Chapter 21 Oppose this marriage!
Consulting a divorce lawyer about marriage issues is like asking a funeral home to hold a hundred-day celebration for a newborn baby; it always feels awkward. But Kuang Jia taught him to develop a sense of risk prevention and control, and to avoid waiting for minefields to explode before panicking.
The address on the business card was in the office building across the street, and the location indicated it was less than 200 meters away. However, Meng Weishen waited ten minutes for the elevator, descending from the 34th floor to the 1st floor, crossing Chang'an Avenue, which was cut into three sections under the overpass, passing through the ground-floor shops of the office building, and ascending from the 1st floor to the 18th floor before finally reaching the law firm's sign. He was exhausted.
There's no way around it. This is the East Third Ring Road, the China World Trade Center, a highly folded space with roads as complex as an intricate maze. The CBD's distinctive dark blue street signs point to the names of the major office buildings, but each looks strikingly similar, and the all-glass facades easily lead to visual misjudgment. Countless birds, symbols of freedom, have perished here.
The law firm's layout was strange. From the outside, the entire building appeared clad in azure glass walls, but from inside, there wasn't a ray of sunlight. The windows had been designated as individual offices for the partners, who monopolized the sunlight. The remaining hundreds of employees were crammed into a large, shared space, each assigned a small, one-meter-wide desk. Under fluorescent lighting, they couldn't distinguish between day and night.
The title on his business card was "Partner," indicating that this fellow, Li Yingxuan, had already ascended to the exploiting class. Sure enough, the receptionist led Meng Weishen to the door of an office with a sunny view, and a voice from inside said, "Come in."
As expected of a divorce lawyer, he was dressed like he was attending a funeral, a formal black suit. Meng Weishen sat down at the other person's desk, only to receive a solemn stare. As a consumer, Meng Weishen was clearly here to be treated like a boss, but instead, he felt invisible pressure, like he was attending a job interview.
But Meng Weishen was convinced he couldn't qualify as a "Guomao City Servant." First and foremost, he couldn't pass the dress code. People from the rural areas north of the Fifth Ring Road (Zhongguan) wore T-shirts and jeans to work, and the brave ones even wore Crocs.
Li Yingxuan didn't waste any words. He first asked about his purpose. "Are you Mr. Kuang's friend Wesley? Mr. Kuang said you were planning a flash marriage with your dentist and asked me to help investigate his background."
"Yes, President Kuang strongly opposed my marriage. She said I was too hasty."
"Anyone with common sense would object." Li Yingxuan's eyes stayed on the laptop screen, and he cursed God expressionlessly.
Meng Weishen almost wanted to ask "Why?", but that would make him seem completely naive. He could only grin at the other person.
"Tell me about your male wife, Jiang Ranxu. There's no need to repeat what we already know. I searched the official websites of the school and hospital to find his personal information, proving his education and employment are genuine." Li Yingxuan repeatedly tapped the arrow keys on his laptop, quickly completing the preliminary background check. "Besides that, do you know anything else?"
Meng Weishen was confused and asked, "Is there anything else I need to know, for example?"
"Personal assets?"
"I don't know. But he doesn't look like he needs money."
"Emotional experience?"
"I really don't know. But he doesn't seem to have a chaotic private life."
"Family situation?"
The other person supported his chin with one hand, frowning, and seemed to be losing his patience.
Meng Weishen was finally able to answer a few words, but he stuttered. "He's from Beijing. He lives by the shores of Shichahai, on the central axis of the imperial capital. Uh, he seems to have some royal blood."
"Swindler."
The lawyer suddenly sneered and made a judgment immediately.
Meng Weishen's heart trembled.
He finally uttered the question that had been puzzling him for so long: "I don't understand. Normally, marriage should be based on mutual affection. But why don't you ask about emotional foundation at all, but instead keep asking about material conditions?"
The lawyer sneered again and closed his laptop lightly, as if he was about to send the guest away.
"I think you're obsessed. You're going on a blind date, getting married, and still want to talk about love. Why don't you think about it first? What if the other person has AIDS? What if they owe 80 million in gambling debts? What if they're already married and have three children? Have you thought about it?"
Under the lawyers' repeated bombardment, Meng Weishen began to feel dizzy again and almost raised the white flag of surrender.
He hadn't considered it, but he didn't think it was necessary. He'd been to Jiang Ranxu's house, and it was so simple it looked as if no one had ever lived there. He was probably single. Furthermore, Jiang Ranxu had a fixed weekly appointment schedule and a very regular lifestyle; it was impossible for him to be addicted to pornography, gambling, or drugs.
Meng Weishen stubbornly defended Jiang Ranxu: "Impossible, Jiang Ranxu is not that kind of person."
Perhaps he had already left the impression of being a big shot in Li Yingxuan's mind, and the other party didn't believe him at all: "Can you judge people accurately? You said you were looking for a male matchmaker and a male wife, or a transvestite? It sounds like a Southeast Asian fraud gang."
"There was no fraud. I took the initiative to ask them for help. And Dr. Jiang has received many banners, which proves that other patients also recognize his character, not just me."
"...At school, I love my teachers. At military training, I love my instructors. At the dentist, I love my doctor. And when I'm in court, I love my lawyer. There's no hope."
Li Yingxuan cursed softly. Just as Meng Weishen was about to explain that he had never loved his teacher or instructor, he took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Forget it. I'll do the job if I'm paid. How about this? You invite your male wife over tonight to meet me, and that shady male matchmaker. I want to see what's going on."
——
They had agreed to go on a date, but Meng Weishen brought a divorce lawyer with him, which made him feel a little guilty. He nervously sent a dinner invitation to Meng Jiang's dating group, but fortunately, the other two group members agreed.
On the lawyer's recommendation, we chose a German restaurant near the Temple of the Sun. Nearby was the embassy district, and only a kilometer from the towering China World Trade Center. It was a truly capacious space, housing rows of beautiful, flag-adorned villas and meticulously tended lawns.
Meng Weishen and his lawyer arrived earlier. Li Yingxuan, still wearing the black suit he'd worn at the funeral, looked indifferent, his fingers casually flicking through the menu. The invisible social pressure piled up on Meng Weishen, and he froze for a moment before finally thinking of a topic to ease the awkwardness:
"Lawyer Li, you look quite young. How did you become a partner? Do partners have annual caseload KPIs?"
Li Yingxuan gave the fool a disgusted look and did not answer.
It's broken. Meng Weishen immediately realized that he had messed up. Just as he was about to use the excuse of washing his hands before dinner to avoid his alone time, Li Yingxuan suddenly raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the entrance, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Isn't this Teacher Zhou? Long time no see. I thought you were too embarrassed to even set foot in Chaoyang District."
It's no exaggeration to say that Asher almost took off running, bumping into Jiang Ranxu, who had just stepped into the restaurant. Under Jiang Ranxu's calm gaze, he turned back angrily and, as if to punish him, sat down with Jiang Ranxu across from them.
...Is it really that scary to meet a lawyer? Meng Weishen carefully asked Li Yingxuan: "Lawyer Li, do you know Teacher A? What a coincidence?"
"I kind of knew him, but that was a long time ago. Who knew he'd end up like a brothel owner?" Li Yingxuan resumed his sullen expression, as if he were visiting a grave. "Wesley, today, your request is the priority. Nothing else matters."
Seeing that the blind date was about to turn into a divorce, Meng Weishen exhausted all his emotional intelligence to try to ease the atmosphere: "Today's dinner is indeed a bit hasty, but everyone, don't be too serious, just chat casually. Let's order first. What would you like to eat or drink? It's my treat."
Li Yingxuan said, "Chef's salad, oil and vinegar dressing."
Jiang Ranxu then spoke up: "Sorry, can you please not order raw food? The surface of the fruits and vegetables contains excessive pesticides, and if the kitchen doesn't clean it properly, there will be residual mud and sand."
Li Yingxuan glanced at him and said, "Sausage platter is a specialty of German restaurants."
Jiang Ranxu continued to gently object: "It's best not to eat processed meat products. They contain excessive nitrites and are carcinogenic."
Li Yingxuan was about to lose his patience: "...craft dark beer, is this okay?"
Jiang Ranxu remained gentle: "This is also a problem. I am allergic to alcohol and can't drink much. Meng Weishen knows this."
The lawyer rolled his eyes. Li Yingxuan seemed to have given up on communicating with Jiang Ranxu and turned to Meng Weishen for confirmation: "Is this an act?"
"This is real, not acting." Meng Weishen quickly snatched the menu. "Let me order. Uh, German roast pork knuckle? Sour stewed steak? Königsberg meatballs? Asparagus rolls? A pitcher of beer, too. Doctor Jiang, can you order a non-alcoholic drink, like freshly squeezed juice?"
Jiang Ranxu was particularly obedient this time: "I'm fine with anything. But aren't you going to order salad and sausage? Your lawyer won't be angry, will he?"
The lawyer nearly walked out on the spot. Even Teacher A, accustomed to bizarre blind date scenes, had a slight twitch in the corner of his eye. After a moment's pause, he chimed in, "Since it's the two of you going on a blind date, your opinions will prevail. Some people shouldn't be singing and dancing around."
Having been singled out for criticism as "some people," Li Yingxuan probably didn't want to stay any longer. Before the food even arrived, he got straight to the point: "Then cut the crap. My purpose today is simple: to conduct a premarital background check for my client. Mr. Jiang, please describe your marital status, family background, personal assets, and health status in detail, and provide supporting documentation later."
Jiang Ranxu didn't answer honestly. He only tortured Meng Weishen with a resentful look: "Meng Weishen, you've already asked me to extract four wisdom teeth, and you still want me to do orthodontics. I always thought you trusted me very much."
"Stop." Meng Weishen was just about to be dazed by the stare when Li Yingxuan interrupted him forcefully, "Wesley, beware of all those professional filters. Some male doctors have broken away from the professional filter of saving lives and are just ordinary people who like to have sex with female nurses and female pharmaceutical representatives."
Asher pulled Meng Weishen back: "Humans are born with a filter for certain professions. Even the reed category has a uniform control. Why did Wesley go against his instinct? Isn't it good to enjoy it?"
"I've noticed. You keep emphasizing your profession." Li Yingxuan sneered again. "According to the general rules of the blind date market, if something isn't mentioned, it doesn't exist. This angel in white probably doesn't have any other advantages to offer."
Jiang Ranxu's face remained calm. "I can cooperate with the notarization of pre-marital property and a full physical examination. But I severed ties with my family a long time ago, so I can't prove my family background."
"It's an act, right?" Li Yingxuan said suspiciously, turning to glance at Meng Weishen, who was fidgeting. "...No, you believe all this?"
Meng Weishen felt truly distressed. He suddenly recalled the time in middle school when he was required to fill out a family contact form, where he could only fill in Meng Lirong's name in the parent column. He knew all too well what it felt like to be forced to disclose one's family situation, and he didn't want anyone else to go through the same experience.
He even began to question the point of hiring a lawyer. Honestly, he didn't really care about the background check results. Blind dates, pre-marital background checks, it was all just a matter of convention. He didn't agree with it, but he kept being pushed forward.
After careful consideration, Meng Weishen decided to end the commission early: "Forget it, Lawyer Li. I know all the risks I should consider. Since I chose a flash marriage, it means I am willing to accept the risks."
Li Yingxuan seemed angry.
To be precise, I was very angry, as if the sanctity of my profession had been tarnished by this table of psychopaths.
"I have other work tonight, so I'm going home now." Li Yingxuan picked up his coat and hurled a harsh remark at Meng Weishen, "Don't come to me for a divorce lawsuit when the time comes. I hate clients who don't listen to their lawyers beforehand and then come back to ask for help after something goes wrong."
I don't know what's so funny about this scene, but even Asher, who claims to be quite professional, couldn't help but laugh out loud. He added, "Lawyer Li, whether to get married or not is a personal decision. Why are you in such a hurry? Just do it for now. Even if you lawyers rely on caseloads to make a living, you can't just keep pushing for more work like this..."
"By the way, Wesley, there's something I forgot to remind you."
Li Yingxuan put down his coat and began to quickly search through his chat history. Meng Weishen stared blankly at the chat interface presented by the other party. The time above the dialog box stopped at 2018 - seven years had passed.
"This male matchmaker in front of you, Asher, whose real name is Zhou Xian, once oversaw an IPO project that was embroiled in financial fraud. The penalty notice is still posted on the official website of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. This clearly shows he's not a trustworthy person, and anyone who associates with him is undoubtedly complicit."
"Also, Jiang Ranxu isn't some random stranger he found as his wife. I don't know if these two are trying to cheat you out of money or sex, but they're working together to deceive you. This is the chat history I found by searching for keywords. I asked Zhou Xian where he went out to fool around that night, and he said he didn't, but went out for a drink with Jiang Ranxu."
Meng Weishen failed to connect the correct circuit of thought. He was confused and muttered, "Where Teacher A went at night is none of your business."
Asher, the person involved, panicked before him and immediately jumped up from the table: "No, you kept the chat records from seven years ago! Aren't you afraid of them getting moldy and buggy?"
The waiter just came to serve the draft beer, and his hand trembled, so half a glass of beer spilled on the shoulder of Jiang Ranxu, who was sitting at the outside seat.
The situation was initially manageable; Jiang Ranxu was only momentarily stunned before calmly telling the other party, "It's okay, I can handle it myself." The waiter, however, was incredibly flustered. Repeated apologies weren't enough; he grabbed a stack of tissues and took it upon himself to wipe the stain off Jiang Ranxu's shoulder.
Jiang Ranxu suddenly dodged backwards, his movements so violent that the chair scraped against the floor, creating an ear-piercing sound. In contrast, Jiang Ranxu remained unusually silent, saying nothing as he quickly walked out of the restaurant.
Meng Weishen was panicking and was about to follow, but Asher stopped him first: "No, no, no, the food will be served soon. Brother, you keep an eye on the food first, I'll go check on the situation."
——
"Jiang Ranxu, stop spraying disinfectant on yourself. The smell is really pungent. Do you want to go back to Meng Weishen with this smell on you and be treated as a psychopath?"
Zhou Xian snatched the alcohol spray from Jiang Ranxu and threw it into the trash can in the public toilet without mercy.
Jiang Ranxu became an addict in withdrawal from drugs. The unbearable feeling spread from the source of pollution in his shoulder to his entire body. It was a feeling that was extremely difficult to describe, as if barbs that did not belong to the body had grown out of his flesh and blood, and the subtle foreign body sensation and tingling sensation occupied his entire will.
Sensory overload ignited bleeding arteries, reason failed in the throbbing pain of his solar plexus, and his body movements were no longer under his control. Instinct drove him frantically to seek other comforts, and the only thing he had was clean water. He had to turn on the faucet and wash his hands with running water over and over again.
Zhou Xian didn't dare to have physical contact with him, so as not to trigger an even more intense stress reaction, and could only comfort him with words:
"Bacteria aren't as scary as you think. The food you eat, the water you drink, the air you breathe, are all filled with bacteria. Even your internal organs are crawling with bacteria. You're not dying, are you? As long as you're not dying, nothing else matters. Can you cultivate that mindset?"
What nonsense! He knew bacteria were everywhere, enough to drive people into mental illness. Besides, he was convinced that filth was worse than death, and if he had to live with bacteria, he might as well die.
If you can be indifferent, you won’t get sick.
Jiang Ranxu still couldn't stop, so he tried his best to roll up his sleeves and began to wash his forearms and wrists.
"How long are you going to take to wash? Don't forget that your straight man is still with the lawyer. Who knows what that divorce lawyer will say? If you delay this any longer, the straight man will really become homophobic."
Jiang Ranxu continued to abuse the exposed skin: "The main responsibility today is clearly on you."
“…What does it have to do with me?”
"You owe so many romantic debts to your former flames back in your prime years that you keep running into your ex-sex partner. What a shame, the position listed on his business card has been promoted to partner. An unemployed vagrant like you probably can't even reach his bed."
"Are you really stupid or just pretending? Is that the key? If no one exposes you, will you be able to live happily ever after?" Zhou Xian said, slightly irritated. "It's actually better for both of you to cut your losses before marriage. I've said it before, you shouldn't marry a straight man, you shouldn't marry anyone. You can't even be honest with yourself, so you deserve to be alone forever."
Jiang Ranxu looked up blankly, confronting his reflection in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes, pale complexion, soaked clothing. Horrible, utterly disheveled, like an alien about to be reduced to its original form.
The feeling of shame briefly defeated his obsessive thoughts, and he finally forced himself to calm down. He turned on the water flow and said, "I can calm myself down. You can go first."
Zhou Xian didn't rush to leave, "Can you do it yourself? Don't you need me to buy medicine for you?"
"No need." Jiang Ranxu ordered lightly, "I mean, you should go and send the lawyer away first."
Unlucky Benbo was even more panicked than last time. This time the order wasn't just to get rid of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, it was to get rid of Tathagata Buddha: "Me?"
"What else? It's only natural to pay back a debt. Even a romantic debt is still a debt."
"...Miss, you better understand! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met a psychopath who left seven years of chat history. I'm already doing a good job by not asking you for compensation!"
Jiang Ranxu smiled at Zhou Xian in the mirror and said gently, "Go quickly. Otherwise, I will submit your personal information to the law firm tonight and help you apply for a paralegal job."
The other party really ran away.
After a while, Zhou Xian seemed to remember something important and returned briefly to discuss with him: "What about straight men? What are you going to do? I don't think blind dates will work. Do you have any other backup plans?"
Jiang Ranxu said, "I have my own way. You don't need to worry about it. You just need to be responsible for sending the lawyer away."
After Zhou Xian left, Jiang Ranxu began to urgently seek help from AI: Suppose you are a gay man, how do you trick the straight man you like into marrying you?
AI: Building a healthy, long-term relationship must be based on sincerity, respect, and mutual consent. Any attempt to gain affection through deception is ugly, especially forcing someone to violate their sexual orientation, which will ultimately only bring pain to both parties. Please focus your energy on finding a partner who supports same-sex relationships and abandon the misguided attempts to unilaterally manipulate heterosexual relationships.
Preface by Jiang Ran: Suppose you are a patient with a mental illness. How do you hide your illness from your soon-to-be-married lover?
AI: Marriage is a commitment built on trust, responsibility, and mutual growth. Deliberately concealing physical or mental health issues can lead to a more serious crisis of trust and emotional harm in the future. True love requires showing your true self. You can communicate well with your partner and work together to address psychological issues.
Preface by Jiang Ran: What childhood traumas might wealthy people have, and how can we describe them to sound more real and sympathetic?
AI: (Deep thinking) The server is busy, please try again later.
...Who is deifying AI? This damn robot is all about spouting nonsense and playing dead, and the advice it offers is completely worthless.
He was only one step away from the success of his plan, so he would never give up. Better a moth that died in the fire than a moth that never saw the light of fire.
Jiang Ranxu turned off his phone and lit a cigarette outdoors in the darkness.
As the flames gradually engulfed the cigarette butt, he finally came up with a complete backup plan.
She first admitted that she had known Asher for a long time and sincerely apologized to Meng Weishen. Then she took the opportunity to talk about her childhood experiences in the cold villa, explaining that she was particularly eager to get married because she lacked love. When she heard that Meng Weishen was anxious to get married, she asked Asher to introduce her. Finally, she spoke with a sad tone, with some suppressed tears, begging him:
"Marry me, please."
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