Chapter 11 — The Wedding That Became a Goodbye

Tea had already been prepared in the private room. Shen Du poured a cup for Lin Chan, then pulled out a notebook and asked, "Could you explain the details of your situation?" Lin Chan drew a thick stack of evidence from her briefcase, laying each item meticulously across the table. There were screenshots of chat histories, cropped frames from hotel security footage, room reservation records, the original Love Agreement, and the transaction logs of bank transfers spanning eight consecutive months between Lu Huai Chu and Su Wan Yi that she had quietly investigated. Lu Huai Chu had transferred substantial sums to Su Wan Yi, ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan at a time. Shen Du flipped through the pile of documents, his brow furrowing slightly, yet he never once interrupted her. Once Lin Chan finished speaking, he finally spoke up: "This evidence is extremely thorough. While the legal enforceability of a Love Agreement can be contentious, you hold the audio recordings, and his behavior on the wedding day certainly constitutes a severe breach. The court is highly likely to approve this twenty million yuan compensation claim."

"What I want is not 'highly likely,'" Lin Chan replied. "I want a done deal, a hundred percent certainty."

Shen Du looked at her, the corners of his lips curling upward slightly: "Miss Lin, you are a very interesting person."

"You said that exact thing yesterday."

"Then let me repeat it once more." Shen Du closed his notebook. "I will take this case. My retainer fee will be just as you requested: three times what Lu Huai Chu paid me. But I have one condition."

"What condition?"

"Regardless of the outcome," Shen Du said, "you must treat me to a hotpot dinner."

Lin Chan was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing.

"Lawyer Shen, don't tell me you are trying to woo me?"

Shen Du picked up his teacup, taking a leisurely sip: "I am merely striving for client satisfaction. A satisfied client brings a value far greater than the cost of a hotpot meal."

"But Chu Miao told me you were already married."

Shen Du set his teacup down, his expression shifting with a subtle, fleeting nuance: "Then she must have remembered the wrong person. I am still single."

"Never married before?"

"Never married before."

Lin Chan stared intently at him for three full seconds, searching his face for any trace of falsehood. Yet Shen Du's gaze was entirely forthright, clear and serene like a quiet mirror.

"Very well," Lin Chan said. "If we win this case, I will treat you to ten hotpot dinners."

"It's a deal."

Shen Du extended his hand, and Lin Chan grasped it. This time, his hand felt noticeably warmer than before. A week later, Lin Chan received a phone call from Shen Du.

"Lu Huai Chu has agreed to pay the full twenty million yuan in compensation, divided into three installments. The first installment of five million yuan has already been transferred to your account."

Lin Chan was presiding over a company meeting when she heard the news. She slammed her hand down on the table with a sharp crack: "Splendid!" The employees in the meeting room stared at one another in utter bewilderment.

"Meeting adjourned, time to head out," Lin Chan tucked her phone away, rising to her feet with a brilliant smile. "Everyone gets to leave early today, and the boss is treating the whole company to hotpot."

The sudden cheer was loud enough to nearly lift the roof off the building. Another week later, the police successfully recovered Su Wan Yi's jade necklace. Lin Chan chose not to pursue criminal charges against her, but demanded the full repayment of the one million two hundred thousand yuan housing deposit within two years. Su Wan Yi sent a very long message to Lin Chan, the general gist of which was "I am sorry," "I didn't mean to," and "I truly regret it." Lin Chan replied with a mere four characters: "Focus on paying your debts." She then blocked her without a second thought. A month later, Lin Chan's building materials company unexpectedly won a major contract—a key provincial project valued at a staggering eighty million yuan. On the day of the contract signing, Lin Chan discovered that the legal advisor for the partner company was none other than Shen Du, his name proudly displayed on the document. She raised her head to look at Shen Du sitting across from her, where he was lowering his head to review the contract, his profile sharp and utterly focused.