Xu Baohan mumbled, âYes, itâs quite a coincidence, so do you want to treat me to dinner?â
â...â
Here we go again.
An Lan rolled her eyes, âChief Judge Xu, how much money do you need for the renovation? Why do you insist on making me buying dinner?â
âOnce you get into renovation, itâs as deep as the ocean.â
An Lan: â...â
Did renovation cost so much?
Never thought that she hadnât done it before.
âI can buy you dinner,â An Lan said after some consideration. âBut we have to have some wine.â
â... I donât drink. I prefer the feeling of being sober and calm.â Xu Baohanâs eyes were filled with conflict. âYou women shouldnât drink too much. Drinking is harmful to your health. Some problems can not be solved by drinking. This is an escape from the problem.â
An Lan rolled her eyes. âI donât think this is an escape. I just want to vent for the time being. If you donât want to go, then forget it. Iâll find someone else.â
She started to look for her phone from her bag.
Xu Baohan thought about who she was going to drink with. He was silent for a while before saying, âI can go with you, but I donât drink.â
âThen why are you going with me?â An Lan said in annoyance. âI want someone to drink with me.â
âI can send you back,â Xu Baohan replied calmly.
An Lan was stunned. She suddenly took two steps towards him, her beautiful lips curling into a faint smile. âMen who send women back usually have ulterior motives. Chief Judge Xu, what do you want? Do you have a crush on me?â
Xu Baohan looked at her with a calm and indifferent gaze, âEnsuring the safety of citizens is the responsibility of every member of the judiciary. Furthermore, I can understand your feelings. Sometimes... donât care too much about what others say, as long as you have a clear conscience, thatâs fine.â
An Lan was stunned. She suddenly remembered that she had heard of his past. Did he have the same feelings as her.
âTell me... do you think that working in the legal profession, sometimes people think that we are especially cold-blooded and heartless?â She asked in a daze, âIf we file a lawsuit for An Ning, we will be scolded by outsiders. If we donât file a lawsuit for her, we will be scolded by our parents. If she is mentally ill and doesnât come to the mental hospital, where else can she go? And for us women, no matter how hard we work, if we donât get married and have children, we will always be criticized by others.â
All along, An Lan had always been fierce in Xu Baohanâs impression. Now, An Lan who was standing in front of him had a momentary flash of frailty in her eyes.
Xu Baohanâs gaze softened slightly without him realizing.
If he hadnât bumped into her today, perhaps he wouldnât have seen the family behind her riddled with holes.
Just like him.
âIn this society... when necessary, people need to be cold and heartless, right?â
Xu Baohan spoke slowly, âYou donât have to care too much about your parentsâ thoughts. Even though I donât understand them, from what I heard just now, I felt that they were very pedantic and self-righteous. In this new era, there are people who donât want to get married, there are people who are Dink, and there are also people who are gay. Those who look down on you are usually incompetent. Some people think that if they get married, they will be able to live with their reputation, but if they close their doors, they will be more embarrassed than anyone else. In our industry, arenât we often faced with the most unbearable people?â
An Lan was stunned, but after thinking about it, it made sense.
She didnât know how many couples she had filed suit. There were ordinary people and celebrities.
âYes, thank you, Chief Judge Xu.â An Lan smiled sweetly at him.
She was truly grateful to him. She didnât expect him, who had always been cold and mean, to say such words.