Chapter 54: Deputy Director Yang Guotao Really Wants to Advance |
"Funding is plentiful..."
As his voice faded, a heavy silence fell over the law firm.
Director Han looked at Xu De with a complex gaze, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
What was the most valuable asset of a law firm? It wasn''t the firm itself.
It was the lawyers themselves!
For any lawyer, starting from a mere consultation, once they successfully resolved a case for a wealthy client and earned their favor... a positive snowball effect would begin.
Short on cases? Those company bosses would throw a massive batch of them your way!
Short on funds? They would gladly provide money with no strings attached!
What if that lawyer left their well-known firm? Would those clients stop investing in them and look for someone else at the original firm?
They would follow the lawyer!
Just like a company''s top salesperson, a lawyer held a vast amount of resources and connections, earned through genuine talent and problem-solving ability!
And Xu De...
He had only taken a single-digit number of cases, yet he was already being frantically pursued by such people...
It was hard to imagine exactly what level of service he provided to his clients!
"Director Han?"
"If there are no objections, I''ll unilaterally terminate the contract on my end," Xu De reminded him, maintaining his polite smile.
Director Han hesitated, remaining silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh. "It''s Jinmao''s fault. Lawyer Xu... I wish you a smooth journey ahead."
Destroy someone with a contract just because you couldn''t keep them?
This was the legal world! Playing such tricks on a lawyer with clearly exceptional skills and ruthlessness was purely suicidal!
"To you as well."
Xu De smiled. He finished packing his belongings and walked out the main doors.
Standing at the entrance, he glanced back at the only boutique law firm in Greenwood City before turning and walking away without a hint of nostalgia.
He had signed a short-term employment contract with the firm. Terminating it was simple and quick to process.
As for Director Han...
His heart was practically bleeding!
A golden lawyer... he had just lost a golden lawyer for nothing!
No... that wasn''t right. The man wasn''t just a golden lawyer.
A so-called golden lawyer wasn''t even fit to be a stepping stone for someone like him!
Even someone as formidable as Chen Wei was now facing a ruined career and a crisis of trust from his network of connections.
Although he didn''t know the exact outcome of the Lijia Village case, judging by Xu De''s demeanor... it was a hundred percent victory.
For all he knew, the defendant might have even gotten a three-year sentence suspended for three years—which, as long as they didn''t reoffend, was basically an exemption from punishment!
Such talent... even in Yanjing, where political resources were the most abundant, the top eight red circle firms would be scratching their heads trying to poach him. And yet, he had just let him slip through his fingers...
It wasn''t even that he had wanted to leave.
It was the firm that had messed up first!
Thinking of this...
An unquenchable anger surged within Director Han''s chest.
He turned around, his eyes dark as he suppressed his fury, and glared at the lawyers watching the spectacle. He singled out someone near the front and demanded in a low, heavy voice,
"Accountant Li, where are the section chiefs of the criminal and civil departments?"
"Tell those two to wait in my office tomorrow morning!"
He was going to get to the bottom of this Xu De situation... whatever it took!
...
...
The next day.
November 16th.
10:30 AM.
Greenwood City was completely calm, as if yesterday''s case had never happened, but all the reporters knew this was just an illusion.
Why?
Because everyone was fighting for exposure during the 7:30 PM prime-time slot!
Releasing the news at that time, even if you said nothing else and only mentioned the name ''Xu De,'' it would bring in a staggering amount of traffic!
Calling it the calm before the storm would not be an exaggeration.
As for Xu De, Lin Yue, and Wang Chao...
The three of them hadn''t been idle either.
First, they fed the "wild child" living near Xu De''s place. During this, Xu De routinely checked his general health by having him "spin in a circle," "speak," and "shake hands."
Once he confirmed there were no issues, he took his documents and headed to the Greenwood City Bureau of Justice, preparing to register his law firm.
Meanwhile...
...
Inside the Greenwood City Bureau of Justice.
"Dammit, this massive political achievement... it''s truly massive. It''s like getting something for free. How did that old geezer snatch it away..."
Inside the Deputy Director''s office.
Yang Guotao, wearing an administrative jacket, sat in his chair, muttering to himself as he reviewed documents.
He was fifty-three this year, with a dignified appearance. He was slightly plump but not bloated, and he had a righteous face. Reaching this position at his age could still be considered young and promising.
As for what he was talking about...
Naturally, it was the case from yesterday.
The Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court had just announced a verdict... a verdict on a major case heavily swept up by public opinion!
The case wasn''t anything special at first; its only difficulty lay in the fact that it would trigger extreme public dissatisfaction.
But here was the problem. What made this case special was... it had been concluded perfectly!
The victim was acquitted and released, public opinion was pacified, and inevitably, the citizens of Greenwood City would experience a massive surge in their approval of the government. It demonstrated a healthy judicial environment, and society cheered in approval...
What did this count as?
A political achievement!
An incredibly solid political achievement!
Except...
"How do these guys have the nerve to take credit? None of them did a single thing..."
"A pie falling from the sky, getting a political achievement for free..."
Yang Guotao kept cursing. He had been complaining for hours since he got to work.
That''s right.
Even though it was just a criminal case, and it involved a defense lawyer winning against a prosecutor... this was still a political achievement!
First, there was the issue of public opinion.
The social satisfaction rate was extremely high, and the masses were full of praise. This was incredibly useful for the top leader of Greenwood City because promotions were based on governance. If the citizens were highly satisfied with the judicial environment during your term, wasn''t that a highlight?
The High Court and the Supreme Court tacitly approved, meaning the court judges and even the Political and Legal Affairs Commission also shared in the credit!
Second, Xu De''s victory meant that Greenwood City''s judicial environment was relatively fair and wouldn''t silence people. What would this bring?
Investment and business!
Exactly. It could also bring economic benefits. The judicial environment of a region was what investors and entrepreneurs valued the most.
As shown in later TV dramas like In the Name of the People, a turbulent judicial environment scared off a large number of investors.
And the Lijia Village case had effectively solidified the reputation of Greenwood City''s judicial environment!
Consequently, other departments would also reap the rewards, but ironically...
"A whole string of people gets the credit."
Yang Guotao fell silent for a moment before suddenly slamming his pen down hard on his desk. He said, "So why don''t I get any!"
Indeed, although the Bureau of Justice seemed connected to the law... the bureau had absolutely zero hand in the case''s emergence.
Could he claim he supported the law firm? Sorry, Jinmao Law Firm was already massive.
Could he claim Xu De was cultivated by Greenwood City?
The man had returned from Yanjing and had only been back for three months!
The only thing Yang Guotao could do was compile the case files and use them to educate the public on the law...
Unless he could start from scratch, personally support the defense lawyer handling the case, and contribute to legal stability himself.
But... the man''s law firm would definitely offer a highly lucrative contract. Why would he give that up and proactively start his own firm?
Directors and colleagues had come and gone, yet he stubbornly remained in the Deputy Director seat year after year.
Finally, a good thing like this had happened, yet everyone was basking in the glory except him.
Thinking about how explosive the news and public opinion would be tonight, while he alone would be completely irrelevant to it...
Yang Guotao wanted to advance too!
"Sigh, I just don''t have the luck for pies falling from the sky."
Yang Guotao shook his head, took a sip of water, and smacked his lips.
He felt the water tasted a bit sour. Perhaps the delivered water had gone bad.
Deciding to let it be, he put down his cup and walked out of the office, intending to grab a quick meal.
Tap, tap, tap...
Yang Guotao''s footsteps echoed on the stairs as he slowly made his way out.
Until...
As he reached the first floor, a voice vaguely drifted into his ears.
"Um... comrade, we just got off work and are heading out to eat. You should come back this afternoon to handle this."
"I might be busy this afternoon. Can I just submit the documents first?"
"I''m sorry, we''re off the clock. Please come back at two o''clock..."
"Well... alright then."
Yang Guotao glanced toward the source of the voice. It was coming from the Lawyers Administration Section.
Immediately after...
Creak.
The door opened, and three young people—two men and one woman—walked out. They glanced at him before turning to leave.
After they left...
The staff member inside the section also walked out, but...
"Deputy Director Yang?"
The staff member froze upon walking out, then immediately straightened up and greeted him.
Yang Guotao nodded, casually asking as if making small talk, "What''s going on? What was the argument about just now?"
The staff member replied, "There was no argument. Just a lawyer named Xu De who came to submit materials to register a law firm."
"But the section is off work, so..."
Off work?
"Oh, then you guys go eat and rest."
Yang Guotao nodded and started to walk away.
Getting off work on time was the rule. Submitting materials wasn''t an emergency, so following the rules and waiting until work hours resumed was perfectly fine.
This was entirely normal, and he didn''t care. After all, nobody liked to work overtime.
However...
Suddenly.
Tap...
Yang Guotao''s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He paused, turned back to look at the staff member, and inexplicably asked a question.
"You said... what was that person''s name just now?"
The staff member replied, "Xu De."
Xu De...
Yang Guotao fell silent. The next second... an anxious voice rang out beside the staff member''s ear. It was a tone so desperate it sounded like he wished he could sprout two extra legs to chase the person down and drag them back.
"Call him back!"
"He didn''t come late! It''s not that he''s late; it''s that I got hungry too fast and got off work too early!"
His voice was extremely urgent, completely lacking the maturity and steadiness expected of someone in his position.
"Hurry and call him back! I will personally accept his materials and file his documents!!!"
Yang Guotao really wanted to advance.