The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Heart of Stone

“I am very sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize for; this is my issue. It’s just that if you had never found out, perhaps I could have accepted it more easily. But now that we are clearly the same kind of people, and yet I still can’t have what I desire, I am truly heartbroken…”

As Hu Fei finished speaking, the tears in her eyes finally slid down.

The woman who was always aloof towards people now couldn’t help but plead, “Zhi’an, is there truly no possibility for me?”

This evoked Ying Zhi’an’s compassion. She suddenly stepped forward and embraced Hu Fei, patting Hu Fei’s back reassuringly like a comrade, and said softly, “You are a very wonderful person. We are both adults; you should understand what I mean. It’s not that you are not good enough, it’s just that a mutual journey is indeed rare. You are truly a very, very good friend. If you are willing, we can certainly continue to be friends, but I think you might need time and space more.”

Hu Fei’s tears were like an unbroken string of pearls. Having been friends with Ying Zhi’an for so many years, she naturally knew that Ying Zhi’an was a person of her word, “saying one thing and meaning it.” It was this understanding that led to despair.

With no room for negotiation, how could they possibly return to the starting point?

Tears blurred her vision. Hu Fei reached out and fiercely hugged Ying Zhi’an back, as if trying to deeply embed the other person into her own body. She buried her head in Ying Zhi’an’s neck, as if she was finally living in Ying Zhi’an’s world.

Today, Ying Zhi’an wore a citrus-scented perfume, a pleasant aroma. Hu Fei thought she would forever remember this scent, just as she would forever remember her sudden heartbreak and the loss of her friend.

Yes, the loss of a friend!

They were both adults and should have known that once certain words were spoken, their relationship could never return to being just friends.

With this thought, Hu Fei let go of Ying Zhi’an.

“You are truly too calm and too decisive. It makes me involuntarily jealous of the person you might one day love—she will make you lose your calm and lose your decisiveness. That is truly enviable…” As Hu Fei spoke, a tear happened to roll down to her lips. She took a deep breath. “Zhi’an, I must apologize to you first…”

“Apologize? For what?” Ying Zhi’an didn’t understand, but the next second she tasted the saltiness of Hu Fei’s tears.

Hu Fei’s kiss softly landed on the corner of her lips, carrying both an intrusion and restraint.

Ying Zhi’an remained somewhat stunned until Hu Fei said “sorry” again and turned to leave.

This… I was kissed…

Ying Zhi’an felt the residual warmth of Hu Fei on the corner of her mouth. She reached up and wiped it, yet felt no disgust.

Her attraction to women was proven once again.

But the nature of human affection was so wondrous.

Love does not arise simply because basic conditions are met.

Therefore, Hu Fei’s words were correct—wanting something and not getting it is the norm of life. A mutual journey is a rarity in this world…

Even if she knew and admitted her attraction to the same sex, what difference did it make?

Ying Zhi’an’s heart was not greatly stirred. Love was something very distant to her.

How could a person with a heart of stone easily love someone else?

As Ying Zhi’an thought this, the Dating Cheat Device, which was in sync with her thoughts, promptly provided feedback: The user truly doesn’t appreciate what they have. How many people in this world can you meet who have a 100% favorability rating for you? So many people are yearning to be loved, yearning to be loved without reservation, yet the user is blind to it.

It was clear that the Dating Cheat Device, which seemed like an AI, was also a bit angry and disappointed. The rebellious Ying Zhi’an silently replied in her mind, “I know you’re angry, but don’t be. You’ll have more reason to be angry later.”

The Dating Cheat Device did not reply to this.

Not smart enough, Ying Zhi’an thought.

The night wind suddenly picked up. Ying Zhi’an rubbed her arms, preparing to go home.

“Sister Zhi’an.”

Ying Zhi’an turned around in surprise and saw Song Xidan. “Why are you still here? Have you been here all this time?”

Pardon the slightly inebriated Ying Zhi’an for belatedly noticing Song Xidan, who had been quietly acting as a backdrop.

Song Xidan scratched her head awkwardly. “Yes, I was right here…”

Overhearing someone’s secret is impolite.

Overhearing a superior’s secret is a major taboo in the workplace.

However, Song Xidan did not receive any displeasure from Ying Zhi’an, but rather a gentle concern. “Hurry home. Be careful on the road. You have to work tomorrow.”

“Sister Zhi’an…”

“Yes?”

Song Xidan pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nothing. Goodnight.”

Ying Zhi’an turned and walked into the apartment complex. The night wind had sobered her up, but she felt a slight emptiness in her head from the alcohol, and the wind made her scalp hurt a little.

She didn’t feel embarrassed, nor did she consider it some shameful secret, so she was completely unbothered, so much so that she didn’t even look Song Xidan directly in the eye.

If Ying Zhi’an had looked up closely, she would have seen the number above her “little apprentice’s” head starting to climb. It soared from 30 points, rising sharply all the way to “55” points before stopping.

Song Xidan stood rooted to the spot, watching Ying Zhi’an’s swaying figure turn into the apartment complex. Only then did she reluctantly walk toward the car, open the door, and prepare to leave.

She was driving Ying Zhi’an’s car, and as soon as she got in, she was greeted by a crisp, citrus-scented perfume. It was neither too sweet nor too heavy, very pleasant, smelling like the most natural, pure fragrance on a branch under the sun, especially suitable for summer.

Song Xidan took another sniff, an unconscious smile spreading across her lips.

She didn’t rush home. She sat in the driver’s seat and took out her phone to search for the poem Ying Zhi’an had mentioned.

“The highest state of love is like a flowing ocean between the two shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from the same cup,

Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.

Like the strings of a lute,

They are separate, and yet they tremble with the same music.

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”

The poem was not long, but Song Xidan read it over and over again.

“So, that’s why you said true love is the soil that nourishes mutual growth.” Song Xidan murmured to herself, seeming to use the poem to decipher Ying Zhi’an’s values and further construct a deeper understanding of Ying Zhi’an’s character.

“What kind of person would someone like this fall in love with?”

The night wind continued to blow, scattering Song Xidan’s unconscious question into the night.

This night was no different from any other night.

The only difference was perhaps that it was Thursday. The “workhorses” just had to push through one more day to welcome the weekend.

Of course, this wasn’t necessarily true for the “workhorses” with only one day off.

When Hu Fei appeared in the cafeteria the next morning, her eyes were swollen like two large walnuts, startling her boss, who was also having breakfast in the cafeteria. “Xiao Hu, are you alright? Did you pull an all-nighter? Your eyes are bloodshot. Did you get pink eye?”

Hu Fei took a pair of non-prescription glasses from her bag and put them on. “Prosecutor Zhang, is this better?”

“Much better. You don’t look as scary now. Young people need to pay attention to their health. If you’re not busy this morning, do the eye exercises a few more times.”

“I have a court hearing this morning.” Hu Fei rubbed her eyes. They weren’t bloodshot from staying up late; they were from crying too much.

She never expected that someone like her would shed so many tears.

She had just sat on the sofa, clutching a box of tissues and crying hysterically, without even needing the aid of alcohol.

Of course, they had a regulation that explicitly prohibited drinking on working days.

So, even heartbroken, she couldn’t drown her sorrows.

And, no matter how intense her crying was.

On the next workday, she still had to pull herself together, pack away all personal emotions, and head to court for the hearing.

For people tied down by cases, even heartbreak had a time limit.

In the adult world, there was no longer room for reckless abandon. One could only silently lick one’s wounds in the limited time available.

Hu Fei professionally completed the court hearing and even rationally discussed the legal application of a complex case with the judge afterward.

In the afternoon, as she walked with her assistant to interrogate a suspect, passing through the various thresholds of the detention center, she felt a little dazed.

Years ago, when she was still a prosecutor’s assistant, she and Ying Zhi’an, who was then a trainee lawyer, would sit at the entrance of this detention center, waiting for their respective mentors.

Ying Zhi’an’s face shone brightly in the sunlight. Though young, she possessed considerable presence. The two happened to be discussing a criminal case that had drawn national attention at the time. Ying Zhi’an’s critique was insightful and sharp, and the final ruling by the appellate judge was indeed very close to her analysis.

Even though so much time had passed, Hu Fei could still remember that long passage of analysis by Ying Zhi’an.

Hu Fei chuckled self-deprecatingly. How could she love someone so much?

Her assistant asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just thinking about things from the past.” Hu Fei composed her smile, reverting to the righteous, calm prosecutor. The prosecutor’s badge on her chest shone brightly, allowing her to face the suspect without losing any ground.

She was an inherently excellent woman, commanding the situation in her professional field. In the interrogation room, the swollen red eyes hidden behind her non-prescription glasses were merely the vulnerability that a human should possess, but the solemn gaze at this moment was the demeanor befitting Prosecutor Hu Fei.

The suspect, whose muscular body was squeezed into the chair, was covered in tattoos and looked ferocious, glaring at Hu Fei and her assistant with palpable hostility.

But Hu Fei showed no fear. Instead, her tone was calm. “The public security bureau has transferred your intentional assault case to our prosecutor’s office. I have a few questions for you…”

The interrogation proceeded smoothly. The assistant prosecutor quietly rubbed her arm, as if brushing away the goosebumps from the initial shock, and then looked at Hu Fei with admiration as she proceeded to ask follow-up questions about the case details.