The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Cautious from Start to Finish

Ying Zhi’an pulled her slightly derailed thoughts back and continued, “I tested the waters by saying Zhu Yun was naive and wouldn’t notice anything. Ms. Fang agreed and then said Zhu Yun was easily fooled. This indicates that they are indeed hiding something from Zhu Yun, and Zhu Yun hasn’t found out yet. Then, she let slip the word ‘doctor,’ which makes one reasonably suspect whether the fiancé has a hidden illness, thus requiring a more easily controllable woman to become the daughter-in-law of the family.”

Song Xidan grew more alarmed the more she listened. This suspicion was so logically sound. Details she hadn’t paid attention to were meticulously broken down by Ying Zhi’an and explained to her, leading to a sudden realization. While marveling at Ying Zhi’an’s ability, she worried even more about Zhu Yun. “Then…”

“Not only that, the most terrifying thing about this family is how they use smiles to disguise the most cold-blooded core. Ms. Fang tried to take advantage of Zhu Yun by having her pay, and those few words she said to Zhu Yun were truly sweet, spoken in the most familiar tone, while she was probably laughing at Zhu Yun’s foolishness in her heart.”

“That’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” Song Xidan frowned again, hesitating for a moment, carefully choosing her words. “Then… aren’t you going to tell Zhu Yun?”

Ying Zhi’an sighed. She had long witnessed the complexity of the human heart. “This is just my speculation. They are getting married soon. The invitations have been sent out. Zhu Yun has invested too much in sunk costs, not to mention the harsh demands society places on women and the potential rumors in the future… It is useless to rely on words to make her make the right choice at this point. Even if I were a soothsayer, she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Then, are we just going to do nothing?”

Although Song Xidan had only met Zhu Yun today, the thought of such a cheerful girl potentially marrying the wrong person made the chivalrous spirit that had never dissipated in her feel anxious. She didn’t like big cities, feeling everyone was too distant. On the grassland, even if there were no neighbors for hundreds of miles, a chance encounter, even with a stranger, was met with moving generosity and warmth. “Lawyer Ying, regardless, even if it’s speculation, we must at least say something. Don’t people say to do your utmost and leave the rest to fate? If we don’t do our utmost, our hearts won’t be at peace.”

Ying Zhi’an found Song Xidan’s words somewhat endearing. This young girl, whose face hadn’t even shown distress when facing her cold remarks, was now full of worry. This empathy and kindness were indeed like the red sun of the grassland, very dazzling.

It was probably like a striking red unexpectedly bursting into a predominantly cool-toned scene, which was originally detached and non-committal, making it hard not to draw attention.

Ying Zhi’an said, “When I decide to do something, I must succeed. I won’t do things unless I’m confident.” Song Xidan sought a clear conscience; Ying Zhi’an sought to be cautious from start to finish, so as to prevent failure. “So, I had Zhu Yun go ask for the money, and this amount will exceed the boyfriend’s psychological price. Conflict will inevitably arise between her and her fiancé. By stirring up the water first, we can find a flaw to deliver a fatal blow.”

Song Xidan’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Then what should we do next?”

“Wait.”

“Wait for them to fight?”

“Yes, after they have a conflict, we wait for Ms. Fang to come to me.”

“You’re right, she is the flaw we need. Will she definitely come?”

“So, I’ll have to trouble you to advance this case.” Ying Zhi’an handed the case file for Ms. Fang to Song Xidan. “Help her persuade the husband to agree to the divorce. That way, she’ll have to come when they sign the divorce agreement.”

Song Xidan was stunned, taking the file. Usually confident and never timid, she hesitated at this moment. “Lawyer Ying… I… she…”

Ying Zhi’an smiled faintly at her, understanding that Song Xidan’s hesitation was not questioning her ability to do the job, but a feeling of disgust towards Ms. Fang herself.

But Ying Zhi’an understood even better that this was a necessary lesson for entering the legal profession. Only a repeatedly tested bottom line can truly become the ethical line of a lawyer’s professional conduct. Only a conscientiousness that is constantly challenged and forged truly possesses guiding power.

The immaculate purity of youth is beautiful, but also too fragile.

So, Ying Zhi’an smiled and said to her, “Zhu Yun’s fate is in your hands. Whether you can complete this good deed depends on your ability.”

Song Xidan felt as if she had been charmed by Ying Zhi’an’s smile and was suddenly filled with immense energy. She subconsciously straightened her back, like a primary school student praised in class. “Okay!”

Ying Zhi’an once again gave her an affirmative smile.

However, those words were merely the logic she used to guide Song Xidan. In her plan, the flaw was not Ms. Fang, but Ms. Fang’s husband, whom Song Xidan was about to contact.

If the Fang family was truly a quagmire, the victim trapped within was the Fang family’s biggest flaw.

Ying Zhi’an smiled, like a proper, generous, and patiently instructive teacher. Song Xidan returned the smile, and the number above her head jumped up again, from “25” to “30”!

Ah…

Huh?

Ah!

How did it get to 30?! Ying Zhi’an’s eyes widened. How is that as high as Wang Yu’s score!

No! How did I get an extra 5 points just for smiling at me? Little sister, isn’t this a bit too strange!

Ying Zhi’an couldn’t help but look at her reflection in the office cabinet. The cabinet used tinted glass that reflected her image. Ying Zhi’an was only wearing light makeup today, but the stress of the last few days had given her dark circles that her light makeup couldn’t cover. She was in a very ordinary, gray business suit, with a corporate face slightly oily even with light makeup, and the vibe of a workhorse holding a thermos cup!

This!

How did that equal 5 points?!

Does this little sister have a problem with her eyes!

Ying Zhi’an rubbed her eyes, feeling that everything was surreal.

Song Xidan was still smiling at Ying Zhi’an. When she smiled, her round, dog-like eyes curved downward, dissipating much of the inherent coolness of her features and increasing her sense of youthfulness and approachability. The upper half of her face had many obtuse angles, making her look pure, while the lower half had many sharp angles, adding a touch of cool handsomeness. A person who looked like this had an intriguing contrast and depth, making people curious about her personality.

Ying Zhi’an suddenly realized that Song Xidan might be the perfect sample for her research on the Secret Dating Weapon—an extremely convenient and good sample to observe. So, she smiled at Song Xidan and said, “You can call me Zhi’an or Sister Zhi’an.”

Song Xidan readily complied. “Sister Zhi’an!” like a puppy that had received the toy it longed for.

Song Xidan’s smile was truly heart-softening. Ying Zhi’an glanced at the score; it hadn’t increased.

It was hard to understand. The visualization of favorability also seemed to have no pattern.

Since she couldn’t figure it out immediately, she would set it aside. Adhering to the principle of “continuous observation,” Ying Zhi’an opened her laptop to start working. Several cases were due to be heard in court soon, and one required a business trip out of town. This case was already having its second hearing. At the first hearing, Ying Zhi’an had submitted nearly 2GB of evidence. She thought she was impressive enough, considering the 40 groups of evidence in the 2GB attachment, but the opposing lawyer was no less capable. The stacks of paper evidence on the court table were a full palm high.

This was why Ying Zhi’an truly disliked taking on some new types of cases. This case was a network infringement case, requiring too many pieces of evidence to be cross-examined, too many materials to be organized, and the legal relationship needed to be argued from various angles due to its novelty.

However, the client in this case paid exceptionally well. Ying Zhi’an checked her calendar to confirm the travel dates.

Meanwhile, Song Xidan quickly brushed up on divorce laws, searched for some relevant cases, and prepared to call Ms. Fang’s husband to inform him of this “bad news.”

Before making the call, Song Xidan took a few deep breaths. She had expected the husband to be angry, but she was surprised when he heard that Ms. Fang had hired a lawyer for a divorce; he was very calm. “What about the child? Does she want custody? And what about the bride price I gave her, and the living expenses I send every year?”

It turned out that this relationship was indeed as Ying Zhi’an had predicted—it had reached a state where both parties felt it was unsustainable and did not want to maintain it.

Ying Zhi’an had already brought up these questions when communicating with Ms. Fang, so Song Xidan replied according to her notes.

The husband did not object to the divorce but was dissatisfied with the handling of the child and the money. “The child will be ruined if she stays with her! Her entire family are a bunch of self-serving, selfish people who put profit first!”

This sentence was shouted out by the husband, so loudly that Ying Zhi’an heard it even though Song Xidan hadn’t put the phone on speaker.

Ying Zhi’an’s lips curved slightly.

See? The biggest flaw has just appeared…

Song Xidan, whose intuition was faster than her logic, apparently also realized this. She immediately pressed the record button and said, “Ms. Fang is very concerned about the child’s education. The child will have better educational resources if she stays with her.” Song Xidan thought for a moment and added, “Ms. Fang truly loves this child.”

She didn’t know why she added that sentence, only that her intuition urged her to emphasize it.

And Ying Zhi’an’s thought was correct: although Song Xidan lacked depth of insight, her intuition was stronger than an average person’s, making her an asset rather than a hindrance in this matter.

Sure enough, just that one sentence acted like a fuse, completely igniting the man’s rage on the other end of the phone. The husband’s roar grew even louder. “You think she loves the child?! She’s looking for a genetic reference point for her brother! She thinks I don’t know anything! She treats me like an idiot! Her whole family treats me like an idiot! They are trying every means to take my daughter away, saying it’s for better education, that’s bullshit! She wants to use my daughter’s genes as a control group for her brother to screen for pathogenic genes! Is there any mother as vicious as her?! I curse her whole family to a horrible end!”