My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 34 - 33 I Don’t Want to be Called Yan Weiwei Anymore

Chapter 34: Chapter 33 I Don’t Want to be Called Yan Weiwei Anymore

Zhongnan Building, headquarters of Xu Group.

"Did it fail?" The man behind the boss chair turned his chair around, arching an eyebrow.

This man, looking to be in his thirties, handsome and refined, was the current CEO of Xu Group, Xu Jingsong.

Xu Group, as the name suggests, was a family business.

And Xu Jingsong was the leader of the third generation of the Xu family, in charge of the daily operations of Xu Group and second only in power to the chairman, Xu Bonian, and a few other board members.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Xu, it was my incompetence."

Standing opposite Xu Jingsong was a middle-aged man, wearing glasses, sporting a slick back haircut, and with somewhat buck teeth.

If one regularly watched the news, they could recognize him as he often accompanied Xu Jingsong in public appearances.

He was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Xu Group, Xu Jingsong’s absolute confidant, Cui Jizhong.

Xu Jingsong rhythmically tapped his knuckles on the armrest, his eyes slightly squinting.

"You know I least like to hear the words ’I’m sorry.’"

Cui Jizhong kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Xu Jingsong’s expression.

"Yuan Li is quite capable, and we have used him several times over the past three years, always with satisfying results. I never expected that he would fail just dealing with an ordinary person this time."

"What exactly happened?" Xu Jingsong asked.

"According to our insider, Yuan Li had just made his move when he was unexpectedly disrupted by two bystanders and for some reason ended up being subdued by the two civilians. In the process, a gun was fired.

This incident escalated, making it difficult for our people arranged to manage the aftermath to step in."

"Disrupted? Was it a coincidence?" Xu Jingsong frowned slightly.

"Well... it seems that Yuan Li had installed a pinhole camera in the scapegoat’s home, and it just so happened to record Yuan Li sneaking in..."

Even Cui Jizhong’s expression turned quite odd at this point.

It’s hard to blame Yuan Li for lacking skills when unexpectedly, a randomly chosen bystander turned out to be a "gentleman."

Who could he complain to about this?

Even he, the villain, couldn’t help but feel that morals were declining and the good old days were long gone.

Pinhole... camera?!

With Xu Jingsong’s cunning, he couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"So, it was a coincidence?"

"It should be, the lady neither has the scheming nor the ability to disrupt our plans."

"Hmm! You know how this should be wrapped up, right?"

"Rest assured, Mr. Xu, Yuan Li’s son is still studying in the US; he would definitely not speak up.

As long as he denies everything, this incident will surely be dismissed as an ordinary act of revenge, and it will never lead back to Xu.

It is a pity for Yuan Li though, as he’ll likely face at least a decade in prison, making it very hard to get him out."

Given Yuan Li’s charges, it would be at least ten years.

Yuan Li was already forty this year; by the time he gets out, he’d be at least fifty or sixty. Considering the detrimental effects of the harsh prison environment on one’s health, a man with reduced physical strength and past convictions would definitely be of little use to Xu Group.

"Arrange a good lawyer, we can’t let those who work for us feel disheartened."

Xu Jingsong was reminding Cui Jizhong to employ both kindness and authority in dealing with Yuan Li.

"Yes! I understand!"

Cui Jizhong nodded and then asked.

"Mr. Xu, with this incident, we probably shouldn’t proceed against Lin Haitang.

If this lawyer screws up repeatedly, the lady might become suspicious.

But unless Lin Haitang steps down, our arranged personnel won’t be able to take over her case and proceed with our next steps..."

Xu Jingsong lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then slowly stood up and walked towards the large floor-to-ceiling window, his hands behind his back, overlooking the entire view of Su City.

"Originally, I intended for her to leave gracefully, but since plans can’t keep up with changes, that graciousness isn’t necessary anymore..."

"Yes! Mr. Xu, I understand what to do!"

...

"Whew~ I’m full! Thanks for the meal!" Meng Lang patted his stomach, leaning back comfortably on the sofa.

Meng Lang and Lin Haitang were digesting in the living room, while Xiao Yu was diligently cleaning up the dishes... or rather, restoring the kitchen.

Meng Lang pleaded in various ways, but Xiao Yu wouldn’t let him help in the kitchen, which amused and annoyed him.

"It’s us who should be thanking you," Lin Haitang formally said.

"You’ve already thanked me plenty of times; really, no need. Look, by saving Xiao Yu, didn’t I also save myself?"

"Then I still owe you a debt of gratitude. If you ever need anything in the future, as long as I can help, I will not hesitate!" Lin Haitang said earnestly.

"Is that so... Well, I do have a small request."

"Hmm? What is it?" Lin Haitang paused.

Meng Lang glanced at Yan Weiwei, who was watching TV next to them, and then hesitantly whispered.

"About that recording from before..."

"Oh, that one," Lin Haitang’s eyes twinkled with amusement, "I’ve already deleted it."

"Really?" Meng Lang paused, then heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well, haha..."

"What recording are you two talking about?" Yan Weiwei, who had been eavesdropping, immediately leaned in, full of curiosity.

"Cough! It’s nothing! Oh, and there’s another thing I wanted to ask." Meng Lang quickly changed the subject.

"Regarding that divorce case you’re handling..."

He hadn’t forgotten that Yuan Li was just a pawn, and there was a mastermind behind him.

If the Xu Group, this behemoth, just incidentally affected Meng Lang, a negligible individual, while unleashing a major move.

Then Meng Lang couldn’t help but snicker at almost being swept away in one fell swoop.

Ha! Congratulations, you’ve successfully attracted the enmity of the minor character Meng Lang...

"Suppose, just suppose, you can’t go to work because of Xiao Yu’s situation, who is most likely to take over your case?"

Lin Haitang frowned.

"If I have to give up this case, then under normal circumstances, Zhongtian Law Firm would likely find another lawyer internally, and following Miss Gao’s specific request, this person has to be a female lawyer.

Meeting the criteria and sufficiently experienced to take over this case... it should be Han Li."

Han Li? This name...

[Lin Haitang let me know that the "Xu v. Gao Divorce Case" had ended with Xu Jingsong’s complete victory in the end.

The reason was that a colleague named Han Li had leaked her litigation materials, coupled with the sudden emergence of evidence of the woman’s infidelity during the marriage.

Everything was part of Xu Jingsong’s backup plan, but by the time they realized it, it was already too late, leaving them to marvel at his cunning superiority.

However, for me, these are merely topics for light conversation by the sickbed now...]

"It matches!"

"What matches?" Lin Haitang asked, her expression puzzled.

"Oh, nothing, what do you think about Han Li as a person?" Meng Lang asked again.

"Hmm... how to put it, I don’t really like her that much. She’s quite casual in her approach and not very meticulous."

Casual? Not meticulous?

For a lawyer, those words are hardly complimentary.

Does it subtly imply that she lacks principles?

"I see, then do you think she might have..."

Lin Haitang was no fool; piecing together Meng Lang’s somewhat erratic questions, she roughly grasped his idea.

"Are you suggesting that the other party first instigated Yuan Li to commit the crime, aiming to force me out, and they had already bribed Han Li in advance? Is that possible?"

"You know, I’ve got ’paranoid delusion.’ I always like to think of the worst possible scenarios."

Meng Lang found more reasons and felt this condition actually suited him quite well.

"Right! Who in their right mind wears a bulletproof vest out just for fun..." Yan Weiwei, who had been eavesdropping, nodded incessantly.

Meng Lang couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"If the future proves I’m wrong, then consider it a needless worry.

But if I predicted correctly, then their plan this time will fail, and they might make other moves, like using Han Li to get some insider information from you, business secrets and such...

Evil intentions should not exist, but defensive precautions are necessary; it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Here, I won’t be needing this anymore; you might find it useful. It’s a gift!"

As he spoke, Meng Lang took a squarely shaped box out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Though not planning to be any kind of justice advocate promoting good and punishing evil, if they framed him, there was no reason he couldn’t give them a taste of their own medicine.

"This is..." Lin Haitang took it and saw, her face turning inexplicably strange.

Yan Weiwei also curiously peered over and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"When you give gifts to girls, are you always this creative?"

Meng Lang smirked mischievously.

"Power is neither righteous nor evil. It becomes righteous when used rightly and evil when used maliciously.

Just like the night has given us black eyes, yet we use them to search for the light..."

...

After Meng Lang left, only Lin Haitang and Yan Weiwei remained in the living room.

"What do you think about him?"

"He’s very mysterious, every move seems extremely calculated, as if he foresaw everything in advance, then I can only say—inscrutable!"

"I’m not asking you that, I mean, what do you think of him as a person?"

Lin Haitang paused for a moment and then watched Yan Weiwei with a half-smile.

"I’ve never seen you so concerned about a man before. You had so many boys chasing you in high school, but you never seemed interested."

Yan Weiwei, unusually serious and curling her legs, had a quieter look in her eyes.

"That’s because I’ve never met a man willing to take a bullet for me before."

Lin Haitang was taken aback.

"What, just because he saved your life, you want to dedicate yourself to him?"

"If he took the bullet for me because he likes me, then I would accept him!" Yan Weiwei said earnestly.

Lin Haitang suddenly realized her friend was probably not joking.

Certainly, few girls could remain indifferent if a man was willing to die for them,

especially for someone as stubborn and single-minded as Yan Weiwei, the impact was significant.

"Sometimes I really admire your bold love and hate, but..."

Thinking back to the scene she witnessed at the hotel entrance the night before,

"he might have a girlfriend."

"What?" Yan Weiwei’s face couldn’t hide her disappointment.

"Able to take a bullet for me, and he can cook too, why are all the good men always in someone else’s bowl..." Yan Weiwei wailed, her body leaning over as she clung to Lin Haitang.

"I’m heartbroken before we’ve even dated, Haitang, I need comfort, wuuuu~"

"Get off me! You jerk! Where are you touching!"

But Lin Haitang was no match for Yan Weiwei’s strength and was quickly pinned down on the couch, unable to move.

"Haitang! The good man’s gone, but luckily, I still have you..."

"Are you crazy! Get off me right now!"

"No! I’ve decided, starting today, I don’t want to be called Yan Weiwei anymore, I’m changing my name!"

Lin Haitang paused for a moment, "Change it to what?"

"I want to be called... Yan Lihua!"

Lin Haitang was stunned for a long while before she realized.

"You... Get away from me!!!"

...

Meng Lang, of course, knew nothing of what had transpired next door; he was currently looking at a book in his hands, his face a mix of astonishment and joy.

A biography, finally updated once again!

This time, the cover was a pleasantly pure white.

Two bold red characters took up nearly one-third of the cover.

— "Siege"!