Chapter 15 Chapter 15
It's better to say it's a walk than a climb. The mountain behind the villa is not high, nor is it too steep. The bluestone road is wide and low, making walking effortless.
The sea breeze blows, and the pine trees rustle with waves. Through the gaps between the pines and cypresses, you can see the blue sea and white waves not far away.
Wen Ying stood at the corner of a small path and took a deep breath of the slightly salty, moist air. "It feels so good."
Shen Yuan and her friends had already walked to the other side, waving hello at her from afar. Yu Jiaran was also with them. People of similar age always found it easy to find common topics, but this morning during breakfast, Yu Jiaran had already become one with them, several young women gathered together, whispering and laughing.
Wen Ying looked at their figures and pointed to Shen Li with a smile: "Look, it's great to be young. I'm only a few years older than them, but I feel different."
Shen Li has been exercising for many years, so he hardly feels anything when walking on this mountain road, even his breathing is very smooth.
He said, "You are only in your twenties. If you put it that way, I can be considered an old man."
Wen Ying's eyes narrowed slightly in the sea breeze. "People are different. Some are carefree in their twenties, while others have to struggle to make ends meet. I actually envy Shen Yuan. She may have encountered fewer difficulties in her life than I did in the past twenty years."
She sighed and turned to look at Shen Li: "I never thought about it when I was a child, but in the past few years in Jiangcheng, whenever I encountered difficulties, I couldn't help but think - if they had gotten married smoothly at that time and their relationship had not fallen apart, would I also have a pair of loving parents and a warm home? Maybe I wouldn't have the personality I have now, and I would have the opportunity to become another Shen Yuan."
Amid the roar of the waves, the grievances that had been suppressed for a long time seemed to find an outlet for release.
Wen Ying said, "My birth witnessed the separation of a couple who had a bad relationship. Family ties were weak, and I lost my parents' love. Later, I was adopted by my parents, but my mother died of illness a year later. I grew up with many setbacks, and my father also left me. Look at me now. Others think I have a withdrawn personality and am difficult to get along with. I can also be a bit demanding at work, so I have no close friends, whether on campus or in the workplace. Shen Li, although we are staunch atheists, I sometimes can't help but wonder if it's really my bad fortune and unfortunate fate that has led to my lonely and miserable life, and even brought misfortune to those around me."
"I'm surprised you think that." Shen Li's eyes were filled with worry. "The balance of life always remains constant. You have to believe that what you lose will be repaid in another way."
She smiled somewhat lonely: "Maybe you are right."
Shen Li raised his eyebrows: "What the prosecutor says is usually correct. Even lawyers have to admit this fact."
"I really hope you can say this directly in court. It will save the judge a lot of time and save the other lawyer the trouble of arguing."
Chen Li smiled, "I really hope so. This will also save me a lot of trouble. I won't have to work overtime every night to study the case files, nor will I have to deduce the angles from which the opposing lawyer will defend me before the trial."
"Let's go," Chen Li smiled and held out his hand to her. "We don't need to rush them. The plank road on this mountain is circular and will eventually return to the entrance."
Wen Ying placed her hand in his generous palm. "Prosecutors may have a certain professional aura, and even a simple statement can sound profound."
As they walked slowly, Chen Li replied, "You're right, but if you think about it carefully, there's some truth to that. Often, after going around in circles, things will always return to where they started. There are some things you can control, so give it your all. But some things can't be changed by human will, so don't overthink it and just accept it as it comes. Learn to make peace with life, and you'll be able to live more easily."
Wen Ying of course knew that Shen Li was comforting her.
She responded by squeezing Shen Li's fingers twice. Shen Li didn't turn around, but just held her hand tighter.
As she was being pulled by Chen Li, her attention was much more relaxed. She just followed him closely, her eyes fixed on the surrounding scenery.
There was a layer of natural stone between the two steps. Wen Ying didn't notice it and her foot slipped and she almost fell. Fortunately, she was holding Shen Li's hand, and he quickly pulled her up and prevented her from falling.
Although he didn't fall, his condition wasn't good. A sharp pain shot through his ankle. Wen Ying couldn't help but gasp, not daring to move.
Shen Li was a little anxious: "Twisted your ankle?"
Wen Ying's face turned pale: "That should be it, it's my fault for not paying attention to the road."
"Can you still move?" Shen Li squatted down, quickly untied her sneakers, rolled up her trouser legs, and tentatively touched her ankles with his fingers a few times.
"It hurts, it hurts." She said, and tried to turn her ankle. She could still move it, but it hurt a lot.
Shen Li lowered his trouser legs: "There shouldn't be any bone damage, just a muscle strain."
He turned his back and squatted down: "I'll carry you. There's a medicine box in the villa. I'll go back and give you a massage and apply some plaster. You'll be fine in three or four days."
At this point, it was impossible to get down the mountain on one leg. Wen Ying whispered a thank you and then lay on Shen Li's back.
He lifted her up, and Wen Ying's face rested on his shoulder, their cheeks close together, almost touching.
Seeing that his brows were a little serious, Wen Ying tried to lighten the mood with a joke: "Look, you didn't believe me when I told you that my fate was bad, and now I have to burden you with carrying me down the mountain."
Shen Li seemed even more displeased, and actually raised his hand and slapped Wen Ying on the thigh: "Wen Ying, don't say such things again in the future."
The prosecutor's stern voice is difficult for ordinary people to resist. It is a natural majesty that makes people inexplicably frightened.
Wen Ying felt a little aggrieved, and pursed her lips and stopped talking.
Shen Li realized his harsh words and felt a little regretful. His expression softened, and he continued, "I'm not being mean to you. I just don't want you to belittle yourself."
Wen Ying wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly, like a cat, "I know."
Shen Li's steps were steady, and even though he was carrying Wen Ying on his back, he didn't breathe heavily. After turning a corner, Shen Li said, "You're really too thin."
"Can I take this as a compliment?"
Shen Li chuckled softly a few times: "Wen Lu made a mistake in judgment. This time it's not encouragement, but real criticism."
Wen Ying was not convinced: "But nowadays, thinness is considered beautiful."
"This is a slightly distorted social aesthetic," he argued. "Whether fat or thin, everyone has their own beauty, and a healthy body is the most beautiful."
Wen Ying nodded seriously: "Whenever I want to maintain my figure in the future, I will definitely remember what you said and try to eat a few more bites at every meal."
They both laughed. Wen Ying leaned against Chen Li. They had never imagined that they would have such an intimate and harmonious day.
"I also prepared a birthday present for you," she said, "but I don't know if we will have the chance to be together on your birthday."
Chen Li suppressed his smile and remained silent for a few breaths before saying, "I may not be able to spend the entire holiday with you as promised. There's something wrong with a case that Li Ping is handling, but I have to be ready to go back at any time."
Wen Ying nodded: "I understand. In our line of work, it's all the same no matter what role you play."
Chen Li's voice was tinged with laughter. "But I really hope to celebrate my birthday with you, and I also want to see what gift you have prepared for me."
Wen Ying thought of the poetry collection that was wet by the winter rain and felt a little angry for a moment: "Don't expect too much, Chen Jian. Usually the gifts I prepare are not to your liking, but they are better than nothing."
Chen Li seemed surprised: "Wen Lu hasn't given me many gifts in total, why would he put such a hat on me?"
"Are you subtly expressing your dissatisfaction with the fact that the gift I gave you is too little?"
Chen Li shook his head helplessly. "Divorce lawyers are indeed worthy of their reputation. They can even extend this meaning." He asked, "Did I do something wrong that you are still brooding over?"
She didn't want to answer, so she turned her face away angrily: "Just think of me as making unreasonable excuses."
Shen Li had no choice but to surrender and admit defeat: "I really have no impression, but since you said so, it must be that I did something wrong. In any case, I apologize to you."
Wen Ying felt much more relieved: "Your attitude is pretty good."
After returning to the villa, she looked at her ankle again and found that one side was swollen. Chen Li got some ice and applied it to her ankle. When the pain subsided, he carefully massaged her ankle, confirming that the bone was fine before applying the pain relief patch.
"Don't put any pressure on this foot," he said. "It doesn't look like a serious problem. It will be healed in a few days."
Wen Ying joked: "They say that young people nowadays are fragile young people. It seems that I am not old yet and am still in the fragile category."
Chen Li sorted his medicine box. "Never mention the word 'old' in front of someone older than you. Some people's hearts have been pierced with holes."
"Not much older," Wen Ying smiled as she leaned against the sofa, "only four years old."
"There's a generation gap at the age of three."
"Then you walk slower and I walk faster, then there will be no generation gap between us."
Shen Li glanced at her and said, "Wen Lu has a point."
Wen Ying was somewhat pleased with herself and replied with the words she had just said to Shen Li on the mountain: "In court, the prosecutor is usually right. But at home, the wife's words are the truth."
Shen Li really liked to see her playful look. Compared to her usual calmness and indifference, this should be Wen Ying's true appearance.
He nodded seriously: "I will write it down in my notebook and recite it silently three times a day."
The atmosphere between the two was harmonious, and Shen Li's cell phone made a loud sound in his pocket.
The relaxed expression on his face turned tense and serious the moment he saw the caller ID.
"Lao Hou," he quickly picked up the phone, "what's going on?"
In the quiet space, a hurried voice from the other end of the phone could be heard faintly, falling into Wen Ying's ears.
"Old Shen, this isn't good," Hou Liping said, clearly anxious, speaking rapidly. "No matter how we questioned him, the suspect insisted he was innocent. He only confessed because the police tortured him and forced him to admit he committed the crime."
Shen Li's face darkened. "That's impossible. This is a major case. From the moment the crime was committed to the arrest of the suspect and now to the trial, countless eyes have been watching us. In today's society ruled by law, the police will never resort to torture."
"We all understand the reasoning, but the suspect refuses to confess, putting us in a difficult position," Hou Liping gasped twice, his voice anxious and weak. "Director Zhang just spoke to me on the phone. I really don't want to interrupt your vacation, but Old Shen, you must return immediately."
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