Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 196 - 195: The Dilemma of Ren’s Film Industry, The Rival is Heizu?

Chapter 196: Chapter 195: The Dilemma of Ren’s Film Industry, The Rival is Heizu?

Scandal!

These two words are ubiquitous these days.

Especially in a fashion capital like Dongfang Capital, where the entertainment industry is booming and the industry chain is rich, the citizens living here are bombarded with countless media explosions every day.

They might encounter numerous juicy stories whether they open a webpage, turn over a newspaper, or even refresh their social media.

Perhaps a lawmaker has divorced his wife, a billionaire has bought another luxury car or mansion, there’s gossip about a celebrity and their affair, or perhaps a business elite is not interested in the opposite sex, and a big star, known for their innocent image, is actually caught up in a mess with their agent...

Such news appears daily.

Scandal is like the wind, present everywhere.

Scandals are like flowers in the garden square at the city center, blooming in every corner as they herald the arrival of spring, popular among the gossip media, newspapers, and homepage headlines...

"Today is Friday, the last working day before the weekend. April has almost passed two weeks without us noticing!"

Zhang Wei got up, washed, and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.

He felt the pressure.

Because what was the slogan he had shouted at the end of March and the beginning of April?

That was to continue the explosive performance from March and to crush the business and civil groups with performance in April.

But now, although he had "earned" a house, the performance of the criminal division was still far from ideal.

Fighting criminal cases might bring a winning rate, but not enough performance.

If you really rely on the legal fees from those criminal cases to outdo the entire litigation department, that’s simply daydreaming.

To leave everyone behind in performance within the litigation department, you must rely on civil cases.

Thinking of civil cases, Zhang Wei felt a headache coming on.

"It’s a pity that the headlines lately are all about that movie tycoon and his wife’s affair!"

Seeing that the newspapers which should carry scandalous stories were filled with extensive reports about one issue, Zhang Wei also felt helpless.

Dealing with a spousal murder could be a real headache, and furthermore, no one had come to him for help.

"Forget it, we probably can’t get involved in such a major case..."

Zhang Wei thought he had to be more realistic and start with small cases, hoping to achieve a breakthrough from zero to something next week.

With this mindset, Zhang Wei took the subway to the law firm and clocked in for work.

But as soon as he arrived at the office, he discovered that people had already arrived in the criminal division.

"Well, Xiao Li, are you trying to threaten my status as the employee of the year by coming in so early?"

Seeing Li Yueqin busy at her workstation, Zhang Wei was stunned.

Although Xiao Li had never been late, she had never come this early either—it was not even 8 o’clock yet, still an hour away from starting work.

"Actually, I’ve been here since 7 a.m., I couldn’t sleep last night..."

Li Yueqin turned around, her somewhat dark circles confirming what she said.

"Xiao Li, you don’t have to take it so far, even if the pressure is high..."

"No, it’s that I was searching for as much information as possible, but currently there’s no lead!"

Li Yueqin said, opening another webpage, and Zhang Wei was all too familiar with the news on the cover.

"Billionaire Murdered by Trophy Wife, Whither the Ten Billion Legacy?"

Zhang Wei didn’t even need to read the text below; he already knew what it was about.

"Xiao Li, why are you looking at this case? You’re not thinking of..."

"Zhang Wei, come here!"

Li Yueqin gestured for Zhang Wei to come closer.

When Zhang Wei approached, Li Yueqin looked around before whispering, "My dad told me, he heard that one side of this case seems to be looking for a lawyer!"

"Isn’t that normal?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands, displaying disinterest, "After all, it’s a murder case, the prosecution is supposed to sue the wife, isn’t it only right for her to find a lawyer for defense?"

"That’s not it!"

But Li Yueqin shook her head and opened another webpage. "It’s not that wife who’s looking for a lawyer, it’s them!"

The webpage displayed a photo of the movie tycoon while he was alive.

He was chatting and laughing jovially with several of his subordinates by his side, a broad smile on his face.

"You mean, it’s the film company’s board of directors looking for a lawyer?"

Zhang Wei quickly picked up on something and his expression grew serious.

It wasn’t the wife who was looking for a lawyer, but the film company’s board of directors seeking legal help.

But this case could very likely be a case of self-defense, and it was unclear if the deceased’s family would want to sue. Why would the board need to find a lawyer?

"Family inheritance, wait, that’s not right. If it were just about inheritance, the company’s legal department could handle it. Could it be..."

Zhang Wei realized that the case might not be as straightforward as it seemed.

Moreover, a case involving a billionaire meant one thing!

Money!

Such cases were sure to make money, and a lot of it at that!

"Xiao Li, is your information reliable?"

"My dad mentioned it, but I’m not sure if it’s true. However, by the look of it, it should be accurate..."

"Then let’s assume the case is real and the board of directors is also looking for a lawyer. Are you confident in handling this type of case?"

"This... I..."

Cornered by Zhang Wei’s question, Li Yueqin was at a loss for words.

As a criminal defense lawyer, her main focus was supposed to be on criminal cases.

If the board was looking for a lawyer, it was likely not for a criminal case but rather a commercial one, which wasn’t her specialty.

What’s more, nothing was set in stone about this matter yet.

Even if Li Yueqin wanted to take it, whether or not the client would choose her was another issue.

Truth be told, Li Yueqin had her reservations.

There were plenty of lawyers in Dongfang Capital and loads of law firms; a professional firm would be sought after, not a criminal lawyer like her.

"Zhang Wei, I feel like there really is no hope, and they might not even want me..."

"Alright then, I understand!"

After a moment of thought and a cool analysis, Zhang Wei decided to lend Xiao Li a hand.

After all, they were teammates, and seeing how earnest she was today, he couldn’t stand by without helping.

Zhang Wei patted Li Yueqin on the shoulder, encouraging her, "Xiao Li, don’t give up just yet. I’ll fight this case with you. Let’s go see the company’s board of directors later, and if we can negotiate with them, we’ll hit the jackpot!"

"Zhang Wei, you’re going to help me?"

"Of course. We’re good teammates; I’ll definitely help you!"

Zhang Wei gestured for Li Yueqin to stay calm. With him involved in the case, they were sure to make it work!

The two then started to plot their course of action in the office.

At 8:30, Tie Ruyun and Tie Cuilan just arrived at the office.

"Old Tie, Xiao Li and I are heading out. We’re going to pull off a big one this time!"

But as soon as they got there, they saw Zhang Wei leaving with Li Yueqin.

"What are you guys up to... What’s this case about? You said you’re going to pull off a big one?"

"You haven’t seen the headlines of all the news lately, have you? It’s that case!"

Having said that, Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin had already vanished into the corridor.

"What headline?"

Tie Ruyun immediately picked up a newspaper and flipped to the front page.

"The death of Ren Xinwei, tycoon of Dongfang Capital’s film industry— is his wife Zhu Tianying the murderer?"

...

Ren’s Film Industry.

As a major group in Dongfang Capital’s entertainment industry, Ren’s Film Industry naturally had office space in the city.

They occupied an entire five floors in the high-end business district in the city center and also had a film and television base of tens of thousands of square meters in the suburbs—all assets of Ren’s Film Industry.

They have propelled many stars to fame, and among the first-tier actors in the Southern region, quite a few belonged to Ren’s Film Industry.

Due to the rapid development of the entertainment industry in recent years, Ren’s Film Industry’s market value neared 60 billion, and its owner, Ren Xinwei, was once ranked seventh among the top ten billionaires of Dongfang Capital.

Regrettably, he was dead!

And now, Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin were sitting in the reception hall of Ren’s Film Industry’s office, waiting to meet with the company’s board of directors.

Usually, as defense lawyers in the criminal division, they were not in a position to meet with the board of directors.

But when Zhang Wei handed out a business card from Jin Cheng Law Firm, the receptionist still reported the information to the higher-ups truthfully.

"Mister Tie, please have a seat in the lobby. The president and others are still in a meeting!"

The receptionist personally brewed a cup of tea for Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin, then asked them to wait.

"It’s decided. We need to get to the matter of the business cards soon. We can’t keep using Old Tie’s card every time. I’m even tired of it, and if a client asks, I’d have to explain for half a day."

Using Tie Ruyun’s business card again made Zhang Wei realize how urgently he needed his own.

Unfortunately, Jin Cheng Law Firm would not create business cards for interns.

Intern lawyers weren’t expected to take on cases. Generally, they would work under a licensed lawyer for a year. Someone like Zhang Wei, needing a business card to meet clients, was almost unheard of.

The matter of the business card, Zhang Wei took note for the time being, planning to report back to Old Tie once he returned.

But for now, he had to concentrate on the present.

"Zhang Wei, is it my illusion, or do I feel like many of those seated around us are..."

"It’s not your illusion, they are all lawyers!"

When it came to sizing people up, especially peers in the profession, Zhang Wei dared to claim he was the best in the Criminal Division, perhaps even the best in Jin Cheng Law Firm and the entire Dongfang Capital Lawyer Circle.

A mere glance was all he needed to realize that, besides the two of them, many other lawyers were sitting around.

"Xiao Li, didn’t you say that your dad told you this information secretly? How come it doesn’t seem like that to me?"

"I’m not sure either, he also just heard it..."

Li Yueqin was also taken aback, so many lawyers had come, the news seemed to be common knowledge.

"Don’t panic, I’ll go and probe them for information!"

Zhang Wei said and drank most of his tea, then walked towards the counter to get a refill.

But his real aim was two lawyers seated near the counter, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"This time Ren’s Film Industry is looking for lawyers, I wonder what’s going on. It must be an internal inheritance dispute, right?"

"I heard that Ren Xinwei didn’t leave a will before he died. He had several wives publicly, and just among the eligible heirs, there are four. These people will certainly fight over the family wealth!"

"Actually, that’s not all. Ren Xinwei was the big boss at Ren’s Film Industry, having made who knows how many stars famous. Those female stars, in order to rise in rank, definitely used some methods, and young Boss Ren was famously suave and debonair. I reckon he also had quite a few illegitimate children, huh?"

"Who knows about that, the entertainment industry’s waters are deep, we don’t need to get involved, just need to know who our client is and how much of the inheritance they want to claim!"

"I think so too, but if it’s an inheritance issue, do they need to spread the word outside?"

"Who knows why, maybe Ren’s Film Industry just likes it this way. After all, they’re in the entertainment circle; they probably enjoy having more people attend the event..."

Listening to their conversation, Zhang Wei still had an idea of what was going on.

After getting another cup of hot tea, he returned to his seat and began to exchange information with Li Yueqin.

"Good heavens, Ren’s Film Industry had already released the news long ago, your dad’s intelligence is outdated, but it seems we’ve arrived just in time!"

"I can tell, those who came this time are small fries, many are inheritance lawyers. The real big players are probably still on their way, or maybe they’ve already had contact with Ren’s Film Industry in advance!"

Ding-dong!

At that moment, the elevator doors opened.

Thump thump thump!

A series of hasty footsteps followed, and then a man in a dark red plaid suit was seen walking in, surrounded by eight or nine men in suits.

"That is... Young Master Qin!"

"Even he was summoned!"

"I didn’t expect Ren’s Film Industry to invite someone from Longteng International!"

Seeing the man, many people erupted in surprise.

"Longteng International, isn’t that the law firm ranked second in Dongfang Capital’s Top Ten Firms?"

Zhang Wei looked at the man, his expression becoming slightly grave.

This person known as Young Master Qin seemed to be somewhat capable, at least a lot more formidable than Young Master Lin who was merely a second-generation rich kid.

However, what Zhang Wei didn’t anticipate was that Young Master Qin was merely the beginning.

Following him, several more lawyers stepped out of the elevator.

"Isn’t that Lawyer Zhao from Baisheng?"

"Goodness, Lawyer Qi from Xicheng!"

"Lawyer Tian from Yongjie has also arrived."

Among this group, Zhang Wei saw a few familiar faces.

At last year’s East University Law School gala, these individuals had all made appearances, though they had little interaction with Zhang Wei.

It was unexpected, the people who were seniors in the legal field before were now competing on the same stage as Zhang Wei.

Compared to Zhang Wei, however, these big law firm’s people didn’t need to queue; they walked straight into the headquarters of Ren’s Film Industry.

The lawyers in the reception hall didn’t dare say anything upon seeing this since the difference in levels was quite apparent.

Half an hour later, someone finally arrived.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the president and his team have finished their meeting!"

Following a receptionist’s announcement, Zhang Wei, and the others were led into the headquarters of Ren’s Film Industry.

In a large office.

There was a U-shaped long table in the center, with high-level executives of Ren’s Film Industry on one side and several well-known lawyers from the Top Ten Firms on the other.

There were quite a few high-level executives of Ren’s Film Industry present, but even more lawyers from Dongfang Capital.

For instance, Qin Dashao from Longteng International sat at one side of the U-shaped table, while his subordinates could only stand behind him to maintain presence.

Zhang Wei and Li Yueqin were also seated in the corner.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, someone from Ren’s Film Industry finally stood up.

"Thank you, esteemed lawyer friends, for coming to support us. I am the executive president of Ren’s Film Industry, my surname is Ding, and you can call me President Ding. We have invited you here today because we would like to ask for your assistance with an issue at Ren’s Film Industry!"

"President Ding, what do you mean by that? It’s not like Ren’s Film Industry is going bankrupt, and besides, even though Chairman Ren has met with misfortune, with the board of directors supporting the company, it shouldn’t have any problems, right?"

"It turns out to be the young master Qin Shaocong from Longteng. However, you are unaware, it’s exactly because of Chairman Ren’s incident that our Ren’s Film Industry has been facing troubles recently!"

President Ding hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded to his secretary.

The latter immediately turned on the projector and started displaying a PowerPoint presentation.

"Huh, what is this agreement..."

"This is the property inheritance agreement of Zhu Tianying, the current wife of Chairman Ren. It was sent by her. If the process is completed according to this, she would inherit the entire Ren’s Film Industry, a venture valued at 60 billion, as well as the entire decision-making power of the board of directors, including veto rights, and so on. All these were previously Chairman Ren’s powers and would be inherited by Miss Zhu, his sole spouse."

"Sole spouse, what about Chairman Ren’s ex-wife and children..."

"They are not the current wife, but the ex-wife, so a different inheritance agreement will be executed. I know we will end up in court with them eventually, but at this stage, we don’t have the energy to worry about that!"

Having said that, President Ding sighed, "Right now, we are busy placating the other shareholders of the board of directors and dealing with the impact of Chairman Ren’s death on the company’s stocks. These matters are already giving us enough headaches, and now Miss Zhu has even sent us a lawyer’s letter!"

"A lawyer’s letter, which law firm took up that woman’s commission?"

"It’s Blackfoot Law Firm, and the letter was sent by Lawyer Hu Yaode!"

Hearing that name, the entire office fell into sudden silence.

Blackfoot Law Firm, Hu Yaode.

That name held significant pressure within the Dongfang Capital Lawyer Circle.

"President Ding, you invited us here today, could it be you want us to negotiate with Blackfoot? And here I thought your company invited us over for inheritance issues?"

Qin Shaocong from Longteng sensed the crux of the issue.

"Regarding the inheritance issues, we have no plans to execute it at the moment. The main problem for our Ren’s Film Industry at this time rests with the issue of Miss Zhu Tianying inheriting the company’s shares. If this woman takes control of the company, Ren’s Film Industry might never recover..."

Upon hearing this, many understood.

Ren’s Film Industry has invited you not for the inheritance issue but to confront Blackfoot.

"President Ding, I have an urgent matter, I must take my leave now!"

"President Ding, let’s find an opportunity to collaborate next time!"

"Hey, I just got a call from a client, I need to step out first!"

Upon the realization that Blackfoot was the opponent, many people at the scene cowered.

Some small law firms or independent lawyers immediately found excuses to flee.

In reality, whether they made excuses or not didn’t matter because President Ding had no hopes pinned on them from the get-go.

His gaze directly bypassed the ones who fled the scene and turned to the few who had remained.

At least these people were not afraid of Blackfoot.

"Eh, there are still two who haven’t left?"

But then President Ding suddenly caught sight of something unbelievable. He saw the two lawyers who had originally been sitting in the corner not only not leaving but also moving their chairs to the farthest corner of the U-shaped table.

"Old Qi, please move a bit to the side and make room for the two of us!"

Lawyer Qi, who was originally sitting on one side, reluctantly moved two steps to the side to make room for the two newcomers.

However, he was muttering in his heart, wondering who these two young people were, calling him Old Qi without any respect for seniority.

"You are..." President Ding looked at the two, utterly baffled.

"Oh, let me introduce myself. Jincheng Law Firm’s Criminal Division, Zhang Wei!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei announce his name, many in the room appeared baffled.

But Qin Shaocong’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

"You are that Zhang Wei. In the Fang Yunshu case, I heard you won against Procuratorate Headquarters’ Lan Gaojian!"

"Oh, I only sought to serve justice for my client. It’s not about winning or losing..."

Zhang Wei waved his hand modestly.

Upon hearing of the Fang Yunshu case, everyone in the room had more or less an impression of it.

After all, it was the first murder prosecution case of the year, and being insiders, they were naturally aware of the weight of the case.

Hence, when they realized that the young man before them was the lead defense attorney for the Fang Yunshu case, they recognized the abilities of the visitor.

"Actually the defense attorney for the Fang Yunshu case, he must be extremely adept at handling criminal cases!"

Especially President Ding, his gaze towards Zhang Wei changed.

It became somewhat inexplicably excited!