Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next day, I woke up with a splitting headache from a hangover.

I forced myself to check my phone and found a strange profile picture mixed in with a long list of work messages.

I looked closer, and when I saw it clearly, my heart still couldn’t help but skip a beat.

To call it strange wasn’t quite right; it was just that it hadn’t popped up in many years.

Because we understood each other so well, deleting or blocking the contact would have felt too intentional.

So, all our contact information had been preserved.

However, I had changed phones several times over the years, and the chat history was long gone.

I tapped on the dialogue box and saw a clean chat background with only a single missed voice call.

Uh, why would he call me?

And at seven in the morning, no less.

He probably just dialed me by mistake.

After all, we hadn’t had any personal contact for eleven years.

But after thinking it over, I still sent a polite greeting:

“Good morning, CEO Chen.”

To my surprise, the phone rang again just a few seconds later.

Looking at that familiar yet strange profile picture, I felt a bit apprehensive.

Only after the ringtone had looped several times did I tap to answer:

“Hello? Hello… CEO Chen?”

A commanding voice came from the other end of the line. Without any preamble or pleasantries, he got straight to the point:

“Attorney Zhang, are you interested in taking on the Juyuan case?”

I was stunned for a long moment.

This was too sudden.

If it weren’t for his strictly professional tone, I would have suspected he was trying to rekindle an old flame.

I reacted quickly, responding with the same official attitude:

“Oh? Please, CEO Chen, what are your instructions? What kind of case is it specifically?”

“Juyuan’s IPO.”

…

At ten o’clock in the morning, I arrived punctually at Chen Ming’s executive office.

He was wearing a white shirt and a black suit, no tie, with his collar slightly open. He looked both efficient and casual.

But when I sat across from him on the sofa, I noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes.

It seemed he hadn’t slept well last night.

We exchanged token pleasantries, but neither of us mentioned the actual “past.”

Faced with this sudden opportunity, I sincerely asked the question weighing on my mind before we officially began:

He clearly had many better options, so why choose me?

Given our history, the question was somewhat ambiguous.

But Chen Ming didn’t shy away from it. He smiled and pierced right through the thin veil between us:

“Zhang Yue, in terms of qualifications alone, you truly aren’t a top-tier lawyer.

“But like me, you have been reborn.

“The experience from your past life is your advantage.

“So, don’t let me down.”

Concise and to the point, without any favoritism.

He really was a very mature businessman.

It was true that in our past life, he had handled many similar cases, and I had frequently helped him research case details, organize documents, and draft manuscripts.

Back then, AI was in its initial development stage, a chaotic scene where every industry was trying to jump in and grab a piece of the pie.

Now, in just a few short years, he had become the sole dominant force, and the entire industry had rapidly matured.

It was ironic; I had been trying so hard to clear out the memories of my past life and make a truly fresh start.

Yet, after going in circles, I was now relying on those very memories to make a living.

The fate of rebirth seemed to be replicating the footsteps of my previous life in a new form.

I couldn’t afford to worry about much else; I had to seize the opportunity in front of me:

“Thank you, CEO Chen. I will certainly give it my all!”

Such a major case was settled in less than half an hour.

When I prepared to take my leave and walk out, my steps felt light and airy.

Chen Ming suddenly called out to me:

“Zhang Yue.”

“Yes?”

He was looking down, flipping through documents, as he asked nonchalantly:

“Are you and Yang Ru together?”

For a moment, I didn’t know how to answer, so I just gave a noncommittal nod.

Chen Ming’s expression turned cold, and his speech sped up:

“I expect my legal team to be fully committed. Personal relationships within the team are forbidden.

“If you can’t manage that, I can replace you right now.”

Since he had put it that way, I could only explain honestly:

“Rest assured, CEO Chen. Attorney Yang and I are strictly in a superior-subordinate relationship.

“Furthermore, I am currently single. The ‘boyfriend’ last night was just something I said in passing.”

Chen Ming nodded without changing his expression, looking completely aloof.

Just as I was about to head out, I couldn’t help but turn back to remind him:

“Um, CEO Chen, you’re holding your documents upside down.”

With that, I turned and left. Just as I pulled the door shut, a slamming sound came from inside:

*Thwack…*