Chapter 36

No matter what, Lin Shu ultimately succeeded in handing Xu Shijia over to Wang Yizhou.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and head home.

Xu Shijia was drunk and had acted wildly. Lin Shu hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, walking alone down the path they had shared, watching couples kissing in lounge chairs under the trees, she belatedly felt her face heat up.

Damn Xu Shijia!

For the first time, Lin Shu felt a headache coming on, wondering how she would face him at work tomorrow.

Fortunately, her worries didn’t last long.

Just as she reached the gate of her apartment complex, she received a call from Wei Xue.

After parting ways with Wei Xue earlier, Lin Shu had specifically sent a message asking about her situation, feeling relieved only after learning that she had arrived safely back home.

But now, it seemed that her relief had come too soon.

At this moment, Wei Xue was crying continuously on the other end of the phone, her emotions nearly collapsing.

“Lawyer Lin, can you help me?”

Her voice was shaky, and Lin Shu patiently calmed her down. Only then did she learn that Wei Xue had rushed back to the city center of Rong City after a long journey from her hometown.

What happened?

Worried that something had gone wrong, and since the city center station wasn’t far from her home, Lin Shu decided to head over.

“Did Zhang Jianyi’s family do something disgusting again? Did they follow you all the way to your hometown?”

When Lin Shu finally saw Wei Xue, she realized that her face was filled with confusion and fear. She looked utterly drained, as though she had suffered a significant emotional blow. She was nothing like the spirited woman Lin Shu had parted with earlier.

Lin Shu’s expression turned serious. “If necessary, we should report this to the police.”

“No,” Wei Xue trembled, stopping Lin Shu. “It’s not Zhang Jianyi’s family.”

As she spoke, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

“It’s my mom.”

Wei Xue’s expression was pained. “I couldn’t get in touch with my mom, so I went straight home. She didn’t expect me to return and was discussing my situation with my brother, and I overheard everything.”

“Didn’t your mother already give her opinion on this matter?”

“She lied to me,” Wei Xue wiped her tears. “She supported my divorce and even urged me to go through with it. But it turns out, aside from wanting to get a share of Zhang Jianyi’s family’s money, she also wanted me to remarry quickly and get a new dowry. She plans to give all that money to my brother because his girlfriend is already pregnant. My mom wants to hurry up and get money to buy them a house and save some for raising their child.”

“If I hadn’t gone home on a whim tonight, I wouldn’t have known that my mom is already looking for a second husband for me in the village.”

Even though Lin Shu already knew that Wei Xue’s mother favored sons over daughters, she hadn’t imagined that her mother would still be finding ways to “use” her daughter at a time like this.

“My mom even said she’d help me take care of my child so I could work in the city. But it’s all selfish. I heard her and my brother calculating that once I’m working, I’ll have to send money home for her to raise my child. She plans to skim some of that money to support my brother’s child since the two kids would be born around the same time. As long as my child is in her care, I’d send most of my earnings to her…”

Wei Xue couldn’t stop crying. “I was so moved when my mom supported my divorce and even encouraged me to keep the baby. I truly thought I had misjudged her all this time. I knew she favored my brother, but I thought she cared about me too. I believed that when it came down to it, she would stand up for me.”

“You may not understand, but I was so happy before, and now I’m just devastated. I realize that in my mom’s eyes, I’ve always been a tool—a tool to give my brother a better life. Not only has she calculated against me, but she’s also already planning how to use my unborn child as a new tool…”

It became clear to Lin Shu that Wei Xue had silently accepted the reality of her family’s favoritism towards her brother, which was why she had tried so hard to get a dowry from Zhang Jianyi’s family. But looking back now, Wei Xue realized that none of it was worth it.

“I never wanted to get married in the first place. I was too young. I didn’t want to marry Zhang Jianyi so early. He’s short, ugly, and never treated me well. Even though his family is much better off than ours, after we got married, my mom kept asking me for money to support my brother. Zhang Jianyi found out and started to think I was secretly giving them money, so over time, his family became more suspicious of me and stingy. I never had a good life. I only tried to hide my struggles from my mom, always pretending things were fine.”

“I thought I could just accept my fate and make everyone happy, as long as I got by. But who could have predicted it would turn out like this?”

…

How could Lin Shu not understand?

She hadn’t always been without expectations of her own father.

But the greater the expectation, the greater the potential for disappointment.

When you think you have a safe haven, only to find that all you have is desolation.

Lin Shu could imagine the collapse and despair Wei Xue must feel now, realizing that when she thought her mother would support her, her mother had already been scheming to trade her for money to support her brother.

Huang Meifeng really wanted to drain every last bit of value from Wei Xue.

“So, what do you plan to do now? Are you thinking of not getting a divorce?”

If Wei Xue couldn’t rely on her mom and still wanted to keep the child, getting divorced now would make her future life much harder. If Wei Xue changed her mind, Lin Shu would feel sad for her, but she would respect her decision.

Life isn’t a dreamlike inspirational film full of bold slogans; it’s a documentary of constant compromise and endurance.

Those standing safely on the shore have no right to demand that someone sinking in the mud sacrifice themselves heroically.

But to Lin Shu’s surprise, this time, Wei Xue was firm in her decision.

“No, I’m getting a divorce.” She looked at Lin Shu with determination in her eyes. “And I’m not having the baby. I’m going to terminate the pregnancy.”

Under the weight of everything, Wei Xue had finally reached her breaking point. She took a deep breath. “One way or another, I’ll get something from Zhang Jianyi’s family after the divorce, right? If there’s no child, I won’t have any burdens, and my mom won’t have anything to hold over me. I’ll work hard, and I can endure whatever hardships come. I’m still young. I can take care of myself.”

“Zhang Jianyi can’t be relied on, my mom can’t be relied on, and even a child I raise by myself might not be reliable in the future.” Wei Xue looked at Lin Shu. “Lawyer Xu was right—people can only rely on themselves. If I don’t count on myself, how can I expect to rely on anyone else?”

“I used to think I could please everyone, so that if life got tough, I’d have someone to rely on. But now I realize how foolish that was,” Wei Xue said, trying to smile, though tears welled up in her eyes. “Look at what it’s gotten me. I tried so hard to please my family, marrying whoever they told me to, using my husband’s money to support them, and all I got in return was ridicule and suspicion from my in-laws. In the end, what did I get out of it?”

“Zhang Jianyi is ugly, old, disabled, and has a bad temper. He’s also very stingy and calculating. Marrying into his family felt like taking on a lifelong unpaid maid job, but I still put up with it. I worked hard to please his entire family. Zhang Jianyi never wanted to get checked when we couldn’t have children; he’d just insult me and say my womb was to blame. I endured all that, hoping for better days in the future, and now look at how they treat me.”

Lin Shu poured Wei Xue a glass of warm water. “Are you sure you want to terminate the pregnancy?”

“Yes, I’ve thought it through.” Wei Xue nodded. “Without a child, I can divorce Zhang Jianyi and be free of him for life. But if I have his child, I’ll be tied to him forever. I’d be the one raising the child, only for Zhang Jianyi to come around later and take advantage, expecting the child to support him. And if the child grows up to be ungrateful and chooses to be with Zhang Jianyi because he has money, I’d be devastated.”

“If I had the child, I’d have to work and wouldn’t be able to spend much time with them. Zhang Jianyi wouldn’t be likely to contribute much financially either, leading to endless arguments. This child would come into a life of hardship, so why bring them into this world to suffer?”

“And Zhang Jianyi’s genes aren’t that great either. If the child ended up looking like him, it wouldn’t be a good thing.”

As she spoke, Wei Xue took out her phone and showed Lin Shu. “Just while I was escaping from the rental house, Zhang Jianyi sent me several more abusive messages and said he’d go back to that rental to take things. I only want to get rid of his child as soon as possible.”

This time, Wei Xue was finally calm, and as Lin Shu listened to her reasoning, she knew Wei Xue had made up her mind.

It was getting late, so Lin Shu decided to set up the guest room and let Wei Xue stay the night.

—

The next day at work, Lin Shu took Wei Xue to the law office with her.

Although there were cases waiting, Lin Shu felt a bit uneasy on the way to the office.

Soon, she would see Xu Shijia again.

He had crossed a line last night.

But he was drunk.

Lin Shu, as an adult and Xu Shijia’s superior, knew she shouldn’t act like a girl demanding answers. She should handle it maturely by not bringing it up, and even if Xu Shijia apologized, she ought to show indifference, smiling it off to avoid awkwardness. This approach would defuse the situation and maintain team cohesion, allowing her to continue to manage Xu Shijia comfortably.

This situation fell on the boundary between personal and professional, and as the boss, she needed to handle it well to ensure future interactions remained smooth for everyone involved.

Just as Lin Shu expected, when she arrived at the office with Wei Xue, Xu Shijia was already at his desk, looking fresh, focused, and impeccably put-together—a perfect image of professionalism, nothing like his stubborn, drunken self from the previous evening.

There wasn’t a trace of awkwardness on his face. He looked at Lin Shu with a straightforward gaze, as if the previous night’s events had been completely forgotten, and he greeted her naturally—more smoothly than Lin Shu had rehearsed in her mind.

“Good morning.”

Lin Shu hadn’t anticipated Xu Shijia ignoring the previous night altogether and acting as though nothing had happened, moving on as if it were all forgotten.

She suddenly felt mixed emotions.

But Xu Shijia was unaware of Lin Shu’s thoughts and greeted her casually before noticing Wei Xue standing behind her. “Ms. Wei, is there something you need here?”

This case had been assigned to Xu Shijia, and he did seem quite invested in it.

He wasn’t particularly warm toward Lin Shu but was very attentive to the client.

Lin Shu couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly, but she kept her face professional and composed. She called Xu Shijia into her office, and, in Wei Xue’s presence, briefly updated him on the current situation.

“So, Ms. Wei has now decided to pursue a divorce and obtain as much marital property as possible?”

Wei Xue nodded. “Yes, Attorney Xu. Last night, I couldn’t sleep, so I organized the list of marital assets as you advised.” She took out a handwritten paper and said, “Please take a look.”

Lin Shu and Xu Shijia glanced at the paper, and their brows furrowed.

Several bank account numbers were listed, but Zhang Jianyi had already started transferring funds. Even if they applied to freeze the accounts, the money would likely have been moved already.

Xu Shijia seemed to share Lin Shu’s concern and turned to Wei Xue. “Did you not purchase any property during your marriage?”

Wei Xue shook her head. “Zhang Jianyi’s family already had several properties from previous demolitions, including some that they rented out, so there was no need to buy more. Most of these properties were allotted before our marriage, except for one that was demolished after we were married. But they insist it’s pre-marital property, and even though the demolition happened after we were married, they claim the replacement housing or compensation has nothing to do with me.”

They weren’t wrong, but there could be exceptions.

“Was that property expanded during your marriage?” Lin Shu asked, but Xu Shijia beat her to it.

He explained, “While it’s true the property was acquired before marriage, if Zhang Jianyi used post-marital income to expand it during your marriage, then the expansion could entitle you to a share of the benefits.”

“Usually, families with significant experience in dealing with demolition often expand their properties just before a demolition to secure a larger replacement or more compensation.”

Lin Shu was surprised Xu Shijia had considered this angle, given that demolition cases were far from his personal experience.

Perhaps her surprise showed in her expression, as Xu Shijia looked back at her, cleared his throat, and said in a casual tone, “At first, I wasn’t familiar, but I’ve been researching this case in-depth over the past few days.”

“Not bad.”

Xu Shijia, when not drinking, was actually quite reliable.

Lin Shu felt a sense of relief.

With his reminder, Wei Xue had a sudden realization and clapped her thigh, “There really is something! The house that got demolished during our marriage was indeed expanded only after we got married. They added a whole new floor! Because of this expansion, after much back-and-forth, we managed to negotiate an extra fifty square meters in the replacement housing.”

Compared to cash, which might be hard to recover, the replacement housing acquired after the demolition was solid and couldn’t be easily transferred by Zhang Jianyi.

But…

“The house has already been demolished now. Did you keep any evidence that shows Zhang Jianyi expanded it during the marriage?”

“I have photos of the house after the expansion!”

“What about photos of the house before the expansion?”

Xu Shijia’s question left Wei Xue looking troubled. “I didn’t take any.”

Lin Shu and Xu Shijia exchanged glances, realizing that gathering evidence might be challenging. Without before-and-after comparison photos, it would be difficult to claim that the extra square footage in the replacement housing resulted from the expansion during the marriage. Zhang Jianyi’s family would likely insist the house had been expanded before the marriage, denying any construction during the marital period.

Xu Shijia didn’t say anything further. Instead, he took out his phone.

Lin Shu thought he was replying to or checking messages, but to her surprise, he was entirely focused on his phone.

Just as she was about to remind him to get back on topic, Xu Shijia looked up with a smile.

“Got it!”

His voice lifted with excitement. “I found photos of Zhang Jianyi’s house before the demolition on a few street-view map apps! Comparing them to the photos Wei Xue has from after the expansion, it’s clear the house was expanded, and the street-view images were taken during the time of your marriage!”

This indicated that for a while after the marriage, the house remained unexpanded, meaning the expansion must have happened afterward.

“I read some case rulings while working late, and more cases are being accepted as evidence using street-view maps to verify facts. As long as the evidence chain is logical, we can fight for the share of the expanded portion of the house for Wei Xue!”

Xu Shijia’s smile was different from all his other smiles. This one was clean and genuine, without any pretense or attempt to look cool. It was purely heartfelt, and even his eyes were bright.

Simple and pure, but strikingly sincere.

Lin Shu had to admit, Xu Shijia was indeed very handsome.

When he acted careless, his appearance was already striking, but when he worked seriously and focused, his attractiveness had no rival.

He was really handsome.

He looked at Lin Shu with his dark, shining eyes, saying nothing, showing neither pride nor arrogance, only a genuine excitement from this newfound understanding.

Working on cases was like this: each case was unique, and each piece of evidence was like a puzzle piece. Only those who patiently pieced it together could understand the pride and sense of achievement that came from completing it.

Xu Shijia was slowly changing.

He was beginning to feel that dedication to work was natural and felt excited about his own progress.

This was exactly why Lin Shu had assigned him this legal aid case.

It wasn’t too difficult, but being a civil case, it involved complex personal entanglements and numerous uncertainties.

It was challenging.

But the joy of success became all the more rewarding.

Thanks to Xu Shijia’s idea, the hope of victory returned to Wei Xue’s previously downcast face. She looked at Xu Shijia almost eagerly. “Attorney Xu, does this mean I could get some money in the divorce?”

“Yes.” Xu Shijia nodded. “Though you’d only be entitled to a share of the expanded portion, so it won’t be a large amount. We’ll also work to gather evidence for any cash Zhang Jianyi transferred out of his post-marital salary to secure more for you.”

Wei Xue’s eyes turned red. “Thank you, thank you both so much.”

“I’m not looking for a lot, just enough to get me back on my feet,” Wei Xue explained. “Now that I have no one to rely on, I have to depend on myself. I just need enough to get by, somewhere to stay after the divorce.”

At this moment, she revealed the truth to Lin Shu: “The place I rented in the village can’t be used anymore. On the way to the law office today, I got a message from Zhang Jianyi telling me he’s already moved in there. He claims that because the rent and utilities came from the living expenses he gave me, half of it belongs to him, so he has a right to stay there too.”

As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears. “Attorney Lin, thank you so much for taking me in last night.”

Wei Xue had been taken advantage of by her family as a child and later oppressed by her husband. To wake up from such a situation and make such a decisive move showed a courage that was admirable.

“Self-help brings help from others.”

Lin Shu was willing to lend a hand to a woman like her.

Clearly, Xu Shijia felt the same way.