Chapter 15: I Want It All! |
Seeing her like this, Xu De asked in confusion,
"Is that so strange?"
"How is that not strange?!" Lin Yue exclaimed in shock.
She was losing her composure.
After studying law for years, this was the first time in her life she had ever heard someone combine "stealing" and "legal" in the same breath.
Seriously, what on earth was going through his head to connect those two words into a single sentence?!
"Lawyer Lin, as a fellow legal professional, I can''t believe you think I''d break the law..."
Xu De said, somewhat dissatisfied. He looked at her, appealing to her conscience.
"This is blatant personal discrimination!"
But a second later, she snapped out of it. Her eye twitched as she retorted,
"Wait, no! There''s nothing wrong with what I said. You''re literally planning to steal a child!"
Xu De replied,
"Who told you that stealing a child is always illegal?!"
He corrected her once more, then paused and looked up past her shoulder.
At the corner of the lobby, two frail figures appeared in the hallway, walking toward them. Seeing this, he quickened his pace of speech and said,
"Whatever else you might think of me, I absolutely do not break the law."
"I guarantee that everything I do will be completely legal and compliant!"
"Of course, I''ll need your cooperation as the handling attorney, and we''ll also need someone handy to assist us. If things go well... we can wrap up the case before the New Year!"
Hearing this, Lin Yue wanted to say more, but the two figures had already arrived in front of them and stopped.
"Ms. Wang, Ms. Xu."
Xu De stood up, offering a polite smile to Wang Mei and Xu Hong, who had just returned from finishing their paperwork.
"Did the police give you any unexpected answers?"
When they first arrived at the police station from the court, Xu De had sent them ahead to handle the custody matter. By now, they should have finished coordinating with the police.
Wang Mei''s face remained incredibly gaunt, her bone structure protruding from severe weight loss. Hearing his question, she fell silent for a moment before shaking her head.
"No."
She had only just realized that even though custody had been awarded to her, it didn''t mean she would be immediately reunited with her child.
"Lawyer Xu... right now, I just want to spend a little time with my child before my dad goes on trial."
Wang Mei''s voice was tinged with bitterness, filled with a deep sense of helplessness.
She knew that the day Wang Qiang stood trial would be the moment her child was completely taken from her.
Right now, Wang Mei only wanted to hold onto her child for a short while before that separation... even if it was just for a week, or even a single day!
But... after asking the police, she realized even this wish was a luxury.
Enforced police execution would only happen long after Li Youcai exceeded the performance deadline.
Before that, if Li Youcai and Liu Cui refused to hand over the child, there was absolutely nothing she could do.
Helpless.
It felt as though the bones had been sucked right out of her body, leaving her limp, exhausted, and completely devoid of spirit.
"Spend a little time?"
Xu De crossed his arms and stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
"Actually, I don''t think it''s necessary to give up the child just because of Mr. Wang."
Hearing this, Wang Mei''s nose prickled with sorrow, and she said bitterly,
"Lawyer Xu, that''s my father... He ended up in the police station for my sake. I can''t give up on him..."
Xu De was slightly stunned, then came to a sudden realization.
She probably thought he was advising her to abandon Wang Qiang.
Seeing this, Xu De clarified,
"Ms. Wang, what I mean is, the child and Mr. Wang..."
"We''re keeping both!"
Both... both can be saved?
Wang Mei froze. She lifted her gaunt, hollow face, a sliver of hope flickering across her rough wrinkles.
Along with Xu Hong, the two of them looked like people in the depths of despair catching a glimpse of a solitary firefly symbolizing hope. Holding her breath, her voice trembled slightly:
"Really?"
Choosing between a father and a child was a moral trial that anyone would find impossible to face.
Wang Mei was on the verge of madness. At this point, even if he was lying to her, she was more than willing to believe it!
Xu De nodded.
"I have a preliminary solution."
"Go back and get some good rest today. Once I return to the firm, I''ll work overtime to draw up a detailed implementation plan and hand it over to Lawyer Lin in a few days."
Of course.
Calling it a plan was actually just a way to dispel her suspicions about "breaking the law."
After all, empty words carried no weight. No one was willing to risk their own skin to gamble on a stranger''s morals. If they guessed wrong, their entire career would collapse!
Especially someone like Lin Yue, who had a bright future ahead of her.
Xu De understood this perfectly.
"Good... good!"
Wang Mei''s dry, withered hands gripped his tightly, terrified he might slip away.
Xu De looked up, meeting eyes that held a thousand words.
"I... I believe you..."
Xu De nodded. He held her hand, patted the back of it with his other hand, and then smoothly let go.
He borrowed a pen and paper from a police officer, wrote down his phone number, and handed it to them.
"This is my contact information. If you have any questions later, feel free to reach out to me anytime."
"It''s getting late... I''ll head back first."
"Rest assured regarding Wang Qiang''s case. I will naturally do everything in my power to give you a satisfactory result!"
With that, Xu De bid them goodbye and slowly walked out of the police station.
Watching him leave until his figure completely vanished from sight, Wang Mei finally snapped out of her daze.
She felt a bit disoriented.
For the past half month, she had been agonizing in pain day and night. Every time she lost herself in thought and snapped back to reality, she would find her face covered in tears.
Even Lin Yue could only turn the harsh reality into a blade, tearing open a fresh wound in her heart!
Every single moment, her soul burned in torment.
Until just now, when Xu De suddenly told her...
No need to worry!
Those words were like a drowning person catching a single lifesaving straw. Even though the straw was incredibly fragile, her survival instinct made her clutch it tightly, refusing to let go!
"Lawyer Lin... Lawyer Xu, he..."
Wang Mei felt as if she were dreaming. It felt so surreal. She wanted to ask something, yet didn''t know what to say.
Beside her, Lin Yue listened.
Her expression was incredibly strange, clearly at a loss for how to evaluate the man.
Rationally speaking, she had never seen anyone who constantly talked about blackmail and stealing children, let alone claimed to be "legally stealing" and "compliantly threatening"!
Moreover... he was so confident. Could it be... it really was legal and compliant?
The more Lin Yue thought about it, the more curious she became. Her heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat, eagerly anticipating him handing over that "implementation report."
Ultimately, she suppressed her emotions and softly comforted Wang Mei:
"Don''t worry, he shouldn''t be lying. After all, he calls himself..."
"A paragon of morality in the legal world."
...
...
At 4:30 PM.
A taxi pulled up in front of Jinmao Law Firm in Greenwood City.
Click!
The car door opened.
Xu De stepped out, pushed the entrance door open, and strode into the law firm.
As soon as he entered, he ran straight into Sun Hao, the group leader, who was dressed up in a slick suit.
Sun Hao had been looking around the lobby, searching for something.
Hearing the door open, he turned around and caught sight of Xu De. Instantly, his eyes lit up, and a warm, welcoming smile spread across his face.
"Xu De."
"Our group has a few old clients coming over for consultations. Come to the firm a bit early tomorrow..."
Hearing this, Xu De paused his gaze, glancing at Sun Hao without breaking his stride.
He showed no emotion and didn''t wait for the man to finish.
Instead, he walked right past him, leaving behind only two fleeting words.
"No time."
In an instant, staring at the empty space in front of him, Sun Hao''s smile froze on his face.