The Undefeated Queen's Compensation

Unaware that her words had quietly attracted the attention of a cold and aloof lawyer, Lin Ran was currently bursting with inspiration.

However, as he was writing, he suddenly frowned.

The writing on the paper gradually faded.

Lin Ran subconsciously flicked her pen and scribbled a few more times on the notebook, but there were still only intermittent, light-colored marks. It was clear that she was about to give up on writing.

Just then, a hand with a uniquely feminine grace reached out from the side, holding an exquisite dark blue fountain pen.

Lin Ran was startled and turned her head in the direction of that hand.

They met a pair of beautiful eyes hidden behind sophisticated gold-rimmed glasses, eyes that still held a hint of amazement and curiosity, as well as a touch of apology for peeking.

Eyes facing each other.

Neither of them spoke.

Is that her? The legal queen? What's she doing here?

A hint of surprise flashed through Lin Ran's mind, but he didn't have time to think about it. He simply gave the other person a grateful look, whispered "thank you," and quickly took the pen.

The pen still carries a trace of the warmth of a woman's palm.

He uncapped his pen and continued writing furiously on the manuscript paper.

As Eri watched the boy take the pen, he almost instantly immersed himself in creating again. His focus and eagerness dispelled the slight embarrassment she felt.

She did not look away.

Witnessing the birth of an excellent work firsthand is a rare experience for her.

Writing this took quite a while, and another half day passed.

When Lin Ran finally let out a long sigh of relief, put down her pen, and stretched her slightly sore wrist, a rather satisfactory opening was complete.

This feeling of bursting with inspiration, though tiring, is incredibly exhilarating, comparable to drinking an ice-cold soda on a sweltering summer day.

Only then did he remember that there was someone else next to him.

Lin Ran turned around and looked curiously at the aloof beauty sitting next to her, who was still engrossed in her reading.

This was the first time he had seen Eri Kisaki "in real life".

Compared to the sexy, mature, rational, and seemingly perfect woman in the anime of her past life, the real-life Eri Kisaki is clearly even more so.

Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her, leaving few traces on her face, but instead adding to her mature womanly charm.

A well-tailored dark blue women's suit, paired with a white shirt, exudes an intellectual and capable aura, while the perfect, almost undulating curves beneath the shirt reveal a mature woman's unique allure within her rationality.

Her cool and aloof face, paired with a pair of intellectual gold-rimmed glasses, gives her an austere and restrained beauty.

At the same time, Lin Ran's first impression was that she was cold.

It wasn't a feigned indifference, but rather a competence, shrewdness, and aloofness that emanated from within, honed through countless courtroom debates and worldly experience. It was an aura of an icy beauty who said, "I'm not easy to deal with, get straight to the point," making people feel intimidated.

Just as Lin Ran was observing the elegant and mature woman in front of her with great interest, Eri Kisaki also came back to her senses from the words written by the boy, her eyes still showing a bit of dazedness from being immersed in them.

He subconsciously looked up and his eyes met Lin Ran's.

"..."

There was a moment of quiet.

In the end, it was Eri Kisaki who reacted first. With a slightly apologetic expression, she took out a business card from her bag and handed it over, saying, "I'm sorry, I just... accidentally saw you writing."

Her voice, like her personality, possesses a calm and rational quality, with clear enunciation and a steady rhythm.

Lin Ran took the business card; he understood what the woman meant.

The other party was demonstrating their identity and professional ethics as a lawyer, reassuring him that they would never engage in any misconduct such as stealing manuscripts or plagiarism.

For an author whose work has not yet been officially published, the leakage of manuscripts is an extremely serious matter.

"Lin Ran".

"Fei Yingli."

The woman nodded slightly.

Seeing the boy extend his hand, Eri knew that he no longer cared about the little "peek" incident. She felt a little relieved and extended her own hand to shake his hand gently before letting go.

Only then did she belatedly realize what was happening, and her slender eyebrows slightly raised:

"Lin Ran... are you Chinese?"

"Genuine product guaranteed, any problems?"

Fei Yingli: "..."

That's probably the biggest problem!

The words she had just seen resurfaced in her mind—the pristine snowscape, the understated sorrow, the effusive lament for the beauty of life's futility, seemingly ingrained in her very being…

All of this, which so perfectly embodies the core aesthetic of "mono no aware" in Japanese literature, was actually written by a Chinese teenager?

This completely overturned some of her preconceived notions.

Eri couldn't help but speak again: "Excuse my bluntness, but your writing is very...moving. May I ask, are you a writer?"

Lin Ran looked at this queen, known in the legal world for her sharp and calm demeanor, and found the undisguised admiration and doubt in her eyes somewhat amusing.

He nodded and readily admitted, "I guess so. I'm working towards that goal. What I just wrote is my new piece."

"A new work?"

Eri's eyes lit up behind her glasses. "Does it have a name yet?"

Lin Ran looked at her and softly uttered two words:

""Suspect"."

Fei Yingli: "..."

The woman's beautifully shaped red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but then slowly closed again, turning into a helpless understanding.

She got it.

The boy in front of me is angry.

The importance of a work to a writer is self-evident; in some ways, it is like their own child.

Her question, which carried a hidden meaning, was essentially a veiled accusation, almost like pointing a finger at the other person and saying, "I suspect your 'child' isn't your own."

Therefore, the other party did not hesitate to "retaliate".

Moreover, her attitude was clear; she didn't take this "undefeated queen" who was a powerful figure in the legal world seriously at all, and she didn't hesitate to criticize her when necessary.

Is this the arrogance of scholars?

They do not yield to others because of their status or position, but uphold their own purity and dignity.

Once she understood this, Eri Kisaki felt no offense whatsoever. Instead, she felt even more admiration for the young man before her. His composure and integrity in maintaining his creative independence were truly admirable.

Lin Ran slowly put the cap back on the dark blue fountain pen on the table, and then... very naturally put it into her bag.

Eri watched his movements, her lips trembled, as if she wanted to remind him that the pen was hers, but in the end she remained silent.

She understood the other person's second meaning.

Consider this pen as compensation for that earlier "doubt," or rather, as "compensation for emotional distress."

That makes sense, and she accepts it.

Although the pen was a birthday gift from Xiaolan and held special significance, she was willing to use it to make up for her earlier slip of the tongue and to express her respect for the young writer.

After carefully putting away the lawyer's "compensation," Lin Ran's expression softened considerably, and she even gave her a bright smile, as if the prickly young man from before was just an illusion.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you."

He added casually, "Besides this new book that's still in the planning stages, I also have a previously published work called The Devotion of Suspect X."