CH 8.2

Chapter 8 (part 2)

It was rare for it to be so quiet in the afternoon, with only a very few consultation calls. Taking out her phone, Ning Wan began search for a good restaurant for dinner, and upon taking Fu Zheng's opinion into account, she finally chose Hunan Restaurant, a place near Yuelan Neighbourhood with great value for money.

As 5 o'clock approached, she packed up and pulled Fu Zheng out the door in the direction of the restaurant, nearly running into someone at the door.

"Ning Ning!"

Ning Wan looked up and was pleasantly surprised to find that her bumper had turned out to be Shao Lili. "Xiao Li, what brings you here?"

"Deadline a few days ago, a legal opinion letter to be published bilingual," Shao Lili yawned wearily. "Cui Jing is in charge of English translation, but she said that something came up and had me finish up. Anyway, I've been up two days straight, so I'm dead tired, and when I was taking the bus home, it broke down at this intersection..." A helpless look on her face, she said, "That was the last bus."

Ning Wan felt distressed to see Shao Lili swaying on her feet. Though she had never personally worked with Cui Jing, she was afraid that by 'finishing up' Cui Jing had meant that not a word of the letter had been translated. Shao Lili had probably worked overtime translating for the last two days...

She looked over at Fu Zheng. "I'm going to take my friend out for a meal. I'm afraid ours will have to take a rain check." A little embarrassed, she added, "Honestly, I was joking when I told you to treat your teacher to a meal today. I apologize, but I'll have to take you out to eat next time."

Although Ning Wan didn't care for snobbish young masters who came in through the back door, Fu Zheng would likely be in the community for a while. It didn't make sense to be at odds with each other, glass half-full and all that. Therefore, she had decided to change her strategy. At least while Fu Zheng was still here, they would get along, stay out of each other's way, live in peace, and try not to step on each other's toes. Anyhow, she figured that he wouldn't last long. A week or two at most. She wouldn't have to put up with him after that.

It was just that with their now-established rivalry it was a little shameful to bow and ask him out to dinner, so she had instead found a reason to force Fu Zheng to invite her. That would have made them square, but she couldn't just let Shao Lili leave like this. She could only apologize to Fu Zheng this time.

Fu Zheng looked her in the eye, but strangely, instead of leaving, he said calmly, "Let's all go together. My treat." He bit his lip and said in an uneasy manner, "I misunderstood the situation today with the photo, and want to thank you. Your friend can come along."

Eventually they all sat together in a small box at Hunan Restaurant. Although it wasn't fancy, the little restaurant was clean and tidy, warm, and the food was delicious. The proprietress of the restaurant had a constant smile on her face.

Ning Wan, who was addicted to spicy food, was in high spirits, and Shao Lili brightened up as she ate. The two exchanged law firm gossip as they chatted, and although Fu Zheng did not actively participate, he listened in quietly, making for a harmonious atmosphere overall.

Sadly, Ning Wan's rare good mood was destroyed by a phone call.

Halfway through the meal, she received a call from her mother.

Excusing herself, she headed to the door to answer, and through the phone heard her mother trying to suppress her sobs...

Ning Wan returned to their little box half an hour later, where Shao Lili was chatting away with Fu Zheng. Noticing her approach, Shao Lili blurted, "Why were you gone so long?" before looking up at Ning Wan. And then, shocked, "You're so pale, what happened?"

"Was it your mother who called?" she asked cautiously. "Did your father come back again?"

Ning Wan laughed the question off and changed the topic quickly. Though outwardly she looked to be in high spirits, when she thought about the phone call she had just received, her heart felt like ash. She spotted a red, fruity iced drink sitting on the table...

Following her gaze, Shao Lili explained, "The store owner sent us a thank you for coming today. It's their new product, freshly squeezed watermelon and strawberry..."

Upset and feeling impulsive, Ning Wan didn't bother listening to the full explanation. She picked up the cup of juice and tossed it back.

Shao Lili jumped up from her seat. "Ning Ning, spit it out! Spit it out!"

Dodging Shao Lili's grip, Ning Wan asked, puzzled, "What's up? Did you want some too? We can order another for you."

"No!" Shao Lili was red from frustration. "You didn't let me fucking finish! This is a watermelon strawberry cocktail! It's alcoholic, alcoholic!"

Now Ning Wan was also becoming anxious. "Why didn't you say so upfront instead of laying out all that background story!" She ran to the ditch by the side of the road and tried to make herself throw up. Alas, she was unsuccessful, and when she finally returned to the table, despairing, her expression was resigned. "Later... please take good care of me..."

……

Fu Zheng had no idea what was going on with this weird comedy play, but it didn't take long for him to understand why the two women had kicked up such a fuss--

Ning Wan was drunk.

Her face didn't show it. Her cheeks were still pink, her lips still red, and her teeth still white. Indeed, her expression was quite normal. Only her eyes were a little more... liquid and innocent than normal.

Fu Zheng had seen drunk people before, but this was the first time he had seen Ning Wan...

First she turned about a dozen times in her seat, saying that she had somehow lost her tail and had to find it. Then, all of a sudden, the broadcaster on the TV seemed to set her off, and she had a long and hearty quarrel with him, retorting to every word he said. Finally, she sidled up to the curtain by the window and asked it for a waltz...

"She's a total lightweight." Shao Lili explained, trying to hold Ning Wan down. "She can't have alcohol, not even a drop. When she does, her inner demon breaks its seal..."

“……”

Fu Zheng had seen lightweights before, but never one so bad... He watched Ning Wan perform stand-up comedy, and then sing them a song. She finally seemed to wear herself out half an hour later, returning to the table and sitting back down.

She hadn't sat down for long before she begun scrutinizing Fu Zheng's eyes, not blinking. All of a sudden, she pulled a pen from her bag, took a clean napkin from the table, and wrote down a series of numbers. She gave it to him. "Here, handsome, take my number," she giggled. "Remember to call me back."

“……”

No wonder they say that drunk people show their true selves, Fu Zheng mused. She might have kept a straight face when sober, but when confronted by his own dashing good looks it seemed like her heart, at least, had already arrived at the correct conclusion. Look at her trying to hit on him, drunk and crazy. At least one could say that she had good taste...

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Ning Wan's voice continue crisply--

"Find me if you ever run into any legal disputes, like divorce, marriage, rape, investigation, or inheritance," she told him seriously, "I'm offering a limited time promotion just for tonight. If you call before midnight, I'll give you 12% off!"

“……”

So she was giving out her number just to promote her own business??? How much did this woman lack for cases? This was like handing out leaflets! And 12% off?! Could 12% off even be called a discount???

……