Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 32

Wen Qinghan had all but drawn a clear line between herself and the work she usually never let go of; everything at the law firm was now left in Jian Yizhi’s hands. At the firm, the initial wave of explosive excitement when everyone first learned that Wen Qinghan had married Shi Qingqiu soon faded into indifference. Instead, they began to miss her—a phenomenon that had never happened before.

On his way back from the first-floor breakroom with a glass of water, Li Wenxiao sighed. “The fifth day without Boss Wen. I miss her.”

Coming back from the restroom, Chen Yi crossed paths with him. Their eyes met, and Chen Yi sighed. “The fifth day without the humanoid air conditioner. Suddenly this city feels like it’s burning.”

Shao Qing, holding a file under her arm while scrolling Weibo as she came down from the second floor, muttered as she walked, “Inside and Outside the Drama just dropped its latest behind-the-scenes shots. Newlyweds Shi Qingqiu and her wife Wen Qinghan look deeply in love. In the candid photos, the two gaze into each other’s eyes, affection written all over their faces—enough to make anyone envious.”

Typing at her keyboard, Meng Siqi looked up and met Liu Yi’s gaze. The three who had just spoken also exchanged looks before, in unison, a long sigh echoed across the first floor. “Ahhh…”

***

Meanwhile, Fu Anran remained in the archive room going through case files. Apart from a few casual exchanges when colleagues came to fetch documents, she barely let herself get distracted. Not even when Jian Yizhi had come in once for materials did she notice her presence. It wasn’t until lunchtime that her coworkers invited her to eat out in the group chat. After politely declining, she decided to finish a bit more before heading out.

But that “bit more” stretched into almost an hour. Just as she was about to check her phone for nearby restaurants, there came two knocks at the archive room door.

Looking up, Fu Anran instantly broke into a smile. “Senior, what brings you here? Haven’t eaten yet?”

Leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, Jian Yizhi shrugged. “Had some work to finish up. Just happened to notice you hadn’t gone out either. So, figured I’d ask—have you decided where to eat? There’s still plenty of time left in the lunch break.”

Normally, the group downstairs never invited her or Wen Qinghan to join their lunch outings—at most, they’d ask if they wanted something packed back. So Jian Yizhi and Wen Qinghan had always eaten together. But now, with Wen Qinghan away, she had been eating alone these past few days. Seeing on WeChat that Fu Anran hadn’t gone out yet, Jian Yizhi decided to come by.

Fu Anran shook her head. “Not yet. I haven’t really explored this area before. These past two days I’ve just been eating at the restaurant next to the firm, but today I wanted a change.”

Jian Yizhi nodded thoughtfully. “Do you care much about where you eat? Like any particular conditions?”

Fu Anran laughed. “Not really, I’m not picky.”

Jian Yizhi smiled too, tilting her chin slightly. “Then come with me. I’ll take you to a place I often go. Tasty food, fair prices—the only thing is it’s a bit of a walk, around ten minutes.”

With Jian Yizhi leading the way, how could Fu Anran refuse? Besides, spending more time with her meant she could learn more from her. She agreed quickly, nodding enthusiastically with a cheerful “Mm!”

***

The small restaurant Jian Yizhi had in mind was also tucked within this upscale office district. Whenever she had meetings with clients that ran into lunchtime, she would bring them there to talk over a meal. Sometimes, a relaxed atmosphere helped conversations go more smoothly.

On the way, Jian Yizhi took a call, speaking all the way until they reached the restaurant door.

Just as she pocketed her phone, the owner greeted her warmly. “Lawyer Jian, here again? Same seat as usual?”

“Mm. I brought a new colleague today, so let me have the menu,” Jian Yizhi replied with a smile, draping an arm casually around Fu Anran.

The slightly portly owner’s genial smile made it impossible for anyone to keep a straight face around him. Handing her a menu from behind the counter, he said warmly, “Of course. Go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring you some tea.”

Jian Yizhi nodded, leading Fu Anran to her usual spot by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Patting her shoulder, she said, “Anran, have a look at the menu later. If you want my recommendation, I’d say the fried noodles—they’re excellent here.”

From the moment they walked in, the hand on her shoulder had caught Fu Anran’s attention. She couldn’t explain why; the gesture was perfectly ordinary, yet when Jian Yizhi did it, she found herself hyperaware.

Perhaps it was the ambiguous undertone between them, born from their families’ ties, that made her so attuned to Jian Yizhi.

“Mm, thank you, Senior.” Fu Anran smiled, lips pressed lightly together.

The owner soon brought over the tea along with the menu. Letting Fu Anran order first, she eventually chose tomato and egg fried noodles on Jian Yizhi’s suggestion, while Jian Yizhi ordered soy-sauce fried noodles.

The food arrived quickly. As they ate, they chatted casually about work.

Using chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other, Jian Yizhi twirled noodles neatly before lifting them to her mouth. “So,” she asked, “how have you been settling in these past two days? Any problems?”

Unlike Jian Yizhi’s methodical eating, Fu Anran simply picked up the noodles with chopsticks. With her mouth half full, she hurriedly bit through the strands before answering, shaking her head. “No, everyone’s been really kind. I just need to get on track before Senior Wen comes back.”

“She…” Jian Yizhi chuckled. “Even if she’s back, she probably won’t have time to keep an eye on you. Just don’t fall too far behind the others.”

Her words carried a hint of meaning. Fu Anran thought about it—true, Shi Qingqiu and Wen Qinghan had just gotten married, and the news had exploded all over Weibo.

“Senior Wen and Senior Shi…” Fu Anran frowned, searching for the right phrasing but came up empty. Smiling awkwardly, she said, “It’s really surprising. I never imagined them together. There was never even a hint of it before.”

Jian Yizhi poured her a cup of tea, then one for herself, smiling with layered meaning. “That just proves the truth. What you can see and hear isn’t necessarily real. It’s often the things without any signs that turn out to be the most likely.”

If anyone knew Wen Qinghan’s quiet burdens, it was only those closest to her—like Jian Yizhi. Otherwise, no one would have guessed.

Unless Wen Qinghan spoke of it herself. But before she had any hope, she would never risk scaring Shi Qingqiu away.

Looking up at Jian Yizhi over her noodles, Fu Anran felt she had a way of speaking at times that seemed to pierce through worldly illusions. Her gaze turned so light, as if none of these things could ever weigh her down.

Just as Fu Anran was about to change the subject, her phone rang. Seeing the familiar caller ID, she froze a moment before picking up. Jian Yizhi immediately noticed the hesitation.

“Hello,” Fu Anran finally answered, her tone noticeably cooler than when speaking with Jian Yizhi.

“There’s no need for this. I can’t talk about it now.”

“I respected your decision back then. Bringing it up now is too late. I don’t want to continue.”

She hung up curtly and returned to her noodles, her cheer from earlier gone, replaced by silence.

Jian Yizhi quietly twirled another spoonful of noodles, lips pressing together in thought. 

After a moment, she set down her chopsticks, holding the spoon midair. “I once had a client,” she began. “She was polite, cooperative, came to me when I’d only just started—barely won a few cases. She’d heard of me by name, but she also left by name.”

The phrasing—“left by name”—caught Fu Anran’s attention. She looked up, but Jian Yizhi’s smile carried no resentment, only calm amusement.

“She was referred to me,” Jian Yizhi continued. “After chatting a while, she said she’d schedule another time. Later, I was told she chose another lawyer—supposedly with a higher chance of winning.”

“And then?”

“Well, that lawyer was too busy with another case and couldn’t take her on. So she came back to me. Her attitude was humble enough that I let go of my earlier irritation and prepared to accept.”

After eating a bite, she leaned back with her tea, speaking evenly. “But just then, she apologized again. Said another, even more famous lawyer had time to meet her.”

Fu Anran gasped. “That’s so fickle! Didn’t she value your time at all?”

Raising a brow, Jian Yizhi looked entirely unbothered. Fingers brushing her teacup, she said naturally, “At that point, I knew exactly where I stood. I was only ever a backup. The moment a better option appeared, I’d be discarded without hesitation. And if it happened once, it could happen again.”

At that, Fu Anran seemed to understand what she was really getting at. She froze slightly before watching Jian Yizhi straighten and smile faintly. “We can’t always prevent a bad outcome. But once it happens, we can make sure it doesn’t happen a second time. Remember, whether there’s a second time or not—it’s in your hands.”

Staring down at her noodles, Fu Anran stirred them idly with her chopsticks. “Senior… you figured out what that call was about, didn’t you?”

Jian Yizhi only shrugged, lifting more noodles with casual grace. “I heard a man’s voice. He was chasing after you, and you said something about respecting his choice, not wanting to continue. Not hard to guess.”

So she told that story just to help her?

Unbidden, a smile tugged at Fu Anran’s lips. She bent her head, biting into her noodles, and asked softly, “And that client—did she ever come back to you again?”

“Of course,” Jian Yizhi said lightly. “That famous lawyer only had time for a meeting. Whether he’d actually take her case was another matter.”

Fu Anran was about to ask what happened in the end, but Jian Yizhi beat her to it, winking with a small smile. “In the end, I refused. Clients have the right to choose their lawyer—but lawyers also have the right to choose their cases. Someone so capricious isn’t worth forgiving.”