First-Class Lawyer

Gu Yan looked at Yan Suizhi.

When Mr Yves spoke the truth of the past point by point, Yan Suizhis gaze was always resting on the coffee cup in his hands, his expression composed, as though absorbed by the words.

Half of the office was glass. Vast pillars of light streamed in, daubing Yan Suizhis lowered eyelashes and brows in lustre, his thoughts and emotions inscrutable to bystanders.

Like he was listening to a story unrelated to him.

But the more composed Yan Suizhi was, the more worried Gu Yan became.

His loneliness, his struggles, his suffocation, and his convictions in those two decades of long nights had lasted with no end in sight. The people that he could no longer see, whose words and laughter he could no longer hear, and the void in a home he could no longer fill the beginning of everything was actually brushed over as an experiment.

Would he seethe? Or would he be sad?

No one could tell.

For all of this mans emotions were directed inward, sharp edges of blades pointing at his heart.

During the time that your mother needed to do gene surgery, the alliance had far more restrictions on gene surgery than in the present. The qualifications of major hospitals would be strictly reviewed every year. Unfortunately, Spring Ivy was in the midst of its review period.

The review period usually spanned a month and the hospital under review was not permitted to perform any gene surgery during that period. However, at that time, Yan Suizhis mothers condition was deteriorating so badly that she couldnt hold out for another month. So, they went to another hospital.

They had always been extremely meticulous when it came to any arrangements for Yan Suizhi, first ensuring absolute safety and second ensuring absolute secrecy. They underwent surgery at the same time, but the attending doctors were different, and they were not in the same operating room.

It was thanks to these separate arrangements that the Manson brothers werent able to completely infiltrate them.

Yves said, That surgery was confusing, to say the least. It consisted of people whom your parents could trust, but some of them were changed. There were people harming you, and there were people helping you. Furthermore, the alliance later tightened its policy on gene surgery, and the continual waves of reviews impeded the Mansons progress, diverting their attention. By fluke, this confusion fortuitously concealed your identity for many years

But similarly, this confusion also made investigation difficult years later due to the interfering information complexed within.

Whether it was Yan Suizhi, Yves, or even the Manson brothers trying to find certain information from past events, it posed quite a tedious challenge.

It was difficult for Devore Yves, as a senior, to define Brewer and Miller, the two Manson brothers.

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Dispose of uncooperative people, dispose of troublesome people, and dispose of those who knew too much. Thats probably the motto of those two brothers. Not just that, but theyd even extended their reach into other prominent families. Those of us who had reached a certain age would often surface heart and mental conditions, and even the most ordinary insomnia. The medication that some people used during that time was problematic. Fortunately, most of us remained vigilant and didnt allow ourselves to become overly dependent on a particular drug, but there were still some who were negligent.

Yves said, That Old Cliff aged so quickly, allowing Cliff Junior to quickly succeed him, has an inextricable connection to the Manson brothers as well. But we didnt realise anything then. After all, wed lived in peace for so long that it had been too many years since we last saw such audacious juniors.

There wasnt much of an age gap between Brewer and Miller Manson, but there was a gulf between them and their younger brother, George Manson.

It wasnt limited to their own family, but also among peers in the families that they were connected with. They were the oldest and the first to establish themselves. They were more than happy to see the upper crust undergo a generational change.

Because once the new generation took over, they would naturally sit stably in power.

A competent businessman would always leave himself some leeway, but they never did. This was why traditional businessmen like Yves were unable to sound out their motive at first.

Take their younger brother, for example, said Yves. Actually, no matter how much Old Manson favours his youngest, it would be very difficult for George Manson to usurp their position. Even so, they didnt intend to let poor lad off. When it came to dealing with their brother, they were so undisguised in their intentions that even Joe could tell.

But it was a mystical world where even their most unabashed behaviour was viewed by many as only natural, because, somehow, the act of bringing down a sibling was expected in the context of a familys power struggle.

But they werent completely unbridled. Yves said, For nearly a decade, there was a period of calm so long that it was as though their ambitions had been fulfilled and they planned to pull back. During this time, I met Mervyn White, and learned of you through him.

At first, Mr Yves was very relieved to learn that the son of his old friends was still alive.

But he did nothing after that, neither deliberately paying mind nor increasing their encounters, just as though they were complete strangers.

Old Fox was shrewd and prudent. He knew that his actions would conversely lead the way for the Mansons, so his lack of reaction was the best protection.

Nevertheless, this protection couldnt last forever. For a time, Yves had believed that the Manson brothers actually knew who Yan Suizhi was. But their moods were hard to fathom; for a long time they didnt take any measures against Yan Suizhi, perhaps thinking that a single fish that had slipped through the net was not enough cause for fear.

An overly stable state often indicated that preparations had reached a certain anticipated stage. That maybe, everything was in place and they were simply in wait of a propitious wind.

This was actually the easiest time to slip up and show ones feet of clay.

However, its like you said upon enteringIm missing something crucial, Yves said.

Old Foxs greatest strength was in laying out leverage against his opponent at their most unaware.

Hed manoeuvred behind the scenes for a long time, making use of the natural closeness between Spring Ivy Group and the alliance government to create an illusion to the Manson brothers that they were about to be subjected to an extremely finicky wave of scrutiny.

Once they had a sense of crisis, theyd surely make some moves.

What is the most appropriate move? Yves held out his thumb, The move mustnt be too big; they cannot touch the peripheral and less urgent, because the more people and affairs that are involved, the more likely that the situation would go awry and alert their opposition.

He extended his index finger. But key evidence must be disposed of.

He paused. He set his hand down and said, In the end, they chose to move you. But this move was completely out of left field to me.

Because on the surface, Yan Suizhi should belong to the less urgent side of the spectrum, or the Manson brothers would have made their move long ago instead of leaving it to now.

Im inclined to think that theres something on you that the Manson brothers werent initially aware of, but suddenly discovered now, Yves said. But unfortunately, Im still investigating this and have yet to turn up results.

The conversation went on for a long time.

By the time the three of them came out of the office, it was approaching evening.

Done talking? Were all hungry already. Eunice forcibly hooked her younger brothers neck, walking over to them with everyone else following behind. Ive already called for food to be prepared. Shall we have dinner together?

Devore Yves nodded then turned around, looking questioningly at Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan.

At this time, Yan Suizhi didnt appear any different. He smiled and was about to speak when he felt Gu Yans lowered hand tighten around his for a moment before letting go.

Sorry, but we still have some business to attend to, Gu Yan said.

Is it urgent? Devore Yves asked. Do you have to leave now?

Yan Suizhis fingers twitched. He nodded. Im afraid so.

It was none of their first times dealing with lawyers and this crowd was inured to such circumstances by now. Devore Yves didnt often insist on getting to the bottom of it either, so he smiled, patting Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi on the shoulder. Just make note of this meal first; we can make up for it another time.

Yan Suizhi, Definitely.

Ill have a limo send you guys back, Eunice said and was about to make arrangements when Gu Yan flashed the smart device he wore on his finger at her. My car is already here.

Its here? Eunice glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling windows and saw a black space car, with its dark blue autopilot lights on, driving over from the botanical garden and the lawn. She laughed irately, Seriously, you Geez, forget it. Stay safe then, see you later.

The space car pulled to a silent stop outside the villa and its dark blue light flashed, indicating that it had arrived at its destination.

Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi bade their goodbyes to everyone and got into the car. After setting its next destination to the city garden, the autopilot light flashed twice more and the car turned smoothly onto the road out of the hotel.

Yan Suizhi settled in on the front passenger seat, turning his head and arching his brows at Gu Yan, asking, Whats so urgent and mysterious?

The lights in the car werent turned on; the tinted glass windows reflected the lights outside the car.

Street lights, headlights, and the evening lights of shops on the wayside were brilliantly lit up as they drove at breakneck speed.

Gu Yans finger, adjusting the driving settings, paused. In the rising light and falling darkness, he turned his head over, his gaze sweeping down from Yan Suizhis eyes to the raised corners of his lips.

He quietly looked at it for a while, then reached out to touch it, saying, Dont smile if you arent happy.

A moment passed before he felt the radian on the corner of the lips under his thumb slowly relax, finally evening out.

Its not too bad actually Yan Suizhi said simply.

After stripping off that smiling veneer, his complexion appeared pale, and creases between his brows emerged. He lowered his gaze and adjusted his seat, then held Gu Yans hand, closing his eyes and whispering, Im going to take a nap; my head and stomach have been hurting all this while.