Chapter 18

At two o'clock in the morning, Wen Ying returned home feeling cold.

Surprisingly, Chen Li was still awake. He was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, reading his notebook, a mug in his hand. Seeing her come back, he stood up and took her bag. "Are you cold?"

Wen Ying nodded and went into the cloakroom to take off her coat: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

He leaned against the door frame and looked at her: "I can't sleep, so I'll just take care of some work."

Wen Ying wore a black woolen skirt and raised her arms to put her hair up. She had a slender waist and a fair neck.

Shen Li crossed his arms: "Are you okay?"

She glanced at him strangely: "Of course I'm fine." Wen Ying reacted, a mocking smile on the corner of her lips, and raised her head to look at him, "Did Zheng Di share the good news of my failure with you immediately?"

Chen Li raised an eyebrow, made way for Wen Ying to walk out of the cloakroom, and followed closely behind her: "It is true that Zheng Di told me, but I don't mean to gloat over her misfortune."

Wen Ying took a glass of warm water and drank it in one gulp. The glass made a crisp sound on the marble countertop. "This is only the first trial. Winning or losing is normal. Especially since it's Zhou Boyu's case. How could he succeed so easily?" She supported herself on the countertop with a hand and chuckled. "Guan Qianqian and Zheng Di are a perfect match. This time, I underestimated my opponent and suffered a loss."

Chen Li was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, his hair was washed, and the loose hair on his forehead covered his thick eyebrows.

Wen Ying was still in the mood to joke with him: "You look almost the same as you did ten years ago. I don't know how you maintain this look. Today I discovered that I actually have nasolabial folds."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," he said, adding a pun, "in any way."

Wen Ying nodded. "I'm not a child anymore. It's useless to get angry and self-blame when something goes wrong. It's better to use this time to find a solution to the problem. I'm actually glad Zheng Di didn't wait until the final trial to produce this evidence, otherwise I would really be in tears."

Seeing that she looked normal, Shen Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Did Zhou Boyu give you any trouble or blame you?"

Ever since he heard that Wen Ying lost the case, God knows how worried he was. He was only worried that Zhou Boyu would be too harsh and refuse to accept the reality of failure.

"No, he felt guilty," she sighed. "But every failure is a learning experience. This is a good thing for our cooperation. It's like a catalyst, allowing him to fully respect my opinions and for me to completely trust him."

Wen Ying rubbed his temples and said, "I need to rest. I'll be sorting through the evidence tonight. It feels like there are bugs flying before my eyes."

Chen Li opened his arms to her. Wen Ying did not resist. She put her arms around Chen Li's waist and snuggled into his arms.

He smelled the same as her, and Wen Ying closed her eyes.

She didn't speak, and Chen Li didn't disturb her peace. After a long while, Wen Ying finally spoke, leaning against his chest, her voice muffled, "How did you respond to Zheng Di?"

Chen Li laughed in his throat, causing his chest to vibrate with resonance. Even though she pretended not to care, she was still worried about him.

Shen Li loosened one hand, took out his phone from his trouser pocket and clicked it twice, then put the screen in front of Wen Ying: "You can look at it as you like."

"Who wants to see it?" Although she said that, she still grabbed the phone and opened Zheng Di's dialog box.

Zheng Di: "The Bosheng Group divorce lawsuit was decided today. Prosecutor Shen, guess what the outcome will be."

Shen Li: "I'm a criminal prosecutor, not responsible for divorce cases."

Zheng Di: "The other party's attorney is Wen Ying. Aren't you curious whether she wins or loses?"

Chen Li didn't respond for the next half hour. Zheng Di muttered to herself, "Huh? Busy again? I'll be merciful and reveal the answer~~~ Of course I won. The court upheld our claim, and Wen Ying's defeat was quite complete. Zhou Boyu paid a high price, so I'm worried you'll see a sour face when you get home tonight."

Another twenty minutes passed before Shen Li replied, "Thanks for the reminder. I will behave well when I get home tonight."

Zheng Di: "???? Chen Li, are you a masochist?"

Chen Li: "I'm happy with it. But please don't ask too many details about the relationship between husband and wife."

Zheng Di: “?”

Wen Ying laughed heartily: "I can imagine Zheng Di is so angry about you that she is jumping up and down."

His big hand rested on the back of Wen Ying's head. "I didn't mean to anger her on purpose. These are all from the bottom of my heart."

She raised her face in Shen Li's arms and giggled: "What details between husband and wife are forbidden to ask?"

Shen Li lowered his head and approached, with a dangerous light in his eyes: "Do you want to experience it yourself?"

Wen Ying's face flushed and she covered her face with her hands: "You have no shame."

Shen Li kissed the back of her hand lightly: "Why should I be so shameless as to ask you for money?"

The skin he kissed felt soft and cool, then strangely burned. Wen Ying didn't let go of her hand, covering her face and muttering, "You weren't like this before."

He laughed: "Don't you like me like this? It seems I have to be more serious from now on."

Wen Ying spread her fingers apart and looked at his handsome face through the gap: "I didn't say I didn't like it..."

Shen Li interrupted her: "That means I like you."

She pushed him away with a red face: "I want to go to bed."

Wen Ying turned around, paused again, and patted her forehead. "I was so busy today that I forgot to tell you. The neighborhood office called me this afternoon and said the demolition plan has been finalized. I'll be able to sign it starting tomorrow if I have time."

Shen Li responded: "Call me when you have time, and I'll pick you up to sign together. Don't go by yourself."

Wen Ying shrugged: "There's no need to be so careful, it's just a signature."

He stepped forward to embrace her, and patted Wen Ying's shoulder with his palm: "Be careful. Let's go to bed."

------

Wen Ying finally confirmed all the information, signed her name on each form, and then handed it to the staff.

The staff member reviewed it and pointed to the marriage certificate and asked Wen Ying, "Does your husband share this demolition compensation with you?"

Before Wen Ying could speak, Shen Li shook his head beside her: "I give up the ownership, and all the property belongs to her personally."

It happened that a couple at the next desk were arguing quietly about whose account the demolition compensation should be deposited into.

The staff member was extremely cautious and asked Wen Ying again: "Do you agree that he should give it up? You are already married, and the money is legally considered to be joint property of the couple."

Wen Ying knew Chen Li's character. He was a man of his word, and there was no such thing as him saying one thing and thinking another. She nodded, "Yes, I agree."

The staff printed out another form and handed it to Shen Li. "This is a declaration of giving up ownership. If you are sure you want to give it up, please sign it."

Shen Li signed his name in a flourish without hesitation.

By the time all the formalities were completed, it was already dark outside. The sun had set at some point and it was soon night.

Wen Ying answered the phone as she walked downstairs: "Congcong."

No one knew what was said on the other end. Wen Ying smiled and glanced at Chen Li, then said, "Okay, I'll come find you later."

After hanging up the phone, she said to Chen Li, "Cong Cong went shopping with her classmates at Heyue Shopping Mall this afternoon. Now that her classmates have returned to school, she's left alone and asked me to have dinner with her tonight. Can you take me to Pingyun Road? Cong Cong said there's a new fusion restaurant there that she wants to try."

Shen Li got into the car with her, his brows furrowed. "Why are you having dinner with me at this time?"

Wen Ying was startled, then suddenly laughed: "Are you a little oversensitive?"

Chen Li's face was tense and a little worried: "I think it's too coincidental."

Wen Ying thought he was making a big deal out of nothing. "The person having dinner with me was Wen Cong, not Wen Lei. You know Cong Cong is different from her father. If I can't even trust Cong Cong, who else can I trust in the Wen family?"

Seeing her insistence, Shen Li said no more and just asked her, "I'll go with you, okay?"

Wen Ying shook her head. She had time this afternoon, but Chen Li had taken the day off. He'd taken numerous calls and replied to numerous WeChat messages that afternoon; Wen Ying could tell he'd squeezed in the time.

She pretended to be relaxed, trying to ease Shen Li's suspicious expression. "It's a public place in a busy downtown area, just a meal with a younger sister. Does Inspector Shen have some occupational disease from seeing too many cases every day?"

Wen Ying looked at his profile. "Even if she invited me to a Hongmen Feast, so what? The contract has been signed in black and white, but I haven't seen a penny. Whether it's for money or life, choosing tonight is not a wise choice."

Chen Li couldn't help but interrupt her: "What nonsense." He was a criminal prosecutor, and he would unconsciously tense up when he heard the words "murder for money".

The dark side of society and the depths of human nature can sometimes exceed one's imagination. If he hadn't seen the case files himself, he would have found some of these cases shocking.

Chen Li felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. He reached out and shook Wen Ying's hand. "Maybe I'm being overly suspicious, but you must be careful. If you notice anything strange, tell me immediately. Pingyun Road is in the east of the city, a bit far from my workplace and home. You must be careful. I'll pick you up when I'm done."

Wen Ying nodded perfunctorily: "Don't worry."

Pingyun Road was wide, but the fusion restaurant was tucked away deep in an alley. When Wen Ying went in, Wen Cong had already arrived, his arms propped up, his head down, playing a game.

Seeing her coming, Wen Cong interrupted the game without hesitation, first looked behind her, then asked her with a smile: "Sister, how did you get here?"

Wen Ying wanted to ask Chen Li to give her a ride, but for some reason, the words turned around in her throat before she blurted out, "Take a taxi. Chen Li is not free tonight."

Wen Cong seemed to be different from usual, but Wen Ying observed her for a long time and couldn't tell what the difference was.

She seemed a little worried inside, as if she had something on her mind, but her face was very excited and she looked particularly enthusiastic.

Wen Cong ordered some odd beers, blinking with anticipation. "Sister, these beers are imported from all over the place. They're only available here, not anywhere else. Can we try them?" She added, "Each bottle is small, and the alcohol content is low. I guarantee you won't drink too much."

Wen Ying refused: "I have an old stomach problem and can't drink alcohol. I have been very careful in the past few months, and my stomach has improved a lot. If I drink, it will ruin all the progress."

Wen Cong poured her a glass without saying anything, and there was a rare stubbornness and persistence in his tone: "Sister, just tonight, just a little drink will do, just keep me company."

Wen Ying sighed and asked her, "Is there something on your mind?"

Wen Cong was surprised, and then tried his best to hide the sadness in his eyes: "No."

"Congcong," she tapped her fingers on the table, "don't try to lie to a lawyer."

Wen Cong was indeed deflated. He slumped his shoulders and spoke after a long while: "Sister, I was admitted to graduate school."

Wen Ying was surprised: "This is a good thing, why are you unhappy?"

Wen Cong's eyes suddenly turned red, and he lowered his head like a helpless child: "My dad doesn't agree. He said he won't support my education anymore."

"Why?"

Wen Cong's tears fell one by one: "My dad said that I was a money-loser. All my studies were useless and a waste of his money. Wen Jun is the heir of the Wen family, and he should leave money for him to buy a house and a car in the future."

Wen Jun is Wen Cong's younger brother, only twelve or thirteen years old. He is the second child that Wen Lei secretly gave birth to.

He has been spoiled since he was a child. Although he is still young, he is an out-and-out bully. It is often heard that he forms gangs and bullies his classmates in school.

Wen Ying was furious: "How old is he? Your studies are right in front of you, can this be delayed?"

Wen Cong clutched the wine glass, his face mournful. "Sister, please drink with me. I'm really miserable, but I don't dare tell my classmates for fear they'll laugh at me."

Looking into Wen Cong's eyes, Wen Ying could no longer say no.

She was silent for a few breaths, and finally nodded: "Okay, I'll drink with you."

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