“Zhi, over here!”
Fu Yumeng waved to the approaching figure.
The moment Shi Zhi walked through the door and saw the two men standing at the counter, he felt a surge of regret. He wanted to turn and leave, but since Fu Yumeng had already called out to him, he could only bite the bullet and go over to say hello. “Attorney Xiang, Attorney… Attorney Fu, what a coincidence.”
Fu Yumeng raised an eyebrow. “You two know each other?”
Xiang Jing also exclaimed at the same time: “You know each other?”
Shi Zhi introduced them awkwardly: “This Attorney Fu is the one you recommended to me…”
Fu Yumeng finally took a proper look at the handsome man with the persistent “foul face” and offered a sincere smile. “So you’re Attorney Fu! I’ve heard so much about you. I always hear my cousin praising you; I’ve finally met you in person.”
“Isn’t this a coincidence?” Xiang Jing said, seizing the opportunity to chime in. “I didn’t expect Mr. Shi to be friends with Boss Fu, and I certainly didn’t expect him to be introduced by her. It truly is fate.”
Shi Zhi: “…” This is one “fate” I could do without.
“It truly is fate. Since everyone knows each other, let’s chat together. My treat,” Fu Yumeng said. She had her own motives: first, Attorney Fu was indeed professional; second, she hoped to use this opportunity to analyze the situation for her friend. She knew Shi Zhi’s personality; even if he said he would consult a lawyer, there were certain things he definitely wouldn’t find easy to say out loud.
“Yuchu?” Xiang Jing winked frantically. Your senior brother’s happiness depends on you!
Fu Yuchu: “…Whatever works.”
Xiang Jing: Good man, good friend! I’ll remember this favor.
Fu Yuchu looked away indifferently.
Fu Yumeng arranged for a server to watch the shop and led the group to a semi-open booth. She said with a smile, “A new product just came out today. Everyone, please try it and give us some feedback so we can improve.”
“Boss Fu’s desserts are top-tier.” Xiang Jing gave a thumbs-up. “We’re just rough guys; we can’t give professional advice, we’re just here to cheekily score a free meal.”
“Oh, not at all, Mr. Xiang is exaggerating.”
“You’re too polite, Boss Fu is being humble.”
Fu Yuchu: “…” Shi Zhi: “…”
Shi Zhi was amused by the back-and-forth compliments between the two and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Just as he was about to smile, he sensed the person across from him staring straight at him. Shi Zhi’s smile vanished, and he lowered his head to take a sip of coffee.
A smirk played on Fu Yuchu’s lips as he also picked up his coffee and took a sip.
Fu Yumeng didn’t notice the silent exchange between the two. She was truly worried for her friend. After some brief small talk, she went straight to the point: “Since Attorney Fu knows Zhi, I assume you already have a general understanding of the situation. Is a case like his difficult to handle?”
Xiang Jing didn’t speak, glancing at Fu Yuchu instead.
Fu Yuchu put down his cup and leaned back against the chair, saying nonchalantly, “The main issue lies in Mr. Shi’s determination.”
Fu Yumeng: “How so?”
Fu Yuchu looked at the person who hadn’t said a word and said meaningfully, “No matter how difficult a problem is, there will always be a solution. The main point is whether a person’s heart… is firm.”
Xiang Jing: Here we go again. Weren’t things just fine a second ago?
Fu Yumeng nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it.” She turned to her friend and asked, “Zhi, what are your thoughts? You aren’t going to go soft-hearted and believe Xu Yining’s nonsense again, are you?”
Fu Yuchu waited for Shi Zhi’s answer.
Shi Zhi knew what Fu Yumeng meant and realized he couldn’t avoid it. He could only speak up: “No… I’m not going soft-hearted.”
“Then have you raised it with him?” Fu Yumeng asked. “Xu Yining is back, right? Did you raise it with him? What did he say?”
Shi Zhi looked up and met Fu Yuchu’s deep gaze. For some reason, he felt a bit guilty and said in a small voice, “I did. Brother Ning hasn’t been back home these past few days; he said he’s busy with work.”
Xiang Jing thought: The “stalling” tactic. A common trick for scumbags.
“That dog! I knew it would be like this,” Fu Yumeng cursed. “What a coward, only knows how to hide. Why couldn’t he control himself when he was sleeping with someone else? Now he knows how to hide. I’m telling you, Zhi, he’s just stalling for time—stalling until the wedding date is close and you have no time to deal with it, so you’ll be forced to marry him. He’s banking on that. If you ask me, just like you said, a breakup doesn’t need his consent; just sue him directly to recover your property.”
She then asked the two lawyers: “A breakup doesn’t need the other person’s consent, right? Can we sue directly?”
Xiang Jing: What a clear-headed girl. As expected of the person I’ve taken a liking to; my taste is excellent.
Fu Yuchu didn’t answer directly but asked Fu Yumeng another question: “Based on what Boss Fu is saying, Mr. Shi’s… former fiancé has cheated more than once? What, did Mr. Shi magnanimously forgive him before?”
Xiang Jing: Why do I detect a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone?
Fu Yumeng didn’t pick up on anything. She had a natural sense of trust in Fu Yuchu, who had handled her cousin’s divorce case. She answered whatever he asked, waving her hand. “Not really. This is the first time since he’s been with Zhi, though he wasn’t exactly ‘decent’ before they got together. I advised Zhi before, but he said you can’t hold the past Xu Yining to the standards of the present and future—that it wouldn’t be fair.”
Hearing this, Xiang Jing glanced at Shi Zhi. He hadn’t expected this “love brain” handsome guy to have such a healthy view on relationships.
“I didn’t expect Mr. Shi to be so reasonable.” Fu Yuchu clearly said something perfectly normal, yet Shi Zhi detected a hint of irony in his tone.
He didn’t want to continue this topic and hurriedly said, “It’s all in the past, let’s not talk about it…”
“Crap!” Fu Yumeng interrupted him directly. “As the saying goes, ‘you can see the old man in the three-year-old child.’ Based on his past relationships, you can see he’s a lower-class animal who can’t control his lower half. Only you were silly enough to believe his nonsense about ‘cutting ties completely.’ Being unfaithful—how can he be considered a good man!”
Xiang Jing: This sister’s firepower is too strong; I’m truly being caught in the crossfire. But then again, I’ve only had normal breakups due to incompatibility; I’m not a scumbag, right…
Fu Yuchu nodded in agreement. “Indeed.”
Xiang Jing: “???” Shi Zhi: “…”
“By the way, Attorney Fu.” Fu Yumeng truly cared for Shi Zhi and trusted Attorney Fu. She probed for her friend: “A breakup doesn’t need the other person’s consent, right? If… I mean if, in a situation where Zhi has already proposed a breakup but Xu Yining hasn’t agreed, Zhi sleeps with someone else… that doesn’t count as cheating, right? He wouldn’t be the ‘at-fault’ party, right?”
Shi Zhi: “…………”
Fu Yuchu: “What does Mr. Shi think?”
Shi Zhi had no thoughts, only guilt and embarrassment. He couldn’t stay here anymore.
“Did Mr. Shi… truly sleep with someone else?” Fu Yuchu stared at the person whose head was almost touching the floor and asked gloomily.
“Cough, cough, cough—” Shi Zhi was choked by his coffee, his face turning bright red. Fu Yuchu pulled out two tissues and handed them to him.
Shi Zhi: “…Thank you.”
“As for whether it counts as cheating, that depends on Mr. Shi’s motivation,” Fu Yuchu said only after seeing Shi Zhi was okay.
Fu Yumeng: “How so?”
“If Mr. Shi was drinking to drown his sorrows or acting out of a desire for revenge when he slept with someone else, then it might count as cheating.” Fu Yuchu stared at Shi Zhi, saying words only the two of them understood: “If it was just an uncontrollable impulse under the heat of the moment, without any intent to spite the ex-partner, then it shouldn’t count as cheating. I wonder which situation Mr. Shi falls into.”
Xiang Jing kicked Fu Yuchu under the table: What the hell are you talking about? Which law has such a regulation???
Fu Yuchu dodged the kick and looked at Shi Zhi without a change in expression.
Fu Yumeng hurriedly clarified, fearing Shi Zhi would be branded with the “cheater” label. “Of course it’s the latter. It has absolutely nothing to do with that scumbag.”
“Oh, is that so? Is that what Mr. Shi told you?”
Fu Yumeng was ready to raise her hand and swear. Regardless of whether Shi Zhi had actually said it, she only spoke information beneficial to her friend in front of the lawyer. “Of course. Zhi isn’t one to drag things out; when he says a breakup, it’s a breakup.”
Xiang Jing was shocked: Who would have thought this “love brain” handsome guy was so wild. Is it that they’re too young or am I too old-fashioned? I can’t quite keep up with the trend.
“Is that so?” Fu Yuchu gave a smirk. “Didn’t you just say Mr. Shi was soft-hearted and would believe his ex’s repentance?”
Fu Yumeng: “…” Lawyers have such good memories. I really don’t want to argue logic with these people.
Fu Yumeng wanted to say more but was tugged by Shi Zhi.
Shi Zhi spoke in a small voice: “These things have nothing to do with the next steps. Let’s stop talking about this.”
Fu Yuchu: “Oh.”
Shi Zhi: “…”
Fu Yumeng also detected her friend’s discomfort, which she naturally interpreted as his social anxiety—a natural reaction to being around unfamiliar people.
So she asked her friend, “Zhi, what do you plan to do next?”
Shi Zhi thought for a moment and said, “I’ll wait for Xu Yining to come back. I’ve already laid my cards on the table; he might just not have figured it out yet. When he comes back, I’ll talk to him again.” He added, “I’ll try to talk it out; if I can avoid a lawsuit, I will.”
Fu Yuchu looked at the coffee in front of him and, for once, didn’t speak.
Fu Yumeng knew Shi Zhi’s concerns and didn’t say much more either.
Xiang Jing couldn’t resist offering some professional advice: “If Mr. Shi truly wants to separate from your fiancé and recover your property, you can start gathering evidence now. Prove that the small building was a conditional gift given with the purpose of marriage. Since the purpose was marriage and you are now breaking the engagement, the conditional gift can naturally be revoked. The cash part is easier to handle; after all, it was transferred directly from your account without any stated purpose—the possibility of recovery is higher.”
“When you talk to him, you can record the conversation. Try to guide him into admitting the existence of the conditional gift. Written evidence would be best,” Xiang Jing advised seriously.
Shi Zhi: “Okay, I understand. Thank you, Attorney Xiang.”
In the end, it was Fu Yuchu who drove Shi Zhi back.
Xiang Jing had to leave early to take a call from a client, and Fu Yumeng had to stay to watch the shop. Fu Yuchu said he was heading the same way and could drop him off, so Shi Zhi ended up in Fu Yuchu’s car once again.
Same car, stopped at the same spot.
“Thank you for driving me back.”
“Mm.”
Shi Zhi wanted to get out, but the car door was locked. He turned to look at Fu Yuchu.
Fu Yuchu stared at a streetlamp not far away and asked the same question as last time: “Will you go soft-hearted?”
“…No.”
“But you don’t want to sue.”
“…I just don’t want things to get too ugly.”
Shi Zhi thought that if he truly ended up in court with Xu Yining, what would these three-plus years of living together even mean? Shi Zhi could admit his failure, but he didn’t want to face endless harassment, he didn’t want his parents’ names and the building to appear in court, and he didn’t want… so much trouble.
If possible, Shi Zhi very much hoped to have a clean break with Xu Yining and the Xu family.
“What if he keeps avoiding you?” Fu Yuchu looked at Shi Zhi and asked a question with ambiguous meaning: “If he keeps refusing to talk to you, dragging it out until your wedding date… will you marry him?”
Shi Zhi didn’t know why he was sitting in the car discussing this with Fu Yuchu. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang.
Fu Yuchu glanced down.
Brother Ning.
Fu Yuchu looked away.
In the April weather, Shi Zhi suddenly felt a chill. He intended to hang up the phone directly, but his hand trembled and he pressed “Answer” and “Speakerphone.”
“Wifey, where are you?”