Dear Freud

Chapter 4

- July 15, 2023

 At that time, his face had turned red from embarrassment.

Zhen Yi sank into her distant memories, then she suddenly heard a soft sound, as if someone had closed a door. Her train of thought was brought to a sudden halt.

When she regained her senses, she found herself standing foolishly alone in the corridor, and Yan Ge was long gone.

He actually hypnotized her and ran away?

Bastard!

Zhen Yi felt like biting someone.

She hurriedly opened the security door and caught up with Yan Ge, intentionally speaking loudly, "You damn hypnotist, taking advantage of me and running away!"

Passersby glanced at them, but Yan Ge showed no reaction, not even looking back, as if he didn't know Zhen Yi.

Zhen Yi pulled him, saying, "I'm talking to you!"

Yan Ge stopped and glanced at her claws on his arm. "Oh, did I take advantage of you?"

Zhen Yi was stunned for a moment, then immediately let go.

"How could you leave me there?"

"I timed it, 10 seconds," he continued walking casually.

"So, you're a psychiatrist?" Zhen Yi snorted, "Doctors don't treat themselves."

Yan Ge didn't answer, nor did he show any appreciation for her jokes.

Zhen Ai pouted, "Indeed, it suits your insensitive personality."

"Hmm, a lawyer, suits your nosy personality," he muttered absentmindedly.

Zhen Yi's footsteps paused. How did he know she was a lawyer? Was it because the Lin Ziyi's case had attracted so much attention?

He got on the escalator without saying a word and left without a greeting.

Zhen Yi rolled her eyes. He really hadn't changed a bit!

She turned to leave, her mind recalling Yan Ge's words from earlier—being nosy. She was slightly lost in thought. What would have happened to them if it wasn't for her nosiness?

She remembered that when she was still a teenager, about 12 years ago when they were around 12 or 13 years old. Yan Ge already had a fair and handsome appearance back then. Perhaps, he looked like an easy target.

The first time she encountered him was by the roadside after school. It had been a long time since school ended, and the tree-lined road was quiet. He stood alone at the bus stop, attracting the attention of a group of hooligans from the neighboring high school.

They asked him for money, and he earnestly replied that he didn't have any, then silently watched those hooligans.

His gaze angered the hooligans, who thought he was disregarding their authority and they threatened to teach him a lesson. However, before they could act, Zhen Yi, who couldn't stand by when she saw injustice, pulled out a baseball bat from her bag and quickly beat up the high schoolers, making them scream and run away.

"Tsk, daring to bully our schoolmate! You're asking for trouble!" Zhen Yi boasted with arrogance toward their retreating figures, then turned around. "Why aren't you wearing a school uniform? Only attaching the school badge to your bag will get you scolded by the disciplinarian. My ears are often pulled..."

"Oh my god!" As soon as she turned and saw the young man in the white shirt and thin tie, her eyes widened, and her words were forgotten. She immediately flirted, "Oh my god, how can you be so good-looking?"

The slanting sunset shone through the treetops, landing on his long eyelashes. His eyes were deep, but he looked at her without much emotion. He didn't even say thank you.

"Do you know how good-looking you are? Walking around like this, no wonder you got mugged," she was quite amicable, chirping like the birds on the treetops above them, "If you encounter me, I'd rob you of your heart!"

He still didn't speak. Under the rosy sunset, his face was fair and beautiful, almost transparent.

Perhaps due to the dazzling evening glow, she thought his face turned red and quickly tried to ease the situation for him, "Don't be embarrassed, I was just joking. Hehe, I'm a member of the Association of Looks. That's why I'm easily excited."

This time, he contemplated slightly, his eyelashes drooped for a moment, and then he looked at her again, his eyes as beautiful as obsidian beads.

His voice was clear and carried a hint of confusion, "Association of Foreign Trade? Are you a child laborer? Working at such a young age?"

Zhen Yi was stunned for a second, then immediately realized that he was also joking. She burst into laughter, "Oh, you're really funny. What's your name? Be my boyfriend?"

He remained calm and composed, not showing any embarrassment, and replied, "My name is Yan Ge, and I don't need a girlfriend yet."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer but instead asked, "Hmm, do you have money?"

"What's the matter?"

"It seems like you need money to take the bus."

"You only found out today? Really..." Zhen Yi's mouth gaped open, she was dumbfounded, then her eyes lit up with an idea. "I can lend you money, but I won't lend money to strangers."

"..."

"Hehe, but if I were your girlfriend, that would be a different story!"

"..."

"Hey, don't go. Hey, Yan Ge, wait for me. What? Walk home? That's great, let me escort you home. What if someone robs you again? What? You don't have money? Who needs money when we can rob hearts? Hey, why are you running? Don't run, hey, come back..."

From then on, she chased after him like a ship on the sea, embarking on a journey to chase the sun, year after year, from middle school to high school, until everyone in the school knew, even the teachers knew, and the whole city knew...

It seemed like overnight, the temperature suddenly rose, and new buds sprouted on withered trees.

On Wednesday morning, Yang Zi, as usual, was the first one to arrive at the law firm. She brewed coffee and watered the plants. A few months ago, she had accidentally stumbled upon her boss, Bian Qian, coming in at the earliest possible time to make his own coffee, that was when she decided that she would quit staying in bed until it was time to go to work.

She waited by the coffee machine for a while, checking the time, and heard the elevator outside. She quickly grabbed a watering can and watered the plants on the boss's office window sill.

She was a practical person but also knew how to be clever.

"Ah Zi, so early?" It wasn't Bian Qian, it was Zhen Yi.

She didn't live far away and would run here every morning. She panted as she approached the water dispenser. The morning sun poured in, giving her face a rosy glow, full of vitality. She bent down, her pinky sportswear wrapped around her perky buttocks, her legs long, slender and irresistibly sexy.

In middle school, Zhen Yi always wore tight and low-waisted pants that accentuated her slim waist and perky buttocks, causing a blush on the faces of the naïve Yang Zi and her classmates.

Yang Zi had a very beautiful face, and her figure was particularly charming.

Zhen Yi didn't match her in appearance, but there was an indescribable liveliness about her that made people can't help but look at her more.

After exchanging greetings, Zhen Yi went into the restroom and came out with a different look. Her hair was neatly tied up, and she wore a white sparkling formal dress, like a mini dress, elegant, delicate, and fashionable, completely different from the rigid suits worn by others.

From school to the workplace, her taste in clothing had always been above average.

Yang Zi followed Zhen Yi into her cubicle. "Yi, did you see the news? On Saturday night, no, early Sunday morning, Lin Ziyi was killed at the Ecstasy private club on the Second Ring Road. They say it was a brutal death."

"Hmm, I saw it," Zhen Yi turned on the computer and moved the mouse. "The news didn't provide details, but some netizens say he was castrated. Of course, that could just be netizens lacking moral decency."

Yang Zi leaned closer. "Since his death, there has been a lot of commotion on the internet. Many people are celebrating."

"Hmph," Zhen Yi smirked. "When Tang Shang died, many people celebrated too, saying she committed suicide out of fear and that her death was not important. Now that Lin Ziyi is dead, they're acting the same way. Do these people really have such clear love and hate, such deep-seated animosity? No. It's just that they feel empty and insignificant in reality, and the darkness and malice in their hearts needs an outlet. Their comments represent who they are. People who don't even respect life cannot be called human!"

Yang Zi was silenced by her faint anger, and she was even more amazed by what she said. She had seen how much Zhen Yi suffered during Tang Shang's case for over three months, and she thought Zhen Yi would be happy upon hearing this news.

"Yi, I thought you would find solace in this news."

"I did hope for that. But when I saw the news, I felt a bit excited, somewhat compassionate, and also..." Zhen Yi couldn't describe it, so she simply stopped talking.

Yang Zi patted her shoulder. "Don't think too much. After working hard for over three months, it's finally over. You can breathe a sigh of relief."

Her gaze fell on the folder that Zhen Yi brought, and she glanced at it roughly. "A new contract? Weren't you on vacation on Monday and Tuesday?"

"But the cases don't take a vacation, and my rest time is wasted." While Zhen Yi spoke, she also took notes on her tablet with a pen, not wasting a single minute.

"So demanding. Is Boss Bian mistreating you?" Yang Zi casually flipped through the papers, and the agent fees startled her. It was enough to cover her divorce case for half a year.

At their law firm, lawyers' salaries were tied to the agent fees. Some lawyers could earn tens of thousands in a week, while others couldn't match the wages of migrant workers for half a year.

"I knew he couldn't bear to mistreat you." Yang Zi chuckled. "You are his capable right hand."

"You are too. In terms of professional background, I can't compare to you."

"Professional background? Only after entering society did I realize that professional expertise doesn't always carry much weight." Yang Zi sighed. She had always worked hard, so she was even more confused.

Zhen Yi paused her pen, looked up, and said seriously, "Ah Zi, you are gentle, beautiful, capable, exuding femininity, and full of intelligence. I envy you so much."

Yang Zi was taken aback, glaring at her with a hint of annoyance, then said, "Yi, I've discussed with the boss. I want to develop in the criminal field, so when the time comes, you have to bring me along."

"Hmm," Zhen Yi pondered for a moment, "Do you have any ongoing tasks at the moment?"

"I have some follow-up work left for that divorce case. Why?"

"Assist me with this case along with Xiao Jiang." Zhen Yi raised the power of attorney in her hand.

"Well, that might not be possible for now. Yesterday, the boss assigned me a criminal case, one with significant social impact. I might be too busy to assist you."

"Is that so? Congratulations, then. Do your best."

As office hours began, the office gradually became busy.

Yang Zi went back to handle her work. During her break, she habitually glanced at Zhen Yi's cubicle and happened to see a tall woman wearing sunglasses walking in. The figure seemed somewhat familiar.

Song Yi? The famous celebrity Song Yi?

No wonder the agent fees on that contract were so high!

Their law firm gained fame from the Lin Ziyi vs.Tang Shang case, and Zhen Yi became their most prominent lawyer. It's no wonder the big star came seeking her.

Speaking of which, when Bian Qian had decided to take on that case, none of the more experienced lawyers in the firm wanted to touch it. Now, they all regretted it.

Yang Zi looked at her own case, Yue Feng, a gifted student in Imperial University had splashed sulfuric acid and stabbed several of her classmates in their classroom. Four people were killed and three were injured. It was very scary. It was terrifying. Yue Feng's family couldn't afford a lawyer due to their poor financial situation, so the court appointed their law firm to provide legal representation. Apart from the low salary, what caught Yang Zi's attention was the heinous nature and public attention surrounding the case.

To become famous with her first criminal case was quite fortunate.

Zhen Yi received Song Yi's commission on Sunday afternoon.

The surveillance footage from the Ecstasy private club showed Song Yi passing by the corner of the corridor outside the room at the time of the incident and glancing down the corridor, which happened to have no cameras.

The police considered her an important eyewitness, but she was uncooperative and remained silent during questioning. Later, a police officer "kindly" reminded her, "Miss Song, would you rather be a suspect than a witness?"

As a result, Song Yi sought Zhen Yi's help. She saw the suspicious person but adamantly refused to testify. Her reasons were simple: she was a public figure and didn't want to get involved, plus she feared brutal retaliation.

Her exact words to Zhen Yi was, "I don't want to 'commit suicide'!" It seemed that she found Tang Shang's suicide suspicious.

Zhen Yi understood that not testifying as an eyewitness didn't violate the law, but Song Yi's appearance in the surveillance footage at such a delicate time and location was too suspicious.

Lin Ziyi came from an influential background, so the police were under tremendous pressure. Song Yi was their only breakthrough point, and they would go to great lengths to pry open her mouth. Under immense pressure, they might even turn her into a suspect.

T/N: This chapter was a bit long. I’ve decided that I'm going to upload a new chapter every saturday. So see y'all next Saturday I guess. Also i’m glad Lin Ziyi is dead, hopefully he died painfully.