Desperate Pretense At Being Poor

Chapter 18 – Parent-Teacher Meeting (1)

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“Prosecutor Fu, you’re here!”

The assistant quickly followed behind Fu Zhihuan and at the same time, took out a document.

“Take a look at this case.  The suspect’s relatives want to talk with you.”

Fu Zhihuan reached out to take the file from the assistant.  He flipped it open, took a look, and closed the file before handing it back.

“It’s not necessary to go through again.  The decision has already been made and a charge will be raised soon.”

“I know but the suspect’s relatives want to talk with you……..”

“That’s not necessary.”

“They said that the victim’s family had forgiven them.”

“Save those words for the judge when the court is in session.”

Fu Zhihuan stopped walking and lifted his eyes.  His tone did not seem to fluctuate much but was indisputable.

“Intentional homicide with solid evidence.  The suspect did not voluntarily surrender after the murder and there were no special circumstances.  Do you think there’s still room for discussion?”

“”

“Prosecutor Fu…….”

Just at this moment, a female voice with an accentuated tone suddenly sounded.

A middle-aged woman who was dressed elegantly in branded attire from head to toe was leaning near the door of Fu Zhihuan’s office and her tone sounded somewhat flattering.

“Prosecutor Fu, look…….even the victim’s family had agreed to forget it, why do you still insist on disputing?’

Fu Zhihuan paused his footsteps and did not say a word as he looked at the person in front of him.

The middle-aged woman showed a slight smile and then walked closer in her high heels.  She lifted her hand to take out a black card and stuffed it into Fu Zhihuan’s pocket.

“Look, it’s just a matter of saying a word and no one will lose out.”

Fu Zhihuan’s eyes narrowed as he gripped the woman’s hand and there was a strong chill in his dark eyes.

*Pa*

Midway, before the black card could be inserted into his pocket, it fell to the ground with a sharp clack.

After a long time, he chuckled softly and then spoke each word clearly which gave others a feeling of extreme anxiety.

“Madam, it looks like you didn’t do your homework well before coming here.”

“”

The woman was taken aback and became silent under this inexplicable sense of oppression.

Fu Zhihuan let go of his grip on her wrist and bent down to retrieve the black card that had fallen to the ground.  He slowly held it up in front of the woman and said.

“Rather than wasting time on me, it’s better to keep this money for hiring a defense lawyer.”

After speaking, he did not even look at her and walked straight into the office.

When the woman came to her senses, she gritted her teeth and her entire face had turned red.

“Mr.
Fu, don’t blame me for not informing you!  Do you know who I am?!”

“Sorry.”  Fu Zhihuan paused then lifted his eyes and said in a deep voice.  “I have never taken information that doesn’t affect a judgment into consideration.”

***☆☆☆***

He Ziqin?…….

Wen Ruan pondered for a long while and it was only after she had left the Vice President’s office that she finally remembered this person.

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Although Wen Ruan is already quite well-known in the legal circle for her proficiency in criminal cases, the time when she first became a trainee lawyer and was about to become a full-fledged lawyer, the case resources available were really limited.

It was because a lot of people were worried about handing over criminal defense to an inexperienced girl who had just joined the profession.

So at that time, she always followed Professor Su around to deal with some commercial cases and gradually accumulated more contacts.  Therefore, she was involved in both commercial and criminal matters.

A few years ago, when Wen Ruan was serving as the defendant’s lawyer in a business contract dispute, He Ziqin was the plaintiff’s lawyer.

Wen Ruan won that case.

Later, someone told Wen Ruan that the lawyer named He Ziqin had acquired a reputation in the last few years and specialized in commercial cases.

Perhaps it was due to the wide network of contacts in her family, therefore, from the time of internship to becoming a qualified lawyer, He Ziqin did not have a shortage of case resources and was much sought after.  During that period, she was also referred to as ‘the most outstanding young female lawyer’.

However, the second time Wen Ruan met He Ziqin was three years ago when they fought in the court on ‘Lu Kechen’s Manslaughter Case’.

But why would a lawyer who specialized in commercial cases suddenly take up a criminal case that was deemed to be a ‘sure loss’?.

“Hello Madam, what is the matter that you need advice on?”

Just as Wen Ruan was walking along the corridor to the office, she heard the sweet and gentle voice of the receptionist at the front desk.

Wen Ruan subconsciously glanced in the direction of the voice and slowed down her footsteps.

The middle-aged woman who was sitting in the lobby seemed startled by the question.

The woman’s expression showed she was a little flustered.  After sitting up awkwardly, she folded her hands on her thighs and stammered.

“I……I’ll wait for a while.”

“Sure, you can call me anytime if you require anything.”

The receptionist nodded and after saying those words politely, she turned around and walked to her colleague who was not far away.  At the same time, she shrugged her shoulders and showed a helpless expression…….

“What’s the matter with that woman over there?  She has been sitting and drinking water in the lobby for about half an hour.”

“I don’t know.  Just now I asked her about the matter she needed advice on but she didn’t answer.”

“Forget it…….just let her be.”

The middle-aged woman sat with her head lowered and her back straight and did not even lean on the seat.  Although she did not move, her calf was trembling slightly as if she was nervous.

A long time later, she took a deep breath then stood up to pick up her handbag from the arm of the chair and turned around to push open the door of the office.

“Madam……..please wait a moment……”

Wen Ruan, who had been watching quietly for a while, suddenly spoke up when she saw the woman was about to leave.  With quick steps, she walked over to the woman and smiled as she handed out a calling card.

“This is my business card.  When you have thought it through, you can contact us.”

When the woman saw Wen Ruan, her pupils shrank and she bit her lower lip.  After taking the card from Wen Ruan, the woman thanked her in a subtle and imperceptible voice before she turned around and left.

“What are you doing here?”

Qin Sushan called out to her while standing not too far away with a cup in her hand.  When she saw that the lobby was empty, she asked casually.

“Ai, that woman just now…….she had left?”

Wen Ruan turned around.  “Do you know her?”

Qin Sushan shook her head and then took a sip from the cup as she walked slowly back to her workstation.

“When I was sending a document over just now, I saw her sitting there with a very worried expression and she refused to reply when I questioned her.”

While speaking, she raised her thumb and pointed it at her colleague.

“We were betting on the kind of matter that the auntie needed advice on.”

“She should be filing for a divorce.”  Wen Ruan replied.

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“How do you know?”

Wen Ruan tried to recall and then slowly explained.

“Didn’t she have a tote bag with her?  I looked inside the bag and noticed that it was holding vegetables and meat.  There was a supermarket logo on the bag.  However, that supermarket is not located anywhere near us, so she must have specially come to this office from a faraway place.”

“She had a band-aid on her left middle finger and she doesn’t seem to be very old.  However, her hands look very rough and it should be because she has to wash and cook all year round.  The rough skin on her hands should be due to irritation caused by dish and laundry detergents.  Besides, today is a working day and when she came out to buy groceries, she came here, so she should be a full-time housewife.”

Qin Sushan rubbed her chin and pondered over it.

“That’s right.  Most of the time, this kind of people would come to look for a lawyer to help them file for divorce and the majority of them are hesitant.”

“The main point is that she seems to recognize me.”

Wen Ruan let out a laugh and stretched lazily.

“When she saw me, her expression changed slightly.  So it was probably she had watched yesterday’s show and learned that our legal office is making use of it as a promotion.  Therefore, she came on an impulse.”

Qin Sushan laughed.

“After not seeing you for three years, I didn’t expect that you’d still remember your trade.”

Wen Ruan has always been proficient in the field of criminal defense and after being involved in numerous cases, she could accurately predict the direction the other party would focus the charge.  Therefore, Wen Ruan’s observation power is naturally stronger than an average person’s.

“Actually, you could have just ignored her just now.  Nowadays a lot of people would look for a lawyer and say they want to get a divorce but in the end, it’s either they regret it or they can’t be contacted.  Most of the time, it’s a wasted effort.”

Qin Sushan sighed and rubbed her cup.

“The colleagues who are in charge of divorce cases are complaining.  They said they couldn’t even get one case a month and are thinking of changing their careers.”

This is true for the legal profession.  It may look nice to outsiders but in fact, it is the same in every field as all the ranks and levels are distinct.

Most of them had to wait several months for a case and sometimes it would be a fruitless wait.  With their meager monthly salary, they still have to socialize and establish relationships to broaden their contacts.

When Wen Ruan came back this time, most of the work she handled was non-litigation cases.

The whole day she would mostly be sitting in the office to answer inquiries or help to draft contracts.

 

When she was about to get off work, only then did she remember the promise she made to Fu Zhihuan in the morning.

She clicked on Wechat and read the message from Fu Zhihuan.

~ Simon.

~ Name:  Jiang Zishen.

~ Jiang City Primary School:  Year 3 Class 4 – Located on the third floor of the school building.

~ Class Teacher:  Teacher Qin.

~ Remarks:  Jiang Zishen is an introvert.  His mother passed away due to dystocia and his father is currently hospitalized with serious injuries and is not out of danger yet.  So try not to mention his parents in front of him.

Then at the end of the message, a photo was attached.

***☆☆☆***

“Jiang Zishen, are your parents not coming to the Parent-Teacher Meeting again this time?”

In the long corridor of the school building, some children were leaning on the windows to watch their parents take their seats inside the classroom while some of them were standing at the stairs waiting anxiously for their parents and some children were scattered around chatting in groups.

Jiang Zishen ignored the children beside him and just sat quietly against the wall in the corridor with his homework spread out on the ground.

“Jiang Zishen, is it because your parents don’t like you?  I’ve never seen anyone pick you up after school!”

A child came close to him while giggling and shouting.

This sentence seemed to have poked into Jiang Zichen’s forbidden zone instantly.  He dropped the pen in his hand then picked up the schoolbag next to him and threw it in the direction of the children who were making a ruckus.

The group of children quickly dispersed.  The books, inside the schoolbag that was thrown, all fell out and scattered on the ground.

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The children shouted.

“Jiang Zishen threw a temper and hit others!”

Jiang Zishen pressed his lips tightly together and endured.  Then without a word, he knelt on the ground and picked up the books on the ground.

At this moment, a white slender hand came into view.  Then the hand gently reached over to the book in front of him and helped him to pick it up.

Startled, he lifted his head to look at the person.

Wen Ruan smiled and handed the book to him.  Then she stretched out her hand to rub his hand and said.

“Sorry, I’m late.  My name is Wen Ruan and I’m here to attend the Parent-Teacher Meeting for you.”

Smile…….full marks.

Tone…….full marks.

Looks……full marks.

Wen Ruan was very satisfied with her entrée.

When the child needed her the most, she made an appearance.

Gentle, considerate, sweet smile…….with one look, she is the type that children like.

She even changed her lipstick to a warm orange color to specially make herself look sweeter.

However……

“Are you Auntie Wen?”

“”

Jiang Zishen thought for a while.

“This morning when Uncle Fu Zhihuan was talking to me on the phone, he mentioned you to me.”

Auntie?

He called me Auntie?!

Wen Ruan’s smile stiffened and the corners of her lips twitched.  A moment later, she took a deep breath then revealed a perfect smile and said through gritted teeth.

“Call me Sister Wen, thank you.”

When the group of children who had just dispersed saw Wen Ruan, they were very curious and approached her.

“Auntie, are you Jiang Zishen’s mother?”

“……?……”

What do they mean?

She took a deep breath and reminded herself repeatedly in her heart not to dispute with the group of children.  Then she stood up and smiled.

“Aiya…….children, you are all really good at joking.  I’m………”

“I’m not joking, Auntie!  I’m asking a question!”

A child interrupted Wen Ruan and explained righteously.

Shout again?

“……”

She wants to kill someone!

If she knew that she had to face this, she would have rejected Fu Zhihuan ruthlessly this morning.

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Wen Ruan suppressed her temper again and again……and muttered repeatedly in her heart……..

Children need to be guided by love.

Can’t be angry with children.

Children can’t be hit.

That burst of anger finally subsided.

She took a deep breath and turned her head around to look at Jiang Zishen beside her.

Jiang Zishen’s head was lowered with his bangs covering his eyes and his hands were clenched into fists as if he was trying to restrain himself.

Although he did not speak, she could clearly feel the loss and sadness emanating from his whole body.

Wen Ruan’s heart instantly softened.

A child who had lost his mother must be very sad upon hearing such words.

So Wen Ruan stretched out her hand to pat Jiang Zishen’s back lightly as she coaxed softly.

“Don’t be said.  Don’t take their words to heart.”

When Jing Zishen heard this, he finally moved and then slowly raised his head to reveal a pair of eyes that was filled with tears.

Wen Ruan was suddenly overwhelmed with motherly love and was even ready to gather Jiang Zishen into her arms to let him have a good cry.

However, unexpectedly…….

“Actually, I’m not very sad.  The main reason is that you’re stepping on my shoes and it feels a little painful.”

“……Sorry.”

When she entered the classroom, the Parent-Teacher Meeting had yet to start but most of the parents had arrived.

Many of the parents were familiar with each other and had gathered together to chat but most of them were politely praising each other’s children.

And Wen Ruan seemed to be out of tune with the parents.

“Who is she?  Why haven’t I seen her before?”

“That should be Jiang Zishen’s parent.”

“So young?  Looks like she is only in her twenties.”

And at this moment, a male voice suddenly sounded and seemed to be probing……

“Wen Ruan?”

She was startled and lifted her head.

When she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw a man in a clean white shirt standing there with a stack of textbooks in his hands.

His facial features were handsome and he had the right demeanor and gentleness between his eyebrows.

The parents all around him stood up and greeted him enthusiastically.

“Hello, Teacher Qin!”

Wen Ruan was taken aback.

Qin Ziran looked into Wen Ruan’s eyes.  His gaze was like a spring breeze full of tenderness as if a warm smile was rising from the bottom of his eyes.

However, when this tender spring breeze arrived in front of Wen Ruan, it was like hitting an opaque barrier…….

Wen Ruan rubbed her head.

“To be frank, I really don’t remember you.”