing up behind her and shot Dr. Lu a playful glare. “Dr. Lu, you told Ming Yue after all.”
Ming Yue barreled over and threw her arms around her. “Gu Nianyi, hiding it from me again! Tell me next time, and I’ll beat him into a vegetable.”
That was exactly why she hadn’t said a word—afraid Ming Yue would follow through.
“Gu Nianyi, listen up—no next time. The illness, this incident—if you keep secrets again, we’re done.”
Ming Yue only used her full name for the big stuff.
Gu Nianyi wheedled, “Never again, I swear.”
Seeing her unharmed, Ming Yue made a show of going for her head. Gu Nianyi darted behind Lu Jin’an. “Dr. Lu, save me!”
Lu Jin’an shot Xie Yunting a look. “Xie Yunting, rein in your wife.”
Xie Yunting chuckled. “Can’t control mine. You wrangling yours?”
The four of them headed out together. If only time could freeze right there.
Ming Yue linked arms with Gu Nianyi. “Yi Yi, take good care of yourself.”
Gu Nianyi blinked, confused. “What?”
Ming Yue shook her head. “Nothing.”
Yi Yi was doing well now. Someone had her back.
With a sidelong glance at Lu Jin’an, the soft light caressing his profile, Gu Nianyi began to sense where that odd feeling stemmed from.
Was it like?
She wasn’t sure. But she knew that when she’d started to say, “Maybe we should…”
The word “divorce” had lodged in her throat, no longer slipping out so easily.