My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 186 - 155: I Prefer Law over History

Chapter 186: Chapter 155: I Prefer Law over History

"Ahem! Actually, I think that poor people read because ’in books, you will find houses of gold,’ and the goal of most people’s reading is simply to become wealthy, to break through their original social class.

Rich people, on the other hand, read with more complicated purposes, but essentially, it’s all about reputation, position, and wealth.

From this perspective, it’s not so bad for nouveau riche to use reading to improve their image and decorate themselves.

’Judge by deeds, not by motives,’ after all, there are no saints if judged by motive. You shouldn’t be too harsh on your esteemed father."

Meng Lang said openly supporting Mr. Lin, but in reality, he was skillfully advocating for his own interests.

"Ha! You’re right, here, this is for you."

Without agreeing or disagreeing, Lin Haitang nodded her head and suddenly took out a bank card from her bag and handed it to Meng Lang.

"What’s this?"

"There’s 300,000 in there, the password is six sixes."

"Uh... what’s this for?" Meng Lang looked at Lin Haitang with confusion.

"You forgot? In the Xu Gao divorce case, weren’t you my ’special intelligence consultant’? There’s 250,000, that’s your consultation fee."

"Uh... that was all a joke, you took it seriously?" Meng Lang was speechless.

"I have to take it seriously! I already owe you enough, I don’t want to owe you more. Besides, this money originally came from the bonus for winning the Gao Yuan case.

You are the one who truly deserves the credit, if I took it, wouldn’t that be taking advantage of a friend?" Lin Haitang said earnestly.

"How much could the bonus possibly be? You’re giving too much."

"According to the signed risk litigation contract, the company gets 6 million, and I personally get a bonus of 250,000."

"Uh..."

Starting a law firm... Is it really that lucrative? Meng Lang obviously underestimated the earning power of a law firm.

"You don’t have to give it all to me, right? Besides, if the consultation fee is 250,000, why are you giving me 300,000?"

"The remaining 50,000 is for buying a car."

"Buying a car?" Meng Lang was stunned for a moment.

"Yeah! I think I handled your car quite well, so consider this 50,000 as me buying that car, it will be convenient for commuting to and from work," Lin Haitang said with a smile.

"If you want, when you get your license, I can go with you to buy another one."

I haven’t even driven that car yet, and you’re already thinking of buying it from me? Won’t my beloved car instantly become a second-hand vehicle?

Meng Lang was caught between laughter and tears.

But he could see that Lin Haitang really didn’t want to take any advantage of him.

And why was there a strange feeling like she was deliberately "drawing a line" between them?

Seeing her resolute expression, he realized he had to accept the money whether he wanted to or not.

"Alright, then I’ll take the 250,000, and I’ll return the other 50,000 to you later. You’ve won the lawsuit, it doesn’t make sense for you to not have a penny from it, right?

Consider it my hard work fee for Mr. Lin, that should be acceptable.

If you’re still going to refuse, then I won’t take the money at all."

Lin Haitang looked at Meng Lang and finally nodded slowly.

Only then did Meng Lang take the card, shaking it in his hand with a smile.

"When I first came to your law firm, you charged me a consultation fee, I never thought the tables would turn like this, hahaha!

Speaking of which, should I pay taxes on this? Divorce or making a will are both too far off – maybe I should consult on tax evasion first?"

Remembering the situation then, Lin Haitang couldn’t help but laugh as well.

"It’s your own fault for coming up with such unreliable excuses, what with reconnaissance soldiers and... Ahem! Fine, I know you hold a grudge. I’ll help you unpack, consider it an apology, okay?"

As she spoke, Lin Haitang started to help unpack the boxes.

"Uh... no need, I can manage on my own, don’t you have to go out?"

"It’s okay, my workload is lighter for the next couple of days; it doesn’t matter if I go later."

Lin Haitang helped move books onto the shelves, looking at the various types of books in the boxes.

"I remember you told Gao Yuan that you read a book every day.

You say that reading is purposeful, so what’s your purpose in diligently reading so many books?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Lang didn’t know how to respond at the moment.

That was just sweet talk to impress her, tailoring my words for my audience. In front of Gao Yuan, of course, I had to speak the language of ’educated people’ – for that initial favorable impression..."

"I’ve set up a ’keen reader’ persona, and even got the study room arranged; what else can I do?"

"Ahem! Actually, my purpose for reading is quite pure, mainly to absorb the wisdom and experience of those before us.

Don’t you think reading is a pleasure?

A good book, to hold and read till dawn and dusk fade, lets you rise and fall within its pages, shutting out the noise of the world, enjoying a moment of tranquil happiness on earth."

"Do you really like reading that much?"

"Of course!"

Looking at the serious expression on Meng Lang’s face, Lin Haitang raised an eyebrow, picking up a nearby copy of ’National Judicial Examination Guidance Book’ with a curious expression.

"Does your happiness include this kind too?"

"Uh..."

Meng Lang glanced around at the piles of boxes, realizing that these two boxes were actually filled entirely with legal books.

This happiness... was indeed a bit of a stretch...

"Well... of course, even within the dry legal texts, you can find the vivid tapestry of human life..."

Meng Lang could only chuckle awkwardly.

"Really? Had you not mentioned it, I would’ve thought you wanted to take the bar exam."

Lin Haitang slightly lowered her eyelids, her thoughts inscrutable.

Huh? Not a bad suggestion; maybe it’s worth considering?

Meng Lang didn’t notice Lin Haitang’s expression but seriously pondered her words.

"Law" might not be one of my strongest skills, but how could I not manage the lawyer’s license after ’My Struggle’ through ten years of grueling study?

With Lin Haitang’s help, the bookshelf was quickly filled with a variety of books.

"Medicine, law, computer science... Huh? There’s even cuisine! Your interests are quite diverse.

But... why no history? Didn’t you say you really liked history?" Lin Haitang asked, seemingly casually.

"Hm?" Liking history? When did I say that?

Oh! Right! That was what I said to Gao Yuan last time, trapped by ’The Wanli Emperor’s Fifteenth Year’!

Is this gag ever going to end?

Why no history?

Can I say I just don’t have that ’skill’ in my repertoire, so I never bought any?

Meng Lang didn’t expect Lin Haitang to remember so clearly something he had casually said in front of Gao Yuan.

Seems like I can’t just create personas haphazardly anymore.

But... I can’t help feeling she’s brought up Gao Yuan quite a few times today...’

This girl... could she actually be bothered about me running into Gao Yuan at the coffee shop last time?

Compelled by some spirit, Meng Lang blurted out a statement.

"Actually, I like law more than history."

Lin Haitang’s face suddenly flushed red.

She shot Meng Lang a fierce glare and then, grabbing her bag, turned and walked away.

"Uh..."

Watching Lin Haitang’s retreat, Meng Lang slowly realized what dreadful thing he had just said.

He stood there, stunned.

Does this count as a second confession?

And does her reaction count as a second instant rejection?

But regardless, she probably won’t dwell on why I claimed to like history but have no history books in my study—an impossible question to answer anymore...

"Even the most assertive girls become oddly affected when they’re suddenly confessed to by a guy, no matter how much they may dislike him...

Sometimes a confession isn’t just about getting out of singlehood, but getting out of a tricky situation."]

Remembering Duan Xian’s sayings, Meng Lang couldn’t help but click his tongue.

"A master indeed..."