Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 192 - 191: Old Zhao Gives Away a House, You Have Two Options

Chapter 192: Chapter 191: Old Zhao Gives Away a House, You Have Two Options

Zhou Er, workday.

Zhang Wei got up early, stretched, and began to wash up.

"Last night’s dinner was truly fantastic, the Dongjiang Star Hotel lives up to its reputation. Not only is the scenery great, but the wine and delicacies were also memorable, leaving a lingering taste that makes one crave for more!"

Even though he was always confident in his cooking skills, after trying the signature dishes of Dongfang Capital’s top-ranking hotel chef, he knew that there were always people better than him out there, and the sky beyond skies too.

It seemed he had a long way to go before he could become a top-notch chef!

With such a thought in mind, Zhang Wei honestly started to cook porridge for breakfast.

As usual, he called his second daughter downstairs, and after having a pleasant breakfast together, he prepared to go to work.

There’s no choice, even if a wage earner wins a case, they still need to punch the clock at the law firm.

Otherwise, they dock your internship points, your attendance, who could put up with that?

Just as Zhang Wei opened the door, he saw Zhao Qingyan already waiting outside.

"Uncle Zhao, what brings you here?"

"Oh, Zhang, do you remember what you told me yesterday when we were having dinner?"

"What did I say?"

Zhang Wei reflected; he had dinner with Zhao Qingyan and they chatted about life goals, but that was about it, right?

"You said your wish was to marry and have children in Dongfang Capital and have a fulfilling and happy life..."

"Oh, true, I did say that, but..."

Zhang Wei agreed verbally, but he was clear in his mind.

The so-called fulfilling and happy life and getting married and having children are actually contradictory.

Most adults realize after getting married that most of their happiness was enjoyed when they were single.

Especially once you’re married and have kids, your life barely touches on happiness anymore.

This is particularly evident in large cities with very high living costs.

Exorbitant housing prices and the cost of living and children’s education force workers to toil endlessly.

Happiness be damned!

If you want to support a family, forget about being happy.

"Here, this is the first step to a happy life, consider it a gift from Uncle Zhao, and a reward for winning the case!"

As he spoke, Zhao Qingyan passed over an envelope.

Zhang Wei took it, looking bewildered.

What on earth is in here?

Considering Zhao Qingyan’s expression when giving it, it must not be something cheap, right?

"Once you take it, don’t try to refuse it, the contents are of no use to me, so it’s just right to give them to you!"

Zhao Qingyan said, then glanced back at the neighboring Zhao Mansion with a hint of sentiment in his eyes.

"Well, thank you, Uncle Zhao..."

Zhang Wei didn’t refuse; judging that the contents of the envelope couldn’t be too valuable, he accepted with a smile.

Seeing Zhang Wei accept it, Zhao Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh.

"Alright, you go to work now, don’t be late. I need to go to the company after I finish my morning exercise!"

Zhao Qingyan waved his hand and bid farewell to Zhang Wei before jogging away.

It was clear that he was in a very good mood.

Zhang Wei decided to go and report to the law firm first; as for the contents of the envelope, he could always check them when he got to the office of the criminal division.

Taking the subway.

After a commute of several dozens of minutes, he arrived at the Jincheng Building.

Since he didn’t have cases to rush, he got there at the peak of office hours.

Looking around at the endless stream of people, he blended in and followed the crowd into the building.

However, as he walked, Zhang Wei felt something was off.

It seemed like there were people pointing at him, and occasionally he would see groups of three or five people gathering together, looking his way.

He entered the elevator, and the murmurs from behind were ceaseless.

"Is that Zhang Wei?"

"Yep, the one who won against the senior prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters."

"Since when did our Jincheng Group have such a fierce person?"

"You must be new here, let me secretly tell you, last month he also won against Young Master Lin in a mock trial!"

"Ah, so the one who beat Young Master Lin was also him, I..."

"Shh! This matter can’t be discussed carelessly, after all, Young Master Lin is the big boss’s son. We just need to know it ourselves; heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know..."

Zhang Wei’s ears perked up as he overheard the conversation of several Jincheng Group employees without missing a single word.

Well, well, keeping it under wraps, are we? Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know?

You discuss in the elevator, really thinking others can’t hear?

But upon learning it was his own legal victory that left others in awe, Zhang Wei let it go.

It’s just winning against a high prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters, what’s there to brag about?

As the person involved, I’m not even excited, so why are you all so thrilled?

Oh no, my mouth!

Why can’t it stop curling up?

Zhang Wei hurriedly covered his mouth and, when the elevator reached the 26th floor, he quickly walked out.

"Zhang Wei!"

As soon as he entered the litigation department, he saw Bai Meiqi walking out of the office and greeting him.

"Good job on yesterday’s case, congrats on the win!"

"Thank you, Lawyer Bai, I just performed normally. It was the critical evidence that made the case, otherwise how could I possibly win?"

"Still, that’s impressive. To hold out against the high prosecutor until the crucial evidence appeared takes skill!"

"Oh, not at all..."

Zhang Wei hastily replied modestly, brushing off Bai Meiqi’s praise.

Next, he entered the litigation department and noticed a change in the way the other team’s lawyers looked at him.

Especially Li Qingshou and Wang Jianren, their gazes at Zhang Wei were very complicated, filled with jealousy, envy, and a bit of wariness.

When he reached the criminal team’s office and saw all his buddies there, Zhang Wei could no longer hold back.

"Well, what’s going on? Since when does winning one lawsuit seem like the whole world knows about it?"

"Master, didn’t you see the headlines?"

The first apprentice responded, handing Zhang Wei a newspaper.

"Let me see..."

Zhang Wei took it, flipping to the first page.

"The year’s first major case, Jincheng Law Firm off to a victorious start, the lead attorney turned out to be an intern!"

Well, this newspaper’s got to be under the Jincheng Group, right?

Zhang Wei hurriedly looked at the front page of the newspaper and, sure enough, saw that it was "Dongfang Capital Jincheng Daily". No wonder...

This really was a media publication from the Jincheng Group.

"Zhang Wei, now you’re famous. Not only did our group’s newspaper cover it, but Dongfang Capital Morning News and many other media also reported on your case. However, they didn’t go into detail about you, focusing mainly on the case and the client’s situation!"

Tie Ruyun also stood up, holding a copy of "Dongfang Capital Morning News," flipping to a page.

"Shocking, the case took two dramatic turns, and unbelievably, the real culprit turns out to be the deceased!"

"Master, master, there are many legal forums online posting about your case too, and their titles are far more sensational!"

Lin Yumeng said as she opened a few posts on the webpage, showing them to Zhang Wei.

"Shocking, the person who won against the high prosecutor of the Procuratorate Headquarters is actually him!"

"Can you believe it, the person who defeated the high prosecutor is just an intern?"

"Are you kidding me, you call this an intern attorney?"

Seeing these eye-catching headlines, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but be amazed.

When it comes to attracting traffic, the titles of online media and forums are truly remarkable.

"Hmm, I’ve seen it..."

Zhang Wei appeared composed on the surface, but inside he was already feeling an "emmm" expression.

"By the way, master, what’s in the bag you’re holding?"

"Oh, this? It’s the legal fee from Uncle Zhao for winning the lawsuit!"

Zhang Wei said as he took the bag and prepared to open it.

"From Uncle Zhao?"

Hearing it was a gift from Zhao Qingyan, Lin Yumeng also showed interest.

Tie Ruyun and Li Yueqin also looked up, apparently very curious about what Zhao Qingyan would give.

Zhang Wei opened the envelope and immediately saw a housing contract, along with a string of keys and a magnetic card.

"This is... a gift deed for a house, with the house card and spare keys..."

At the sight of the contract, Zhang Wei was stunned.

Old Zhao really knows how to do it, gifting me an entire house.

"Hey, this key, isn’t it very similar to my home’s?"

Seeing the magnetic card and keys, Lin Yumeng quickly realized their significance.

"Fuck, it’s really true!"

Zhang Wei was startled and quickly flipped to the first page of the agreement, indeed seeing that it listed the property as "Dongjiang Number One Residence - Block A, Room xx01".

"Oh, that’s the one from Uncle Zhao’s place; he bought it a while back and never lived there."

Lin Yumeng leaned in, took one glance, and had it figured out.

"Master, what’s the actual relationship between you and Uncle Zhao? He’s giving you a house he never wanted."

"Holy shit, Old Zhao is... is way too generous..."

Although he knew Zhao Qingyan wouldn’t casually give away things, and was aware Old Zhao was wealthy,

But Zhang Wei never imagined that Old Zhao’s gesture would be so earth-shattering when he did go through with it.

Dongjiang Number One, was that a house he could even dream of?

A casual river-view apartment there would cost over a hundred million.

"Damn, Mr. Zhao is giving you a Dongjiang Number One apartment!"

Tie Ruyun’s view of Zhang Wei changed; could this kid have gotten on the good side of the Zhao Family?

Does Zhao Qingyan have a daughter that Zhang Wei managed to snag, or why else would someone just give away a house?

"No way, this is too precious!"

Zhang Wei immediately got up, took out his phone, and headed outside; he had to refuse Old Zhao.

If he accepted the house, he wouldn’t feel at peace.

minutes later, Zhang Wei returned to the office.

"Zhang Wei, I know you feel it’s inappropriate. This house is worth over a hundred million, yet I casually gave it to you; you must have concerns."

"But you don’t need to worry about it. The house is just a material possession after all. To tell you the truth, someone else gave me that house, and I’m never going to live there. Better than leaving it empty, I might as well turn it into a favor easily done!"

"Look at it this way, I’m the one at an advantage. I used a worthless house to repay the huge favor you did me on this case!"

"And, I remember your in-laws also contributed to the case. If you really don’t want the house, you could let them move in, remember? I think they live in some old apartment provided by the Martial Association. Why not get them a better place?"

These were Zhao Qingyan’s words just now.

In any case, it meant one thing: take the house or leave it, but I’m not taking it back.

"Alright, I’m defeated by Old Zhao!"

He sighed, collected both the agreement and the magnetic keycard.

This house, though he didn’t particularly want to live in it himself because it might cause him to lose his ambition,

was indeed, as Old Zhao said, a potential home for the Simple-minded person’s family.

After all, his father-in-law was getting on in years, and his mother-in-law had that personality. Zhang Wei thought it was time for the "heads of the household" to enjoy some better days.

"Decided, I’ll go see Silly tomorrow, and pay a visit to my in-laws while I’m at it!"

Having settled on his plans for the next day, Zhang Wei prepared to visit the house that evening and sort out the residency agreement.

"Old Tie, I’m going to go see my girlfriend in the criminal division tomorrow!"

"Oh, you won the case; you can see whoever you want without issues!"

Tie Ruyun has become numb, this kid is now the boss, do whatever you want,

Just don’t treat me like your leader!

"Zhang Wei, the boss wants to see you!"

Tie Cuilan at the door suddenly called out to the office.

"The boss?" Zhang Wei was puzzled; there were clearly no cases today, yet one thing after another kept happening.

As for the so-called boss, as far as Zhang Wei was concerned, there was only Shen Zhengyi as the leader of the litigation department.

What about Li Qingshou and Wang Jianren?

They counted for nothing!

Ever since Zhang Wei led the criminal division to surpass the civil and business divisions in performance, Li and Wang had become clowns in his eyes.

And if they were looking for Zhang Wei, they wouldn’t have Tie Cuilan notify him.

They were all on the same floor; they could easily send an intern from their division to run the errand, like Jin Mingming, who was Li and Wang’s dedicated "liaison" with the criminal division.

Calmly, Zhang Wei left the litigation department, then went up to the 30th floor to Shen Zhengyi’s office door.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in!"

Inside, Shen Zhengyi had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Zhang Wei, he nodded and signaled for him to sit down.

"Zhang Wei, your recent performance has been good. You not only helped Mr. Zhao win the lawsuit, but you also defeated the famous Lan Gaojian."

"Boss, what did you want to see me for?"

"Young man, indeed a straight talker!"

Shen Zhengyi rose from his seat and walked over to the couch in front of Zhang Wei before sitting down directly.

"What do you think of the Criminal Division?"

"It’s pretty good!"

"Then how about the Commercial Division and the Civil Division?"

"Uh..."

Seeing the leader ask in such a manner, Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment before still offering flattery: "They are quite good... too?"

After all, Shen Zhengyi held both these divisions in high regard, so Zhang Wei still showed some respect.

"That’s good to hear!" Shen Zhengyi nodded in satisfaction.

"What do you say if I transfer you to the second team of the Commercial Division? Would you be willing?"

"You want to transfer me to another team?"

Hearing Shen Zhengyi’s words, Zhang Wei was taken aback.

He had never expected the leader’s intention was to have him leave the Criminal Division to join the second team of the Commercial Division.

The second team of the Commercial Division—that’s where Tian Bin’s subordinates were!

Wasn’t this like entering the den of enemies?

Perhaps noticing Zhang Wei’s concerns, Shen Zhengyi waved his hand and said, "Don’t worry; I know that you had some unpleasantness with Tian Bin, but that’s not a problem."

"You know, the second team led by Tian Bin has been at the bottom in performance for two straight months. And I am also aware that their performance won’t be great this month either!"

"Are you saying... you want me to join the second team of the Commercial Division to help boost their performance?"

"You’re thinking too much. Even if there were a transfer, it wouldn’t be this month. And why would I help Tian Bin improve his performance when he is not up to the job as the team leader?"

"So, what do you mean, leader?"

"When Tian Bin is kicked out from the position of team leader, I could make you the interim leader of the second team of the Commercial Division. After your internship ends, there’s a good chance for you to become the permanent team leader!"

Finally, Shen Zhengyi revealed his true intent and looked intently at Zhang Wei.

He was aware that this offer was extraordinarily generous.

Especially for an intern attorney like Zhang Wei, who could potentially skip straight to a leadership position without having to wait for formalization.

And the second team of the Commercial Division, to say the least, had about 20 people. Suddenly having more than 20 subordinates at your command, wouldn’t that be awesome?

"Zhang Wei, let me be frank with you, within Jincheng, attorneys are promoted through a hierarchical system. Only when you become a team leader do you have the chance of being promoted to a junior partner."

"I think there’s no future for you in the Criminal Division. There is just one small team, and not many people, and unless Tie Ruyun makes some major mistake, the position of team leader will not go to anybody else. But his performance is just mediocre, and it’s almost impossible for him to be promoted to a junior partner. If you stay in the Criminal Division, you’ll always be just a junior attorney."

"Now, I am giving you an opportunity. Once you get into the Commercial Division and Tian Bin steps down, you would take over as the team leader. I am aware of your capabilities when it comes to performance—I know that not only are you outstanding on your own, but you can also boost the performance of the team members. I’m confident that under your lead, the second team’s performance will be much more impressive!"

"After you have been the team leader for three years, by which time you will also have three years of attorney experience, I might give you the slot to be promoted to a junior partner in the litigation department. By then, you’d be the first person in Jincheng to be promoted to partner with just three years of being an attorney—you’d be the first such precedent!"

Seeing that Zhang Wei did not immediately agree, Shen Zhengyi urged him earnestly, appealing to his sense of reason.

True to what he said, in any law firm, there is an assessment of seniority.

Attorneys earn their keep based on their years in the profession—the more seasoned you are, the more valuable you become.

This is why large law firms have grades of seniority, such as a three-year attorney and a five-year attorney. Promoting a three-year attorney to partner would indeed be setting many precedents.

Moreover, this was not just any junior partner position; this was being a junior partner at Jincheng Law Firm.

Being a partner at Jincheng Law Firm, the leader among the Top Ten Firms, that’s a status not just anybody could have.

If you acquired this title, you would absolutely be considered elite among the elite in Dongfang.

Zhang Wei pondered for a moment, weighing the truthfulness in the words and any potential pitfalls within.

"Leader, if I agree to you, and after three years as a team leader I indeed become a three-year attorney, would you nominate me as a junior partner?"

"With your current performance in the Criminal Division, as long as it’s satisfactory, I will definitely nominate you!"

"And if you nominate me as a junior partner, given my performance, I should be selected, right?"

"That... I can’t guarantee, since the partnership issue is ultimately decided by the big boss!"

Zhang Wei understood; it meant he had to lead the second team of the Commercial Division for three years, after which he’d only be eligible—and that eligibility did not guarantee a promotion to partner.

In essence, there was a chance to become a partner, but it was not a sure thing.

A chance, a chance...

It was like entering a draw to win a high-end smartphone for one dollar—all boiling down to the matter of chance.

Zhang Wei closed his eyes, as if deeply contemplating.

After a moment, he suddenly opened them.

"Haha, leader, your words are truly enlightening, as if clearing the clouds to show the sun, opening my mind like lifting a weight!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhengyi’s face lit up with joy: "Oh, you agree?"

"I am of course flattered by your high regard, leader, but as for joining the Commercial Division, please allow me to decline!"

Zhang Wei did not agree; on the contrary, he declined!