After Tan Siyan returned, the frequency of mission triggers shot up in a straight line.
“Why?” Song Shuangzhi frowned.
【According to my system, one of the reasons missions are being triggered is that the male lead’s gaze remains on you for more than three minutes.】
Song Shuangzhi looked up and glared at him indignantly.
The man clearly had his eyes lowered. The lenses of his glasses reflected the light so strongly that it looked as though he was reading the case documents…
“What’s the second reason?”
【The text in my copy of the Clingy Ex-Wife Handbook is too blurry. Let me repair it first, then I’ll tell you.】
“Okay~ (╯▽╰)”
This time, it was a divorce case.
The husband was always away on business, while the wife received neither attention nor care and eventually filed for divorce.
Yet the cold, distant man who had even found another woman outside the marriage stubbornly refused to agree to it.
And so they ended up in court.
The wife calmly and gracefully explained the situation.
The husband’s face was pale, his eyes slightly red with frustration. The moment he opened his mouth, he blurted out: “I’ve been wronged, Your Clear Soup Lordship!”
Everyone in the court had passed the laugh-resistance test.
If he had said: “Your Honorable Lordship.”
No one would have laughed.
But he had actually said, “Your Clear Soup Lordship.”
Several people immediately began snickering.
Song Shuangzhi’s mind was occupied entirely by her mission, so she had no interest in laughing.
Tan Siyan’s expression did not change in the slightest.
“Defendant, please respond.”
Defendant: “I don’t need to use the bathroom right now.”
The little system burst out laughing.
【Pfft~】
Tan Siyan said, “Are you requesting recusal?”
“Requesting.”
“State your reason.”
“Looking at your face, I don’t think you’re going to rule in my favor…”
…
Tan Siyan asked, “Do you have any additional evidence?”
The defendant replied, “If I’m lying, I’m your grandson!”
The entire courtroom was struggling to suppress laughter.
Under the table, Song Shuangzhi secretly made a small heart gesture with her fingers.
The system immediately said:
【Mission failed. The male lead has to see it!】
One of the people beside Tan Siyan leaned over and whispered, “Let’s adjourn. There seems to be something wrong with this man’s head.”
Tan Siyan replied calmly, “He’s pretending to be crazy because he doesn’t want a divorce and wants to keep dragging the plaintiff along.”
He continued,
“He’s fantasizing that she’ll change her mind. Court proceedings are troublesome, and over time both sides may gradually calm down. If he shamelessly clings to her and she ends up pregnant…”
Holding the gavel in his hand, he said, “Then the woman will become a frog slowly boiled in warm water, spending the rest of her life muddling through like this.”
Tan Siyan turned to the person beside him.
“What about the harm he caused her before? Are we just going to pretend that never happened?”
Bang!
His gavel struck with authority.
“Defendant, answer my question seriously. Even if you are diagnosed with a mental illness, we can still grant the divorce.”
The previously grinning defendant was visibly frightened.
In fact, from the moment the gavel came down, the entire courtroom had fallen silent.
The plaintiff presented facts and evidence in a clear and organized manner.
With every new piece of evidence, the defendant’s face became a little paler.
Seated at the center of the proceedings, Song Shuangzhi typed steadily on her keyboard, recording everything with complete concentration.
“You’re so noisy.”
The defendant suddenly turned and spoke coldly to Song Shuangzhi.
Faced with the evidence and accusations, he no longer had the ability to defend himself, so he began redirecting his hostility toward others.
She looked far too easy to bully.
Like a snail whose antennae would only retract when touched before crawling away in another direction.
Tan Siyan’s brows furrowed.
He was genuinely worried that this little NPC would immediately respond with:
“Sorry, I’ll be quieter.”
Song Shuangzhi slowly raised her head.
“Disrupting court proceedings, threatening and verbally abusing court personnel constitute a violation of Article 309, the crime of disturbing courtroom order, punishable by up to three years of imprisonment.”
She spoke softly.
“The plaintiff may hand you a separation agreement right now. Under the law, after two years of separation, a divorce will automatically be granted. Three years from now, when you’re released, you can go directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau and collect your divorce certificate.”
The defendant’s face turned even paler.
Looking at the seemingly soft and delicate young woman before him, he shouted: “Stop cursing me! I love her! I was only out there earning money!”
Song Shuangzhi replied quietly,
“The evidence shows that you solicited prostitutes, engaged in prostitution-related activities, and kept a mistress. I do not believe any of those actions were done for the purpose of earning money.”
“You little—!”
The defendant completely lost control.
Grabbing a water cup from the table, he hurled it directly at Song Shuangzhi’s head.
“Are you insane?!”
The defendant’s lawyer rushed to stop him.
The police officers and court personnel immediately moved forward as well.
“I’ll beat the hell out of you!”
Tan Siyin charged over like she had gone mad.
Crash!
A tremendous bang echoed through the courtroom.
The cup thrown by the defendant shattered against the wall behind him.
Glass shards and water sprayed everywhere.
A difference of only 0.01 centimeters, and the cup would have struck his head.
Song Shuangzhi covered her eyes.
A long, elegant hand shielded her ears and head, pulling her loosely into an embrace.
The fresh scent of cedar and mint filled her nose, completely free of the smell of cigarettes or alcohol.
“Chief Judge.”
“Chief Judge, are you alright?”
There were water droplets on Tan Siyan’s hand as Liang Chuchu hurried over.
“I’m fine.”
He released Song Shuangzhi and cast a cold glance at the defendant.
In The Hague, he presided over cases involving international drug lords and arms traffickers. Those desperate criminals did not even dare meet his eyes.
This weak-hearted man was nothing by comparison.
His gaze was cold, carrying the merciless chill of battlefield smoke and a faint hint of menace.
The defendant collapsed back into his chair.
“I’m guilty. I… agree…”
When court had begun, Tan Siyan’s expression had merely been unpleasant.
Now, it was downright terrifying.
No one in the courtroom even dared breathe loudly.
Song Shuangzhi carefully recorded the defendant’s agreement to the divorce.
She smiled brightly at the plaintiff, her eyes sparkling.
Then she turned toward Tan Siyan and raised her hand…
Pressing her fingers against her cheek, she made an adorable cheek-heart gesture.
Her smile was radiant, her large eyes curved into crescents and glistening with moisture. Her little tiger tooth caught her lower lip as she tilted her head like a curious kitten.
He still seemed to be looking down…
“He didn’t see it again?”
【Mission complete!】
Song Shuangzhi was delighted.
Her colleagues seemed to notice something unusual about his expression as well.
After all, he was exceptionally handsome. Whenever there was nothing to do, people liked looking at his face as a workplace benefit.
【Chief Judge Tan… is frowning?】
【What’s he angry about?】
【Did someone make a move behind the court’s back? He hates unprofessional behavior like that!】
Song Shuangzhi immediately shrank into herself like a turtle retreating into its shell.
That was right.
Making a cheek-heart gesture during a court session was completely inappropriate.
He glared at her.
She had made him angry…
So scary…
But she deserved it.
It was all the mission’s fault!
【Sigh, it’s fine, baby. Anyway, he’s not your destined partner. Once we finish the missions, we’ll never have to look at his iceberg face again!】
After court adjourned, Song Shuangzhi returned to her office with the materials to organize and submit them.
As she walked down the corridor—
“Good afternoon, Chief Judge Tan.”
She nodded politely and bowed.
The man, dressed in a coat and heading toward Director Liang’s office, suddenly extended his left hand.
Something traced an arc through the air.
Holding the toothache spray she had just caught, Song Shuangzhi fell into deep thought.
“Go get your canine tooth and wisdom tooth checked.”
“Huh?”
【Wait!】
【Chotto matte!】
The system exclaimed:【That old-fashioned man can’t possibly think your cheek-heart gesture earlier was because of a toothache, right?! So when he frowned and looked serious, he wasn’t angry at you at all. He was worried about you!】
“Oh…”
The system sighed.【Zhizhi Cat, you’re perfect as the straight man in a comedy duo!】