Chapter 34: Making a Name for Oneself! The Morning Post! |
November 10th.
Morning, 7:00 AM.
Qingwu Province, Greenwood City.
Torch Street Commercial Street, Jinmao Law Firm.
Xu De stepped out of the law firm''s main entrance. He crossed the street and headed straight for the breakfast stall opposite the building.
The breakfast stall was a porridge shop.
A few tables were scattered along the street, set with disposable chopsticks and napkins. The stall owner stood by two steamer baskets billowing with white steam, sweating profusely as he frantically attended to the customers.
A small spread of breakfast sat on one of the tables, with a few people huddled around sharing the food.
It was Lin Yue, Wang Chao, and Wang Mei with her son, who had rushed over from Lijia Village without sleeping a wink.
Xu De walked briskly through the morning light. He plopped down into an empty seat at the table and flicked his wrist, dropping a thick envelope in front of Wang Chao with a slap.
"As agreed, this is your compensation."
"Oh?"
Wang Chao had been listlessly chewing his food, but upon hearing this, his eyebrows immediately shot up.
He put down his baked flatbread, picked up the envelope, tore it open, and peeked inside.
Ten crisp, brand-new hundred-yuan bills lay inside!
"Yo ho!"
Wang Chao''s eyebrows danced. Abandoning his meal, he happily began counting the bills.
Even though there were only ten, he flipped them over and over, counting them repeatedly, immensely enjoying the process.
Xu De withdrew his gaze. He walked over to the stall owner and hesitated at the dazzling array of food. Ultimately, he just bought a small portion of cheap pickles and a bowl of plain porridge.
He then sat back down at the table and ate in silence.
Seeing this.
Lin Yue suddenly paused. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the bland porridge and pickles in Xu De''s bowl. After a brief hesitation, she used her chopsticks to pick up two golden, shiny meat pies, placed them on a bamboo saucer provided by the shop, and pushed them in front of him.
Xu De paused and looked up.
"Thanks for last night. Breakfast is on me today."
Lin Yue turned her head away.
"Otherwise... I definitely wouldn''t have been able to carry out this civil lawsuit."
Without Xu De, even if she won custody in the civil suit, there would be no way to keep the child. Although it wouldn''t leave a stain on her resume...
She didn''t fight lawsuits just to embellish her track record!
"Yeah, we''re just helping each other out," Xu De replied casually. He needed her status to lend himself a veneer of legality, so it was mutual assistance. Neither owed the other.
Lin Yue didn''t pay attention to that, instead asking:
"Last night... you gave Li Li money?"
Xu De paused. He didn''t deny it, smiling casually. "A path that can''t be walked can be paved with money."
"How much?" Lin Yue pressed.
Xu De replied, "Three thousand four hundred."
He didn''t have much money on him. Including the pay the law firm issued yesterday, he had five thousand three hundred in total.
Last night, he bled his own wallet dry, paying out three thousand four hundred. After deducting Wang Chao''s cut, he didn''t even have a thousand left to his name, and he still had to cover rent and utilities...
In fact, if the law firm hadn''t paid him yesterday, he wouldn''t even have been able to settle Wang Chao''s compensation!
Truth be told, he was extremely strapped for cash.
But he was used to it. Back when he was a student, he couldn''t even bear to eat a moldy steamed bun. Now, at least he could scarf down steamed buns and pickles.
However.
Hearing this, Lin Yue fell silent for a moment. She brought her legs together and pulled a wallet from her bag.
She rummaged through it, simply took out all her cash, and handed it to Xu De.
"When it comes down to it, this case affects me the most... there''s no reason for you to foot the bill."
"I don''t have that much cash on me, just one thousand seven hundred."
At this point.
Lin Yue paused and turned her head toward Wang Chao beside her.
"Yo, yo, yo..."
Wang Chao was still happily counting the money in his hands.
One thousand yuan! This was one thousand yuan!
Those crappy law firms refused to hire him, claiming his professional skills were poor... but who was he? He was Wang Chao! Wasn''t this simple? He had earned a thousand just by climbing a wall and picking a lock!?
It was far more lucrative and relaxing than taking abuse while offering legal consultations!
Just as he was tirelessly counting his money...
A hand suddenly descended from above, snatching all the cash away.
Wang Chao froze. He stared at his empty hands, profound shock written across his face.
"Yo!!!"
In broad daylight, someone actually dared to rob him!
Unfortunately, when he looked up, he met Lin Yue''s gaze.
Lin Yue said, "It''s about time you paid back the three thousand you borrowed from me last month. There''s no point in you keeping this thousand, so I''ll collect it first. Now you only owe two thousand."
"Yo!"
Shock appeared on Wang Chao''s face.
He looked at his empty hands in disbelief, then looked up at the envelope in Xu De''s hand. He hadn''t even had the time to warm those bills up in his pocket.
Wang Chao sank into deep thought.
Who exactly made money here? And who lost money!?
Finally, a hint of indignation flashed across his face as he reached out and snatched the envelope back.
"You..."
Lin Yue was about to frown. After all, he didn''t need the money urgently, and he genuinely did owe her.
Unexpectedly, a second later...
Whoosh!
Wang Chao pulled out the ten bills and shoved them back into Xu De''s hands, keeping only the empty envelope that smelled faintly of wood. Sticking his neck out, he stubbornly insisted:
"I only owe you money, I don''t owe you an envelope! This envelope is rightfully mine!"
Xu De was dumbfounded. He stared at him for a long time. His normally calm and brilliant brain experienced a rare short-circuit before he finally managed to say:
"Meticulous!"
He didn''t return the money.
After all, he really needed the cash right now. Without money, he would have to stay at Jinmao Law Firm after this case to earn enough before he could leave.
"Thank you, True Lord of Wealth," he said.
The corners of Lin Yue''s lips curled up slightly and she lifted her chin a fraction. However, she quickly caught herself and hastily corrected him with a stern face:
"I am not a True Lord!"
"Right, right, True Lord of Longevity is absolutely right," Xu De nodded.
Lin Yue was just about to say something else when the sound of a clamorous discussion suddenly reached their ears.
"Huh? Adjourned? The verdict wasn''t delivered in court!?"
She paused briefly.
Immediately after, both Lin Yue and Xu De instinctively turned to look at the people at the neighboring tables.
They saw several passersby, who had been eating breakfast while reading the morning paper, staring blankly at the pages before looks of sheer astonishment spread across their faces.
The people next to them leaned in to look, eyes full of curiosity.
"What wasn''t sentenced?"
Hearing this.
The man snapped back to reality. No longer caring about his meal, he burst into a wide grin and pointed at the newspaper:
"That trafficking case in Lijia Village!"
"Come look at this! The morning paper says the trial opened yesterday! They didn''t sentence the defendant at all, and all the evidence from the public prosecutor has to be reinvestigated!"
The prosecution''s evidence was entirely rejected?
How... how on earth was that achieved!?
"Let me see! Just two days ago I thought this case was a lost cause!"
"How did they do it?"
"Did the presiding judge think the defendant wasn''t at fault? Was he personally biased toward the defense?"
"Bullshit! The morning paper clearly says some defense lawyer came out of nowhere and rendered both the prosecution and the plaintiff''s lawyer utterly speechless!"
"What the hell? Someone managed to silence the prosecution? Let me see!"
Hearing this, the rest of the crowd put down their bowls and quickly gathered around the man reading the paper.
Seven or eight people, strangers and acquaintances alike, huddled tightly together in a dense throng.
"Look, it''s right here in the headlines."
The man who bought the paper pointed excitedly at a headline and read aloud:
"[Shocking! A Reversal in the Case! The Lijia Village Incident, Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court, Courtroom One. Defense Lawyer Debates a Crowd of Scholars for Three Hours! All Prosecution Evidence Rejected! Defense Lawyer Personally Enters a Not-Guilty Plea!]"
"[A Breathtaking Angle to Dismantle the Case! Over Forty People at the Scene, Yet Not a Single One Could Prove the Defendant Committed Murder!]"
"[Three Hours of Debating the Masses! Who is This Young Defense Lawyer? Investigations Refused...]"
"[Turning the Tide! One Man Crushes the Entire Courtroom! Where Does This Lawyer Who Turned the Defense into His Personal Stage Come From!?]"
"[......]"
Headline after headline, article after article.
As the crowd read, their eyes gradually widened and their breathing grew a bit ragged. By the end...
"One person suppressed the entire courtroom in a debate!?" someone asked in astonishment.
"Wait, the Lijia Village case... there''s hope!?"
At this point, the crowd finally realized the implications.
If the prosecutor was overwhelmed in the debate, didn''t that mean the prosecution''s indictment had been debated until it was riddled with holes?
Without the indictment, Wang Qiang would definitely be found not guilty!
Which meant...
"Damn it!" a rough-looking man dressed like a migrant worker cursed, his face and neck flushed red.
"A not-guilty plea, and he even suppressed the public prosecution... this lawyer has guts!"
He couldn''t read, but just listening and visualizing the scene in his mind was enough to make his blood boil.
When others were hesitant and afraid to take the case, someone dared to step up. Not only did he take it, but he even dared to enter a not-guilty plea.
What did it mean to turn the tide?
This was turning the tide!
"Xu De? Never heard of the guy. Which law firm is he from?"
"No idea... but after today, this lawyer has definitely made a name for himself. Fighting a case like this, it''d be hard not to become famous."
"Tsk, this really isn''t something just anyone could pull off..."
"..."
It wasn''t just the breakfast stall.
Government office buildings, wet markets, buses, intersections...
In short, wherever crowds gathered and people were reading the paper, their faces were filled with awe as they called it spectacular, feeling their blood boil and their chests swell with exhilaration.
At this moment.
Even though the case hadn''t been won yet.
The name Xu De had already become renowned throughout Greenwood City!
Back at the breakfast stall.
"Tsk."
Lin Yue looked at the fervent crowd nearby, withdrew her gaze, and turned to look at the man sitting quietly beside her, eating as if it had nothing to do with him—Xu De.
These people reading the paper had no idea that the person they were discussing was sitting right next to them.
In fact, he was quietly eating street food right behind their backs.
"So, does Lawyer Xu have an acceptance speech?" Lin Yue unconsciously offered a smile.
Xu De smiled, unfazed by the commotion. Seeing that everyone had finished eating, he wiped his mouth and said:
"Let''s go."
"To the court, to give the prosecutor something to do!"
With that.
Xu De stood up and led the way out.
Watching his back.
Lin Yue chuckled softly, shook her head, threw on her coat, and followed him along with the others.
And just as the group hailed a taxi and got in...
By the side of the road.
Someone suddenly stopped in surprise.
"Ah! What a coincidence, Lawyer Xu, you''re also late..."
Accountant Li, who was running late for work, had spotted Xu De by the roadside and smiled, ready to greet him. Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, he got into the taxi and vanished from sight.
Accountant Li''s unfinished words stuck in her throat.
She was the accountant at Jinmao Law Firm. Back when Zhang Hu settled the bill for his divorce case, she was the one in charge, so her relationship with Xu De wasn''t bad.
"Why is he in such a hurry?"
Accountant Li stared at his departing figure with confusion. Just then...
"A hero emerges from the youth, a hero emerges from the youth!"
"I see those veteran golden lawyers in Greenwood City have lived their lives in vain; they can''t even compare to this young lawyer named Xu De!"
Xu... Xu De?
What happened to Xu De?
Accountant Li paused.
She looked suspiciously at the crowd of pedestrians exclaiming over a newspaper next to her, curiosity blooming on her face.
She craned her neck and fixed her eyes on their newspaper. One look was all it took...
In an instant.
An expression of profound shock appeared on Accountant Li''s face, her insides churning like a stormy sea.
"The indictment was re... rejected!?"
She knew exactly what kind of case Xu De had taken on.
That case... calling it hell-tier difficulty was an understatement!
Never mind a new lawyer; even if a golden lawyer went to court, they would only be able to painstakingly struggle through every step while arguing the law.
But what was that glimpse about the public prosecution retreating step by step!?
And what was this about the defense dominating the courtroom!
Unfortunately, Accountant Li had only caught a glimpse before her view was blocked. By now, she could no longer contain herself.
"The newspaper rack... right, the firm has a newspaper rack!"
A spark of inspiration hit Accountant Li.
The law firm had a communal newspaper rack. They subscribed to both the morning and evening papers, so this exact paper had to be on the rack!
Thinking of this.
She didn''t dawdle or waste any more time.
Fueled by intense anticipation, she bolted across the street toward Jinmao Law Firm.
"Bang!"
The glass doors of the law firm were violently shoved open by a frantic Accountant Li. The loud noise drew the attention of her colleagues at their desks in the lobby, who had just arrived for work and were still a bit sluggish.
Everyone turned around to see Accountant Li standing in front of the newspaper rack, reading a paper with a look of utter shock.
"Yo, did Accountant Li buy a lottery ticket? Rushing to read the paper like that, did the numbers match?"
Someone leaning lazily in their chair joked.
"Not me, it''s Xu De," Accountant Li replied as she read.
"What happened to Lawyer Xu?"
While the people in the lobby were still joking, someone pondered for a moment and asked:
"Did something go wrong with Lawyer Xu''s case?"
"Honestly, it''s to be expected for that case. I heard the prosecution is led by Hu Guang... last time I was in court as a plaintiff''s representative, I was terrified just looking at him. That aura is completely beyond a normal prosecutor, let alone facing him directly as the defense. Losing the case is perfectly normal."
"Exactly. Even the director, who always thought highly of Lawyer Xu, never expected him to win."
"Lawyer Xu is still young and highly educated. Given time, becoming a golden lawyer is inevitable. It''s just that there''s a long road ahead before then, and these cases are merely his stepping stones."
"......"
Listening to their chatter.
Accountant Li finally pulled her eyes away from the newspaper.
Her face was flushed red. Looking at her confidently speaking colleagues, she opened her mouth, then closed it, wanting to say something but completely unable to find the right words.
Xu De had a long road ahead?
It was normal to lose to Hu Guang, a man even golden lawyers considered a formidable rival?
True.
But the problem was...
Why did the newspaper say that a lawyer fresh out of the novice village had defeated the final boss prosecutor, Hu Guang, with overwhelming dominance?
Wasn''t this some sort of fairy tale!?
Accountant Li looked around the law firm lobby.
Listening to the noisy chatter in her ears, her face grew even redder. Finally, she took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"It''s crazy... the court has gone crazy!"
"You all need to read the morning paper, right now!!!"
......
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