The Divorce Lawyer Is Very Hard To Flirt With - Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Improper Intentions Are Subjective Feelings

The waiting period for the Bar Exam Subjective Test results was longer and more agonizing for Song Xidan than the wait for the Objective Test scores.

Ying Zhi’an noticed her anxiety, so she changed her previous “hands-off” approach. She started bringing Song Xidan along for everything—client meetings, court hearings, and sometimes even directly requiring Song Xidan to take the lead to further train her.

The wealthy client, the first one she met, thought about it for two days, then promptly paid the retainer and asked Ying Zhi’an to represent her in her divorce case.

When she came back to the law firm this time, she looked even more haggard than before.

The first time Ms. Lin visited, Song Xidan was swamped with studying for the Subjective Test and didn’t show up. She only knew from colleagues’ hushed discussions that Lawyer Ying had taken on another “heavyweight” rich client. The case involved a huge amount of money and was full of gossip-worthy elements.

Seeing her this time, Song Xidan thought Ms. Lin indeed fit the typical impression of a wealthy woman for ordinary people.

She was around forty, impeccably maintained, with tight skin showing few signs of aging. She wore a high-end tweed suit, a vivid green jade Buddha pendant around her neck, and a multi-million dollar diamond watch and ice-jade bracelet on her wrist. Every detail silently proclaimed her worth.

She was accompanied by an assistant who carried her Hermès bag while she only held the latest smartphone. Her stride carried an aura accustomed to being deferred to, and a natural aloofness stemming from being in a high position for too long.

Song Xidan politely led her to the reserved VIP conference room: “Ms. Lin, hello. Lawyer Ying is taking an urgent call and will be right here. Please have a seat first.”

Ms. Lin nodded slightly, her eyes quickly scanned the conference room, and then she gracefully took a seat.

“Would you like some water? Or coffee, tea?” Song Xidan asked, following the reception procedure.

“Water will do.”

“Certainly, please wait a moment.” Song Xidan left the conference room to prepare in the pantry.

She carefully adjusted the water to lukewarm and deliberately chose the imported glass cup the firm used for special guests.

Zhu Yun happened to come to the pantry to make coffee, winking at Song Xidan: “The Jade Rich Lady is here?”

The Jade Rich Lady was Ms. Lin. Outsiders might think her Hermès bag was expensive, but in reality, her high-quality jade jewelry was even more valuable than the bag.

Song Xidan nodded: “I’ll go now.”

“Mhm. Oh, by the way, Halloween is coming soon. The firm has an event. Let’s go together then.”

“Sure.”

Song Xidan didn’t dare to delay too long and quickly returned to the reception room.

However, when she gently placed the glass of water in front of Ms. Lin, Ms. Lin only glanced at it, not touching it. Instead, she frowned slightly, showing clear disdain, her tone carrying a condescending scrutiny: “I don’t use outside cups. Does your law firm not have Evian or Panna? I’m not used to the scale residue taste of ordinary filtered water.”

Song Xidan didn’t miss a beat, immediately apologizing: “My apologies, Ms. Lin. We just ran out of that mineral water. I’ll go buy some for you right away.”

“No need, I’m not thirsty anyway.” A clear trace of displeasure flashed across Ms. Lin’s face, but she said no more, only waving her hand to dismiss the matter.

Just then, Ying Zhi’an finished her call and quickly entered the conference room: “My apologies, Ms. Lin, for the wait.”

She immediately sensed the subtle atmosphere. Her gaze swept towards Song Xidan, who subtly shook her head to indicate that everything was fine.

Ying Zhi’an sat down calmly and cut straight to the chase: “I assume Ms. Lin is not here just for a divorce, right? Any lawyer can handle that request. What are your other demands?”

Ying Zhi’an’s efficient and professional demeanor immediately commanded the situation, drawing all of Ms. Lin’s attention.

“I can definitely get a divorce, and we signed a prenuptial agreement, so I won’t give Zhou Sheng a single cent of property,” Ms. Lin said the name with a clear grinding of teeth. “I mainly suspect that he has improper intentions toward my daughter, Xiao Ya!”

Song Xidan had already retreated to the side to take notes, watching Ying Zhi’an skillfully handle the demanding rich woman.

As expected of Sister Zhi’an, she can always quickly take control of the situation and pull the other party’s focus back to the case itself.

Ms. Lin and Zhou Sheng were second marriage partners.

Ms. Lin and her previous husband built their business from scratch, amassing considerable wealth. After her previous husband’s death, she met the younger and attentive Zhou Sheng.

Zhou Sheng was fifteen years younger than Ms. Lin, an attractive and articulate fitness coach at a high-end club before marriage.

After marriage, he was given a nominal position in Ms. Lin’s company—colloquially, a toyboy.

When mentioning her daughter, Ms. Lin’s voice was unusually cold with humiliation: “I thought he was young, attentive, and good at sweet-talking. I never expected him to be an insatiable wolf! Now, he not only wants to transfer my assets but also constantly finds excuses to get close to Xiao Ya, sending inappropriate gifts. Xiao Ya is only seventeen, innocent and obedient. Now she’s afraid to stay home alone.”

She took a deep breath, her fingers, tipped with exquisite red polish, clenching into a fist. “Lawyer Ying, you are the best divorce lawyer in the area, but I’m looking for you for more than just divorce. A simple punishment is too easy on him. I want to ruin his reputation, and walking away with nothing is the least of it! Since he dared to set his sights on my daughter, I want him to pay a price he’ll never forget!”

Ms. Lin’s eyes were sharp, filled with the vengeful desire of a person in power whose boundaries have been crossed.

Ying Zhi’an didn’t immediately reply, contemplating for a few seconds. “Ms. Lin, please calm down. I understand what you mean. Criminal charges, is that it?”

Ms. Lin looked at Ying Zhi’an, the anger in her eyes replaced by expectation. She leaned forward: “Lawyer Ying, you truly are the best. I’ve already paid the fee. Can you do it?”

“In terms of criminal law, involving your daughter might not be advisable,” Ying Zhi’an cautioned.

“Then we just let Zhou Sheng off the hook?”

Ms. Lin’s instinctive reaction struck Song Xidan as odd. Why was she only focused on revenge, showing no regard for her daughter, despite just verbally emphasizing her concern for her?

Ying Zhi’an, however, was not surprised. She looked at Ms. Lin sincerely, her tone more patient than before in her explanation: “‘Improper intentions’ are subjective feelings. To make Zhou Sheng pay a substantial price, we must turn it into a ‘chain of evidence’ that can be legally recognized. However, I advise against artificially trying to fabricate this kind of evidence. Your daughter is a young woman, and at seventeen, she is at a sensitive and vulnerable age. If we deliberately ‘engineer’ scenarios to find evidence, any slip-up in the process could lead to irreparable flaws.”

Ms. Lin said nothing, her thoughts churning, but she subconsciously picked up the water and took a sip.

Song Xidan was afraid she might spit it out because she didn’t like it, but she saw the previously extremely picky Ms. Lin drink several continuous sips. After drinking, Ms. Lin said, “Do you have no other safer method?”

“Ms. Lin, this isn’t a question of ‘having a safer method,’ but a matter of our professional boundaries as lawyers. Relevant laws explicitly state that lawyers must be loyal to facts and the law, and must not forge or alter evidence, nor induce or threaten others to provide false evidence. I will not cross legal red lines. If that’s what you want, perhaps you should seek another lawyer.”

As soon as Ying Zhi’an finished speaking, Ms. Lin slammed the water cup heavily onto the table, splashing a few drops of water onto the surface. “Lawyer Ying, I’m paying you so much money not to hear you say ‘no’! My daughter is so scared she doesn’t dare to come home, and that bastard Zhou Sheng is still out there spending my money! And now you’re telling me we can’t ‘fabricate’ evidence? Am I supposed to watch him walk away scot-free?”

The sudden, loud reprimand made Song Xidan tighten her grip on her pen and involuntarily look up at Ying Zhi’an.

Ying Zhi’an remained seated, her fingers lightly pressed on the edge of the table, showing no sign of panic, but her eyes held a bit more seriousness: “Ms. Lin, I understand your desire to resolve the problem quickly, but ‘paying a lawyer’ does not mean we can violate legal boundaries. You want Zhou Sheng to be punished, not for yourself to get into greater trouble because of illegal actions. If I were to follow your suggestion today and help you ‘engineer’ evidence, not only might Zhou Sheng walk free, but you could also be suspected of false accusation, which is not the outcome you want, is it?”

“I…” Ms. Lin opened her mouth, her anger still visible. She stood up and paced back and forth, her tone still aggressive: “But what other way is there? You expect me to just divorce and swallow my anger? I can’t!”

“Lawyers cannot create evidence; we can only legally collect it,” Ying Zhi’an thought for a moment and continued: “You mentioned last time that he holds a nominal position in the company. Perhaps we can apply to retrieve the company’s financial statements and bank records for the past three years, focusing on contracts and reimbursement funds he handled. For example, did he fabricate suppliers to siphon funds, or transfer company business to shell companies he controls? These could constitute the crime of embezzlement.”

“Embezzlement?” Ms. Lin calmed down upon hearing the legal term, pondering for a moment: “Last year, he said he wanted to expand overseas business and transferred twenty million. When I asked about the progress later, he was always evasive. Could it be that he misappropriated the money?”

“That is a key lead,” Ying Zhi’an jotted down the clue in her notebook. “According to Article 271 of the Criminal Law, if a person from a company, enterprise, or other unit takes advantage of his or her position to illegally appropriate the property of the unit for himself or herself, and the amount is large, it constitutes this crime. Zhou Sheng works at your company. As long as he used his nominal position to access the company’s financial procedures and used the excuse of ‘expanding overseas business’ to transfer funds, it meets the condition of ‘taking advantage of his position.’ Furthermore, an amount of twenty million far exceeds the standard for a ‘huge amount.’ Once the evidence is conclusive, he will not only have to return all the funds but will also face imprisonment for five years or more.”

Ms. Lin’s breathing gradually stabilized. She walked back to the table, sat down, the previous agitation slowly replaced by composure: “What do you plan to do?”

“We can immediately commission an auditing firm to verify the flow of that money—whether it was genuinely used for overseas business or transferred to his private account. At the same time, we will retrieve the company’s financial approval records to see if the fund transfer followed normal procedures, or if he forged signatures or concealed the truth. This evidence is objectively verifiable. There’s no need to ‘engineer’ anything; by legally obtaining it, we can form a complete chain of evidence.”

“Lawyer Ying, I’ll listen to you entirely! Just tell me what you need me to do. Money is not an issue. I must make Zhou Sheng pay the most painful price!”

Hearing Ms. Lin’s amenable tone, Ying Zhi’an showed no change in emotion, still calmly stating: “Please rest assured. We will establish a specialized team to follow your case throughout. Song Xidan will assist you in compiling the evidence checklist. Tomorrow, I will contact the financial auditing team to liaise with your company’s finance department. In the coming days, your job is to remain calm, cooperate with our work, and not tip him off. If Zhou Sheng is indeed engaged in illegal activities, we will use legal means to make him pay the appropriate price for his actions.”

When Ms. Lin left, all her anger was gone. She even proactively reached out to shake Ying Zhi’an’s hand, her tone full of trust: “Lawyer Ying, thank you so much for your time today. I rely entirely on you and your team for the follow-up.”

“You’re too kind. Take care.”

Ying Zhi’an, displaying an attitude unperturbed by favor or disgrace, saw off the extremely wealthy client. Only when she faced Song Xidan did she seem to return to life, a smile reappearing: “How was it? Dealing with her alone, did you feel wronged?”

Song Xidan immediately shook her head: “No, she ended up drinking the water I poured her.”

Ying Zhi’an instantly understood the context: “Just putting on airs. Speaking of which, I should thank you today.”

“Thank me? For what?”

“I’m glad I reviewed for the bar exam with you before and brushed up on the criminal law section. I was quickly running through the knowledge points in my head when I talked about the embezzlement statutes with Ms. Lin just now.”

This surprised Song Xidan even more: “I thought you were confident from the start, Sister Zhi’an! But, Sister Zhi’an, I honestly thought you might not take this case. Ms. Lin has such a quick temper and is always looking for shortcuts. Follow-up communication is bound to be exhausting.”