Chapter 378: My Name Is Zhang Chenze
My name is Zhang Chenze, and I lied.
I am thirty-three years old. I’ve been fighting in Chengdu for ten years.
If I were willing to share my experiences and post them on any public platform, I could easily become a wildly popular icon of independent women. After all, a girl from a small mountain village, relying on her own efforts to become one of the most famous lawyers in Chengdu—no matter how you look at it, she’s a role model worth emulating.
But I don’t want to do that.
I want to cast aside everything from my past and start over in a place where no one knows me. If possible, I never want to have anything to do with that little mountain village again.
I have my ambitions. I have my dreams.
I want to be an outstanding person.
For that goal, I am willing to do anything.
During the early days of founding the law firm, I couldn’t afford to rent a place, so I slept on the sofa in the office for three years.
Every day, I got up at five in the morning to tidy the office, then washed up and put on makeup in the public restroom. In the evenings, I used the excuse of working late to leave last, then went to a public bathhouse that charged five yuan per visit.
For three years, none of my subordinates ever knew I lived there.
I endured that kind of hardship because I had a dream in my heart.
If I couldn’t become an outstanding person, I would be trapped forever in that mountain village—not just me, but also my descendants.
But I often think that maybe I won’t have descendants at all.
If I can live out my life brilliantly and gloriously, that would already be more than enough.
My childhood was so miserable. From the perspective of fairness, my future should be a little happier. I don’t dare to hope for too good a life—just enough to get by, to feel comfortable.
“Sister Zhang! Sister Zhang!” Xiao Sun from the firm patted me, startling me.
This young man had been with us for three years and had helped me resolve many tough cases. Among all the young people, he was the one I thought most highly of.
“What’s up?”
“You spaced out!” Xiao Sun laughed. “Look quickly! The bride is here!”
I followed his finger and saw Mengmeng, today’s bride, wearing a pure white wedding dress covered in sparkling sequins. Under the spotlight, she walked step by step toward the stage, holding her father’s arm.
Aside from Xiao Sun, Mengmeng was my most capable assistant. She had fought alongside me for six years.
Now, seeing her walk down the aisle, I was genuinely happy for her.
The handsome, gentle groom, holding a bouquet, strode toward Mengmeng and her father. The audience clapped and cheered simultaneously, sending them their most sincere blessings.
But to be honest, I didn’t like the next part.
At the host’s request, Mengmeng’s father was to personally hand Mengmeng’s hand to the groom.
Then, in front of Mengmeng, the groom, and hundreds of guests, he solemnly said to the groom: “I entrust Mengmeng to you from now on.”
At that moment, many guests dabbed at the corners of their eyes, as if shedding tears.
The host also said in a sentimental voice: “From now on, this man will take the father’s place and take care of you forever. Whether he is rich or poor, he will never leave you…”
Mengmeng stood on the stage, looking at her emotional father and the groom, then at the guests crying all around. She shrugged helplessly at me with a bitter smile.
I knew Mengmeng. I understood what she meant.
If it weren’t for customs, for tradition, for the fact that all the relatives did it this way, she would never have allowed such a segment in her wedding.
Those few sentences almost negated all of Mengmeng’s efforts in her life. As if, without the care of her father and her groom, she would be a baby waiting to be fed.
As if she might starve to death at home at any moment.
Why must the reason for marriage be to find a support? Why can’t it be for love?
After all these years working with me, Mengmeng earned at least sixty thousand yuan a month. Even if no one took care of her, she could still live very well.
Because Mengmeng had worked just as hard as I did. She was a very outstanding lawyer. Everything she had now was well-deserved. It was fair.
Mengmeng didn’t ask for a single cent of bride price, nor did she cause any trouble for either family.
She and her groom simply used the money they had saved together to buy a small apartment of a few dozen square meters, then split the cost of furniture. With their joint efforts, they officially began the second phase of life.
In the days to come, they would continue to work hard together, until they could buy better furniture, until they could live in a bigger house.
To me, that was the best form of love. It was like a stable scale that would never tip.
When will people finally realize that the purpose of marriage is to give love a result, not to find a support for one side?
“Sister Zhang! Sister Zhang!”
Xiao Sun’s clear voice rang in my ears again.
I looked at him, snapped back to reality, and gave a small smile. “What’s up?”
“Your phone is ringing!” Xiao Sun said. “It’s been ringing for a while!”
I looked down at the number. In an instant, the joy on my face vanished, and I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cellar, freezing cold.
“Excuse me.”
I picked up the phone and walked out of the banquet hall. I glanced around for a moment, found the emergency stairwell, checked that no one was around, then stepped inside. Heavily, I answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Zhang Laidi!” Her piercing voice came through the phone, making me frown.
“Mom, my name is Zhang Chenze now.”
“You still know your damn surname is Zhang?!” she yelled on the phone. “Why didn’t you answer my call?! Why didn’t you answer my call yesterday?!”
“I was busy,” I said.
“Busy? Busy my ass! You’re not stupid, you even know how to make money when you shit,” she cursed fiercely. “Everyone envies the Zhang family for having both a son and a daughter, but they don’t know that you, you dead brat, won’t even give twenty thousand.”
Hah, both a son and a daughter.
In the village I came from, families with sons hoped to raise them for old-age support. Only families with daughters hoped for both sons and daughters.
How ironic is that?
“Mom, I don’t understand,” I said coldly. “I can give Chengcai a big red envelope for his wedding. But why do you want me to come up with two hundred thousand?”
“You have money!” she shouted. “You earn more than Chengcai. You’re his older sister. Your own brother is getting married. You buy him a house—what’s the problem?”
“I don’t understand why you take this for granted,” I sneered. “The money I earn is mine. What does it have to do with him? You gave him the best food, clothes, and education since he was young—more than you gave me. He should be able to earn his own money.”
“Chengcai hasn’t found a suitable job yet! Damn it…” Her tone grew sharper. “What are you in such a rush for? Throwing accounts at your own brother?”
“Mom, to be honest, I’m expanding the firm right now. I’ve invested all my savings. I can’t spare a single cent at the moment.”