After finishing packing up his desk, Fu Sinian handed his backpack to the driver who had come with him. But he didn’t leave immediately—instead, he lifted his gaze and looked at Lin Qing.
In that moment, their eyes met midair.
The air fell completely silent.
So quiet, it was unsettling.
Lin Qing’s eyes held a mix of scrutiny and envy, while the boy’s eyes were full of calm and serenity.
The evening sunlight streamed through the window, landing right at his feet. He stood in the golden glow and slowly spoke:
“I hope you get into the university of your dreams.”
The words landed in her ears with crystal clarity.
Like a depth charge exploding in the calm waters of her heart.
Lin Qing froze, then without even thinking, blurted out:
“You’re still just as annoying—hypocritical and self-righteous.”
Hearing that, Fu Sinian’s footsteps paused slightly.
He didn’t look back, just walked forward into the glow of the sunset, out of the classroom, and out of the school.
From that moment on, Lin Qing never saw Fu Sinian again.
After that summer evening, the two of them went on completely different life paths.
Scenes from the past flashed through Lin Qing’s mind, and she let out a soft, mocking laugh.
Looking back now, she could see how childish her behavior had been back then.
As an adult, she had let go of much of the bitterness she once held. Her later years working at a top-tier law firm had taught her one important truth:
Hard work isn’t for nothing.
At the very least, it brings you infinitely closer to the life you want.
Outside the window, the rain had finally stopped. Lin Qing got up, washed her face in the bathroom, and went back to sleep.
This time, her sleep was much more peaceful than before.
It was a call from Su Yi.
Still groggy, she answered, “Hello?”
“Lin Qing, where are you? At home or at the firm?”
Su Yi’s voice was anxious and urgent on the other end of the line.
Lin Qing instantly snapped awake.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m outside the courthouse—someone’s blocking me!”
“What?! What happened?”
Lin Qing jumped out of bed and began dressing while Su Yi explained over the phone what had happened.
“Wait for me—I’m on my way!”
This year, Su Yi had taken on a legal aid divorce case. The client, a woman who had endured years of domestic abuse and infidelity, had finally reached her breaking point and turned to the local legal aid center for help.
Although Lin Qing hadn’t practiced as a litigation lawyer in years, she understood all too well:
In civil cases like these, if the defendant’s family was unhappy with the verdict, they might retaliate against the lawyer out of frustration.
Having received Su Yi’s call, Lin Qing didn’t waste a second—she grabbed her keys and headed straight to the courthouse.
Outside the courthouse, Su Yi’s white Bentley had been forced to pull over on the side of the road.
In the back seat sat the client—a woman in her thirties.
Bang bang bang!
The window was being pounded loudly.
Standing outside were two burly men in their forties or fifties, their expressions dark and menacing.
“Get out, Liu Cuiping.”
“Liu Cuiping, get out here!”
In front of the Bentley, an elderly man in his sixties with graying hair had collapsed to the ground, clutching a tissue as he wiped away tears, muttering:
“You can’t get divorced. Even if I die, I won’t let you get divorced.
If you do, how can our family face the neighbors?”
Passersby stopped to watch the unfolding drama.
Hearing the commotion outside, Su Yi was getting a headache. She slammed on the brakes and hung up her call, then asked the woman in the back seat, annoyed:
“These people… they’re all your relatives?”
“Mm,” Liu Cuiping responded softly.
“And that person in front, that’s your mom?”
“Mm, that’s my mom.”
“Why won’t your mom let you get divorced?”
Su Yi couldn’t understand why Liu Cuiping’s mother was so insistent on stopping the divorce.
As soon as she asked, Liu Cuiping burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Don’t cry. Just tell me, slowly.”
“Lawyer Su… you don’t understand. In our village, if a woman gets divorced, people curse her.
It’s like her reputation is completely ruined.
My mom would rather die than let me divorce.”
Su Yi, usually calm and even-tempered, couldn’t help but curse:
“Damn, your mom’s seriously awful.”
There were only 30 minutes left before the hearing began. Time was running out. Su Yi didn’t have the luxury to hesitate.
She turned to Liu Cuiping:
“When you get out of the car, don’t stop for anything—just run straight into the courthouse.”
“Okay.”
From ten meters away, Lin Qing had already spotted the crowd swarming outside the courthouse.
She drove up, honking repeatedly to scatter the onlookers gathered to watch.
“Lawyer Lin, what now?” asked her assistant, Shen Xiao.
“What do you think? We block them! Whether it works or not, we stop them.
I’m counting on you. You have to hold these people off so Lawyer Su and her client can get inside.
We can’t let them ruin the court session.”
Shen Xiao hadn’t been working as Lin Qing’s assistant for long, and this was the first time he’d encountered such chaos.
Even though he was nervous, he still agreed.
The car stopped right in front of the plaintiff’s mother. Lin Qing and Shen Xiao jumped out and ran forward.
Su Yi and Liu Cuiping also exited the car.
The group of people rushed forward. The plaintiff’s mother scrambled up from the ground and tried to grab Liu Cuiping.
Lin Qing and Shen Xiao fought to block the plaintiff’s family members, while Su Yi dragged Liu Cuiping toward the courthouse.
After a struggle, the courthouse doors slammed shut behind them.
The plaintiff’s relatives, their eyes red with fury, shouted angrily:
“Who even are you? Who gave you the right to stop us?”
“Yeah, who do you think you are?!”
The plaintiff’s mother grabbed Lin Qing’s clothes, shrieking hysterically:
“You can’t let her divorce! You’re killing me if you do!”
Lin Qing rolled her eyes and shouted back:
“What era do you think we’re living in? Divorce has been legal for years!
If a woman is suffering abuse in her marriage, she has every right to leave!
Didn’t you see the bruises on your daughter?
Are you seriously going to wait until that man beats her to death before you’re satisfied?!”
Her words were powerful and well-reasoned.
The bystanders began siding with her:
“Exactly. This young lady’s right. As parents, you should be thinking about your daughter’s wellbeing.”
“If they can’t live together anymore, they should just divorce.
Making a scene like this is disgraceful.”
Hearing the criticism, Liu Cuiping’s mother’s face changed again and again.
The next second, she clutched her chest, her breathing became labored, and she collapsed into her husband’s arms, sobbing:
“Wuuu… If she really divorces, how will I ever show my face in the village again?”
Ah, there it was—they were playing the emotional card now.
When threats didn’t work, they turned to guilt.
Lin Qing had dealt with too many unreasonable families like this back when she was still a litigation lawyer.
Trying to guilt-trip her? Didn’t work.
“Wuuu, my life is so bitter…”
“Lawyer, please, we’re both old. Just let us in.
We do have our reasons for not wanting her to divorce.
The children are still young. If they split up, the kids will be separated too.
Our family’s poor—we can’t afford to raise both.”
Lin Qing glanced at her watch and replied coldly:
“The hearing has already started. You’ll just have to wait out here.”
The old couple refused to give up.
“No, please, we’re begging you! Let us in!”
Thud!
They both dropped to their knees on the pavement.
Not far from the courthouse, a Porsche was parked on the side of the road.
Inside, the man in the driver’s seat glanced at the woman caught in the center of the chaos, and couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle.
“Cousin, this Miss Lin is really something. Those two old folks are already on their knees begging her, and she still won’t budge.”
The speaker was Fang Huai, Fu Sinian’s younger cousin.
Fu Sinian looked outside—Lin Qing was standing right in front of the courthouse.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup today, and under the sunlight, her facial features looked cold and unyielding.
“Without real ability, she wouldn’t have been able to hold her ground in Huading.”
Fang Huai said,
“Cousin, want to keep watching?”
Fu Sinian checked the time—he had a meeting coming up soon.
He didn’t have time to watch the rest of the drama unfold.
“No, let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Just as they were about to leave, Fu Sinian paused and said,
“Wait.”
Fang Huai was confused,
“Why aren’t we leaving?”
“Call the police first. If the woman’s family can’t accept the divorce after the trial, they might do something impulsive. That’d be a problem.”
Fang Huai was stunned. He hadn’t expected Fu Sinian to get involved in this at all.
“What is it?” Fu Sinian looked at him.
“Nothing. I’ll call right away.”
He dialed the local police station. The call was answered.
Fu Sinian looked out the window again.
Just as he predicted, the plaintiff’s mother had collapsed to the ground.
Whether she had actually fainted or was just pretending—it was hard to say.
The Porsche pulled away from the courthouse.
The commotion continued.
Half an hour later, the court session ended.
Lin Qing glanced at the plaintiff’s mother lying on the ground and said,
“The trial’s over. You can go home now.”
The moment she said that, the woman—who had been limp on the ground—suddenly opened her eyes. Her gaze was filled with hatred as she stared at Lin Qing.
The next second, she lunged at Lin Qing.
“It’s all your fault! What kind of lawyer are you?! You helped my daughter get a divorce—you’re ruining lives!”
Lin Qing was caught off guard and knocked to the ground.
Shen Xiao quickly rushed over to pull the woman off.
They all started wrestling and shoving.
Some bystanders ran in to break up the fight.
The scene descended into chaos again.
Fortunately, the police arrived just in time.
“Make way! Make way!”
“What’s going on here? This is a courthouse!”
The officers dispersed the crowd and dragged the plaintiff’s mother away from Lin Qing.
“Cough, cough…”
Lin Qing clutched her neck, gasping for breath. She couldn’t hold back and cursed:
“With a mother like you, it’s no wonder your daughter could end up divorced eight times.”
Hearing this, the plaintiff’s mother struggled to lunge at her again.
The police swiftly separated the two.
The lead officer, Officer Zhang, turned on the family and scolded:
“This is a courthouse! Do you have no respect for the law? Keep this up and you’ll be making a trip to the station!”