My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 44 - 43: Beijing?

Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Beijing?

Although I couldn’t be certain of my suspicions, the more I looked at this photo’s silhouette... the more it seemed like some sort of flag had been planted.

Burst into silence, and then perish after the explosion?

If that was really the case, wouldn’t it be too tragic?

Death before glory; at least Zhuge Liang made it to Wuzhang Land before passing on – you’re having it rougher than even his memorial speech!

Validating this speculation wouldn’t be too hard...

"Click!" Meng Lang activated the camera on his phone, capturing the plane’s tail number.

"The next me," I’ll leave it in your hands!

Meng Lang mentally issued a command to "himself" to gather the relevant intelligence.

As long as I can survive for another three years without incident, the answer should be in tomorrow’s update.

The prestige of the world’s leading intelligence organization is just that mission-critical!

Then, he photographed the accompanying comic as well, "click-click."

"If the incoming information ever becomes too much to handle, recording it would be a problem, since it’s only available for 24 hours before a refresh. Electronic documents always feel somewhat unsafe... Hmm! Better to buy a printer for personal use."

The hidden mastermind behind the "world’s leading intelligence organization" considered the organization’s remaining few tens of thousands of operating expense, then opened his phone to browse Taomao...

...

March 29th, Monday, clear skies.

At 7:30 in the morning, after a spirited struggle with his blanket, Meng Lang finally shook off its clutches and stepped out the door after getting ready.

Just as he opened the door, he happened to bump into the Lin Haitang sisters on their way out.

"You’re up early too?" Meng Lang greeted them.

"Yeah! I’m taking Xiao Yu to school."

Lin Haitang was back in her black professional suit, her hair done up in a bun, with much of her charm hidden behind the large black frame glasses that covered half of her face.

Xiao Yu was wearing her school uniform and carrying a backpack, her hair done up in lively twin tails that made her look exceptionally energetic and cute.

However, at the moment, she was pouting, clearly unhappy, "I told my sister she doesn’t need to take me."

Meng Lang was momentarily stunned, realizing that after being bitten once, Lin Haitang was worried about Xiao Yu encountering danger again.

So he blurted out, "Xiao Yu goes to Qing Song Primary School nearby, right? As it happens, I’m going to the park to exercise, and it’s on the way. I can take her there."

"No need, that would be too much trouble for you."

Lin Haitang was about to refuse when Xiao Yu cheered, "Great, Uncle! Let’s go then!"

Without waiting for her sister to object, Xiao Yu grabbed Meng Lang’s hand and started jogging down the stairs.

"Hey! Xiao Yu..."

...

Not until they had left the complex did Meng Lang turn to Xiao Yu. "You don’t want your sister to take you to school?"

Xiao Yu’s little schemes were seen through, and she playfully stuck out her tongue.

"My sister is very busy with work, and she often works part-time at night. If she has to take me as well, she’ll need to get up half an hour earlier, and her rest at night will be even shorter."

Meng Lang glanced at Xiao Yu and couldn’t help feeling moved.

Lin Haitang must have cultivated several lifetimes of good fortune to be blessed with a sister like this.

"I’m saying, your sister is a white-collar professional; her salary should be decent. Why does she still need to work part-time gigs at the bar?" Meng Lang voiced the question he had been pondering for a while.

"Eh? How do you know my sister performs at the bar?" Xiao Yu was surprised.

"Cough! I happened to see your sister at the bar last time," Meng Lang touched his nose.

"Oh, my sister was part of a band in college and was the lead singer back then. The band didn’t disband after she graduated, and they are all really close."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah! What else could it be?"

Meng Lang was speechless. "I mean, why does your sister have to work so hard? Is she short of money?"

"Yes! She has to support the household, cover my school fees, living expenses, as well as the rent and utilities... Living costs in big cities are high, and at my age, I’m especially a gold-eating monster. Not to mention inflation has been serious recently... Uncle, aren’t you short of money?"

Xiao Yu blinked her innocent big eyes.

"I... am!" Now that inflation had been brought up, how else could he respond?

"Right? Having a girlfriend costs money too. Do you have a girlfriend, Uncle?"

"No, I don’t."

"Then you should really start earning more. Do you plan on buying a house in Su City? Are you going to settle down here?"

"Um... I haven’t really thought about it."

"Well, you should, Uncle. Girls don’t like uncertain answers; they need a sense of security. By the way, Uncle, where’s your hometown? Do you have any siblings?"

"..."

He had come to realize that this clever little imp was deliberately avoiding the question.

But if the little one didn’t want to talk, he naturally wouldn’t force her.

"My hometown is Beihu, a small county town surrounded by many places of interest. I’ll take you there for a visit sometime..."

Throughout the journey, fielding the endless stream of questions from Xiao Yu, which felt like a household registration interrogation, they quickly arrived at the school gate.

It was the peak time for school, and many parents were dropping off their children. The vicinity was lined with rows of vehicles for the school run, including various luxury cars.

"Go on then, Xiao Yu. Study well, okay?"

"Uncle, I have one last question!" Xiao Yu looked at Meng Lang.

Meng Lang couldn’t help but laugh and cry. "Xiao Yu, do you also want to know how old your uncle was when he stopped wetting the bed? That, I really can’t tell you."

"Not that, I want to ask... will bad people come to our house again? Will my sister be in danger?" Xiao Yu’s voice was somewhat subdued.

Meng Lang paused for a moment, looking at her worried little face, and then he understood that she wasn’t completely unaffected by the danger from a few days prior.

She just didn’t want to show it to avoid worrying her sister.

He patted Xiao Yu’s head.

"Don’t worry, no more bad guys will come, and your sister won’t be in danger. Uncle promises."

Listening to Meng Lang’s serious tone and seeing his earnest expression, Xiao Yu finally felt relieved and smiled again.

"Um! Thank you, Uncle. I’m off to school now."

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

Xiao Yu turned her head in confusion.

"I’ll be here in the same spot this afternoon to pick you up from school," Meng Lang said with a smile.

"Really?" Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.

"Yeah! For real."

"But... Sister won’t agree," Xiao Yu frowned slightly.

She knew her sister, Lin Haitang, well enough to know that she wouldn’t want to keep troubling Meng Lang.

"Don’t worry, I’ll talk to your sister."

"But..."

"How about this, I’ll be Xiao Yu’s bodyguard, and Xiao Yu can be my chef, cook something delicious for Uncle to eat. It’s a fair exchange, and your sister will surely agree to it. How about that?"

"Okay!" Xiao Yu thought this seemed like a good idea.

She could help Uncle and give her sister some time to rest. It was a win-win, and she immediately agreed happily.

"Uncle, what would you like for dinner tonight?" Xiao Yu couldn’t wait and seemed to already be considering the menu.

Meng Lang recalled the dish his mother always made when he got home, and he suddenly smiled.

"Spare ribs and lotus root soup."

...

When Lin Haitang arrived at the law firm, it was just past 8:30 am, a good half-hour before work started.

After swiping her card to enter the building, which was still quiet and virtually empty—even the receptionist hadn’t arrived yet—she headed towards her office.

Just as she was about to open her own office door, the door next to hers suddenly opened.

"Oh? Lawyer Han?"

Han Li looked up at Lin Haitang, who was about to enter her office, and seemed surprised, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled.

"Lawyer Lin, you’re early today."

"Oh, I had some things to deal with this morning, so I came early. And you, Lawyer Han...?"

"I have urgent client materials for a case, so I had to come early to work overtime.

Ugh! Earning such a small salary and still working like a dog every day. I even had to hurry back from a vacation this weekend..."

Suddenly, Han Li changed the subject, "How about you, Lawyer Lin? How was your weekend?"

"Um... it’s a long story."

"Really? Heh, seems like we all have it tough. I’ll go ahead then; I have a client to meet. Lawyer Lin, you go ahead with your work."

"Yeah! Take care."

Watching Han Li walk away in her high heels, Lawyer Lin’s thoughtful gaze flickered briefly.

She entered her office, closed the door, and scanned her surroundings but didn’t notice anything unusual.

Could she be overthinking it?

Having spent so much time around that guy, she felt she was almost becoming paranoid...

[Since the other party’s plan has failed this time, they might make other moves... Anyway, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and caution never hurts.]

Meng Lang’s warning echoed in her ears. After pondering for a while, Lin Haitang finally took out a box from her briefcase slowly...

...

9:30 in the morning.

"Knock knock!" "Come in!"

"Director, you wanted to see me." Lin Haitang opened the door and walked into the spacious director’s office.

"Yes! Take a seat."

The speaker was a mature man around 50, dressed in a tailored suit, wearing square-frame glasses, looking very cultured.

He poured a cup of tea for Lin Haitang in a measured manner before beginning to speak.

"Haitang, how is Ms. Gao’s divorce case progressing?"

"The documentation is mostly organized. I’ve scheduled to meet with Miss Gao tomorrow to confirm some materials."

"Good! I’m aware of your capabilities and I’m very confident. The Xu family has put a lot of pressure on this case, but you don’t have to worry about it, I’ll take care of it for you."

"Thank you, Director." After considering, Lin Haitang still chose not to mention Yuan Li’s incident to him.

Speculation without evidence was pointless and could even backfire.

The director looked at Lin Haitang with a hint of satisfaction.

"Haitang, I brought you over from the prosecutor’s office. Since you graduated, I’ve watched you grow step by step to where you are now, and I’m very pleased.

After this case concludes, I plan to nominate you at the partner meeting to become an official junior partner of the firm."

"Thank you, Director!" Lin Haitang didn’t show any surprise.

However, the director continued.

"Our business in Beijing has been growing rapidly in recent years. Therefore, I and a few senior partners have tentatively decided to set up a new branch there.

Once you’re promoted to junior partner, I’m considering offering you a senior management position over there.

It’s a rare opportunity for you to prove your worth on your own.

As long as you can gain the approval of the senior partners, it will be extremely beneficial for your future career.

Of course, this is just a proposal that we’ve decided on recently, and it will still take some time to establish the branch there. So, you can think it over."

Lin Haitang was stunned.

"Beijing?"