My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 60 - 59: Men Have Never Changed

Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Men Have Never Changed

After hanging up the phone, Meng Lang handed it back to Master Intelligent.

"Thank you, Master. It just so happened that my phone ran out of battery," Meng Lang said cheerily, "Fortune smiled upon me to have the Master’s timely aid."

A twitch appeared at the corner of Master Intelligent’s mouth.

So you just donated 500 and then my phone ran out of battery? What perfect timing for it to die.

"Is what the benefactor says the truth?"

Translated, that would be... You’re not making a false report, are you?

"Lying in front of the Master and the Buddha statue could lead one to the Hell where tongues are plucked out. If the police come to ask, the Master is welcome to turn me in."

Seeing the nonchalant look on Meng Lang’s face, Master Intelligent finally exhaled in relief.

"Then the benefactor indeed has boundless merit!"

"You flatter me, Master; I’m simply making amends for my wrongs," Meng Lang replied humbly.

Making amends?

And then recalling how well the other party knew the human traffickers’ internal affairs...

Emm...

This must be a benefactor with a story.

He immediately brought his hands together and recited a Buddhist name.

"Amitabha! Who among us is without fault? To err is human, to correct one’s mistakes is indeed most virtuous."

Meng Lang saw the Master’s expression and knew there had been a misunderstanding, but he didn’t bother to correct him and instead responded with a beaming smile.

"Master, if someone comes to thank the whistleblower or to offer a reward, you can say I’ve already donated it to the temple. However, I’d like to ask the Master not to reveal my specific information.

Not that it matters much if you do, but it’s best to avoid trouble from petty people; no need to court calamity when it can be avoided, right? Being well-versed in Buddhist Law, you should understand?"

Which translates to: I’m afraid of retaliation for the report and don’t want my personal information disclosed, and if there’s a reward, it’s hush money.

Master Intelligent’s smile grew even warmer upon hearing this.

"Of course, I understand. The benefactor has resolved the matter and opts to stay anonymous. Your humility is truly admirable."

Listen to that satisfaction! And to think that he’s an abbot.

Just as Meng Lang was about to take his leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Master, the fortunes told here at the temple are remarkably accurate. If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to draw another one."

Master Intelligent was taken aback.

You just took one fortune and already you know how accurate they are?

How did you determine that?

"It’s no trouble. However, one should draw one fortune only; multiple requests dull their effectiveness. If the benefactor wishes to ask again, you cannot inquire about your career."

"Hmm..." Is that so?

"Then... let’s ask about love."

Career and love, the primal forces propelling humanity forward. The last fortune crushed my career prospects, so I can’t let love drag me down too. Otherwise, I’m afraid my brothers might start yelling again.

The Intelligent Abbot showed a knowing smile.

"Click, click, click!" "Plop!"

"Please interpret the fortune for me, Master Intelligent."

Master Intelligent took the bamboo stick and after looking it over, he pondered for a moment before saying,

"For five hundred lifetimes, a mere glance; for this to translate to just brushing past in the present life.

Only after a hundred lives may we cross the river in the same boat; only after a thousand may we share the same pillow in sleep..."

Huh? This fortune has a certain flavor to it.

"Master, I somewhat understand this fortune. Doesn’t it suggest that I will have a love story that is epic and undying?" asked Meng Lang expectantly.

Master Intelligent looked at the hopeful Meng Lang.

"Cough! Not to deceive the benefactor, this is an inauspicious fortune.

A hundred lifetimes to cross the river on the same boat; a thousand to share the same pillow means that the benefactor’s path to marriage will likely endure countless trials before bearing fruit."

"Uh..." Meng Lang blinked.

Could this fortune really be interpreted like this? Your smart fortune-telling doesn’t play by the rules!

However, Meng Lang didn’t think that this fortune was bad at all.

A hundred lifetimes to share a boat, a thousand to share a bed?

For ordinary people, reincarnating once is a major life event, but for me? Is that even a problem?

From his perspective in interpreting the fortune, this phrase had quite some "depth."

Considering the frequency of my reincarnations, the time it would take me to achieve enlightenment would be... about three years?

Could this be the "hint" from the Buddha?

It’s just that getting married at 27 seems a bit late... there’s no escaping the marriage pressure.

...

In Su City, inside a quiet café.

"Miss Gao, I’ve pretty much understood the situation, and I thank you for your cooperation," Lin Haitang closed the folder.

"I’ll leave the rest to Lawyer Lin, then."

Across from Lin Haitang was a woman with her hair in a bun.

She was the client in the "Xu-Gao divorce case," Xu Jingsong’s ex-wife, Gao Yuan.

Although Gao Yuan was over thirty, she appeared to be only in her late twenties, with dignified features, picturesque eyebrows and eyes, dressed in a fitting black dress.

Compared to Lin Haitang, who exuded an elite professional vibe, she had an additional touch of gentleness and intellectual beauty, like a charming older sister next door.

It was just that at this moment, there was a faint trace of worry between Gao Yuan’s brows.

"Miss Gao, please rest assured, our Zhongtian Law Firm is well-known in the industry for its professionalism in divorce litigation, and I will definitely fight for the rights you are entitled to!"

"Of course, I have absolute faith in Lawyer Lin. Uncle Zheng mentioned this when he recommended you to me, that Lawyer Lin’s professional skills are beyond doubt, and your character is completely trustworthy."

"Uncle Zheng? Miss Gao, you know our director?" Lin Haitang was slightly surprised.

"What? Uncle Zheng didn’t tell you?" Gao Yuan was also somewhat surprised.

"No, uh... it must be that the director was worried that your personal relationship might influence my position, so he didn’t tell me," Lin Haitang quickly guessed the reason.

"That’s right, Uncle Zheng has always been upright and unyielding, separating public matters from personal ones," Gao Yuan also laughed.

"Our two families are old friends. My father and Uncle Zheng were sent-down youths together, and their friendship has always been strong.

Later, one went to the procuratorate and the other became a university history professor. Even after my father passed away, the bond between the two families remained.

This time, I really owe Uncle Zheng a big favor; otherwise, I might not even have been able to find a decent law firm," Gao Yuan said with a bitter smile.

For a woman without power or influence, facing a colossus like the Xu Group, finding a good lawyer is not an easy task; that’s reality.

"I see..." Lin Haitang nodded in understanding.

As if struck by a thought, Lin Haitang suddenly asked, "Miss Gao, has the Xu family put a lot of pressure on you?"

Gao Yuan was taken aback by the question, then she just sighed softly.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, uncles, aunts, anyone from the Xu family who could, they’ve all taken turns visiting me. Not one of them came to persuade reconciliation. Their insinuations were all around persuading me to give up my share of the Xu Group’s stock.

Lawyer Lin, tell me... for a woman, is not having a child really an unforgivable sin?"

"Miss Gao, I can’t answer that question for you, I’m a non-marriage advocate."

Gao Yuan looked at Lin Haitang and couldn’t help but smile, "Sometimes I regret it too. I could have been a free-spirited woman like Lawyer Lin.

I, too, graduated from a prestigious school and worked in a multinational for half a year before Xu Jingsong brought me home and told me to be a housewife.

He promised me a perfectly happy life, saying that taking care of the home was my job.

But what he needed was just a canary for his viewing pleasure...

He wanted me to stay quietly at home, not to interfere with the company, not to care about the mistresses he kept outside.

He wanted a wife to always be a wife, a mistress to always be a mistress, like two planets maintaining a distance of thirty thousand light-years, orbiting in parallel, never intersecting.

And he was the sun, shining brightly...

Ha! Men have never changed since ancient times."