Seeing her stunned, he cleared his throat and added, "It's easier to communicate this way. Saves me from having to send screenshots via MMS all the time."
Zeng Keqin snapped out of it and scanned the code with her phone.
Jiang Shiyu confirmed the friend request, then looked at her slightly pale face. "Not feeling well?"
Zeng Keqin shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Alright, I'm off then."
He took two steps, then stopped and turned his head. Under the brim of his hat, his expression was hard to read. "Contact me anytime if you find something. Don't take risks alone."
With that, Jiang Shiyu pushed open the glass door, and the wind chimes collided, producing a series of tinkling sounds that faded into the air.
Back at the dormitory, it was almost nine-thirty.
Wang Chunyue was lying on her bed with a face mask on, scrolling through short videos. Seeing her come in, she asked mumblingly, "Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
Zeng Keqin put down her canvas bag, sat at her desk, and opened her laptop.
"You've been going out a lot lately."
Wang Chunyue sat up from the bed, her face mask unable to hide her gossipy expression. "Are you going on dates with that guy who gave you the jacket?"
"What jacket? What guy?"
Liu Ying, who had been watching a variety show, suddenly became interested.
"That day when it was pouring rain..."
Zeng Keqin quickly interrupted. "I've been investigating Fang Yu's case, so I've been coming back late."
Wang Chunyue frowned and sighed. "Xiaoyu's really unlucky, running into something like this... I wonder if she's sorted things out with her family."
Everyone's gazes unintentionally fell on Fang Yu's empty bed.
The air grew heavy.
Zeng Keqin pursed her lips. Although she hadn't interacted much with Fang Yu, she had never forgotten those small kindnesses.
"I'll do my best to help her."
"That's great! Let us know if you need anything."
"Yeah! But take care of yourself too."
"Okay."
*
Wednesday was the submission day.
Zeng Keqin arrived at the firm early, carefully checked her legal opinion one more time, printed it out, and placed it on Zou Min's desk.
As she walked out, she ran into Zheng Zhixi and Zhao Mo. They were chatting cheerfully, looking very friendly.
Zhao Mo noticed her and greeted her first. "Morning."
Zeng Keqin nodded. "Morning."
After she walked a little farther, she vaguely heard Zheng Zhixi say, "This Zeng Keqin, she's always putting on airs..."
Zeng Keqin's steps faltered.
So that was why he had been staring at her these past few days.
He wanted to curry favor with Zhao Mo and was afraid she'd be a roadblock, so he was being cautious.
"Xiaoke! There you are!" Qiao Meng came running from not far away and grabbed Zeng Keqin's arm. "I have a question I want to ask you."
Zeng Keqin let herself be led away. "What question?"
Qiao Meng bit her lip, hesitating. Only when they were out of earshot did she lower her voice. "Was Zheng Zhixi just talking bad about you?"
Zeng Keqin's heart tightened, but she kept calm. "I'm not sure."
"I passed by the break room earlier and heard him chatting with Zhou Yi. He said that your opinion was more detailed because Zou Min gave you extra guidance beforehand. It's clearly targeted at you. Be careful."
"I understand."
"I'm serious!" Qiao Meng grew anxious. "If he talks behind your back again, come find me. Sure, I may not be as good as you professionally, but when it comes to social skills..."
Zeng Keqin finished for her. "You're really good at that."
Qiao Meng was taken aback.
Zeng Keqin looked at her sincere eyes, and the gloom in her heart dissipated somewhat. "Thank you for helping me."
Qiao Meng waved her hand sheepishly. "Pfft, that's what friends do."
Friends.
What a strange yet familiar word.
During the lunch break, Zeng Keqin received a WeChat message from Fang Yu: [Can you talk on the phone now?]
[Yes.]