The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 458 Head-on Confrontation (Part 1)

"Sister Sheng, it's only the second day since the law firm opened, how come you still have time to have dinner with me?"

In a restaurant in Pudong, some distance from Dasheng Law Firm, Wen Sheng smiled at Lawyer Zhuge in front of him and said, "And you even chose this place."

Zhuge Dasheng was dressed in a well-tailored navy blue fitted suit. Perhaps because she was not at the law firm, she unbuttoned her coat as soon as she sat down, and the white shirt that clung to her waistline wrinkled into sharper edges as she sat down.

This time, her shoulder-length short hair wasn't completely combed behind her ears, but was freely draped over her slightly open collar. Compared to her past image, Attorney Zhuge looked less sharp and more...feminine.

Zhuge Dasheng looked at the menu in his hand, then raised his eyelids to look at the man opposite him and chuckled, "The opening of a law firm doesn't restrict my personal freedom. As for eating here... Mr. Wen, do you feel wronged?"

"Of course not." Wen Sheng waved his hand. "I just thought you would choose to eat at a quieter restaurant, Sister Sheng."

The two were currently seated by the window in the lobby. Although there weren't many people around at this time, the resident singer was performing passionately on the central stage of the restaurant.

Zhuge Dasheng smiled, not rushing to reply, but instead beckoning a waiter to order two dishes, then looking at Wen Sheng and saying, "Let's order first."

Wen Sheng nodded and ordered two dishes as well. Neither of them ordered any alcohol.

After all, he drove here and had other things to do later, while the other party had to pick up Dali from school later.

While waiting for the food to be served, Zhuge Dasheng smoothed his hair before laughing and said, "This seems to be the first time we've eaten out alone, right?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Sheng's expression shifted slightly. He looked at her, nodded, and said with a smile, "To be honest, I really feel a bit unaccustomed to Dali not being around."

“Then why don’t we eat slowly and order a few more dishes later? I’ll go pick up Dali as well,” Lawyer Zhuge said with a half-smile, “That way I won’t have to cook for her when I get home.”

"..."

Wen Sheng was genuinely confused about what his friend's lawyer mother was thinking.

Including being suddenly invited to dinner today... Wen Sheng had somewhat anticipated this, but now it seems like things aren't so simple.

Seeing the other person smiling at him, Wen Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Actually, we can pack it up for Dali later."

"..."

Hearing this, Zhuge Dasheng rolled his eyes at him, picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then said unhurriedly, "Thank you for the flowers you sent yesterday."

Sure enough, that's why!

Wen Sheng's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled and said, "It's the opening of the law firm, so I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked. I'll just have to choose the flowers for the flower basket myself."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you still like it?"

Having known this man for so long, Zhuge Dasheng had a fairly good understanding of his character, and upon hearing this, he simply smiled.

"I'm talking about the flowers delivered to my doorstep."

Attorney Zhuge paused slightly, then added, "I really like tulips."

"Oh, you mean that one? Dali gave it to me!"

"Why is your name written on that greeting card?" Zhuge Dasheng lifted his eyelids to look at him, and smiled with the corners of his lips curved. "Don't say that Dali misspelled your name."

"..."

Now Wen Sheng couldn't just lie around anymore. Actually, the greeting card didn't have anything inappropriate written on it; it simply said, "I hope you like it."

Ultimately, their relationship is still that of a normal "daughter's friend" and "friend's mother".

Of course, judging from their appearances, the two might look more like people of the same generation, since Attorney Zhuge is only a few years older than him.

But what can you do when he's friends with Dali?
Well... in some ways, Dali is also Dali's teacher, and overall, they have a teacher-student and friend relationship.

Therefore, he naturally couldn't treat Attorney Zhuge in the same slightly ambiguous way he did with Yu Mo.

Seeing that the other person was turning to look at the stage, Wen Sheng quickly replied with a smile, "Dali said he wanted to give you flowers, so we picked them out together at the florist. As for the greeting card..."

Wen Sheng paused slightly before chuckling, "Just consider it a gift from me, since only that bouquet of tulips will end up being taken home by you, right?"

After Wen Sheng finished speaking, Zhuge Dasheng did not react immediately, but continued to look at the resident singer on the stage, his fingertips tapping on the surface of the table.

The atmosphere at the table quieted down, and Wen Sheng, no longer in a hurry, turned to look at the stage.

After an unknown amount of time, the waiter began to serve the dishes.

Neither of them ordered alcohol, but they each poured themselves a glass of juice, clinked glasses, and that marked the official start of this dinner party that didn't feel like a date.

"It seems like you and your ex-wife are about to remarry?"

……

"Nolan, are you ready?"

Qin Yumo asked Nuolan, who was lying in front of her.

Nuolan, who had been waiting with her eyes closed, gently opened them upon hearing this. Looking at the face reflected in her vision, she smiled faintly and said, "I'm ready, don't be nervous."

"I'm a professional, why would I be nervous?"

Qin Yumo chuckled dryly, took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then picked up the makeup remover that had been prepared beforehand.

On the other side, in a small basket, are the bottles and jars from the entire L'Oréal facial spa package.

The current situation is quite clear: Qin Yumo, a senior beauty consultant at L'Oréal, is giving Nolan a facial spa service.

Just a little earlier, when Qin Yumo saw Nuolan, her pupils dilated in shock.

How did she end up here?!

At that moment, Qin Yumo only had this one thought in her mind.

Fortunately, there were several saleswomen nearby, and she quickly realized what was happening and took the initiative to approach Nuolan.

Last night in the Love Apartment, the two were supposed to continue their confrontation, but Wen Sheng had to exert a lot of effort to forcibly suppress them.

Later, because Tang Youyou returned, Nuolan thought about her upcoming filming ending and lost interest in pursuing Yu Mo. She only chatted with Yu Mo briefly at the dinner table.

Now, Qin Yumo never expected that the other party would come back to kill her!
When Qin Yumo heard Nuolan say she wanted to get a L'Oréal facial spa, she was slightly surprised, but then offered to do it for her herself.

After all, in public, she is a senior beauty consultant and Nolan is a customer; in private, the two have fought side by side... uh, they are friends who had dinner together yesterday.

"Then my face is yours to keep."

Nuolan gave her a deep look before lying down on the massage bed.

As a beauty consultant, Yu Mo is very familiar with spa treatments, but because she has been promoted, her customers are basically the company's VIP clients.

For example, Richard's wife back then.

Looking down at the beautiful face with its eyes closed in front of her, Qin Yumo inexplicably thought of the night when the original wife became the mistress.

They all seem to have such a nonchalant attitude!
Qin Yumo's eyes were glazed over. At this moment, just like at that time, she was still the mistress!

The only difference is that back then, she only found out she was the other woman afterward, but now, facing Nuolan...

Qin Yumo looked down at the face quietly. It was really beautiful. That bastard sent her to the radio station so early last night. He must have gone home to have sex with her first.

And now such a beautiful face is in my hands.

Because of this face, I was terrified for days after our last meal together, and I was just as nervous last night.

Qin Yumo's eyes flickered slightly, and he raised his hand, slowly approaching Nuolan's beautiful face...

……

Inside the restaurant/bar.

Two people who weren't very hungry ate their meal quietly, as if practicing the principle of "not speaking while eating."

Zhuge Dasheng put down his chopsticks, and while picking up his juice, he quickly glanced at the other person before taking a small sip. "Why do you think I'm about to remarry Nuolan?"

Wen Sheng suddenly spoke, causing Attorney Zhuge to pause for a moment before slowly putting down his juice and saying, "Isn't that right? Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, when Dali mentioned you and your ex-wife, it was as if you had never been divorced."

Wen Sheng wasn't surprised to hear this, but he was surprised that the other party had actually brought up this topic.

This topic... isn't really suitable for their current relationship in this setting and given the previous atmosphere.

Wen Sheng nodded, then smiled and said, "Since Nuolan and I are divorced but acting like we're not, why do you think we divorced in the first place?"

"..."

Zhuge Dasheng was somewhat speechless; this was indeed a difficult question for her to answer.

As a lawyer, she knows too many reasons why couples divorce, including many dramatic, bizarre, and even shocking ones.

After all, these days, the professions that know the most gossip are obstetricians and gynecologists and lawyers.

Although there are many reasons for divorce, they can be summarized into one: divorce is caused by the fault of one or both spouses.

But judging from the relationship between Wensheng and Nuolan, it doesn't seem like either of them has done anything wrong.
And judging from Wen Sheng's words just now, it seemed he was vaguely asking, 'Since being divorced is the same as not being divorced, why should I remarry?'

But of course, she couldn't say that.

Zhuge Dasheng shook his head and said, "Every couple has different reasons for divorce, especially in non-litigation divorces, it is very difficult for outsiders to know why they divorced."

Wen Sheng smiled. He had no intention of saying anything like "the divorce was all Nuolan's fault." He was just answering the question the other party had just asked.

Hearing this, Wen Sheng picked up the juice next to him to moisten his throat, then looked at the other person and smiled, saying:

"Sister Sheng, have you considered finding Dali a stepfather?"

……

"Mmm~ This feels so good!"

Nuolan felt Qin Yumo's two soft hands sliding across her face and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Nolan, your skin is so beautiful." Feeling the fair and tender skin on her hand, Qin Yumo looked down and smiled, "Although I am a beauty consultant, to be honest, I don't think your skin needs any special beauty treatments."

"Coming for a beauty treatment doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to become more beautiful. I just like the feeling, don't I?" Nuolan smiled with her eyes closed.

Qin Yumo nodded: "I don't really believe it when others say it, but I believe it when you say it!"

As she spoke, she took a face mask from the side and applied it to Nuolan's face.

With her eyes closed, Nuolan, who was letting her do as she pleased, asked, "Yu Mo, your skin is also very good. How do you usually take care of it?"

"..."

Qin Yumo's hand, which was applying a face mask to Nuolan, trembled. Instantly, she felt as if she had returned to the moment when Tina asked her that question.

That sense of being in that moment grew stronger.

Nolan then laughed and said, "Does L'Oréal have some secret formula that you keep hidden away for your own use?"

"How could that be? If there were a secret recipe, we'd make money by giving it to our customers!"

"That's your own secret recipe." Nuolan, who was wearing a face mask, suddenly opened her eyes, met Qin Yumo's gaze from bottom to top for two seconds, then closed them again. Her lips parted slightly, and a soft voice rang out:

"I actually have my own skincare secrets too. I wonder if we have the same ones?"

……

Inside the restaurant, the resident band switched to a more energetic song, and the stage lights flashed in rhythm, causing the customers closer to the stage to cheer and sway along.

The atmosphere between Zhuge Dasheng and Wen Sheng was relatively quiet by the outer window.

Even though Wen Sheng sometimes clapped along to the rhythm, he was quickly overwhelmed by the atmosphere between the two of them.

And all of this is because of what Wen Sheng just said.

After picking up a piece of mixed vegetables with his chopsticks and putting it in his bowl, Attorney Zhuge smiled and said, "I have considered it. Dali is already ten years old. I used to worry that she was too young and wouldn't understand, and that she would be particularly resistant to having another person in the family, but now she is sensible."

After a slight pause, Attorney Zhuge crossed his legs and continued, "Besides, given how I've raised Dali, she might have to leave home for her studies in a few years. When that happens, I'll be home alone, and I'll need someone to spend the rest of my time with, right? Besides, Dali will get married sooner or later anyway."

Wen Sheng nodded. Fortunately, the other party didn't say anything like, "I'm not considering remarriage, I won't find a stepfather for Dali, we're doing fine now, Dali and I are fine relying on each other..." Otherwise, the warning signal in his mind would have gone off immediately.

But listening to Zhuge Dasheng's words, he was not sure if the other party was lying.
I have a feeling that there's something more to what this beautiful lawyer is saying.

Wen Sheng, who was eating with his head down, pondered for a moment and then smiled and said, "Sister Sheng, there's something I've never understood. Why do people get married?"

"Ok?"

Zhuge Dasheng looked up at him with a strange expression, seemingly not expecting him to ask such a question.

After thinking for a moment, she replied, "According to what young people say these days, it's because of love?"

"uh-huh?"

Wen Sheng neither confirmed nor denied this, but simply chuckled and said, "A lawyer friend of mine said something like this: 'If you meet a girl you love very much, wouldn't you want to marry her?'"

“Yes, it’s also because of love.” Attorney Zhuge raised her glass of juice to a toast, then asked, “Is the lawyer friend you mentioned Zhang Wei?”

"Uh, no, that lawyer is from Chengdu."

Wen Sheng smiled and shook his head in denial, then continued, "Actually, she wasn't very familiar with me at first. She was a blind date of one of my brothers from Rongcheng, and we only became acquainted later."

"I see." Zhuge Dasheng smiled, then said self-deprecatingly, "The legal profession really does rely on blind dates."

"Hehe, it varies from person to person, but the blind date between that female lawyer and my brother ultimately fell through."

"It's off?" Attorney Zhuge asked in surprise.

“It’s off.” Wen Sheng repeated, then looked into the eyes of the beautiful lawyer in front of him and said, “Just because of the question I asked earlier—why do people get married?”

"The question I just asked you was the same question my brother asked that female lawyer," Wen Sheng added softly.

……

Inside the L'Oréal store.

Qin Yumo's pupils suddenly dilated, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Same skincare secrets?
What does that mean? Nuolan knows? How much does she know?

Looking down, she saw that the other person was applying a face mask with their eyes closed. The two were so close that Qin Yumo subconsciously held her breath.

How to answer?

One question after another popped into Yu Mo's mind, and she instinctively felt helpless, with a sense of dread as if she were about to be caught cheating.

But soon, she became angry at herself for having such thoughts.

Haven't you thought about this situation?

Ever since she started getting involved with that bastard, she had even fantasized about Nuolan breaking down the villa door and catching her and that bastard in bed together.

Could things get any worse than this?
Thinking of this, Qin Yumo regained her senses and realized that this was her home turf, and the saleswomen around her were all her people. What could Nuolan do to her?
After calming down, Qin Yumo looked down at the other person again. The other person still had their eyes closed, but the corners of their mouths seemed to be smiling.

At this moment, she felt as if Nuolan at this moment was the same as Tina back then.

That nonchalant, indifferent smile seemed to be a contemptuous smile, as if he naturally looked down on other women and didn't care about third parties.

"What I used was actually traditional Chinese medicine to regulate my body," Qin Yumo replied calmly.

I cancelled my reservations for Tina's dinner, I cancelled my reservations for the Xiao Nan Guo dinner, I cancelled my reservations for dinner last night, and I'm cancelling mine here today—

I, Qin Yumo, am not backing down!
(End of this chapter)