Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 193 - 192: An Unforeseen Path, The Li Family Compares to the Son-in-law?

Chapter 193: Chapter 192: An Unforeseen Path, The Li Family Compares to the Son-in-law?

Criminal Division, office.

Zhang Wei returned once more, but his complexion wasn’t too good.

The reason was naturally that he had refused his superior’s "favor."

It also meant that he had turned down the opportunity to join and lead the Business Unit 2, as well as the path to promotion.

"There is no opportunity for you in the Criminal Division; Tie Ruyun can be the division head for life, and you could only be an ordinary lawyer within the division forever. As long as Tie Ruyun doesn’t leave, you’ll never have a chance to rise!"

These were Shen Zhengyi’s final words, warning Zhang Wei that if he didn’t leave the Criminal Division, he shouldn’t dream of promotion.

Junior Partner?

Senior Partner?

As long as Tie Ruyun is here, forget about all that.

Zhang Wei thought that Shen Zhengyi’s method of stirring up trouble was somewhat despicable.

He didn’t say it outright, but underneath his words was another layer of meaning.

If Zhang Wei could push Tie Ruyun out, then there was a possibility of escaping the quagmire of the Criminal Division.

But... would he do such a thing?

Zhang Wei returned to the office and looked over at Tie Ruyun who was bent over by the printer, organizing documents, and he sighed softly to himself.

Such a pragmatic leader was truly rare nowadays.

"Zhang Wei, you’re back?"

Tie Ruyun lifted his head and greeted him.

"Yes, I am."

"What did the higher-ups need you for, did Boss Shen want to promote you?"

"Old Tie, how come you have such a knack for foresight?"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s response, Tie Ruyun was slightly taken aback.

If Zhang Wei were to be promoted, how would that happen?

Of course, he would be transferred to his own darling group—the Business Division!

"Zhang Wei, you’re not thinking of transferring divisions, are you?"

"Master, if you go to the Business Division, I really wouldn’t bear to part with you!"

"Zhang Wei..."

Tie Ruyun, Lin Yumeng, and Li Yueqin all looked up almost simultaneously with different expressions.

Tie Ruyun was both gratified and reluctant, Lin Yumeng genuinely didn’t want to part with him, and Li Yueqin’s face showed a complex mix of emotions.

"Don’t worry, how could I bear to leave you all? Although Boss Shen’s proposal was tempting, I turned him down!"

Zhang Wei spoke frankly and recounted the conversation he had with Shen Zhengyi in the office just now.

After finishing, he scratched his head and laughed, "Refusing such a good opportunity, I must be really silly, right?"

Tie Ruyun couldn’t help shaking his head after hearing this, "No, you’re genuinely simple-minded!"

Old Tie, that’s not very interesting.

Zhang Wei felt you should be crying with emotion, sobbing uncontrollably, right?

Why are you insulting someone instead?

"Master, you’re so awesome!" Hearing that Zhang Wei had no plans to leave the Criminal Division, Lin Yumeng was overjoyed and hopped around in her seat three times.

"But Zhang Wei, if you don’t go to the Business Division, wouldn’t you always stay under Group Leader Tie’s command?"

Xiao Li, that’s even less interesting.

Li Yueqin’s words cast a shadow over the mood.

Lin Yumeng stopped hopping around, and Tie Ruyun’s face grew somewhat awkward.

Indeed, Zhang Wei could become a group leader if he had gone to the Business Division, but in the Criminal Division, there already was a group leader.

With just a few people in the Criminal Division, how could there possibly be a second group leader?

"Hahaha, actually, I’ve thought about this problem before, and luckily, I’ve already found a solution!"

Zhang Wei laughed again, assuring his three friends not to worry.

"A solution? What is it?"

"It’s simple, I can become an independent lawyer at the law firm, just like Lawyer Bai, having my own office. Although she is affiliated with the Business Group under the Litigation Department, her performance and cases are calculated separately from the Business Group. I can also be affiliated with the Criminal Division, but work from an office outside!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei gestured towards the door of the 26th floor, where Lawyer Bai’s office was.

He too had longed for his own office, and it was just a matter of implementing the plan.

Zhang Wei hadn’t ruled out the path to promotion, but the idea of working under someone else and kowtowing to higher-ups was something he found impossible to do.

But how could you get promoted without greasing up to the leadership?

The answer is, of course, to become an independent lawyer at the firm. Take Bai Meiqi, for example. She does her own thing and only has a cooperative relationship with the business division.

On the contrary, because of her outstanding performance, even Shen Zhengyi doesn’t dare show any disrespect to Bai Meiqi. Li Qingshou and Wang Jianren, even have to fawn over Bai Meiqi.

Why do several department leaders have such an attitude? Because Bai Meiqi has boosted the overall performance of the litigation department.

Furthermore, Bai Meiqi has won the appreciation of the big boss!

So, to become a lawyer independent of the department, you only need...

"Xiao Meng, where does your dad usually hang out?"

To solve the current problem, you just need to find the big boss.

As long as the big boss says Zhang Wei can, then Zhang Wei could even be promoted to a junior partner immediately.

Similarly, if the big boss says Zhang Wei can be an independent lawyer, then he can have an office right away.

It’s not difficult to find Lin Xiangtian and talk to him.

You only need to find out where he is.

And in the office of the criminal division, there’s someone who knows everything about the big boss’s whereabouts.

"He might, perhaps, probably be playing golf, he’s always liked that, but his golf skills are really not that great..."

Lin Yumeng said, shaking her head with a look of disgust.

That’s just how her dad is, fond of playing but terribly bad at it, yet he completely lacks self-awareness.

"I see..."

After learning about the whereabouts of the big boss Lin Xiangtian from Lin Yumeng, Zhang Wei decided to get to the bottom of it and begin preparations in a few days.

He was going to meet Lin Xiangtian and negotiate with him!

If other people at the law firm knew what he was thinking, they would probably be shocked.

An intern lawyer, actually daring to bargain with the big boss!

It’s like a feather duster on a telegraph pole, such a huge nerve.

However, this is not a task to be carried out immediately, and Lin Xiangtian can’t be playing golf every day. To execute this plan, careful plotting is necessary.

In any case, Zhang Wei spent the entire Tuesday at his desk, thinking things through.

And his colleagues in the same group, knowing that Zhang Wei was considering important matters, didn’t dare to come over and disturb him.

They each kept busy, Li Yueqin rushed about for a case, Lin Yumeng was slacking off at work watching videos, and Tie Ruyun was always bustling around.

When it came time to leave work, Zhang Wei left very early today.

"Master, take this subway to go to Dongjiang Number One!"

At the entrance to the subway station, today Zhang Wei was with Lin Yumeng, going to Dongjiang Number One together.

After about ten minutes on the subway, they passed Dongjiang and arrived at a station near Dongjiang Number One.

Soon after, following his young apprentice to the surface, Zhang Wei arrived at the famous top-tier residential district in Dongfang Capital - Dongjiang Number One.

The community is adjacent to Dongjiang, a proper river-view house.

Moreover, the entire district consisted only of large flat houses with one household per floor, yet there were three elevators.

Dongjiang Number One, Property Management Office.

"Miss Lin!"

When Lin Yumeng brought Zhang Wei here, all the property staff around them were polite and saluted.

Soon, with Lin Yumeng’s guidance, Zhang Wei found the office manager.

"Uncle Wang, I’ve brought my master!"

"Ah, Miss Lin, please have a seat, please have a seat!"

The person in charge of property management at Dongjiang Number One was a middle-aged man dressed in a black tailcoat, with a golden pocket watch on his chest and white gloves on his hands, with not a hair out of place, seemingly a perfect butler indeed.

This man’s surname was Wang, and the residents liked to call him Manager Wang.

"Master, this is Uncle Wang, the steward of the community. If you have any problems, just talk to him!"

Lin Yumeng didn’t stay long, and after speaking with Zhang Wei, she introduced the two to each other and then went home.

Manager Wang also looked curious, wondering who this young man was to be able to serve as the mentor to the daughter of the big boss of Jincheng Law Firm.

"Manager Wang, right? I’m here to handle the household registration agreement. This is the house donation agreement from the previous owner!"

As Zhang Wei handed over the documents, Manager Wang suddenly realized.

An original owner had actually gifted a house in Dongjiang Number One to the other party.

A house worth hundreds of millions, just given away!

"It’s actually Mr. Zhao. But that makes sense. Although he owns a property here, he never lived in it. I was wondering if he had forgotten that he had a house in Dongjiang Number One. I didn’t expect that he’d gift it to Mr. Zhang!"

Seeing the door plate number on the document, Manager Wang naturally understood its significance.

As a competent steward, he had to be familiar with every household, so once he saw the door plate number, he knew who the owner was.

After all, the people who could afford to live in Dongjiang Number One are influential characters in Dongfang Capital, and a simple search online would reveal a lot of public information about the owners.

"Mr. Zhang Wei, I’ll have someone assist you with the procedures and record your fingerprint and facial recognition for the locks. Rest assured, sit here for 30 minutes, and everything will be taken care of, and you can spend the night in your house today!"

Manager Wang immediately called over two female subordinates with good appearances and after giving them brief instructions, asked them to expedite the process.

It must be said that the property management in high-end residential areas is diligent and efficient.

Zhang Wei only needed to sit and wait while the two ladies busied themselves with the procedures.

He just had to lower his head, blink his eyes, press his fingerprint, and all the procedures were handled, with his facial and fingerprint data entered into the system.

From now on, he could simply use facial recognition to enter Dongjiang Number One, and even if he forgot his magnetic card and keys, he could use his fingerprint to open the door.

"Right, my in-laws and girlfriend might move in. They aren’t here today; what about their procedures..."

"Mr. Zhang, don’t worry, you can simply register their information here, and if they come over, I will take care of the procedures for them. However, you’ll need to leave a phone number so that I can personally call you to confirm their identity as family members before letting them through the first time they come."

Manager Wang once again demonstrated his professional service spirit, thinking of all possible needs for the homeowners.

Finally, when all the procedures were completed, Zhang Wei also received his own homeowner’s card.

Under Manager Wang’s guidance, he took a cursory look at the house.

The house was beautiful, luxuriously furnished, all the furniture and appliances were from well-known brands, and the entire floor space was enormous, with a balcony offering a wide view and a stunning riverscape.

Unfortunately, the house seemed empty as nobody had lived in it before.

Overall, Zhang Wei had no complaints about the house, but he didn’t plan to live there.

After bidding farewell to Manager Wang, Zhang Wei once again took the subway and returned to Lin Mansion.

Although the house in Dongjiang was beautiful and represented the dream of many people working in Dongfang Capital, Zhang Wei still felt Lin Mansion suited him better.

No other reason but because it was more down-to-earth.

Upon returning to the familiar Lin Mansion, Zhang Wei began to prepare dinner.

Meanwhile, he was looking forward to seeing his in-laws the next day...

...

Next day, Wednesday.

Another day spent idling away, nearing the end of work.

"Old Tie, I’m off!"

Zhang Wei promptly said goodbye to Tie Ruyun, clocked out and darted off.

Soon, Zhang Wei made his way to the Martial Arts Association Family Building located next to the village in the heart of Dongfang Capital.

However, at the entrance of the residential area, Zhang Wei noticed a familiar car.

"Eh, is Auntie here too?"

The car was parked in a prominent spot, and the license plate matched; Zhang Wei recognized it instantly.

He knew Li Qinghe and Li Feifei must have come to visit the in-laws.

Sure enough, as he approached his in-laws’ doorstep, he heard the voice of Auntie Li Qinghe.

"Oh dear, sister, your Xiao Yue Yue is really something, insisting on joining the major crimes unit of Criminal Investigation. It’s unbecoming for a girl to be involved in fights and killings all the time. I’m not trying to criticize, but you should really get her to find a good man to marry soon."

"Once married, Xiao Yue Yue will likely settle down, and if she has children, she’ll definitely become more domestic and stay home to care for them. Even if she wants to work, she could transfer to a clerical position in the office, filing documents and living comfortably."

One has to admit, Auntie Li Qinghe made some good points.

But if Xia Hanhan could accept that, she wouldn’t be Xia Hanhan.

"Sister, I understand what you’re saying, but with my daughter’s personality, who can endure it?"

"No, Zhang Wei can endure it, can’t he? The boy may have a bit of a bad temper, a poor attitude towards elders, lack of tact in his actions, and a bit of pretentiousness, but actually, he’s not that bad, and he must be sincere about Xiao Yue Yue!"

Zhang Wei was about to knock, but his hand froze mid-air.

Nice one, Auntie Li Qinghe. Just because I made a mockery of your Qingmu company in court, you’re slandering me behind my back?

This aunt, no loss if gone!

"Zhang Wei, huh!"

Inside the house, Li Qinghua’s contemptuous laughter could be heard.

"I admit his skills as a lawyer aren’t bad, but before this boy can join our family, I’ll need to evaluate him thoroughly!"

"Take last Monday, for instance. This kid actually had the audacity to subpoena Old Xia and made him talk nonsense in court for nearly two hours!"

Towards the end, Li Qinghua’s tone even carried a hint of anger.

"Wife, how can you say that? My speech wasn’t nonsense; that was serious education..."

"Shut your mouth!"

Xia Donghai tried to interject, but was bluntly interrupted by Li Qinghua.

Well then, Zhang Wei understood that the father-in-law had no say at home.

"And you, don’t think he’s as honest as he looks. In my opinion, he..."

Knock knock knock!

The sound of knocking interrupted Li Qinghua’s rant.

Zhang Wei felt he couldn’t let his mother-in-law continue talking, or who knows what kind of unpleasant words he might have to hear.

The key point was that he had always been outside the door, and if he were to knock again later, what would the people inside think?

It would be better to go in early to avoid more awkwardness.

"You dead girl, you still know how to come back!"

Inside, an angry voice from Li Qing Hua resounded.

Unfortunately, when she opened the door, she saw a face she didn’t want to see.

"Mother-in-law, hello!" Zhang Wei acted as if he hadn’t heard the previous remarks and greeted Li Qing Hua with a smile.

"Zhang Wei is here?"

Inside the house, Xia Donghai and Li Qinghe were both startled at the same time, the former showing a bit of a smile on his face, while the latter’s expression was somewhat complex.

"Yes, Father-in-law, I’m here!"

"Yo, Auntie is also here, and hello Cousin Li Feifei, and this is...?"

Zhang Wei ignored the slightly ugly expression on Li Qing Hua at the door and immediately walked into the house to greet everyone.

However, he noticed that there seemed to be an extra person at Auntie’s place today.

Li Feifei was still looking down at her phone, but beside her, there was a young man dressed in a suit and tie and wearing glasses.

"Oh, Zhang Wei, this is Feifei’s boyfriend, Xiaozhan!"

"Xiaozhan, this is Xiaoyueyue’s boyfriend, Zhang Wei!"

Li Qinghe hurriedly introduced the two to each other.

"Hello, Dongxing Securities Investment Broker Zhan Qingze!"

Beside Li Feifei, Zhan Qingze, seeming eager to make an impression, immediately introduced himself while extending his hand.

"Oh, so you work in finance!"

Zhang Wei took note and quickly greeted the man, "Hello, Jincheng Law Firm Criminal Defense Attorney Zhang Wei!"

Although the newcomer’s background was decent, Zhang Wei was no less impressive.

A lawyer from Dongfang Capital, the foremost among the top ten firms, his status was completely presentable.

As expected, upon hearing Zhang Wei’s introduction, Zhan Qingze’s expression showed a touch of surprise.

He had not expected Zhang Wei to have such a significant background.

And upon hearing the two words "Jincheng," Auntie Li Qinghe’s mouth twitched slightly.

Back then, Qingmu had backstabbed Zhang Wei, and as a result, they not only lost face but also a potential future partner.

As for Zhang Wei, after winning the case, he left triumphantly and joined Jincheng Law Firm.

This matter had been a sore point for Li Qinghe for some time.

"If you ask me, Xiaoyueyue is lucky to have met someone like Zhang Wei who loves her. An average man wouldn’t be able to tolerate her personality!"

"You too, sister. That girl is no longer young. Why is she just like you, all with that stubborn temperament!"

Li Qinghe naturally wouldn’t bring up old issues, so she quickly shifted the firepower.

Her own sister, Li Qing Hua, was her primary target.

Her purpose wasn’t to win over Zhang Wei, but merely to take a jab at her own sister.

"Auntie, mother-in-law, Silly... where is Xia Qianyue?"

Zhang Wei quietly breathed a sigh of relief, almost blurting out Xia Qianyue’s nickname out of habit.

He was also curious, with guests in the house, how come Xia Qianyue hadn’t come home?

"Ah, that dead girl, always busy, busy every day. She thinks the serious crime unit is some great place to be, working overtime to death every day. The salary is just so-so, not even enough to support herself!"

Li Qing Hua became annoyed when Xia Qianyue was mentioned.

"Oh, so she’s busy with the serious crime unit!" Zhang Wei immediately understood.

Being busy in the serious crime unit was widely recognized.

Furthermore, acting the hero, eradicating evil and promoting good, all that was Xia Qianyue’s dream.

In the serious crime unit, Xia Qianyue could strive for her dream, which was not a bad thing at all.

"By the way, kid, what are you doing here today?"

Li Qing Hua was far less courteous towards Zhang Wei, immediately throwing a blunt question at him.

"Oh, mother-in-law, I’m here today for..."

"I’m back~"

Just as Zhang Wei started to speak, his words were cut off by a voice from outside the door.

The entire room suddenly brightened up. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!

Silly is back!