On the main street of Yu State, across from the office building where South Wall Law Firm is located.
A man in a dress shirt and rimless glasses sat in a roadside café, turning his head to look across the street.
He raised his hand and glanced at his watch. It was almost time to get off work. He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, is this Lawyer Zhuge? This is Zhang Fan from Flame Group, Secretary Wu should have mentioned me to you.
I wanted to discuss what’s coming up with you. Time is tight, sorry to disturb you at this hour.
Alright, I’ll wait for you in the café across from South Wall Law Firm, right by the window, in the corner booth."
After hanging up, he waited quietly, picking up some documents on the table and reading through them.
The three heads of Flame Group in Divine Land had all been taken down by Qin Kun, and everything inside was a complete mess.
As soon as he heard this news, he temporarily set aside his affairs in Duanzhou and quietly came to Yu State.
He knew Zhuge Wanjun was at South Wall Law Firm, and also knew that South Wall Law Firm had deep cooperation with Flame Group. More importantly, Zhuge Wanjun had put in a great deal of effort in ensuring that cooperation.
Even without professional ability, Zhuge Wanjun was still an exceptionally rare talent.
She was a skillful negotiator, navigating among many powerful and influential people, and maintained connections with many Foreigners, Professionals, and Different Races.
No matter how close those connections truly were, whenever the situation demanded it, she could always find a way to bring the right people together.
Her personal strength no longer mattered.
He had coveted Zhuge Wanjun—and the resources in her hands—for a very long time.
Unfortunately, although he could probably have achieved these things himself, he was far too cautious, and not the type who liked to stand in the open. He would always keep himself hidden in the dark; whenever he stepped out, he never used his own face.
He would even avoid appearing as himself when he needed to order his subordinates around. To him, subordinates were expendables.
The path he took was completely different from Zhuge Wanjun’s—one overt, the other covert.
That’s why he valued Zhuge Wanjun so much.
Unfortunately, Zhuge Wanjun was extremely wary and never agreed to meet him.
Even on the phone, the slightest hint of something wrong would make her hang up immediately, giving him no chance at all.
He had been waiting for an opportunity, for a very, very long time.
Until last time, when Zhuge Wanjun asked him for a favor—and from the sound of it, it was something very important—he finally saw a chance.
Too bad it was over the phone, so the effect probably wasn’t great; at most, it just laid the groundwork for an opportunity.
This time, the trouble at Flame Group allowed him to slip inside with ease. Under the banner of Flame Group, he finally got the chance to use this opportunity.
Soon, Zhuge Wanjun, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a fitted suit, radiating sharp, elite energy and carrying the latest off-white handbag, stepped out through the main entrance.
She pushed open the door, looked around, and walked forward.
When she walked over and saw the man sitting with his back to the entrance, the instant he looked up and she caught sight of those rimless glasses, her pupils contracted sharply—she turned around and started to leave.
Glasses muttered under his breath,
"You still owe me one last favor, and you won’t even sit down and talk to me face to face?"
Seeing that Zhuge Wanjun showed no intention of turning back—she was leaving without hesitation—he sighed.
"Alright, what I want you to do is simple: just sit down and talk with me for an hour."
Zhuge Wanjun froze mid-step and stopped.
Expressionless, she turned and sat across from Glasses.
"Glasses, what do you want to talk about?"
"Just a casual chat. We’ve known each other for three years without meeting once; I feel like you’re very biased against me."
"Am I wrong to think that way?"
"No, your prejudice is justified. I really am that kind of person." Glasses smiled, for once sincerely.
"So now you’re going to brainwash me."
"No, no, no, not strictly speaking.
I really want to work with you. You in the open, me in the shadows—that’s the best setup for the entire organization.
But I think Nanwu County doesn’t need two shot-callers. Only with one shot-caller can we fully integrate our power and unleash our full strength.
You’re too guarded, and for someone like you—honestly, how could I possibly resist?
I’ve waited for this chance for three years."
"So in the end it’s still about brainwashing me, doing as you please," Zhuge Wanjun said mockingly.
"No, that’s where you misunderstand me." Glasses sighed, a hint of bitterness in his tone.
"Ever since I awakened my professional ability, I’ve tasted every delicacy and had more money than I could ever spend, all with ease.
Back then, I naïvely thought I was special. It wasn’t until I met someone that I realized there were a lot of people with professional abilities.
That’s also when I found out about the Scorching Sun Department, learned about much of what the Scorching Sun Department had done, and realized that if the Scorching Sun Department ever caught me, I’d be dead for sure.
You have no idea—I was terrified, scared to death, terrified of being caught by the Scorching Sun Department.
Later, I ran away, left Divine Land, and stayed overseas for three years. I enjoyed everything there was to enjoy.
And then I felt empty—everything tasted bland.
I even stopped wanting to use my ability, because I didn’t know if the people I met were all under my influence.
But giving up my ability just brought a harsh reality crashing down on me and made me see the truth.