You’d Better Break the Engagement Soon - Chapter 5

A few days ago at the hotel, Fu Yuchu stepped out of the shower only to realize he had been treated like a paid escort.

Looking at the 800 yuan cash he had personally picked up, rolled, and tucked away sitting next to his phone, he felt only a sense of the absurd. To think he, Fu Yuchu, was worth exactly 800 for a night.

Suppressing the urge to immediately hunt the person down and tear them apart, he had finished packing up to leave, only to discover that the clothes he had hung by the door were gone. He scanned the room and saw a discarded maroon hoodie under a chair.

Oh. So the 800 wasn’t for services rendered; it was to buy his clothes.

Fu Yuchu felt slightly better, but he remained incensed by the other’s unannounced departure. He had planned to settle the score once he finished his current case.

Instead of him having to hunt the fugitive down, the runaway had delivered himself right to his doorstep.

Watching Shi Zhi sitting frozen in his chair, a flicker of amusement touched Fu Yuchu’s eyes. He was about to speak when he suddenly remembered why Xiang Jing had called him over.

What was the case again? An emotional dispute? A lawsuit to call off an engagement?

The client. Who was it? Was it Shi Zhi?

Aside from Xiang Jing and Shi Zhi, there was no one else in the room.

Fu Yuchu found it preposterous. Not only did the guy run away after sleeping with him, but the person who had explicitly claimed to have no partner actually had a fiancé—and was now seeking his help to break off the engagement.

He had actually become the “other man”the very thing he loathed most?

What was this now? What was he to Shi Zhi?

Fu Yuchu’s mouth tightened into a hard line. He stared silently at the person before him, who was looking everywhere but at him, eyes darting around with a guilty conscience.

Fu Yuchu realized, quite ridiculously, that he could do nothing.

What could he do? The man had lied to him and made him an unwitting mistress. Yet, for his sake, the man was willing to take his fiancé to court just to break off the engagement. Could he really blame him for that?

Still, Fu Yuchu couldn’t simply forgive Shi Zhi just like that. At the very least… he needed a logical explanation for why the man had left without saying goodbye that morning.

With a cold face, Fu Yuchu pulled out a chair and sat down. The three of them were now seated in a triangle. Not having to face Fu Yuchu’s gaze directly made Shi Zhi feel a bit more comfortable.

But only a bit.

From the moment he entered, this Attorney Fu had been silent and cold, looking as if someone owed him money. Worse, he occasionally gave Shi Zhi a half-smile that made his skin crawl. Shi Zhi shrank into his chair, trying to minimize his presence.

Seeing that Fu Yuchu had no intention of speaking, Xiang Jing began the introduction: “Mr. Shi, this is the Attorney Fu I mentioned who excels in these types of cases—Fu Yuchu. Don’t let his young appearance fool you; he has extensive experience in civil and commercial law. He’s even more professional than I am, especially in cases involving family assets and emotional disputes. Any case he takes on rarely ends in a loss.”

He then turned to Fu Yuchu. “Yuchu, Mr. Shi is mainly consulting on property distribution regarding an engagement cancellation. I’ll let the two of you discuss the details.”

Fu Yuchu glanced at Shi Zhi, gave a short “Oh,” and then…

Then, there was nothing.

Shi Zhi kept his head down and remained silent as well. The atmosphere was awkward. Since they were open for business, Xiang Jing had to keep building Fu Yuchu up: “Attorney Fu is a bit cold, but it’s precisely that aloof, detached personality that allows him to be less influenced by outside factors. He can analyze situations more rationally and objectively to secure more benefits for you. He is the perfect fit for your case. And…”

Xiang Jing continued talking, but Shi Zhi could no longer process the words.

Professional, rational, detached… perfect for this kind of lawsuit…

He recognized every word, but they didn’t make sense in his ears. He looked at the man in the sharp suit, but all he could think about was that messy night…

Hands bound by a tie, legs forced high, knees that were still red even now, and… that unprecedented peak reached amidst the sensation of suffocation.

The marks on his body hadn’t faded yet, and his legs felt a bit weak. Shi Zhi instinctively pulled down his sleeves to hide the marks on his wrists. He summoned his courage and spoke in a tiny voice: “I… can I change…” to another lawyer…

His voice grew lower and lower, eventually vanishing entirely under the freezing gaze from beside him. He stared at his cooling coffee, his fingers turning red from nervous rubbing.

In the haze, he heard a cold snort. He instinctively looked up to find Fu Yuchu watching him expressionlessly. Shi Zhi guiltily looked away.

Fu Yuchu’s face darkened even further.

On what grounds? Leaving without a word, lying to him, and making him a mistress was one thing—he hadn’t even pursued those issues—so on what grounds did the man think he could change lawyers?

“Attorney Xiang wasn’t entirely accurate,” Fu Yuchu said coldly, his voice lazy. “In fact, I haven’t ‘never’ lost a case. I lost one three years ago.” Fu Yuchu looked at Shi Zhi with a half-smile. “The situation was similar to Mr. Shi’s. It also involved infidelity within a relationship.”

Xiang Jing felt something was off. Fu Yuchu was usually sharp-tongued and aloof, but he would never expose his own failures in front of a client, especially in such a sarcastic tone.

Unable to pinpoint the problem, Xiang Jing quickly smoothed things over: “The situation wasn’t quite the same as Mr. Shi’s. Back then, Yuchu’s client was the one who cheated; they were the party at fault. It’s the exact opposite of your situation, Mr. Shi.”

That had been the first case Fu Yuchu took after returning to the country. Xiang Jing didn’t know the specifics, only that Fu Yuchu had said he would take any case involving infidelity or emotional entanglements. The client initially didn’t admit to cheating, only saying the marriage had failed and the partner was hiding assets. It wasn’t until Fu Yuchu threw the hotel records in his face right before the trial that the client was forced to admit the truth.

As expected, the case was lost. Fu Yuchu hadn’t intentionally sabotaged it, but Xiang Jing knew he hadn’t put much effort into the evidence gathering or the defense. Since then, Xiang Jing knew Fu Yuchu liked divorce-related cases, but he only took the “betrayed” side. He would ensure the other party left with nothing and the “mistress” ended up with neither person nor money. He had never lost since.

After Xiang Jing finished, Fu Yuchu let out a cold snort, took a light sip of his coffee, and stared at Shi Zhi with a grim gaze. Shi Zhi kept his head down, his bangs hiding the expression in his eyes.

“If Mr. Shi wants to change lawyers, it couldn’t be because of a guilty conscience, could it?” Fu Yuchu grew even more annoyed by the lack of reaction. He spoke in a chilling tone: “Mr. Shi needn’t worry too much. Your situations are different; the lawsuit won’t necessarily be lost.”

Xiang Jing: “Right, right, your situations are diff—”

“According to your description, you aren’t married; it’s just a dating relationship. It doesn’t count as ‘infidelity’.” Fu Yuchu paused, then sneered, “Strictly speaking, it’s just ‘two-timing’.”

Xiang Jing: “…”

“I just wonder if your two-timing partner—that unknown ‘lover’—knows that you’re planning to break up and go to court for him,” Fu Yuchu said slowly, staring intently at Shi Zhi.

Xiang Jing couldn’t listen anymore and explained awkwardly: “Yuchu, that… actually, the one who cheated… uh, two-timed… was Mr. Shi’s fiancé.”

Fu Yuchu: “Oh.”

Shi Zhi: “…”

Xiang Jing: “…………”

“And what about Mr. Shi? Did you not find a ‘lover’ to two-time with as a form of revenge against your fiancé? That would make you even,” Fu Yuchu said, his tone still icy.

Shi Zhi: “…”

Xiang Jing was speechless, wondering what had gotten into Fu Yuchu. He sent him a WeChat message under the table: [Did you take the wrong medicine?]

Fu Yuchu glanced at his phone but ignored it, keeping his eyes fixed on Shi Zhi.

Shi Zhi felt incredibly uncomfortable and felt a surge of inexplicable guilt. He bit his lip and explained softly, “A lawsuit isn’t a certainty; I’m just consulting first.”

“Oh.” Fu Yuchu was quick to respond. “Settling for a marriage of convenience suits you quite well. It’s better to settle for a cheater than to run away and avoid responsibility after doing something wrong. It’s normal not to want a lawsuit.” He glanced at Shi Zhi meaningfully. “After all, the two of you are even now.”

Shi Zhi: “…”

The conversation was going nowhere.

Xiang Jing: “Uh… although Yuchu is the best at these cases, if Mr. Shi wants to change—”

“It’s normal to want to change,” Fu Yuchu cut in, nodding expressionlessly. “A guilty conscience is only human.”

Xiang Jing was baffled. “Yuchu, if you don’t want to take it, I’ll—”

“When did I say I wouldn’t take it?” Fu Yuchu stared at Shi Zhi. “Unless Mr. Shi has other ideas?”

Shi Zhi didn’t dare have any ideas now. He wasn’t good at arguing, and he was facing the most articulate kind of person. Besides, he had slept with the man and then disappeared; it was indeed excessive. It was only right for the man to be sarcastic.

Under these circumstances, he didn’t dare bring up changing lawyers again. Fortunately, he had initially said it was for consultation, not a direct commission. He’d just muddle through today and find another lawyer later…

“Mr. Shi is so… principled. Surely you wouldn’t go ‘window shopping’ and look for another lawyer immediately after this consultation, right?” Fu Yuchu added sinisterly.

Shi Zhi: “…”

Xiang Jing: “???”

Xiang Jing looked at Fu Yuchu in disbelief, condemning him with his eyes: Are you insane? Talking to a client like that? Even if ‘window shopping’ for free advice is shameful, you can’t just ask them that to their face!! Do you not want clients? Do you not want a reputation? Do you not want money? Are you not a partner of Zheng Jue?

Fu Yuchu ignored Xiang Jing completely, simply waiting for Shi Zhi to speak.

What could Shi Zhi say? He could only say, “I won’t.” Seeing Fu Yuchu wouldn’t let it go, he added sheepishly, “Then I’ll have to trouble Attorney Fu.”

Fu Yuchu snorted, but he didn’t refuse.

Xiang Jing: ??? He understood now. He had wronged Fu Yuchu. This wasn’t driving away a client; it was playing hard to get.

Regardless, as long as the client was still willing to cooperate, it was fine.

“Hahaha! Since Mr. Shi has no problem, you can coordinate directly with Yuchu for the follow-up,” Xiang Jing said with a smile. “Yuchu, do a good job with this case.”

Fu Yuchu: “Oh.”

“By the way,” Xiang Jing added, “Mr. Shi’s fiancé has a long-term lover who sent Mr. Shi a provocative text two months ago. Mr. Shi proposed the breakup to his fiancé back then…”

Hearing this, Fu Yuchu’s eyes snapped toward Xiang Jing. “Two months ago? He proposed the breakup back then?”

Xiang Jing was baffled by the sudden intensity. “Yes.”

“So… wanting to break up and call off the engagement happened two months ago, not now?” The question was directed at Xiang Jing, but Fu Yuchu’s eyes were locked onto Shi Zhi.

“Yeah.” Xiang Jing didn’t know what Fu Yuchu was freaking out about. What was the difference between two months ago and now? The end result was still a cancellation.

There was a difference. Of course there was. A massive difference.

Fu Yuchu’s face was now beyond description.

Good. Very good.

It wasn’t for his sake that the man wanted the breakup. The man had already planned it long ago. He had already proposed the goddamn breakup months ago.