Chapter 102: Chapter 47 (part 1)

In the end, Ning Wan decided that she would handle Shu Ning's divorce and custody case alongside Fu Zheng. In order to appease Chen Shuo, she thought carefully and decided to make provisions for the future distribution of cases between him and Fu Zheng--

"No more than two attorneys at a time can take a case, so if one crops up in the future, you'll take turns to go with me. This time around, I'm taking Fu Zheng, and next time, Chen Shuo."

In the past, she and Fu Zheng had been the only ones in the office, but now Chen Shuo had joined them. She had to be fair and even-handed in the distribution, but every case differed in type, compensation and difficulty. By having them take turns, Ning Wan would not be suspected of being partial to anyone. It was also easy to keep track of.

"Then you and I will work together on the next case." Chen Shuo shifted his gaze toward Fu Zheng, then smiled at Ning Wan, agreeing to the plan.

Fu Zheng didn't comment. There was no expression on his face, but he didn't object either.

In this manner Ning Wan finalized how they would allocate cases. "Then let's do it this way!"

 

It was obvious to see that Shu Ning had deep feelings for Yu Feiyuan. After all, they had gone from school uniforms to wedding dress, all through the most significant and beautiful moments of life. It wasn't easy to make a decision. It was just that this time, Yu Feiyuan had beaten Shu Ning so hard that for the first time she had thought of escape. The very the next day, she came and signed the agency contract, bringing along all the evidence she had. Coincidentally, Yu Feiyuan was out on a business trip.

It was just that...

Ning Wan stared at Shu Ning's meager few pages of so-called evidence and frowned. "Do you not know Yu Feiyuan's salary? You're a stay-at-home wife. Does he not give you the money to manage the accounts? "

Among all the details Shu Ning had provided, there was little in the way of direct evidence. In particular, she didn't seem to know anything at all about the common property. Except for one small house that the two had taken out a loan for after marriage and was still being repaid, she didn't even know Yu Feiyuan's salary.

Shu Ning shook her head. "He gives me money every month. If there are any big expenses outside of the norm that month, I let him know."

Ning Wan bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. If you chose to give up your career and be a full-time housewife, you had to make sure that you looked out for yourself. You had to at least hold onto the finances tightly, or else in the case of unexpected misfortune when you had to divide property and know the other's income, you would be at great disadvantage.

Fu Zheng also listed off a number of problems related to assets. Unfortunately, Shu Ning was obviously hopeless, bordering on giving random guesses. At the end, she said in an embarrassed frustrated manner, "I'm sorry for being so useless. I never thought that I would ever have to come to the point of divorce. I always felt like I was the happiest one among my classmates. I just never cared to notice these things…"

Criticizing now wouldn't help. "Go home first," Ning Wan consoled her. "Since you've entrusted us with the problem, we will certainly investigate and collect evidence for you."

Immediately after seeing Shu Ning off, Ning Wan packed up her things and picked up her bag. "Let's go."

Fu Zheng gave her a look and said in tacit understanding, "To Yu Feiyuan's company?"

Recalling how the language barrierliterally: chickens and ducks talking to each other :) between them at the beginning had evolved to Fu Zheng being able to keep up with her thoughts without even a word of explanation, Ning Wan smiled a small smile and nodded. "Yes."

For a run of the mill divorce case, Ning Wan might not have been so eager. However, Shu Ning's case involved domestic violence. Every minute she dragged on was an increase in the risk that Shu Ning would be hurt again. With Yu Feiyuan currently on a business trip, it was a great opportunity to collect as much incriminating evidence as possible.

Sitting on the other side, Chen Shuo seemed puzzled. "Are you going to Yu Feiyuan's workplace to ask them what his salary is? That's impossible. You haven't even filed the case yet. No case has been filed yet. No company is going to spill that information. You'll need a court order at the very least..."

"There's no need for the company to spill." Fu Zheng met Chen Shuo's eyes. "The little house Shu Ning and Yu Feiyuan bought after they were married used Yu Feiyuan's housing provident fundthis is a Chinese housing-specific thing that I don't really understand. From what I can tell though, it's similar to how a US 401K or retirement fund works in that the employee specifies an amount to withhold and the company matches it. as a means of repayment, so Shu Ning's information contains the amount of his monthly provident fund. She herself worked in the same company for a short time, so she can tell us the benefits she received at her unit while she worked there, including how they calculate the provident fund payments. From there, we can roughly estimate Yu Feiyuan's salary. It won't be completely accurate, but we'll be able to prove it if he tries to conceal a large chunk of his real income. Then if necessary, we can file a case and apply for a court order."

Listening in, Ning Wan felt more and more gratified. The 'pig' she had raised was finally big enough to be released. Fu Zheng was finally on his way. She hardly needed to mention anything before he instantly understood how to handle a case.

Chen Shuo choked. He seemed to lose control of his feelings a little due to discomfort. "Then you two are..."

"We're going to Yu Feiyuan's company mainly to collect information about Shu Ning. Her academic qualifications prove that her education is no worse than Yu Feiyuan's. We've already asked her to find work quickly so that at the time the case is prosecuted, she'll have a stable income. Once that's done, the next thing we have to prove is Shu Ning's character." Fu Zheng smiled. "Do you understand now that I've explained?"

In a custody dispute in which both parents had the same financial status and education, it was crucial to prove which of them was more suitable for raising children. That made collecting evidence on which parent was more able to provide a better living environment suitable a child's growth the focus.

Shu Ning had taken care of the child full-time for a long time and was the main caregiver, which would be an advantage in the struggle for custody. However, in such cases the man would often attack the woman's character flaws to obtain the child, so Ning Wan and Fu Zheng first needed to prove that there was no problem with Shu Ning's character.

However Shu Ning, a full-time housewife, had few relationships. Therefore, it was natural to go to the company where she used to work and the college where she had attended to prove her character in an objective and fair manner.

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"On top of that, Yu Feiyuan is still working at this company. If we're able to incidentally find out some flaws in his personality, such as grumpy or violent tendencies, that's quite important evidence as well." Fu Zheng pursed his lips. "Also, for us listening to as many different perspectives as possible will help us better understand the true situation. After all, what if the client is telling lies or hiding something?"

Ning Wan was extraordinarily pleased with Fu Zheng's analysis. "Fu Zheng, you've really thought this through. You might be new, but it seems that you don't need my help." She looked at Chen Shuo. "You're going to have to work hard, Chen Shuo. Fu Zheng learns fast. The two of you will have to work hard together."

He had already lost face just being compared with a newcomer like Fu Zheng, but what mades Chen Shuo gnash his teeth even more was that the party who was praised had on a very mild and amicable business-like face, and smiled and nodded humbly at Ning Wan. "I will continue to do my best."

“……”

The amount of white lotus here really exceeded normal standards...

Regrettably, Ning Wan was completely unaware of this. In her eyes, although Fu Zheng occasionally suffered from some minor problems caused by having been too rich in the past, he was humble and gentle, affectionate toward his colleagues, respectful to his predecessors, and making serious progress in his work. It hadn't taken long after he started working at the community for him to develop a tacit understanding with her. She had really made the right choice with this apprentice!

Although they had said that they wanted to investigate Shu Ning and Yu Feiyuan's behavior and character, it was easy to find the door slammed in your face if you rushed too fast. After all, no one wanted to meddle in their colleagues' personal issues.

Therefore, before going to the company, Ning Wan contacted Shu Ning again and explained the situation. "I see that you've been employed in the company for one year. That's not a short time. Do you have a colleague that you're close to? Would you mind letting them know that you're seeking a divorce, so that they will willingly assist in our investigation?"

There was some resistance on Shu Ning's part at first, but in the end her determination to take custody of her daughter overcame her shame. "Look for Ding Hui. I'll call her up to let her know you're coming."

While Shu Ning was contacting Ding Hui, Ning Wan headed to the company with Fu Zheng in tow.

The company where Shu Ning had been employed was called Deep Blue Machinery, and it was located in an industrial park. It was a large company, with its own multi-story building and supporting workshop. Ning Wan and Fu Zheng found it with little effort.

It was currently lunch break, so Ding Hui agreed to meet them at the coffee shop on the bottom floor of the company building. By the time they got there, Ding Hui was already seated.

She was about the same age as Shu Ning, but their dispositions were like night and day. Her hair was cut short in a capable-looking manner, her eyes were bright, and she was dressed in a crisp business suit. All in all she looked quite dashing, a far cry from Shu Ning's gaunt, dim appearance.

"It's nice to meet you two. Shu Ning has already briefed me about the situation. She said that you wanted to know about her and Yu Feiyuan." She neatly poured them tea and stated the topic bluntly. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

After obtaining Ding Hui's consent, Ning Wan turned on the recording pen, then glanced at Fu Zheng and motioned for him to begin--

"We want to know Shu Ning's character - that is, an objective evaluation from perspective of a coworker. What sort of person do you think Shu Ning is?"

"Shu Ning is a very conscientious worker. She's professional and responsible, proactive, willing to get her hands dirty, and doesn't wallow in office politics. She's both reliable but gentle and good tempered. I can sometimes be quite aggressive at work and get anxious and grumpy, but she is very tolerant of me. We work well together, and I appreciate her very much."

Ding Hui took a sip of tea. "Although she only worked here for one year, almost everyone thinks highly of her. She is the sort of person who has both great talent and an excellent reputation."

……

Fu Zheng went on to ask a great many questions, and Ding Hui answered them all. She gave a very high evaluation of Shu Ning.

"What do you know about Yu Feiyuan? He joined your company as soon as he graduated, so you're old colleagues. Do you find that there are parts of his nature that are somewhat extremist?"

To have beaten Shu Ning like that, Ning Wan felt that Yu Feiyuan might not be very easy-going at work. But to her surprise, Ding Hui shook her head. "He has a good temper, is responsible for his work, and is friendly to his colleagues."

Ning Wan frowned. She hadn't expected Yu Feiyuan to have camouflaged himself quite well in day-to-day life. He had left his worst side to be shown only to his closest family.

"That is to say, Yu Feiyuan actually isn't bad at all?"

Ding Hui nodded. "Correct. He's a bit wooden by nature. Although we've worked together for a long time, we're not actually very familiar with each other. I only know that everyone else says that he's an honest man." Coming to that, she sighed. "To tell you the truth, when Shu Ning told me over the phone that Yu Feiyuan had beat her, I couldn't believe it. He's never so much as argued with anyone at the company. I've always thought of him as a gentle and good-natured person."