Guardian Chapter 5: Lawyer Ling

 

Chapter 5 Lawyer Ling

Already passed away? And for so long... A sudden hollow ache filled Yu Shulin's chest. Before he'd even had time to imagine meeting his father, the man had vanished entirely from his life.

“Then you…” He opened his mouth, unsure what to say. Should he ask whether, now that his father was dead, he still wanted custody of him? Or should he ask whether his mother had truly been the other woman?

“If you wish, I shall raise you.”

The voice remained deep and flat, yet Yu Shulin detected a thread of sincerity. His chaotic thoughts gradually settled. After a long pause, he murmured, “You wish to?” Why would he? Shouldn't he despise his father's illegitimate son?

The clamour on the line faded, replaced by the sound of a car unlocking, doors opening and closing. “Yes. I couldn't reach you before, so there wasn't time for a proper discussion. The lawyer and assistant I sent will arrive tomorrow. If you have any questions, you can ask them.”

The quiet background made the other person's voice clearer. Stripped of the hoarseness born of fatigue, Liang Zhou's voice remained pleasing to the ear, even through the phone's slightly distorted transmission.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. After a long pause, he finally asked, “You've been trying to contact me?”

“To be precise, since your mother passed away.”

“Using this phone number?”

“Yes. It happened so suddenly, I couldn't find any other way to reach you. And regarding your mother's passing... I hope you find some comfort.”

Perhaps unaccustomed to such words, his tone sounded rather stiff. Yet, hearing it, Yu Shulin couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart. It had been so long since he'd received such comfort.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You're welcome.”

“...”

Silence fell again. Neither knew what to say next. Finally, Yu Shulin found his voice first and murmured softly, “It's late. I'm going to bed. You... get some rest.”

“...Good night.”

His first contact with his father had been unexpectedly smooth.

Yu Shulin placed the receiver down, reflecting on their exchange. A sense of reassurance settled within him—things seemed better than he'd anticipated. This elder brother... appeared rather decent.

Though he felt certain custody was all but secured, Yu Xiu remained somewhat concerned about Yu Shulin's sudden mood swing the previous day. Early the next morning, he personally arrived bearing breakfast to fetch him. This time, he'd been more cautious, leaving Zhou Mei and Yu Bo behind. Appearing before Yu Shulin alone, he played the role of the devoted uncle to perfection—no one could doubt his sincerity.

Having slept off his daze, Yu Shulin awoke in a haze of disbelief that his rebirth wasn't merely a dream. He automatically tuned out Yu Xiu's constant reassurances.

As they neared the law firm, he finally snapped back to reality. Gathering his composure, he casually inquired, “When did my father's people start contacting me?”

Yu Xiu paused, tilting his head to scrutinise his expression before replying cautiously, “They never did. They contacted Lawyer Zhou directly... Why do you ask, Shulin?”

“No reason, just wondering.” He turned his head back to the window.

“Don't be too upset, Shulin,” Yu Xiu interjected, seemingly seizing upon a crucial point as he launched into another round of persuasion. “Though they've always been indifferent towards you—barely even contacting you after your mother passed, only reaching out to lawyers to scheme over the inheritance—you're not without support. Fear not, your uncle stands firmly by your side.” He spoke with righteous indignation, determined to paint that delusional person attempting to wrest custody from him as utterly despicable, forever beyond redemption!

Yu Shulin blinked, inwardly sneering, but offered no reply. He had come to understand: that Liang Zhou from his previous life had likely tried to contact him too. Only, he had been taken in by Yu Xiu at an early age. And given that Lawyer Zhou and Yu Xiu were of one mind, it would have been a miracle for the two to have ever managed direct communication.

There was a slight traffic jam on the way, and they arrived at the law firm precisely at half past nine. Yu Shulin had assumed he would have to wait a while before meeting the person sent by Liang Zhou, but unexpectedly, the other party had arrived even earlier than them.

The sound of the door opening caused several people inside the meeting room, who had been checking documents, to look up. Attorney Zhou, seated in the centre, had a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. Seeing Yu Xiu escorting Yu Shulin in, he seemed as if he'd been saved, hastily rising to greet them. “Brother Yu, you've finally arrived! Do sit down, please, do sit down.”

Yu Xiu found this effusive welcome somewhat overwhelming, his steps faltering as he entered. After all, following yesterday's incident with the shattered teapot, he'd been practically escorted out of the law firm.

Lawyer Zhou paid no heed to his unease, pulling him down onto the sofa beside another handsome young man. He then strode to the doorway and bellowed towards the entrance, “Xiao Han! Xiao Han! Hurry up and serve the guest some tea!”

Yu Shulin's gaze fell upon the handsome young man, who happened to look over at him just then. Blinking, he offered Yu a reassuring smile. Yu paused, somewhat taken aback by the young man's youth, then politely nodded and returned the smile.

Once everyone was seated, the tall, silent man beside the handsome youth suddenly rose. He approached Yu Shulin, extended his hand, and said, “Yu Shulin, hello. I'm Mr Liang's assistant, He Long. Should you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly.”

“Hello.” Yu Shulin rose, smiling as he shook hands with him. His impression of Liang Zhou's side improved considerably—the fact that the other party didn't mind his age and was willing to engage him as an equal truly put him at ease.

In short, the situation was far better than he'd imagined.

He Long was somewhat surprised by his composure and poise. After all, during his exchanges with Lawyer Zhou, the latter had described Yu Shulin using terms like ‘docile,’ ‘reserved,’ ‘introverted,’ ‘difficult to get along with,’ and ‘emotionally unstable.’

The handsome young man rose, stepped over to push past He Long, seized Yu Shulin's hand, shook it vigorously, and smiled warmly. “Xiao Yu, right? Hello, I'm Ling Chun, the lawyer sent by your elder brother Liang. Just call me Brother Ling. Not bad, not bad at all. The lad's rather handsome, I like that.”

“...Hello, Mr Ling.” Yu Shulin stiffly withdrew his hand, his lips twitching. This man, who appeared handsome and sharp, spoke in such a tone that he found it rather hard to accept.

Yu Xiu listened to their exchange, shifting uncomfortably. He hadn't anticipated the other party arriving so early, leaving him no chance to prevent them from meeting Yu Shulin. His greatest fear was Yu Shulin getting along well with them. If they hit it off and Yu Shulin, ever the soft-hearted soul... At this thought, he could no longer remain seated. Rising abruptly, he stepped before Yu Shulin, interrupting their conversation. He extended his hand towards Ling Chun: “Mr Ling, hello. I'm Shulin's uncle. I was wondering, just now, you and Mr Zhou were…”

Yu Shulin frowned slightly, sidestepping to avoid being blocked.

Ling Chun's gaze shifted between Yu Xiu and Yu Shulin before settling on the stiffly seated Lawyer Zhou. He offered a perfunctory handshake and replied, “Nothing much, just verifying some documents left by Mrs Yu and taking stock of the estate.”

At this, the smile on Yu Xiu's face faltered. He hastily interjected, “Weren't we here today to discuss guardianship? Shulin has just finished his secondary school entrance exams and is feeling rather low. We ought to settle the guardianship matter sooner rather than later. So, Mr Zhou, the documents…”

“Mr Yu, there's no need to rush,” Ling Chun interjected with a smile. He turned and sat beside Lawyer Zhou, pulling a document across the table towards him. “Inventorying the estate doesn't conflict with selecting guardianship. Besides, this is for young Mr Yu's own good. Being so young, he doesn't understand these matters, so naturally the adults must take extra care. You must understand, my client holds Mr Yu in the highest regard.” With that, he winked at Yu Shulin, his expression carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

Yu Shulin winked back, returning the smile—this Ling lawyer was rather interesting.

 

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