CH 23.1

Chapter 23 (part 1)

Ning Wan had no idea that Fu Zheng had overheard everything she had said to Xiao Mei. After reaching an agreement with Xiao Mei, she returned to his side.

"Fu Zheng, Auntie Xiao is very excited. Just now she pulled me to the toilet to gush and wouldn't let go! But she's very shy, so she's still reserved with you. Don't worry about that, just go with her to meet some of her old girlfriends over a cup of coffee. You can behave like normal! I've talked it over with her, and after just one coffee date, she won't bother you to escort her anymore. If you just give her a little face before her old sisters, she'll help us inquire around about Wang Liying."

Ning Wan examined her own words. They seemed watertight, but for some reason Fu Zheng's face was rather dark and restrained. He met her eyes and smiled strangely. "Ah. Okay."

She shrugged it off. A few caring words later, she watched Fu Zheng leave with Auntie Xiao.

……

Xiao Mei's old girlfriend get-together didn't last long. Fu Zheng returned after a few hours, and compared with his ugly face when he had left, his current expression was... 'ugly' might not be the right word...

"Done?"

Fu Zheng let out a cold snort. "Done." He looked into her eyes, choked, and finally as if unable to restrain himself he said in a strange tone, "'Although he is 30 years old and rather incompetent, his age is fortunately not too obvious. Luckily, his face makes up for it. Though he may only be ornamental, he did his job well enough with quality and efficiency.'"

“……”

Ning Wan was quite embarrassed. "Er, did she say that? Auntie Xiao is a little OCD like that. After twenty-five years old... "

"Didn't you say she was my fan? That she asked for me in particular?"

"...well..." Ning Wan apologized sincerely. "I'm terribly sorry. I've done you wrong, though it was necessary for the case. Honestly, I don't think that thirty-one is old at all. You're a promising young man in the prime of your life, and you really don't even look like you're thirty. If it really upsets you, I'll help you stand up to Auntie Xiao and argue it out! We'll let her know that men of thirty-one are still in full bloom! And I'll cover your dinner for a whole year... Maybe more if you won't forgive me?"

She had expected Fu Zheng to still be mad, but unexpectedly he replied immediately, "I forgive you. You don't have to cook for me, really, you really don't have to. I don't need you to clarify someone else's misunderstandings about a man's age and charm, either. I'll prove it to her myself."

How could she not cook after having wronged him so? Ning Wan's heart was full of guilt. She looked at Fu Zheng standing there, pretending to be brave...

"Honestly, though Aunt Xiao has no appreciation for your charms, I wasn't completely lying. I really do think that you're very handsome..."

She hesitated for a long time before finally blurting out, "You have an excellent temperament, I didn't lie about that either... and you're very kind, very willing to help out, and you learn very fast. Just keep on keeping on. You may only be a grassroots lawyer now, but as long as you persist like you're currently doing, you'll definitely make progress!"

Although she had been a bit embarrassed when she had first begun boasting about Fu Zheng, Ning Wan found that the words she was now saying were sincere. "There are many people who bloom late in life. Not to have any work experience at 30 is a disadvantage compared with your peers, but you just need to keep improving. Life is a marathon, and so long as you can stay stable, you'll finish well. I'm very optimistic about you, Fu Zheng!"

Fu Zheng hadn't lived to the age of 30 without ever being complimented. However, in the face of Ning Wan's frank encouragement and praise, he felt a little uncomfortable. She really was a beautiful woman, and when she stared at him like that her eyes were wide and guileless.

It was said that doe-eyed girls1 made one feel protective, and felt cute and innocent. Although how Ning Wan acted in daily life was a huge mismatch to those words, Fu Zheng found that at that very moment, they were true.

As far as work went, Ning Wan had proved herself to be skillful and capable. Such a woman should have been rational and mature, yet she was somehow still really gullible. Fu Zheng had no doubt that if he wanted to, he could cheat her out of her savings and make her count the money2.

She was far too trusting. She was far too careless.

For the first time in his life, Fu Zheng felt slightly guilty.

Fortunately, Fu Zheng's guilt disappeared shortly after meeting up with Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan had encountered a cross-border M&A dispute and was puzzling over several details, so he had consulted Fu Zheng on the matter. "You've dealt with tons of cases like this, what would you do? This is a hostile takeover..."

As soon as they began talking about the case, Fu Zheng no longer had room in his mind for anything else. He began speaking passionately.

The two discussed and analyzed, and almost an hour passed before epiphany broke across Gao Yuan's face.

"Really, it's a pity you won't continue in business!"

Fu Zheng brushed off his regret. "If you keep going on a road with no challenges, life is meaningless." He paused. "Anyway, it's not that I won't work in the commercial field or partner up with someone. What I want to do is to channel my energy into opening up new fields."

As he said this, he suddenly looked at Gao Yuan and changed the topic. "By the way, do you know Shen Yuting?"

"Yes," Gao Yuan replied a little blankly, "But we're not very familiar. Why do you ask? Is there someone from her team that you're looking to transfer over to yours?"

Fu Zheng laughed. "I look down on everyone in her team, including her."

"Then why did you ask about her?"

Fu Zheng didn't give a direct answer, but only said, "Partner Gao, you're responsible for the assessment of our junior partners in the institute. How has Shen Yuting's business been these past few years?"

Gao Yuan was indeed in charge of assessment, and he sighed, "She hasn't been doing very well these past couple years, and she's lost several old customers. She really shouldn't have, because they're old regulars who are very cooperative..."

"You should check if they're doing an under-the-table deal." Fu Zheng glanced at Gao Yuan and smiled, "Besides her, aren't there two lawyers in her team, Li Yue and Hu Kang, who were arranged to be stationed in the community? I've been there a while now and haven't seen hide nor hair of either of them. Are they allowed to slack off just because they want to? When you invited me to join this firm, I was told that it was a good place to work with good people, and now this happens?"

Gao Yuan hadn't expected this sudden attack on the firm's personnel. He wiped away cold sweat. "Alright, alright, I'll deal with it later and lay down some severe punishment! I'll punish them all for sure! But don't forget you promised me that you'd join our firm! I've already boasted about you to a few other partners, so you can't just leave me in the lurch!"

Fu Zheng smiled again, pursing his lips. "Well, you'd better take out the trash before I get there, or when I officially start, I'll be ruthless."

"Although Zhengyuan Law's community project is operating smoothly, among the three residents, only Ning Wan is actually doing any work. I know that in this world you don't always reap what you sow, but in my world, I won't let an honest man suffer." He glanced at Gao Yuan. "Which is why you shouldn't bully Ning Wan."

"Sure, sure!"

"That's right." Fu Zheng remembered something. "Oh, and when you deal with it, remember to accidentally reveal that the person who reported the situation about Shen Yuting was a man."

"Huh? Why? "

"Why all these questions? Can't do it?"

"Of course I can! I'm a great actor, and I will most definitely inadvertently, carelessly mention that the whistleblower was a man!"

Though he had just promised, Gao Yuan's tone soon turned sour. "Fu Zheng, I've known you for years. Do you remember when my thesis once got plagiarized and our teacher thought that I had been helping someone else cheat? Why didn't I hear you say 'I won't let an honest man suffer' and 'you shouldn't bully Gao Yuan' then? Why the double standard for Ning Wan? Is it because she's pretty? "

"Are you a woman?" Fu Zheng frowned. "Do you need protection? "

"What's up with that?!" Gao Yuan cried, wronged. "Men should be protected too! Did you know that crying is masculine nowadays?!"

"Didn't you end up collecting evidence to prove that you didn't help anyone cheat, and come out as a poor, put-upon victim of plagiarism?" Fu Zheng sneered. "You took care of it yourself, you didn't need me to do anything. Anyway, are you seriously calling yourself an honest man? You, honest? Would you be hanging out with me if you were an honest man?"

If Fu Zheng was by nature not a good thing, then what did that say about those who ran in the same circles as him?

"..." Gao Yuan felt a little smothered, but couldn't deny it. After thinking about it, he asked, "How do you know that Ning Wan  wouldn't be able to handle it on her own?"

"She couldn't. She's a little silly."

"Being shrewd is the product of experience. If you're silly, then it isn't bad to hit a wall a few times. Anyway, even if you protect her now when the road is rough, can you protect her her whole life? Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime - you might as well teach her how to navigate complex workplace relationships instead... "

Fu Zheng ignored Gao Yuan again. "You seem to have a lot of free time. Didn't you have to deal with that hostile takeover? In fact, your wife seems to be short a person to go shopping with, shall I give her a call?" He reached for his phone.

When Gao Yuan heard the words 'shopping with your wife', his scalp went numb. He immediately stopped talking and hastily hurried away.

Meanwhile, completely unaware that in 'silly sweet' Fu Zheng's eyes she was the real silly sweet one, Ning Wan was happily working on his behalf the past few days.

Thanks to her efforts, today Fu Zheng's chair had been officially upgraded from that noble, elegant, Mediterranean blue plastic stool to the same office chair as she had.

Just as she was pulling Fu Zheng over to the new chair, Auntie Xiao came in. She looked around, and upon seeing Fu Zheng behind his computer, her eyes lit up--

"Xiao Fu," Auntie Xiao played with her hair, "I haven't seen you at all recently." Her tone a little sad, she fluttered her eyelashes at him charmingly. "Didn't you say that you would contact me soon?"

Ning Wan frowned, feeling a little odd. She peered at Fu Zheng inquisitively.

Aunt Xiao had been reluctant to accept him thanks to his age. Why was she suddenly so passionate about seeing him, as if a day spent without him was a year?

Fu Zheng was quite calm. He neutralized Auntie Xiao's hot eyes by changing the topic, "Is there any news about Auntie Wang?"

As soon as he mentioned this, Xiao Mei perked up. "Well, of course. When I, Xiao Mei, go on the move, anything I want, I get." She eyed Fu Zheng again before lowering her voice. "Wang Liying's boyfriend is a fake!"