CH 29.1

Although internally reluctant, Fu Zheng still ended up going out to buy milk tea. When he thought things over calmly, Ning Wan really had to some extent filled in the gaps in Fu Zheng's knowledge, and overcome certain long-standing prejudices of his.

He was a senior lawyer who had been in the field for a long time and was very adept at getting the law to work for him, to the point where it sometimes felt more like an art. Anyone in his position was likely to develop a sense of superiority. Standing up high and looking down at his inferiors, he couldn't see the forest for the trees.

All along, Fu Zheng had sincerely believed that law could solve all disputes. It might be incomplete or in need of reform right now, but one day, the legal system would be improved to the point of being all-encompassing and able to regulate all human behaviors. He had thought of this belief as his form of respect for the law, and looked down on lawyers who used mediation or ethics to defuse disputes. Today, however, Ning Wan had surprised him with her remarks.

For the first time, Fu Zheng had realized that the law might not be omnipotent, that it could only reach a limited aspect of human society. There still existed some areas that the law could never touch, no matter how far it might one day mature.

Having only lived a short few years starting from a position of great privilege, Fu Zheng had never had the experience of being down at the very bottom of the feeding pool. He felt like coming out here to work in the community had been very helpful for his personal growth. Furthermore, he had found that Ning Wan's handling of cases really was remarkable. She seemed somehow able to combine law and emotion together in a very commendable manner.

Thoughts like this swirling through his head, Fu Zheng made his way back to the office with milk tea in hand. Unexpectedly, not far from the office door, he bumped into an acquaintance.

Who could it be over there, holding a bunch of flowers and peering right and left, if not Xiao Mei?

When he saw the bouquet in her hands, Fu Zheng's inner alarms went off. Hadn't Ning Wan said that the issue with Auntie Xiao had been solved? Why hadn't she given up yet?

Right at that moment, Xiao Mei caught sight of him. She pulled herself together and hurried over.

"Xiao Fu!" Auntie Xiao's eyes were complex and her voice filled with emotion. "Little did I know... you and I weren't destined to be together after all..."

Fu Zheng hesitated. But the pursuit he had originally thought would happen never manifested, so he breathed a sigh of relief and comforted, "Auntie Xiao, we're just not suited..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Xiao Mei finished it for him, "Yes, we're not suited... so since we can't be lovers, let's be sisters!"

? ? ?

Sisters? Wasn't this kind of a big jump?

Auntie Xiao ignored Fu Zheng's look of incomprehension. "But Xiao Fu, listen to Auntie's advice. Yin and Yang complement each other to keep this world in harmony. This makes sense, doesn't it? Two yangs together is too strong and vigorous. All that fire and anger will be bad for your health!"

Completely baffled, Fu Zheng replied, "I'm fine? I'm not angry."

But that just made Auntie Xiao look at him with even more pity in her eyes. "Well, forget it. I don't really understand how you young people think, but it sounded like this isn't a disease, and it can't be corrected either. A few days ago, I couldn't sleep and read quite a few articles on the subject. It's probably something in your genes, a problem from the womb. I can't blame you for it, Xiao Fu. You're a victim too!"

What's all this about? What was a problem from the womb?

Just as Fu Zheng was about to ask, he glanced up at the office, and was so shocked to see the two people sitting in front of Ning Wan that he almost lost his soul.

He looked at one of them. Wasn't that his aunt?!

Then he looked at the other. Wasn't that his second aunt?!?

……

Fu Zheng no longer cared about what Auntie Xiao was saying. All he remembered was that she patted him on the shoulder and said, "Everything has a beginning and an end. Xiao Fu, these last few years, you're the only one who has managed to touch my heart. Since we can't be together, I bid you adieu. In the language of flowers, the meaning of daisies is farewell, let it put a period to our short time together!"

After saying all these tragic, literary, passionate words, Auntie Xiao looked at him as if with heartache, then put the flowers in his hand and walked away with short, quick steps.

Ning Wan had thought that after successfully polishing off old Wang Liying's case, she would be able to breathe a little easier, but for whatever reason that day she received walk-in consultations in an endless stream. Before Fu Zheng could even come back with the milk tea, in came a new client--

An elegant, expensive-looking middle-aged lady all decked out in jewels stepped into the door not long after he had left.

When she saw Ning Wan, she looked around a little before tentatively asking, "Are you a community lawyer here? How old are you? A fresh graduate?"

It was not her first time coming across this sort of customer. Many residents misunderstood that the older the lawyer, the more experienced and reliable they were. Since Ning Wan was young, she often encountered such questions during a first meeting. Therefore she wasn't surprised at all, but instead replied peacefully, "Auntie, my name is Ning Wan, and I have been out of school for a while. Don't worry, I am an experienced and professional lawyer. Please ask me if you have any questions."

Once asked this question, an ordinary customer would usually pour out their complaints like beans out of a sack. But it seemed like this middle-aged lady was different...

"Ah, I have a question to ask, it's about the law, um... um..." she seemed to stutter for a long while before finally getting it out. "I lent 100,000 yuan to my neighbor a month ago, but we didn't write an IOU. Now she won't repay me. How can I get my money back?"

"Which building in the Yuelan neighbourhood do you live in?" Ning Wan asked, somewhat confused. "I've been working here in this community for a while, but somehow we've never met. Do you have a transfer record of when you sent the money? Did you write down anything in the transfer that indicated it was a loan? If not, then who is your neighbor? I might know her, and if I do, I could speak to her directly on your behalf. A hundred thousand isn't a a small sum..."

"I... ahahaha... I just moved here!"

Just as Ning Wan was about to continue asking questions, another person walked in the door--

"Excuse me, I have a question to consult with a lawyer about..."

Ning Wan looked up. It turned out to be another bejeweled middle-aged lady, holding a Hermes bag in her hand! She had to let out an emotional sigh. The Yuelan community was truly the nest of crouching tigers and hidden dragons - so many rich people! And even though they were rich, they didn't even go looking for expensive barristers, but instead obtained cheap, subsidized legal services from the neighbourhood. Apparently the reason why the rich were rich was because they were frugal!

The new middle-aged lady gracefully surveyed Ning Wan from head to toe before searching for a seat. Just as she was about to sit, she caught sight of the other middle-aged lady already sitting there. They both jumped a little in fright.

"Do you two know each other?"

The first lady waved her hands frantically. "No, no, I have no idea who this person is."

The newcomer admitted, "Yes, I know her..."

“……”

Left with no choice, Ning Wan had to ask again, "Do you know one another?"

This time, the first lady nodded hard. "I know her."

And the second lady denied, "No, I don't!"

There was something very, very fishy going on here.

Ning Wan stared at the two very, very fishy people and cleared her throat. "This office operates on the principle of first come, first serve. I'm very sorry Auntie, but the previous guest hasn't yet finished her consultation. For the sake of privacy, could I trouble you to go outside first and come back later?"

It was too bad that the moment she said this, the first lady unexpectedly gave ground humbly. "No need, no need, Lawyer Ning. You can let this other lady consult first."

The second lady was somehow also very accommodating. "Lawyer, I don't mind letting this other lady listen in, let's all have a chat together!"

"..." Ning Wan choked. She had never seen such strange customers before. "Then Auntie, won't you tell me what you want to consult about?"

"I... I... I lent some money to my neighbour, and they haven't returned it..."

There were no words to express the feelings in Ning Wan's heart. Were all middle-aged ladies so gullible nowadays? One just came in who had lent money to a neighbor, and now here comes another? She couldn't help but wonder if the two of them somehow lacked neighbours?

But as they say, God is just and God is fair1. Although the two ladies were rich, they didn't seem very smart. When Ning Wan asked them about the details of the case according to how private loan disputes generally went, their answers were random and confused, so much so that it sounded like they had just made the whole thing up…

And soon, their behavior proved Ning Wan right--

As she was noting down records in the gap between their consultations, the two ladies looked around. "Lawyer Xiao Ning, are you the only lawyer working here?"

Not looking up, Ning Wan answered, "No, there's another lawyer working here too, a man."

Sure enough, the two ladies seemed very interested. "And where is he?" they asked. 

Ning Wan did rather feel like Fu Zheng had been out buying milk tea for far too long. She looked up to see him not far outside the office door, and immediately realized why he had been away for so long. He had been stopped by Auntie Xiao. The two of them were currently engaged in conversation.

She pointed, "There he is."

The results were pretty good, if she did say so herself. The moment she opened her mouth, the two ladies followed her gaze and immediately dropped all interest in their own loan disputes.

"What an unexpectedly handsome, suave, dignified, charming, talented-looking, sophisticated..."

Ning Wan had to interrupt this horrible string of synonyms. "Auntie, should we perhaps first talk about your legal troubles?"

"Oh..." The two middle-aged ladies seemed quite unwilling, but somehow they got back on topic. Sadly, the good times didn't last long. After a few sentences, their eyes slid back to Fu Zheng.

She didn't get two sentences past that before the two middle-aged ladies shared a glance and began to flatter Fu Zheng again. "Lawyer Ning, your colleague is so handsome! Don't you think so?  Look at that first-class figure! He seems to have an excellent temperament too, you can tell how dignified and cultured he is with just a look..."

……

What the hell was going on with Fu Zheng? Yeah, he was a little more handsome, a little better as build goes, and a little better temperament-wise compared to others, but... this much?

Ning Wan's heart was full of doubt. Honestly, Fu Zheng was still a ways away from the office. Even she couldn't really see his face clearly. How did these two middle-aged ladies have such good eyesight? And on top of that, being stopped by Auntie Xiao must have triggered some sort of trauma for Fu Zheng about older middle-aged suitors, because his expression wasn't very good at the moment. Yet he was still somehow dropping middle-aged ladies like flies? The two ladies obviously didn't care much about getting legal advice, but their praise for Fu Zheng was well-rounded from every angle...

At this point Ning Wan was sure that this wasn't a serious consult. Since she had never seen them before, she was afraid that these two ladies weren't from the Yuelan community. Who knew where they had caught sight of Fu Zheng or his photo, but they were obviously more of his goddamned suitors! They were here with ulterior motives!