“When that time comes, I won’t have to go to the courthouse; I’ll be going to the police station to see you.” Ying Zhi’an said this without any expression, like a cold, emotionless AI. There was a strong sense of work fatigue: tired, weary, listen if you want…
Mr. Guan’s face instantly went pale, and he realized the severity of the situation. “This… Lawyer Ying, what should I do? I… I did buy the house, but I wasn’t trying to commit a crime. The agent tricked me, saying this operation would be cheaper. I just paid the money, and the fake certificate was handled by the agent!”
As expected, he really used a fake certificate to buy a house… Ying Zhi’an suppressed the urge to rub her forehead, feeling she was underpaid for this case.
But facing a panicked client, Ying Zhi’an professionally offered the best solution: “Agree to the divorce, relinquish custody, request mediation, and secure a mediation agreement from the court to finalize everything before the opposing party follows this trail and discovers your use of a fake certificate to buy the house.”
“Then she gets what she wants! The child can’t go to her! Why should she get the child! She lives off me, uses my money, and still wants to take a share of the house? Impossible!”
“Do I need to repeat myself?” Ying Zhi’an stared into Mr. Guan’s eyes. “If I were Ms. Chen’s lawyer, I would first send you to jail. Once you are incarcerated, you are no longer fit for custody, and the child will 100% go to Ms. Chen. Furthermore, I wouldn’t demand a split of your premarital property, but I would demand a split of the property you bought with the fake certificate, because you bought it during the marriage using marital community property. The law protects your premarital property, but this one is 100% confirmed as community property; you can’t not split it. At the same time, I would contact Ms. Gou and exchange information with her for more evidence of your infidelity. The cheating party will inevitably receive a smaller share or no share during asset division. At that point, you will not only lose your assets and your wife but also your freedom.”
At the end, Ying Zhi’an let out a soft chuckle. “You should be glad that I am not Ms. Chen’s lawyer.”
Mr. Guan’s face drained of color again and again. It took a long time for him to seem to realize. “Lawyer Ying, let’s mediate. We request mediation. She can have the child.”
Ying Zhi’an nodded. “I will detail the division plan for the rest of the community property and send it to you tonight. Once you confirm it, I will communicate with Ms. Chen and her lawyer.”
Mr. Guan now felt a wave of fear and couldn’t help but worry. “What if they don’t agree to mediation? What if the judge has already asked them about this? What if she really tries to send me to prison?”
“That’s why you should be glad that your lawyer is me. I won’t let that happen.”
That evening, the division plan was confirmed by Mr. Guan and sent to Ms. Chen by Ying Zhi’an.
Sitting in her law office, Ying Zhi’an looked out at the glittering city lights. Her mind went blank, and she just stared absently.
If one has experienced looking down at the entire city from a high vantage point, a sense of inexplicable loneliness is bound to arise.
If the gaze is pulled higher, higher, and even higher, like that photograph of Earth from outer space, with the vast universe and the floating astronaut, at that moment, perhaps even the sense of loneliness would vanish.
Only an empty indifference would remain in the mind.
Ying Zhi’an was in this state now.
In that instant, she loved no one, cared nothing for the case she was representing, nothing for her best friend Zhang Zhang’s marital trajectory, nothing for the lengthy messages her parents occasionally sent, nothing for any human being, including herself.
“Sister Zhi’an!” Song Xidan’s voice, full of positive energy, broke the silence in the office.
Ying Zhi’an turned to look at her and saw a smiling face entering the room.
“Sister Zhi’an, I saw you were busy as soon as you got back and hadn’t eaten dinner. I cooked some food. Would you like to have some?”
“Did you rush home to cook after work? And then rush back?”
“It’s not far. I drove my mom’s car back.” Song Xidan smiled, her eyes full of sincerity and candor, somewhat different from the initial impression.
Ying Zhi’an keenly perceived that she had been categorized into Song Xidan’s inner circle, which allowed for this unreserved outpouring of emotion and closeness, making her current persona different from the initial impression.
This unaffected friendliness from a young person should have been pleasant, but looking at the “56” above Song Xidan’s head, Ying Zhi’an was worried.
As the elder, she had an obligation. Enticing a young person was not a good thing.
“I’m not hungry. I won’t eat.”
“Just a little bit?” Song Xidan blinked her big eyes, like the cleanest dewdrop on a lotus leaf in the early morning.
Ying Zhi’an pursed her lips and turned away, refusing to look at that gaze again. “I’m doing intermittent fasting. If you don’t have anything else, you should head back.”
“Is that so…” Song Xidan’s tone was a little disappointed, then it quickly became cheerful again. “I don’t have anything to do at home either. I’ll read a book here.”
This time of night was usually when the nightlife began.
Ying Zhi’an couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have no friends here?”
Song Xidan put away the thermos container and actually opened her bar exam books at her own desk. “I studied out of town. The friends I made after graduating from university are all back on the grasslands.”
Ying Zhi’an offered a half-hearted consolation. “You’ll make some if you stay long enough.”
“Mhm.” Song Xidan didn’t take it as perfunctory and replied seriously, “I definitely will.”
Ying Zhi’an’s phone chimed with a new message notification from Ms. Chen. She didn’t reply to Song Xidan but instead called Ms. Chen back after receiving her permission.
“I apologize for disturbing you, Ms. Chen. Has the child gone to sleep?”
Ms. Chen’s voice was still soft and gentle, like the drizzle of Jiangnan. “Lawyer Ying, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. The child just fell asleep. I read the division plan you sent and discussed it with Lawyer Jiang. This division is very favorable to me and my child, but I am very curious: why are you suddenly so cooperative? I don’t believe that scumbag has had a change of heart, so what is the underlying reason? Can you tell me?”
Ying Zhi’an’s tone was also very gentle, like a good friend trying to clarify things for Ms. Chen. “As Mr. Guan’s lawyer, I am not obligated to answer you, or I could use some deceptive words to trick you, telling you that Mr. Guan has deeply repented and feels he went too far, so he is making greater concessions. But those words are meaningless. I have always believed that sincerity brings a win-win situation.”
Ms. Chen paused. “You’re right, sincerity… It’s a shame that we reached this point, and that’s long gone. So, Lawyer Ying, what is my not-so-sincere husband up to?”
“Mr. Guan forged a divorce certificate, which is not a legal act.”
Ying Zhi’an said this lightly, yet it shocked Song Xidan, who looked up from her book, eyes wide.
Can she say that? Song Xidan was stunned.
She shouldn’t be saying that! We are Mr. Guan’s lawyers!
Song Xidan felt like she was watching a brilliant person doing something idiotic. She parted her lips, wanting to advise, wanting to stop her, but it was too late.
Ying Zhi’an was the type of person who could switch into work mode in an instant and automatically block out the surrounding people and events.
She quietly waited for Ms. Chen’s reply.
On the other end of the phone, Ms. Chen also paused for a long time. “You’re telling me this because you are also a woman, and you can’t bear to see it? Do you pity me? But Lawyer Ying, I’m afraid I might make things difficult for you. If this is true, I will not agree to your current division plan, which states the house goes to my child and he continues to bear the mortgage, and the 300,000 in joint savings is split equally. I want to send him to jail! I hate him! He destroyed my marriage and my life!”
“Ms. Chen, I don’t pity you. In my opinion, your courage to propose separation makes you a strong person, and strong people do not need anyone’s pity. As for the division plan, I advise you to agree to it.” Ying Zhi’an said calmly, “Mr. Guan may not be your husband, but he will always be the child’s father. If he has a criminal record, it will negatively affect the child’s future. As you know, background checks now often investigate the immediate family’s situation. There is no need to destroy your child’s future options just for the sake of one man.”
Ying Zhi’an paused and then said what she considered to be her most humane statement. “Ms. Chen, hating a person is harder to forget than loving a person.”
Ms. Chen loved her child, so she only hesitated for a few seconds. “Fine, I accept.”
After hanging up the phone, Song Xidan couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Zhi’an, why did you tell her? Shouldn’t things have gone more smoothly if you didn’t? Wouldn’t telling her create more complications?”
Regarding professional matters, as Song Xidan’s mentor, Ying Zhi’an stopped being concise. “Firstly, this was never a secret, just a fact the opposing party overlooked. I believe that even if I didn’t say anything, the judge would eventually ask, and they would still find out, which would cause even more complications. Secondly, by bringing it up at this moment, we mitigate the risk. The two sides have prominent conflicts right now. Suddenly requesting mediation would only arouse suspicion. A windfall would only increase the opposing party’s resistance, and mediation wouldn’t go smoothly. Stating the fact is reasonable and logical, which benefits us. Finally, and most importantly, in family disputes, especially divorce disputes, every party can be a rational economic agent when fighting over assets, but if you treat them only as rational economic agents, you will be greatly mistaken. Beyond interests, there are emotions, feelings, and pride, which are key factors governing their decisions. Ms. Chen is a straightforward person; if you treat her with sincerity, she will reciprocate with the same sincerity.”
Song Xidan nodded in admiration, her eyes sparkling. “Sister Zhi’an, that’s brilliant! I’m learning so much.”
Ying Zhi’an, however, looked at the materials for this divorce case in her heart, regretting that such a straightforward person had married someone like Mr. Guan. Fortunately, she had bravely taken the first step out of the mire. Now, she could still live in the original house and wouldn’t have as much financial pressure. Although, compared to a full-time mother, she would likely face a relatively difficult period re-entering the workforce.
But at least Ms. Chen had taken the first step toward her new life.