The air conditioning in the coffee shop near Wolven High was struggling against the humid afternoon heat. The atmosphere inside, however, was freezing.
**Ren** sat across from **Madam Vivian** and **Vera**, her posture relaxed, almost bored. She tapped her fingers lightly against the ceramic cup, the sound rhythmic and irritating to the two older women.
Madam Vivian took a sip of her lukewarm coffee and set the cup down with a sharp clink. She had lost her patience. The girl was too stubborn, too unimpressed by the Lin family's wealth. It was time to use the stick instead of the carrot.
"Ren," Madam Vivian said, her voice dropping to a low, threatening purr. "You seem to think you have a choice here. But let me ask you a question. You want to sue the Vane family? Fine. But have you considered the legal reality?"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"The Vane family has deep connections in Moon City," Madam Vivian leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "And the Lin family has influence in the Capital. If we put the word out... do you really think you can find a single lawyer in this city who dares to take your case? Without a lawyer, you are nothing but a high school student throwing a tantrum."
Vera, sitting beside her, looked pale. She wanted to intervene, to stop the threats, but she was too cowed by her sister-in-law's dominance.
Ren didn't flinch. She just looked at Vivian with a faint, mocking smile.
"Oh?" Ren tilted her head. "Is that a bet?"
Before Madam Vivian could respond, the bell above the coffee shop door chimed. A lazy, amused male voice cut through the tension.
"Yo. That sounds like a challenge."
Vivian and Vera turned around.
**Luke** strolled into the shop, wearing a casual t-shirt that probably cost more than Vera's entire outfit. He held his phone to his ear, grinning like a shark that had just smelled blood. Behind him, leaning against the doorframe, was **Alpha Juan**.
Juan wasn't smiling. He had an unlit cigarette between his lips, his eyes half-lidded and cold. He radiated a dark, suffocating pressure that made the air in the shop feel heavy.
Luke didn't even look at the women. He spoke loudly into his phone. "Hey, **Attorney Qi**. Yeah, I know you're busy. But you better get on a plane to Moon City right now. If you don't, we're going to be in big trouble. Apparently, someone here says we can't find a lawyer."
Madam Vivian's hand shook, spilling coffee onto the table.
**Attorney Qi**? Qi Chengjun?
The name hit her like a physical blow. In the Capital, Qi Chengjun was a legend. He was the "Undefeated King" of the legal world, the man who represented the biggest conglomerates and the most powerful political families. Even the Shen family—Vivian's own maiden family—had to beg for months just to get a consultation with him.
And this young man... he just summoned Attorney Qi like he was ordering a pizza?
Luke hung up the phone and walked over to Ren's table. He looked at Vivian with pity. "Don't worry, ma'am. The lawyer is already on the plane. He'll be here in two hours."
Juan walked forward slowly. He stopped beside Ren's chair, placing one hand on the backrest. He looked down at Vivian, his gaze indifferent, as if she were a speck of dust.
"Madam," Juan said, his voice raspy and low. "I don't like playing dirty tricks. If you want to play the lawyer game, bring as many as you want."
He leaned in closer, the scent of tobacco and danger wafting off him.
"But I suggest you guess... at the end of this game, will it be you who dies, or me?"
Vivian's face drained of all color. She stared at Juan, then past him, through the window to the black sedan parked outside. The red-lettered Capital license plate was gleaming in the sun.
She realized with horror that she had just threatened the one person in Moon City she absolutely should not have touched.
"Let's go," Juan said to Ren, his tone softening instantly.
Ren stood up, grabbed her backpack, and followed him out without a backward glance.
As the door closed behind them, Vivian collapsed back into her chair, her breathing shallow. Vera looked at her, terrified.
"Who... who are they?" Vera whispered.
Vivian didn't answer. She couldn't. Her hands were trembling too hard.
***
Inside the school infirmary, the silence was peaceful.
Ren sat on the examination bed, swinging her legs. Juan stood between her knees, unbuttoning the cuff of her shirt to inspect her hand.
The wound had bled slightly due to the stress of the day. The white gauze was spotted with red.
Juan frowned. The air temperature around him dropped again.
"I told you not to use this hand," Juan said, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "Did you forget?"
Ren looked at his dark, lowered lashes. She felt a strange flutter in her chest. She wasn't used to people caring about her injuries. Usually, she just wrapped them up and moved on.
"It's fine," Ren said, trying to lighten the mood. She shrugged with her left shoulder. "I'm left-handed anyway. Even if the right hand is ruined, it won't affect my life."
Juan stopped.
He looked up, his eyes locking onto hers. There was no amusement in his gaze, only a terrifying intensity.
"So if it's not your dominant hand, it's not your hand?" Juan asked softly. "In that case, why don't we just chop it off? It would save us the trouble of changing the dressing."
Ren blinked. She shrank back slightly. He was genuinely angry.
"I... I was joking," Ren mumbled, looking down at her lap. "Don't be mad. I'll be careful."
Juan stared at her for a long moment. Then, he sighed, the anger draining out of him, replaced by a helpless resignation.
"The wound is deep," Juan said, applying fresh medicine with gentle, precise movements. "If it scars, it will affect your dexterity. Do not exert force. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Ren nodded obediently.
"Good." Juan finished the bandage and tied a neat knot. "If it bleeds again, come straight to me."
Ren looked at the butterfly knot on her hand and smiled. "Okay."
***
While Ren was being scolded and cared for, Vera was at the city hospital, visiting **Grandma**.
The VIP ward was spacious and filled with flowers, but the atmosphere was tense. Vera sat by the bed, peeling an apple. Her hands were still shaking from the encounter at the coffee shop.
"Mom," Vera said, breaking the silence. "It's about Ren."
Grandma opened her eyes. She looked frail, but her gaze was sharp. "What about her?"
"She got into a conflict with Mr. Vane's son," Vera said, trying to sound reasonable. "It's getting out of hand. They want to go to court. Mom, you should persuade her to settle. She broke the boy's arms. She only got a few stitches on her hand. Why offend the Police Chief for such a small thing?"
Grandma sat up, her chest heaving. "What did you say? Ren's hand is injured?"
"It's just a flesh wound on her right hand," Vera said dismissively, handing Grandma a slice of apple. "Mom, you know Ren. She's **left-handed**. A scratch on her right hand doesn't matter. It won't affect her life or her studies."
*Clang.*
The plate of apples crashed to the floor.
Grandma pushed Vera's hand away, her face flushed with a terrifying rage. She pointed a trembling finger at her daughter.
"Just a flesh wound?" Grandma's voice cracked. "Left-handed? Who told you she was left-handed?!"
Vera froze. "She... she always uses her left hand to write and eat..."
"You fool!" Grandma screamed, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. "You ignorant fool! She uses her left hand to protect her right hand! Do you know what her right hand is for?"
Vera stared at her mother, confused and frightened.
"Her right hand," Grandma gasped for air, "is the hand that plays the violin! It is the hand that the masters in the Capital begged to teach! She is a genius, Vera! A right-handed genius! I made her use her left hand for daily tasks so she wouldn't damage her fingers for the violin! And you... her own mother... you say it doesn't matter?!"
The room spun around Vera.
*Ren is not left-handed?*
*She is a violin genius?*
The words echoed in Vera's mind, shattering her reality. She thought of Faye, her pride and joy, struggling to pass Grade 9. She thought of Mr. Vane's million-dollar check. She thought of Ren's cold indifference.
"I... I didn't know," Vera whispered, her face pale.
"Of course you didn't know," Grandma fell back onto the pillows, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "You never looked at her. You never cared. Get out. I don't want to see you."
Vera stumbled out of the hospital room, leaning against the cold wall of the corridor. She covered her face with her hands. She realized, with a sinking heart, that she didn't know her eldest daughter at all. She had thrown away a diamond thinking it was a stone.
***
Night fell over Moon City. The air was thick with the chirping of crickets.
Outside the school infirmary, Juan stood in the shadows of the courtyard, holding an unlit cigarette.
Luke walked out, checking his phone.
"I checked the background," Luke said. "That woman, Madam Vivian... she's married into a branch of the **Shen Family** in the Capital. That's why she was so arrogant."
"The Shen Family?" Juan tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled. "Who are they?"
Luke laughed. "Exactly. Just some third-rate family. You probably don't remember them."
"Anyway," Juan crushed the cigarette in his hand, watching the tobacco flakes fall to the ground. His eyes were dark, devoid of any light.
"That boy," Juan said softly. "Vane. Which hand did he use to hurt Ren?"
"His right hand held the knife," Luke replied.
"Okay," Juan turned around, walking back toward the light of the infirmary. "I want his hand."
Luke paused. "Boss, the Vane family... the father was Ren's teacher. Is that appropriate?"
Juan stopped. He looked back at Luke over his shoulder. A small, cruel smile played on his lips.
"He touched what belongs to me," Juan said. "Teacher or not. God or devil. He pays the price."
"Understood," Luke said, a chill running down his spine.
The King of the Capital had given his order. Vane's fate was sealed.
**[Chapter 31 End]**