Huo Shaoting's decision

Wen Man felt slightly teased.

Her slender fingers gently stroked the phone. After hesitating for a long time, she finally decided not to send a WeChat message immediately and waited half an hour before sending it.

"Sorry, Lawyer Huo, I fell asleep."

On the other end, Huo Shaoting, holding a glass of wine, saw Wen Man's message and smiled lightly.

—Teacher Wen's modesty is a bit cute.

He didn't reply but slowly sipped the red wine in his glass.

For the next few days, Huo Shaoting did not appear again but occasionally sent Wen Man a WeChat message. Sometimes it was a photo, and other times just a sentence or two, the tone lazy but imbued with the unique charm of a mature man.

Wen Man didn't always reply.

But the ambiguity between them was clear to both.

One early morning, Wen Man received a call from Huo Shaoting on her way to work.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Lawyer Huo?"

Huo Shaoting was sitting in his car with a file on his lap, which was the Wen Boyan case file.

He recalled that last night, when he took the file from Lawyer Jiang Ming, Jiang Ming smiled meaningfully and said, "Shaoting, why did you change your mind? Because of Teacher Wen? I think Teacher Wen is very good; Jiang Rui likes her very much..."

At the time, Huo Shaoting smiled faintly and told Jiang Ming not to tell Wen Man yet. He said he needed to think it over.

Now, flipping through the file, Huo Shaoting said to Wen Man on the other end, "I'm going on a business trip for a week. When I return... let's meet. I have something to tell you."

Wen Man couldn't guess, but she knew that having a good relationship with Huo Shaoting wouldn't disadvantage. She softly agreed.

Huo Shaoting's heart softened suddenly. He lowered his voice and murmured like a lover, "Why are you so obedient and soft? Do you know men will take advantage of that?"

Wen Man blushed and couldn't speak for a long time. Huo Shaoting chuckled and let her go.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the file for a long time. This decision was not just a simple transaction; it involved a mix of pity for Wen Man. He thought it could be considered compensation for her.

On the other side, Wen Man put down her phone, speculating about what Huo Shaoting wanted to tell her in a week.

She was so lost in thought that she almost missed her stop.

Rushing to the music center, she noticed her colleagues giving her strange looks when she clocked in. Wen Man was puzzled until a close colleague quietly told her, "Wen Man, the director found out about your part-time job. She will probably talk to you later. I heard it was Ding Cheng who reported it. You both joined here at the same time, and since you teach well, all the top students prefer you. She's been unhappy for a long time and finally seized this opportunity."

Wen Man was taken aback.

The colleague continued in a low voice, expressing understanding for her difficult situation. At that moment, the director's assistant came over and politely asked Wen Man to go to the director's office.

Wen Man followed her to the second-floor office. The assistant knocked on the door, "Director Li, Teacher Wen is here."

"Come in," came a female voice. Wen Man pushed the door open and entered.

Director Li, a capable woman in her early forties, was sitting behind her desk reading a file. She gestured for Wen Man to sit when she came in.

Wen Man wanted to explain, but Director Li raised a hand to stop her. "Indeed, it was Ding Cheng who reported you, but I've always turned a blind eye because of your family's difficulties. However, since yesterday, more and more parents have found out about your part-time job and want you replaced. I've received dozens of calls. You know that the children learning piano here come from wealthy family backgrounds. Even I, or President Wang, can't afford to offend these people."

Given the situation, Wen Man understood.

She didn't want to make things difficult for the director, who had always been kind to her. Wen Man gently took off her work badge, placed it on the desk, and softly said, "Thank you for taking care of me all these years."