Rise and Slay: From Scandal Queen to Academic Genius

Behind the fountain, shadows covered the ground.

Ji Tingzhou was slumped on the ground, his elegant suit jacket and tie discarded to the side. His white shirt was soaked, and the elegance he showed under the lights earlier had vanished, leaving only endless pain and suffocation as his consciousness began to drift away.

In Ji Tingzhou's mind, it was like an old movie playing repeatedly, blood-red filling the ground. He seemed to have returned to the day he least wanted to remember: the bedsheet hanging from the old beam, a body covered in scars, gently swaying.

It was as if Ji Tingzhou's neck was being strangled tightly by that bedsheet from that day.

Countless voices whispered blame in his ears, "Testifying against your own father in court, unfilial son!" "Would your mother have died if not for you?"...

Just as he was about to fall into a daze, he heard a voice.

"I believe in legal justice."

A firm and calm voice gradually pulled his drifting consciousness back.

He hadn't done anything wrong, the law is just!

That person had already been sentenced to prison!

Ji Tingzhou forced his eyes open and looked toward the bright spot in front of the fountain.

-

In front of the fountain, just as Ji Xizhi finished speaking, Xiao Yuan quickly chimed in.

"Yes! The law is just, these people are just ranting online without any evidence, and they're trying to smear your name, Sister Zhi!"

Xiao Yuan was indignantly angry, quickly putting her phone away again.

But Qi Zheng leaned slightly and took a glance.

Upon seeing Ji Xizhi and Ji Tingzhou's tags trending at the top of the homepage.

Qi Zheng raised an eyebrow.

"This kind of talk is easy to deal with. We just got a few interns at the firm, just need to have He Qing handle it!"

Ji Xizhi recalled the comments she saw from intellectuals on Weibo earlier and slowly shook her head, "No need."

For a case like this, of course, you have to consider your own fans first!

Qi Zheng: "Then feel free to come to me if you need anything!"

Qi Zheng's willingness to offer was on par with the promise made by Feng Family's eldest son, Feng Qin.

Tianzheng Law Firm has never been short of cases. Qi Zheng, throughout the year, is always fully booked with cases, and appointments with him require waiting in line. Yet, Qi Zheng is now willing to open this path for Ji Xizhi, which means he's truly treating Ji Xizhi as one of his own.

Next to them, Xue Fan and Xiao Yuan were both surprised by what they heard.

Ji Xizhi immediately rejected it: "There's nothing I need for now."

Xue Fan: "?"

Xiao Yuan: "."

Both had the same thought pop up in their minds, indeed she's Sister Zhi/the boss!

Qi Zheng was long accustomed to Ji Xizhi's straightforward nature. Looking at her demeanor now, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Though he hadn't met Ji Xizhi many times, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Previously, during their video calls online, he had the same feeling. Now, it felt even stronger; he felt they were the same kind of people.

Qi Zheng loosened his cuffs, glanced at the time on his watch, and with a slightly playful eye, said, "Alright, then I need a favor. Can you help me?"

Qi Zheng crossed his arms, smiling cheekily, and said, "Take me home."

Ji Xizhi: "?"

Under Ji Xizhi's surprised gaze, Qi Zheng languidly added, "I drank; I can't drive."

Ji Xizhi: "Alright."

Ji Xizhi responded quickly to Qi Zheng's request.

Xiao Yuan gaped in astonishment, she looked over at the chauffeur already arranged by the Feng Family and asked, "Lawyer Qi, but there's clearly a..."

Before she could finish, Xue Fan pulled her arm.

Xue Fan signaled with his eyes: Can't you see what's happening?

Xiao Yuan's eyes darted around: "Your eye's twitching?"

Xue Fan: "..." He had given up! Whatever boss you have, that's the sort of assistant you'll have, that's just how it is!

Xue Fan let out an awkward laugh, then closed his eyes.

-

In the end, Qi Zheng managed to hitch a ride.

The banquet had already ended, and Ji Xizhi didn't linger around. When Xiao Yuan was about to drive off, she realized someone was missing.

Ji Xizhi, "Where's Chu Ang?"

Xue Fan was also surprised by this question, "Oh? Right! Your senior, the boss, I just saw him at the banquet, didn't I?"

The group turned their heads in confusion, while many people had already come out from the banquet, there was no sign of Chu Ang at the door.

Ji Xizhi suddenly frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart.

She walked a few steps toward the entrance, intending to go inside to look for Chu Ang.

But just as she reached the door, she ran into a swarm of reporters coming out.

The reporters at the banquet had just been instructed by Feng Family's eldest son, Feng Qin. Many photos they took had been held back, and aside from the ones already sent out, the rest were almost completely off-limits.