"Our funding is more than sufficient..."
As his voice fell, a silence descended upon the law firm.
Director Han looked at Xu De with a complicated expression, his heart a tangle of emotions.
’What’s the most valuable part of a law firm? It’s not the firm itself.’
’It’s the lawyers!’
’Every lawyer starts with consultations. Once they solve a case for a wealthy client and win their favor... that’s when the positive snowball effect begins.’
’Short on cases? Those company bosses will send a whole batch your way!’
’Short on funds? They’ll give you money, no strings attached!’
’What’s that? You think if the lawyer leaves their well-known firm, those clients will stop investing in the lawyer and just find someone else at the old firm?’
’No.’
’They follow the lawyer!’
’It’s like being a company’s top salesperson. They command vast resources and connections, which they’ve earned through real skill and the ability to get things done!’
’And Xu De...’
’He’s only handled a handful of cases, yet he’s managed to attract that kind of fanatical support...’
’It’s hard to imagine what level of service he must have provided his clients!’
"Director Han?"
"If there are no objections, I’ll be unilaterally terminating our contract."
Xu De reminded him, still wearing a polite smile.
This time, Director Han looked as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself. After a long silence, he finally sighed and said,
"This is Jinmao Law Firm’s fault. Lawyer Xu, I... wish you a smooth road ahead."
’Try to ruin him with a contract just because I can’t have him?’
’This is the legal world! And he’s a lawyer with obviously incredible skill and tactics. Playing those kinds of games with him would be a death wish!’
"You as well."
Xu De smiled, then finished packing his things from the office and walked out the main entrance.
He stood at the entrance and glanced back one last time at the only boutique law firm in Lusen City, then turned and left without a hint of nostalgia.
He had signed a short-term employment contract with the firm, which could be terminated once the term was up, so handling it was quick and uncomplicated.
As for Director Han...
Right now, his heart was bleeding!
’A Gold Medal Lawyer... I just lost a Gold Medal Lawyer for nothing!’
’No... that’s not right. He’s not a Gold Medal Lawyer at all.’
’The so-called "Gold Medal" isn’t even worthy of being a stepping stone for him!’
’Even someone as prominent as Chen Wei was now facing a ruined career, his network of connections losing faith in him.’
’Although I don’t know the final outcome of the Li Family Village case, judging by his mood... it was a victory, one hundred percent.’
’He probably even got the defendant a three-year suspended sentence—the kind that’s basically an acquittal as long as you stay out of trouble for three years!’
’This kind of talent... Even in Yanjing, the city with the richest political resources in the country, the eight Red Circle Firms would be desperately trying to poach him. And yet, he just slipped right through my fingers...’
’And it wasn’t even that he left of his own accord.’
’The firm was the one that messed up first!’
At this thought, an inextinguishable fire of rage surged in Director Han’s chest.
He turned around, looked at the crowd of lawyers who were watching the drama unfold, and suppressed his anger. With a dark expression, he picked someone near the front and said in a low voice,
"Li, where are the heads of the criminal and civil divisions?"
"Tell them both to be in my office tomorrow morning, waiting for me!"
He was going to find out just what the hell had happened with this Xu De business!
...
...
「The next day.」
November 16th.
10:30 in the morning.
Lusen City was deceptively calm, as if yesterday’s case had never happened. But every reporter knew this was just an illusion.
Why?
Because everyone was fighting for exposure during the 7:30 p.m. prime time slot!
If you released the news during that period, even if you said nothing else, just mentioning the two words "Xu De" would bring in a deluge of views!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the calm before the storm.
Meanwhile, Xu De, Lin Yue, and Wang Chao weren’t idle either.
First, they fed the "wild man" living near Xu De’s place. During the feeding, Xu De had him "spin," "speak," and "shake hands" as usual to do a rough check on his physical health.
After confirming there were no issues, they took their files and headed to the Lusen City Bureau of Justice to register their law firm.
「Meanwhile...」
...
Inside the Lusen City Bureau of Justice.
’Damn it all. This monumental political achievement... it’s absolutely monumental, like it was just free for the taking. How did that old bastard get so lucky...’
In the office of the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Justice.
Yang Guotao, dressed in a standard-issue government jacket, sat in his chair, muttering to himself as he reviewed documents.
He was fifty-three years old with dignified features, a slightly stout but not bloated figure, and a righteous-looking face. To have reached his position at this age was considered a sign of a promising career.
As for what he was talking about...
It was, of course, a case from yesterday.
The Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court had just ruled on a case... a major case of great significance, one that had been swept up in public opinion!
The case itself wasn’t particularly special at first. The only difficulty was that it was guaranteed to provoke extreme public dissatisfaction.
But that was also what made it special... it had been concluded perfectly!
The victim was acquitted, public opinion was pacified, Lusen City citizens’ approval of the government would undoubtedly soar, the judicial environment was shown in a positive light, and society was full of praise...
What did all this amount to?
Political credit!
Rock-solid political credit!
It was just...
"’How do those guys have the nerve to take the credit? They didn’t do a single thing...’
"’A total windfall, getting political credit like this for free...’
Yang Guotao grumbled and swore. He’d been cursing like this for hours, ever since he got to work.
That’s right.
Although it was just a criminal case, and one where the defense attorney had even defeated the prosecutor, it was still... political credit!
First, there was the matter of public opinion.
Public satisfaction was extremely high, and the masses were full of praise. This was incredibly useful even for the top leader of Lusen City, because promotions depended on governance. If citizens were highly satisfied with the judicial environment during your term, isn’t that a major achievement?
With the tacit approval of the High Court and the Supreme Court, the trial judge and even the political and legal affairs commission would also get credit!
Second, the fact that Xu De could win proved that Lusen City’s judicial environment was relatively fair and wouldn’t silence people. And what did that bring?
Business and investment!
That’s right, this stuff could even bring economic benefits. The one thing investors and entrepreneurs valued most was a region’s judicial environment.
As shown in the later TV series *In the Name of the People*, a turbulent judicial environment could cause large numbers of investors to flee in fear.
And this Li Family Village case had firmly established the reputation of Lusen City’s judicial environment!
Consequently, other departments would also be able to reap the benefits. But somehow...
"’A whole chain of people are getting credit.’
Yang Guotao was silent for a moment, then suddenly slammed his pen on the desk. He declared:
"’So how come I get nothing!’
That’s right. Although the Bureau of Justice seemed related to the law, when it came to this case... the Bureau had almost zero claim to the credit.
’You could say he supported the law firm? Sorry, Jinmao Law Firm was already well-established.’
’You could say Lusen City nurtured Xu De?’
’The man just came back from Yanjing and has only been here for three months!’
The only thing Yang Guotao could do was organize the case files and then use them for public legal education...
Unless... he could start from scratch, personally support the defense attorney who handled the case, and contribute directly to legal stability.
’But... the lawyer’s firm would surely offer him a high-benefit contract. Why would he give all that up to start his own firm?’
Directors and colleagues had come and gone, one after another, yet he remained stuck in the Deputy Director position, year after year.
Such a great opportunity had finally come along, but it turned out everyone could bask in its glory except him.
The thought of tonight’s explosive news and public reaction, with him being the only one left out...
Yang Guotao wanted to get ahead, too!
"Sigh. ’I’m just not fated for such windfalls.’"
Yang Guotao shook his head, took a sip of plain water, and smacked his lips.
He thought the water tasted a bit sour; maybe the batch they delivered had gone bad.
He put down the cup and walked out of his office, planning to grab a quick bite.
CLACK, CLACK, CLACK...
Yang Guotao’s footsteps echoed on the stairs as he slowly made his way out.
Until...
As he reached the first floor, a voice suddenly drifted into his ear.
"Um... excuse me, sir. We’ve just gotten off work and are about to go to lunch. Perhaps you could come back this afternoon to file."
"I might be busy this afternoon. Can I just submit the documents first?"
"I’m sorry, we’re already off the clock. Please come back at two p.m...."
"Well... alright then."
Yang Guotao glanced toward the source of the voices, which was clearly the Lawyer Administration Division.
Immediately after,
CREAK~
The door opened, and two men and a woman—three young people—walked out. They glanced at him before turning to leave.
After they left,
a staff member from the division also came out, but...
"Director Yang?"
The staff member froze for a second upon seeing him, then immediately straightened his back and addressed him.
Yang Guotao nodded and replied casually, like a guest making small talk,
"What was that about? What was all the noise just now?"
The staff member said, "Oh, it was nothing. Just a lawyer named Xu De who came to submit an application to register a law firm."
"But the department was already closed for lunch, so..."
’Closed?’
"Oh, well, you all go have your lunch then."
Yang Guotao nodded and was about to head out.
The division closed on time; that was the rule. Submitting documents wasn’t an emergency, so it should be handled according to regulations, processed after the break.
This was perfectly normal, and he didn’t mind. After all, no one wanted to work overtime.
However...
Suddenly,
CLACK...
Yang Guotao’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He paused, turned back to the staff member, and asked out of the blue,
"You said... what was his name again?"
The staff member replied, "Xu De."
Xu De...
Yang Guotao fell silent. The next second... an anxious voice erupted, the tone so desperate it was as if he wished he could grow two extra legs to chase the man down and call him back.
"Get him back here!"
"He wasn’t late! He wasn’t the one who was late, I just got hungry too fast! We closed up too early!"
His voice was extremely urgent, completely lacking the maturity and composure expected of someone in his position.
"Hurry up and call him back! I’ll personally accept his documents and file his application for him!!!"
Yang Guotao desperately wanted to get ahead.