Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 101 - 100 Old Tie, I need to take on a case!

Chapter 101: Chapter 100 Old Tie, I need to take on a case!

The first day ended pleasantly.

Although at the last moment, Jin Mingming made a startling comment that contributed to the amusement.

After work, Zhang Wei returned to Lin Mansion once again.

He carried big and small bags straight to the kitchen.

There was no helping it, the staff meals at Jincheng Group had cooks whose skills were really not up to par.

It was a pity that he wasn’t part of the management and couldn’t improve this aspect, so he had to take matters into his own hands.

There was a clatter in the kitchen as pots and pans were put to work.

An hour later, dinner was ready.

"Second daughter, come down for dinner!"

Zhang Wei called up the stairs, then began to fill his newly bought lunch boxes with food.

After he had prepared his meals for the next day, he saw Zhao Xiaoxiao coming downstairs in a blue pajama set.

"Well look at that, weren’t you Pikachu before, how come you’ve switched to Simple-minded Turtle this time?"

"Mind your own business!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao didn’t give Zhang Wei the time of day and sat down to start eating.

For her, Zhang Wei’s cooking skills were the only thing worth her attention; at least she didn’t have to eat takeout every day.

Ever since Zhang Wei arrived at Lin Mansion, Zhao Xiaoxiao was satisfied with this one aspect: there were always warm meals waiting for her.

"Second daughter, what’s between us, eh~"

Zhang Wei chuckled and sat down to eat as well.

"By the way, did you go to Jincheng Lawyers today?"

During the meal, the usually silent Zhao Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah, you know about Jincheng Law Firm?"

"No shit!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and then warned Zhang Wei, "Be careful with the people from the Lin Family; not a single one of them is good!"

"The Lin Family, do you know the big boss?"

Seeing Zhao Xiaoxiao unresponsive, Zhang Wei remembered that ’big boss’ was an internal term used at the law firm.

"Do you know Lin Xiangtian?"

But Zhao Xiaoxiao didn’t respond; instead, she looked at Zhang Wei as if he were an idiot.

Goodness, was the second daughter playing charades?

Zhang Wei was speechless and was about to ask again, but Zhao Xiaoxiao was one step ahead.

"I’m full, going upstairs to sleep!"

She put down her tableware and headed straight for her room on the second floor.

"Who are you trying to fool? When have you ever slept before midnight? Don’t you always go to bed in the early morning?"

Zhang Wei was inwardly speechless at his "second daughter’s" lie.

Really, does ’Dad’ not know you at all, as if anyone would believe that?

"Weird, the second daughter knows our law firm’s big boss?"

Zhang Wei was somewhat curious, but he didn’t say anything more.

Perhaps, Lin Xiangtian had been involved in some lawsuit and Zhao Xiaoxiao had read about it.

After all, hating someone might require many reasons.

But to hate a lawyer, knowing they’re a lawyer is enough.

...

After a restful sleep, the next day arrived.

Zhang Wei got up, washed, and started making breakfast.

It was half-past five in the morning and still dark outside.

But Zhang Wei was already prepared to set out.

He glanced at the second floor but decided not to go up and disturb Zhao Xiaoxiao.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that girl had probably just gone to sleep not too long ago.

After leaving some breakfast in the kitchen, he grabbed his lunchbox and began the daily routine of a working-class commuter – on his way to the office!

At this time, most people were still asleep, but the subway in Dongfang Capital was already in operation.

The first subway train was just after six o’clock in the morning.

Zhang Wei arrived at Jincheng Building very early and, as expected, he would be the first one from the criminal division to arrive at the law firm.

Once he had used the intern access card received the day before to pass through the security of Jincheng Building, he took the elevator up to the 26th floor.

But just as he entered the 26th floor, he saw that Bai Meiqi’s office was lit up.

"Huh, Bai Meiqi is already here, this early!"

Looking at the person flipping through documents in the office, Zhang Wei was slightly surprised.

Indeed, becoming the litigation department’s ace was no simple feat.

This diligence simply put other people of the same age to shame!

Zhang Wei’s opinion of Bai Meiqi had risen a few notches; here was a person to be watched, not just any ordinary lawyer.

Similarly, Bai Meiqi’s office faced the elevator entrance, and while she sifted through documents, she also caught a glimpse of Zhang Wei.

If it had been anyone else, she would have simply ignored them.

Because in the entire litigation department, there was no one who caught her eye, except for yesterday...

Because of something that happened yesterday, she remembered Zhang Wei, or to be precise, the person wearing the same style suit as the big boss.

And now, she saw that familiar person again.

"You came quite early, not like ordinary people, because this time, it’s much too early!"

Zhang Wei, however, was unaware that Bai Meiqi had noticed him; he headed straight to the criminal group’s office and then started waiting for the others.

In front of him was a computer, but it contained nothing; although Jincheng Group had an internal network, they had only applied for employee accounts yesterday and the process was not yet complete.

But Zhang Wei also noticed something else—the Jincheng internal system was also made by Blacksmith Technology!

Good grief!

The company where Zhao Qingyan worked had seriously impressive business, even the Top Ten Firms’ Jincheng used their system!

Just as Zhang Wei was staring at the computer, considering what he could do today, Tie Ruyun and Tie Cuilan finally arrived.

"You kid, why so early!"

Tie Ruyun usually came quite early, but when he saw that someone was in the criminal group’s office and that person was Zhang Wei, he too was surprised.

Good grief, were you aiming to compete for the Employee of the Year award?

You’re up earlier than the chickens, aren’t you?

"No way around it, Dongfang Capital’s subway left me with a lot of psychological pressure, I get up early just to avoid the morning rush!"

Zhang Wei had no choice; today he brought a lunch box and didn’t want to get squashed on the way.

"Alright..."

Tie Ruyun actually found it reasonable; when he first started working there, he also suffered a lot from squeezing onto buses.

This must be the tragedy of a wage slave...

One by one, more people from the litigation department arrived, and Tie Cuilan began taking attendance for Zhang Wei.

This was the advantage of a large law firm; tedious management tasks didn’t need to be handled by the lawyers themselves, and the assistants would diligently help out.

Whereas at some small law firms, lawyers had to sign in themselves, write daily reports, weekly summaries, monthly reports, quarterly reports, and even annual summary reports...

Small law firms had lots of tasks, keeping busy every day, and the leaders thought this was very meaningful.

But they didn’t realize that for a lawyer, the most meaningful thing was simply to complete a client’s litigation!

After a while, Li Yueqin arrived.

She also came quite early and brought her own lunch box, and the food inside it, at a glance from Zhang Wei, appeared to be her mother’s cooking.

About ten minutes later, Lin Yumeng and Jin Mingming barely made it, and they were now just minutes away from the start of the workday.

The working hours at Jincheng Law Firm were from nine in the morning to five in the evening.

But as for lawyers, those in the know understood.

An excellent lawyer never leaves at 5 p.m.; if you’re not busy until eight or nine in the evening, you’d be embarrassed to leave the office.

At Jincheng Law Firm, as one of the Top Ten Firms, that was even more the case.

Anyway, if you don’t leave work, and I don’t leave work, everyone waits for the boss to come out and see us busily working—that’s considered a good employee.

In a big company, everyone ends up overworking...

As Zhang Wei was thinking about the clock-in and clock-out matters, Group Leader Tie had already begun to hand out tasks.

"Your task today is simple, and that is a case!"

At these words, Zhang Wei’s eyes lit up.

Was it finally coming?

A case!

Jin Mingming’s eyes darted about, as if he disliked cases.

Li Yueqin, on the other hand, was rubbing her hands together, looking excited.

Lin Yumeng was fixated on the computer, changing the screen to one beautiful wallpaper after another.

"You should know that our criminal group mainly handles criminal cases, big or small, they are all cases, and as lawyers, the only thing we can do is provide the best legal advice and services to our clients, so we..."

"What kind of case is it, and who do I have to defend?"

Before Tie Ruyun could finish, Zhang Wei had already excitedly interrupted.

Having been idle for over a month during the holidays, he was going stir-crazy; it was high time for a case to relieve his boredom.

"Ahem, can you let me finish, please?" Tie Ruyun’s face darkened, and he gave Zhang Wei a warning look.

Seeing Zhang Wei return to composure and look expectantly at him, he then continued to speak:

"So your task for today is to learn about some aspects of the case. I’ll teach you how to start with drafting a complaint, then filing it, followed by writing the attorney’s opinion, and finally, some matters related to the court proceedings, including various precautions. I’ll let you know everything without holding back!"

"Ah, this..."

Zhang Wei’s heart had soared at first, but now it plummeted to the depths.

After all that, it turned out to be this stuff!

He thought it was about getting a case but didn’t expect Old Tie to actually teach them the very basics.

"Group Leader Tie, I think I no longer need to learn these basics!"

At that moment, Li Yueqin stood up.

She asserted decisively, "During my senior year internship, I served as a clerk in the district court for a year, and I’m very familiar with drafting and accepting complaints among other things. I sufficiently understand these basics!"

True to Li Yueqin’s style, she spoke like a veteran of the industry.

Zhang Wei gave her a thumbs up; this was what a good teammate looked like.

Tie Ruyun looked at Li Yueqin and nodded. With her experience working in the court, it was indeed unnecessary for her to learn these basics.

He then turned to look at Zhang Wei.

The latter immediately understood and said with a smile, "Old Tie, you know me. I also don’t need to study these basics."

Zhang Wei’s case was even more outrageous than Li Yueqin’s, possessing complete litigation experience during his internship.

He didn’t just participate or assist; he was in charge of those cases as the chief lawyer.

What was most outrageous was his success rate, winning every single case!

If Zhang Wei’s resume hadn’t bamboozled Tie Ruyun, then the latter really had nothing left to teach him.

However, a leader’s face still needed to be saved.

"Cough cough, I know you want to participate in handling cases, but you still need to have a solid grasp of the basics. Since both of you have experience with complete cases though, let’s do it this way, Jin Mingming and Lin Yumeng will continue to learn the basics, while I’ll find some tasks for the two of you!"

After finishing, Tie Ruyun brought Jin Mingming and Lin Yumeng to his desk, and then nodded towards Tie Cuilan at the office door.

The latter immediately ran out and returned shortly with several stacks of documents.

Tie Cuilan distributed the documents to Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin, who quickly flipped them open.

"Damn, these are documents prepared by the litigation department. Are you expecting us to proofread?"

"Exactly, it’s also an important job. This way, you can also learn how senior lawyers draft their materials!"

Tie Ruyun patted Zhang Wei’s shoulder, indicating for him to work hard.

Zhang Wei was speechless inside, but he spread out the documents and began working just like Li Yueqin.

The documents given to Zhang Wei by Tie Ruyun were numerous and varied.

They covered aspects from negotiation, liaising, court appearances, mediation, and drafting motions to persuade various parties.

By the time Zhang Wei had finished proofreading the documents at hand, it was already noon.

Gurgle gurgle...

In the office, someone’s stomach growled.

Zhang Wei quickly looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Lin Yumeng with her head lowered in embarrassment.

"I overslept today, and to catch the subway, I skipped breakfast..."

The sweet young girl explained softly with her head down.

"Alright, let’s have lunch..."

Seeing this, Tie Ruyun could only resign himself to the situation and ordered a break for lunch.

Zhang Wei picked up his lunchbox, ready to head to the pantry’s microwave to heat up his meal.

"Zhang Wei, you brought lunch?"

Noticing Zhang Wei with his lunchbox, Lin Yumeng looked pitiful.

"Can’t help it, the cafeteria downstairs just doesn’t cut it."

Zhang Wei said helplessly. Seeing the sweet young girl’s expression turning sadder, he added, "I made quite a bit today, so I can share some with you. Go get a pair of chopsticks from the cafeteria downstairs!"

"Okay~" Lin Yumeng happily scampered off, heading straight for the cafeteria.

Zhang Wei headed to the pantry, only to find that both microwaves were in use, and there was also a queue of people waiting.

Following Zhang Wei, Li Yueqin also arrived and looked thoughtfully at Zhang Wei’s lunchbox.

After both had heated their meals, more than ten minutes had passed.

They returned to the criminal division office to find Lin Yumeng waiting eagerly for them.

"Here, dig in!"

Zhang Wei opened his lunchbox, placed the steaming food on the table for Lin Yumeng, gave her a lunchbox lid, and shared half of his rice with her.

"Hey, both of you, it just so happens my mom made a bit extra today, let’s eat together!"

Li Yueqin also chimed in. Though her expression remained cool, her words were filled with warmth.

Li Yueqin sat down with her lunchbox as well, and the three of them ate together side by side.

"This chicken leg is delicious~"

"Li Yueqin, your mom’s cooking is really good!"

"Did you make all these yourself, Zhang Wei?"

"Of course. Growing up in the orphanage, if there’s one thing I didn’t learn, it was how to fend for myself—that was a mandatory course!"

"Then you’re being too modest. Growing up in an orphanage and still getting into law school, you can’t say you haven’t learned any skills."

"Exactly, exactly, Zhang Wei, you’re awesome~"

The three chatted and ate, and time quickly passed.

Sitting at another workstation, Tie Ruyun and Tie Cuilan watched the scene of Zhang Wei and the others enjoying their meal together and felt somewhat moved.

The friendship of young people might just begin with a meal.

In contrast, Jin Mingming disappeared as soon as it was time for meals, really not mingling.

Tie Ruyun was even more aware that this kid was secretly making contacts with people from the litigation department’s commercial team, intentionally joining them for meals. He saw right through those little schemes.

Indeed, the difference between people starts from these small details.

...

After lunch.

Work continued.

By the time Zhang Wei was freed from the tedious paperwork, it was already past 4 p.m.

He could no longer remember how many documents he had proofread, how many contracts he had verified, how many mistakes he had corrected in documents, nor how many professional annotations he had added.

With a somewhat dizzy head, Zhang Wei approached Tie Ruyun.

Although acting like a young person was not something he enjoyed, he knew it was necessary.

He had to express his thoughts to his leader, even though he himself found the behavior foolish!

"Old Tie, I want to take on cases!"

Had it not been for his recent start at Jincheng and his status as a newcomer, he might not have been so polite.

Zhang Wei swore that if he were forced to continue with those meaningless clerical tasks, he might not give Tie Ruyun any face.

Tie Ruyun gestured for Lin Yumeng and Jin Mingming to his left and right to step away before looking at Zhang Wei.

"Don’t be too hot-headed, young man. You’re still a newbie. How could you possibly be handling cases!"

"If I’m not hot-headed, can I still be called young?"

Although he found his own words awkward, Zhang Wei knew he had to fight for it.

He had to act and make it clear to Tie Ruyun how eager he was to prove himself.

"Old Tie, you know me. I’ll take on a pro bono case, or even the ones no one wants. After all, Jincheng won’t lack cases. Just give me a chance to prove myself~"

Tie Ruyun looked at Zhang Wei, then glanced at Li Yueqin.

The latter obviously hoped for the same, as no one liked doing paperwork, especially the painstaking proofreading and checking for others.

"How about you two?"

He then looked at Lin Yumeng and Jin Mingming.

"A case, I don’t think I’m ready yet..."

Lin Yumeng lacked confidence. She glanced at Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin, who were both glaring at her, and quickly changed her tune: "Group Leader, if there really is a case, I’ll work hard... Yes, I’ll definitely work hard!"

This performance wasn’t great, but at least it showed her attitude.

"Jin Mingming, what about you?"

"Group leader, I think, having a case would naturally be better!"

No one liked doing paperwork, especially Jin Mingming who saw Li Yueqin and Zhang Wei busy all day, their heads buried in files until they got dizzy. Naturally, he didn’t want to end up like that.

He, Jin Mingming, was still thinking of jumping from the criminal team to the commercial team. Having a case to prove himself would be even better.

Having a win on his record would be a bargaining chip in negotiations.

"Since you all have considered it that way, then I’ll..."

All four looked at Tie Ruyun expectantly, hope maxed out.

"...it’s getting late today. We’ll talk about it tomorrow!"

Dammit!

Ugh!

Fuck!

Except for the cute Lin Yumeng who didn’t fall down, the three of them were all knocked down by that sentence.

"Old Tie, you really are..."

Zhang Wei, helpless, could only sit back in his chair.

Just then, Tie Cuilan finished processing everything and had also applied for internal employee accounts for the four of them, allowing them to try it out before the end of the workday.

Another not-so-pleasant day passed by just like that.

...

(The cases are coming...)