The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Hopeless in Love

“Yes, she’s due to give birth early next month. She won’t be able to eat much during the confinement period, so this week is perfect for her to eat what she craves. I’ve hired a chef to come to the house; this chef is exceptional at Sichuan cuisine. There will also be a few industry colleagues gathering. Several of them have been asking to meet you, the legendary Lawyer Ying. You’re becoming increasingly famous now. By the way, remember to keep the 3rd of next month free. Zhang Zhang definitely wants to see you after the delivery. We even went to a fortune teller who gave us an auspicious time. Children born during this period will bring prosperity to both of us, and…”

“Jiang Chao, but Zhang Zhang really loves being a teacher!” Jiang Chao’s words were rapid and laced with boasting. Ying Zhi’an couldn’t wait for him to pause, so she frowned and interrupted him rudely. “Did you force her to do it?”

Jiang Chao chuckled at the question. “Is this the first day you’ve known your best friend? Can anyone force her to do anything?”

Ying Zhi’an sighed. “Jiang Chao, but I haven’t known you for the first day either. You are truly deteriorating.”

“What do you mean? Are you a big-shot lawyer now? Have you lost the ability to have a normal conversation? You only speak in veiled insults and sarcasm?”

“When we first met, during military training in freshman year, you were such a tall, straightforward person. How did you become like this?” Ying Zhi’an raised an eyebrow. “Since you and Zhang Zhang started dating, which was the first half of sophomore year, you began to subtly change her mind under the guise of loving her. She used to love hiking so much, but you gradually wore her down so that she hasn’t hiked again in all these university years. Whenever you went out together, she always compromised for you, going where you wanted to go. In her senior year, she had a chance for graduate school, but you were constantly in her ear, saying that even with a master’s degree, she’d still have to take the teacher’s licensing exam. If she wants to be a teacher, why bother with a master’s degree? She might as well graduate with a bachelor’s degree a few years early and start working to achieve financial freedom sooner…”

“Was I wrong?” Jiang Chao laughed. “Society-wide degree devaluation, fewer job opportunities. If Zhang Zhang were to go out and take the exams now, she might not be able to compete with others. Everyone new at our firm now has a master’s degree from a prestigious university, and they still only earn a pitiful salary. Earning money depends on their luck, whether they are lucky enough to follow a good mentor. But look at the group of people who are their mentors—their academic qualifications are even lower than theirs.”

The more Jiang Chao spoke, the more convinced he became, but Ying Zhi’an saw Mr. Guan’s face superimposed onto his.

How could two men who looked so different share such a similar mindset?

Ying Zhi’an vividly remembered what Mr. Guan said when he first met her to hire her as his lawyer: “I can’t believe she actually dared to mention divorce! Without me, she can’t even support herself!”

Yes, the man’s anger lay in the fact that this wife, whom he had always regarded as a parasite, how dare she! How dare she treasonously suggest divorce!

Just like now, Jiang Chao believed that his wife’s life was so wonderful entirely because of his brilliant decisions.

Ying Zhi’an suddenly realized something: the nature of love and business relationships was fundamentally no different. A contracting party would only focus on their own contributions and attempt to raise their value to extract more benefits from the other party.

It was pointless to discuss the reciprocity of love with a man lost in self-importance and arrogance. Ying Zhi’an immediately stopped listing further facts, as Jiang Chao would always find a way to reasonably sanitize and romanticize them.

She only said, “I was also immature before and didn’t realize this.”

“Realize what?”

“Jiang Chao, what are you afraid of? Why do you need to hold Zhang Zhang so tightly in your hand? Why do you prevent Zhang Zhang from achieving her own sense of accomplishment? What are you afraid of?”

Ying Zhi’an’s gaze was like a sharp blade, directed straight at Jiang Chao, as if trying to penetrate the skin and see the man’s brain.

Jiang Chao instinctively turned his head, avoiding her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What you saw last time was a misunderstanding. I love Zhang Zhang, and everything I do is for her own good.”

The disappointment accumulated from the performative Mr. Guan finally peaked when layered with Jiang Chao’s excuses. Ying Zhi’an, also thinking of the “forged divorce certificate,” felt intensely weary.

“Forget it, I can’t be bothered to argue with you. I’ll ask Zhang Zhang myself. And! Getting a C-section requires a medical indication now; it’s not something Lawyer Jiang can decide just because he wants to. Everything must prioritize the pregnant woman’s health.”

Ying Zhi’an maintained a perfectly natural tone when she said this, and after speaking, she turned and walked away. Her slender figure made her look like the superior, victorious party. But as soon as she got into the driver’s seat, the surge of frustration made her slam the car door shut. “Back then! I should have tried every way to break them up!”

Unfortunately, she was truly young at the time and hadn’t witnessed much of the dark side of society. Naturally, she couldn’t discern the abnormal possessiveness beneath the supposed good temper of Jiang Chao.

However, a series of events had made Ying Zhi’an distinctly feel that Jiang Chao was not loving Zhang Zhang as a romantic partner, or even as a husband loving his wife, but rather manufacturing a product, transforming Zhang Zhang from herself into a wife he was satisfied with.

Yet!

Yet, he had just represented a full-time mother in a case. As Ms. Chen’s lawyer, he should be clearer than Ying Zhi’an about Ms. Chen’s misfortune! Before marrying Mr. Guan, Ms. Chen had reached the position of Associate Director; her professional abilities were not poor! But now, even if the divorce went smoothly, her return to the workplace would be anything but easy.

She sacrificed her career for the family, yet in Mr. Guan’s mouth, her contribution was deemed worthless.

After all, in Mr. Guan’s words, he was the pillar of the family, and Ms. Chen was a failure who hid at home because she couldn’t handle workplace problems. He couldn’t see the hard work Ms. Chen put into raising his daughter and caring for his parents; he only saw where she spent money, and felt that a housewife spending money extravagantly was completely unacceptable, so he gave Ms. Chen less and less money each month.

On the other hand, the one spending money extravagantly was clearly Mr. Guan himself, whether it was the three million yuan transferred to the third party, or the large red packets Mr. Guan gave Gou Xiaoxiao on holidays like 520 and Chinese Valentine’s Day.

The ridiculous part was that the so-called necklace Mr. Guan gave Ms. Chen was less than a fraction of the red packet he gave Gou Xiaoxiao.

His eyes held no regard for Ms. Chen, yet he was smug about it, because he never believed Ms. Chen would have the courage or confidence to leave the family.

Just as he told Ying Zhi’an, “She doesn’t have a job, and she has a younger brother in her maiden family. What will she use to support herself without me?”

So, people who attempt to domesticate others are always doing it for their own greater benefit.

Since ancient times, only selfishness appears the most selfless, because humans are animals skilled at deception.

Ying Zhi’an knew clearly that in her eyes, Jiang Chao was using the guise of love to slowly clip Zhang Zhang’s wings, making her weak, turning her into a compliant wife, and stripping away her possibility of leaving him. Once that point was reached, the entire relationship dynamic would be reversed: Zhang Zhang would be the fish, and Jiang Chao, naturally, the butcher’s knife.

He could do whatever he pleased with a flip of the hand, holding the initiative, while Zhang Zhang’s rights would be eroded, and her bottom line would be lowered little by little.

The right to speak is built upon an economic foundation—this is an iron law.

Ying Zhi’an had encountered too many such cases and people in passive situations.

Therefore, if her client were in this situation, she would never haughtily demand that they abruptly end the relationship, nor would she frustratedly demand that they show more backbone.

People are inherently lazy, and especially in intimate relationships, withdrawal symptoms are tormenting. So, for some people involved, just taking that first step is incredibly difficult.

How can a bird whose wings have been clipped for too long remember that it was born to fly?

Ying Zhi’an understood the fragility of human nature, so she couldn’t just barge in front of Zhang Zhang. She repeatedly scrutinized Jiang Chao’s behavior and words in her memory in the car, finally taking several deep breaths to calm her emotions.

Her tone was completely normal when she called Zhang Zhang. She first exchanged a few casual remarks and asked about the baby. “Getting a C-section requires a medical indication. Don’t just focus on the auspicious time. Be sure to listen to the doctor when it’s time to give birth.”

Zhang Zhang was lying at home, directing the cleaning lady, munching on a peach. “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely listen to the doctor first, and then look at the time. I wasn’t even thinking about it originally. A few days ago, Jiang Chao and I went to a fortune teller. That man said that time slot is especially good, good for both of us, and especially prosperous for Jiang Chao’s career. The fortune teller’s exact words were that it would enable him to achieve great things and earn big money.”

Ying Zhi’an opened her mouth, then closed it, swallowing some words back.

Zhang Zhang seemed eager to chat, having been alone for a while. “Zhi’an, if this baby is a girl, won’t I have to have a second one? You have no idea, I’ve gained so much weight! Gaining weight is one thing—I can lose it later! But the problem is, I’ve developed spots! I just noticed them yesterday morning. I can’t bear to have a second baby. God bless, I hope the first one is a boy.”

“What does it matter if it’s a girl? The uterus is in your belly. If you don’t want to give birth, then we won’t.” Ying Zhi’an truly couldn’t hold back her words this time.

“You know how it is, Jiang Chao’s local custom is to have a boy, and Jiang Chao is an only child. Without a son, their family line will be broken.”

“Zhang Zhang, you care about their local custom, you care about their family lineage, so why don’t you care about your own wishes?” Ying Zhi’an said earnestly. “Think more about your own feelings. You have to take care of yourself first. If you don’t love yourself, who will love you?”

“Jiang Chao will,” Zhang Zhang said confidently. “You have no idea how much he loves me. He even hired a cleaning lady for me and a confinement nanny. He said the nanny will take care of me and the baby, and the cleaning lady will take care of the house.”

Hopeless in love!

Ying Zhi’an silently cursed in her heart.