I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 990 - 708 Shengshi_2

Chapter 990: 708 Shengshi_2

Jiang Chen planned to rest at Apang Palace but soon remembered that he still had a friend in Capital City.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Big-shot lawyer, what are you up to?"

"Working overtime. What else could I be doing?"

The other end was very quiet, making Fang Qing’s voice especially gentle and warm.

"You’re such a big deal now, and you’re still personally doing overtime, huh?"

Jiang Chen laughed.

It wasn’t really teasing.

Fang Qing’s reputation had skyrocketed after the sensational Guan Libing case. As the representing lawyer, she didn’t exactly leap to fame overnight, but at least on her career path, she saved herself a lot of time.

"I still eat and go to the toilet myself too."

Jiang Chen’s smile deepened, reminding her, "Big-shot lawyer, you should be careful about your image."

Of course, he understood that it was only in front of him that Fang Qing could "let herself go" like this, or rather, be herself.

As a child, Fang Qing was quite unrestrained and seemed like a completely different person from how she is now.

"What’s the matter? Nobody to keep you company?"

Tianhe Law Firm.

Fang Qing leaned back, resting on her chair.

All her colleagues had left.

Only her workstation was still lit.

"Yeah, I’m all alone and cold." Jiang Chen sighed.

"Lonely and cold, yet you’re looking for me? Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?"

"Big-shot lawyer, you’re being superficial. Isn’t our relationship on a level higher than romance?"

Fang Qing fell silent, not responding.

The insouciant Jiang Chen continued, "When will you be finished?"

"Probably around midnight."

The law profession is indeed prestigious, but when it gets busy, it’s truly tough work. Pulling all-nighters is not uncommon.

Jiang Chen sighed regretfully.

"Ah, I was actually thinking of asking you to grab some late-night snacks together."

Fang Qing got the hint, "You’re in Capital City?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Chen smiled, "I wonder if the big-shot lawyer could spare a moment?"

Fang Qing leaned back in her chair, "If it’s far, it might be difficult, but if it’s nearby the law firm..."

"Tianhe Law Firm, right?"

Jiang Chen said straightforwardly, "I’m on my way."

Fang Qing was about to say something, but realized he had already hung up.

She paused, then chuckled to herself, put down her phone, and dove back into her work.

Time quietly slipped by.

When Fang Qing looked up from the case files and saw the time again, it was nearly ten o’clock, an hour since their conversation.

She furrowed her brows and couldn’t help but pick up her phone and dial, "Have you arrived?"

"I’m here. Just carry on with your work, don’t mind me."

What kind of response was that?

The call ended abruptly.

This guy!

Fang Qing tightened her face, angrily placing her phone on the desk, not wanting to bother with it anymore.

Another forty minutes passed.

Still, not a peep.

Was he just toying with her again?

Unable to focus entirely on her work, Fang Qing looked at the phone on the desk, picked it up, and dialed, ready to give him an earful.

But before she could start, a voice came from the other end.

"I’m here, in the elevator."

"..."

Fang Qing looked towards the entrance of the law firm.

Jiang Chen wasn’t joking around; two minutes later, a figure appeared at the door.

Fang Qing stood up, went to open it, and saw several bags of food in his hands.

"Weren’t we supposed to eat out?"

"Why bother when you’re busy? Let’s eat while it’s hot."

Ever the elusive visitor, Jiang Chen moved to the only lit workstation, placing the late-night food on the table and arranging everything.

Fang Qing followed silently.

"Look at everyone else, they’re all colleagues. Why are you the only one pushing so hard?"

Perhaps as payback for childhood grudges, Jiang Chen seized every opportunity to criticize. He moved a chair from the neighboring station closer, then took out the hard-earned late-night meals.

Seeing the emblem on the takeout bags, Fang Qing realized why it had taken him so long—the Li Ji’s food store was almost twenty miles from here.

"Chaoshou dumplings, with added shrimp and cilantro."

Chaoshou with cilantro was Fang Qing’s unique concoction; probably only she liked it that way.

"You’re not stupid, are you? Can’t you just order takeout?"

Fang Qing was unimpressed, even scolding rather than being touched.

Jiang Chen was startled, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "Forgot."

Fang Qing cried and laughed, shaking her head, and sat down.

The entire law firm was lit up in only one spot.

The two ate a less than lavish late-night snack in the dim surroundings.

"Can you not always appear out of nowhere? Is it so hard to make a phone call in advance? At least let me be prepared."

"What do you need to prepare for?"

Jiang Chen asked subconsciously, leaving the articulate professional lawyer at a loss for words.

"I’ve traveled all this way to bring you food, and it seems inappropriate to not even receive a word of thanks, only to be scolded."

"Did I ask you to bring it?"

Fang Qing retorted sharply.

"Then don’t eat."

Jiang Chen was equally ungracious, not giving an inch.

Another girl might have thrown down her chopsticks and refused to eat, but Fang Qing didn’t; she indignantly argued, "Why should I not eat!"

Jiang Chen had no response.

"Who told you to put so much cilantro in this?"

Fang Qing picked out several stalks of cilantro from her bowl and added them to Jiang Chen’s wontons.

Jiang Chen seemed accustomed to this behavior, not finding anything amiss.

Originally, he did not like cilantro, finding the herb foul-smelling. But how could he argue when the girl-next-door Qing Mei loved it and not only did she enjoy it herself, she always forced him to eat it, adding way too much only to leave it uneaten, then piling it into his bowl.

Year after year, Jiang Chen had been forced to acclimate to the taste.

"We all work at the same firm; how come you’re so busy? Slacking off normally?"

Jiang Chen picked up some cilantro and put it in his mouth.

"It’s not a case from the firm. It’s a side job I took on."

Jiang Chen looked up, curiously, "And you’re doing side jobs here? Isn’t that a bit too blatant?"

Fang Qing gave him a look, "Of course, it’s with the firm’s permission."

"Your firm is quite humanized."

Jiang Chen’s compliment seemed half mocking, and then he casually added, "Taking on private jobs should pay quite well, right?"

"A thousand to three thousand per case, plenty, isn’t it?"

"..."

Jiang Chen was surprised, "Has the rate for lawyers dropped this much?"

"Not cheap at all, this sum of money is a lot for those with scanty incomes."

A thousand to three thousand, that’s called a lot?

Shenzhou is now the world’s second-largest economy, having entered an era of widespread prosperity, with the internet replete with information about extravagant consumption.

Yet Jiang Chen, from humble beginnings, knew all too well the true state beneath this golden age.

It’s not only the wealthy who need legal aid.

Those at the bottom need it even more.

A few thousand yuan may sometimes be just enough for a meal, a piece of clothing, but for others, it weighs as heavy as Mount Tai.

It’s not an exaggeration.

This land is not as wealthy and powerful as it appears on the surface.

If in doubt, take a look at the transaction records on certain e-commerce platforms.

Televisions priced between 100 to 200 yuan have sales volume reaching several hundred thousand units.

That’s right.

Several hundred thousand units.

Unbelievable?

Indeed, it is unbelievable.

Most people may not understand, thinking it impossible for such a large impoverished demographic to exist.

Fake orders!

It must be fake orders!

But just a glimpse at the review section reveals buyers’ pictures—flaking paint on the walls of small homes, cabinets full of medicine, ancient tables, and bottles and jars too cherished to throw away.

No Photoshop, no filters, just the real world of families who can afford a 200 yuan television.

If it weren’t for the real conditions at home, Jiang Chen, given his current perspective, would certainly not believe such reality.

But fortunately, or unfortunately, his earlier life had been filled with hardships and sorrows.

"You eat more."

Jiang Chen pushed a bowl of soup dumplings toward Fang Qing, "Eat up, then you’ll have the strength to plead for the people."

"Thank you!"

Fang Qing said earnestly, though she wasn’t so noble—at least not initially.

When she first got into the law university, all she thought about was the boy next door. But now, the boy no longer needed her, so she might as well devote her energy to helping those who do.

Two grown adults, childhood friends, eating late-night snacks together, occasionally bickering.

Looking up at the sky for too long, one can easily forget their feet are on the ground.

But these childhood sweethearts, born in a community of laid-off workers, remembered well where they started from.