The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Wish

For her 30th “big birthday,” Ying Zhi’an chose not to have a grand party, opting instead for a quiet dinner with only her best friend, Zhang Zhang.

Halfway through the meal, Zhang Zhang made a suspicious excuse about going to the restroom. Having spent years as a legal aid lawyer dealing with criminals, Ying Zhi’an could instantly tell from her friend’s sneaky demeanor and barely concealed mischief that something was afoot. The moment Zhang Zhang left, Ying Zhi’an immediately put down her utensils, grabbed her bag, and prepared to bolt.

But Zhang Zhang was faster. The “surprise” she prepared was already waiting outside the private dining room. The so-called restroom trip took only half a minute before she led a group of tall, handsome young men inside. One young man held flowers, a taller one pushed a cake, a muscular man carried a bowl of longevity noodles, and several quick-handed guys deftly twisted their party poppers.

Confetti and glitter rained down, dazzling Ying Zhi’an’s eyes, but they couldn’t block Zhang Zhang’s sincere prayer: “Happy 30th Birthday! Dear God, this woman’s name is Ying Zhi’an, living at 1302, Building 3, Yangguang Estate, Renrong District, Yituo City. Please grant her a sweet romance right now!”

Ying Zhi’an was aghast. Ignoring the men Zhang Zhang had hired from who knows where, she immediately offered a much more earnest prayer in her heart: Dear God, I, your humble believer Ying Zhi’an, do not need love! Just let me live out this life peacefully, quietly, and comfortably by myself!

Zhang Zhang was still chirping, “How about it, sister? Do you have a type you like?”

Surrounded by various kinds of attractive men, they all looked the same to Ying Zhi’an. Gender was often minimized in her view; her professional classifications were usually natural person and legal entity.

Moreover, Ying Zhi’an had been single for thirty years and was a staunch believer in celibacy/singleness.

By “celibacy,” she meant actively cutting off all possibilities of romance and marriage. Ying Zhi’an spent her entire adolescence realizing that her extremely calm and objective personality made it impossible for her to develop feelings for anyone. She then spent her increasingly mature years confirming that her freedom-loving nature refused to be responsible for another life.

As she witnessed more of human nature in her work, every soul-touching case was like a shovel of concrete, making the “building” of her single life ideology even more solid.

It is rare for people who have seen through life’s suffering to still passionately love life, and Ying Zhi’an was no exception. She had always held the most sincere praise and the most meticulous suspicion for the “pure love” that is so often sung about.

She suspected that love simply did not exist in this world.

So-called love was merely hormones at play.

However, her singleness was destined not to be understood by those closest to her, including her best friend who married early and her parents, who had been affectionately squabbling and loving each other for a lifetime.

After she blew out the candles marking her thirtieth year, Zhang Zhang wanted to take the group of handsome men and Ying Zhi’an to a bar to continue celebrating.

Ying Zhi’an carefully held Zhang Zhang’s heavy belly, afraid that her friend might stumble and cause a tragic “two lives lost” scenario. “I have a court session tomorrow, so I won’t go. I’ll call Jiang Chao to come pick you up.”

Jiang Chao was Zhang Zhang’s husband and Ying Zhi’an’s classmate from political science and law university. If there was a story about their love at first sight, Ying Zhi’an was half the matchmaker—Zhang Zhang came to visit Ying Zhi’an at school and was instantly smitten by Jiang Chao. He pursued her from freshman year to sophomore year, and the Northern man stayed in the South for love.

“Don’t call him! We’re fighting right now.” The smile on Zhang Zhang’s face faded.

“That’s rare. Why are you two model couples fighting?”

“I had some slight bleeding and instability recently, and Jiang Chao wants me to quit my job.” Zhang Zhang touched her swollen belly. “Why is having a baby so difficult?”

Ying Zhi’an also reached out and gently rubbed Zhang Zhang’s stomach, her voice softening. “Oh, baby, your mom has sacrificed so much for you. She was in pain from calcium deficiency during the first trimester and couldn’t sleep all night. Then severe morning sickness in the second trimester made her unable to eat anything. Now that you’re in the final months, please be gentle.”

The moment Ying Zhi’an finished speaking, Zhang Zhang softly exclaimed, “Oh, he just kicked! This little guy.” The vanished smile returned to Zhang Zhang’s face. Zhang Zhang had a delicate, “little white flower” appearance, the standard beauty of Jiangnan, and this smile made her look pure and moving.

“Then let these guys go. I’ll take you and the little guy home,” Ying Zhi’an rubbed Zhang Zhang’s belly again. Through the thin fabric of the summer dress, she seemed to genuinely feel the little one’s kick passing through the skin.

Even after touching it ten thousand times, Ying Zhi’an couldn’t help but marvel at the miracle of human life.

However, Zhang Zhang, being escorted home, clearly didn’t want to talk about human reproduction.

Zhang Zhang sat in Ying Zhi’an’s car, looked at Ying Zhi’an in the driver’s seat, and sighed deeply. “Marriage is really good. Why are you so resistant to dating?”

Ying Zhi’an released the handbrake and smoothly started the car. Hearing this, she laughed. “Who was just fighting with her husband? And now marriage is ‘really good’ again?”

“Jiang Chao is looking out for me, afraid something might happen to me. I’m not ungrateful, but I love my job and don’t want to quit… Ah, don’t change the subject, Zhi’an. I really feel like having someone to accompany you, I…”

Zhang Zhang and Ying Zhi’an were best friends and childhood friends; their parents were also friends. To put it bluntly, after so many years of friendship, Ying Zhi’an knew exactly what Zhang Zhang was going to say. These words of advice were already cliché. Zhang Zhang was like a brainless evangelist—because she married for love and had a good marriage now, she couldn’t understand Ying Zhi’an’s single-life philosophy.

Ying Zhi’an had experienced this feeling of not being understood by loved ones too many times over the years. She had learned to move from debating to just silently smiling, firmly avoiding the core issue. “Look how different we look; naturally, our lives will be different too.”

If Zhang Zhang was like a “willow branch swaying” in the misty rain of Jiangnan, Ying Zhi’an was the sturdy stone block next to that “willow.” Standing together, the taller Ying Zhi’an was made to look big and tall by the petite Zhang Zhang. Her large frame didn’t look Southern. Jiang Chao, who was from the grasslands, immediately called her “kin” when he started college and wanted to become sworn siblings with her, thinking she was also from the North and should stick with the Northern buddy group in the South.

With the innate advantage of a large frame, Ying Zhi’an was destined not to be extremely thin. Since she couldn’t achieve the “fair, young, and thin” look, she embraced outdoor sports, toned her body to be curvy, and naturally gained a healthy, tanned complexion.

With this combination—tanned skin, a high nose bridge, a striking figure, paired with a pair of sharp eyes that never avoided anyone’s gaze—she looked “aggressive” and not easy to fool.

She naturally exuded a “loner” aura that made men retreat in deference!

Loner, loner, loner… It sounded like a chorus of frogs in a field.

More importantly, she genuinely couldn’t find interest in any man she met.

Wasn’t making money better than love?

“My reputation for never losing a divorce case has been established over the years, and I’m getting more and more divorce cases. Recently, I even took a big one. The target amount for the division of property can reach this number.” Ying Zhi’an spread her hand, showing awe mixed with envy. “Thirty million, tsk… These abandoned marriages are all different, but the one thing they share is that one spouse can no longer live in self-deception. So, the primary prerequisite for this marriage system to remain stable is to learn self-deception. But Zhang Zhang, do I look like the kind of person who would tolerate that?”

“Nonsense! I’m living proof, and I’m not deceiving myself!”

At that moment, Ying Zhi’an suddenly recalled something she had read online recently—In fact, she could never fall in love with anyone.

She was too smart. From reading and watching movies, she had already witnessed countless sublime and intense forms of love that she knew she could never experience in real life.

She was too self-aware, like an ascetic monk, constantly observing her own behavior and psychology. She simply couldn’t commit herself to loving and knew she didn’t have the capacity to love.

She was also too pessimistic. She had witnessed countless desperate and ridiculous forms of love in reality, had seen indifference, deception, and betrayal…

Ultimately, she no longer believed anyone would love her for a long time.

But she wasn’t about to become a preacher of her single-life philosophy. Her happy friend, Zhang Zhang, couldn’t understand it anyway. So, Ying Zhi’an eventually just raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I’m just too lacking in the eyes to see beauty. I always see flaws in men and can’t find their shining points. Even more ridiculously, some are so much weaker than me, yet because they’re men, the client chooses them. Hmph…”

Hearing this, Zhang Zhang unconsciously sighed. “You’re too critical, but I believe that once the right person appears, it will be just like an idol drama.”

“An idol drama?” Ying Zhi’an scoffed.

“Yes, the moment the male and female leads meet, a gentle breeze blows, and flower petals drift down through the sky. When their eyes meet, it’s like time slows down. Their every move exudes boundless charm, as if a spotlight is shining on them.” Zhang Zhang spoke, letting out a lovesick, auntie-like grin.

Ying Zhi’an’s voice was cold, then she suddenly realized, “Oh, you mean a slow-motion shot.”

Zhang Zhang rolled her eyes at her. “You are truly romance-averse!”

Ying Zhi’an smiled. “Thank you for the compliment.”

For Ying Zhi’an, her profession demanded utmost calmness and objectivity. She needed to secure the maximum benefit for her clients within the legal framework. She had to be calmer than most people, and certainly more meticulous than the opposing counsel. That was the crucial trait that kept her undefeated in court.

The calm and reserved Lawyer Ying returned home, took a comfortable shower, and then collapsed onto her large bed. She projected a random movie to play on the screen, holding a compilation of typical legal cases in her hand, flipping through it occasionally. The air purifier and air conditioner worked simultaneously, making the cozy room feel like a space isolated from the scorching summer heat.

This space was comfortable, free, and relaxing for Ying Zhi’an.

At eleven at night, Ying Zhi’an finished her skincare routine and went to sleep on time.

…

The next day, as the sun rose, Ying Zhi’an welcomed her first day as a thirty-year-old.

As usual, she arrived at the law firm ten minutes early with a cup of coffee. After parking in the underground garage, Ying Zhi’an entered the elevator from the basement level. Holding the coffee, her cute, impractical small handbag, and a newly arrived bottle of protein powder, she managed to hook her pinky finger around the button for her office floor.

“Wait a minute!” a clear female voice called out, but the elevator doors were already slowly closing.

Ying Zhi’an, who had already stepped half a pace back, heard the voice and hurriedly stretched her pinky out again to press the ‘open door’ button.

Faster than Ying Zhi’an was the hand of the person approaching. It was a slender hand with clearly defined knuckles, belonging to the woman who had just called out, “Wait a minute.”

Ying Zhi’an looked up and saw that the hands were just pressing against the rapidly closing elevator doors.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and a woman with a backpack appeared in Ying Zhi’an’s sight! It was as if a light was shining directly from behind the woman, illuminating her slender silhouette and her gentle, smiling eyes.

“Thank… you… ah.” The woman’s voice also seemed to slow down by 0.5 speed, but this only highlighted its crispness and sexiness even more!

Thump~ Thump~ Thump~ Something was violently beating!

Ying Zhi’an was slow to react, placing a hand over her chest. The next second, the coffee in her hand tilted and spilled onto her white shirt as she moved.

Ying Zhi’an looked down and realized that the speed at which the coffee was spilling had also slowed down! This completely defied common sense and physics!

What the heck! Ying Zhi’an was astonished!