CH 51.2

Under three pairs of eyes, little adult Shiyin hopped down from Shu Ning's embrace and winked. "Last time Dad beat Mom, I recorded it secretly…" She paused, then continued, "I used Mom's old cell phone. I took photos and a video, but then Dad was hitting and throwing things and the phone got smashed. I couldn't turn it on, so I couldn't show it to Uncle Policeman..."

Ning Wan's eyes lit up. "You're such a great kid!" She turned to Shu Ning. "We can have the phone repaired and restored. It's highly likely that that video can still be exported from storage. This would give us direct video evidence, and Yu Feiyuan won't be able to deny that he hit you."

Hugging Shiyin hard, Shu Ning nodded.

"Also, for the time being don't mention divorce again. Firstly, to prevent him from getting riled up again and hurting you, and secondly, to try to get further proof."

Now that it had come to handling the case, Ning Wan put away her emotions and fell into serious, professional mode. "Even if we have a video, it is an isolated incident. It can only prove that Yu Feiyuan beat you once. If he acts like he's crying and repenting in front of the judge, it's likely that the judge will determine that there is still hope for your relationship, and will not grant you a divorce the first time you sue for it. So you had better have further supporting evidence. Since he hit you again, it's quite likely that he will apologize afterward. Is it possible for you to get him to write a written letter of apology? Written proof is extremely effective as evidence."

Shu Ning nodded. "I'll also buy a camera and install it in the rooms and the living room. If case he hits me again, it'll be further proof."

"Remember to make a police report," Fu Zheng cautioned. "Protect yourself first, obtain evidence second."

Shu Ning wrote down their suggestions one by one. They all agreed to first restore the phone, then step by step seek other supplementary evidence. In the meantime, Shu Ning would send out her resume and try to find a stable job, so as to gain custody of her child.

Once the parties had made up their minds, a divorce case like this went quickly. Ning Wan sorted out all the details, gave Shu Ning a list to obtain, and that brought the preparations to sue Yu Feiyuan for divorce to an end.

When leaving, Shu Ning thanked them over and over again, and apologized to Ning Wan once more. "I'm sorry, Lawyer Ning. I will most definitely cancel my complaint to your firm as soon as possible. You really are an excellent lawyer."

Ning Wan had no longer dared to have hope for Shu Ning's case. Unexpectedly, both the case and her own complaint had been solved smoothly in the end.

After Shu Ning left with her daughter, Ning Wan and Fu Zheng walked from the police station to the community office.

It was impossible for Ning Wan to be unhappy when things had gone so perfectly. However, aside from happiness, she still felt other emotions; some sourness, some complicated feelings, some feeling of being at a loss. She didn't even know how she should express herself, but next to her Fu Zheng was silent, not even saying anything to take credit.

Eventually, Ning Wan couldn't hold it in any longer. She kicked a stone in front of her and said--

"Fu Zheng."

Fu Zheng stopped and turned to her, looking mild and very ordinary. "Hn?"

Ning Wan stared at him for a moment, then looked away, found a pebble and kicked it down the road as if it were the one making trouble. "Are you stupid?"

"What?"

You still had the nerve to ask!

Ning Wan took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "You're an intern, and interns can't handle cases alone. Don't you remember? Who told you to sneak around and see the client behind my back?"

Fu Zheng smiled and said nothing, but the more he took this attitude, the more the emotions in Ning Wan's heart churned. She glared at him again, trying puff herself up angrily. "You knew very well that Shu Ning's case was complicated, and that she had already lodged a complaint on me. Did you not understand that if you came into contact privately with her daughter and made the child rebel, she would probably lodge a complaint on you too? At least I've been a practicing lawyer for several years, so getting one complaint won't have such a great impact. You're still an intern. If you got a complaint, you could have been fired!"

Seeing that Fu Zheng hadn't realized the potential risks even up until now, Ning Wan was even angrier. "You already had no work experience when you started, even though you were old for the job. If you got a complaint during your internship and were fired, your future career would be ruined! In the future, if you encounter something like this, don't come near it."

"I wanted to try."

"Try what?! This isn't the time for an intern to take the lead. What were you going to try? Were you going to see if you could handle it yourself? You need to walk before you can run. I know you're keen on this case, but..."

"I wanted to see if I could get her to cancel the complaint against you."

Fu Zheng's voice was gentle and peaceful, with no complex embellishments or indirect implications. But it was this mild straightforwardness against which Ning Wan was completely helpless.

In fact, she was well aware that Fu Zheng had attempted to find a breakthrough for her own sake. But it was precisely because of this that she felt like she couldn't forgive herself.

"Are you an idiot?" She tried to suppress the sourness in her nose and found another stone to kick. "At times like this it's good to be alone. Looking for someone to intercede on my behalf? I've been a senior lawyer for several years, of course I have my own solutions to complaints. Don't do something so stupid in the future. The first step to being a lawyer is learning how to protect yourself."

"It wasn't stupid." Fu Zheng's tone was sure. "You're a good lawyer, and you shouldn't be held back by something like this. You deserve to get into the senior partner's team and to stand in a higher position."

Ning Wan couldn't help but feel something well up in her eyes. Although she had been telling Fu Zheng that she was a senior lawyer and giving him all kinds of advice, in her heart, she knew her own worth. "Although I may have worked a few years longer than you, that's all I've got to teach you. I've never done a complicated business case, and I've got no big cases on my resume. I'm not a good mentor at all."

"You just haven't seen much of the world, so you feel that you've learned a lot from me, but the senior partner is much better than I am. Try to get into a good team in the future, but remember no matter what, don't set your heart on anyone. Always think about yourself first."

But though her mood was unstable, Fu Zheng remained peaceful and amiable. He glanced at Ning Wan. "Did you think about yourself when you handling this case? According to the rule of the firm, if you have an active complaint this year it will affect your application to enter any partner's team."

Fortunately what happened with Shu Ning had been successfully solved, but if any one of a thousand things had gone wrong, not only she herself, the complaint recipient, would be affected, but Fu Zheng would too for having intervened so actively.

As virtue rises a foot, vice rises ten1. Ning Wan had always fought back against anyone or anything that was unkind to her. This wasn't because she was belligerent, but because if she didn't fight for herself, then no one would.

The workplace has always been cruel. In Zhengyuan Law, Ning Wan had no team, no mentor, and therefore no port of refuge. In the past when she had been wronged, or robbed of her cases, or assigned leftovers, she could only fight on her own, more enduring than fighting. This bordered on the first time that someone had stood up to protect her.

Ning Wan had never imagined that one day she would be protected by an intern with no qualifications or background. Her heart, though touched, was mixed in with shame and guilt.

She should have been the one protecting Fu Zheng. She shouldn't have let him take risks for her.

"Don't do something like this in the future. My degree is second-rate, and I don't have much experience with major cases. Even without a complaint, the senior partner may not have chosen me, but you're different. Your education is without question, and you're a quick learner. Although you may be older, since you're a man your marriage and children have little impact on the workplace. Fight hard, and the senior partner might really choose you."

She looked at him, full of sincerity. "Also, don't be so loyal in the workplace, and don't always think so well of others. What if I was actually not that good? After all, the new team only accepts three people, so you're also my potential competitor. You can know a face, but not their heart. What if I'm being kind to you on the surface while slandering you behind your back? "

She was trying to persuade him to have his guard up in the workplace, but that silly sweet Fu Zheng not only didn't understand, but also interrupted her without even thinking. He gave her a look and his voice sounded sure--

"You wouldn't."

Ning Wan felt like she could hardly breathe. Usually Fu Zheng caught on quite quickly. How could he be so stubborn when it came to relationships in the workplace?

But just as she was about to continue, she heard him say--

"I don't want you to have a complaint record." His beautiful eyes were fixed on her. "Because we'll join the senior partner's team together."

"You and I, in the future, will continue working together."