Volume One, Chapter 12: Zhou Jinghuai Steps In—No One Dares Take Her Case
Late at night, Ye Wu was driving home. After parking, she unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to get out when her gaze faltered.
Zhou Jinghuai’s car was parked under the phoenix tree across the street. He was dressed in black, leaning against the car, head tilted back as he exhaled smoke, his prominent Adam’s apple alluringly attractive.
Pale blue smoke rose, swirling around his noble, handsome face before the night breeze gently scattered it.
The darkness was thick, and he blended seamlessly into the night.
Seeing Ye Wu, Zhou Jinghuai’s brows furrowed deeply. After tossing the cigarette butt to the ground and stepping it out, he walked toward her.
Ye Wu didn’t want to see him. She quickly headed toward the elevator after getting out of the car, the sound of his steady footsteps following behind.
Finally, he blocked her path at the apartment entrance. “Ye Wu, can we talk?”
“About what?”
Ye Wu took the keys from her handbag, her tone icy. “Is there anything left to talk about between us?”
Those damp nights, the man’s seductive coaxing—it had all been like a fleeting dream.
Fortunately, she had never taken it seriously.
She opened the door to enter, but Zhou Jinghuai stuck out a foot, blocking the door.
In a dizzying moment, Ye Wu was pressed against the adjacent wall. The man’s hands braced on either side of her shoulders, his eyes gazed deeply into hers with a rare earnestness.
After a moment, he leaned in, attempting to kiss her as he had before.
Ye Wu turned her face away sharply, refusing to let him touch her.
Zhou Jinghuai stared at her, his voice hoarse. “What’s wrong?”
Under the light, Ye Wu’s delicate face was pale as cicada wings. Stripped of her title as Vice President of Rong’en, she was softer, more vulnerable than before, tempting a man’s closeness...
His Adam’s apple rolled sensually as his voice deepened, “Ah Wu, it’s not the way you saw it.”
She retorted, “Then how was it?”
She despised herself. Her husband had fixed his eyes on such a girl, shamelessly flaunting their affair. The ridiculous part was that now he still clung to her, pretending to be affectionate.
She felt unbearable shame, a trace of sorrow coloring her voice—
“Zhou Jinghuai, I told you, it’s over between us.”
“That night you asked if I liked you! I didn’t answer then, but now, I think I can. Yes, I once liked you—but not anymore. Now, I don’t just dislike you, I’m disgusted. Does that answer satisfy you?”
...
When Ye Wu finished speaking, a glisten appeared in her eyes.
She said, “That’s it. Don’t come again.”
She gently pushed open the door and stepped inside. The bright light inside spilled out, casting a lonely shadow on Zhou Jinghuai.
Ye Wu softly closed the door behind her, looking up at the crystal chandelier, restraining the tears forming in her eyes.
Xiao Bai ran over, biting her pant leg and barking. Ye Wu slowly crouched down, stroking the little dog’s smooth fur, whispering, “Are you hungry? I’ll feed you now.”
Xiao Bai barked twice.
After feeding the dog, Ye Wu prepared to shower. When she reached for her bathrobe, her eyes unexpectedly caught sight of Zhou Jinghuai’s black shirt—the one she had worn on countless nights, held in his arms.
Back then, she had been slightly more vulnerable.
She looked at the shirt for a long moment, then pulled it out and threw it directly into the trash bin.
Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
The moon sank westward.
Outside, the phoenix trees swayed in the wind, their rustling leaves like a grieving maiden silently lamenting.
Inside a black luxury car, the distinguished man sat scrolling through photos on his phone. They were wedding pictures of him and Ye Wu, her head resting gently on his shoulder, smiling sweetly.
At twenty-two, Ye Wu had not yet been Vice President of Rong’en, still quite inexperienced.
Zhou Jinghuai reached out, gently touching the photo on the cold screen for the first time, feeling her smile, recalling the love she once had for him.
But now, Ye Wu no longer loved him.
When, exactly, had he lost her affection?
...
Three days later, in the president’s office of Rong’en Group.
Zhou Jinghuai’s mood was clearly sour.
On his desk lay a court summons; the plaintiff was his wife, Ye Wu, petitioning for divorce and division of marital assets.
Zhou Jinghuai reclined on the sofa with his long legs crossed, holding the summons in one hand.
He quietly asked his secretary Lin, “Has she hired a lawyer?”
Lin replied honestly, “She hired the famous lawyer Shao. He’s very capable. If he takes the case, even Attorney Gu might not be confident of winning.”
Zhou Jinghuai glanced at her, his tone indifferent. “Who said I’m going to sue Ye Wu? That’s her unilateral idea. I have no intention of divorcing.”
Lin was stunned.
Zhou Jinghuai placed the summons on the coffee table, his long fingers tapping lightly on it, his eyes lowered. The sharp bridge of his nose caught the last rays of the sunset, a scene indescribably pleasing to the eye.
After a while, he spoke calmly—
“Arrange a meeting with that lawyer Shao. Tell him I’m inviting him to dinner.”
“Also, leak some news...”
...
Lin’s heart skipped a beat.
Young Master Jing was getting serious. As a woman herself, she couldn’t help but sympathize with Ye Wu’s years of sacrifice.
With Zhou Jinghuai’s involvement, lawyer Shao returned the deposit to Ye Wu and personally called to sincerely apologize, offering to take her to dinner to make amends.
Ye Wu refused—not to be disrespectful, but because she was too busy.
She asked Annie to find another lawyer.
Annie pressed a tissue to her nose, her voice soft and plaintive, “No one in Jing City dares to take our case. Madam Ye, I’m guessing it’s because Young Master Jing is involved. No one else has such power.”
Ye Wu gave a bitter smile—
It seemed Zhou Jinghuai was determined to take her down.
Four years of marriage, and in the end, she had nothing.
Ye Wu didn’t blame Annie, only telling her to keep searching for a lawyer who could take the case. The commission was generous—two percent of the divided assets.
Three days later, Annie finally found a young talent willing to take the case.
Ye Wu arranged to meet him at a café.
In the afternoon, a high-end café by the street was mostly shaded by towering phoenix trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting golden specks inside, the whole café shimmering like scattered gold.
Ye Wu and the young lawyer sat facing each other.
Ye Wu took out the documents, ready to discuss, but the young lawyer hurriedly said, “Mrs. Zhou, I’m very sorry!”
Her hand paused on the folder, then she looked up at him.
He took a sip of coffee, then mustered courage to continue, “I didn’t do my research properly before and didn’t realize your identity.”
He looked ashamed as he went on, “Mrs. Zhou, in fact, no lawyer in the city dares to take your case. No one wants to offend Young Master Jing or the entire Rong’en Group. And this case is very unfavorable to you.”
After speaking, he stood and bowed deeply to Ye Wu, sincerely apologizing, “I’m truly sorry.”
Ye Wu did not blame him.
In this city, who wasn’t just trying to earn a living?
The young lawyer left, his departure tinged with a tragic dignity—it must have been an unforgettable lesson in power and wealth from Zhou Jinghuai.
Ye Wu did not leave immediately.
She sat quietly, slowly finishing the remaining half of her coffee.
Suddenly, a familiar male voice whispered near her ear, “Meeting someone here to talk business?”
Ye Wu looked up, and there stood Gu Jiuci...