Chapter 141: Chapter 61 (part 4)

Out of the office, Ning Wan could finally breath a sigh of relief. The sun outside was shining down on them, much like her mood at the moment.

There was of course no problem with Chen Shuo. He had recovered well and would be discharged from the hospital the day after tomorrow. Everything just now had been a 'script' that she had come up with.

When she had presented her plan to Fu Zheng and Xia Junyi, Ning Wan had thought at first that Fu Zheng might object. The case of the falling dog was actually already closed, and everything they had just done was completely unnecessary. But Fu Zheng hadn't. He had listened quietly the whole way and prepared for his part in the plan very cooperatively.

Working together as a team was not always well-coordinated or mutually agreed upon. Just like there were no two identical leaves in the world, there were no two people with identical views and ideas. He could very well have his own opinion or disputed the plan, but it had never crossed Ning Wan's mind that Fu Zheng might give her his full cooperation, allowing her to meander around even after closing the case.

"I might be your mentor, but if I come up with a plan that you can't accept during a case, or use ideas that you don't agree with, you don't have to hold back just because we're superior and subordinate. What's most important for a lawyer to do a good job is to be able to think independently. In the future, if you have a different opinion or even if you want to back out of a case, just tell it to me straight."

Ning Wan thought about it and felt that she should say something to Fu Zheng. She didn't want him to feel afraid of retaliation because she had confessed to him, or become more afraid of her being angry at him at work and cautiously feel forced to cooperate with things that he didn't want to do.

Feeling that she should indicate her attitude on these things, Ning Wan said euphemistically, "You can rest assured that if you have any reasonable demands at work, I will fully respect them, and that I will never bring my own emotions into it. I know that what I just did in Xia Junyi's case was completely superfluous and redundant. Next time, if you don't want to participate, just let me know. Don't be afraid to speak up..."

"It's not that I didn't want to participate," Fu Zheng interrupted, looking at her. "I didn't speak up because I had no opinion on your decision."

"You really supported me in doing that?"

Earlier, in the case of Shu Ning and the case of Cai Zhen, if she hadn't been lucky enough to have one withdraw the complaint, and the other having the senior partner get involved and punish Jin Jianhua, Ning Wan's unnecessary actions might not only have affected her own career prospects, but also that of Fu Zheng's. Any normal person would seek out advantages and avoid disadvantages. It was quite normal to be unwilling to take risks for such needless matters.

However, Fu Zheng once again gave Ning Wan a positive answer. His dark eyes fixed on Ning Wan and his tone was gentle. "I really did support you in doing that."

"But sometimes," he paused and lowered his head, "I wish that you wouldn't do anything more than closing the case."

It was obviously Ning Wan herself who had asked Fu Zheng to be frank and straightforward with his opinions. But when she actually heard Fu Zheng saying it, she felt a sort of indescribable discomfort. Resisting embarrassment, she looked away. Not wanting Fu Zheng to feel awkward, she said self-deprecatingly, "I, too, sometimes feel like I'm just too enthusiastic and nosy..."

"It's not that." Fu Zheng pursed his lips. "The reason why you've been able to persist so long and do so well as a community lawyer is largely because you're extremely empathetic. It's because of this that even when things aren't your responsibility, you enthusiastically take the initiative to intervene. But I don't think this makes you overly nosy."

"And I don't think it's a bad thing." His tone was serious.

"Oftentimes, humanitarianismI have no better translation, but the phrase refers to the feeling of valuing human life, dignity and feelings and what we call human nature lie in the things that ordinary people find redundant or unnecessary. Just like how in the movie 'Schindler's List', Schindler, a German, had absolutely nothing to do with the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis. He could have done nothing, but he didn't, and instead even sacrificed greatly to do what he did. Some people may think that this was stupid of him to do, and not at all in his own interests, but the reason why we can call human beings 'human' is perhaps because there are still people out there doing such 'foolish' things."

Fu Zheng gazed at her gently. "Your enthusiasm, as well as those things that in your eyes are superfluous, have never been superfluous or overstepping, selfish or going too far. There are times when it causes you trouble, but they are important to the world regardless."

Ning Wan almost immediately said shyly, "No, you can't compare me to what Schindler did. The things I've done have been too small."

"But it's always been the small and ordinary things that together create greatness. The work of community lawyers is small, and a case may have little impact on society as a whole, but every 'trivial'-seeming job you take may change a person's lifeChapter 24." Fu Zheng smiled at Ning Wan. "I remember you saying this to me very clearly."

"Then why do you want me to stop doing anything more than just closing a case?"

When she asked this, Fu Zheng looked away awkwardly. "The reason why I sometimes hope that you won't do anything more isn't because of your disposition. I don't have any objections to that. The reason why stems from my own personal opinions."

"Huh?" Ning Wan said, confused.

This time, not only did Fu Zheng look away, but he even turned his head aside slightly, as if to avoid her eyes. However, his voice was very solemn. "Empathy is precious. For someone who's trouble, it's precisely because you're so empathetic that you're willing to reach out and lend them a helping hand, take on a 'hot potato'-like case, and do something that 'unnecessary' or 'thankless'. That's why empathy is a good thing for other people."

"But it isn't necessarily so good for people who with a strong sense of empathy." Pursing his lips, Fu Zheng's voice dropped a little. "Because empathy hurts sometimes."

He looked down. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Ning Wan's heart thudded violently. She tried to suppress her emotions, but her heart was full of some bright and beautiful joy. She tried not to be too happy, however, because reason told her that Fu Zheng had already rejected her, and he might just be saying this to be friendly.

It was just that even after telling herself that, she couldn't help but feel the surge of waves in her heart. She even complained internally about Fu Zheng - since he had rejected her, why say such ambiguous words?

To cover up her loss of control, Ning Wan looked away and changed the subject randomly. "Ah, I just remembered that cherries are on sale today! It's getting late, I should go and get some quickly!"

She hadn't thought about it before, but she regretted it as soon as she said it. She had  changed the subject to avoid talking about something, so why had she started talking about cherries?! Even if she liked eating them, she couldn't mention them! Fu Zheng had turned her down, and he certainly wouldn't want to hear any talk of cherries!

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Afraid that Fu Zheng might think she was alluding to something thanks to her talk of cherries, she quickly attempted an escape.

The result was that she had tried so hard to avoid suspicion, but Fu Zheng, had no such thoughts at all. He was still looking at Ning Wan and smiling, staring at her with his dark eyes, serious enough to give one the illusion of affection. "I'll go with you. Buying so much fruit is heavy. I can help you carry it home."

? ? ?

What was wrong with this man???

He had obviously rejected himself, and yet he was still acting so flirtatiously??? Didn't he know that that would make it even harder for someone who had just been rejected to move on?

Was this appropriate?

Ning Wan pursed her lips and scrutinized Fu Zheng, trying to infer some clue from his handsome face. However, besides continuing to be damnably handsome, there didn't seem to be anything strange about him. Everything seemed completely normal and natural...

Ning Wan had a moment of suspicion and confusion. Had she been deluding herself this whole time? Was not only Fu Zheng not a fool, but might he also be some fancy white-lotus green tea?

'How kind of you, but we're unsuited. Let's just be friends'???

While in disguise as a silly sweet fellow, first pretend not to see that she liked him, neither accept nor refuse her, and then lead her on like a spare tire??? Because she liked him, keep her at arm's length, but don't let her be completely disappointed and always give a little hope at a critical moment, so that she would unconsciously make it easier for him at work?

Ning Wan felt like her brains were a little scrambled. But instinctively, she felt that as far as feelings went, one should take the initiative so as to avoid being led around by the nose.

She resolved to stay far away from Fu Zheng, calm herself down and carefully reconsider, so she declined, not meeting his eyes. "No need, I'll be fine by myself. I'm only going to buy a little, so it won't be too heavy. You can go on with your business."

But Fu Zheng didn't seem to understand the hint. Very calmly and naturally, he said, "I'm not going just to help you carry things; I'm planning on buying some fruit as well."

Looking at Ning Wan, he gave her a smile that really ought to be against the rules. "Aren't cherries on sale? I'd like to get some. The ones you bought for me last time were very sweet."

Oh...

So that's how it was...

Rendered absent-minded by that smile, Ning Wan didn't realize immediately. Not until she had gone to buy cherries with Fu Zheng, until Fu Zheng helped her carry them all the way home, and until he finally bid her goodbye, leaving her alone, did Ning Wan finally sense that something was wrong.

The cherries she had bought for Fu Zheng were very sweet???

Those things were so sour, her teeth almost fell out!

Were Fu Zheng's taste buds rotting at such a young age?

Wait a minute......

Ning Wan suddenly thought of a possibility--

Could it be that Fu Zheng had never eaten the cherries at all? Had he never gone back to the house in Yuelan community, and so never seen the cherry heart? So he didn't know what she had hinted at, and that was why he was now being so white-lotus green-tea-ish???

But then why had he lied to her that he had eaten them? If it was true that he didn't know, that meant that he hadn't been home for several days. Where was he living?

A whole bunch of question marks popped up in Ning Wan's heart. The more she looked at it, the more suspicious she felt.

But at the same time, that heart was secretly jumping for joy in a completely inappropriate manner.

In all probability, Fu Zheng hadn't eaten the cherries at all. That meant that he hadn't seen the heart. So didn't that mean that he hadn't rejected her?

Unexpectedly, it wasn't game over for her just yet!