Derailed - Chapter 4

“What are your strengths?” Yu Huan asked after calling him into her office.

“Um… Criminal law,” Shen Yilin said.

“Criminal law?” She looked up from her desk, one eyebrow lifting.

The young man standing across from her clearly sensed the change in atmosphere. “Yes, but, um, my main area is corporate law. I took a lot of specialist courses to get my degree faster. Um… yes.”

“What do you think of corporate law?”

He froze.

“This isn’t an interview.” Yu Huan frowned slightly. “You don’t need to impress me.”

“Oh.” Understanding dawned. He clicked his tongue. “I was just worried you wouldn’t want to supervise me anymore.”

“What are you muttering?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head and gave her an enormous smile.

His eyes curved, dimples flickering in his cheeks. Somehow, he presented a face she found familiar in a completely unfamiliar way.

“Come on.” She paused, then rose from her desk. “I’ll take you somewhere.”

“The records room?” Two minutes later, Shen Yilin read the sign by the door.

“Mm.” She pushed it open. “You can organize all the documents, information, and evidence the lawyers need to take to court on particular dates. I’ll show you exactly how that works later. For now, start with some simple paperwork and familiarize yourself with matters the firm has handled before. They’ll give you examples to refer to.”

She pulled out a file at random and handed it to him.

“Sounds straightforward. Should I start now?”

“Yes. I’ve emailed you the materials. Fill them in as instructed and send them back before the end of the day.”

Shen Yilin worked quickly. Two hours later, he handed her the completed materials.

But just before she was due to leave, he appeared at her office door and knocked. His guilty expression and disheveled hair immediately gave her a bad feeling.

“What happened?”

“I’d like a list of the file categories in the records room.”

She fixed him with a very serious look. “What did you do?”

“I…” He faltered.

Yu Huan walked past him straight to the records room. From the doorway, she could see an empty filing cabinet and a heap of files scattered across the surrounding floor.

“What exactly did you do?” she asked, frowning.

“You said, if I had time, I could clear out the older files and put them in the new cabinet…” Shen Yilin looked away, unable to meet her eyes. His voice sank. “I thought it’d be easier to find the old records if I took everything out and sorted it again. But once I’d taken them all out, I realized I’d got a bit confused myself…”

He spread his hands toward the floor.

Yu Huan pressed a hand to her forehead.

She ought to be grateful that most of the other lawyers were out at this hour.

Taking a breath, she reminded herself not to lose her temper with an intern. It took a while to settle down. “All right. I understand. I’ll get the list. Then we’ll put these back in order as fast as we can.”

“If you give me a list, I can do it myself—” He sounded unconvinced.

“How long would that take?” She glared at him. “What if someone needs a file first thing tomorrow?”

“I…” He tried again.

She cut him off. “Start separating the folders. I’ll print the list.”

Once she returned with it, they began sorting through the files and putting them back in the cabinet.

There were so many that Shen Yilin soon knelt on the floor beside her.

“Here, the first seven rows, under A…” He checked the list and stacked the files he found in his arms.

Yu Huan was wearing a skirt and couldn’t sit comfortably on the floor. She had to crouch awkwardly in her heels. Seeing that, Shen Yilin said, “Why don’t you read them out? I’ll find them and pass them over for you to put away.”

He held out his list, then tipped his chin toward a chair behind her.

Faced with his insistently outstretched hand, she took it and stood, supporting herself on the chair before sitting down.

They worked for two full hours before finally getting through most of the files.

It was well past closing time. Outside, darkness had fallen, and the nearby office buildings were lighting up one after another.

Realizing she was stuck working late, Yu Huan took out her phone to order dinner. The moment she unlocked it, a message came in from Gao Yan.

*Any plans tonight?*

Plans? Ha. She’d had plans.

Now—

They were ruined.

She sent him a photograph of the chaotic floor. *Thanks to your nephew, I’m working late.*

*Yilin caused trouble?* His reply was almost immediate.

*Not exactly. He just mixed up the records room files.*

She waited, but no reply followed.

Shen Yilin suddenly looked up. “Your boyfriend?”

“Huh?”

“You keep looking at your phone. Is it your boyfriend?”

“No. Just a message from a friend.” She opened the delivery app. “At this rate, we’ll be here a while. I’m ordering food. What do you want?”

“Delivery…” He glanced at the screen. “Um… Anything’s fine.”

They worked for more than another hour, finally finishing the sorting close to nine.

Yu Huan hadn’t noticed her phone running out of battery. Only after she got back to her car, plugged it in, and switched it on again did she see two unread messages. One was a transfer from Shen Yilin, labeled *Dinner*. She returned the money before opening the other message.

It was from Gao Yan, sent three hours earlier.

*What were your original plans?*

*Swimming,* she replied.

Her phone vibrated again shortly afterward.

*Finished?*

*Yes.*

*Still going swimming?*

The gym would be closing soon. Besides, she couldn’t swim yet. Without an instructor, she’d only flail around.

*I won’t make it in time.*

Before long, another message arrived.

*Come swim at my place.*