Futile Devices Scans

With both the audio recording and the video footage in hand, Gu Ziyu felt much more confident. Amid everyone’s anticipation, the day of the trial finally arrived.

Song He and his mother had no money, and the lawyer they hired was neither famous nor particularly competent. His arguments were stiff and unconvincing, as though he were simply reading from a textbook. The moment he encountered a difficult question, he was unable to adapt. So when Gu Ziyu presented the two pieces of evidence, he effectively gave up.

Neither Song He nor his mother had expected the other side to have people following them, resulting in a dramatic reversal. The judge and jury appeared convinced by Gu Ziyu’s argument—that the two had been desperate for money and had targeted Shen Yu because their niece’s boyfriend was wealthy, intending to extort a large sum from him.

There were also witnesses who testified that Song He’s parents had gone to the Shen family’s company to cause trouble. At the time, they had publicly cursed and shouted. Additional evidence showed that Song Xiaoling had transferred money to them, and people from their hometown confirmed that the family had indeed been coveting Shen Yu’s wealth. Some had even overheard them discussing the scheme beforehand.

With both witnesses and physical evidence supporting the defense, the judge immediately declared Shen Yu not guilty and ordered his release. However, the fact remained that he had accidentally caused Song Xiaoling’s uncle’s death, so he was ultimately ordered to pay compensation to the Song family in the amount of 267,500 yuan.

Song Xiaoling’s aunt could not accept the verdict. The five million yuan she had dreamed of obtaining had vanished in an instant. The 267,500 yuan awarded by the court wasn’t even enough to cover the interest on her son’s debts. Furious and unwilling to accept the outcome, she caused a scene in the courtroom, screaming and throwing a tantrum like a shrew. In the end, two court officers dragged her out.

Song He attempted to flee, but the loan sharks had already stationed people at the exits. He was caught on the spot. They openly threatened to break his legs if he tried to run again. Terrified, Song He’s legs nearly gave out beneath him, and he immediately begged for mercy. His mother no longer cared about making a scene; she only feared the loan sharks would actually cripple her son.

Although they had failed to obtain five million yuan, they still had the court-awarded compensation of 267,500 yuan. Small as it was, money was money, and the loan sharks had no intention of letting it slip away.

The Shen family paid the compensation promptly. The amount was insignificant to them, and they wanted no further involvement with the Songs. On the very day the trial concluded, Shen Yu’s father arranged for the money to be transferred into their account. Unfortunately for them, the money barely warmed their hands before the loan sharks took it all.

Fearing that Song He might escape, the loan sharks did not release him even after collecting the money. They took him away to meet their boss. Later, however, rumors circulated that Song He had somehow managed to escape.

Whatever became of Song He was no longer anyone else’s concern.

After surviving such a disaster, Shen Yu seemed destined for good fortune. His parents were remarkably open-minded and did not blame Song Xiaoling for the incident. In fact, they actively encouraged the two of them to get married as soon as possible.

Song Xiaoling had always believed she was a jinx who brought misfortune to everyone around her. The Shen family’s willingness to accept her unconditionally, despite her terrible relatives, deeply moved her. In gratitude, she swore to cut all ties with Song He’s family from that day forward. Most of the people in her hometown understood and supported her decision.

As far as Gu Ziyu was concerned, the case was simply another victory added to her record.

Gu Ziyu had a room in the law firm that was originally intended for rest and relaxation. Later, after she became a workaholic, there was a period when she practically lived at the office. Eventually, her family issued an ultimatum: either return home to live or buy her own apartment. Otherwise, they would drag her back home themselves.

As a result, she purchased a two-bedroom apartment near the firm. If Mi Li didn’t want to go home, she could stay there too. The apartment was only a fifteen-minute walk away.

Today, however, Mi Li was going home, so Gu Ziyu headed back to the apartment alone after work. Since it was nearby, she always walked.

She finished work about an hour later than usual. The evening rush had already passed. As she walked home as she normally did, she only encountered one or two people along the way. By the time she neared her apartment building, the streets were almost deserted.

At that moment, rapid footsteps sounded behind her.

Turning around, she saw someone standing directly behind her.

The man was none other than Song He, who had been fleeing from loan sharks. A twisted grin spread across his face as he stared at her. His lecherous eyes roamed shamelessly over her figure.

“You bitch,” he sneered. “If it weren’t for you, I’d already have gotten my five million yuan. Since you cost me that money, I’ll just take payment from your body instead.”

Driven nearly to desperation by the loan sharks, Song He had spent the past few days obsessively trying to figure out where everything had gone wrong. Their chances of winning had seemed so high. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that the lawyer hired by the Shen family was responsible. She had obtained the recording, and the video was probably her doing as well. His anger grew until he placed all the blame on Gu Ziyu. At first, he had planned to rob her, but after seeing her in person, darker intentions took root.

A cold glint flashed in Gu Ziyu’s eyes. She raised her briefcase protectively in front of her chest.

“Someone like you isn’t even worthy of touching me.”

“I’d like to see where you think you can run.” Song He’s chest burned with rage under her contemptuous gaze. As he spoke, he lunged toward her. Today, he was determined to teach this bitch a lesson.

Gu Ziyu immediately retreated several steps and hurled the briefcase in her hand at Song He. She was no longer the frail Wang Ziyu of the past. Afraid that she might be bullied while out on her own, Wang Cheng had taught her a few self-defense techniques.

Song He had not expected her to fight back. Caught off guard, he took the briefcase squarely on the nose. The pain made him cry out. The burning rage in his chest consumed what little reason he had left. With a sweep of his arm, he knocked the briefcase away. After all, he was a grown man, and in recent days he had been constantly on the move while hiding from the loan sharks.

Knowing she was no match for him, Gu Ziyu turned and ran. However, after only a dozen meters or so, Song He caught up to her and grabbed her arm. She immediately spun around and kicked toward his groin, but Song He had anticipated the move. Clamping his legs together, he trapped her leg between them. Gu Ziyu’s expression changed instantly.

“I knew you’d use that move,” Song He said with a smug grin. “Let’s see where you’re going to run now.”

At that moment, a distinctive roaring sound approached from the distance—the unmistakable sound of a Lamborghini accelerating at high speed.

The noise came from behind Song He. Turning around, he saw a black sports car resembling a wild panther racing straight toward him. It showed no sign of slowing down, as though it intended to send him flying. Just as it seemed about to hit him, Song He panicked and threw Gu Ziyu aside before diving toward the sidewalk.

The sharp screech of brakes rang out. Still shaken, Song He looked over and saw that the car had stopped less than half a meter from Gu Ziyu. Had he not moved, he really might have been hit.

A handsome man wearing dark sunglasses and a black jacket stepped out of the car. Tall and long-limbed, his legs seemed even longer than a model’s. Though the distance between them was only a few meters, he appeared to cross it in merely two strides before arriving at Gu Ziyu’s side. His hand, easily twice the size of hers yet somehow reassuring, grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. Then he removed his sunglasses.

“Why are you here?” Gu Ziyu stared at him with wide eyes. She had suspected it a moment ago; now she knew it really was someone she knew.

Five years later, Lei Yunze had changed greatly. If he had once been merely cool and handsome, he now possessed the mature charm of a grown man. His temperament had become steadier as well, increasingly resembling Chu Yifeng’s. The cold expression he usually wore softened into helplessness the moment Gu Ziyu spoke his name.

“If I hadn’t been here, you’d have been in serious trouble.”

The moment he thought of it, Lei Yunze felt that this was all the fault of his elder cousin and cousin-in-law. Back then, they had told him to keep an eye on Gu Ziyu’s situation at all times in case she was bullied at school. Somehow, he had developed a habit because of it. Even after graduation, he still found himself unconsciously paying attention to news about her. From the day she and Mi Li founded Chaoyang Law Firm up until now, he had lost count of how many times she had made him worry.

He still remembered how furious he had been when he learned that she had taken on the school bus accident case and challenged the Zhang family. He had nearly stormed over and scolded her. Didn’t this woman know that the Zhang family was bad news? Even if the capital was technically their territory, if the Zhang family truly wanted to harm her, something could happen at any moment if they weren’t by her side.

The same was true of this case. Song He was a compulsive gambler who dared borrow money from loan sharks. That alone proved he was trouble. Lei Yunze had long worried that Song He might take out his anger on Gu Ziyu, so he had people keep tabs on him. When he learned that Song He had slipped past the loan sharks’ surveillance and was lingering nearby, he knew his suspicions had been correct. That was why he had rushed over in such a hurry. Fortunately, he had made it in time.

Hearing the reproach in his voice, Gu Ziyu’s cheeks flushed red. Biting her lip, she said, “I didn’t think he’d actually dare show up again…”

Lei Yunze snorted, still feeling displeased. “A piece of trash with nowhere left to go has nothing left to fear. You take men far too lightly.”

“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time.” Gu Ziyu knew he was worried about her and did not reject his concern.

“You still want there to be a next time?” Lei Yunze was dissatisfied with her answer. “I think your family needs to hear about this. They should know how dangerous it is to leave a single woman living alone.”

From the very beginning, he had opposed her living by herself. He simply had never had the standing to object, so he had kept his dissatisfaction buried inside.

“No. You absolutely cannot tell my brothers about this,” Gu Ziyu said immediately. If they found out, it would be a disaster. Knowing their personalities, they would never allow her to continue living alone. They might even drag her home by force.

“Fine, I won’t tell them. But what reason are you going to give me to convince me otherwise? I’m not your brother. Playing the family card won’t work on me.” Lei Yunze folded his arms and looked utterly arrogant. For the first time, he felt as though he had finally caught Gu Ziyu with a weakness. The satisfaction was something he would never admit out loud.

The features on Gu Ziyu’s small face scrunched together. She had never realized Lei Yunze could be this difficult. In the past, he had always solved her problems from behind the scenes without ever showing himself.

“Then… how about I treat you to dinner?”

Lei Yunze glared at her. “You think one meal is enough to brush me off?”

Gu Ziyu laughed helplessly. “Then what do you want?”

Lei Yunze looked as though he had been waiting for that question all along. Raising two fingers, he said, “You have two choices. First, either you move into my place or I move into yours—”

“Don’t even think about it!” Gu Ziyu’s face turned bright red.

“Then you can only choose the second option. From now on, I’ll accompany you to and from work to make sure nothing like this happens again. That’s already the biggest concession I’m willing to make. Unless you’d rather your brothers hear about what happened today.” Lei Yunze sounded completely at ease, as though he knew she had no other choice.

Gu Ziyu didn’t even want the second option. What kind of arrangement was that? It felt as though she were being monitored. “What happened today was just an accident. Besides, don’t you have your own job to worry about?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. If I’m saying it, then naturally I’ve already worked out the logistics. So? My patience is limited. If you don’t agree, I’ll call your brother right now.” Lei Yunze pretended to take out his phone.

“Wait!” Gu Ziyu hurriedly grabbed his hand. “Fine, fine, I agree. But I have one condition—you can’t interfere with my work.”

“No problem.” Lei Yunze tucked away his phone with a radiant smile.

Gu Ziyu suddenly had the distinct feeling that she had walked straight into a trap.

Song He had fled the moment he realized the newcomer was someone Gu Ziyu knew. He probably no longer dared target her, but Lei Yunze had no intention of letting him off so easily. Weren’t the loan sharks looking for him? Lei Yunze simply leaked Song He’s whereabouts to them.

Song He was soon captured again.

This time, however, he was not so lucky.

To save her son, Song He’s mother sold their house. Even then, the money wasn’t enough. They still owed the loan sharks more than two million yuan. In order to force him to repay the debt, the loan sharks found him a job that would supposedly earn money quickly: becoming a male escort.

The catch was that he wouldn’t be serving women.

He would be serving men.

And Song He happened to be straight.

What kind of miserable fate awaited him was easy enough to imagine.

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