Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!

On the short stretch of road following that, Nan Zhihao felt as if his feet were floating, and he wasn't even sure what he was thinking.

He just followed Xia Tian, walking ahead, until they reached a place resembling a platform.

"Alright, it will be more convenient to catch a taxi here. Mr. Nan, sending you off here should be fine."

Xia Tian smiled brightly, waving at a taxi with a small green sign on the side, and the driver swiftly turned over.

Nan Zhihao opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something; but his thoughts were so tangled that it was as if his entire body, including his mind and throat, were stuck, and he found himself unable to make a sound.

What came to the tip of his tongue were just some repetitive and dry words of thanks.

Xia Tian listened and smiled even more. She understood his current state well and, after once more expressing her apologies for the abrupt interruption today, got into the car and left.

"Buzz—buzz—"

Before the car started, the young girl's phone vibrated first.

Xia Tian glanced at the caller ID, steadied her mind.

After instructing the driver on the destination, she took a light breath and answered the call in a cheerful voice: "Hello? Dad?"

"Tiantian, I heard from Old Liu today that you resigned. What's going on?"

Xia Yuefeng's voice came from the other end, sounding impatient, "Why the change again? First, you said you'd only stay for the summer, then you said you needed to stay a bit longer for work, and now you're saying you're coming back early…"

The old father was clearly overwhelmed by his daughter's changing plans. Alone in a foreign city, any small incident could make him highly alert.

Xia Tian quietly listened to her father finish speaking and smiled softly.

She softly said, "I just missed you and mom, so I wanted to come home."

The other end of the call instantly fell silent.

After a long pause, Xia Yuefeng hesitantly asked, "Were you bullied in Beidu?"

Xia Tian laughed out loud, "Dad, how smart is your daughter? And with Uncle Liu there, Beidu is such a well-ordered place, who could bully me?"

The other end gave an "oh".

In fact, Xia Yuefeng often communicated with old colleagues about his daughter's situation. Although he wasn't privy to her every move, he could at least ensure nothing unexpected had happened.

What he had just said was more a momentary loss of control of his emotions, or even a tactic to seize the initiative. After returning to his usual calm, the provincial head of Jiang Province's police department gently asked, "Didn't you say earlier that you stayed in Beidu to follow a case?"

It seemed like he was bringing the conversation back to business, intending to set aside personal matters for now and discuss them in detail upon reunion.

"It's precisely because of this case…" Xia Tian's tone was drawn out, revealing a kind of melancholy that didn't match her age, "When I was at school, I thought I was the best and could do anything. But now, actually following a case, I realize there's still so much more to learn…"

"It's because of this that I want to come home and take advantage of the time before school starts again, to gain more experience under your guidance."

Xia Yuefeng seemed a bit surprised by this answer, paused, and then his tone also became lengthy, "Then you need to realize that working under your father might be even tougher than in Beidu."

"I know." Xia Tian answered swiftly.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yuefeng asked again, "So, your case isn't finished? Don't you want to wait for the results before coming back?"

Xia Tian let out a light laugh, which, compared to her previous laughs, carried a lot more full and indescribable emotion.

"It's not finished, but the result is already certain, there won't be any surprises."

Looking out the window, the young girl saw cars, people bustling about.

But her gaze seemed to turn all these things into a backdrop, and in the depths of her view, there was only that one figure.

...

"Zhuren, what are you looking at so intently?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, Nan Zhubin raised his head and turned off his phone screen.

"Hmm… a bit of personal business, just received an unexpected piece of news…"

Bai Qinghua was very concerned about the mental state of his young apprentice. Everyone knew that strong emotional fluctuations were rarely seen on this young man's face.

So, Bai Qinghua asked, "Good news?"

Nan Zhubin thought for a moment and shook his head, "It's hard to say for now… Don't worry, teacher, it won't interfere with today's work."

Bai Qinghua nodded and then called out to Dahui in the driver's seat, "Dahui, drive a bit slower, no rush."

"Got it!" Dahui's tightly stretched sleeves puffed up again, as if displaying his reliability.

Today was the day of the court hearing.

The trio of Bai Qinghua, Nan Zhubin, and Chonghui were on their way to the courthouse, driving Bai Qinghua's car, with Chonghui as the usual driver.

Considering the traffic conditions, they set out very early, allowing for plenty of flexibility in time.

As if remembering something, Chonghui suddenly asked Nan Zhubin at a red light, "Speaking of which, has Nan Zhihao still not contacted you?"

Although client names are kept private during internal case discussions, Chonghui was deeply involved in this particular case work and knew about Nan Zhihao's name, along with some details about his situation.

Nan Zhubin nodded and said, "No."

Chonghui chuckled, "So, is the verbatim transcript you are submitting as evidence also the restricted version by confidentiality rules that you prepared for today? You didn't prepare another complete version as a backup?"

Nan Zhubin showed a strange expression, "The visitor's request was to use the restricted version, so I must follow his wishes. Bringing out a complete version is even more impossible; they are all stored as archival data on the company's computer, nothing is on my personal electronic devices."

Maybe because Chonghui's question was too amateurish, Bai Qinghua couldn't help but clear his throat, "Dahui, focus on driving."

"Oh, oh." Chongui's arm puffed up again, behaving himself.

But then he whispered, "I just thought, what if the visitor changes his mind at the last minute and wants to submit something new at the crucial moment? After all, that's how it's often portrayed in TV dramas, creating more dramatic tension…"

Being this close to participating in a trial made the big guy feel everything was fresh, and he couldn't help but have some fanciful ideas.

Bai Qinghua couldn't help but cough again, which finally made him settle down completely.

Due to their identity as expert witnesses, upon arriving at the courthouse, a staff member specifically tasked with coordination approached the trio. Led by the staff, they made their way to a designated rest and waiting room.

In addition to them, all the plaintiffs and the plaintiffs' lawyers for this trial were also present there.