CH 21.1

Chapter 21 (part 1)

Ning Wan watched with her own eyes as Gao Yuan left with the car keys. She went home, had a good night's sleep, and went to work the next day refreshed.

When she got to the office, Fu Zheng was already there. Ning Wan patted him on the back, then took a lunch box out from her bag, handing it to him.

"What is this?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"Fruit," Ning Wan blinked. "I cut them this morning and brought you some. There are strawberries, blueberries and apples in there."

Fu Zheng was dazed for a moment. Then a smile appeared on his cold and handsome  face, and he looked at Ning Wan with his eyes crinkled up just a little. It made him look boyish and innocent. "Thank you."

Though he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, Ning Wan felt flustered for no reason. She dropped the fruit hurriedly without daring to meet his eyes, turned and coughed to cover up her momentary nervousness, and sat at her spot.

That man Fu Zheng, really was a disaster in the making. Even she herself, with all her willpower, couldn't help but be thrown off balance when she looked closely at him.

Ning Wan had always boasted that she never judged a book by its cover, that she cared more about a person's character rather than looks. However, her principles seemed to be on shaky ground in front of Fu Zheng, because she had just found that when someone was both good-looking and of good character, she couldn't help but find herself giving them preferential treatment...

Especially nowadays, it seemed to her that Fu Zheng really was quite a good guy. Though his heart could sometimes be shaken, his outlook was quite positive and he didn't take shortcuts. He would rather be 'exiled' to the community than give in to coercion. He was loyal and he had sacrificed himself to help her slap Shi Wu in the face. Although he did have a few small flaws with wanting to pretend he was something he wasn't, no one was perfect. Look at how under her tutelage he had quickly settled in and was perching peacefully on a plastic stool worth 20 yuan...

Ning Wan felt a little embarrassed to think about that plastic stool. In the beginning she hadn't cared to keep 'someone here through the backdoor' around, so she hadn't bothered looking for Old Ji to get money for a chair. But now Fu Zheng, a tall and handsome man with such long legs, could only sit on this inferior plastic stool. It just wasn't good enough for him! What a waste of his beauty, he must feel so persecuted!

Ning Wan cleared her throat. "I'll find Old Ji sometime this afternoon to have your chair switched out."

Fu Zheng seemed quite calm. He smiled at Ning Wan, "Don't worry about it, I've gotten used to this chair."

The more he brushed it off, the more guilty Ning Wan felt. She didn't wait until the afternoon, but immediately ran next door to speak to Old Ji about the budget for the chair.

The more she looked at Fu Zheng, the more she felt that not only was he photogenic from any angle, but he was also willing to suffer a loss and endure hardship. Feeling as though she owed him, she couldn't help but complain, "It's all because you were too good at acting! I completely misunderstood you as some young master. Honestly, you men, you don't always have to put on a brave front. It's alright to show weakness sometimes, too. There are lots of people out there who would be happy to help out, but how would they know that you need help if you don't tell them?"

Fu Zheng just pursed his lips, lowered his head and smiled. Though his looks normally made him feel aggressive, that smile gave his features an embarrassed, shy quality. Ning Wan couldn't help but blush a little. Honestly, this sort of boy was just her type...

Ever since Fu Zheng had switched routes, he had discovered that Ning Wan really was just as simple and generous as Gao Yuan had said. Though naturally alienated against the rich and wealthy upper-class, on the other hand she was incredibly friendly to those of her class or lower. She was often willing to go above and beyond for the weak. To put it politely, she was kind-hearted. To criticize, she was gullible. Of course, Fu Zheng wasn't in a position to say anything about that because he was currently enjoying the fruits of her gullibility.

Once you showed her weakness and pretended to be obedient, Ning Wan, who was as difficult to chew and swallow as a hard bone, became completely at a loss. She was the sort for whom the more you kept silent, the more she would reach out to give. The friction between them was as if it had never existed. Fu Zheng was very satisfied with the current situation. Finally, he was able to coexist with her in peace, and he really was getting a lot of inspiration from how she handled the day-to-day disputes within the community.

Indeed, the Ning Wan by his side nowadays looked a little defenseless and unguarded to him. She had no idea what was going on in the heart of the person next to her, and was still thinking about how to help him save money...

Fortunately, her ideas about saving money was interrupted by someone rushing into the office.

"Lawyers, please help me!"

Ning Wan looked up to find that the newcomer was Lu Feng1.

Lu Feng's face was determined. "I would like to hire you to help me sue Aunt Wang." He clenched his teeth. "I want to sue her for having tarnished my reputation!"

"I thought about it. I'm in the right here. I'm not guilty of anything I've been accused of. So why should I run?!" Lu Feng seemed to have finally made up his mind, and his attitude was firm. "I'm a foreigner here in Rong City with no background and no money, so when she pulled me into this situation, I was afraid and I just wanted to get away, but I went back and I've been thinking about it for the past several days. It doesn't make any sense what Aunt Wang is saying. She still insists that we're together, and that I was the one who wanted us to get married. But when I look at my daughter Jiao Jiao, I feel like I can't escape in such a cowardly manner."

"If I didn't do it, then I didn't do it. If I run away, Aunt Wang might spread rumours about me in the future. I'm a programmer, and in our circle, even if I leave Rong City I can't guarantee that the news won't reach the company I work for in the future. So instead of leaving a bomb behind for myself, I've decided to face it head-on. Even if my own reputation didn't matter, how could my daughter go to school in peace?"

Lu Feng went on like this for a while with tears welling up in his bloodshot eyes. To cut a long story short, after having tossed and turned for many sleepless nights, he had decided to solve the problem by legal means.

"The neighborhood committee said that you community lawyers are here to help solve such problems, right?"

Well, yes, but...

Just as Ning Wan was about to speak, Fu Zheng was a step ahead of her. "If, as you say, Aunt Wang has truly slandered you, then she must have fabricated and spread false information to damage your reputation. What she said has been confirmed by several witnesses. However, to initiate a lawsuit for slander, the key to the case is proving that her story is false."

He paused. "Is there any evidence that may exist to prove your innocence?"

Faced with this problem, Lu Feng went silent. His expression faltered. "No, we're neighbors. She lives alone, and I often went to her home to help out. Jiao Jiao was in kindergarten most of the time..." he became more and more desperate. "Lawyer, what you're saying is... even if I want to sue, I won't be able to win? Is it just a waste of time?"