Chapter 17: You Guessed Right |
The next day.
November 5th.
Seven in the morning.
The sky was just beginning to brighten. The biting autumn chill turned into a howling wind that swept through the streets.
Carrying some leftovers, Xu De walked out of his rented apartment. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and blended into the pedestrians on the street. A short while later, he stopped at the entrance of an alleyway.
In the corner.
A head poked out from a hidden nook in the alley. Seeing who had arrived, the figure hesitantly walked over.
Once the boy reached him, Xu De extended his hand.
"Shake."
He was about 1.6 meters tall with a frail frame. The hand resting in Xu De''s palm felt incredibly shriveled. His bony fingers poked uncomfortably, caked with a layer of grime.
Xu De spoke again. "Spin around."
The scavenger boy pinched the hem of his shirt with both hands, looking extremely embarrassed, and reluctantly did a spin.
"Too slow. Do it again," Xu De said, highly dissatisfied.
The scavenger boy''s eyes widened in shock.
In this freezing weather, doing a quick spin was not a pleasant experience... He was already in such a miserable state; didn''t this guy have any empathy?!
But remembering it was Xu De making the demand, he figured it somehow made sense. So, he sped up and spun around again.
As he spun, his thin clothes fluttered, and the cold wind rushed in through the gaps, raising goosebumps all over his skin.
"Great job!"
Xu De was much more satisfied this time and handed over the leftovers.
"Eat up."
Once the boy took the food.
Xu De stopped teasing him, turning around to continue walking toward the law firm.
Watching his retreating back, the scavenger boy hesitated, looking as if he wanted to speak. After a moment, he finally whispered, "Thank you."
With that, he darted off like a mouse, vanishing rapidly into the alley.
Seven-thirty.
Jinmao Law Firm.
Creak—
The front door of the law firm was pushed open, and Xu De walked over to the attendance clock as usual.
A colleague in the lobby paused slightly upon seeing him, then stood up and called out,
"Lawyer Xu, someone came looking for you just now."
Was it Wang Mei and her daughter?
Xu De was a bit surprised. After clocking in, he looked at his colleague with a puzzled expression.
"Did she leave?"
His colleague shook his head. "No, he''s waiting for you in the reception room. Just go to Reception Room 001."
"Alright, thanks."
Xu De nodded and started walking toward the reception room.
To be honest.
There weren''t many people who would come looking for him. If it wasn''t Wang Mei and her daughter... then it had to be the "Myriad Longevity True Lord", Lin Yue.
After all, he had told her last night to come find him.
But it was only seven-thirty... would she come this early?
Xu De pondered this as he walked, stopping only when he stood before the door of Reception Room 001. He reached out and pushed the slightly ajar door open.
Creak—
As the gap in the door widened.
A man''s face came into Xu De''s line of sight.
Seeing who had arrived, the man sitting on the sofa paused for a moment before a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Hello, Lawyer Xu. We meet again."
This person was...
Chen Wei!
The defense attorney representing Li Youcai and his wife!
Looking at the man, Xu De''s heart skipped a beat. He didn''t rush in, but instead asked,
"Lawyer Chen? What important matter brings you here?"
Chen Wei stood up, chuckling as he spoke.
"Lawyer Xu, the court summons has been issued. The trial will commence in five days."
"As for why I came to see you this time..."
Saying this.
Chen Wei paused. He picked up his briefcase from the sofa, pulled out a contract, and placed it in front of Xu De, speaking with a smile.
"It''s mainly because of this."
Xu De shifted his gaze to the contract and instantly froze.
This contract was somewhat special. The title only consisted of a few words:
[Letter of Forgiveness.]
In that split second.
Xu De narrowed his eyes.
...
...
Eight o''clock.
Creak—
A tall figure wearing a trench coat pushed open the main door of the law firm.
Phew.
Feeling the heating in the lobby, she untied her scarf, revealing an expressionless, delicate, and aloof face. Her lively eyes glanced around before she softly asked,
"Excuse me, does Lawyer Xu De work here?"
A clear, crisp voice rang out.
In the lobby, a lawyer who was already working looked up. He was momentarily stunned by her appearance before recovering and asking in confusion,
"And you are?"
"My name is Lin Yue. I know Xu De."
As she spoke, Lin Yue let out a breath of white vapor, then shuddered violently from the sudden warmth of the heating, her aloof expression gradually softening.
It was obvious she wasn''t actually cold and distant; she had simply been frozen numb by the sudden drop in temperature outside.
The lawyer replied, "Lawyer Xu is currently busy in Reception Room 001. You can wait a moment."
Reception room?
Lin Yue paused. She was just about to head to the waiting area, but as she turned around, her brow arched slightly as she thought to herself,
''Doing the math, the trial should be starting soon. At this hour... could it be Xu Hong and Wang Mei?''
Thinking of this.
"Thank you."
Lin Yue first offered her thanks. After confirming the direction of the reception room, she strode toward it.
Wang Qiang''s case was imminent, and it was closely connected to the custody case she was handling. It was quite necessary to give a few words of advice before the trial.
However...
Just as she approached Reception Room 001 and was about to knock...
"Lawyer Xu..."
A male voice suddenly drifted out from the reception room, echoing in her ears.
This...
This wasn''t Wang Mei or her daughter.
Lin Yue stopped in her tracks, then tiptoed, preparing to quietly slip away. But before she could move, the voice from inside rang out again.
"Lawyer Xu, you need to think this through carefully. The court won''t take the initiative to mediate a criminal murder case!"
"If you''re not prepared to sign this letter of forgiveness now... then when the time comes."
"It won''t be so easy if you try to sign it later!"
That voice... was it Chen Wei?
A scene from the police station lobby suddenly flashed through Lin Yue''s mind.
There was no time to think.
The next second, Xu De''s voice sounded.
"See yourself out."
"You!"
Inside the reception room, Chen Wei slammed his palm onto the table, glaring angrily, yet unable to formulate a retort.
After a long while.
He took a deep breath, looked at Xu De, and said grimly:
"You don''t know what''s good for you..."
"Then I''ll see you in court!"
With that said.
Chen Wei didn''t hesitate any longer. He grabbed his briefcase and stormed out in irritation.
Bang!
The door to the reception room was shoved open violently, the door panel brushing right past someone''s face.
Lin Yue, who had been completely engrossed in eavesdropping outside, jumped in fright. By the time she recovered, she could only see Chen Wei''s back swiftly disappearing down the hall.
"Why slam the door? How completely classless!" she muttered in protest.
Before she could fully react.
A voice sounded from behind her.
"Heard enough?"
Turning around, she saw Xu De leaning against the doorframe, an inexplicable smile playing on his face.
As he spoke, he reached out and tapped the glass beside the door.
Knock-knock!
The frosted window serving as the wall of the reception room let out a crisp sound.
The window wasn''t completely transparent, but while he was talking with Chen Wei just now, unless one was blind, they could easily see a blurry, suspicious figure crouching by the door and pressing against the glass.
"Clairaudient True Lord, did you hear everything said in the reception room just now? I didn''t sell out my client in private,"
Xu De teased.
Hearing this, Lin Yue''s fair neck instantly flushed red, the color spreading to the tips of her ears in the blink of an eye.
"What eavesdropping? I wasn''t eavesdropping, I was just... just... I just blanked out while standing at the door!"
"And what the heck is Clairaudient True Lord... I already told you I just made that up on the spot."
Lin Yue''s eyes darted away, her response vague.
Xu De didn''t speak. He simply crossed his arms and looked at her with a teasing gaze, making her feel thoroughly embarrassed and flustered.
After a long while, the conversation finally got back on track.
"Was that Chen Wei just now?"
Lin Yue looked back in the direction Chen Wei had disappeared, raised an eyebrow, and asked in surprise,
"What did he come to you for?"
Xu De replied, "He said the victim''s family is now willing to ''forgive'' the defendant, and he came to persuade me to have my client sign the letter of forgiveness."
The victim''s family wants to forgive the defendant?
"Forgive? Are they even worthy of mentioning that word?!"
Lin Yue first cried out in shock, then paused. She rubbed her chin, and a moment later, her eyes lit up.
"But... you actually hit the nail on the head!"
Li Youcai was using the letter of forgiveness as a threat!
The other party had subconsciously realized that Wang Qiang being sentenced to prison would bring them absolutely no benefits!
Therefore, they were attempting to maximize the leverage of their bargaining chip before the trial started to get what they wanted.
All of this...
Was exactly what Xu De had predicted!
And to think, that was twelve days ago!
To accurately predict the other party''s every move, even their psychological reactions, twelve days in advance... Is this really something a lawyer can do?!
Not to mention, deducing it from the perspective of an absolute ''dead end'' in such a major case... This ability... in the legal world, it was simply a crushing advantage!
When did Greenwood City produce such a figure?
Lin Yue looked at Xu De in disbelief. After a long while, she asked in astonishment,
"Are you really from Jinmao Law Firm? There isn''t a star lawyer here named Xu De."
As she spoke, she suspiciously looked him up and down.
But very quickly, Lin Yue stopped thinking about this.
Because...
She suddenly realized something else.
If the current developments aligned exactly with his predictions, didn''t that mean... the solution had to match what he proposed as well?!
If it were an ordinary solution, it wouldn''t matter, but the method Xu De had given...
Was borderline acting like an extrajudicial outlaw!
"Wait, don''t tell me..."
Lin Yue''s eyelids suddenly twitched, her heart pounding. She stared wide-eyed at the gentle, tall man beside her, her tone filled with disbelief.
An exclamation rang out.
"Are you really going to do that illegal thing next?!"
As her voice fell, the reception room suddenly descended into an eerie silence.
The two looked at each other.
Just as Lin Yue''s eyes grew wider and wider, an underlying anxiety building in her chest...
A smile suddenly broke out on Xu De''s face.
"You guessed right, except..."
"I am going to do it, but... it will be absolutely legal!"