CH 41.1

Ning Wan had been very satisfied lately with the atmosphere in the office. Chen Shuo was full of energy, and Fu Zheng very enthusiastic. They scrambled to work on cases. The moment they got a consultation call, both raced to answer, as if playing a timed answering game. When a client came in person, the same thing occurred. Ning Wan ended up having nothing to do when all was said and done.

"I really must concede that you're better qualified, Lawyer Fu. You're thirty, yet what great reflexes you have! The second the phone rings, you answer it. I just can't compete with you even though I'm still in my twenties!"

"In the end I'm not as good as you, Lawyer Chen. Youth are so fast when they sprint. It's like you're running a 100-meter race - the old auntie isn't even at the door yet and you've disappeared to receive her. I'm sure you scared her a little, since she was just passing by and didn't actually have any cases to consult, but your passion for finding clients is truly worth learning from."

"How very kind of you, Lawyer Fu."

"You as well."

……

Busy working, Ning Wan wasn't paying much attention to what Fu Zheng and Chen Shuo were talking about. But from the way they smiled at each other, they had to be learning from each other and praising each other. She felt a little touched. No wonder the two of them jived so quickly on the topic of male health care. If they hadn't been the same gender, they might have been a match made in heaven! Making progress together, learning from each other's achievements, listening to their back and forth and how they rushed to handle cases, Ning Wan almost felt redundant.

How touching male friendship was!

It was too bad Ning Wan had no idea that in Fu Zheng's mind his 'friendship' with Chen Shuo was completely non-existent. When two males in their prime were thrown together, they would quite naturally began to compete with each other. And once they began to compete, there would be a tempest.

The more hostile Chen Shuo was to himself and the more he attempted to suppress him, the more Fu Zheng fought back. He was a partner! Even if he was currently undercover, he couldn't lose! If he did, who would respect him when he officially joined Zhengyuan Law Firm in the future? Was this pain in the neck Chen Shuo going to keep stirring up trouble then?

Although they never explicitly discussed it, Fu Zheng and Chen Shuo tacitly began to compete in case handling rate and customer satisfaction. You answered the phone? Alright, well, I'll take care of the client coming in! In short, they went head-to-head attempting to surpass each other.

But in the end Fu Zheng was a partner for a reason. His professional skills were a little more sophisticated and he had a bit more grass-roots experience than Chen Shuo. At the end of the day, he got a lot more done.

Ever since he had been promoted to partner, Fu Zheng had rarely been forced to work so hard and so efficiently. He wasn't short of money or cases, so he could almost be called picky in his choice of customers. Oftentimes, he took on cases as he pleased - if he was in a bad mood that day, he would decline; if the weather tomorrow was going to be very good and he felt like going out, he would not pick up; if the customer the day after tomorrow was difficult to communicate with or too talkative, he wouldn't answer...

But now regardless of who asked or how much they could pay, he was doing his best to solve practical problems for the residents in the community. It was tiring work, but through doing it, Fu Zheng found that he was once again feeling that sense of satisfaction and professional pride that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was as though his unchanging life had been re-injected with passion.

And very soon, he also realized that it did actually pay to do all this work--

Near the end of the day, Liu Guizhen appeared at the door of the office with a thermos, poked her head in, and immediately smiled to find Fu Zheng and Ning Wan there.

"Xiao Ning, Xiao Fu! Great, you're both here!"

Ning Wan immediately greeted her. "Why are you here, Auntie Liu? Can I help you?"

"Nothing wrong with me," Liu Guizhen smiled. "I just came to see you two and thank you for helping me out last time."

"Indeed! Thanks to you both!"

Fu Zheng followed the new voice, only to find Shi Xiaofang coming in behind Liu Guizhen. The two of them had once had a terrible row due to a rooster crowing, yet now here they were, talking and laughing together.

When she saw Fu Zheng looking at her, Shi Xiaofang seemed embarrassed. "I was wrong before to have discriminated against foreigners. I'm fortunate that you two lawyers helped solve our issues. After that, Guizhen and I got to know each other, and the two of us hit it off. She's really down-to-earth, and she was only keeping that rooster due to a promise she made. I found her so nice and reasonable. In my anger, I had said some not-so-nice things..."

Liu Guizhen looked apologetic too. "No, Xiao Fang, it was my fault to begin with. That chicken really upset you…"

Beyond all expectations, the two had done a complete 180 from their previous stalemate. They now seemed to get along very well, not only not quarrelling, but even being very considerate of each other.

"Is everything all right with the chicken now?"

Hearing Ning Wan's question, Liu Guizhen hit her forehead in a sudden realization. "I almost forgot what I came here for." She lifted the thermos in her hand. "I made this chicken soup especially for the two of you."

Fu Zheng paused, looking at the soup. "Is that..?"

"Yes, that's the chicken," Liu Guizhen smiled. "Teacher Guo started and ended class ahead of schedule, so it's job is done and I no longer need to raise it. He asked me to take care of getting rid of it afterward, so I took it to the market and had it slaughtered. It's delicious! I raised it at home and the feed was all organic. You must try this soup!"

Shi Xiaofang chimed in, "It really is delicious! Guizhen sent a pot over to our family too. It's super fresh, you must have some!"

Liu Guizhen pressed the soup on Ning Wan. "Eat it! We'll be back for the thermos in a couple of days!"

Having said that, the two departed arm in arm, chatting and laughing.

Ning Wan watched them leaving and let out a sigh from the bottom of her heart. Thank goodness they had handled the dispute in a flexible manner, so as to not only solve it but to also leave no bad feelings behind, such that the neighbors might eventually become friends.

She was already feeling very satisfied, but when she opened the thermos, her eyes shining, she became even more satisfied--

"Ahh! It looks amazing!"

As Liu Guizhen had said, the soup looked delicious. There were a lot of mushrooms in it, and just smelling it made one's mouth water.

The thermos had a cup, and Ning Wan also had two glass bowls with fruit in them in the office, bringing the number exactly to three. She happily passed out the bowls and poured out a cup of chicken soup for everyone--

"Come have some!"

First she gave Chen Shuo a bowl, then Fu Zheng, then finally she poured one for herself.

As expected, the soup was fresh, flavourful, and rich. Unfortunately, when they were halfway through, Ning Wan was called away. "I've got to pick up this delivery. You guys go ahead."

She hurriedly drank the remaining half of her soup, wiped her mouth, and ran out.

Chen Shuo and Fu Zheng were left behind in the office.

Fu Zheng looked at Chen Shuo, feeling a little stormy inside. Ning Wan had given him the thermos cup, while she and Chen Shuo were using her two paired glass bowls. This meant that Chen Shuo's bowl was very obviously bigger than his own, and that the amount of chicken soup Chen Shuo had gotten was visibly more...

Fu Zheng had had a lot of chicken soup in his lifetime. He didn't really care if he had more or less. But this wasn't about chicken soup. It was a battle for dignity.

Though the soup was delicious, when Fu Zheng bowed his head and drank it, he felt like he was chewing wax.

What did he do to deserve any? His heart had only those words.

Strictly speaking, the case of the rooster disturbance had been handled by Fu Zheng and Ning Wan together. What had Chen Shuo done? Why was this pain in the neck who had never been involved in the case allowed to rush in, reap the fruits of their victory and crowd out his own achievements?

For this case, a chicken had pecked holes in his bespoke suit. His sense of smell had almost failed permanently thanks to the excrement in that chicken farm. He had even condescended to hold down the rooster, contributing to it becoming a eunuch rooster. Yet now?

It had been a difficult case, and the chicken soup given as a thank you was clearly for him and Ning Wan, so why was Chen Shuo getting some of it? Even if he got some, why was his bowl so much bigger? He got so much more!

It wasn't fair!