Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Unfavorable Times for Lee Li
These days, what commoner would have a death wish and decide to go against government officials? Especially with an elderly mother at home to think about.
She watched the despicable couple walk away, her eyes practically bursting with rage. But she knew she was at her wit’s end. Her earlier threat to sue them in court had just been an empty bluff. In fact, she had already learned the outcome from her lawyer that very morning.
「At the law firm.」
Lee Li: "Lawyer Luo, do you think I can win this divorce and property settlement case?"
Lawyer Luo: "Miss Li, based on the information you’ve gathered, the probability of you winning this case is close to zero."
Lee Li: "Lawyer Luo, do I really not stand a chance?"
Lawyer Luo: "I’m sorry, Miss Li. Our firm is one of the top ten in Shanghai City. If we can’t win your case, it’s useless to find someone else. You’d just be throwing good money after bad."
Lee Li: "..."
She turned to leave.
Lawyer Luo: "Please wait a moment, Miss Li."
A smile returned to Lee Li’s face. "Lawyer Luo, is there still hope?"
Lawyer Luo: "Miss Li, please go and pay the legal consultation fee. The hourly rate is 1,500. You’ve spent two and a half hours, so please pay 3,750 at the finance desk outside. And please close the door on your way out, thank you!"
Lee Li’s smile froze on her face. She didn’t even try to ask them to waive the change. After paying the bill, she departed in a hurry.
Later, she received a message from a private investigator, which led her here to confront Sun Dasheng.
She wanted to try one last time. What if? Fine. Now, her beautiful dream was completely shattered! What was that saying again? ’You weren’t there for me at sunset, so who are you at sunrise?’ She had ditched her husband the moment he lost his job. Now that he’d made it big, she wanted to come back? Too late!
"Excuse me, excuse me... AH... watch out..."
A passing waiter slipped. The hand holding a kettle of broth swung out, and its entire contents splashed onto Lee Li, who was standing there in a daze.
"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!" the waiter apologized profusely, grabbing a napkin to help wipe her down.
"AH!" a sharp scream tore through the air.
"Are you blind?"
"You spilled soup all over my clothes! How can I wear them when they’re this filthy?"
"I’m sorry. How about I compensate you for the dry-cleaning?" the waiter apologized again.
"This is designer; it can’t be dry-cleaned, you country bumpkin."
The waiter was stunned. "Then what should I do? Should I pay for the clothes?"
"These clothes are worth thousands, maybe even tens of thousands! You’re just a waiter, how much do you make in a month? Can you even afford to pay me back?"
The waitress was a young woman who had just come from the mountains to work in the big city; she had no idea a piece of clothing could cost so much. Even if she sold herself, she wouldn’t be able to afford it. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
A bystander who couldn’t watch any longer stepped forward. "That’s enough. That brand you’re wearing doesn’t even look authentic to me."
"The young lady offered to pay for dry-cleaning. You should just take the offer and be done with it."
Lee Li’s anger flared. Sun Dasheng bullies me, his woman bullies me, and now even you country bumpkins think you can walk all over me?
"Open your damn eyes and look! This is a genuine designer brand, bought from a physical store, and I have the receipt to prove it!"
The bystander sneered, immediately pointing out a flaw in the clothing’s label.
"My closet is overflowing with clothes from this brand. I can tell a fake from the real deal at a glance."
She looked down at her own clothes and realized it was, indeed, a high-quality knockoff. She had been duped. This seemingly unremarkable passerby was actually a tycoon in disguise.
Lee Li gave up on any thought of compensation and slunk away with her head down.
「Downstairs, by a trash can.」
Fuming, Lee Li tore off her jacket and stuffed it inside. She’d bought this embarrassing piece of clothing from her "good sister’s" secondhand luxury shop because she was short on cash. She thought she had snagged a great deal, but it turned out to be a counterfeit.
Some bestie. More like a frenemy. I’m blocking her as soon as I get home.
She had only walked a few steps before she began to shiver uncontrollably from the cold. She turned back, thinking, It’s too cold. I’ll just wear it for now and throw it away when I get home.
But when she reached the trash can, she saw a scavenging old woman had already put on the jacket she’d thrown away. The woman was happily stroking the soft fabric of the coat and marveling aloud, "Such fine material, such a beautiful design! What kind of spendthrift would throw away perfectly good clothes like this?"
"Hey, lady! Put that coat down!"
As soon as Lee Li’s shout left her lips, the old woman disappeared into the crowd, pushing her small cargo tricycle. At the same time, the heel of Lee Li’s high-heeled shoe got caught in a grate on the sidewalk and snapped off.
"OUCH!"
She tumbled and landed face-first on the pavement. Humiliating tears streamed down her cheeks.
What kind of rotten luck am I having today? Did I offend some chosen one for the heavens to punish me like this?
Just then, a mother and her daughter walked by.
The little girl pointed at her and said, "Mommy, look at that person. She looks like a dog! How pitiful. Let’s go help her."
The mother grabbed the little girl’s hand and hurried away, whispering a warning, "The world is full of bad people now. It’s best not to get involved in other people’s business."
「Elsewhere.」
The two had just finished watching a movie. After it ended, Xiang Yiren received a call from her best friend.
"What’s wrong?" Sun Dasheng asked, noticing her expression had soured after the call.
"Zi Yan is in trouble. I have to go to her," Xiang Yiren said.
"What happened?" Sun Dasheng asked.
Xiang Yiren’s expression flickered, but she eventually told him the truth.
It turned out her best friend, Jiang Ziyan, was a well-behaved daughter from a traditional family. Right after she graduated from university, her parents arranged for her to be betrothed. The man had graduated from a prestigious university and landed a job at a bank, which was considered a respectable and secure job.
Recently, they had been discussing the final wedding arrangements but got stuck on the bride price. The reason, of course, was that both of their families came from provinces known for high bride price demands. Seeing the groom’s family’s financial situation improving, the bride’s family got greedy. The bride price demand escalated from a fixed amount to a percentage of the groom’s family’s total assets. A bite that large threatened to take half of the groom’s family fortune. It was too vicious.
Naturally, the groom’s family refused to agree. The arranged marriage was on the verge of falling apart, a development which Jiang Ziyan was happy to see, as she felt no spark for the man. Honestly, the main problem was that his looks weren’t exactly easy on the eyes. As someone who cared a lot about looks, Jiang Ziyan was not a fan. She had only gone along with it due to her parents’ pressure; her objections had been useless.
Not long ago, the man had relented, saying they could still negotiate. Jiang Ziyan’s parents eagerly pushed her to go on more dates with him—go shopping, see a movie, and cultivate their relationship. That’s why she had rushed off earlier after getting a call from her parents.
However, her "fiancé" had taken her to a dinner party with his colleagues. She had considered every possibility, but she never imagined that her "fiancé" would actually try to sell her out for personal gain—using Jiang Ziyan to curry favor with his direct superior in exchange for a promotion.
Sun Dasheng wasn’t surprised after hearing the story. Wasn’t news like this all over social media lately?
He sighed with feeling. Those guys with secure jobs sure play dirtier than us ordinary workers.