1

The world knew my grandfather as Professor Guo Zhenghua—a man who spent fifty years lecturing about justice.

They knew his wife as Lin Wanyu, a celebrated artist admired for her integrity.

Both reputations were built on a stolen identity.

The real Lin Wanyu was my grandmother.

She died in a mountain village with no legal name, no recognized grave, and her eyes still open.

When their grandson demanded a place at my law firm, I gave him the answer no one had ever dared give his family.

“No.”

By morning, they had taken my job.

By noon, I was ready to take everything else.

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The smile froze on Guo Mingrui's face.

"I'm sorry?"

I closed his file. "I said you didn't pass."

The other interviewers glanced at one another. Attorney Qiao, sitting to my left, leaned close and lowered his voice.

"Attorney Xu, he's only twenty and already has a national moot court title, six published papers, and the best grades in his class. He's exactly the kind of candidate we want. Shouldn't we reconsider?"

He spoke quietly, but the meeting room was quiet enough for Mingrui to hear every word.

The young man's back straightened.

"I've considered it clearly," I said. I pushed the file aside. "Mr. Guo, my interview is over. Please leave."

For a moment, no one breathed.

Mingrui's face changed at last. He put both hands on the table and stood.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

I said nothing. I only looked at his face.

The shape of his brows. The bridge of his nose. The curve of his jaw.

He looked too much like the old photograph I had stared at for thirty years.

My hand tightened under the table.

Mingrui frowned. "Do you know who I am?"

"My grandfather is Professor Guo Zhenghua, lifetime honorary professor at Jiangcheng University Law School. My grandmother is Lin Wanyu, a nationally recognized ink painter. My parents were both judges before they passed away. Everyone in the legal world knows my family.

"I graduated from the best law school in the province, first in my class. So tell me, Attorney Xu. What exactly makes me unqualified?"

With every sentence, his confidence grew. By the end, he was looking down at me.

"Grades are one part of this profession," I said. "Character and a clean background matter more to me. As for your family..."

I paused. The file crumpled slightly in my grip.

"Your family is not a point in your favor here. Please leave."

For the first time in his life, someone had refused to bow to that surname in public. His neck flushed red.

"You're targeting me."

He snatched his papers from the table and pointed at me. "Xu Yan, right? Wait and see. One word from my grandfather, and you'll never work in this field again."

At the door, he turned back. His eyes were full of hate.

After he left, the room stayed silent.

"Attorney Xu..." one of the interviewers began.

I lifted a hand. "Continue. Bring in the next candidate."

The next three candidates were good. Better than him in the ways that mattered.

When I returned to my office with their files, senior partner Han Chen stormed in.

"Xu Yan, have you lost your mind? Why did you reject Guo Mingrui? Do you know who his family is?"

His voice came fast, his forehead tight with anger. "His grandfather has worked with this firm for years. If you keep his grandson out, do you understand the consequences? Publish a new list now. Put Mingrui on it."

"Too late," I said. "I've already returned his file."

Han Chen went still.

Then his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his face changed.

Without another word, he walked out to take the call. At the door, he looked back at me.

That look said I had made this big.

I wasn't afraid.

I had waited too long for this day.