Chapter 580: The Female Protagonist of the Palace Intrigue

The lawyer arrived quickly, within half an hour.

But what surprised Li Ye and the others was that the lawyer was a white woman.

For all the Lighthouse's constant boasts about freedom and equality, true equality simply doesn't exist in certain areas.

Take the legal profession: if a female lawyer can build a reputation, she must have endured countless harsh trials and slapped countless old white men across the face.

When she arrived, she didn't waste a single word.

"Are you Mr. Li? I'm Elena. What do I need to do to prove my competence?"

Li Ye pointed at Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong: "This is a friend of mine. She was just fired by this restaurant's owner on discriminatory grounds—and he hasn't paid her wages. Do you have any advice?"

"."

Elena stared at Li Ye in surprise, then asked hesitantly after a few seconds: "Mr. Li, you hired me as your personal lawyer—do you usually handle cases like this?"

"Not always."

Li Ye answered coolly, then asked: "Ms. Elena, do you find something inappropriate about this?"

Elena shook her head slightly, smiling wryly: "I have no problem, but I hope you understand—using my skills on matters like this is a waste of your money."

Li Ye looked at Elena and smiled back: "Cartier and Casio both tell time accurately—but no Cartier is ever wasted."

"."

Elena paused, then laughed: "Thank you, Mr. Li. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant."

In today's Lighthouse, Japanese goods are dominating the market—Casio is one of them—but Elena wore a Cartier watch on her wrist, so Li Ye was metaphorically calling her a refined, valuable "luxury."

Elena nodded to Li Ye and began speaking with Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong.

"Madam, how long have you worked at this restaurant? You only have a student visa, correct? That's fine—as long as you've performed labor, you're entitled to payment."

"Who is the restaurant owner? Good. Do you wish to keep working here, or do you want sufficient compensation?"

"Ms. Zhen, don't think this incident will affect other international students working here—two dollars and fifty cents per hour isn't a charitable wage."

"And if someone shows up willing to work for two dollars an hour, they won't keep hiring you out of old loyalty."

Elena asked Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong many detailed questions, without any complaint or discrimination because Zhen held only a student visa.

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong worked in Chinatown, where labor laws didn't protect her—that's why Cao Cao Yuanmao dared to bully her.

So when Elena walked into the restaurant with her head held high, revealing her lawyer status, he was utterly stunned.

【It's barely two hundred bucks—who the hell hired a white lawyer for this? It doesn't even cover her appearance fee!】

But Elena wasn't after just an appearance fee—she wanted a job with an annual salary exceeding one hundred thousand dollars, and that was just the base.

"What? You're suing me for sexual harassment? Gender discrimination? Illegal employment?"

Cao Cao Yuanmao felt his brain couldn't keep up—he was just a slightly lecherous little boss; how had he suddenly become "wicked beyond redemption"?

So Cao Cao Yuanmao immediately called a friend, someone well-connected in Chinatown who had been close to his late uncle.

But the man took one look inside and whispered to Cao Cao Yuanmao: "Just give in. You can't touch this woman—I've seen her name in the papers multiple times."

"."

Less than an hour later, Elena handed Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong a two-thousand-dollar check.

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong held the light, flimsy check, feeling it was unreal.

Cao Cao Yuanmao had bullied his employees before—in the eyes of these international students, he was an even greater monster than Huang Huang Shiren.

But now, Elena had merely walked in, flashed her credentials, and uttered a few thinly veiled threats—and the monster had surrendered.

Two thousand dollars! Even a dishwasher in a New York Chinese restaurant earned only eight hundred dollars a month working twelve hours a day.

【This really is a world of big fish eating small fish!】

Elena handed the check to Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong, glanced at her watch, and said to Li Ye: "Mr. Li, it's nine twenty-five. May I go now?"

Li Ye replied cheerfully: "Of course. I think you're an excellent lawyer—I'm glad you're willing to work with us."

Elena shook his hand goodbye, half-joking: "Mr. Li, don't flatter me—I might take you seriously."

Li Ye raised an eyebrow, joking back: "And if you take me seriously—will you ask for a raise?"

"."

Elena looked at Li Ye in surprise, then smiled warmly: "You're quite an interesting boss."

Elena left, and Li Ye and the others prepared to depart—but suddenly, Cao Cao Yuanmao's angry shouts erupted from the restaurant.

"Tian Tian Xizhen, you don't need to come back after today. You're all ungrateful, traitorous bastards—eat your fill and then bite the hand that feeds you."

"."

Li Ye and the others froze, especially Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong, whose face filled with shame—Jinjie had lost her job because of her.

But a second later, they heard Jinjie snap back: "I'm done serving you. But if you dare short me even one cent, I swear you'll regret it till your teeth ache. You believe me?"

"."

Ten minutes later, Jinjie emerged from the restaurant, cursing like a street harridan—nothing like a model international student.

But Li Ye found it fascinating—because Jinjie had actually received every cent of her wages.

In this world of big fish eating small fish, no one survives easily—if you don't want to be eaten, you need your own methods.

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong apologized to Jinjie: "I'm sorry, Jinjie. It's my fault you lost your job. I was so angry earlier, I never thought he'd take it out on you."

"You didn't ruin me," Jinjie shook her head. "I already asked the kitchen staff—they were going to fire us all in a few days anyway."

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong blinked. "Why would they fire us?"

Jinjie explained: "For the past month, several batches of undocumented immigrants arrived from the mainland by boat. Cao has already picked out two men—he plans to replace the three of us women."

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong suddenly understood why Cao had fired Ruan Ruan Shujun: though female waitresses were efficient, men could be treated like beasts of burden. Replacing three women with two men saved hundreds of dollars monthly.

"Cao's heart is black—he's replacing us but blames it on us."

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong was speechless with rage—why blame the staff when you're just replacing them?

Jinjie coldly said: "It's not Cao's heart that's black—it's his wife's. Ever since that Chen woman took over the restaurant, she kicked out all the veteran waitstaff and kept only us new girls who can't collect tips."

Wen Watching Wen Leyu and Fu Fu Yiruo glanced at Li Ye—they knew Lin Lin Qiuyan but not her cousin Chen Chen Juming. From Jinjie's description, they'd already pictured Chen Chen Juming as a landlordess smoking a pipe.

"Let's go. I'll drive you back to Berkeley."

Li Ye changed his mind and drove Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong and Jinjie back to campus. Once in the car, he casually asked about Chen Chen Juming.

"Chen Chen Juming was also an international student. After working in the mainland for a year, she returned with Cao Cao Yuanmao."

"After returning, Cao lost his job at Pepsi, but Chen Chen Juming started a trading company and made money quickly."

"Then she poured that money into Cao's business—expanded his three shops to five—and made Cao completely subservient to her, even giving him ideas about taking multiple wives."

"But the good times didn't last."

Jinjie chuckled maliciously: "Ever since Cao Cao Yuanmao's uncle died this summer, Chen Chen Juming seized control of the family, keeping Cao tightly under her thumb."

"It's only recently that Chen Chen Juming's belly has swollen—she's been away more—so he's started thinking dirty thoughts again."

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong was astonished: "Chen Chen Juming is that powerful? She started a trading company?"

"Chen Chen Juming claims she has strong connections in the mainland—she buys clothes there at rock-bottom prices and resells them in the Lighthouse. But that's not her greatest skill."

Jinjie smirked darkly: "When Cao Cao Yuanmao brought Chen Chen Juming back from the mainland, his uncle was furious."

"He was certain Chen Chen Juming had ulterior motives—that she'd secretly married Cao in the mainland without signing a prenuptial agreement."

"Chen Chen Juming didn't get angry. Instead, she earned money to support the household, quickly winning over Cao's uncle. Then the old man suddenly died—and Cao couldn't control Chen Chen Juming. She seized control of the family."

"."

Jinjie's gossip had captivated the girls who'd never watched palace intrigue dramas—they were awestruck by Chen Chen Juming, the queen of palace intrigue.

But Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong cautiously said: "Jinjie, don't say things like that. You could get sued."

"Sued? Who the hell can afford a top-tier lawyer?"

Jinjie glanced at Li Ye, then added: "This story's already spread all over Chinatown. The Lighthouse doesn't have the tradition of dunking women in pig cages—many people admire Chen Chen Juming's cunning."

"Even Ruan Ruan Shujun saw Chen Chen Juming's example and thought she could do the same—she wanted to seduce a rich man, get a green card, and claim his wealth."

"But she lacked the talent. She was fooled by a few sweet words, thinking green cards and property division were that easy."

Jinjie sneered: "Cowards like Cao Cao Yuanmao are rare in the Lighthouse—locals know well: the person who takes your property isn't your child—it's your wife."

"."

Zhen Seeing Zhen Rongrong, Wen Watching Wen Leyu, and the others fell silent. They hadn't yet left campus; they didn't yet understand the depths of human depravity. Jinjie's words struck them hard.

Li Ye nodded slowly—he'd once read a novel called "Green Card," which told the grim stories of several people scheming to obtain green cards. The plot was suffocating.

"Pfft~"

Jinjie suddenly laughed, then dropped an even more shocking remark.

"Many in Chinatown say Cao's fate is karma. When Old Cao first came to the Lighthouse, he was a pauper—he only rose by marrying a wealthy heiress who dominated him, and she eventually died under mysterious circumstances."

"Old Cao dominated Chen Chen Juming… hahaha… now Chen Chen Juming dominates Cao Cao Yuanmao. Do you think karma will strike again?"

"."

Everyone was stunned into silence. Li Ye remembered something someone once said in his past life: "In the Lighthouse, marrying someone isn't just risky for your property—it's risky for your life."

A billionaire businesswoman isn't ordinary, right? Yet she drove her car straight into a pond. Think about it—what kind of world is this?