Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 436 - 432: Endless? Is Zhang Wei a Fool?

Chapter 436: Chapter 432: Endless? Is Zhang Wei a Fool?

Mr. Duanmu Heizu, leading Li Meijia, made an appearance; it was just a small interlude.

Although the identity of the enemy was tricky, Zhang Wei was not afraid.

After all, everyone involved was a lawyer, and even if a showdown was inevitable, the battlefield was the courtroom, at the negotiation table.

There, Zhang Wei wasn’t afraid of anyone.

After wandering around the interior of the auction with Jessica, the two decided to find a relatively secluded spot.

After all, participating in the auction was paramount, and it was a charity evening event where the two of them really weren’t all that interested.

The guests arrived one after another, while Zhang Wei had already taken his companion upstairs.

On the second floor of the auction house, there was an unopened exhibition hall that hadn’t been put to use because it didn’t house any exhibits.

Everyone’s attention was on the lobby and the upcoming auction, so naturally, no one would bother coming to such a desolate place.

This also provided Zhang Wei and Jessica the opportunity for a secret rendezvous.

The two embraced passionately, exchanging a series of fervent kisses, and then Zhang Wei’s hands started to become restless.

"Zhang, doing this, isn’t it a bit..."

Jessica’s face flushed, a tempting crimson spreading across her cheeks.

"I heard the final exhibit won’t start until 9 o’clock, and that leaves us more than an hour, so let’s find something to pass the time. How about we just..."

Zhang Wei’s hands were already climbing towards the summit.

Tap tap tap...

But suddenly, a discordant sound of footsteps interrupted them.

"Fuck!"

Zhang Wei frowned and cursed inwardly.

Who is it? Don’t you have any public decency? Coming to such a secluded place?

Can’t you see I’m about to "get to work"? Don’t you know the soiree hasn’t started and I’m getting ready to let loose?

However, Zhang Wei could only curse privately at the interruption, then quickly pulled Jessica into an entrance of a passageway and hid in a shadowed spot, concealing their figures.

The person who had appeared was a woman in a pitch-black tracksuit, with a slender figure, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.

Strangely, she was holding a sports bag in her hand.

After arriving here, she looked around to make sure this exhibition hall was not in use, and finally stopped moving.

With no exhibits housed and no people around, naturally, there was no surveillance.

The woman removed her outer jacket, then took out a waiter’s tailcoat and black trousers from the bag and changed into them on the spot.

Once she had changed her clothes, she took out some work-related credentials from the bag, appearing as though she was a staff member of the auction house.

Within 5 minutes, the woman tidied up the scene, then shouldering the bag, she looked around, confirming once more that no one was there before choosing a path leading to the back of the auction hall, disappearing into it.

It was not until she had left that Zhang Wei, leading Jessica, emerged from the shadows.

"Well, this woman is a pro!"

Without guessing, he could tell from that scene that this woman was very likely a "gentleman on the beam," looking to infiltrate the auction and carry out some sort of activity.

No wonder, with the Dongfang Capital First Auction planning to present the 2 billion-valued Heart of the Ocean, not to mention other pieces.

It’s natural that these treasures would attract butterflies, right?

"Zhang, should we notify security..."

"Notify security for what? They won’t catch that woman!"

Zhang Wei stopped Jessica, then looked towards the direction where the woman had left.

"This woman is obviously a professional. Just by observing her actions and equipment, I know she’ll act with a plan. If we notify security and they go on alert, she definitely won’t make a move but will instead slip away."

"To be honest, I actually hope the auction gets a little exciting. After all, those treasures have little to do with us, and I’d rather watch a good show than get involved."

"And besides, Jessica, shouldn’t we be continuing..."

As he spoke, Zhang Wei once again pulled Jessica into his embrace, his hands beginning to wander again.

"Zhang, you really are..."

The two shared another passionate kiss, ready to engage in some indescribable deeds.

"Thump thump thump..."

But once again, the sound of footsteps directly interrupted their progression.

"Good lord, here we go again!"

Zhang Wei could only sigh and pull Jessica back into the spot they had hidden before.

They saw two men dressed as waiters appear at the entrance of the exhibition hall; the pair looked around, then shook their heads.

One of them pointed towards a window, "This is the second floor. It may not be in use, but the position by the window outside is open and dangerous, it’s not safe to go this way!"

The other one thought for a moment, then pointed down, "Then we’ll use the basement. The basement is a better escape point!"

"Agreed!"

The two seemed to have finished their discussion, and they left together.

Once he confirmed that the pair had walked far away, Zhang Wei then pulled Jessica out again.

"Wow, what kind of evil spirits are all coming out now, huh?"

"Zhang, are you sure we shouldn’t notify security? I feel like those two just now were not quite normal."

"Yeah, I noticed too. They looked fierce and fiendish, definitely troublemakers!"

"Then why didn’t you..."

"Jessica, think about it. This auction is organized by the Five Great Families. Do you think they would care about these small fries?"

Zhang Wei waved his hand dismissively, indicating it wasn’t a concern.

Joking aside, the most powerful families of Dongfang Capital gathered here. On the surface, this is a charity gala, but who knows how many people are lurking in the shadows. Probably only the Five Great Families themselves are aware.

In this situation, whether you speak up or not doesn’t really make much of a difference. The families might even have already been keeping an eye on these people.

"Also, don’t you think it’s more thrilling this way?"

Zhang Wei said, hugging Jessica once again, planning to pick up where they left off and continue what they hadn’t finished earlier.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, another set of footsteps approached.

"For fuck’s sake, when will this end!"

Even someone as patient as Zhang Wei was swearing now.

But reason told him that if some desperados were to come later, they would be in danger.

So, back to the old hiding spot.

Once they were hidden away, someone arrived.

This time, a man and a woman entered the scene, both of them cautious and sneaky.

"Team Leader Lin, why have you brought me here with you?"

"As a cover."

"But we don’t have to be so secretive, right? Aren’t we..."

"I’m worried about the impact it might have."

"What did you come here to find, anyway?"

"Looking for potential dangers."

The man raised the question cautiously, but the woman seemed uninterested, responding coldly.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that her attention wasn’t on the man but was scanning the surroundings instead.

"There are footprints here, fresh ones, likely from today. And not just one person has been here."

The woman knelt down, using the light from outside and behind her to examine the floor.

"I remembered this place wasn’t even supposed to be used. Theoretically, the cleaning staff wouldn’t come here to clean, so why would there be people..."

The woman stood up and analyzed, "This place is not far from the event and undisturbed; it’s a good spot for planning and regrouping."

"Planning, planning what?"

"Aren’t you a criminal defense lawyer? Can’t you figure this out?"

With a scoff, the woman gestured towards the area where the gala was taking place, lit up in the distance, "There are cultural relics valued at several billions over there!"

"Are you saying there might be thieves..."

"If it’s just thieves, that would be relatively good news, because ordinary thieves wouldn’t dare to show themselves easily in front of people."

The woman continued, scanning the surroundings and quickly noticed a shadow in a fire escape corridor, as if someone was moving there.

"Shh, there are people hiding nearby!"

She whispered a warning, then cautiously moved toward the location of the shadow, her eyes wary.

But as she approached, the figure could no longer conceal itself and came into view.

"Team Leader Lin, Old Tie, what’s going on with you two, can’t you give us some private space?"

The person hiding appeared to be frustrated, confronting them directly.

How many times has it been already? All we wanted was to find some "entertainment" to kill time before the gala starts.

And what happened?

Time and again, it’s interrupted!

Forget it, after being disturbed three times in a row, somebody has completely lost the mood.

"Zhang Wei, what the hell are you doing..."

The male of the two, Tie Ruyun, seemed stunned to see Zhang Wei.

But when he noticed Jessica emerging behind Zhang Wei, and he saw her blush, he suddenly understood.

Oh, what a scene!

What a character you are!

You really like to play it fancy, huh? Are you here to soak up the art scene and witness a collision between the literati and the wild beast?

"Zhang Wei?"

"Team Leader Lin!"

The two had greeted each other.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to have seen three groups of people: a female cat burglar, two up-to-no-good fake waiters..."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he glanced at Tie Ruyun and Lin Ruonan, "...and a lovey-dovey couple sneaking a rendezvous here."

"Zhang Wei, what are you talking about? There’s nothing inappropriate between Team Leader Lin and me, it’s not what you think!"

Tie Ruyun’s explanation took Zhang Wei by surprise.

Why does that sound so familiar?

"You mentioned you saw a female thief and two fake waiters?"

However, Lin Ruonan was interested in what Zhang Wei had said. Of course, she chose to ignore the part about the amorous couple.

"Yeah, but they’ve all left now. Who knows what they’re planning?"

Zhang Wei said and then promptly left with Jessica.

Since he had lost interest anyway, he might as well stroll around the hall and grab something to eat.

"Team Leader Lin, shall we...?"

"Let’s go find security!"

Lin Ruonan took Tie Ruyun and set off as well.

As she moved, she pondered over what Zhang Wei had just said.

Soon, she found the security in charge of the auction, but unfortunately, the outcome was not good.

"Team Leader Lin, although you are from the Serious Crime Squad, we can assure you that the security forces tonight are sufficient to deal with any emergency. Please, do not heed unverified rumors!"

"Our waiters this evening have all been meticulously screened. Their backgrounds are absolutely clean, and we hope you won’t unfairly discredit the work of our staff, thank you!"

The security in charge didn’t take Lin Ruonan’s warning seriously, even being somewhat dismissive.

Lin Ruonan could tell, the man simply didn’t want to make the effort.

If he were to take Lin Ruonan’s advice, wouldn’t it imply that he had failed in vetting the staff?

With so many important figures attending tonight’s event, he wasn’t clear on how many, so how could he admit to a lapse in his work?

So Lin Ruonan returned without success, frustration written all over her face.

As the security chief put it, they were just a bunch of petty thieves with no real skill, not worthy of concern.

"I hope they’re really just petty thieves," Lin Ruonan sighed, her only recourse being to send a message to the others in the Serious Crime Squad, informing them of the situation.

But as the security chief had indicated, with so many VIPs at the event, it would not be possible to call off the party under normal circumstances.

And as time slipped away unknowingly...

...

PM.

All the guests had finally arrived, including all the big shots.

Unfortunately, Zhang Wei, sitting in the VIP box on the second floor of the auction hall, hadn’t seen just how many VIPs there were.

But he knew that someone from the Five Great Families, the hosts of the charity soiree, would make an appearance.

What he had never imagined was that the person to show up would be a very big shot.

"Ladies and Gentlemen in attendance this evening, welcome. And now, please join me in welcoming Mr. Zhang Tianlong, the President of Dongfang Capital City Council, to deliver his speech!"

Under the announcement of a female host, the lighting in the hall dimmed, and then the spotlight focused on the entrance corridor, where a man dressed in a suit, wearing a red tie, and exuding elegance, appeared.

His poise was not the sort of pretense draped over the likes of Duanmu Heizu; one only needed to look at him once to know that he was undoubtedly a major figure with exceptional bearing.

His smile was genuine, radiating an overwhelming aura of nobility, as if he was born a leader.

"Zhang Tianlong!"

Zhang Wei looked at the man and thought to himself, no wonder he is the current head of the leading Zhang Family among the Five Great Families.

Zhang Tianlong, President of the City Council, indeed sat at the zenith of Dongfang Capital.

Zhang Wei also hadn’t expected the opening speaker to be him.

What Zhang Tianlong said was all prepared as a speech, but coming from him, it possessed an inexplicable sense of trust.

Zhang Wei had to admit, befitting of the President of Dongfang Capital, his words had a firm assurance behind them.

"...So, I hope everyone enjoys tonight, and at the same time, I hope everyone will give generously to the impoverished families of Dragon Country, thank you all!"

After Zhang Tianlong finished his final remark, he raised his glass to the crowd and then drained it in one go.

The applause reverberated throughout the venue, long and unceasing.

The female host took the stage again and began to conduct the auction gala.

However, this auction gala, plainly speaking, was just a bunch of wealthy collectors taking out some pieces they no longer fancied from their own collections, all to gain a good reputation.

And those who bid were also well-off entrepreneurs, intent on securing a good reputation for themselves as well.

As the gala commenced, one after another, odd and unusual collection items were showcased on stage.

The host would inform everyone whose collection the item belonged to; the owner would then stand and gesture, basking in the surrounding applause.

As for the price of the collection items, they ranged from a few thousand to tens of thousands, and of course, there were occasionally items priced over a hundred thousand or even a million, but there were few who bid on those.

Clearly, many of the bidders understood well enough that they were just there to show their face and network with big shots, not to actually play the fool and overpay.

After all, the money spent on winning bids was donated, so why not donate a little less?

Therefore, at this gala, competition for the auction items was anything but fierce; instead, there were quite a few people mingling around the room.

They toasted and greeted each other, engaging in quiet conversations, yet they managed to maintain the order of the event.

The gala unfolded in an orderly fashion, with collection items passing one by one.

On the second floor, VIP room P.

"So boring!"

Zhang Wei watched the items presented on stage one after another and heaved a sigh of resignation.

If it weren’t for the fact that the VIP room wasn’t soundproof, he would have liked to drag Jessica, who was beside him, into doing something else.

"Zhang, what naughty thoughts are you entertaining now?"

"How did you know?"

"Your hand started wandering again."

Zhang Wei helplessly withdrew his hand, which had been "scaling a mountain."

"By the way, has Uncle Zhao arrived?"

To alleviate the awkwardness, Zhang Wei could only change the subject.

However, the shift in topic was quite abrupt, making it seem perfunctory to anyone listening.

Jessica’s eyes twinkled as she glanced around.

In the other VIP rooms, some figures could be faintly discerned, but Zhao Qingyan was nowhere in sight.

"Maybe Uncle Zhao didn’t feel like coming, or perhaps he came and left already, just making an appearance?"

Zhang Wei also thought that since the incident with Zhao Xiaoxiao, Zhao Qingyan must have had issues with the other families and was unlikely to reconcile easily.

He thought for a moment and decided that he could get involved in the bidding to make his presence known.

"Let’s see, what’s up for auction this time?"

He looked down at the stage, only to find that the current item up for auction was an oddly shaped, irregular cube.

"The next collection item, provided by Mr. Duanmu of Blackfoot Law Firm, is a work by a spatial cubist artist. Also, it’s worth mentioning that this is the second-highest-priced item in this auction, starting at 10 million!"

"Of course, all proceeds from this auction will also be donated to impoverished areas, so if any entrepreneur wishes to contribute to these areas, this is your chance."

Upon hearing the seller of the collection item and the starting price, Zhang Wei inwardly exclaimed.

And this price left many people speechless.

You tell me, what’s the deal with you, Duanmu Heizu? Previous items were a few hundred thousand, at most a million, and everyone just smiled and went along with it.

But then you come up with some bizarre gadget and ask for 10 million, aren’t you just trying to fleece some fool?

In the top-floor VIP room, Duanmu Heizu and Hu Yaode, along with two female companions, all sat together.

When he saw his collection item brought to the stage, he finally laughed.

"Hmph, it’s for you lot of riff-raff who don’t understand art. I bet no one will snap it up for 10 million just like that!"

Saying this, he scoffed coldly and seemed indifferent to the possibility his collection might not sell at all.

"I, Zhang Wei, bid 10 million!"

But just then, someone unexpectedly placed a bid.

This bid drew everyone’s gaze to the second floor, towards the direction of the voice.

"This..."

"Zhang Wei?"

Duanmu Heizu and Hu Yaode, seated within the room, were utterly taken aback.

It never crossed their minds that someone would actually play the fool, and that this fool would be their own adversary.

The second-floor VIP room opened, and out walked a man and woman together—it was Zhang Wei and Jessica.

As the bidder, he reveled in the attention of the entire room, making a big show of his presence.

Yet the looks everyone gave him were somewhat incredulous.

They all seemed to be thinking: Could this guy be an idiot?