The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Emergency Rescue

Ying Zhi’an had declined Zhang Zhang’s birthday celebration the night before by saying she had a court hearing the next day. She hadn’t lied; she indeed had a theft case scheduled for that afternoon. It was a legal aid case she had taken over when her mentor Cheng Qiyun’s sister was hospitalized, as Cheng Qiyun was too busy to handle it. Since criminal cases affect the defendant’s personal liberty, Ying Zhi’an felt responsible for seeing it through.

The preparation work was mostly done, but she needed to familiarize herself with a few more details. Naturally, she couldn’t immediately go to the psychiatrist. Ying Zhi’an was the most calm and objective person. She weighed her options and quickly chose to suppress the apprehension in her heart and start working.

But clearly, this bizarre phenomenon was not going to leave her alone.

Cheng Qiyun took Song Xidan on a tour of the firm’s offices to help her get acquainted, then delivered the “Great Buddha” to Ying Zhi’an’s office. “Zhi’an, I mentioned this to you before, this is Xidan.”

Ying Zhi’an stood up and accidentally glanced at Song Xidan. This young woman was indeed beautiful, and she gave Ying Zhi’an a smile that was like a morning lily, with glistening dew rolling off its petals.

By the societal clock, Song Xidan was at the most beautiful age of a woman’s life.

And it was this glance that caused Cheng Qiyun’s words to abruptly slow down to 0.5 speed: “Xi~dan~ will~ be~ fol~ low~ ing~ you~ from~ now~ on,~ you~ must~ take~ good~ care~ of~ her.”

Ying Zhi’an looked at Cheng Qiyun, and sure enough, the second half of her sentence returned to normal speed, as if a frozen space had suddenly become active. But it made Ying Zhi’an’s brain feel like it was going to explode!

As a lawyer, her thinking was the most flexible and divergent. A terrifying possibility began to form: Maybe the problem wasn’t her mind. Could it be that this Song Xidan was some kind of indescribable entity?

Since realizing her unique perspective, Ying Zhi’an had consciously cultivated a fiercely independent physical and mental state. The person who used to be afraid to watch ghost movies as a child had trained herself to become a staunch atheist.

Yet, at this moment, her belief system was shaking! To say she wasn’t terrified would be a lie!

Cheng Qiyun leisurely departed, leaving the source of terror behind.

Ying Zhi’an silently chanted “If you don’t believe, it doesn’t exist,” “Don’t speak of strange forces and chaos,” “Amitabha,” and other miscellaneous phrases. She focused intently on her computer screen; only the familiar case information text and the defendant’s statement seemed to offer some support.

“Mentor, please guide me.” The voice of the source of terror was lovely, like a clear jade stone tapping another.

The enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move. Ying Zhi’an tried hard to stay calm, but her face was undeniably pale, almost expressionless, as she pointed to the desk opposite her. “No need to call me mentor. Sit there. There’s a folder on the desktop with firm regulations and classic case studies. Don’t talk to me unless it’s necessary.”

She didn’t even spare Song Xidan a glance while speaking, acting like a robot.

Song Xidan had been attractive since childhood, and because of her looks, she was rarely treated with such indifference. Cheng Qiyun’s words about Ying Zhi’an being highly capable and easy to get along with were still fresh in her mind and seemed completely inconsistent with reality. However, Song Xidan felt that, as a newcomer, she hadn’t done anything to provoke her direct supervisor. She suppressed her confusion and obediently sat down across from her.

She touched the computer keyboard. Next to the desk was a square window. Ying Zhi’an’s desk was neatly stacked with files, and the entire office lacked any green plants, presenting a cold, concrete feeling.

Song Xidan felt a bit unaccustomed. Not long ago, she was sitting on a horse, riding freely through streams, surrounded by lush greenery, with the fresh natural wind caressing her fingertips—free and easy.

She hadn’t lied to Cheng Qiyun; the three blank years on her resume were indeed spent raising, herding, and riding horses.

The purest colors of nature, the charm of the revolving seasons, often echoed in her ears like a long, lighthearted ballad.

She was unaccustomed, like a free-roaming sheep herded back into the flock.

And those carefree days might be gone for this lifetime.

Ying Zhi’an was conducting an experiment. She forced her attention onto the case. Although the facts of the case were simple and clear, the defendant had taken her advice and signed a plea agreement, and the sentence proposed by the prosecution seemed reasonable to her. A combination of petty theft and habitual offender status meant the defendant would need another stint in prison for rehabilitation.

Yet, she meticulously reviewed the case files one more time and verified the procedures that needed to be completed before the hearing. The defense statement and agency materials were all complete. Only then did she start looking at the files for the newly accepted divorce case.

She had just opened the folder when she suddenly felt thirsty, realizing that she had been engrossed in work for over an hour.

Nothing unusual had happened. Ying Zhi’an paused and subconsciously looked up at the person across from her.

Song Xidan, who was familiarizing herself with the system while keeping an eye on Ying Zhi’an, immediately met Ying Zhi’an’s gaze sincerely. “Zhi~an~ Jie~”

Oh my god! Ying Zhi’an cursed internally and averted her eyes.

“Do you need anything from me?” Song Xidan was well-behaved, like a little cat quietly waiting for its owner at the entryway.

“No.” Ying Zhi’an grabbed her teapot and rushed out, as if a ghost were chasing her!

She reached the pantry smoothly and finally let out a breath, but the two possibilities immediately began fighting in her mind.

—If Song Xidan is an indescribable entity, why didn’t Luo Qingcheng and Mentor have any strange reactions?

—Then is there something wrong with my own mind? Even if my psychological issues have progressed to affect my five senses, isn’t this development way too fast!

Both possibilities were bizarre. Ying Zhi’an pressed her lips together, forcing herself to seek logic amidst the strangeness!

But for now…

“The best strategy is to run!” Ying Zhi’an muttered to herself. “And recite the core socialist values a few more times!”

Ying Zhi’an didn’t even bother with the teapot. She rushed back to the office and frantically stuffed things into her bag. She had to take the case files, and she had to take her lawyer’s robe.

“Lawyer Ying…” Before Song Xidan could finish her sentence, Ying Zhi’an had vanished through the office door.

Song Xidan, who had been inexplicably left behind in the office, was stunned. So, she was being left to her own devices?

Fine. Song Xidan pulled out her bar exam materials from her bag. Since no task had been assigned, she would read.

The life missions she had run away from were merely delayed for a few years and were now pressing down on her again.

The bar exam, a lawyer’s license, a respectable and presentable career, filial piety to her parents…

Song Xidan sighed almost imperceptibly.

And she habitually ignored her parents’ even more long-term demands—such as getting married, starting a family, and having children…

Ying Zhi’an dumped her bag and lawyer’s robe onto the passenger seat and started driving, preparing to go to the hospital to see a doctor.

She couldn’t stand it! Who could endure this kind of bizarre event?

But just as the car was about to reach the hospital—straight ahead at the intersection was the newly built campus of the Provincial People’s Hospital—her phone rang. The voice on the other end was frantic. “Zhi’an, emergency! I sent the address to your phone.”

“Wang Yu, I have something I need to deal with. I can’t come.” Ying Zhi’an’s tone was just as urgent as Wang Yu’s. Normally, when they were free, she would tease him by calling him “Director Wang” (Wang Ju, a nickname for a high-ranking official), but neither of them was in a joking mood now.

Wang Yu’s end was noisy. “Zhi’an, for the sake of our mentor-mentee bond, a life is at stake…” Before he could finish, the noise grew louder, and Wang Yu suddenly shouted, “Don’t get excited! I’ve already contacted the best divorce lawyer in Jiangcheng!”

Vague sounds of a woman crying and shouting could be heard: “I don’t believe it! You’re all in on it with her! If you try to take my house today, my child and I will jump from here!”

“Don’t you believe it? Here, take the phone! The lawyer is on the other end!”

“Don’t come any closer! If you take one more step, I’ll jump! You let that lawyer come over! I want to talk to her face to face!”

Hearing these words, Ying Zhi’an gritted her teeth, made a quick decision, turned at the traffic light, and drove toward the address Wang Yu had sent.

The newly built campus of the Provincial People’s Hospital grew smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror.

Forget it. Even if it is a mental illness, there’s still hope. Ying Zhi’an thought, pressing harder on the gas pedal. The car sped up.

Wang Yu’s end calmed down, and the situation seemed to have eased slightly. He frowned but his voice remained gentle. “Zhi’an, you heard it. We really need you.”

“I know,” Ying Zhi’an glanced at the navigation. “It’s close by. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Okay, let me quickly brief you on the case. We’re here today to enforce an eviction. We had investigated beforehand, and this house belongs to the debtor’s pre-marital property, and they don’t live here, so it’s not their sole residence. The debtor was quite cooperative; his wife even sent the keys over. The moving-out process was very smooth…”

Ying Zhi’an interrupted, “His wife sent the keys over? Then who is that woman making a scene right now?”

Wang Yu looked up at the young woman standing on the edge of the rooftop, frowning as he made a judgment: “Most likely the debtor’s mistress.”

“Wow.” Ying Zhi’an raised an eyebrow. “No wonder the debtor’s wife was so cooperative. Anyway, this house wasn’t hers to begin with, and having you enforce the eviction means the mistress has nowhere to live. I’d be cooperative too. But if she’s not the original wife, why is she asking for the best divorce lawyer? This doesn’t involve any marital property issues.”

“Hard to guess. She won’t say, but once you get here, we’ll all find out.” Wang Yu’s voice was helpless. A colleague walked up to him and whispered, “Director Wang, the firefighters have arrived.”

By the time Ying Zhi’an arrived, the area had been cordoned off far and wide with police tape. The onlookers outside the tape were “chattering” away, making it lively—it looked less like people watching a potential suicide and more like a temple fair performance.

Ying Zhi’an presented her lawyer’s license to prove her identity. As she ducked under the tape, she noticed the court’s logo on the barrier and couldn’t help but inwardly praise: My former mentor is still so meticulous. The tape is set up so far back that the public can’t see anything, and it saves the public security officers some work.

Cheng Qiyun was Ying Zhi’an’s second mentor because Wang Yu, her first mentor, had made a brilliant switch, passed the exam to enter the court system, stripped off his lawyer’s robe, and put on a judge’s robe.

Since then, Ying Zhi’an had been cautious about having too much contact with him.

Lawyers and judges must always maintain a certain distance.