A Fatal Attraction from Lawyer A - Chapter 32

“The Galaxy Group has the industry’s top legal team. This counter-suit doesn’t necessarily have to be handled by Lawyer Gu. The current incident has already embroiled Lawyer Gu in a corporate competition storm. If he’s at the forefront, it’s very dangerous.”

“Ruixing Hospital has hired Song Jian’an, who is a difficult presence to deal with. If Lawyer Gu doesn’t personally handle the case, our chances of winning are uncertain.”

“All signs currently point to the BO sex-inducer, especially BO Sex-Inducer Plus. The upgraded Plus formula has only been around for two years. Although there haven’t been many issues in clinical trials or subsequent promotions, that doesn’t mean there are no issues. Just like the inhibitor from back then, there are people for whom it becomes ineffective. The current evidence is very disadvantageous to the Galaxy Group.”

“Therefore, Lawyer Gu must personally fight this counter-suit. Moreover, with the Galaxy Group protecting him from behind, after the first accident, we absolutely will not allow a second one to happen. Even if it does, the Galaxy Group has the capacity to take responsibility. We are simply carrying out our duties, and this is for the good of the Group, isn’t it?”

In the Galaxy Group’s executive conference room, senior management debated the incident, each holding a different stance.

Because Luo Qingye and Chu Yiqiao were present, Luo Panzhi was seated on the left.

He sat back in his chair, expressionless, his hands clasped on his stacked knees. His deep eyes were as calm as water, seemingly unmoved by everyone’s discussions. The low pressure radiating from him and his silence suggested he had walled himself off in his own world.

Only his slightly pursed lips hinted at a trace of displeasure.

“Panzhi, what are your thoughts?”

Luo Panzhi heard his father, Chu Yiqiao, call his name. He suppressed his inner irritation, shed his silent posture, placed his hands on the conference table, and surveyed the other senior subordinates before him.

With just that subtle glance, several executives felt cold sweat on their backs. They sensed an unspoken pressure, as if everything they had just said was wrong.

“I think everyone has a point.” Luo Panzhi’s gaze landed on the manager who had said the last sentence, his eyes flashing with a deep, menacing intensity: “But you, what do you mean by, ‘Even if it does happen, the Galaxy Group has the capacity to take responsibility. We are simply carrying out our duties, and this is for the good of the Group, isn’t it?’ Explain to me what ‘carrying out our duties’ means.”

Manager C, under Luo Panzhi’s piercing and icy gaze, felt cold sweat break out from the pressure of the high-quality Alpha’s dominance. He sat up straight and cleared his throat: “Young CEO Luo, what I mean is that since people from Ruixing Hospital already know Lawyer Gu has taken the case, they clearly targeted Lawyer Gu, just like this accident. Therefore, even if another lawyer were to take over, they might also be innocently—”

“What? Are you saying my Lawyer Gu is not innocent? Are you saying my person should take the fall?”

Suddenly, the jarring sound of a chair being pushed back echoed. Luo Panzhi stood up, bracing his hands on the table. He stared intently at the speaking manager, his eyes now completely overtaken by displeasure.

The overly aggressive Alpha aura pressured everyone to silently lower their heads, not daring to take a breath, fearing any noise would enrage him.

Luo Panzhi didn’t care that his fathers were present and no longer restrained his temper: “If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you go? What do you mean ‘other people might also be innocent’? Who is Lawyer Gu working for? Isn’t he working for the Galaxy Group?! Why was he injured? Wasn’t he injured for the Galaxy Group?!”

“We are all working for the Galaxy Group. In this matter, your talk of ‘carrying out our duties’ is far too cold-blooded.” By the end, he spoke almost one word at a time, the grinding in his voice indicating his restrained fury.

The reprimand echoed through the conference room. Everyone in the Group knew the young CEO Luo had an explosive temper. The newly appointed executive was young, but his methods were recognized by all. If he hadn’t achieved results that surpassed his predecessors, no one would be convinced.

This temper wasn’t without reason.

Even a large corporation like this inevitably contained many layers of self-interested muddling. Some things couldn’t be cut away, they were annoying to look at, and as the executive, he was well within his right to curse them out.

Luo Qingye saw his son so angry his hair was practically standing on end. He was fully aware of the situation. He said mildly: “Let’s stop the meeting here. Dismissed. Luo Panzhi, you stay.”

“Yes, CEO Luo.”

A few scattered scraping sounds of chairs. The managers left the conference room, leaving only the father and son trio.

“Hmph.” Luo Panzhi scoffed. He turned his face away and took deep breaths to relieve his immense frustration and anger. However, it was difficult to contain, leaving his eyes red and his thin lips trembling with rage: “… Why.”

These three words, nearly ground out from between his teeth, suppressed his anger but couldn’t quell the worry in his heart.

“Youpan, sit down,” Chu Yiqiao said calmly.

Luo Panzhi turned and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked down at the towering, densely packed buildings outside, his lips tightly pressed. He took a few more deep breaths, but still couldn’t push down the fury about to explode. He put his hands on his hips and rubbed the back of his head.

“Luo Panzhi.” Luo Qingye frowned when his son didn’t respond to Chu Yiqiao, his expression stern: “Did you not hear me when I told you to sit down?”

Luo Panzhi didn’t turn around. His eyes were red as he stared out the window: “Big Dad, look. You would feel it’s wrong and scold me if I didn’t answer you. Was what I just said wrong? What does ‘if something happens’ mean? There is no ‘if’! How dare he say Gu Yuxi should keep being in the firing line?”

Luo Qingye replied: “He didn’t actually say anything. You need to control your temper first.”

“The person who said it naturally doesn’t feel the pain, but I do. Saying to let Gu Yuxi continue is just saying to let him continue. What does ‘if something happens’ mean? There is no ‘if’!” The more Luo Panzhi thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided he had to get rid of that foolish person, lest he lose his sanity one day and beat him up.

“But did you ask Yuxi for his opinion?” Chu Yiqiao walked to his son’s side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

“I heard it directly from Yuxi. He wants to continue fighting this case,” Luo Qingye walked to his son’s other side.

The three of them looked out the window together, overlooking the crowded prosperity of the city during the day.

“I know, but I don’t want him to do it.” Luo Panzhi naturally knew Gu Yuxi would never give up, but he was scared. His fear returned, thinking of the anxiety outside the operating room, thinking of the shirt stained with blood: “I’m genuinely afraid something will happen to him, Dad. I’m truly scared. My hands are shaking.”

“Do you like him that much?” Chu Yiqiao glanced at his son, seeing his eyes red and looking about to cry. He raised a hand and patted the back of his son’s head: “Youpan, still such a crybaby, even though you’re a CEO now.”

Luo Qingye shook his head helplessly: “You’re the biggest crybaby, and you have the worst temper. Now that you’ve encountered something, as the CEO, you need to consider multiple perspectives. You can’t just protect him because you like him. First and foremost, you must respect his wishes. Just like your father back then, while pregnant with you and your brother, he dared to face danger alone and hide it from me.”

Luo Panzhi had never heard this story. He looked at his father with a confused expression, as if to say that’s impossible, and then turned to Big Dad: “Big Dad, are you even an Alpha? You let my father face danger alone while pregnant?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Luo Qingye nudged his backside with his knee. He grimaced in pain.

“Could I have agreed if I had known? I found out myself, and I blew up at the time. So, before doing anything important, you must remember to tell the other person.” Luo Qingye said, glancing at Chu Yiqiao. Who wouldn’t be terrified thinking back on it?

Even though their son was twenty-four.

Chu Yiqiao smiled without speaking, adjusting his glasses.

“You need to ask Yuxi yourself and let him decide. If you make the decision for him, even if the goal is to protect him, he won’t be able to let it go. Because this is his responsibility, something he feels he must do. You can’t decide for him.” Luo Qingye patted the back of his son’s head, softening his tone: “If he genuinely wants to do it himself, then all you can do is stand behind him.”

“That way, when he needs you and turns around, he sees you,” Chu Yiqiao also patted his son’s shoulder and smiled gently: “Being a silent protector and respecting his choices will make him feel more secure.”

The couple exchanged glances after speaking, smiling with mutual understanding.

Luo Panzhi quietly stepped away from between his fathers. Hmph, he also had a spouse now, alright? But he wouldn’t say anything. He would wait until the family photo session this year to shock everyone that he had a partner.

And one he’d had for a while.

“I understand. I’ll go talk to him now. Bye, Dad, Big Dad.” Luo Panzhi said, quickly leaving the conference room.

Chu Yiqiao looked at his son’s retreating back, suddenly worried: “I’m not against Youpan liking an Alpha; I’m just concerned that Youpan might hurt Yuxi during his rut.”

“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. The kids are grown up. Why worry so much?” Luo Qingye draped his arm over Chu Yiqiao’s shoulder and said tenderly: “Wife, let’s go home.”

“Mhm.”

Luo Panzhi returned to the hospital. The first thing he did was ask the bodyguards at the door if anyone had visited or if Gu Yuxi had left. He only relaxed when he heard the answer was no to both.

He pushed the door open.

When he entered, he saw Gu Yuxi wearing his glasses, leaning against the headboard and looking through documents. There were quite a few papers scattered on the pillows and various spots, making it look like he had been reading them for as long as Luo Panzhi had been gone.

His brow furrowed instantly, and the irritation he had just suppressed welled up again.

Gu Yuxi heard the movement and looked up from the documents: “Is the meeting over?” He then noticed Luo Panzhi’s expression was poor: “What’s wrong? Did you lose your temper?”

Luo Panzhi walked to the bed and sat down, turning sideways to take the documents out of Gu Yuxi’s hand.

Gu Yuxi: “?”

“For this counter-suit, can you not fight it?”

Gu Yuxi met Luo Panzhi’s worried expression, his brow twitching: “What are you talking about?”

Luo Panzhi sensed Gu Yuxi’s slight displeasure. He lowered his head, his tongue pressing against his jaw, and after a moment of consideration, he looked at Gu Yuxi: “I’m saying, I don’t want you to fight this counter-suit. Can someone else do it?”

Gu Yuxi’s face gradually darkened, as if covered in a light layer of frost. Even the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose seemed to radiate coldness. He found it somewhat amusing: “Luo Panzhi, we just got together, and you’re already going to try this with me?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Luo Panzhi scooted closer, intending to hug Gu Yuxi: “I’m just afraid something will happen to you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Step back,” Gu Yuxi said coldly.

Luo Panzhi’s attempt to hug him abruptly froze mid-air. He looked at Gu Yuxi in shock, visibly hurt by the coldness.

Gu Yuxi got out of bed from the other side, bent down to pick up a change of clean clothes from the sofa, and walked toward the bathroom.

“What are you doing?!” Luo Panzhi abruptly stood up, taking a few steps to grab Gu Yuxi’s arm: “The doctor said you can’t be discharged yet.”

“What am I doing?” Gu Yuxi glanced sideways at Luo Panzhi: “Luo Panzhi, what do you take me for? I must take this case. I will personally handle it. Let go. I’m leaving the hospital.”

Luo Panzhi was immediately annoyed when he heard the strong demand to be discharged. Oh, this mouth of his! That wasn’t what he meant. He wrapped his arms around Gu Yuxi’s shoulder from behind, lowered his gaze, and, knowing he had angered the man, whispered softly in a plea:

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Don’t be mad.”

“Luo Panzhi.”

Luo Panzhi heard Gu Yuxi call his full name, and the fear of being dominated by his Big Dad instantly welled up: “Don’t call me by my full name.”

“So, are you planning to leverage being my boyfriend and my superior to interfere with my decisions?”

“I’m not interfering.” Luo Panzhi felt hurt by Gu Yuxi’s indifferent tone. He rested his head on Gu Yuxi’s shoulder: “… I just wanted to ask for your opinion on whether you could not handle it personally and let someone else take the case.”

“Then I’m telling you, I will personally handle this case.” Gu Yuxi’s tone was firm, his eyes blazing with anger. He tried to shake off the clingy person behind him. He had promised to be his support and said he believed he would win, and now he was trying to stop him? Did he really think he was a frail person who couldn’t lift a finger?

However, his body hadn’t recovered. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the man off.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry~~” Luo Panzhi felt Gu Yuxi trying to break free and could only resort to shameless pleading. He rubbed his face against Gu Yuxi’s, begging for forgiveness: “Wife, I’m sorry~~ You can take the case. I will protect you.”

He would personally keep an eye on Gu Yuxi this time.

Gu Yuxi shot him a cold look: “What did you call me?”

“Wife,” Luo Panzhi whispered, pushing his luck again.

“Don’t call me that,” Gu Yuxi frowned, trying to struggle free toward the bathroom.

“Then what should I call you? Lawyer Gu is too formal. ‘Wife’ is too soon, you feel. Then…” Luo Panzhi didn’t let go as Gu Yuxi tried to leave, sticking to him as they walked: “Then how about I call you gege (older brother)?”

Gu Yuxi: “… Stop clinging to me. Let go.”

Luo Panzhi’s gaze fell on the redness of Gu Yuxi’s ears. His heart felt ticklish. He couldn’t resist leaning in and kissing him: “Or should I call you baobao (baby)? Baobao.”

Reaching the bathroom door, Gu Yuxi’s hand held the doorframe. Unable to endure it anymore, he turned his head.

But because the distance was too close, the turn accidentally led to a kiss on Luo Panzhi.

Right on the lips.

Luo Panzhi didn’t care about anything else. He had to comfort the man. Seizing the unintentional contact, he raised his hands to cup Gu Yuxi’s face and deepen the kiss.

The clothes he was holding dropped to the floor, where they were innocently stepped on twice.

Two minutes later—

“Wuwuwuwu, I’m truly sorry. Don’t be mad. Hit me! I’ll let you hit me. But you really can’t leave this hospital. What if you faint?”

“If I faint, I’ll crawl up myself.”

“I’m sorry, I’m wrong. All the mistakes are mine. I was wrong not to respect you first. As long as you’re not angry, anything is negotiable.” Luo Panzhi saw Gu Yuxi still trying to walk toward the door. He immediately wrapped his arms around his waist, guiding him into the bathroom, and with a slam, he closed the bathroom door.

Gu Yuxi looked at Luo Panzhi closing the bathroom door with an expressionless face: “Open the door.”

“No.” Luo Panzhi walked towards Gu Yuxi, extending his arms to hug him: “I’ll keep trying to comfort you. I can calm you down. Trust me.”

Gu Yuxi subconsciously raised his hand.

But he couldn’t block the large dog’s clinging embrace.

“I already agreed to let you continue with the lawsuit, so don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

“What do you mean, you agreed?”

“Look at my mouth. I said the wrong thing again. What I meant is that you can continue to handle the case once you’re healthy. No problem at all. Go ahead and fight it boldly. Panpan will always be with you!”

“Panpan?” Gu Yuxi stood by the sink, looking at Luo Panzhi embracing him in the mirror. He found it a little funny.

Luo Panzhi rested his chin on his shoulder, his eyes meeting Gu Yuxi’s in the mirror. Seeing the man finally smile, he said: “My nickname is Youpan, which everyone knows, but I need a special name just for you. Either Panpan or husband. You choose one. I’m fine with either.”

“Young CEO Luo, you’ve got quite the imagination,” Gu Yuxi bent down and turned on the faucet to wash his hands.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Luo Panzhi stood beside Gu Yuxi, reaching in to wash his hands with him—mostly to touch his ‘wife’s’ hand: “Come on, come on. Just pick one.”

Hearing the man’s series of pleading, affectionate words, Gu Yuxi couldn’t resist flicking a splash of water onto his face: “Control yourself.”

How can this guy be so good at being affectionate?

I can’t take it.

Luo Panzhi turned off the faucet, taking Gu Yuxi’s wet hand and rubbing it on his suit jacket to dry. He shook his head: “No. Why should I be restrained in front of my wife?” He then clung to him again, demanding a hug: “Wife, snuggle time~”

Gu Yuxi couldn’t resist the man’s affection and finally just let him hold him.

His gaze fell on the side of the man’s face, which was nestled in his neck, seeking affection. In truth, the reason he was angry wasn’t that he didn’t know what Luo Panzhi meant. He knew Luo Panzhi was afraid of something happening to him again, but he just didn’t want Luo Panzhi to treat him as the one who needed protection.

Now that Mo Wenbin was involved, he would absolutely not let him get away.

But he understood Luo Panzhi’s feelings—that he cared for him, loved him, and wanted to protect him.

“Panpan.”

“Yes?” Luo Panzhi stood up and looked at Gu Yuxi obediently.

“Husband.”

Luo Panzhi’s expression instantly changed. His breathing became slightly ragged. He stared at Gu Yuxi in disbelief, his thin lips trembling: “Wh- what? What did you call me?”

Gu Yuxi raised his hand to caress Luo Panzhi’s face, then gently traced his lips, seemingly absentmindedly: “Husband, will you trust me to win this lawsuit?”

With the seductive quality of that final, “Okay?”, how could the young CEO Luo possibly say no? The man had practically charmed him into a daze.

Luo Panzhi nodded foolishly: “Yes, wife.”