L&H - 38

Yu Qing hadn’t known about Feng Mai’s family background before—turns out they had similar backgrounds.

After that night of selling the bag, she and Feng Mai had no further contact.

By intuition, Feng Mai and Qin Moling had a close relationship.

What was tonight’s dinner about?

Her plans were disrupted by this dinner. With Fu Jichen not at home, going back would be boring. She stood at the café entrance for half a minute.

Ultimately, she decided to return to the office to work overtime.

Tomorrow, she still had to visit New Tech again.

That man Qiao Han, if he got on the right track, would be an irreplaceable talent.

Distracted, she arrived at the first-floor lobby of the law firm.

Yu Qing swiped her elevator card and just stepped inside.

“Hello, may I ask if you are Lawyer Shuo Yu?”

Yu Qing turned around. A gentle, elegant woman whose age couldn’t be discerned approached gracefully.

The woman had dark circles under her eyes; even with makeup, her face looked haggard.

She pressed the door-open button and nodded at the woman. “Yes.”

The woman: “I’ll go up with you. I’m looking for Attorney Yu. She used to work at this law firm; I don’t know if she’s still here.”

She asked Yu Qing, “Around forty years old, quite pretty, very capable.”

There were several female lawyers surnamed Yu in their firm, more than one fitting the age description.

Yu Qing asked: “Do you know her name?”

The woman shook her head. “My child used to attend the same training school as her child. I only know she is surnamed Yu. I don’t have her contact information.”

Yu Qing logged into the internal network and pulled up lawyer photos. “Who are you looking for?”

The woman immediately recognized Yu Fei. “It’s her.”

Then she rubbed her forehead, feeling awkward. “I’m so silly. I forgot to check your law firm’s website.”

Yu Qing alleviated her embarrassment. “Every woman has those few foolish days every month. I had already gone downstairs when I remembered I still had to work overtime. So, I had to come back.”

A slight smile appeared on the woman’s face, knowing Yu Qing was comforting her. “Thank you.”

The elevator stopped.

The office area was large, and Yu Qing led the woman to find Yu Fei.

Every office in their law firm was brightly lit; few people had left.

Through the transparent glass door, Yu Qing knocked a few times and pushed it open. “Sister Yu Fei, someone’s here to see you.”

Yu Fei found the woman familiar but couldn’t recall who she was or where she had seen her.

The woman introduced herself, mentioning which year and training school their children attended together. “My surname is Chen, Chen Yan, ear-east Chen, language Yan.”

Yu Fei then remembered.

Knowing lawyers were busy, Chen Yan quickly explained her purpose without avoiding Yu Qing’s presence. “I want a divorce and need some legal advice.”

Yu Fei was about to leave to get her tea, but Yu Qing gestured for her to stay. “You two talk; I’ll get it.” She asked Chen Yan, “Would you like coffee or warm water?”

“Just plain water, thank you.”

Yu Fei specialized in commercial litigation, arbitration, and corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Civil cases were few and far between for her, mostly handled through relatives and friends, and they were simple.

As for divorce cases, she never took them.

But Chen Yan’s mental state wasn’t good, and she didn’t reject outright.

In her memory, Chen Yan was a lucky and happy housewife. Her husband doted on her, and she lived a life of luxury.

Chen Yan bit her lip slightly. “He cheated on me.”

Just four words conveyed all her pain.

“Today he finished work early and came home to tutor the kids. I didn’t want to see him at all, so I went out for a walk and ended up driving to your law firm. I decided to come up on a whim.”

Ten years of affection ultimately couldn’t withstand the allure of novelty.

Yu Fei silently sighed. This was why she avoided divorce cases—they were too disheartening. In most cases, women were the weaker party and suffered.

Chen Yan had only one request. “I want to fight for custody of both children. I can’t bear to give up either. But I have no source of income. I don’t… I don’t know what to do.”

This past month, she had been living like a walking corpse, forcing smiles in front of the children, pretending nothing had happened. Every day was torment.

Yu Fei knew little about Chen Yan’s husband. “Tell me about your husband.”

Chen Yan: “He’s the sales director of Duo Xin Beverages. His annual income after tax is around two million yuan. That’s all I know.”

Yu Qing, holding a cup of warm water, just arrived at the door.

Chen Yan was actually Zhao Shuqun’s wife.

Yu Fei thought for a moment: “I don’t advise you to divorce right now. This is my suggestion from the perspective of a divorced woman—I myself am divorced, and I know how it feels. Especially now, without a job, how will you fight for custody?”

Yu Qing entered and placed the cup of water on the table.

Without lingering, she returned to her office.

Yu Fei hadn’t talked much with Chen Yan when her client arrived, scheduled to discuss the case that evening. “Sorry, I can’t keep you company. If you’re not in a hurry to leave, we can talk more after I finish.”

“It’s my fault for not making an appointment.” Chen Yan didn’t want to go home yet. “I’ll wait for you.”

She went to the external client reception area.

Walking past, everyone was extremely busy.

Chen Yan grew increasingly anxious. Having given up her career for her family and children, she had no skills left. After a divorce, how would she support herself?

Yu Qing got up to fetch some documents from the file cabinet and turned around to see Chen Yan. Alone in the vast, empty reception area, she sat there, looking desolate.

Her phone screen lit up, and she pressed to end the call.

Later, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Her bag was in the car, and she had no tissues.

Her hands were full of tears.

In a strange place, no one recognized her. Finally, she could let go of her restraint, tears uncontrollably streaming down.

Yu Qing seemed to see her mother from over twenty years ago.

Even though she was very young then, the memory remained vivid.

Temporarily setting aside her work, she brought a pack of tissues over.

Chen Yan felt embarrassed about losing composure and accepted the tissues. “Thank you.”

The water in her cup had long gone cold, so Yu Qing refilled it with hot water.

Chen Yan felt an inexplicable closeness to Yu Qing, especially when she was vulnerable and had nowhere to vent. Yu Qing, who had released warmth and kindness, became her confidant.

“Lawyer Yu doesn’t recommend that I divorce now; my mind is also in chaos. I haven’t slept well for over a month.”

Yu Qing didn’t plan to listen to this, given that she knew Zhao Shuqun. “Then wait until Lawyer Yu finishes her work, and you can have a good talk.”

Chen Yan wiped the corner of her eye. “I actually know you. You’re Yu Qing, who used to work at Fu Group, right?”

Yu Qing was startled. She carefully recalled and was quite sure this was their first meeting.

Chen Yan confessed, “I once followed Zhao Shuqun, wanting evidence of him being with Xiao Yilin to use during the divorce. Unexpectedly, I tracked you both going out to discuss business. I thought he had found someone else, but later realized it was a misunderstanding.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Thank you for always caring about my feelings.”

Her phone rang again, still Zhao Shuqun’s call.

Chen Yan didn’t answer.

The vibration stopped.

A message came in: [Yanyan, what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll cook dinner for you.]

Chen Yan didn’t reply, and two streams of tears fell down.

Yu Qing averted her eyes and looked out the window.

When her mother had hysterically shouted at her before, tears flowed like this.

Chen Yan wiped her tears and stood up. “Lawyer Yu, can you give me one of your business cards? When I come over this weekend, I’ll treat you and Yu Fei to coffee.”

She wouldn’t wait for Yu Fei today. If she returned home late, the two children would wait for her, and sleeping too late would affect their classes tomorrow.

Chen Yan said goodbye to Yu Fei and left.

Yu Qing stood by the window, the night endless.

She wondered what her mother was doing at this moment.

After standing for a while, she went back to work.

Not having had dinner yet, Yu Qing flipped through documents and opened a bag of dried fish snacks to eat.

At seven-thirty, Yu Fei saw off her client and passed by Yu Qing’s office door, catching a whiff of fragrance.

She peeked inside. “What smells so good?”

Yu Qing: “Cat food. Want a bag?”

Yu Fei laughed and waved her hand. “I’ve been feeling hot-tempered lately, so I can’t eat spicy food. By the way, regarding Chen Yan, I don’t recommend that she divorce immediately. What’s your opinion as an anti-marriage advocate?”

“The same as yours.”

Yu Fei nodded. “Then when she comes to see me next time, I’ll invite you along.”

“Alright.”

Throughout the evening, Yu Qing ate four bags of dried fish snacks.

Her mouth was spicy, but her mind was clear.

It was almost nine o’clock when she finally left the law firm.

On Fu Jichen’s side, the dinner was nearing its end.

After several rounds of drinks, they started chatting freely about various topics with no taboos.

“Jichen, aren’t you thirty this year?”

They subtly steered the conversation towards his age, implying it was time to get married.

Fu Jichen folded a napkin into a long strip. “Don’t make me sound so old. I’m just in my twenties, the age for初恋 (first love).”

Everyone burst into laughter. “Have some shame!”

Fu Jichen said softly, “Why should I be ashamed? I’m twenty-nine years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days old today. Just two more days till I turn thirty. I’ve caught the tail end of my youth and started a romance.”

Another round of hearty laughter.

Feng Mai sat diagonally across from Fu Jichen, her gaze reaching him without obstruction. Throughout the meal, she glanced at him more than ten times.

This man concealed his thoughts deeply.

Sometimes, genuine emotions would flicker in his eyes, but they were hard to catch.

All night, he seamlessly switched between being three parts nonchalant and two parts serious, fitting perfectly with the table’s topics.

“What are you tearing the napkin for?” asked President Zou.

“Making amends for a mistake.” Fu Jichen turned to the waiter in the private room. “Can I have a spoonful of rice, thank you?”

The private room fell silent, all eyes focused on Fu Jichen.

He tore the napkin into a long strip, took out a pen, and began drawing on it.

The person who teased Fu Jichen at the last gathering was inspired today. “Did you really snatch Qin Moling’s wife? When will you invite us to your wedding banquet?”

Having drunk quite a bit, he was dizzy and completely forgot that this dinner was to introduce Feng Mai to potential suitors.

As soon as the words were out, he got kicked under the table by President Zou.

President Zou wanted him to shut up and stop bringing up sensitive topics.

The man’s brain short-circuited, frowning. “Who the hell kicked me?! Are you looking to die?!”

President Zou: “...”

He couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Fu Jichen calmly addressed the man. “Whether or not I can invite you to my wedding depends on whether my makeshift solution passes tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

Fu Jichen: “First time in a relationship, not used to wearing rings. I left the ring Yu Qing gave me in the office. If she doesn’t see it when I get home, she’ll be upset again. Making do with what’s available, I’ll make one myself.”

He wrapped the napkin with the drawn fish around his ring finger, tore off the excess, and stuck the ends together with two grains of rice, creating a simple fish-patterned ring.