Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 152 - 151: Reconciliation Achieved, 27 million

Chapter 152: Chapter 151: Reconciliation Achieved, 27 million

In the elevator.

The atmosphere was somewhat stifling.

Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun remained silent, while Lin Yumeng’s big eyes were darting around, sneaking glances at the people next to her, but she quickly averted her gaze for fear of being noticed.

Only Zhang Wei, standing in the middle, had a confident look on his face, as though victory was already within his grasp.

After a while, someone couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Master, why didn’t you shout a price just now?"

Facing his apprentice’s question, Zhang Wei smiled slightly, "No, I did shout!"

Lin Yumeng was baffled, when did you shout? I didn’t hear it.

"You shouted? What was it?"

"Didn’t I just say it? Not considering the 1 million and 5 million as punishment means they weren’t satisfied with the original quote. Then I mentioned a day’s revenue, which means my expected quote is 54 million. They should understand what I mean!"

"Goodness, 54 million, you just blurted that out?"

Tie Ruyun was also flabbergasted, you really dared to shout that out loud.

You agreed to 10 million, and you just went straight to more than five times that amount, 54 million.

My goodness!

"Old Tie, you’ve never been involved in a business negotiation, right?"

"Yeah, I haven’t!"

Seeing Tie Ruyun instinctively shake his head, Zhang Wei knew already.

"In business negotiations, once the enemy shows a weak spot, that’s your chance to attack! Although Mo Mingchuan was well-disguised, he still exposed his lack of confidence, and of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity to raise the expected quote from 10 million to 54 million."

"I ask you, when I mentioned using one day’s revenue for compensation, did anyone from Harper’s Cigars or Mo Mingchuan himself jump to their feet in a fury to oppose it?"

"Well... it seems not..."

Tie Ruyun, Li Yueqin, and Lin Yumeng looked at each other, puzzled.

"Right, what does that tell you? It means they have a number in mind!"

"54 million is not a bottom-line price for them. They will definitely bargain, but they might also accept it."

"So, what should we do next?" asked Lin Yumeng, tilting her head.

"It’s simple. I intentionally took you away so as not to give them the chance to bargain, while also making a statement."

Zhang Wei smiled again, confident and said, "Adding to all the things I said earlier, and with the way I threatened them, they’re probably discussing how much compensation is appropriate. And that amount will definitely not be lower than 10 million!"

"Master, are you for real?"

Hearing Zhang Wei say this, Lin Yumeng’s eyes lit up slightly.

"Rest assured, we’ll just go and wait at the law firm. I believe Mo Mingchuan will contact us soon."

"Let’s go, head back!"

Under Zhang Wei’s leadership, everyone returned to the law firm.

They ended up waiting until 9 o’clock in the evening.

"Zhang Wei, if they don’t come soon, I’m going home. My parents have already urged me several times."

Li Yueqin checked her watch multiple times, looking a bit anxious.

She had missed dinner, and her family was still pressuring her to finish work quickly.

"What are you afraid of? It’s Friday, there’s no work tomorrow!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, but still said to Li Yueqin, "Xiao Li, if you want to go back, I won’t stop you, but you’ll miss the chance to see Mo Mingchuan lose face. You’ve already waited so long, don’t you want to enjoy the final moment?"

"Then, then I’ll call my parents and explain the situation!"

Li Yueqin reluctantly took out her phone and quickly made the call.

Soon enough, she got through to her parents.

After Li Yueqin hung up, the nervous atmosphere began to spread again.

Although Zhang Wei was brimming with confidence, Tie Ruyun and the others didn’t feel the same. They were anxious.

"Why haven’t they come yet?"

"Yeah, how much longer are we supposed to wait?"

"They’re not going to come tomorrow, are they? Are we supposed to spend the night at the law firm?"

It should have been Mo Mingchuan’s side that was in panic, but because they were waiting for a message from them, the folks from the Serious Crime Team became anxious first.

Waiting and waiting, without getting any replies, they naturally started to lose patience.

If it weren’t for Zhang Wei’s calm demeanor, they’d have all slipped away one by one.

"A call is coming, a call is coming~"

Suddenly, a strange ringtone sounded.

It was Lin Yumeng’s call, which was strange.

"It must be my mom, wondering why I’m not home at this time!"

Lin Yumeng explained quickly before pulling out her phone, only to discover it was an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Xiao Lin, it’s me, Professor Mo!"

"Ah, Professor Mo..."

Lin Yumeng hurriedly set down the phone, her face a picture of astonishment as she looked at Zhang Wei.

Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun were immediately shocked; Mo Mingchuan was actually calling Lin Yumeng.

"Stay calm... ask him what he wants..." Zhang Wei quickly whispered, guiding the younger sister.

"Professor Mo, why are you calling me?"

"Xiao Lin, I’ve been looking for your number for a while, and, in the end, it was the academic office at the school that gave me the directory so I could reach you."

"So what do you want me for?"

"Oh, are you still at the law firm at this time?"

"Yes, I am. We’re working overtime."

"I’m right downstairs at your law firm. What floor are you on? Can I come up?"

"We’re on the 26th floor."

"Oh, okay, I got it."

Mo Mingchuan hung up the phone, and the atmosphere in the serious crime team finally changed.

"Is that Professor Mo really coming over?"

"Master, what do we do now that Professor Mo is coming!"

"Zhang Wei, has Professor Mo really compromised?"

Li Yueqin, Lin Yumeng, and Tie Ruyun all looked incredulously at Zhang Wei.

You sure have a gift, predicting that Professor Mo would come. How did you even guess that?

"Stay calm, wait for him to come up!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, reminding, "Remember, don’t go out to meet him; we don’t need to give him that courtesy. After he arrives and calls you, then let him in!"

Lin Yumeng nodded, although she felt it might not be proper, she still trusted Zhang Wei’s words completely.

As expected, upon Mo Mingchuan’s arrival, not knowing the exact location of the serious crime team’s office, he had to call Lin Yumeng again.

Following Lin Yumeng’s directions, he entered the serious crime team’s office.

He wasn’t surprised by the scruffy state of the serious crime team’s office.

He knew that Lin Yumeng and Zhang Wei were both newbies; when he first started his internship at the law firm, his own workspace was so cramped he couldn’t even stretch out.

"Professor Mo, we meet again!"

Zhang Wei said with a smile as he stood up to greet the newcomer.

However, Mo Mingchuan’s expression soured at the sight of Zhang Wei.

"Lawyer Zhang!" He suppressed the dissatisfaction within him, giving Zhang Wei a nod with a somber face.

Then, his gaze shifted to his former student.

He hadn’t expected that the young girl would have grown to the point where she could stand against him in court.

"I guess you know why I’m here, don’t you?"

Without wasting words, Mo Mingchuan took a check out of his pocket.

"Lawyer Zhang, you also said that you have full authority to act on behalf of your client, so that means all it takes is your signature for your client to agree, right?"

"You could say that!" Zhang Wei did not deny it.

"Good, I have already signed this check. Either accept it or refuse it; this is our final offer, there won’t be another price!"

Zhang Wei internally despised Mo Mingchuan’s assertive offer.

You’re obviously worried to death, yet here you are, putting on a show?

"I certainly hope that we can reach a settlement today, but if you disagree, then we’ll have to leave it to the jury. I believe that even though the jury may find Xiao Lin very charming, we might not necessarily lose!"

Luckily, Zhang Wei didn’t make things difficult for Mo Mingchuan; clearly, he had come with a bit of sincerity.

"What is the offer?" he asked directly.

"Lawyer Zhang, I know you’re not someone who trusts easily, but I also want you to understand clearly that this is the ultimate offer we can make after discussions!"

Mo Mingchuan approached Zhang Wei and showed him the check.

"27 million. To use your words, that’s 50% of Haibo Cigars’ daily revenue!"

"This offer..."

Before Zhang Wei could finish speaking, he saw Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun next to him becoming nervous.

"You’re not serious, are you? You’re going to reject this offer?"

Both of their breathings became somewhat labored.

"I think this offer is pretty good. I believe that once the client hears this price, they will feel the sincerity in your apology!"

Zhang Wei nodded and then turned to Lin Yumeng.

"Xiao Meng, as the lead attorney on this case, come over and sign."

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s agreement, Mo Mingchuan also smiled.

"Please remember, no admission of liability, keep the terms confidential, it’s all standard practice anyway..."

"Of course, I’m aware of that."

Zhang Wei exchanged a few words with Mo Mingchuan. Meanwhile, Lin Yumeng took the check and signed the settlement agreement that Mo Mingchuan handed to her.

"Keep the check safe. We will send you a copy of the agreement on Monday. As for our intention to settle, I will have my assistant call the city court office later. That should be fine, right?"

"You are truly Professor Mo, always thorough, handling these trivial matters for us, thank you!"

Mo Mingchuan no longer looked at Zhang Wei but instead turned to Lin Yumeng.

"Xiao Lin, as your former teacher, I must say you did very well today!"

"Thank you for your praise, Professor. I was merely following the instructions given by my master. There’s still so much that I’m lacking."

Mo Mingchuan didn’t respond further but put away the contract, ready to leave the office.

Just as he reached the door, he paused.

"Oh, and please relay a message to your client for me. Tell him that we’re deeply sorry for everything he has had to endure!"

Mo Mingchuan left, and the last thing he said was actually an apology!

Heaven only knows how big a price had to be paid for the professor to apologize, but he really did apologize.

And he offered a settlement amount of 27 million.

As Mo Mingchuan left, the Serious Crime Team fell into silence, and no one spoke.

Finally, the one with the least composure spoke up.

"Master, could you pinch my face to see if it hurts?"

"Sure!"

"Ow, it hurts, it really hurts!"

Zhang Wei pinched Lin Yumeng’s somewhat chubby face, making the young girl cry out in pain.

But after crying out, she finally realized this wasn’t a dream.

"Woo~hoo~ 27 million, oh my goodness!"

"27 million!" Tie Ruyun was also shocked and cried out.

"27 million, how can it be that much?" Finally, Li Yueqin also lost her composure, sitting down, stunned.

"27 million. We signed a contingency fee contract, with full power of attorney, so we get a 13.5 million attorney fee, all of which is the achievement of our Serious Crime Team. However, since Xiao Meng is an intern lawyer, she gets a 30% share. The law firm will take away 9.45 million, so the attorney fee is 4.05 million!"

Zhang Wei calculated the performance for this month, where a whopping 13.5 million of the lawsuit’s settlement amount was attorney income, their performance.

Although the law firm would take away nearly 9.5 million, his own apprentice could still get 4 million. To a newbie, this was absolutely an astronomical figure.

However, Lin Yumeng seemed rather indifferent to this sum of money.

"Master, why not split the attorney fee half and half? You were the one who did all the work in this lawsuit, while I..."

"Xiao Meng, this is what you deserve. I admit that I am really in need of money at this stage, and I know your family is well-off, but taking a disciple’s reward does not sit right with me. Besides, would it not make your family happy to know how capable you are?"

Zhang Wei refused Lin Yumeng’s goodwill, for some things are a matter of principle, and he would not accept them.

"Alright, Xiao Meng, you should make a call to the client to ask them to come to the law firm on Monday. Since the settlement is paid by check, Old Master He might not know how to handle it, so we need to assist him!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Now, everyone, we’ve completed our task for today, time to get off work!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, finally starting to pack up his things, ready to leave work.

It was now past 9 at night, but for the Serious Crime Team, it was going to be an unsettled evening.

Tie Ruyun and Li Yueqin had been involved throughout and had witnessed Zhang Wei win a case that the Civil Team had rejected, securing a 27 million settlement from a major company with assets in the hundreds of billions for their client.

This figure, for Tie Ruyun of the Serious Crime Team and the newly graduated Li Yueqin, would be an unforgettable number for life.

Lin Yumeng was overjoyed as well, both because it was the first time she had obtained compensation for a client and because she had grown so much due to Zhang Wei’s mentoring.

Only Zhang Wei was unexcited by the 27 million figure.

"I’ve been a bit tired these past few days, maybe I’ll book an appointment with Jessica for the weekend. I need some counseling..."

He was thinking about how to spend his weekend.

...

Sunday, afternoon.

Inner Loop, United Financial Building, 41st floor.

Zhang Wei had made an appointment for Jessica’s counseling services.

At the moment, the two were seated by the window, enjoying the beautiful view of the entire city of Dongfang Capital, while chatting about Zhang Wei’s recent cases.

Of course, limited by client-attorney confidentiality agreements, there were some highly confidential matters Zhang Wei naturally couldn’t discuss.

However, due to media coverage, many details couldn’t really be kept hidden, and Jessica was aware of these two cases.

"You really have your ways, Zhang Wei. Winning the Chengyi Insurance case, I can only say your methods weren’t very honorable. When I first heard about the case, I thought you’d stand on the plaintiff’s side."

"There’s no problem with winning this case. The outcome was a happy one for everyone, wasn’t it? Uncle Zhao stepped in to help, and the plaintiff got an extra three years."

"You’re not wrong there. By the way, the second case you mentioned, did you really get a settlement of 27 million from Professor Mo Mingchuan for your client?"

"Is 27 million a lot? The daily revenue of Harper Cigars is double that amount."

Zhang Wei raised two fingers and shook them in front of Jessica.

"But you are impressive, it’s a case I reckon 99 out of 100 law firms wouldn’t take..."

"You’re mistaken. Actually, the civil division of Jincheng didn’t take on this case either. I pulled it from the rejected cases."

"That means the civil division at your law firm must really hate you, right?"

"Who’s to say they don’t?"

Zhang Wei laughed.

Truth be told, he was somewhat looking forward to the expression on the faces of the civil division when they found out the case was settled on Monday.

He believed Wang Jianren’s face certainly wouldn’t look very pleased.

"But from my perspective, the two civil suits you won aren’t as important as the time you helped that little girl win her case. You helped an innocent person!"

"Are you talking about Zhuo Xiaoting? I just did what was expected of me."

"I’m a criminal defense lawyer. Isn’t it my duty to seek justice for the innocent?"

Jessica couldn’t help but nod in agreement with Zhang Wei’s words.

Zhang Wei might not be particularly handsome, but when he said those words, he always exuded a unique charm.

Time unknowingly passed as they chatted.

Zhang Wei always felt time passed particularly quickly whenever he chatted with Jessica.

Knock, knock, knock~

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. It came from outside, so it could only be his assistant, Cui Xi.

"Miss, there’s a call for you. The person didn’t make an appointment, but she said she’s your friend!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Cui Xi’s knock, Jessica looked apologetically at Zhang Wei.

After all, it was still counseling time.

"Cui Xi, did the caller give you her name?"

"She said her name is Susan."

"Susan? Why would she call me? We haven’t been in touch for over a year."

Hearing the name, Jessica seemed surprised.

Because Susan and she were good friends, but the latter wasn’t in Dongfang Capital, why would she call out of the blue?

"Jessica, if you’re busy, let’s end our session early today," suggested Zhang Wei, showcasing his graciousness.

"All right then, but thank you for sharing your stories with me. I look forward to hearing more of them next time."

"Thanks for listening too. You are my most faithful listener. I look forward to our next meeting!"

After bidding farewell, Jessica picked up the phone Cui Xi handed her.

However, Jessica’s phone conversation with her friend was something Zhang Wei couldn’t hear.

After leaving the United Financial Building, he wandered around the city center before heading back to Lin Mansion.

Weekends are pleasant, albeit far too short.

Zhang Wei spent the morning at the neighboring Zhang’s Martial Arts School, and in the afternoon, he met with Jessica for psychological counseling.

The day just passed like that.

Unfortunately, Xia Qianyue was busy with the Martial Association Serious Crime Team all the time; getting her out on the weekend was quite difficult.

Zhang Wei complained that if he had known it would be this way, he would not have let Xia Qianyue join the Serious Crime Team.

Having neither of the two people he could share his joy with around was simply too dull.

A pity, there are no what-ifs.

Zhang Wei regretted it, very much regretted it indeed...