The seats on the shuttle were extremely comfortable, equipped with a relaxing massage function. Even after sitting for two days and nights straight, you wouldn’t experience any swelling in your legs or numbness in your back. When it was time to rest, the seat could automatically adjust into a suitable bed.

William Carter deftly reached into the drawer beside his seat and pulled out a pair of reading glasses, placing them on the bridge of his nose.

They looked just like the most ordinary old-fashioned glasses, but the craftsmanship and design were quite exquisite and elegant. However, they weren’t for vision correction. William Carter tapped lightly on the frame, and a book catalog appeared before his eyes. He casually picked one to pass the time.

James Bennett glanced at him, his brows unconsciously furrowing again. After a few more seconds, he returned to his expressionless look and said coldly, “I have to remind you, this shuttle ride is fifteen hours long. You’d better get some sleep along the way. Once we get off, we’re heading straight to the detention center, so don’t expect me to give you any extra time to catch up on sleep.”

“Detention center?” William Carter adjusted his glasses. “To see the client?”

“Yeah.”

“How many hours has it been? No bail?” William Carter asked.

“No bail. Needs a hearing.”

William Carter frowned slightly. “How come? Who is it?”

Generally speaking, bail isn’t a troublesome procedure—it’s mostly just a formality, and it’s usually granted, smooth and simple. Being denied is actually pretty rare.

A stranger sitting nearby glanced at them across the aisle, clearly having caught a few keywords and looking a bit curious.

James Bennett didn’t like discussing these matters in public, so he simply adjusted his seat and leaned back. “We’ll talk when we get there.”

William Carter was used to this as well. He nodded knowingly and turned his attention back to his book.

However, he hadn’t read for long before he suddenly remembered something and patted James Bennett. “By the way.”

James Bennett was just about to close his eyes for a nap. Hearing this, he glanced over. “What?”

“Can I get a travel advance?”

James Bennett moved his lips and squeezed out a sentence: “Either get off the shuttle now, or shut up.”

With that, he decisively closed his eyes, clearly not planning to pay any more attention.

Fine, fine, you’re the boss now, whatever you say goes.

William Carter calmed himself, turned, adjusted his seat, and went back to reading.

He didn’t remember when he fell asleep. By the time he woke up, the shuttle’s voice prompt was broadcasting, reminding passengers that the first stop was about to arrive.

This first stop was Wine City.

William Carter wasn’t fully awake yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James Bennett seemed to have just looked away from him and was now staring at the cabin door, his brows still slightly furrowed.

“???”

It took him a few seconds to react. He pinched the bridge of his nose in confusion, thinking, What did I do in my sleep to annoy you? And why were you watching me sleep?

But these thoughts only circled his groggy mind a few times. By the time he was fully awake after getting off the shuttle, he’d already forgotten all about it.

Because the stench that hit him from the whole planet was so damn sobering, it was more effective than swallowing a ton of peppermint oil.

Professor Yan jolted, quickly stepping behind James Bennett.

“What are you doing?” asked James Bennett, who was queuing at the verification gate.

“Borrowing you to block this intoxicating evening breeze,” William Carter replied, sounding perfectly justified.

James Bennett: “……”

But at that moment, James Bennett was busy contacting the detention center and didn’t have time to give him the cold shoulder.

The call connected after just a few seconds.

James Bennett put on his earpiece. The person on the other end clearly knew who he was and got straight to the point. After listening for a few seconds, James Bennett said in a low voice, “Please transfer me to him.”

The other side agreed.

Two seconds later, James Bennett said calmly, “Joshua? This is James Bennett. From now on, I’ll be fully in charge of your case. I’ll come see you in two hours.”

William Carter overheard most of it, but before he could say anything, his own smart device started vibrating.

He pulled up the screen and saw another unfamiliar contact number—very short, clearly not a personal number.

“Hello?” he answered, a bit puzzled.

“Hello, is this Mr. Ruan Ye? This is Sequoia Apartments,” the other party stated clearly.

William Carter: “???” That damned apartment is calling for voice confirmation again?

“Apartment? Wait, didn’t you already send me a voice message before?” he couldn’t help but ask.

The other side was even more confused: “No, sir, this is the first time.”

William Carter: “……”

So who was the bad-tempered person who hung up on me last time?

Author’s note:

This story is mainly about telling a tale, and a lot of things in it are a mix of common law and civil law systems, plus some pure nonsense. So… if any of you are preparing for the bar exam or law finals… you still have time to run. I’m afraid this story will mentally pollute you, just like how kids about to take the college entrance exam keep reading “Suddenly I sit up in my dying illness, and with a smile ask where the guest comes from” every day…

Chapter 7: Business Trip (III)