The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Pebbles and Gold

Aside from the icebreaker on the first day and the entirely English lecture on the second, the rest of the training schedule was quite conventional.

Since Ying Zhi’an was seated in the back, she was much more relaxed.

If the lecturer was good, she listened attentively. If the lecture was less engaging, she handled work on her laptop.

What also gave her peace of mind was that because she shared a room with Song Moqiu, the Love Cheat Device had not made an appearance for a long time.

Song Moqiu was already a quiet person, and the two shared a “common brain” type of understanding, so communication barriers were minimal. The only notable moment was after Song Xidan left, when Song Moqiu asked her, “Do you have a meeting scheduled at noon?”

“No,” Ying Zhi’an mumbled a vague answer, trying to brush off the other part of the question as well. “The cafeteria is convenient, and I can also take a short nap afterward.”

Song Moqiu gave her a deep look, smiled, and said nothing.

After the afternoon class, the two ate at the cafeteria and went for a walk around the track.

Ying Zhi’an was on the phone with Zhang Zhang, whose voice was extremely calm, a calmness that was worrying. “The child is gone. My parents took him to the funeral home. I wanted to put up a tombstone for him, but my dad said it would be bad for the child. Well, it’s fine. He’s been scattered into the rivers and mountains. That way, no matter where I go, the child will be there too.”

Ying Zhi’an sighed deeply. “The child will go back to rest and come back to you later.”

“No, I won’t get married again, and I won’t have any more children.” Zhang Zhang sneered a few times at this point. “My body has recovered well these past few days. The doctor said I can be discharged this weekend. Once I’m out, help me file for divorce.”

“I know. I’ll communicate with him tomorrow and file for divorce soon. We’ll use litigation mediation for the divorce; it’s faster.”

“Will that bypass the cooling-off period?”

“Yes, a divorce mediation statement is equivalent to a divorce certificate.”

“Good.” Zhang Zhang sighed wearily. “Zhi’an, I’m tired. I’m hanging up now.”

“Zhang Zhang, I know your resilience. You’ll bravely overcome this hurdle, won’t you?” Ying Zhi’an heard the world-weariness in her voice and tried to set a psychological safety valve for Zhang Zhang.

The other end of the line was quiet for a long time—so long that Song Moqiu, standing next to Ying Zhi’an, thought she had finished her call and was about to ask if she wanted to go back. Then, Zhang Zhang finally said, “Yes, I will get through it. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

After hanging up the call, the frown on Ying Zhi’an’s face did not relax.

Song Moqiu glanced at her. She initially thought she shouldn’t interfere, but couldn’t help but show concern. “Are you okay? You look very unhappy.”

Ying Zhi’an forced a smile. “Work-related matters.”

Song Moqiu curled her lips into a fake smile as well. “I see…”

The two walked side by side. The path beneath their feet seemed endless, so they walked around the track for another few hundred meters.

As they reached the exit, Song Moqiu couldn’t resist asking, “If your assistant, little Song, had asked you earlier, would you have told her the truth?”

Ying Zhi’an found the question strange. “Why ask that suddenly?”

Song Moqiu let out a soft chuckle at the question, a smile tinged with self-mockery and release. “We are very much alike. I asked little Song the same question. She answered that the question was very important to her, but I would only answer you that I think this question is important to us.”

“I don’t understand.” Ying Zhi’an was unaware of Song Xidan’s question in the elevator, so she was naturally confused.

Song Moqiu felt weary and powerless. Her thoughts always moved too quickly, leaping from surface phenomena directly to the essence. This ability often left her exhausted. So, she was somewhat reluctant to explain, only sighing deeply. “It’s nothing; it’s not a very important matter.”

However, Ying Zhi’an was a deep thinker and wouldn’t easily let go of any opportunity that might solve a riddle. She thought seriously for a moment and said cautiously: “Perhaps my description is not quite right, but I think you sometimes overthink because you see things too clearly. Perhaps it’s also because of this trait that you don’t have the extra energy to pursue anything.”

“Perhaps.” Song Moqiu’s thoughts took another turn. “Are you implying that I am not honest enough?”

“See, you are focusing on the major point and overlooking the minor ones.”

“That means you do have that meaning, whether it’s major or minor. In reality, we both know that people with our kind of personality find it very difficult to be completely honest with others without sufficient security.”

“Because we’re afraid of being hurt.”

“Yes,” Song Moqiu recalled those memories from her youth, the books only her friend knew about, how her secret became fodder for gossip, and how her life entered a period that could be called a quagmire of bullying—all of which hurt her but also shaped her.

The two of them might be too similar, but similarity doesn’t necessarily spark love. The pleasure and comfort in their interactions might only be suitable for friendship. But if she needed love, she needed the privilege of being favored and treated differently, which was precisely what they lacked.

So Song Moqiu, who was thinking far and wide again, sighed deeply. “Zhi’an, you treat little Song differently.”

“She’s still a young student. As her mentor, I must take care of her more.” Ying Zhi’an answered very candidly.

Song Moqiu looked into Ying Zhi’an’s eyes and saw a woman who was oblivious to her own feelings. “Zhi’an, have you never been in a relationship before?”

Ying Zhi’an nodded, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Song Moqiu suddenly realized that she could choose not to say anything, a choice that would be more beneficial to her.

And helping Ying Zhi’an understand her own heart was not her obligation. She could completely pretend not to see it and even use the current convenience to further their relationship.

But… is it necessary?

Just as Song Moqiu had said to Song Xidan: what belongs to me will naturally belong to me, and what doesn’t belong to me will ultimately be futile, no matter how hard I stretch on my tiptoes to grab it.

Song Moqiu slowly spoke, unable to resist reminding Ying Zhi’an: “Your habit of not telling others the truth is something that comes easily. Of course, we can’t always speak the truth; sometimes a perfunctory excuse is easier than the truth. But when you lie to little Song, you are flustered. Just like when you rejected her lunch invitation this noon, you were unnatural when giving that excuse. It’s just that little Song is too young to see through your pretense.”

Ying Zhi’an’s brow furrowed again upon hearing this. “Moqiu, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Song Moqiu took a deep breath, looking at her firmly. “You said we are the same type of person. Then I want to ask if you are the same when it comes to liking someone?”

“In what way?”

“Many people can meet us. Regardless of height, weight, beauty, or plainness, high or low social status, in my eyes, they are all ordinary, like the countless pebbles on a riverbed. But you will see one person, who is like a piece of gold among the pebbles, exceptionally dazzling. When you see this piece of gold, even if your rationality hasn’t caught up yet, you will already treat her differently than others.” Song Moqiu was very serious. “When I look at you, you are different from everyone else. But I can clearly perceive that when you look at me, you are deliberately trying to be different.”

In this second, Ying Zhi’an felt a chill of being utterly seen by Song Moqiu. Yes, “deliberately,” the word was so precise, so precise that it completely summarized the existence of the Love Cheat Device. But compared to Song Moqiu’s sharpness, Ying Zhi’an was more confused by the other piece of information. “So you’re saying, I treat Song Xidan differently?”

“Then you have to ask yourself.” Song Moqiu felt lackluster. Ying Zhi’an’s focus once again proved her judgment: to Ying Zhi’an, she was just an ordinary pebble. Even her not-so-subtle expression of interest failed to capture Ying Zhi’an’s immediate attention. It felt pointless, like re-affirming a general conclusion: no one will ever love her; she will never be anyone’s gold.

If that’s the case, so be it. Song Moqiu quickened her pace toward the exit. “I’m tired. I’m going back to the room.”

Ying Zhi’an was still contemplating the earlier statement, feeling that the idea of having inappropriate feelings for Song Xidan was indeed beyond her comprehension, yet Song Moqiu’s confident assertion was incredibly persuasive. She didn’t react immediately, and by the time she snapped out of it, Song Moqiu had already left the track.

There was a small group discussion scheduled for the evening, mainly to plan the final presentation materials for each group on the last day.

As the team that “bravely secured” the last place in the icebreaker games, the members of Ying Zhi’an’s group were very relaxed about the outcome.

Initially, no one dared to express this directly, until one lawyer said, “Don’t strive for brilliance; just strive not to make mistakes.”

This statement was unanimously agreed upon.

Everyone’s attitude was excellent, which led to the group meeting concluding very quickly. Song Moqiu was nominated to be the main person in charge of the PowerPoint presentation. This was mainly because one member of the group had known Song Moqiu from years ago and reminisced, “About three or four years ago, there was a speech competition in the court system. Moqiu’s presentation slides were done so well. I thought they were outsourced at the time, but later I found out Moqiu made them herself.”

The team leader smiled at Song Moqiu. “I remember that too. Back then, our court hadn’t moved to the new office building yet. The remote equipment’s sound in the conference room was intermittent, and the provincial court leader’s speech was choppy. But when it came to Moqiu’s segment, the equipment didn’t have a single issue. Our colleagues at the court even joked that the equipment was also captivated by the young lady’s beauty, strong presentation skills, and excellent slides. Moqiu, you are quite famous in our system.”

Song Moqiu simply smiled, beautiful and charming, still appearing flawless and pristine, showing no trace of the fatigue and annoyance from the track earlier.

When Ying Zhi’an and Song Moqiu returned to the room, the communication atmosphere between them was different from the night before.

Song Moqiu handled some work on her phone, then pulled out her laptop to look for PowerPoint templates.

Ying Zhi’an took her phone into the restroom to negotiate with Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao was somewhat cooperative, but as the call ended, Jiang Chao said sarcastically, “Ying Zhi’an, you’ve broken up so many families and ruined so many relationships, aren’t you afraid of retribution? You’ll end up alone for the rest of your life.”

Ying Zhi’an’s mood was completely unfazed. She burst into laughter. “That sounds pretty good!”

The other party, enraged, hung up the phone the next second.

“Idiot. Retribution for me? I’m doing good deeds—the kind that gets you into heaven when you die!” Ying Zhi’an’s core was stable; she would never be shaken by such a comment.

Just as she finished swearing, a message from Song Xidan came in. It was a voice message, and Song Xidan’s voice was sweet as honey. “Sister Zhi’an~ Do you have time tonight to tutor me? The bar exam is coming up soon, and I’m a bit nervous…”

Ying Zhi’an internally rolled her eyes so hard they almost hit the ceiling. It’s been years since she passed the bar exam! How can she tutor her for anything! But her fingers were typing on the phone. Finally, she sent: What part of your study plan are you on? What are you having trouble with?

Immediately after sending the message, a video chat request from Song Xidan popped up. Ying Zhi’an was startled and instinctively rejected the call.

When she came to her senses, she questioned herself in disbelief, “Ying Zhi’an, what are you afraid of?”

Song Moqiu’s words from their evening walk were validated again. Ying Zhi’an touched her nose, involuntarily thinking of Song Moqiu’s comment. “Could it be that, having never been in a relationship, I really am this stupid?”

It can’t be! Ying Zhi’an felt the injury was minimal but the insult was massive. She pushed open the restroom door, choosing to ask humbly: “Moqiu, I want to consult you.”

Song Moqiu calmly lifted her face from the computer screen. She was still beautiful and charming, but with less warmth. Knowing that Ying Zhi’an’s interest lay elsewhere, she had turned herself into a Jade Buddha, appearing sacred and inviolable. “Ask away.”

Ying Zhi’an clearly felt the distance between them had widened another step, as if their past experiences had been wiped clean. But her focus wasn’t there, so she continued to ask: “If liking someone makes that person turn into gold, I’ve seriously considered it, and so far, I haven’t seen any gold among the pebbles.”

Song Moqiu said, “Then why are you afraid to have lunch with her? Are you afraid that if you get any closer, her golden light will blind you?”

“This…”

“If you’re not afraid, would you dare to hug her?”