The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: I Really Like You Being Close to Me

Song Xidan’s hand holding the tissue trembled slightly, but she dared not look up. She kept her head down, staring at the small bite mark on the fish slice on her plate, as if she could count the texture lines on it.

So, I haven’t even played the role of a regular colleague well? Have I caused Sister Zhi’an trouble?

Thinking of this, Song Xidan couldn’t remain silent. She quickly looked up and said: “I wasn’t avoiding you. I just felt I shouldn’t be as informal as before and cause you trouble.”

She found the most clumsy yet safest excuse.

Ying Zhi’an watched her quietly, her gaze sharp but not aggressive, seemingly piercing through her humble disguise to see the frightened and uneasy heart within her.

But in her mind, she was loudly scolding the system. —What exactly did you say to her!! I swear I’ll take you down with me!

The Love Cheat Device immediately responded: —The system did not use aggressive language. Song Xidan’s inner inferiority has always been present, just as the disparity between you two has always existed. These are not caused by the system.

—So, I should thank you? How is this different from killing someone, claiming anyway, that since they are human, they will die sooner or later?

—From a higher-dimensional perspective, that is indeed the case.

Ying Zhi’an felt like rolling her eyes upon hearing this, but she quickly adjusted her emotions, her voice softening slightly: “Xidan, look into my eyes.”

Song Xidan obediently looked up, meeting Ying Zhi’an’s deep eyes head-on. There were complex emotions she couldn’t understand, but Ying Zhi’an’s gaze was gentler than ever, making Song Xidan feel that any unreasonable request she made would be met with understanding and tolerance.

Such a gentle gaze could truly make a person drown!

“Is it because of something I said at your place that day? Promise me, no matter what I said, it wasn’t my true feeling,” Ying Zhi’an’s voice was soft but hammered Song Xidan’s heart like a drum. “I really like you being close to me, and I really like us being closer.”

Song Xidan’s face instantly exploded in red. She seemed unable to find her words, stammering after a long while: “Sister Zhi’an… Sister Zhi’an… I… you… closer, you and me?”

She was incoherent, her mind working overtime.

“Shhh,” Ying Zhi’an made a calming gesture, picked up the teapot, and slowly refilled Song Xidan’s cup with hot tea. The rising steam temporarily blurred their vision.

“Xidan,” Ying Zhi’an’s voice was steady and clear, carrying a power that guided thought. “Have you ever considered what a truly healthy, long-lasting relationship should be built upon?”

Song Xidan looked at her blankly, not understanding why the topic suddenly shifted.

Ying Zhi’an’s gaze drifted towards the bright yet cold city night view outside the window, her tone carrying a hint of faint ridicule and deeper clarity: “The TV dramas we watched as kids all created romantic narratives—a woman discovers a man’s talent, then admires, follows, and even sacrifices herself for his fulfillment. This seems natural. But once I started thinking independently, I felt this was wrong.”

She turned back, her gaze landing on Song Xidan again, becoming incredibly serious: “When a man admires another man’s talent, he thinks about rivaling him. More ambitious ones think about replacing him. That’s competition and conquest. Women should be the same. Don’t adopt the modest, subservient routine. If you long for talent, what you should do is possess that talent yourself. What you own is solidly yours, and no one can take it away.”

Song Xidan held her breath. These words exploded in her ears like thunder, making her heart numb.

She had never considered the issue from this angle.

“Don’t tie yourself down to become an attachment through love and risk. And truly loving someone is not about accepting them from a superior position, or even clipping the fledgling’s wings for your own enjoyment so she stays safely in a cage for admiration and pastime,” Ying Zhi’an spoke very earnestly and directly. This was also her simple, honest view on love.

Song Xidan felt touched by her passionate soul, and her eyes welled up with tears in that instant.

Ying Zhi’an continued, leaning slightly forward, her gaze intensely focused on Song Xidan, her words cutting straight to the core: “Xidan, I don’t need you to become someone else. I certainly don’t want you to feel inferior because you think I’m talented and impressive, and that you’re not worthy. That’s not love; that’s admiration of strength, it’s getting lost. True liking, or the liking I can endorse, should be about seeing the other person’s inherent value, hoping the other person can unleash their own light, and two people being able to converse from an equal position. Just like now, I admire your effort and resilience far more than any careful flattery or unattainable admiration.”

“I hope you work hard, pass the bar exam, and become an excellent lawyer. Not to be worthy of anyone, but to become yourself,” Ying Zhi’an’s voice softened, carrying a determined power. “When you truly possess your own strength and aura, if your feelings remain the same, that’s when we can truly begin to talk. And I hope to be the one who supports you.”

Song Xidan was completely stunned. Her brain felt like it had been emptied and then stuffed with jumbled thoughts, buzzing loudly.

Ying Zhi’an’s words were too definitive and profound; she needed time to digest them. But she vaguely grasped a core point: Ying Zhi’an didn’t dislike her, and even… liked her?!

She nodded dazedly, her heart pounding like a drum, no longer purely from inferiority and fear, but mixed with enormous shock and a faint, yet ignited, hope.

That night, Ying Zhi’an drove her back to her apartment building.

Song Xidan practically floated upstairs. She sat at her desk, opened her Criminal Law textbook, but couldn’t read a single word. Ying Zhi’an’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind—And I hope to be the one who supports you!

Ying Zhi’an hadn’t said any flirtatious or ambiguous words, yet Song Xidan felt this was the most moving declaration she had ever heard.

Wait… could it be considered a declaration?

Song Xidan’s face flushed at the thought.

“Don’t think about that! Think about Sister Zhi’an’s other words!” Song Xidan murmured.

Thinking carefully about Ying Zhi’an’s other words was like a beam of strong light, splitting through the learned helplessness that had long shadowed her due to her native family. The feelings of powerlessness she had become accustomed to—I’m not worthy, I can’t do it—began to loosen and crumble in the face of Ying Zhi’an’s clear and powerful logic.

It turned out the path to her was not through adoration and devotion, but through self-growth.

That night, Song Xidan did not study for the bar exam.

But she thought for the entire night.

The next day, Song Xidan arrived at the law firm early.

As usual, she meticulously brewed a cup of Ying Zhi’an’s favorite jasmine tea, the water temperature just right.

When Ying Zhi’an walked into her office, she saw Song Xidan standing by her desk, her face bearing a clear and gentle smile. Although there were faint dark circles under her eyes, they sparkled with an unprecedented firmness, like a small sun after a rainy day.

“Sister Zhi’an, good morning,” Song Xidan’s voice had returned to its usual clarity, but it had shed the uneasy timidity and overly eager flattery, replaced by a sense of composure. “I’ve made you some tea to soothe your stomach. Also, Lawyer Cai Ya’s flight lands this afternoon, and she’ll come to the firm to discuss the details for the Li Wenwen domestic violence case hearing tomorrow. I’ve already placed the materials on your desk.”

Ying Zhi’an looked into her eyes and instantly understood. She took the warm cup of tea, and the corner of her lips slowly curved into a truly relaxed and gratified smile.

“Okay, I understand,” she replied.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, but some things had quietly changed, breaking ground for a new beginning.

In the afternoon, Cai Ya promptly knocked on Ying Zhi’an’s office door.

“Zhi’an, I hope I’m not interrupting?” Cai Ya smiled as she pushed the door open, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over Song Xidan, who was quietly reporting the afternoon schedule beside Ying Zhi’an.

Cai Ya was still one to enjoy gossip, and her eyes were filled with immediate excitement for it.

Ying Zhi’an looked up, and seeing it was her, her expression relaxed slightly. “Sit. Xidan, please prepare some tea.”

“Okay, Sister Zhi’an,” Song Xidan responded, turning to the pantry to brew tea. She was wearing a well-fitted shirt and trousers today, looking neat yet with a touch of youthful formality, and paired with her small face, she looked quite handsome and boyish.

Passing by Cai Ya, she didn’t forget to greet the unconventional love strategist. “Lawyer Cai, we meet again.”

Cai Ya smiled and nodded, her gaze subtly flicking back and forth between Song Xidan and Ying Zhi’an. She was exceptionally perceptive. In just a few minutes, she noticed that the young woman’s look toward Zhi’an had less of the panicked admiration from their last meeting and more quiet focus, but that bright, sparkling thing hidden deep in her eyes seemed… even more evident?

Ooh la la! Looks like there’s progress.

A smile spread across Cai Ya’s face, fully ready to gossip after discussing the case.

The gossip could wait for a moment, but Li Wenwen’s case could not be neglected. Ying Zhi’an and Cai Ya quickly entered work mode, discussing the thorny domestic violence case involving coercive control.

The case was heavy, and the atmosphere in the office became serious and focused.

“I’ve read the evidence you compiled,” Cai Ya frowned, pointing to a snippet of a chat log. “You highlighted ‘you gave your best self to others,’ ‘I only deserve your worst,’ ‘you’re not a virgin, so what right do you have to demand my love,’ and ‘my love is perfect, unlike you, who is incomplete.’ You want to use this to prove his verbal threats and psychological abuse, right?”

“Correct. These statements are Li Wenwen’s attempts to construct a sense of guilt in the victim, thereby achieving coercive control. And here, threatening suicide to demand the victim’s obedience. Traditional domestic violence recognition focuses more on physical abuse. Our judicial practice and evidence standards for this type of psychological control and coercive control are still in the exploratory stage. I can only compile this evidence chronologically to prove that this control was long-term, continuous, and caused serious consequences. I also want the victim’s roommate to testify in court to prove that this new type of psychological control completely subjugated the victim.”

“That could work. We can also leverage public opinion appropriately.”

They discussed evidence collection strategies, legal application, and how to persuade the judge to adopt the argument of this new form of domestic violence. The atmosphere was professional and serious.

Midway, Song Xidan softly knocked and entered, carrying a pot of freshly brewed jasmine tea and two clean cups. “Sister Zhi’an, Lawyer Cai, let me refill your tea.”

Her voice was gentle, and her movements were as light as possible, afraid of disrupting the discussion.

She poured tea for Cai Ya first, then moved around to Ying Zhi’an.

Ying Zhi’an was focused on the chat log evidence on the computer screen, turning slightly to give her space.

Perhaps because she was close, she could smell the faint, cool perfume on Ying Zhi’an, or perhaps Ying Zhi’an’s slightly curly hair was just inches away. Song Xidan’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t control the pouring force well, and a few drops of hot water splashed out, landing exactly on the back of Ying Zhi’an’s hand resting on the mouse.

“I’m so sorry! Sister Zhi’an!” Song Xidan cried out softly, instinctively reaching out to wipe it in her panic.

Ying Zhi’an gently frowned from the heat, immediately soothing Song Xidan. “It’s nothing.”

Her voice was softer than usual, even carrying a hint of comforting tone that she herself didn’t notice. “It’s really nothing! I didn’t get burned!”

While saying this, she quickly pulled a tissue. She didn’t wipe herself first, but gently pressed it onto Song Xidan’s finger, which had a few drops of water on it. Her movement was so natural it seemed like an afterthought, and only then did she wipe the back of her own hand.

“Seriously, it’s fine. Go back to your studying,” Ying Zhi’an smiled at her again, her eyes gentle.

“Mhm,” Song Xidan nodded, giving Ying Zhi’an a bright and sunny smile in return.

The door softly closed.

The office was quiet for two seconds.

Cai Ya picked up her teacup, slowly blew on it, and then let out a sigh full of meaning. “Tsk, tsk, tsk! Well done, Ying Zhi’an.”