Divorce Lawyers Episode 2

We’re still in setup mode as Shi Hai Dong prepares to bring his divorce case to court. Interesting dynamics brew between him and Luo Li as they encounter each other constantly for this case. Elsewhere in the show, another couple is planning a marriage. A marriage in a show about divorce lawyers, hm.

Tang Mei Yu (best friend of Luo Li) is quitting the law firm because she’s got two full time jobs now: a housewife and mom. Luo Li ain’t so happy she’s ditching her career for good but Mei Yu isn’t fazed at all. She gloats about how blissful it is when the guy she loves tells her there’s only one thing she needs to do well from now on: being his wife.

Luo Li calls it rubbish.

Their conversation gets interrupted with a phone call from a crying Yan Yan. In between her sobs she confides in Luo Li how much she misses and loves Shi Hai Dong. Then why’d you cheat on him? While Luo Li’s pretending to listen on the other end, she mouths to Mei Yu that this (pointing to the phone) will be a good future lesson. Ouch. Well what are friends for. Luo Li successfully passes the phone to Mei Yu. But Luo Li isn’t completely free from Yan Yan either. As time ticks away, both of them listen to Yan Yan’s despairs now broadcasted on speaker.

After hanging up, Luo Li warns Mei Yu the perils of being a fulltime housewife with Yan Yan’s case. Still unfazed, Mei Yu presents Luo Li her prenuptial agreement with her husband-to-be (Cao Qian Kun). Here’s the gist of it: Cao Qian Kun will hand over every single penny whether it was earned after or before their marriage if he were to commit adultery. Doesn’t this spell trouble already? Even Luo Li is suddenly impressed by this move but she doesn’t hesitate to urge Mei Yu to authorize this document.

Cao Qian Kun (on left)

What an odd pairing this is. They’re friends alright but to the left we have Cao Qian Kun, who’s getting married with Tang Mei Yu, and on the right we have Shi Hai Dong, who’s getting divorced with Yan Yan, who’s also Tang Mei Yu’s cousin. Qian Kun invites Shi Hai Dong to his wedding but can’t resist to ask why he’s getting divorced. Hesitant, Shi Hai Dong lies it’s because they don’t get along well anymore.  

Meanwhile the real reason as to why they divorced remains hidden, these two continue to meet. Yue Qun’s at (Shi Hai Dong and) Yan Yan’s home trying to feed/comfort her (I sometimes wholeheartedly believe that ‘feed’ and ‘comfort’ are synonyms, lol). He tells her that as long as Shi Hai Dong carries his strong pride and that she continues to feign ignorance (i.e. claim that Yue Qun was only here to fix the computer, naked and all – well they’ll probably leave the naked part out) then she won’t lose the case. Wow, what a strong pride Shi Hai Dong has: to rather take on the mask of the bad guy than lose face of being cheated on.

Yan Yan stresses she doesn’t want to be divorced; she wants Shi Hai Dong. Yue Qun reminds her that it’s him that doesn’t want her so her only resolve now is to lurch as much money from him as possible. He questions her ability to work and emphasizes her love to spend; basically she won’t survive without the alimony from the divorce. Yan Yan realizes the harsh truth.

Back to the bar with the two old buddies, Shi Hai Dong reveals that he had no intention to bring his divorce case to the court but he was taunted by Yan Yan’s lawyer (aka Luo Li). In a drunken state, Cao Qian Kun is in the passenger seat as Shi Hai Dong drives himself home. I’m assuming Shi Hai Dong will use his own car to drive Cao Qian Kun home after… Anyways, they arrive right at the nick of time when Yan Yan is sending off Yue Qun – of course that entails a few hugs and kisses.

Although Qian Kun is drunk, he wakes up to the sight of the cheating wife and his immediate action is to call his wife-to-be to make sure she’s home (and alone). He tells Shi Hai Dong he wants to be driven back to his home immediately. Shi Hai Dong, silent this entire time, obliges.

I quite like Qian Kun’s drunk act. He stands at the doorway and stumbles back and forth with no intention of removing his shoes. Staring helplessly, Mei Yu comes to the rescue but is grabbed into a tight embrace instead. It’s sweet. They sit down now but the drunk Qian Kun needs to tell her something: Yan Yan cheated on Shi Hai Dong. However, Mei Yu’s dead set on denying this truth (even I wouldn’t believe a drunk guy telling me that my cousin’s the one cheating).

Luo Li is at Yan Yan’s home and she’s still insisting she loves Shi Hai Dong and doesn’t want to divorce. She’s replaying all the WeChat messages and reminsincg the love her and Shi Hai Dong shared. Luo Li, being restless and bored, doesn’t pay attention to the messages (mostly because they’re sweet-nothings) but this one particular audio message perks her interest: it’s Shi Hai Dong’s message to Yan Yan that if he were to cheat, he’d be at his wife’s disposal. It seems Luo Li has found a way to win this case (and it’s a lesson to me to not babbler away otherwise that could go against me one of these days). She continues to urge Yan Yan to face reality: Shi Hai Dong wants to divroce her and there’s no turning back; she continues: “Only until you leave the wrong person, can you meet the right person.”

Luoi Li assures her that they can win the case. She’s confident because she’s never lost one. Jiao Yan Yan’s not completely convinced because Shi Hai Dong never lost one either. Luo Li doesn’t falter at all and answers: “That’s because he never met me.”

Its morning and Luo Li gets right into work as she calls Shi Hai Dong to discuss a case. From Shi Hai Dong’s stand view (or upside down point of view), she deserves to be hung up on and he closes his phone to prevent further contact. This doesn’t stop Luo Li as she stomps righteously into his office bypassing the secretary and all by seducing Pan Xiao Gang with a new identity: Lisa.

After finding her in the office, Shi Hai Dong ignores her this time as well and clarifies to Xian Gang her real identity. Shi Hai Dong passes her to Xiao Gang and heads to the washroom. I swear Luo Li’s goal is to never be thwarted; this time, she confidently strides right in between Shi Hai Dong and his entrance into the men’s washroom. Poor guy doing his business inside gets abruptly interrupted. He wants to leave now but Luo Li suavely tells him: “Sorry, come out later.” And he listens.

They argue back and forth about each other’s liability in ruining the other’s reputation (he called her a possible transgender otherwise she can’t be in the men’s washroom) or trespassing other’s freedom (e.g. that guy who couldn’t leave). She manages to dig right into her topic about his liability as a husband who lured Yan Yan into marrying him right after she graduated (i.e. giving up her youth) and now that she’s of no interest to him anymore, he can just throw her away without giving her a single penny because he, knowing all the gaps in law, has secured his finances before marrying. Phew, Luo Li speaks convincingly brewing with calm and confidence that even I feel Shi Hai Dong’s impressed. However, he’s not an undefeated lawyer for nothing. He questions her whether youth only belongs to women and what law allows marriage and not divorce. His analogy is this: “Have you seen a man enter a washroom and not come out.” LOL. It’s not that accurate but hilarious it is.

His anger takes over as Shi Hai Dong continues to argue he never forced Yan Yan to stay at home and not work but he gets interrupted by Xiao Gang who tries to reveal the truth. However, that attempt earns him a reprimand from Shi Hai Dong and so Xiao Gang obediently shut ups. In facts everyone shuts up for a few seconds. However, Luo Li’s mind is elsewhere as she finds interest in whatever Xiao Gang wanted to reveal.

Shi Hai Dong recollects himself and asks Luo Li what she wants, which is simply to discuss the matter. He asks her whether she’d like to continue speaking in front of the men’s washroom or in his office; Luo li opts for the latter and retreats. The poor guy in the washroom finally gets to come out. While Shi Hai Dong enters the washroom with his back slumped. With the music on cue, I’m feeling bad for him.

In the office, Luo Li tries to fish out the truth from Xiao Gang but he’s not Shi Hai Dong’s assistant for nothing; he redirects her and trashes on Yan Yan for being a money-lover: she’ll marry the next richest guy. Luo Li’s disappointed with this “secret” but continues prodding him whether it was Shi Hai Dong that ridiculed her client. Xiao Gang clarifies that he actually knew Yan Yan before Shi Hai Dong but was unable to convince him then of what kind of girl Yan Yan was because Shi Hai Dong at that time was head over heels for her.

Their conversation has some interesting tidbits. Xiao Gang comments that Luo Li really doesn’t understand men when she questions why men complain about girls being materialistic on one end but succumb to their wants the next minute. Xiao Gang clarifies that as long as the woman is satisfied with materials, the easier the men can please them.

Luo Li listens but doesn’t fail to notice how long Shi Hai Dong has been taking in the washroom. Xiao Gang agrees as serious as he can that his boss takes a while in the washroom because he likes to think of worldly matters in front of the toilet. Luo Li decides to take a visit to the male washroom again. However, Xiao Gang helpfully advises her it’s not necessary because he left already.

But the real truth is that Shi Hai Dong’s still in the washroom stall, lol. Xiao Gang comes to retrieve him and suggests that they should be the ones charging Yan Yan for cheating, and the alimony they would be charging for is $1. That shows two things: one, they just want everyone to know who the one in the wrong is without caring about the money; two, they really don’t care about her. Although the idea sounds swell, Xiao Hai Don’t isn’t sold. At that moment, someone exits the stall. There goes your top notch secret, lol. Xiao Gang yells at him for not making a sound in the washroom. LOL. Xiao Gang assures Shi Hai Dong that the guy is pretty tight-lipped but he gets interrupted by another guy exiting the stall, who also made no sounds. This time, Pan Xiao Gang tells Shi Hai Dong that he’ll need to talk to this guy directly about keeping this matter a secret, haha.

What did I tell you about this Luo Li’s life goal of not being thwarted? She’s in his home waiting for Shi Hai Dong while enjoying being upside down in his blood-rush-contraption. Shi Hai Dong calls it trespassing; Luo Li tries to clarify. But first she needs to be returned right side up to speak properly. Apparently too much blood is circulating her head now.

He lifts her up and continues to ask how she entered. She complains that this will take a while to explain. Hearing that, Shi Hai Dong loosens his grip. At the fear of being upside down again she quickly claims she can simplify the explanation: as Yan Yan’s lawyer, she has the right to assess her client’s (yet to be) ex-husband’s finances. He calmly asks her whether she’s done to which she answers no. Shi Hai Dong loosens his grip again but before he completely lets her go she quickly assures him she’s done. Luo Li is finally back up but she’s not done with her tricks. She’s moved on to the art of seduction now and feigns dizziness to extend her stay. She extends her hand for support and lies comfortably on his couch. She claims she’ll rejuvenate with a juice just to spike her blood sugar back up. That gets Shi Hai Dong to open his refrigerator and discover it’s completely packed with food he never bought. Cue sexy music. And now she comes up behind him and acts cute. She tells him the food is an apology gift for her rudeness earlier that day (i.e. male’s washroom).

He asks her whether she still feels dizzy and she brushes it off. She tells him her dad’s into martial arts and she was capable enough to take over her dad’s role but opted out. She demonstrates her skills by doing a handstand against a wall. Wow… Anyways, as long as Shi Hai Dong’s impressed, it doesn’t matter right?

They’re enjoying dinner now. I’m a bit fuzzled at how things got here but let’s just say Shi Hai Dong was really impressed with the handstand he let her cook dinner for him. It’s been a while since he ate home cooked meal and so he seems to appreciate Luo Li’s gestures. Hm Luo Li being nice. I’m scared. A little. 

She asks him whether he’s still mad about this afternoon to which he answers no. He even compliments her as a lawyer and confides her that he’d be proud if his own assistant (Xiao Gang) was at least half like her. Waking up to her lawyer sense, she urges Shi Hai Dong to dissolve the case and not bring it to court because that’s where the ugliness comes out. Shi Hai Dong is resistant and claims that we can’t guarantee that what happens in life can’t be uglier than in court.

Luo Li decides to tackle this differently; she tells him she senses that their marriage can still be revived if they can overcome their stumbling block. She asks him why he didn’t enter the house that day (with the drunk Cao Qian Kun in the car) when he was already there. This is her version of the story: Yan Yan was simply sending out a male friend. She assumes he wanted to return home but couldn’t get over his jealously.

She continues to spill out Yan Yan’s love for him but he’s not interested and just gulps down his wine. The problem is he doesn’t love her anymore. He tells her the love has been lost for a year now and they longer have anything to share and talk about. He continues digging himself a hole and tells Luo Li that if there was something new and interesting that interrupted that sort of marriage, than this family will cease to exist.

Completely immersed in the conversation now, Luo Li asks what he meant by something new and interesting. Shi Hai Dong doesn’t hesitate and says: “An affair”. As she beckons whose affair it is, Shi Hai Dong smiles confidently (and evilly, I might add) and answers: “Mine.”

Comments:

What? What happened? I swear the lead up is a little lacking. I’m a bit befuddled at why Shi Hai Dong so brazenly says he’s the one cheating. I can understand why Luo Li’s acting nice but why Shi Hai Dong is willingly cooperating to play the bad guy, I’m lost.

Another thing I don’t understand is Jiao Yan Yan’s stance. Does she love Shi Hai Dong or not? She’s upset about the divorce but she also cares about the money. But all in all, if she loves him this much why have an affair? So okay, let’s just say she was having an affair to relieve her stress but she ultimately loves Shi Hai Dong (wherever the logic is) but why still let your lover comfort you in midst of a divorce where you might lost the one guy you actually love? So lost about her.

One thing I like to applaud this episode for was making me laugh out loud at the analogy of marriage to the washroom. It’s true in the sense that we can’t inhibit someone from leaving the washroom just as we can’t prevent a divorce but to say marriage is like entering the washroom, then the marriage to divorce rate will be a perfect 1:1. Who the heck never leaves the washroom? I promise you, washroom, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. Wait a second; that sounds like what the washroom does for me LOL, especially in times of sickness and health. HAHA. Sorry for the bad washroom jokes. Really.