Chapter 40: The Trial Begins! |
"Take care, I won''t see you out," Xu De called out with a smile, waving at the somewhat lonely figures walking away from the main entrance of Jinmao Law Firm.
Li Youcai and Liu Cui let out cold snorts and walked away with their heads down.
Once the two disappeared from sight.
Xu De let out a long breath. He lowered his head to look at the documents in his hands: the letter of forgiveness and the criminal settlement agreement.
What purpose did these two serve respectively?
The former worked on the criminal side to reduce the sentence to a certain degree. The latter functioned in the civil domain; with it, Chen Wei''s demand for 230,000 yuan in compensation would become nothing more than the futile, impotent rage of a clown!
As for what would happen if the other party regretted signing them...
What if it was impossible for them to back out?
Or rather, what if Li Youcai simply did not meet the criteria to revoke a letter of forgiveness and a settlement agreement?
But Xu De had never used a single threatening word!
Secondly...
Inducement?
"I didn''t induce them either."
"On the contrary, I repeatedly emphasized and reminded them in plain terms that they have no guardianship rights and can never get the child under the law!"
"There''s an eighty percent chance the judge won''t believe that Li Youcai suffered from a major misunderstanding."
"Even if the court recognizes it, it won''t matter."
"I will naturally fulfill the promise I made!"
Looking at the two documents in his hands, Xu De muttered to himself.
What promise had he made?
Visitation rights!
In the audio recording, Li Youcai had explicitly stated that he wanted to "meet with the child."
As long as he fulfilled that promise.
Then, in the end, Li Youcai would not suffer a loss. The consideration of the letter of forgiveness had been realized, and the defense had legally fulfilled the agreement.
The court would deem it unnecessary to overturn something that had already taken effect legally and compliantly.
As for whether the motivation of "wanting full custody of the child but only ending up with visitation rights" could serve as a basis to back out?
It was useless.
A mistaken motivation did not affect the validity of a contract!
"Everything is ready... all that''s left is tomorrow''s trial."
Xu De smiled and turned around to walk back into the law firm.
It was currently three o''clock in the afternoon.
With twenty-three hours left before the trial began, he had plenty of free time.
During this downtime...
It was time he took care of some personal matters!
Tap, tap, tap...
Xu De walked back into the lobby. He poured out his cold coffee, refilled three cups, and carried them on a tray toward the reception room.
As he drew near, he nudged the door open with his hip.
Creak.
The door swung open.
Through the gap, two familiar figures appeared in his sight.
"The coffee is here. Drink up to refresh yourselves," Xu De said with a smile as he walked inside, distributing the cups to the two of them.
The man and woman were none other than Wang Chao and Lin Yue.
Wang Chao accepted his cup, took a solemn sip to taste it, and then gulped the rest down in one go.
This was his unique way of appreciation.
A small sip gave a "high-class" item like coffee the respect it deserved, while gulping it down respected his own stomach!
Lin Yue took a delicate sip from the rim, her posture elegant. Then, she looked at Xu De with curiosity.
"Why did you call us here?"
Xu De sat down across from them, flashed a smile, and said,
"Mainly, I wanted to ask you two... do you have any desire to strike out on your own?"
Strike out on their own? Meaning...
Establishing their own law firm?!
Hearing this, Lin Yue and Wang Chao froze momentarily, displaying completely opposite reactions.
"Start a law firm? Lawyer Xu, you really think highly of me!"
Wang Chao grew excited, instantly sitting bolt upright.
He was quite moved. Other law firms had looked down on him, calling him a fake graduate from a top university, and sneered at his inability to fight cases or quote statutes.
But Xu De was different; working with him felt incredibly comfortable!
He would never forget the night of the 10th when they went to Lijia Village, and Xu De praised him for knowing how to climb walls and pick locks.
It was exactly like finding a true kindred spirit!
"If you do not disdain my lack of talent, I am willing to embark on this great venture with you!"
A smile spread across Xu De''s face as he nodded.
"If you''re willing... I can give you a twenty percent share."
"That won''t do. A man should take only what his work deserves, and I know exactly how much I am worth."
Wang Chao shook his head and said earnestly,
"You can insult me with words, but you cannot use money to humiliate my character!"
Xu De gave him a thumbs-up. "Classy!"
"But there''s no room for negotiation on this. The twenty percent share is set."
He turned to look at Lin Yue.
A law firm was different from a regular company. To start a general partnership firm, it had to be established jointly by three lawyers, making both of them essential.
"What about you, Lawyer Lin?"
Hearing this.
Lin Yue felt a surge of interest. She had long harbored the desire to strike out on her own.
Except...
"How much in savings does Lawyer Xu currently have?" Lin Yue asked.
"A little over three thousand," Xu De replied calmly.
Lin Yue shook her head. "That''s not enough."
To launch a law firm, the total capital contribution from the three partners needed to be at least one hundred thousand yuan. Three thousand was far from sufficient.
But before he could speak, Lin Yue continued,
"However, I can contribute one hundred and fifty thousand yuan, provided that I receive a twenty-nine percent share."
"Furthermore... how do you plan to develop the firm?"
"Where will our cases and clients come from?"
Her mother was the founder of an elite law firm in Beijing, so she did not lack money. Compared to capital, the mindset and vision of the firm''s leader mattered far more to her.
Regarding this.
Xu De had come prepared. He smoothly slid a document across the table.
"We''ll rely on this."
The two lowered their eyes to look at it, only to find...
"A letter of forgiveness?" Lin Yue frowned.
"The letter of forgiveness for Wang Qiang''s case?"
She understood the implication immediately, but still shook her head.
"It''s not enough. If you want to make a name for yourself through Wang Qiang''s case, you can''t just rely on the first trial''s process. You need an overwhelming victory in the final verdict."
For a law firm to attract clients and secure a steady stream of cases, the absolute best method was to win an unprecedented lawsuit!
Once everyone knew your capabilities, clients would naturally knock on your door.
If Xu De wanted to shoot to fame with Wang Qiang''s case, a strong showing in the first hearing wasn''t enough; the verdict itself had to be a definitive "victory"!
In the legal world, everyone looked only at the results, not the process!
And a mere letter of forgiveness certainly could not dictate the final verdict.
"Then what if we add this? Is it enough?!"
Xu De passed the Settlement Agreement over as well.
Lin Yue scanned it, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
A Settlement Agreement truly could only influence civil litigation, but a problem arose here.
If a case involved mitigating circumstances and both parties reached a civil settlement, the judge would often utilize their "judicial discretion" based on these two points to reduce or lighten the sentence. There was a high probability that Wang Qiang''s sentence would lean toward an acquittal.
Except...
"Nine thousand yuan in compensation? Paid off with interest over ten years?"
Lin Yue looked at the nine thousand yuan compensation explicitly written on the contract, feeling hesitant.
"Wang Mei hasn''t adapted to life yet, and Xu Hong is disabled. If Wang Qiang has to pay nine thousand yuan in compensation while also trying to make ends meet..."
Even if it was a victory, it would be a pyrrhic one.
Xu De had long anticipated this reaction. Without a word, he placed a yellowed sheet of paper onto the table.
"Then what about this? Plus this, is it enough?!"
The two looked down, discovering it was a few promissory notes from ten years ago. It read...
[We, Li Youcai and Liu Cui of Lijia Village, Greenwood City, hereby borrow one thousand yuan from Li Jianguo to purchase a daughter-in-law, agreeing to repay the full amount within three years...]
Looking further down...
It clearly bore the signatures and thumbprints of Li Youcai and Liu Cui!
This was... ironclad proof that Li Youcai and Liu Cui were accomplices in the human trafficking case?!
"Where did you get this?!"
Lin Yue snapped her head up, staring at him in utter disbelief.
This ironclad evidence... even the prosecutors hadn''t managed to unearth it!
"Don''t worry about that. In short, besides this, I have three witnesses who will appear in court tomorrow."
Xu De smiled, offering no intention of explaining further.
Lin Yue''s mind was in absolute turmoil. Forcing her emotions down, she spoke objectively,
"Setting aside the criminal sentencing for a moment, the nine thousand yuan compensation..."
"Lawyer Lin, as people, we must learn to be flexible."
Xu De said with total nonchalance.
He pointed at the Settlement Agreement, then pointed at the promissory note.
"It''s true that money must be paid to Li Youcai."
"But hypothetically, what if right after using the Settlement Agreement, I immediately deploy this promissory note to forge a complete chain of evidence, bringing Li Youcai and Liu Cui to justice right then and there?!"
The chain of evidence was so solid that the court wouldn''t even grant a second trial before passing judgment.
Compounding their string of offenses, it would match Xu De''s projection: a minimum of twenty years!
"However, Lawyer Lin, let me ask you a question!"
Xu De''s voice suddenly grew louder and solemn.
"How many years do you think Li Youcai and Liu Cui have left to live?"
As these words fell, Lin Yue paused.
The couple was already in their sixties, and having lived in a harsh environment, their bodies were ridden with a laundry list of ailments.
Forget twenty years or even ten years; they would be lucky to survive another eight!
"Li Youcai and Liu Cui won''t be able to spend money while in prison. When they die of old age or illness ten years from now, what will the nine thousand yuan Wang Qiang owes them become?"
Xu De explained carefully, not even waiting for her answer before continuing,
"It becomes an inheritance!"
"Since it''s an inheritance, doesn''t that mean someone has to inherit it?"
"If someone has to inherit it, who will it be?"
As he finished, Lin Yue unconsciously followed this line of thought. The moment she pieced it together, she was left utterly stunned.
An heir to an estate was generally determined by the closeness of blood relations.
But here lay the problem...
Only one person possessed the qualifications to inherit their estate.
Li Yang!
"It''s Li Yang, Wang Mei''s son. And ten years from now, Li Yang will still be a minor, so this money will be managed on his behalf by Wang Mei!"
Xu De chuckled.
"In other words... this nine thousand yuan is effectively Wang Qiang giving money to Wang Mei!"
With those words.
The entire reception room fell dead silent.
What kind of logic was this? The compensation paid by Wang Qiang to the plaintiffs would, after a ten-year detour with interest, wind up back in the hands of his own daughter, Wang Mei?!
"In fact, it won''t just be this nine thousand yuan,"
Xu De continued.
"Li Youcai''s house, furniture, and savings will all be counted as part of the inheritance!"
"Wang Mei was imprisoned and abused for ten years... heh, she can''t be left without any compensation whatsoever."
What?
As for Xu De mentioning preying on vulnerable households to Li Sheng and Li Li?
He had never said he would let those two prey on it!
If Li Sheng could prey on this vulnerable household, why couldn''t the victim do the same?!
In short...
"This plus this, is it enough?!"
Xu De stared intently at Lin Yue, his eyes burning.
Lin Yue parted her lips, but no words came out.
If nothing else, this executable, borderline-glitched inheritance logic alone proved just how comprehensively Xu De had analyzed the situation.
Not to mention his terrifying ability to improvise on the spot. Looking at it this way, perhaps Wang Qiang''s case...
Could truly launch him into stardom overnight!
"It''s enough!" Lin Yue took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.
The money was given, yet it was as if it hadn''t been given at all.
They were willing to honor the visitation rights, but with Li Youcai sentenced to prison, he wouldn''t be able to exercise them anyway, meaning it made no difference whether they existed or not.
What did it mean to catch a white wolf with bare hands?
This was the definition of catching a white wolf with bare hands!
"Welcome aboard."
A smile bloomed on Xu De''s face, his entire demeanor radiating a sense of high spirits.
Since the matter of the law firm was settled.
Everything now rested on tomorrow''s trial!
Thinking of this, Xu De looked down at the materials he had spent over a month preparing from scratch.
The letter of forgiveness + the Settlement Agreement + the promissory note evidence chain + the witnesses + the self-surrender...
Either.
The prosecutor and Chen Wei would crush him tomorrow with a more violent offensive, resulting in a failed defense and a bleak, rock-bottom career.
Or.
He would stand alone in the courtroom against the prosecutor, lawyer Chen Wei, Li Youcai, and Liu Cui, executing a textbook, bloody slaughter to take it all!!!
"Will it be a total collapse at the final hurdle, or will I win fame and fortune..."
"It all depends on tomorrow''s trial!"
......
......
The next day.
On November 15, as a prison transport van slowly rolled into the Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court.
The trial officially began!
......
......
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