Chapter 29 Wen Huilin Needs Legal Support

Attorney Zhou Zheng stood at the entrance of the teahouse, his eyes fixed on Chen Ang and Shen Pianran. The phone pressed to his ear emitted a voice once again: "Lawyer Zhou? Are you still listening?"

"Yes, I'm listening. Please continue..."

Wen Huilin's voice sounded somewhat tense. "I want to ask, does his act of hiding a watch count as transferring marital assets?"

Attorney Zhou Zheng seemed to snap back to reality. He returned to the tearoom, sat down, and pulled a small notebook from his briefcase. "What kind of watch? Do you know the specific brand and model?"

"A patek philippe." Wen Huilin recited a model number, her voice kept very low. "I took a photo and checked it online; the public price is 510,000."

Attorney Zhou Zheng's pen paused on the paper.

In Bin City, 500,000 is not a small amount of money. To be able to afford such a watch, the family's financial situation must be extraordinary.

He silently calculated how large the division of family assets might be in such a case and how much commission he could earn if he took the case.

But what he said aloud was something else: "When did you discover it?"

"Today, I stumbled upon it by accident. He hid the watch at the very back of a drawer."

"Ms. Wen, you've consulted at the law firm before, right? Please wait a moment while I pull up your conversation records." Attorney Zhou Zheng didn't respond immediately; instead, he quickly opened his laptop and turned it on.

After finding Wen Huilin's records, he scanned them quickly. "Two properties, valued at 4.5 million, one brand-new bmw x5..."

Seeing this, Chen Ang's car—also a brand-new bmw x5—flashed into his mind.

He immediately shook his head to cast the ridiculous thought out of his mind and asked, "What kind of watch does your husband usually wear?"

"He doesn't wear a watch." Wen Huilin's voice carried resentment. "He used to drive a Magotan and even asked me for money for Huabei. A few days ago, he suddenly switched to a bmw x5, claiming he bought it with a loan. When I asked him where the money came from, he said it was an online loan."

The image of Chen Ang's bare wrist suddenly popped into Attorney Zhou Zheng's mind; it seemed he didn't wear a watch either.

Dismissing his suspicion once again, he started writing again, jotting down a few keywords: low-key, hidden assets, online loan excuse.

"Ms. Wen, I recall we discussed last time that if one spouse uses marital assets to purchase high-value items during the marriage without informing the other party, it can be claimed as the transfer of assets. This point is relatively favorable for you."

A long sigh came from the other end of the line, as if she had finally received some emotional validation after pouring out her grievances for so long.

"However," Attorney Zhou Zheng continued, his voice steady, "this one watch alone is not enough. You need to know the purchase time, the payment method, and whether there are other hidden expenses for this watch. Do you have any of this information right now?"

"No, I only saw him hiding the watch; as for the rest..."

"Then we need to collect more. I'm only talking about possibilities; how much can actually be determined depends on the evidence."

Attorney Zhou Zheng seemed to sound regretful, his tone dropping slightly.

"You must find more compelling evidence, such as whether he has hidden bank accounts, whether he has made purchases in the names of relatives, or whether there are any assets you are completely unaware of."

"Can we go to the bank to check his accounts? I saw with my own eyes that he had over 20 million in deposits at the bank, and the bank manager personally received him that day." Wen Huilin's voice sounded slightly urgent.

Upon hearing about the 20 million in deposits, Attorney Zhou Zheng's eyes lit up.

"Ms. Wen, if what you say is true, then you need to first collect preliminary leads, such as transfer records, abnormal spending, unexplained card cancellations, large cash withdrawals, and so on."

"Then, we can apply to the court for a marital asset investigation and an investigation order, and authorize a lawyer to take the order to the bank to check the accounts, balances, and transaction statements."

"Otherwise, under normal circumstances, individuals are not allowed to check bank accounts on their own."

Wen Huilin was silent for a few seconds. When she spoke again, her voice was steadier than before. "Lawyer Zhou, if I want to file a lawsuit, can you take the case?"

"I can take your case, but you must guarantee that everything you say is the truth. For now, you can organize your husband's information and give it to me." The scales in Attorney Zhou Zheng's heart had already begun to tilt.

"Okay, I'll organize it right away and wait for us to set a time to meet in person." Wen Huilin let out a sigh of relief; she knew she didn't understand these things, so she needed a professional to advise her.

"All right, you can contact me whenever you have time."

After hanging up the phone, Attorney Zhou Zheng looked up through the window, faintly catching sight of two figures whose shadows were stretched long by the dim yellow streetlights.

~

"Have I been used as a shield by you, Lawyer Shen?" Chen Ang looked up at the darkening sky as night began to fall, then turned to look at Shen Pianran.

A light chuckle echoed in the quiet alley. "You are my benefactor; it's not too much to give you a mobile phone, right? It just so happened that your phone broke, I happened to see it, and Lawyer Zhou just happened to be there."

Shen Pianran didn't hide her little agenda. Attorney Zhou Zheng was truly annoying—so annoying that she was starting to feel physically uncomfortable.

"A one-week relationship makes you want to get rid of someone this badly? Does he have tendencies toward sexual abuse?" Chen Ang looked into Shen Pianran's eyes, full of curiosity.

Shen Pianran was deeply embarrassed and retorted angrily, "You're a big boss with a net worth of two billion, can't you speak like a normal person? We haven't even held hands, okay?"

After scolding him, she continued, "My family was pressuring me to get married. At a social gathering in our circle, the topic came up, so I just settled for him to appease my family."

"But he got carried away. God knows he even thought of names for our children, and he even arranged for me to be a full-time housewife to take care of the family and be a dutiful daughter-in-law to his parents."

As she spoke, Shen Pianran couldn't help but shiver. "'Women shouldn't show their faces in public; supporting one's husband and raising children is a fine tradition.' Can these words really be spoken by someone who has received a higher education? Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Chen Ang was stunned to hear this; that someone with such strong controlling tendencies was actually a lawyer specializing in divorce cases.

Shen Pianran observed Chen Ang's expression and laughed. "Not only that, I'm afraid his plan also includes swallowing up my law firm. If I really entered his family, the career I've worked hard to build for five years would just be handed over to others."

Looking at Shen Pianran with sympathetic eyes, Chen Ang smiled self-deprecatingly. "Now that you put it that way, I don't even have a reason to ask you for a service fee."

Shen Pianran pursed her lips and smiled. "The phone is the payment; I hope you don't mind."

Chen Ang shook his head speechlessly, sighing inwardly that this woman was truly a fox. She had calculated everything thoroughly, making people unknowingly walk right into her trap.

She was incredibly clear about the difference between being deliberate and going with the flow, and she knew very well how to avoid causing resentment in others.

Shen Pianran withdrew her gaze from Chen Ang. Her own heart was also rippling with thoughts; her little calculations had been seen right through by the man in front of her.

She pondered in her mind that he most likely guessed her intentions the moment he saw the phone; otherwise, he wouldn't have politely declined before Lawyer Zhou finished speaking.

She wondered if he would dislike her afterwards, thinking she was too calculating?

The two, each with their own thoughts, got into the bmw x5. The headlights flashed, and then they disappeared at the end of the alley.

The two had dinner at a private kitchen restaurant, with Shen Pianran paying the bill.

After dinner, he dropped Shen Pianran off at home, and the bmw x5 drove toward Sheng Huating Residential Area.

Just after parking the car, Chen Ang received a call from Yu Fei. "Building 12, Qiongjing Garden. Everything you asked for is ready."