Chapter 33
The next morning.
Liang Jinyi got up at six-thirty and cooked stomach-nourishing millet porridge according to a recipe. After the porridge was ready, he quietly pushed open Jiang Mi’s bedroom door. Seeing that Jiang Mi was still asleep, Liang Jinyi changed into light, comfortable clothes and went to the nearby supermarket to buy groceries.
At nine-thirty, Liang Jinyi returned home carrying two large bags of ingredients.
Jiang Mi, dressed in a set of black silk pajamas, was sitting at the dining table drinking porridge. Seeing Liang Jinyi come back with two large bags full of rich ingredients, he let out an impressed sound. “Little Brother, are you planning to make a feast for lunch?”
Liang Jinyi gave an “Mm” and carried the two bags of ingredients into the kitchen.
Jiang Mi looked at Liang Jinyi’s busy figure in the kitchen and took a sip of plain porridge. “Make it light. I still have to go out after lunch.”
“Go out? Isn’t today Saturday?” Liang Jinyi took out a box of ribs and soaked them in cold water. Hearing this, he turned his head and asked.
Jiang Mi finished the little bit of porridge left at the bottom of his bowl in a few mouthfuls. “That President Cheng from last night invited me to play golf this afternoon. I have to go.”
“Then are you having dinner with him tonight?” Liang Jinyi pressed.
“I don’t know. It depends on what President Cheng plans.” Jiang Mi brought the empty white porcelain bowl to the kitchen and said to Liang Jinyi, “If I’m not eating dinner, I’ll message you.”
Liang Jinyi stared at Jiang Mi and asked with furrowed brows, “Brother, if you eat with President Cheng, are you going to drink again?”
Jiang Mi walked to the kitchen sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed the white porcelain bowl and spoon in his hands clean. His expression was helpless. “I’ll probably have to drink a little.”
Speaking of this, Jiang Mi had a bit of a headache. Because he often needed to build good relationships with Party A, Jiang Mi had some alcohol tolerance. But this President Cheng was a little too good at drinking.
Liang Jinyi took the rinsed porcelain bowl from Jiang Mi’s hands, yanked open the cupboard door with force, and stuffed the white porcelain bowl inside with slightly violent movements. He turned his head and stared at Jiang Mi. “Brother, your stomach illness came from drinking overseas, didn’t it!”
Jiang Mi sensed that Liang Jinyi was a little unhappy and quickly denied it. “That was because there wasn’t much good food abroad, and I was too lazy to eat.”
After saying this, he soothed him again. “Besides, hasn’t my stomach been fine recently? Jinyi, tonight I’ll also try to drink as little as possible.”
After lunch, at two in the afternoon, Jiang Mi took off his loungewear. Today, President Cheng had asked him to play golf, so he didn’t wear a suit, choosing a white sports outfit instead. Then he reminded Liang Jinyi a couple of times that he couldn’t just play games at home all day and had to do two papers too. After changing his shoes at the entryway, he finally opened the front door and left.
At eleven that night.
Liang Jinyi sat on the black leather sofa, wearing earphones, playing a game in full swing with Zhu Yurui, Huo Ran, and another classmate.
Zhu Yurui had long since died and was watching Liang Jinyi’s perspective. Seeing Liang Jinyi get another headshot with the AWM, Zhu Yurui’s excited voice came through the earphones.
Liang Jinyi lightly curved his lips. He hid in a safe house, listening intently to the footsteps outside. At that moment, there was a faint movement from the front door, and Liang Jinyi subconsciously looked toward the entryway.
“Brother Liang, how did you get headshotted!” Zhu Yurui cried in anguish.
Liang Jinyi lowered his eyes and glanced at the phone screen. Seeing that the character he controlled had already fallen, he said, “My brother is back. I’m not playing anymore.”
After saying that, he took off his earphones and walked toward the entryway.
A dozen seconds later, Liang Jinyi reached the entryway. The moment he arrived, his brows tightly furrowed. He smelled an even stronger scent of alcohol on Jiang Mi than yesterday.
“Brother, exactly how much did you drink tonight?” Liang Jinyi couldn’t help questioning him.
Jiang Mi’s face was flushed. He staggered while changing into slippers and had just been about to answer Liang Jinyi when a wave of nausea suddenly surged up from his stomach. Jiang Mi hurriedly ran toward the bathroom.
Liang Jinyi stood behind Jiang Mi and watched as Jiang Mi threw up into the toilet until his face turned pale. He went to the living room and poured a glass of warm water at a suitable temperature. After Jiang Mi finished vomiting, he handed the warm water to him, unable to stop himself from asking with a dark face again, “Brother, exactly how much did you drink tonight?”
“Not much tonight.” Jiang Mi rinsed his mouth with the lukewarm water, then handed the empty glass to Liang Jinyi. Straightening up, he said, “It’s just… just that white, red, and yellow were mixed together.”
After saying this, Jiang Mi felt the entire bathroom spinning. He staggered over to the sink, twisting at the faucet several times, but no water came out.
Liang Jinyi couldn’t watch anymore and helped Jiang Mi turn the faucet. His voice was very low as he asked, “Then how did the cooperation with that President Chen go?”
Water came out of the faucet. Jiang Mi bent down and washed his face with cold water. His mind cleared a little. He said, “It should be seventy to eighty percent done.”
Seventy to eighty percent meant it hadn’t been completely settled yet. That meant he would still have to accompany that President Cheng in drinking.
The loose hair on Jiang Mi’s forehead had been dampened by the cold water and clung wetly to his forehead. His face was tinged with an abnormal drunken red. Liang Jinyi’s expression was complicated. “Do you have to cooperate with that President Cheng?”
“Not… not necessarily.” Jiang Mi’s consciousness was two or three parts unclear, but he could still sense the implication behind Liang Jinyi’s question. He said, “But this case will most likely go through. I can’t just not discuss it.”
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Mi added, “Don’t worry. Brother knows his limits.”
Knowing his limits meant continuously drinking with people? But Liang Jinyi knew that even if he asked that, the answer he got wouldn’t be the one he wanted. Because according to the nature of Jiang Mi’s work, when building connections and seeking cases, socializing was naturally unavoidable.
“Brother, I’ll go make hangover soup for you,” Liang Jinyi said after taking a deep breath.
Jiang Mi answered okay. He sat on the living room sofa, closed his eyes, and rested, waiting for Liang Jinyi’s hangover soup.
President Cheng was actually considered a straightforward Party A. After Jiang Mi accompanied him for another round of drinking, the next day, his company very readily signed a cooperation agreement with Zhuosi Law Firm.
This case wasn’t especially big, but it still had several hundred thousand yuan in legal fees.
Jiang Mi arranged for the lawyers under him to handle the specific details.
And the day after signing the cooperation agreement with President Cheng, Jiang Mi received another piece of good news.
“President Lin? I don’t have any friendship with President Lin, and I don’t have any friends familiar with him either.” On Thursday afternoon, Jiang Mi sat in his office and listened to Gu Yuan’s so-called good news.
It was indeed good news.
The cooperation agreements they had signed some time ago were only with small and medium-sized enterprises. But the President Lin Gu Yuan mentioned was the boss of a listed company. His company was also extremely famous in Bei City. “And don’t they have a long-term fixed partner law firm?” It was even one of the top law firms in the country.
“Maybe President Wang simply took a liking to you?” Gu Yuan was also very puzzled.
Jiang Mi had quite a clear understanding of himself. His résumé could crush those of his peers, but compared to the big shots in the industry, it wasn’t worth mentioning.
“Then are we still going to meet President Lin tomorrow night?” Gu Yuan asked.
Jiang Mi sat behind his desk. Hearing this, he looked at Gu Yuan in surprise and said, “Of course we’re going.”
It wasn’t easy to get an opportunity to deal with President Lin. No matter where the opportunity came from, of course they couldn’t give it up.
The next day, Jiang Mi and Gu Yuan met this President Lin at a private restaurant in Bei City with very good privacy.
This President Lin was in the personal care products business. He had been an entrepreneur for thirty years, and many brands under his name were household names. Jiang Mi had also used some of their products. President Lin was over fifty this year, but his gaze was bright and sharp, and he looked energetic, about ten years younger than his actual age.
As for his personality, unlike President Cheng’s straightforwardness, he was seasoned and mature.
However, it could be seen that this President Lin truly intended to cooperate with a small firm like Zhuosi and let them handle the legal matters related to this round of overseas financing.
In short, this meal could be said to have left both host and guests thoroughly satisfied. In the end, President Lin even discussed with them that they should come to his company on the next workday to talk in detail.
Jiang Mi smiled as he sent President Lin to the door, saying certainly. Then, seeing that President Lin’s driver was about to bring the car over, Jiang Mi thought for a moment and still asked, “President Lin, pardon me, but there’s a question I’d like to ask you.”
President Lin appeared very approachable. “Oh? What question?”
Jiang Mi was still dressed in a black suit today. Many times, when discussing business with slightly older bosses, he would wear a pair of glasses. After all, for many people, whether someone looked mature was also an important detail in measuring how reliable they were.
Today, he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which made him appear a bit more mature. He spoke modestly. “It’s like this. I’m just a fledgling in the legal circle, and you’re a major boss. How did you come to know a nobody like me?”
After getting to know this President Lin over one meal, Jiang Mi discovered that he rather liked humble juniors, believing that humble people were cautious and attentive enough.
President Lin laughed twice. “What? Jinyi didn’t tell you?”
“Jinyi?” Jiang Mi was startled.
President Lin nodded. “He called me last week and said he had a brother who was very good.”
President Lin patted Jiang Mi’s shoulder and said with feeling, “Indeed, a very good young man.”
After President Lin finished speaking, his driver stopped the car beside him. Naturally, Jiang Mi couldn’t continue dragging President Lin into conversation. He said politely, “President Lin, take care.”
President Lin smiled at him, opened the car door, and got in.
Only after the Mercedes drove out of Jiang Mi and Gu Yuan’s sight did Gu Yuan ask in shock, “Xuedi, Little Brother knows President Lin too?”
President Lin’s company had factories all over the country and employed tens of thousands of people. If their upcoming negotiations with his company went smoothly, the legal fees would at least be in the seven figures starting with a four or five. Their firm would even need to expand, because the current personnel definitely wouldn’t be enough.
“I don’t know either.” Jiang Mi walked side by side with Gu Yuan toward the parking lot. President Lin hadn’t asked for alcohol tonight. In fact, the person who had come to meet them really was President Lin himself, not one of the several presidents under him. The two of them had already been somewhat surprised. Since President Lin didn’t drink, Jiang Mi naturally couldn’t ask for alcohol.
Jiang Mi had drunk a lot some time ago. Not drinking now was a good thing for him.
The two walked side by side to the parking lot. Jiang Mi opened the driver’s-side door. “I’ll ask him when I get back.”
“Okay.”
More than half an hour later, Jiang Mi returned home. But when he got home, he froze. The entryway was pitch-black. There was no little night-light Jinyi had left on for him. The living room was also quiet and dark.
After changing shoes, Jiang Mi walked to the living room. After confirming that Liang Jinyi wasn’t here today, he took out his phone, preparing to check whether Liang Jinyi had messaged him saying he had returned to the Liang house today.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening rang out.
Jiang Mi strode toward the entryway. As expected, he saw Liang Jinyi changing shoes at the door.
Jiang Mi looked at Liang Jinyi, who was wearing his school uniform and holding a basketball. “Jinyi, did you go play basketball?”
“Mm. I was playing basketball with people in the community just now.” Liang Jinyi had been far too energetic recently. Before playing basketball, he had first gone to the boxing gym and punched sandbags for two hours. But after returning home, he still felt full of energy, so he ran downstairs again to play basketball with people.
Only when he saw the living room lights of his and Brother’s home turn on did he immediately run home.
There was a thin layer of sweat on Liang Jinyi’s forehead. He tossed the basketball beside the shoe cabinet and asked, “Brother, did your cooperation talks go smoothly tonight?”
When this was brought up, Jiang Mi couldn’t help raising his hand and loosening his tie. Looking at Liang Jinyi, he said, “Come here. I was just about to ask you how you know President Lin.”
Liang Jinyi followed Jiang Mi toward the living room. “In my third year of middle school, my biological brother took me to a reception. Uncle Lin’s wife had an episode and mistook me for their son who died young. After that, Uncle Lin asked me to visit Auntie Li more often, so we became somewhat familiar.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Mi frowned.
Liang Jinyi said, “Brother, that year, I was in my third year of middle school.”
At the mention of this, Jiang Mi felt somewhat guilty. He believed he was the person closest to Liang Jinyi, but that autumn when Liang Jinyi entered his third year of middle school had been the fourth time Jiang Mi broke his promise. It was the turning point where their relationship deteriorated.
Jiang Mi coughed and said gently, “Jinyi, this time, Brother thanks you. But in the future, don’t recommend me to people you know anymore.”
Liang Jinyi’s brows furrowed fiercely. He stared at Jiang Mi and questioned him. “Why? Don’t you often ask your friends or old classmates to take you to various receptions to expand your network?”
“They can, but I can’t?” Liang Jinyi suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“That’s because we’re all adults around thirty.” Jiang Mi sighed and looked at this beautiful, sharp-edged youth, patiently saying, “Jinyi, you’re still a child this year.”
Liang Jinyi was silent for a moment. Under the bright chandelier, his black eyes stared straight at Jiang Mi, who was two or three centimeters shorter than him. In a subtle tone, he reminded him, “Brother, I’m taller than you.”
After saying that, he added in a low voice, “I’m not a child anymore.”
Jiang Mi was amused. Children were always unwilling to admit they were children. He asked leisurely, “Then, Jinyi, can you get a driver’s license? Have you graduated high school? Are you an adult this year?”
“Brother.” Liang Jinyi called him again.
Jiang Mi sighed, his voice gentle. “Jinyi, Brother knows you want to help me. But children should study properly, play basketball and games when they have free time, and not get involved in business matters.”
“Jinyi, you don’t know this, but although it seems like you simply recommended me to an elder you know, the situation behind it is far more complicated than you think.”
He thought about it and decided to break down all the twists and turns inside and explain them to the child. After all, although he was still a child, he was also an older child in high school now and could understand the meaning of his words. “For example, if this President Lin were dissatisfied with me…”
Liang Jinyi interrupted Jiang Mi. “Brother is this outstanding. Why would he be dissatisfied with you?”
Jiang Mi said helplessly, “Because there are people even more outstanding than me.”
Jiang Mi patiently guided him. “Every profession has its specialties. This time, you happened to align with President Lin’s needs. I’m good at capital markets and have also handled two excellent cases. If what President Lin needed were lawyers in intellectual property or dispute resolution, Jinyi, I most likely wouldn’t be able to enter President Lin’s eyes.”
“Also, behind you, there’s still the Liang Group. If you recommend me to elders you know, will they consider the relationship with the Liang Group? Once that happens, things become even more complicated.”
Speaking of this, because of Liang Jinyi, Liang Hong had also sent him the business of two subsidiaries. But there was only so much more he could do. The Liang Group had its own legal team, and a partner at a top Bei City law firm was the biological son of a certain vice president of the Liang Group. That relationship was much closer than his.
“So don’t do this kind of thing in the future.” Seeing Liang Jinyi grow more and more unhappy, Jiang Mi reached out, pinched Liang Jinyi’s cheek, and teased, “Or do you think Brother has no ability and needs you, a minor, to help me before I can establish myself in Bei City?”
Liang Jinyi stared at Jiang Mi without blinking for a while, then suddenly said, “Brother, it would be good if I were a few years older than you.”
Jiang Mi withdrew the hand pinching Liang Jinyi’s cheek and said in amusement, “What, you’re unwilling to be my little brother? You want to be my brother instead?”
“Yes. I just want to be Brother’s brother,” Liang Jinyi said.
Jiang Mi smiled and didn’t take those words seriously. He pushed Liang Jinyi. “All right, hurry and go wash up and sleep. You still have class tomorrow.”
The next day, Jiang Mi and Gu Yuan brought several lawyers from the company to President Lin’s company. They spent two days finalizing the cooperation.
For the next half month, the firm recruited several more employees. After being busy for most of the month, things finally temporarily came to an end.
In late November, one of Jiang Mi’s seniors introduced someone to him. The other party was Chinese, with the Chinese surname Li. The company under Li Qingyu’s family wanted to invest and build a factory in China, so they needed a legal team familiar with domestic laws.
After Jiang Mi met Li Qingyu once, less than two days later, Li Qingyu asked him to meet a second time.
Li Qingyu was Singaporean, and her company was not small in Singapore. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be thinking of expanding business into Huaguo.
At the dinner that night, Jiang Mi drank a little alcohol. So after the dinner ended, Li Qingyu proactively suggested that her driver send him home. It was hard to decline such warm kindness, so Jiang Mi could only agree.
Half an hour later, the sleek black BMW stopped near the entrance of Shimao Tingfang. After Jiang Mi thanked Li Qingyu, who was sitting beside him, he opened the car door and got out.
But just as he got out of the car, Li Qingyu also opened the car door and followed him out.
She glanced at the residential community Jiang Mi lived in. Her crimson dress highlighted her graceful, curvaceous figure. She walked elegantly to Jiang Mi, the fragrance of her perfume scattering before Jiang Mi’s nose. She asked with a smile, “Lawyer Jiang, aren’t you going to invite me up for a seat?”
Jiang Mi’s expression didn’t change. He remained as modest and polite as ever. “There’s someone at home, so I won’t invite President Li up.”
“Someone?” Li Qingyu’s delicate brows arched high. She leaned closer to Jiang Mi, extended her slender white fingers, and ambiguously straightened the tie on Jiang Mi’s chest. Her breath was as fragrant as orchids as she said, “But I heard Lawyer Jiang doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Without waiting for Jiang Mi to respond, Li Qingyu’s hand gently brushed over his chest, and she said meaningfully, “Lawyer Jiang, my mouth really is a little thirsty.”
Jiang Mi was good-looking, and while having a handsome face naturally held advantages in the workplace, it also brought some minor trouble. So Jiang Mi had long since become practiced at dealing with situations like this. He was just about to calmly and subtly pull some distance between himself and Li Qingyu.
Suddenly, a furious shout came from not far away. “Brother, what are you two doing?”
