Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 288 - 286: Five Great Families, Secret Meeting

Chapter 288: Chapter 286: Five Great Families, Secret Meeting

In the evening, at Zhang’s Martial Arts School.

After Lu Ma prepared the medicine, she fed it to Zhang Xinwu, who slowly regained consciousness.

However, she had taken a direct punch from Hua Chaoli and had internal injuries, so she couldn’t get up for the time being.

And having learned of Hua Chaofan’s true identity, Zhang Xinwu’s face inevitably remained unsettled.

Because Hua Chaofan was the son of Old Master Hua and the rightful heir to the Hua Family Mansion.

Once he acquired the inheritance rights and exercised the disposal power of Zhao Mansion as the heir, he could evict Zhang Xinwu and others.

Three months, after all, was merely a struggle.

At the bedside, Zhang Wei looked at the pale-faced Zhang Xinwu.

"Did Old Master Hua ever mention this person to you while he was alive?"

"No!"

Zhang Xinwu shook her head, her face filled with melancholy, "In fact, our agreement with Old Master Hua was only verbal because my father and others once saved his life, and he said we could use this mansion for as long as we needed."

"But he’s dead, and his son clearly had a bad relationship with his father!" Zhang Wei muttered and shook his head.

If the father and son had a good relationship, how could Zhang Xinwu not even have heard of Hua Chaofan’s name?

And when Hua Chaofan mentioned his own father, there was no trace of respect.

When he came to take back the mansion, there was also no reverence on his face; it was as if he faced not his ancestral home but just an ordinary object that could be exchanged for money.

"Zhang Wei, is there any way to stop them? I don’t want to lose the martial arts school!"

Zhang Xinwu clutched Zhang Wei’s hand tightly, a glint of hope on her face.

"Sister Xiao Wu, he’s the legal heir. If he wants to take back his house, there’s nothing I can do. Three months is already the limit of my help!"

Zhang Wei shook his head but then added, "Fortunately, there are still three months; you can prepare for the martial arts tournament!"

"To my knowledge, the top prize of the martial arts tournament is over ten million, plus various endorsement contracts from sponsors. You can completely find another venue in Dongfang Capital to open a martial arts school; the scale might even be bigger than the Hua Family’s estate!"

"I hope so..."

Zhang Xinwu, encouraged by Zhang Wei’s words, managed a forced smile.

Zhang Wei naturally knew that although the top prize of the martial arts tournament was generous, it was all intangible for the time being.

And Zhang’s Martial Arts School was a tangible asset.

In the end, Hua Chaofan was ultimately the biggest issue.

Just thinking about the enigmatic nature of this man gave Zhang Wei a headache.

Who exactly was this person?

And another thing, why did this person know the Lin Family?

To get clarity on this, Zhang Wei thought it over for a moment and decided to ask Zhao Qingyan next door.

Unfortunately, it was a workday, and Zhao Qingyan hadn’t come back.

If Uncle Zhao were to return, perhaps he could answer Zhang Wei’s questions.

After all, Zhao Mansion, Lin Mansion, and Zhang’s Martial Arts School in the Hua Mansion were supposed to have generation-long ties.

After all, their mansions were all connected.

"Speaking of which, where on earth is Uncle Zhao?"

Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment, glanced at the sky, and feeling the timing was still acceptable, called Zhao Qingyan’s number.

Even though the latter was a programmer, at this time, he should be able to take a break, right?

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unreachable. Please try again later! Sorry..."

"This..."

Looking at the unreachable number, Zhang Wei was somewhat surprised.

Because in the evenings, Zhao Qingyan wasn’t usually too busy, but today was quite out of the ordinary.

...

Meanwhile, in a hidden place somewhere in Dongfang Capital.

In a dim room, the light was feeble, and visibility was very low.

Click, click, click!

Faint lights from above shone down, illuminating five spots, each several meters apart.

There was a chair in each spot, and on several chairs, one could vaguely make out a person sitting.

They were all wearing white masks, concealing their faces.

Behind a few of them, the silhouettes of several people could be faintly seen, clearly indicating they had not come alone.

"Zhang Tianlong, what’s the meaning of this? Although you’re the current head of the Zhang Family, you can’t just summon us for a meeting like this, can you?"

"And what’s with the masks at every meeting? Don’t you find it pointless? We all know each other inside out. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize you, Zhang Tianlong, just because you’re wearing a mask?"

On one of the chairs, a fat man with a large figure spoke with an impatient tone.

"Hmph, Lin Family’s Second Fatty, you spend your days playing golf, and your skills are terrible to top it off. When have you ever been busy?"

"As for the masks, haven’t you heard of ritual significance? The older generation of our Five Great Families agreed that what we want is this sense of mystery, understand?"

Another man, strong and muscular, scoffed disdainfully from his seat.

"What do you mean by that, Wu Er? You dare speak to me, a martial man, in such a manner?" The fat man retorted angrily and suddenly stood up.

"What, want to spar with me? How about we practice a little?" The muscular man replied with a mocking sneer, his contempt growing stronger.

"Hmph, you’re lucky; I won’t bother arguing with you roughnecks from the Wu Family today!" The fat man sat down again after hearing the man’s words.

Although his tone was mocking and disdainful, he was actually well aware that the people of the Wu Family were martial practitioners, and as someone who did not practice martial arts himself, how could he possibly be a match for them?

Muttering to himself, the fat man then turned his gaze to another silent individual.

"Little Zhao, why aren’t you speaking up for your brother? We had the best relationship when we were kids. We grew up playing together!"

Regrettably, the other party maintained their silence, not even acknowledging the fat man’s words.

"Ahem, Lin’s Second Fatty, Wu Er, can you two calm down for a moment?"

Finally, the person sitting at the head of the group spoke up.

His voice carried an inexplicable authority. Although not loud, it clearly reached the ears of the others and caused the other three to involuntarily look over.

"I’ve called this meeting to inform you of a few major matters!"

"First, Old Master Hua of the Hua Family passed away just one month ago!"

Upon hearing this, the fat man first pursed his lips.

"Old Master Hua, he used to be the miracle doctor of Dongfang Capital back in the day. It’s unexpected that a man who saved countless lives couldn’t save his own."

"It proves the old saying ’a healer can’t heal himself’—"

After speaking, the fat man sighed deeply.

"Right, with Old Master Hua’s death, isn’t our position in the Five Great Families..."

The person at the head of the group gestured with his hand. "That’s precisely the second matter I wanted to talk about!"

"Do you still remember Hua Chaofan?"

"Him?" The fat man was startled for a moment, then memories came flooding back.

"Wasn’t he expelled from the family by Old Master Hua? So, he’s returned?"

The muscular man also spoke up softly as if recalling something.

"Indeed, he has come back, and as the legitimate son of Old Master Hua, he’s naturally entitled to inherit one of the positions within the Five Great Families."

The head of the group said and clapped his hands.

Suddenly, a figure emerged and calmly took a seat in the only empty spot.

"Oh my, Hua Chaofan, I heard you’ve been researching some bio-technology abroad for the past decade. Are you finished with your studies?"

The fat man looked at the newcomer, smiling as he made his sardonic remark.

The person being addressed was Hua Chaofan, who had had a confrontation with Zhang’s Martial Arts School in the evening, and he was now wearing a mask, indistinguishable from the other four seated individuals.

"The research is not yet finished, but it’s nearing completion," he replied coolly, his tone unemotional.

"Well that’s great. But if your research is completed, is there any profit in it for us? Jincheng can invest in you. Whatever you need for seed money, we can provide—five hundred million, one billion..."

"That kind of money is no big deal for us... oh, wait, maybe saying ’no big deal’ sounds too boastful. Let’s call it a middling deal then!"

The fat man laughed heartily, his tone condescending.

"Lin’s Second Fatty, I don’t need your money from Jincheng!"

Hua Chaofan replied with a cold chuckle, showing disdain for the fat man’s offer.

"What are you saying? We all grew up together like brothers, and now you’re being a stranger?"

The fatty wasn’t annoyed at all and was amiable towards everyone else... except for the one surnamed Wu.

"Patriarch Zhang, since we have all met the heir of the Hua Family, is that the end of today’s meeting?"

The robust man spoke again, pointing at Hua Chaofan before asking, "If there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work. The martial arts conference this time is something my dad has repeatedly reminded me about!"

"Can I participate in the martial arts conference?"

Just then, behind Hua Chaofan, a fierce voice sounded.

The owner of the voice was none other than Hua Chaoli, who had previously knocked out Zhang Xinwu.

"Hmm?"

But his interjection had irritated the others, including the head of the table.

"Hua Chaofan, control your subordinate. At the Five Great Families’ meeting, only the decision-makers of each family are allowed to speak!"

The head of the table even sternly warned, then slowly said, "Considering you’ve just inherited this position and don’t understand our rules, I’ll warn you this time, but don’t let it happen again!"

"What if I make the same mistake next time? What will happen?"

"You will lose the qualification of being one of the Five Great Families!"

Hearing the dignified response from the head of the table, Hua Chaofan nodded in compliance, "Okay, I understand!"

But then, he turned to the robust man, "Then let me ask on behalf of Ah Li. Can he participate in the martial arts conference?"

The robust man glanced at the bald man behind Hua Chaofan and gently chuckled, "Of course, he can. The martial arts conference is open to all; if he wants to join, he just needs to go through the proper channels and register!"

As the man spoke, he looked towards the other four, "By the way, this martial arts conference will be the debut battle for that youngster from my Wu Family. If you’re interested, come and support the event!"

"You’re talking about your nephew, right? I remember his dad was a stubborn guy by nature. Back when we were kids, he relied on his martial arts to even beat me up once. Has his son picked up his traits?" The fatty seemed to recall some unhappy memories, his tone clearly annoyed.

"Heh heh, my nephew is much better than my brother. Young people should be proud but also have real talent. This time, my Wu Family is planning to promote him as the leader of the young generation in Dongfang Capital!"

The robust man spoke with a tone full of anticipation.

"Heh heh, a leader?"

The fatty suddenly laughed mockingly, "We all belong to the second generation of the Five Great Families. Among the younger third generation, not to mention others, surely the Young Master Zhang of the Zhang Family should be the leader!"

The fatty’s words made everyone look towards the head of the table.

Young Master Zhang from this generation of the Zhang Family was truly and exceptionally gifted, a prodigy par excellence, a person of remarkable talent!

Although this Young Master Zhang was still quite young, several old-timers of the Five Great Families had mentioned more than once that the Young Master Zhang of the Zhang Family had the bearing of an emperor.

"Haha, Young Master Zhang of the Zhang Family is naturally a dragon among men, a unicorn in this world. My nephew certainly can’t compare. But the Wu Family has always been simple folks. The only thing we can present with pride is our martial arts. Please do come and show your support at this martial arts conference!"

The robust man said before saluting the other four with a clasped fist. He then nodded to the head of the table before standing up and leaving.

The head of the table didn’t stop him and let him go.

"Was the man just now Second Master of the Wu Family?"

Hua Chaofan watched the man leave and asked coldly, "I remember him from when I was a kid, he was always slick and smooth, no wonder Old Master Wu didn’t choose his stubborn eldest son to inherit the family business but instead promoted him to the Wu Family’s decision-maker!"

"Chaofan, you’ve just met the representative of the Wu Family. Now let me introduce the others. I don’t know if you remember them!"

The head of the table pointed to himself first, "You should remember who I am, right?"

"How could I possibly forget Big Brother Zhang, now you have changed your name to Tianlong, right?"

"Yes. Having inherited this honor, I naturally needed a name with the character ’heaven’ to correspond with it. This is the rule of our Zhang Family!"

The head of the table nodded somewhat sentimentally and then pointed at the person who had been silent from the start to the end.

"This is Zhao Qingyan of the Zhao Family, from the Old Ironsmith’s house!"

Hua Chaofan nodded at him, and the latter naturally responded with a nod.

"And this is Lin Xiangtian, the Lin Family’s Second Fatty. You must be very familiar with him; back in the day, he was the rascal among our generation!"

"Haha, Lin Family’s Second Fatty, how could I possibly forget!" Hua Chaofan laughed heartily.

"Zhang Tianlong, you’ve done enough. Don’t think just because your Zhang Family is the foremost of the Five Great Families, you can make fun of me. So what if I’ve got a bit of a big stomach? That means I’m blessed!"

The fatty, hearing them tease him, immediately shook his somewhat fleshy belly, defending his point.

"Speaking of your Lin Family, I just happen to have a question!"

Hua Chaofan suddenly interjected and pulled out a business card.

"Zhang Wei, the ace lawyer of Jincheng Law Firm Criminal Department. He’s your man, isn’t he?"

"Zhang Wei?"

"Ah, that’s the young man who annoys me, yes, he’s one of mine."

Hearing this familiar name, the fatty pondered for a moment and then realized who it was.

Zhang Wei, wasn’t he the one who bypassed him to find his own family’s old man?

Just thinking about what Zhang Wei had done made the fatty feel uncomfortable.

Similarly, the person sitting opposite him changed his expression under the mask when he heard the name Zhang Wei.

"Did this kid offend you?"

"Not really offend, but I went back to the ancestral house today and found out that my old man had rented it out. I wanted to take it back, but this kid stopped me!"

Hearing Hua Chaofan’s explanation, the fatty laughed.

"Oh, I thought it was something serious. Those old houses are just gathering dust. I have rented them out to others as well. Do you really want to refurbish and live there? Forget about it. Living in such old houses is just devaluing yourself~"

"Cough, cough!"

As the fatty was speaking, a soft cough came from across the table.

"Ah, Zhao Qingyan, I wasn’t targeting you. I just think that old houses are uncomfortable to live in, with dust everywhere!"

The fatty quickly waved his hands and complained, "You too, back then we bought houses in Dongjiang Yipin together. Why don’t you live there?"

"I heard from my daughter that you even gave your house away, that was a house worth almost two hundred million. You just give it away like that? Why not give it to me?"

The person opposite ignored the fatty’s teasing and turned to look at Hua Chaofan.

"Zhang Wei is a junior I consider quite good. If you want to do something to him, you might want to ask me first."

"Hahaha, I also think he’s quite good. My younger brother even likes his girlfriend... Oh, not in the way you all are thinking. My brother simply admires her martial skills."

Hua Chaofan waved his hand and then turned to the head of the table, "This time I’m coming back to inherit everything from the old man, and I also want to bring back all the technology I’ve mastered abroad to Dongfang Capital."

"Are you asking for my support?" The person at the head of the table pondered for a moment, understanding what the man before him meant.

"Exactly, I need the support of someone of your stature!"

Hua Chaofan looked at him seriously, "I’ve learned one thing from my many years abroad: to accomplish something well, one’s own efforts are not enough. You also need the help of external forces!"

"Everyone is selfish and greedy. When you set your sights on an industry and make enough money from it, others will be jealous. Likewise, when others dominate an industry, they won’t want anyone else to come in and share the spoils. What I need is an environment where these issues don’t arise!"

"You want to monopolize an industry, which I can’t help you with."

The person at the head of the table shook his head, not that he couldn’t do it, but that he couldn’t help.

"I know your position is high, but you also have many others watching you. However, necessary assistance can still be offered!"

Hua Chaofan continued, then turned to the fatty, "Second Fatty, does your family have any powerful lawyers that can help with this matter?"

"Hua Chaofan, what do you mean? Coming back and making demands of me right away?"

The fatty huffed coldly, clearly annoyed.

"What I’m doing is for the benefit of the Five Great Families. After all, our older generations took an oath that we are as one body!"

Hua Chaofan wasn’t upset, because he knew that the two people in front of him would help him.

Because their older generations took an oath to consolidate the Five Great Families’ influence in Dongfang Capital.

The fatty, hearing "as one body," felt disgruntled.

He glanced at Hua Chaofan, eyeing the business card, "Then why not... use that kid!"

"Not to brag, but as much as this kid is unlikeable, his level as a lawyer is impressively unquestionable."

"Really? Just don’t end up with a paper tiger!"

Hua Chaofan sneered in disbelief.

He looked towards the head of the table, "Brother Zhang, I wonder if you could help me test this kid’s ability. I don’t like the idea of one incompetent person affecting the interests of our Five Great Families."

"Even if I’m using a borrowed knife to kill, I need to know if the knife is sharp enough."

The person at the head of the table fell silent for a moment, then murmured, "As for that, it’s not impossible. I can have someone arrange it..."

"That’s good!"

Seeing the person in charge agree, Hua Chaofan nodded, a smile evident beneath his mask.

"Since that’s the case, you all may disperse. This meeting is adjourned!"

As the person in charge made the announcement again, the other three left their seats and departed in different directions.

"Zhang Wei huh? I have been hearing this name quite a bit lately..."

The man sitting at the head of the table repeated the name to himself.