You Have the Right to Keep a Secret Love

Chapter 48: "Don't mess around."

Qixi didn't expect to run into Gu Xuehan when she and Gu Yan walked into the Jinghe Law Firm. Upon seeing them, Gu Xuehan appeared puzzled and said, "Don't you need some rest? Didn't you tell me this morning that you both had food poisoning from last night's gathering? How come you're already back at work so soon?"

Gu Xuehan furrowed her brows and glanced at Gu Yan's face. "Your face is so red. You didn't develop a fever due to gastroenteritis, did you?"

Gu Yan cleared his throat awkwardly and replied, "Oh, I'm fine. I thought there might be something important at the office, so we couldn't afford to skip it."

Gu Xuehan still found it a bit strange, but she seemed in a hurry to attend a meeting or court session, so she didn't pursue further. "The Lawyers Association recently held their annual conference on professional ethics. We will have a general meeting here to share case studies and convey the spirit of the association. Since I don't have time, you two can attend if you don't have anything urgent."

After saying that, Gu Xuehan left, leaving Qixi relieved.

Qixi and Gu Yan exchanged a glance, then quickly averted their eyes, pretending to be calm as they returned to their seats.

It was the same work, the same office space, and even Gu Yan beside her hadn't changed, but Qixi felt that everything had changed.

She became a bit restless, constantly stealing glances at Gu Yan. It seemed that Gu Yan had similar thoughts because their gazes often met in secret, only to quickly look away as if they were shocked.

Qixi thought with frustration that no wonder so many companies prohibit office romances. With the presence of the captivating Gu Yan, it was impossible to focus on work.

Fortunately, there wasn't much work to do in the afternoon. Soon, the administration department notified everyone of a general learning session.

These learning sessions at Jinghe Law Firm were regular and habitual. The first part of the agenda usually involved partners taking turns selecting legal topics for discussion and allowing junior lawyers to exchange ideas on complex or meaningful cases. The second part focused on reinforcing lawyers' professional ethics, emphasizing the boundaries of interaction with clients. Typically, a colleague in charge of liaison with the Lawyers Association would convey the association's spirit, followed by watching promotional videos on professional ethics.

When Qixi and Gu Yan entered the conference room, they were already late, and only two seats remained in the far corner of the meeting table. Without hesitation, they took the seats.

The case study session quickly began. Jinghe Law Firm's case discussions resembled simulated court hearings, where plaintiffs and defendants were selected, and simulated arguments were conducted based on the case.

Qixi drew a lot and ended up becoming the attorney for the plaintiff, while Gu Yan became the attorney for the defendant.

The case to be simulated was a complex dispute involving equity transfer. There were two attorneys representing each side, with Qixi partnering with a male lawyer from another team, while Gu Yan partnered with a female colleague from the firm.

Although the case was complicated, Qixi summarized the key points and believed that as the plaintiff's attorney, the chances of "winning" were relatively high. However, as she confidently prepared to present her case, the "defense" attorney, Gu Yan, proved to be more formidable than she anticipated.

Almost every time Qixi introduced a new approach, Gu Yan, as the "defense" attorney, skillfully justified the defendant's faults using various arguments, relentlessly questioning the evidential strength from different perspectives and denying facts by any