Chapter 33 Chapter 33
River City.
Shen Li was a little hesitant.
Is it because the word "Jiangcheng" brings back unpleasant memories?
He slowed down his tone: "When are we leaving? How long will it take?"
"The flight is next Monday, so it'll be about two weeks."
Shen Li was a little surprised: "It took so long. Can I leave the law firm?"
He wasn't asking for no reason. Riding the wave of Zhou Boyu's divorce, Henghe Law Firm was now a trending topic online. With Zhou Boyu as their living trademark, they were increasingly approached with the most complex and difficult divorce cases. It was no wonder Wen Ying felt exhausted.
"There's a biennial legal academic exchange conference in Jiangcheng, and this year's theme is divorce and inheritance. Henghe is in the spotlight right now, and it was just established. If I miss it, people will easily accuse me of being a big shot."
As she spoke, she became visibly annoyed, buried her head in the quilt, and cursed: "Zheng Di is going too, damn it!"
Chen Li laughed grimly and reached out to touch Wen Ying's arm: "Are you unhappy because of this?"
Wen Ying's emotions finally found a way out, surging out. "I shouldn't have let Yao Fangzhou choose the name for his law firm. Listen to what he came up with. Henghe. It sounds like Hengyi's younger brother, someone who follows behind."
She suddenly threw back the blanket covering her upper body, her chest heaving. "What bad luck! My first lawsuit is against Zheng Di again. Now people in the industry are always comparing me to her. Just because I'm a few years younger than her, everyone calls me a 'rising star,' another 'little Zheng Di.' Henghe is just a little brother following Heng's heels, and I've become the wave that pushed Zheng Di to the beach. This is all Yao Fangzhou's fault!"
Before Shen Li could even open his mouth, Wen Ying's barrage of criticism was immediately directed at him: "Didn't you agree to keep our relationship private? Why are you suddenly saying in public during a meeting that I'm your wife? Shen Li, don't you think you're being a little too extreme?"
Shen Li was still a little confused: "I went too far?"
"Yes, you went too far, very far." Wen Ying simply sat up. "It was you who proposed marriage, saying we could divorce in two or three years. Well, whether I wanted to or not, I did as we agreed. When the three years were up, I took the initiative to file for divorce. But you changed your mind and said you didn't want a divorce. Okay, no, I'll listen to you. Also, you were the one who first said we shouldn't make our relationship public. Well, whether I wanted to or not, I did as you said. In the past few years, I haven't told anyone except Yu Jiaran that we are husband and wife. And then, out of the blue, you mentioned I was your wife in a meeting. Have you heard the buzz about our relationship being public at this time? Have you considered my situation?"
She calmed down and said word by word, "Chen Li, this is really ridiculous. I heard about the publicizing of our relationship from other people. Why can you arbitrarily control our relationship? Whether we get married, divorced, or whether to make it public is all up to you. Chen Li, what am I? What do you think I am?"
Chen Li also sat up. "I'm sorry, Xiaoying, I was inconsiderate. But we were in a meeting at the time. If I hadn't said you were my wife, your case would have been assigned to me. And..." He paused slightly, "And I think the time is ripe now. I'm willing to make our relationship public..."
Wen Ying raised her hand to stop his explanation. "I understand all of this. You were forced to do it. You were in a desperate situation. You had no choice. But Shen Li, why am I the only one who has to bear the consequences of all this?"
Shen Li seemed to be awakened by a thunderclap.
Yes, in this romantic anecdote of "two women competing for one man", the women were the usual focus of discussion. No one would openly discuss or ridicule them in front of him, so he naturally ignored the pressure Wen Ying would face.
"It was my negligence. I was too busy and didn't think about it from another's perspective."
She sneered: "Busy, you are very busy, so busy that you even forgot to talk to me, how could you think about me."
Shen Li took a deep breath. "Wen Ying, I'm sorry for what happened between us and for the injustice you've suffered. I'm not blind to how much pressure you're under, and I'm doing my best to make amends and protect you. But Wen Ying, if I did something wrong, it's wrong. No matter what you say to me, I will listen and change."
Wen Ying didn't speak for a long time, just staring at him in the dark.
Wen Ying has known Chen Li for more than twenty years. His outline, his breathing, and his aura have been deeply engraved in Wen Ying's bones and blood.
Even though there was no light at the moment, Wen Ying could imagine the expression on Shen Li's face.
She suddenly felt bored.
Shen Li was determined not to tell her about his meeting with Zheng Di today.
The moment she saw the two of them together, curiosity dominated Wen Ying's heart.
She was standing outside the coffee shop, wondering what could have happened that would be worth Shen Li taking time off from work to meet Zheng Di alone - especially at a time like this, when the contest between her and Zheng Di had just been decided and was at the center of public attention.
After curiosity faded, anger gradually took over.
Wen Ying couldn't control her mind. She even began to suspect whether Chen Li often met with Zheng Di without telling her.
This time I just happened to see it, but will there be a time when I don’t see it?
How often do they meet?
What do you talk about when you meet?
Wen Ying even thought like she was obsessed, every time they met... was it only in a coffee shop?
This thought was like a poisonous scorpion, stinging Wen Ying deeply.
She was panicked and hurriedly left the law firm and returned home, afraid that any acquaintance would see her distraught look.
Originally, she thought she didn't believe Shen Li loved her. But when the painful thought spread to every part of her body, Wen Ying knew that she had hopelessly believed Shen Li's words and his love for her.
Wen Ying sat in the dark, listening to Chen Li's repeated apologies, and suddenly felt that everything was meaningless.
She's a divorce lawyer, accustomed to seeing love fade away. Nothing is permanent, including her and Shen Li.
She was also used to seeing women who couldn't get the love they wanted and were always worried about losing it. They were like a body with its soul hollowed out, becoming hideous, stubborn and crazy.
This is horrible, Wen Ying thought, she must never become that kind of person.
She is an orphan and she has the responsibility and obligation to love herself.
Shen Li's love is an ornament that adds icing on the cake, not a necessity in life.
From the beginning, this marriage was just a temporary solution, but she only got deeper and deeper into it. Fortunately, Wen Ying was still clear-headed and stopped herself before she fell into a situation from which she could not extricate herself.
Wen Ying lay down again and covered herself with the quilt. Her voice had returned to its previous calmness: "Chen Li, I think I need to calm down."
------
The midday sun was shining brightly. Hou Liping tapped Shen Li's soup bowl with his chopsticks. "What's in this bowl of soup? You've been staring at it for almost two minutes."
Shen Li came back to his senses, his eyes feeling a little sore, perhaps because he had kept them open for too long or because he hadn't slept well last night.
"Nothing, I just thought of some clues in the case," he said.
Hou Liping didn't expose him, but just stuffed two chopsticks of food into his mouth.
Sure enough, before he even took his second bite, Shen Li couldn't help but ask, "Are women always cold to men for no reason?"
Hou Liping couldn't help laughing: "I knew you two were having a quarrel."
Shen Li was surprised: "Is it so obvious?"
Hou Liping said, "Of course. I've known you for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen you look like this. Apart from the marital conflict with your brother and sister-in-law, I can't think of anything else that could make Shen Jian so distraught."
"You have a keen eye," Shen Li said, "but you haven't answered my question yet."
Hou Liping thought for a moment and said, "Although women and men are both human, I always think they are two different species."
"Don't play dumb." For the first time, Shen Li felt that Hou Liping was very profound and wise, and what he said actually made him unable to understand the point.
"In short, the logic of thinking between men and women is very different. Maybe you will automatically ignore the reason why she is cold to you, and you will only keep thinking about those insignificant things over and over again, and ultimately you will be unable to figure it out."
Shen Li murmured: "...I automatically ignored it?"
Hou Liping raised his eyebrows. "You'll have to ask yourself the specifics, but you know that even an honest judge can hardly judge family affairs."
He added, "Based on my experience, I advise you to stop thinking about it if you really can't figure it out. Men and women think differently, and there are some things you just can't figure out even if you rack your brains. A bouquet of flowers, a movie, some thoughtful gifts, and some kind words are enough to put this mystery to rest. As long as both of you pretend nothing happened, perhaps you can return to your previous relationship trajectory."
Shen Li said nothing after hearing this, but shook his head inwardly. It might be easy to please a woman, but if that woman's name was 'Wen Ying', then it would be futile.
The phrase "the more you try to hide something, the more obvious it becomes" only fuels the divorce lawyer's fighting spirit and interest. No one can escape the sharp eyes of a divorce lawyer.
Shen Li could understand Wen Ying's anger, her helplessness, and her exhaustion. However, he couldn't figure out where Wen Ying's indifference came from.
Ever since their unpleasant conversation that night, Wen Ying had seemed to be avoiding him for the past three or four days. He left early and returned late, carrying an air of coldness and aloofness that Shen Li had never seen in Wen Ying in the past twenty-two years.
Shen Li keenly noticed the change in Wen Ying - she was consciously withdrawing her investment in this relationship.
The sweetness and warmth of the past period of time seem to be just an illusion, and after the illusion, all that is left is deliberate withdrawal.
The calm and rational 'Wen Lu' replaced the free and relaxed Wen Ying in front of him.
Shen Li had no appetite and took two sips of soup before clearing his plate. Hou Liping, still hungry, saw him about to leave and hurriedly called out to him, whispering, "Man is iron and rice is steel. Look at you, you foolish young man! It's just a quarrel between husband and wife, and you can't even eat your meal?"
Chen Li tried to save face: "I ate a lot this morning and haven't digested it yet. And I remembered something very important. I need to go back and check the ingredients. Take your time eating."
He left the restaurant. The sun was shining brightly outside. The temperature had gradually risen after the Spring Festival, and the warm midday sun had already taken on a light warmth.
Chen Li pulled out his phone. The pinned profile picture on WeChat had been silent for days. He didn't know how many times he had clicked on the dialog box, only to see several green dialogue boxes standing alone on the page, with no response at all.
He sighed, exited the page, and then casually clicked into the circle of friends.
The first post was from that quiet profile picture. It contained a beautiful and quiet street scene with only a few words on it: "Jiangcheng, I'm back again."
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