The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Affection

Song Xidan’s smile truly made one feel immensely favorable towards her.

She was like a wisp of warm sunshine in late winter and early spring, or a refreshing breeze on a scorching summer day.

She carried a natural and unaffected ease.

And when someone offered kindness, Ying Zhi’an was not an introverted person. She immediately responded with an echoing smile. “That’s lovely, thank you. Hmm, it’s quite good. By the way, is there anything you’re unclear about? You can ask me anything.”

Ying Zhi’an herself might not have realized that her smile was extra enthusiastic due to the guilt from her cold face this morning. When she smiled, two small dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth. Although she was thirty, and her profession gave her an inherent sense of gravitas when she wasn’t smiling, her clear eyes looked childlike the moment she smiled, and all the previous stiffness dissipated. She held the cup and leaned in to look at the computer screen. As she got closer, Song Xidan caught a scent of sandalwood.

It smelled wonderful, reminding Song Xidan of her days on the grassland…

Ying Zhi’an skillfully operated the computer and found some useful apps. “If you’re writing a statement of claim, it’s actually very simple. I’ve saved the common formats for fixed templates. For future cases, you just fill in the content. Our firm has many small case sources, which are just about helping write a statement of claim or an objection to enforcement, and so on. They are actually all very simple, but don’t underestimate these simple claims. If you accumulate them, the monthly income is decent.”

Ying Zhi’an straightened up. “Is there anything else you don’t understand?” Just then, she saw a “1” appear out of nowhere above Song Xidan’s previously empty head!

Ying Zhi’an was stunned and looked again carefully.

“Lawyer Ying, is there something on my face?” Song Xidan asked. Then, Ying Zhi’an saw the “1” turn into a “2”!

Ying Zhi’an quickly retreated to her own seat. “No, no. Do you have any other questions?”

“Not yet, I’ll familiarize myself a bit more.”

While hanging up her lawyer’s robe, Ying Zhi’an secretly glanced at Song Xidan again. The number was steady at “2” and hadn’t changed.

At this moment, she suddenly thought of the terrifying countdown in The Three-Body Problem, which came from the technologically superior Trisolarans. She couldn’t tell if this product was a similar situation.

However, while waiting for Hu Fei at the restaurant, she took another pill as prescribed by the doctor.

The restaurant Ying Zhi’an chose was hidden in a small alley. It had an antique and classical design. Upon entering, there was a man-height jade mural, giving a sense of elegance and expense.

The prices were naturally not cheap. The number of tables open to the public was limited, and a large area inside was dedicated to a classical stage for performances. Not relying on table turnover for profit, the restaurant naturally relied on the high markup of ingredients.

Of course, most people who chose to dine here were financially well-off and willing to pay for the ambiance.

Moreover, a few of the restaurant’s signature dishes were indeed quite tasty.

Ying Zhi’an’s table had an excellent view, allowing her to clearly see the classical dance on the stage.

At this time, people at most other tables had arrived and started to be served.

Ying Zhi’an sipped a cup of clear tea, enjoying the dance, unhurriedly waiting for the long-delayed Hu Fei.

You could say that the beam of light, adjusted to “1,” above the head of the girl dancing on the stage, even acted like a self-tracking spotlight, making the whole scene look better.

Ying Zhi’an couldn’t help but smile as she watched. Was she being a revolutionary optimist?

A master at finding joy in suffering.

Hu Fei was truly rushing. She had finally finished her meeting and was eager to leave work, but was then caught by her supervisor to discuss a case.

Although she usually had a cold expression, Hu Fei was always respectful to her supervisor. This time, however, her face grew increasingly sour. Finally, during a brief pause in the supervisor’s speech, she immediately said, “Prosecutor Zhang, I’ll report some other details in your office tomorrow morning. I’m starving right now and urgently need to go eat.”

It was already over forty minutes past quitting time. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Zhang had finished eating in the cafeteria and returned to work overtime. Hearing this, he immediately said, “You haven’t eaten yet? Then hurry up and go.”

In the next second, Hu Fei’s figure disappeared like a fleeting shadow.

Prosecutor Zhang muttered to himself, “That hungry, huh…”

Hu Fei didn’t drive and took a taxi there.

On the way, she quickly put on some makeup.

She was actually very good-looking, especially her round, doe-like eyes, which were her best feature.

With false eyelashes on, those eyes were even more lively.

She usually didn’t like to smile and maintained an aloof demeanor towards everyone, which made her doe eyes seem out of place with her overall temperament.

But now, as she walked into the restaurant wearing a silk-textured dress, the uncontrollable smile on her face, combined with those eyes, was quite eye-catching.

Such a smile was all because of Ying Zhi’an.

And Ying Zhi’an was utterly oblivious, still appreciating the beauty of the dance.

Hu Fei looked at Ying Zhi’an’s profile, and the smile at the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but deepen.

She slowly stopped walking, unable to resist pulling out her phone to secretly take a picture of Ying Zhi’an.

In the frame, Ying Zhi’an was relaxed, one hand holding a white porcelain teacup, the other supporting her chin, her hair draped smoothly—like a painting of a beautiful woman.

The first time she met Ying Zhi’an, Hu Fei fell in love at first sight. She liked Ying Zhi’an’s appearance, the lazy, elegant temperament that occasionally shone through, and even more, Ying Zhi’an’s personality—her habitual logic of simplifying the complex, and her life pleasure of making the simple complex.

The more she learned, the more she imagined how wonderful it would be to be in a relationship with Ying Zhi’an.

This obsession became even more rampant during sleepless nights.

It had almost tormented Hu Fei, making her increasingly timid. The more she cherished someone, the more inferior she felt in front of that person.

So much so that after so many years of secret crush, she dared not reveal a single bit of her affection.

And as she grew older, those youthful girlish fantasies of dating transformed into mature yet pure infatuation.

A mature secret crush is a battlefield of emotions for one person.

Before, she didn’t dare to say it; now, she absolutely couldn’t.

What if saying it meant they couldn’t even be friends anymore?

Arising from emotion, stopped by reason—the reason of logic…

Hu Fei admired the photo again. It’s so well-taken!

She would be quite satisfied just to look at it every night before bed to comfort her longing.

Then, with a face full of heartfelt smiles, she walked toward Ying Zhi’an.

“Zhi’an! I’m sorry, I made you wait so long! I’m so sorry!” Before sitting down, Hu Fei offered repeated, sincere apologies. “Today’s meeting dragged on a bit, and then I ran into my direct supervisor…”

The moment Hu Fei saw Ying Zhi’an, she couldn’t help but switch to chatty mode.

But Ying Zhi’an looked at her, unable to utter a word, because all her attention was drawn to the number above Hu Fei’s head! She couldn’t spare an ounce of focus for anything else!

Hu Fei!

100 points…

Whether Wang Yu’s 30 points represented love was still debatable.

Hu Fei’s 100 points, however, left no room for doubt or hesitation.

Just then, the Secret Dating Weapon in Ying Zhi’an’s brain timely reappeared.

—The Ambiguity Artifact function has detected the appearance of a love interest with 100 romantic favorability towards the user. Please treat this seriously and actively. An adult’s secret crush is so subtle and restrained, but perhaps only one affirmative response from the user is needed to transform it into a reckless, dry-wood-and-fierce-fire pursuit!

—Reiterating: The romantic favorability of the Ambiguity Artifact function is a concrete visualization with 100 as the maximum value.

—100 is the maximum value of the Ambiguity Artifact, but it does not represent the maximum value of the other party’s affection!

When everything appeared so frankly and directly before Ying Zhi’an, facing this absolute peak number, the usually “decisive” and “socially adept” Ying Zhi’an was shamefully struck with social anxiety.

She didn’t even know what topic to introduce or what polite formalities to say.

Fortunately, the waiter came over and asked if they should start serving the food.

Ying Zhi’an nodded and then asked for the menu again, handing it to Hu Fei. “Have a look and add a few more dishes you like.”

Hu Fei’s pair of affectionate eyes looked moistly at Ying Zhi’an, as if looking at her own star. “No need, I like everything you order!” In a blur, she felt her emotions were too exposed and her words too frank, so she immediately tried to compensate by saying, “You don’t even know, I have such a good appetite. My mom always said I was easy to raise since I was little and I don’t dislike anything. Look at other people, they all have some dietary restrictions, but I’m not picky about anything. I can eat all sorts of things like Houttuynia cordata, celery, and cilantro, and I enjoy them so much!”

If it had been before, Ying Zhi’an would have simply thought that such a girl was probably a warm little sun. But now, as she carefully considered it, she felt that every single one of these unrestrained, honest, and self-revealing sentences originated from another word that was foreign to her—love…

In the adult world, everyone puts on a thick mask, afraid of being seen for their true selves.

But Hu Fei did not. While naturally pouring tea for Ying Zhi’an, she had already started talking about some interesting anecdotes from her childhood.

Ying Zhi’an used to enjoy being with such people because she didn’t have to strain herself to find topics, and the atmosphere wouldn’t turn awkward.

But now, Ying Zhi’an was completely at a loss!

Facing the surging yet restrained affection, she finally, prompted by the “100 points,” saw the love within the dense flow of words.

Hu Fei wanted Ying Zhi’an to know more about herself, and she was equally eager to know more about Ying Zhi’an.

Because as Hu Fei talked, she would look at Ying Zhi’an with those affectionate eyes. “Zhi’an, you once said you wanted to get a cat but couldn’t because you travel often. What breed do you like? My job is quite stable, and I also want to get a cat.”

Ying Zhi’an found her voice amidst the jumbled thoughts. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“What time are you relatively free lately? We could go to the pet store together. I have decision-making difficulty and need you to help me decide!”

“I have too many cases recently. I’m sorry.”

“I also have a lot of cases recently, and they are all complex ones,” Hu Fei sighed, but only she knew that this sigh was not for work.

She wanted to find a link between them, whether it was a cat or a shared hobby.