Chapter 56: News Broadcast! The Harvest |
What was the price? Or rather, what did Yang Guotao want?
He wanted nothing at all.
Or more accurately... Yang Guotao just wanted an opportunity to personally do something for Xu De!
For Xu De, this was a zero-cost deal, an absolute goldmine!
"Brother Yang, since that''s the case... I''ll have to trouble you," Xu De said, skipping any false modesty.
Seeing this, Yang Guotao revealed a genuine, heartfelt smile and hurriedly said:
"No trouble, no trouble at all!"
"Actually, I should say... if you ever run into trouble, just let me know anytime!"
He said it, and he truly meant it.
But his hands were tied. The legal environment in Greenwood City was what it was...
To be frank, the smaller the city, the more inflexible its legal system became. The courts and the procuratorate simply lacked the courage to stick their necks out and shatter the status quo.
Take the Lijia Village case, for example. The Intermediate Court had been terrified to declare a not-guilty verdict; they preferred to play it safe!
Yet the law was meant to evolve. With them acting so defensively, how could the environment ever improve?
It wouldn''t. If the environment was poor, the importance of lawyers would plummet. Criminal cases would devolve into a dynamic of ''you argue your piece, I rule however I please,'' practically becoming a one-man show.
While this kept things functioning without major blunders on the surface.
A problem still arose.
What about public opinion?!
And how was a lawyer''s worth supposed to be demonstrated?!
If public opinion ever turned negative, Yang Guotao from the Bureau of Justice would be the scapegoat taking the heat.
The latter was even more fatal.
The Bureau of Justice was responsible for managing lawyers. If lawyers had absolutely no voice in trials and couldn''t prove their value, how could the Bureau of Justice ever claim any achievements?!
Trapped in this vicious cycle, Yang Guotao had sat in his current position year after year.
Until... he received a piece of news yesterday.
The vicious cycle paralyzing Greenwood City...
Had been shattered by a single, brutal punch from a young man!
"Young... Haha, I''ll take a little advantage of my seniority and just call you Brother Xu!"
A wave of relief washed through Yang Guotao. He hadn''t laughed this heartily in a very long time.
The collective unspoken rules that had trapped him and forced him to bear the blame for years were gone, and it was all because of the young man sitting right in front of him!
Truthfully, even if Xu De chose never to take another case from this day forward, Greenwood City''s environment would never regress to its previously toxic state.
Why?
Because the first step is always the hardest.
And Xu De had already forced Hu Guang and Zhang Bingxin to take that pivotal, monumental first step forward!
"Brother Xu, are you in a rush to register your law firm right now?"
Yang Guotao was in an exceptionally grand mood, dropping a subtle hint as he spoke.
Xu De did not mind the casual change in address.
No kidding, Greenwood City was a prefecture-level city, making Yang Guotao a proper high-ranking official—at least a deputy division chief. Forming a legitimate, mutually beneficial relationship with someone like him would make any colleague lose sleep out of sheer envy!
"I am a bit in a rush, to be honest. Funds are rather tight at the moment," Xu De said.
"Is that so... Rest assured, our Bureau of Justice never mistreats those who have rendered meritorious service."
After a brief moment of thought, Yang Guotao took charge of this minor issue himself.
"I''ll take your paperwork. I will expedite the registration for your law firm."
"The loan will be even easier. I''ll just give you a call when the time comes."
When he spoke of expediting, he truly meant expediting.
Moreover, this was a standard procedure. Even if the director found out... he would only regret being slower to act than Yang Guotao, rather than reprimanding him.
After all, local policies explicitly permitted bending the rules to recruit exceptional talent.
With a talent like Xu De... delaying your offer by even a single second was a failure of duty!
As for the registration timeline...
"Half a month. It should be fully processed in about fifteen days," Yang Guotao said.
"Then thank you very much, Brother Yang!"
Xu De smiled, and the two quickly exchanged private mobile numbers.
They shared a few more pleasantries before he finally took his leave.
Although Xu De had always believed a win-win meant he personally won twice—much like his interaction with Li Youcai, where he wanted everything and won twice over!
But clearly, this current arrangement was more in line with the public''s understanding; both sides were very satisfied.
Xu De secured a pile of useful resources. A process that typically took at least forty days had been forcibly compressed to fifteen, allowing him to open for business twenty-five days early.
Yang Guotao profited as well. He was investing in and recruiting talent on behalf of the Bureau of Justice. If the other party developed well... it would be a massive highlight on his resume!
"Xiao Liu, I''m granting special approval to expedite this file. Stamp it, and then send it to the provincial office immediately."
Smiling, Yang Guotao looked over at his subordinate, who had skipped his meal all this time.
Hearing the movement, the subordinate snapped out of his daze and hurriedly took it.
"Yes, sir!"
He immediately set to work with urgency.
Seeing his reaction, Yang Guotao sat back in his chair and chuckled. "Are you wondering who that lawyer is?"
Hearing this, Xiao Liu paused his processing, an embarrassed look appearing on his face.
He had been spacing out just now because of exactly that.
He couldn''t help it.
Yang Guotao was a deputy division chief. It was safe to say he was the top administrator of the Greenwood City legal community, wielding significant executive power!
In the past, whenever long-established golden lawyers or directors of major law firms sought him out, he barely gave them the time of day. So why was he so delighted with a young lawyer today...
"Heh, you just don''t get it, do you!"
Yang Guotao''s mood today was simply wonderful, and he started to build some suspense. Changing the subject, he said:
"Tonight at 7:30, on the official Greenwood City television station... you can take a look."
"Once you finish watching, you''ll know him."
7:30 PM? The official television station during prime time?
He could get to know a young lawyer from there?!
Startled, Xiao Liu looked up, only to find that Yang Guotao had already left. He had no choice but to bury his doubts while silently making a note to watch tonight''s televised news.
......
......
Creak~
"You''re here? Tell me, what on earth is going on!"
7:00 PM.
Torch Road, Jinmao Law Firm. All the lawyers had gotten off work, leaving only one office brightly lit.
Three people were gathered inside the office.
The television mounted on the wall emitted a flat voice, quietly broadcasting the news with clear audio.
Director Han sat in the seat of honor. He capped his pen, raised his head, and directed a grim look at the lawyer who had just walked through the door.
The man was Chief Zhang of the Criminal Business Department, a high-ranking executive right below the firm''s director.
He had originally intended to meet him in the morning to ask him clearly, but the clients'' cases couldn''t be delayed. He had no choice but to wait until court adjourned to see him.
"The matter regarding Attorney Xu... what exactly happened?!" Director Han''s face was dark, his tone suppressing a raging fury.
Seeing him like this, Chief Zhang of the Criminal Business Department instinctively glanced to his side at Chief Jin of the Civil Business Department, who had entered long ago.
Noticing this, Chief Jin gave a slight sigh and nodded at him.
"Xu De?"
Chief Zhang was also a bit stunned. He looked at Director Han, realizing this matter seemed somewhat different from what he had expected.
Seeing that he wasn''t answering.
Director Han pressed further: "Attorney Xu terminated his contract."
"He left?!" Chief Zhang was startled, blurting it out instinctively.
"Hah, with this kind of thing happening in the firm... wouldn''t you leave?!"
The anger in Director Han''s chest was nearly impossible to suppress, his tone thick with gunpowder.
With that, he glared intensely at the man and stated bluntly:
"Chief Zhang, you tell me. The fact that Attorney Xu had only 3,700 yuan in consultation fees over three months... does it have something to do with Sun Hao!"
Chief Zhang''s heart skipped a beat. He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
"Yes."
After he spoke.
Director Han took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair.
Before the other man had arrived, he had already asked Chief Jin, and the answer he received was... Sun Hao had been making things difficult for Xu De!
That idiot had actually sabotaged the very talent he had pushed onto him to build a relationship with and support!!!
And the reason?
Chief Jin guessed it was actually jealousy stemming from the man''s own inferiority complex... an answer so utterly ridiculous it bordered on absurd!
Director Han had initially thought the other man was playing a joke on him.
Why on earth would you be jealous of a talent like that? Wouldn''t it be better to build a good relationship and reap the practical benefits?!
But that was the cold reality.
Furthermore, because Sun Hao was his relative, Chief Jin and Chief Zhang hadn''t dared to be certain. They indirectly assumed this was done on his orders, so they hadn''t dared to report it upwards...
He even deduced...
The bonuses he had privately given Sun Hao to pass on to Xu De to ''build a relationship'' had all been fucking embezzled by Sun Hao!
He had embezzled a mere seven hundred yuan, not leaving a single penny behind! When he deduced this, Director Han almost coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot!
Three months! Consultation fees of 3,700, and he even had to pay out of pocket for criminal cases. Now he completely understood why Xu De insisted on leaving, even rejecting the 200,000 yuan...
"Idiot..."
Director Han''s body was trembling with rage, the veins on his forehead bulging out as his chest he heave violently.
He bellowed angrily:
"What an idiot!!!"
The two people around him jumped in fright and hurriedly tried to pacify him.
"Director, please don''t get too angry. Sun Hao was indeed a bit foolish, but... it hasn''t caused a massive blunder, has it?"
"Attorney Xu is ultimately young and doesn''t hold too many resources, and we haven''t incurred any sunk costs. Besides, that case of his might not have ended perfectly. Otherwise, the morning papers would have covered it extensively by now."
"Perhaps the client was sentenced to six years, or three, causing the authorities to suppress the spread of such negative news."
Hearing these words.
Although Director Han was still angry, it subsided slightly.
It was true.
The case Xu De handled might have been won, but it was highly likely not a massive victory. Otherwise, given the nature of those reporters, it would have been broadcast everywhere by now.
Therefore, while his departure from the law firm caused them a significant loss.
It wasn''t quite at the level of devastating heartbreak.
"Have Sun Hao drag himself in to see me tomorrow."
Director Han pushed down his anger. After speaking, he stood up, ready to leave, and Chief Jin and Chief Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.
However.
Just as the three of them were preparing to pack up and leave...
Inside the office, the color television mounted on the wall suddenly transmitted a clear and familiar voice.
"Welcome to today''s broadcast of Greenwood News. I am your host, Wang Zhen..."
"Just yesterday afternoon, at 5:30 PM, the Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court handed down its verdict regarding the Lijia Village case. During the trial, the defense attorney for the accused secured a victory through professional competence."
"This lawyer demonstrated a solid grasp of jurisprudence, unique insights, and meticulous logic, all while possessing outstanding litigation skills. He balanced human empathy with legal ethics, upholding both fairness and justice."
"..."
In a trance.
The office was deathly silent.
The three men about to leave stopped in their tracks. It was as if time had frozen, so quiet that they could hear each other''s breathing with absolute clarity.
Director Han turned back, staring blankly at the news broadcast room on the television screen.
This was...
Xu De''s case?
Didn''t they just say the outcome might have been disappointing, that the morning papers didn''t report it, and there wasn''t even a sliver of news in the press...
But... how did it appear on the television station?!
Director Han''s gaze as he stared at the television gradually turned to absolute shock.
The host''s voice passed through the television set, transmitting to every corner of Greenwood City and ringing clearly in everyone''s ears.
"As soon as this case was concluded, it rapidly sparked widespread discussion among the public."
"Regarding this case, officials from the Greenwood City Political and Legal Affairs Committee have extended their praise, and judicial institutions have hailed it as an unreplicable case!"
It wasn''t just him.
At this moment.
At this very moment, in countless households, every single resident who had finished dinner and sat on their sofa watching television simultaneously froze in complete astonishment.