Chapter 03 Chapter 3

The dual effects of painkillers and red wine allowed Wen Ying to sleep until dawn.

She got up unsteadily and took a shower in the bathroom.

Strictly speaking, the bedroom where Wen Ying lives cannot be considered a guest bedroom.

This house is an old-style villa, and it is not small. The two south-facing bedrooms are next to each other, with the same layout and area, each with its own private bathroom and a terrace.

The terrace was originally one piece, but it was divided into two parts by laying low stone bricks in the middle.

During the first six months of their marriage, Wen Ying lived here and what she did most often was to stay up late at night, sitting on a chair on the terrace and quietly watching the light from Chen Li's room next door.

He was an extremely hardworking man, and after working overtime, he would still go back home to finish some work or read some professional books. Behind the curtains, the light was dim, and Wen Ying would often wait until he turned off the lights and went to sleep before leaving the terrace.

At that time, three years seemed like a long time away, and more than a thousand days and nights would not be easily passed.

But I don't know who did something strange in the middle, it was like someone pressed the fast-forward button, and the countdown started in the blink of an eye.

The hot water was steaming, and Wen Ying wiped his eyes.

It seemed as if water flowed into her eyes, making her eye sockets red.

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Wen Ying packed up and went out. It was empty outside. Shen Li had already left home for work.

She took a glass of water and saw a thermos on the dining table. Next to it was a fried dough stick in a paper bag, wrapped in a towel to prevent it from getting cold.

Wen Ying opened the thermos, and the soy milk inside was fragrant and emitting wisps of hot steam.

Her stomach was empty, and she felt a little touched. She had a bad stomach, and every time she had a stomachache, she would drink some soy milk to feel better. There was a breakfast shop not far downstairs that sold soy milk, and Wen Ying had often bought it there since she was a child.

Wen Ying drank a bowl of soy milk, ate all the fried dough sticks, and then packed up and left, feeling satisfied. Jiang Cheng's case was about to be transferred to another lawyer, and there was still some work to be done. In addition, she needed to go to the mall to buy a birthday gift for Shen's mother.

When Wen Ying was going downstairs, she happened to meet the couple next door coming upstairs. The wife was very surprised to see her and asked, "Lawyer Wen, are you really back in Minshi?"

It sounded like he had known she was coming back.

Wen Ying was a little confused, but still nodded with a smile: "Yes, there are some adjustments to my work, and I will stay here to work in the future."

The wife blinked. "Lawyer Wen, we were hoping to find a time to call you, and we happened to meet you today. We were wondering if we could renew our lease. The handover of our new house has been delayed for six months, and we don't have anywhere else to live."

Renew the lease?

She had originally planned to continue subletting her own house, after all, it was a bit awkward for a divorced couple to live next door to each other, even if it was a marriage by agreement.

She nodded and said yes.

The wife was delighted that their urgent need had been resolved. She glanced at her husband and said, "Don't worry, Lawyer Wen. Having a good landlord like you saves us a lot of worry. We will transfer the rent to you on time."

Wen Ying walked down two more steps with her bag when her wife called her, "Lawyer Wen, you and Mr. Shen have a really good relationship. I told my husband this morning that it must be Lawyer Wen who came back, but he didn't believe it."

"This morning?"

The wife nodded and said, "I happened to see Mr. Shen coming back from taking the children to school. He said he bought soy milk. The breakfast shop downstairs was closed for two days, so Mr. Shen must have traveled a long way to buy it."

"Goodbye, Lawyer Wen. Thank you again for the house."

The couple went upstairs happily. Wen Ying carried her bag and stood in the stairwell for a long time.

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On Saturday night, the Shen family gathered together to celebrate Shen's mother's birthday.

Yao Fangzhou was seriously ill and had to receive intravenous drips every day, so his case had to be temporarily handed over to Wen Ying for advancement.

Yao Fangzhou specializes in financial mergers and acquisitions, and his client recently had a merger and acquisition case to consult on. Wen Ying was dizzy listening to the discussion in the reception room, but she had to pull herself together and respond until the other party left at dusk.

She spoke to Yao Fangzhou on the phone on the way to the hotel, and his voice was still very hoarse.

Wen Ying got out and closed the taxi door. "I've been a divorce lawyer for so long that I feel dizzy when I hear all this financial jargon. Family matters are more appealing to me."

Yao Fangzhou was like a drake. "You make up for what you lack. You must yearn for a happy family life, so you want to seek happiness for the unhappy. And I..." He coughed violently again, "I just want to make money. Seeing those strings of money makes me excited."

She walked towards the hotel carrying the gift and vaguely saw Shen Li standing outside the lobby.

"I have things to do tonight, you should get some rest," she said, ignoring Yao Fangzhou's cough. "I hope you recover soon and make a lot of money. I still need to focus on helping the less fortunate find happiness."

"I hope you can be happy too."

"So pretentious." Wen Ying hung up the phone without mercy.

"Why are you outside?" Wen Ying approached Shen Li.

Shen Li took the shopping bag from Wen Yingti: "Come out to answer the phone."

Wen Ying curled her lips, and could tell that he was giving a perfunctory answer.

No one needs to take the elevator to the first floor and then walk out of the hotel lobby to answer the phone.

He is the youngest and most promising prosecutor in Minshi. I don't know why he is so keen on making such lame excuses.

The two entered the hotel side by side. While waiting for the elevator, Wen Ying saw their figures on the bright elevator door.

Because of his work, Chen Li's wardrobe consists of a variety of shirts and trousers, in addition to his uniform. He is tall, with broad shoulders, and his shirts are neat and tidy, with handsome features.

Wen Ying thought that if they really had feelings for each other, they would definitely be the most well-matched couple on the street.

In the elevator, Shen Li looked down at the gift Wen Ying brought: "What is it?"

"I bought a wool sweater for Mom. Winter is coming soon, and wool is warm. It's Mom's favorite light purple."

The trademark on the exquisite packaging looked familiar. She knew it wouldn't be cheap without even opening it. Shen Li looked at her and said, "Thank you."

"Don't go out of your way to thank me," Wen Ying said as the elevator arrived and she walked out first. "If someone hears us, they'll think we both have problems."

Shen Li strode past her and led her to the box: "I was planning to go shopping with you, but Cui Li's case went to court yesterday, and I really couldn't spare the time in the past few days."

Wen Ying knew he was working overtime. Although they had both lived at home for the past few days, they had never met. Wen Ying only heard Shen Li's voice a few times in the middle of the night, and only then did she know he had just returned home.

Wen Ying glanced at him, and from this angle she could only see half of his profile.

Shen Li noticed her gaze, slowed down his pace and turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"

Wen Ying shook her head: "It's okay. It's just that you rarely tell me about your own affairs, so I don't know how to respond."

Her expression was serious and her words were very certain, as if Shen Li was really treating her harshly.

He was both angry and amused, reaching out to ruffle Wen Ying's hair. "You haven't replied to the WeChat message I sent you yesterday. Who talks less to whom?"

Yesterday’s WeChat?

Oh, Wen Ying remembered. Yesterday afternoon, Shen Li sent a WeChat message saying that Cui Li's case had been heard and the verdict had been announced.

Wen Ying had no idea why he told her this. Thinking about it, she realized he might want her to pass it on to Yao Fangzhou, so she forwarded it to him, forgetting to reply to Chen Li.

She was about to explain when a cheerful voice came from the side: "Sister-in-law!"

It is Shen Yuan.

She is three years younger than Wen Ying and works as a reporter at a TV station.

She ran over and affectionately took Wen Ying's arm, teasing them: "Come on, you're an old married couple and you're still touching each other all day long."

An old married couple. Wen Ying blushed.

She followed him into the private room, where everyone was already there.

Shen Li handed the gift in his hand to Shen's mother, turned around and looked at Wen Ying with a smile: "Xiao Ying picked this specially for you, a fine wool sweater."

His tone was natural and his attitude was gentle, as if she was the wife he cared about most.

Wen Ying admired the prosecutor's calm demeanor. If she told the people in the room that they were just a married couple, no one would believe her.

Mother Shen hadn't seen Wen Ying for a long time, and she was very happy to see her come in: "I heard that you will work in Min City in the future?"

Wen Ying held her hand, her mother's hand was soft and warm.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I can see you and dad often in the future."

Father Shen also smiled and waved at her through his thick glasses: “Come, Xiao Wen, come and sit down.”

She sat with Shen Li, and next to her was the chattering Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan loves his job and can't stop talking about all kinds of news.

Wen Ying listened attentively. Chen Li had already opened the sealed chopsticks and disinfectant wipes for her, and naturally took one of her hands to wipe it clean for her.

Wen Ying's hand was held in his palm. Under the back of her hand was Shen Li's dry and hot palm, while on the palm was the trace of cool water that had been gently caressed.

She was startled and her palms subconsciously curled up, holding the wet wipes in her hands: "I'll do it myself." Wen Ying whispered.

Shen Li's aunt was sitting opposite, and she smiled and said to Shen's mother, "You two have such a good relationship. When Xiao Wen returns to Min City to work, I guess you will be able to hold your grandson soon."

Mother Shen smiled and said, "They are all busy with work, we won't rush them, just follow their schedule."

My aunt was keen on urging young people to get married and have children. She asked Wen Ying enthusiastically, "You got married during the pandemic, so you didn't have a wedding. Now that everything is back to normal, do you plan to hold a ceremony? You're back in Minshi working now, so while you're still young, you can put children on the agenda. I've been through this, and I'm speaking from the heart. If you decide to have children, the sooner the better, otherwise your body won't be able to handle it later."

The epidemic has prevented her from meeting most of her relatives. Now, as she sits at the table, everyone's eyes are fixed on her, waiting to hear her disclose her birth plan, which makes Wen Ying feel helpless.

He can talk endlessly to the judge and lawyers in court simply because they are all strangers. There is no need to consider any reason, only to do his job impartially.

But all those sitting at the table were Chen Li's relatives and friends, and speaking too bluntly would easily create a rift.

She was about to speak when Chen Li reached out and took her hand, pulling it onto his leg. "I'm currently too busy with work, and Xiaoying just got a promotion, so there's no rush for the baby. As for the wedding," Chen Li tilted his head to look at her, his lips curled slightly, "there will be a wedding, and I'll make good preparations."

Chen Li's fingers seemed to caress the back of Wen Ying's hand gently and unintentionally.

The two have been married for three years, and although it is a marriage by agreement, they have had some intimate moments.

They lived together for the first six months. After all, they had obtained a marriage certificate and became a real couple. Chen Li treated her more warmly than he had in the previous nineteen years. When they were not busy at work, they would occasionally watch movies together at home in the middle of the night.

All the lights were turned off, and the two of them sat on the sofa, with only the dim light from the screen.

Sometimes they would watch too late and fall asleep without realizing it. When she woke up again, she would sometimes lean on Shen Li's shoulder, and sometimes be held in his arms. Another time, when she opened her eyes, she was sleeping in Shen Li's bed.

They each had a quilt, and Shen Li slept soundly.

The next day, Shen Li explained that he was too sleepy and didn't think too much about it.

Sometimes they would watch horror movies. Wen Ying was a typical idiot but loved watching them. She would turn them on eagerly every time, but would curl up into a ball after watching for less than twenty minutes and ask Chen Li to turn off the TV.

Shen Li's interest had just been piqued, and he was annoyed by her noise, so he simply pulled her over and held her in his arms, holding her hand so that she could watch in peace and not say anything.

But later, the law firm opened a branch in Jiangcheng, and she took the initiative to apply for a transfer there. Due to the distance, the frequency of their meetings drastically decreased, and they no longer had the opportunity to go to the movies together.

Chen Li returned to his former cold self, as if the intimacy of the past six months was just an illusion.

Chen Li's palm remained as warm and generous as ever. Wen Ying lowered her eyes, looking at the hand he held tightly, knowing that this was just a temporary solution to deal with outsiders - just like their marriage.

Wen Ying raised her head and looked at her aunt again. There was a smile on her face, but no emotion could be seen in her eyes. "Yes, there will be a wedding. I will send you an invitation then."

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