Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 301 - 299: Good Son Acknowledges Dad? Jincheng Club

Chapter 301: Chapter 299: Good Son Acknowledges Dad? Jincheng Club

Wednesday, 4 PM.

Procuratorate Headquarters, Serious Crime Division Office.

In the innermost manager’s office, Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng both sat in silence, their heads bowed, not saying a word.

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the office was oppressively somber.

From time to time, they could hear a group of newcomers outside the office bantering and chatting.

"They settled it?"

"Just because the old man testified in court, the director caved?"

"Even though Director Guo looked pretty timid after being scolded by the old man, wasn’t this case a sure win for a conviction?"

"I don’t get why the director would settle, I just don’t get it, doesn’t that mean we lost again?"

"There’s no use in us subordinates guessing the leader’s intentions, maybe there’s a deeper reason?"

"What deeper reason? To me, it looks more like a shady deal, that defense attorney even managed to get Director Guo’s father involved, who knows what they might have..."

"Shh, keep your voice down, be careful the director hears you!"

"Even if there’s something between the leader and that defense attorney, it’s not for us to discuss. Worst comes to worst, we just pretend we don’t know, right?"

"Oh, got it, got it!"

The newcomers’ discussions gradually quieted down, but from time to time, some heads would still turn to look in the direction of the office.

"Sigh——"

After a long while, Guo Wufeng let out a deep sigh.

"Old Zhao, I think I should just submit my resignation to the prosecutor general!"

Despite the outrage in his heart, and his feeling of injustice, he thought it was all meaningless.

He had lost to Zhang Wei and had been humiliated in court; he had no face left to continue at the Procuratorate Headquarters.

Moreover, before the case started, the prosecutor general had personally called Zhao Chunming with a reminder.

Now that the case had failed, someone had to take the blame.

If it had been in the past, it would have been the public prosecutor’s burden to bear.

But now, the main public prosecutor on the case was him, Guo Wufeng!

He couldn’t possibly push the blame onto the minor responsible person, Xiao Chen, could he?

That person had already been transferred to Bei Chong Island and was no longer part of their headquarters, obviously not responsible for the failure.

There must be someone to review the failure of the case.

And the person to bear the brunt of it could only be him.

"Old Guo, I share the responsibility for losing this case, you can’t bear it all alone!"

Zhao Chunming, in that moment, still showed some loyalty, after all, it was he who couldn’t withstand the pressure and ultimately gave Zhang Wei an opportunity.

Or rather, it was his capitulation that led to the defeat of the case.

Zhao Chunming felt that the blame had to be shared; Old Guo couldn’t be the only one to take the fall.

Ding-a-ling!

Suddenly, the landline rang.

"It’s the prosecutor general!"

Seeing the caller ID on the landline, Zhao Chunming’s forehead began to sweat.

Guo Wufeng, sitting on the sofa, didn’t dare to let out a breath.

Because he knew that once the case was over, the prosecutor general would personally call to inquire about it, and he saw no way out.

In the end, he had lost...

Though he was filled with lament, the call still had to be answered.

Zhao Chunming took a deep breath, then rapidly picked up the phone.

"Prosecutor general, I know we did wrong, and Old Guo and I are willing to accept punishment!"

"But this matter, the responsibility lies with me. Old Guo was forced into a corner; you don’t know how bad that kid Zhang Wei is, he actually dared..."

"Hm? Prosecutor general, what did you say?"

"...You say, it’s no big deal?"

"Sorry, let me reconfirm, we lost the case, but we don’t have to..."

"Oh, oh, I understand, I’ll convey your exact words to him..."

"Yes, yes, you’re right, it’s just a case, no big deal, victory or defeat is a common thing in war, yes, yes, you’re absolutely right..."

Amid the obsequious laughter, Zhao Chunming waited for the prosecutor general to hang up before setting the phone down.

"What did the prosecutor general say?"

"The prosecutor general said, it’s okay that you lost the case... He also told me to relay to you that winning or losing this case doesn’t matter, and not to be burdened by it. He made it clear he won’t blame you..."

Zhao Chunming relayed the prosecutor general’s exact words, his face showing utter bewilderment.

Was this really the same cold, merciless prosecutor general who wouldn’t tolerate the slightest error?

How come he was so agreeable today?

In the past, he would call his subordinates into the office for a scolding even over a minor lost case.

Today I lost to Zhang Wei again, but he just laughed and asked a few questions, and that was it?

"So, should I still submit my resignation letter?"

Guo Wufeng tentatively asked.

"Submit my ass, the Chief Prosecutor said it’s fine, so it’s fine!"

Zhao Chunming waved his hand dismissively and then pressed his forehead, needing to think about why the Chief Prosecutor had suddenly changed his usually strict attitude.

Was it because he kept losing to Zhang Wei and had lost hope in people like himself?

Or maybe there was some unspeakable secret between the Chief Prosecutor and Zhang Wei?

Or was it simply that the Chief Prosecutor was in a good mood for once?

In any case, Old Guo’s position was safe, which was a relief.

Knock knock knock!

The door to the office was knocked.

"Director, someone is on the phone for you!" a girl exclaimed from outside.

This girl was a newcomer from the Minor Crime Division, whom Guo Wufeng recognized.

He also knew that for this newcomer to come to the Serious Crime Division next door, she was likely looking for him, not Zhao Chunming.

"What’s the matter?"

"Someone called, said they were looking for you, and they said their name is Zhang Wei!"

"Zhang Wei?!"

Hearing that name, Guo Wufeng’s eyes widened in shock.

It was this kid who called his old dad from the town next door to scold him in front of the entire courtroom.

And he couldn’t even talk back. He could only bow his head and take the scolding, which was a massive humiliation!

God knows how much effort Guo Wufeng had put into getting his father to leave.

And now Zhang Wei dared to call. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

Guo Wufeng snatched the phone from the newcomer’s hand and roared, "Hello, Zhang Wei, why the hell are you calling, the case is over, the settlement agreement is signed, are you looking for trouble?"

"Old Guo, you’re forgetting something, aren’t you? There were too many people in the courtroom earlier. I didn’t want to embarrass you, but now it’s just you and me on the phone, aren’t you going to make good on what you said?"

"What did I say? I don’t remember."

"Oh, you don’t remember? Then let me remind you, you’re supposed to call me ’Daddy’!"

"Call what daddy, I..."

Guo Wufeng was about to snap back when he suddenly remembered something.

During the preliminary motion proceedings, because he had the upper hand, he let a few boastful words slip.

"If you can turn the tables, I, Guo Wufeng, lay it down here, I’ll call you ’Daddy’ right on the spot!"

That sentence suddenly rang in Guo Wufeng’s ears with crystal clarity.

Of course, because he was the one who had said it!

Fuck!

Guo Wufeng felt bitter inside; he actually said such a thing. Was he really going to call him ’Dad’?

"What’s up, Old Guo, remembered? Hurry up then?!"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Wei began to urge.

"You, don’t push it too far!"

Guo Wufeng obviously chickened out, his voice becoming unnatural.

Having him call Zhang Wei ’Dad’, wasn’t that acknowledging a thief as his father?

This was a thousand times worse than killing him, worse by immeasurable degrees!

"Alright then, since you, Old Guo, are so faithless, let’s just forget it. But be careful, if some recording happens to appear on the Procuratorate Headquarters’ official website the day after tomorrow, don’t mind it, ha. Maybe some hacker is playing a prank~"

"Are you threatening me?"

"A threat? You really are funny. I’m just stating a possible future, if you want to sue me for threatening, go ahead and try!"

Zhang Wei’s voice was filled with mockery and teasing. After all, he made this call purely to kick someone when they’re down.

I won the case. The defendant isn’t going to jail, the plea agreement is signed, what can you do to me?

Now, I’m just having you, Guo Wufeng, keep your word.

If Old Guo doesn’t even have that much integrity, then don’t blame me!

Guo Wufeng thought, if only he could turn back time, he would never have said such arrogant words!

Unfortunately, time doesn’t go in reverse!

"You little bastard... you’ve gone too far, I..."

Guo Wufeng gritted his teeth, seething internally, but eventually he squeezed out through clenched teeth, "... today, I’ll call you ’Daddy’... Daddy, did you hear that..."

"Hey, good son, your daddy heard you!"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Wei chuckled smugly.

"You little shit, remember this, the humiliation I, Guo Wufeng, suffered today, I will definitely return it to you double one day, I..."

"Beep beep beep..."

Guo Wufeng wanted to spew a few more harsh words, but the call had already disconnected into a busy tone.

Zhang Wei had hung up the phone.

"Fuck!"

In the end, a myriad of words condensed into one curse.

Guo Wufeng didn’t care that he was in his own office; he roared to the sky.

...

Jincheng Law Firm.

Criminal Division Office.

Inside Zhang Wei’s own office.

After he hung up the phone, the smile on his face lingered for a long time.

"Old Guo, old Guo, this should teach you, one should never be too cocky!"

Just thinking about Guo Wufeng calling him "Dad" a moment ago, he burst into laughter.

Guo Wufeng would probably remember this forever; it might even become a psychological shadow for him.

"Master, I brought you some snacks!"

Right at that moment, the office door was pushed open, and his apprentice Lin Yumeng walked in carrying several bags of snacks.

The apprentice was in a very good mood, her big eyes squinting into crescents as she smiled.

"Xiao Meng, you’re in a good mood today, even thinking of getting me snacks?"

"Of course, Master! You won the case; I’m your apprentice, so naturally, I’m happy~"

The apprentice said, placing the snacks directly on Zhang Wei’s desk.

"Really?" Zhang Wei squinted his eyes, scrutinizing his little apprentice.

"Tell me, how much did you win?"

"5000 bucks!"

The apprentice instinctively replied, then realized Zhang Wei was looking at her with a smirk.

"Master, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have gambled or even placed bets. I’m the group leader; I should have stopped the newcomers from doing such things!"

The apprentice quickly realized her mistake and hastened to apologize.

"Xiao Meng, I’m very disappointed in you..."

Zhang Wei shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Master, I know I was wrong!"

The apprentice was about to cry; Zhang Wei actually said that about her.

"You actually placed a bet and didn’t even tell me. Such an interesting event, how could I not participate!"

"Huh?"

The next words from Zhang Wei left the apprentice dumbfounded, mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

"Alright, go on out. I was just joking with you. All the newcomers outside don’t have much money; do you really think I expect to squeeze some cash out of them? They’d hate my guts!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand to dismiss his apprentice.

He had participated in betting as a newcomer himself.

The atmosphere in the office actually benefited from betting on the outcomes of cases; it was quite the morale booster.

Everyone getting involved added momentum; it was actually a good thing.

Of course, gambling, in essence, is wrong.

You can bet, but you should do so with restraint; never expect to make money from betting!

Zhang Wei thought as he busied himself with work once again.

A while later.

"Time to get off work!"

After handling a bit of work, he glanced at the time, and it was the end of the work day.

He stretched lazily, loosening up his body, and naturally, Zhang Wei left work on time.

Inside the Criminal Division, the newcomers were still gathered, discussing.

The topic of discussion was naturally Zhang Wei’s case.

"My God, who would have thought Lawyer Zhang could win like that?"

"I might not understand, but I am deeply shocked!"

"Bringing the prosecutor’s father to testify, I really hadn’t thought of such a thing!"

"Why haven’t the teachers ever taught us these tricks?"

"Isn’t that obvious? We went to law school, where all we learnt was the law. The teachers would never teach us courtroom tactics."

"I feel like I can learn a lot from Lawyer Zhang, at least this first case blew me away!"

"I heard Lawyer Zhang even once subpoenaed the opposition’s witness, and even the prosecutor to testify, it’s truly incredible!"

"Yeah, Lawyer Zhang, he..."

The newcomers’ conversation came to an abrupt halt because Zhang Wei had come out.

"You guys continue chatting; I’m off work~"

Zhang Wei waved to them and then headed straight out.

"I’m really envious. Lawyer Zhang not only has great abilities but also gets off work so early."

"I’ve heard from the seniors that after joining the law firm, they never get off work before 9 p.m. There are always endless tasks to do. But look at Lawyer Zhang; he’s off work at 5 p.m."

"That’s what you call capability. If I had Lawyer Zhang’s skills, I’d also leave at 5 p.m. every day and enjoy my weekends off. That’s truly living the dream..."

It turns out that as long as you are capable, even some not-so-good things will be endlessly praised by others.

Take Zhang Wei’s example of not working overtime; to these newcomers, that’s seen as a sign of strength.

But if an average lawyer didn’t work overtime, well, that would certainly be seen as a lack of ambition.

...

The next morning, bright and early.

When Zhang Wei returned to his office, he found an additional golden invitation card on his desk.

"What’s this? It’s actually from the Jincheng Lawyer’s Club; isn’t that the one by Jincheng Group..."

Spotting the information on the invitation card, Zhang Wei became interested.

He had heard of this club before; it was founded by the big boss to create a platform for lawyers in Dongfang Capital.

Of course, such a club wasn’t for just anyone to join.

You had to have ability, level, and status.

Take for instance the lawyers from the Top Ten Firms compared to the common street lawyers – could they even be in the same league?

The Jincheng Lawyer’s Club was exclusively for providing services and facilitating gatherings and exchange among lawyers of the Top Ten Firms and some mid to high-end law offices.

To join, you at least had to be a partner in a medium-sized firm or above. Small law office owners didn’t even qualify to join.

Of course, with Zhang Wei’s current qualifications, he naturally could join.

It’s just that he previously didn’t have much interest in the club.

After all, the club’s owner was Lin Xiangtian.

With the boss at that level, what could be interesting inside?

But now, well, they’ve sent an invitation card, so he must go and pay a visit, and it’s also a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the place.

"Zhang Wei, did you receive an invitation card too?"

Outside, the voice of Tie Ruyun could be heard.

In his hands, he also held a golden invitation card.

Clearly, the lawyers had sent him one too.

"Old Tie, isn’t it expected for us to receive invitation cards?"

Zhang Wei chuckled with a serene expression.

On the contrary, Tie Ruyun looked excited: "This is an invitation card from the Jincheng Lawyer’s Club! I applied before but didn’t get through. I didn’t expect them to send me an invitation card this time."

"Old Tie, have you ever heard the saying, ’thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west’? Now you’re a partner of Jincheng and a leader of a major department. If you didn’t have an invitation card, that wouldn’t be fitting, right?"

While speaking, Zhang Wei poked Tie Ruyun’s arm and suggested with a smile, "How about we go take a look?"

"This... Isn’t it inappropriate? It’s working hours right now..."

"No problem, our department isn’t that busy. We’ve got all newcomers; how could there be any cases?"

As Zhang Wei spoke, he pointed to the inside of the office, where Li Yueqin was conducting training with the newcomers on certain topics.

"Look, Xiao Li can handle it completely on his own. In fact, he’s eager to take the lead for once, so you might as well fulfill his wish."

Tie Ruyun looked outside too, and sure enough, Li Yueqin was instructing over twenty newcomers with evident excitement.

"Well... Okay then..."

In the end, Old Tie nodded in agreement.

The two made a quick decision and set off.

When they went to the underground parking lot to get their cars, Zhang Wei noticed that Tie Ruyun was still driving that old car.

"Old Tie, you’re a department leader now. Driving this car... doesn’t it devalue your status?"

"I’m used to it. It’s just a car..."

"Forget it, today you ride with me. There’s plenty of room anyway!"

Zhang Wei said, gesturing with his hand.

Zhang Xinyan quickly arrived driving a black SUV.

"Man, this thing must guzzle gas, right?"

Seeing the big brand vehicle, Tie Ruyun was momentarily taken aback.

That kid Zhang Wei really had it going on: not only did he own a several million-dollar car, but he also had a driver to boot.

Someone unaware might think Zhang Wei was the department leader and he was the subordinate.

"SUVs are like that, huge gas guzzlers, but I earn enough to afford the fuel costs. As long as they don’t keep raising the fuel prices every day and irritate me, I’m not likely to switch cars."

Once they got into the car, Zhang Wei waved his hand grandly and instructed the driver, "Let’s go, to Jincheng Club!"

Zhang Xinyan naturally hit the accelerator, taking off with both of them.

Their destination was of course the Jincheng Lawyer’s Club, owned by Lin Xiangtian.