Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 503 - 499 Compromise of the Tiger Fish, The Young Boy’s Heart Shattered?

Chapter 503: Chapter 499 Compromise of the Tiger Fish, The Young Boy’s Heart Shattered?

The next day, Tuesday.

In the office of Zhu Pitte at Take You Flying Network Live Broadcasting Brokerage Company.

As a director, Zhu Pitte sat at his desk with a gloomy expression.

Sun Kongwen had already left because he had been defeated by Zhang Wei, and his collaboration with Take You Flying Network had also come to a halt.

Sun Kongwen belonged to Fierce Tiger Hall, so naturally, Zhu Pitte didn’t dare ask too much and let him leave.

But losing the case really irked Zhu Pitte.

"Director Zhu, someone sent us a lawyer’s letter!"

At the door, a woman’s voice came in frantic.

"A lawyer’s letter!"

Upon hearing these three words, Zhu Pitte’s brows furrowed deeply, but he still allowed the woman to bring in the lawyer’s letter.

He picked up the lawyer’s letter, and upon opening it, his eyes were drawn to a prominent line.

Jincheng Law Firm Criminal Department’s ace, Zhang Wei.

This line also indicated who sent the lawyer’s letter.

"Fuck, Zhang Wei!"

Seeing Zhang Wei’s name, Zhu Pitte was about to explode with rage.

It was because of this guy that he lost the 5 million yuan of liquidated damages, and also couldn’t lift his head in the industry.

Now everyone knew that his company’s popular host, Bobo, had left after becoming famous, and she left without paying a penny for it.

Once this precedent was set, it spelled trouble.

Who knew whether other female hosts under their company might get the same idea?

Moreover, this case had exposed too much dirt and had almost become an industry scandal.

Now, in the internet era, the live broadcasting circle being an emerging industry, news was everywhere.

Possibly in three days, the whole live broadcasting circle in Dongfang Capital, or the entertainment gossip news, would be filled with black material from their Take You Flying Network.

How could they continue to coax new people into signing contracts or continue to exploit newcomers to make money?

It was all that Zhang Wei’s fault; he was cutting off their means of making money!

But he did not pause to consider whether his means of making money were legitimate in the first place.

Zhu Pitte, holding the lawyer’s letter in his hand, suppressed the anger in his heart and began to read.

Halfway through, Zhu Pitte couldn’t help feeling incensed.

The lawyer’s letter demanded not only that Zhu Pitte fully compensate Bobo for her legitimate income but also pay an additional 5 million yuan for mental anguish and ancillary costs.

million in compensation!

This figure was like a slap in Zhu Pitte’s face.

"Dream on, if I compensate you a penny, I’ll just..."

Zhu Pitte was about to make a threat, but his gaze unnaturally caught the latter part of the lawyer’s letter.

"Director Zhu, I know you’re still fuming, but I urge you to calm down and consider this settlement proposal."

"I, Zhang Wei, have given some people chances in the past, but they didn’t cherish them. What did they get in the end, and what did they lose?"

"Cheng Lisha, Xu Zhifeng, Qian Moli, Yuan Dong, Yuan..." One name after another appeared in the latter part of the lawyer’s letter.

Upon seeing these names, Zhu Pitte’s eyelids started to twitch uncontrollably.

Indeed!

He had been so angry that he had forgotten something.

Zhang Wei was the infamous "Homicide Lawyer" of Dongfang Capital, with more than a handful of people having perished at his hands.

Who knew if his own name would end up on this "list" if he didn’t pay?

What if after Cheng Lisha and Qian Moli, the name Zhu Pitte was added?

Clutching the lawyer’s letter in his hand, Zhu Pitte hesitated, the anger from before gone, replaced by a hint of fear on his face.

If I don’t accept this condition, could my life be in danger?

"Damn Zhang Wei, I fucking... you dare threaten me, I... I’ll tolerate you this time, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you!"

It seemed he was prepared to compromise.

Although Zhang Wei did not personally visit Take You Flying Network, a simple lawyer’s letter had already resolved all the issues.

Where was Zhang Wei at this moment?

He was now at the parent company of the Tiger Fish platform.

Inside an imposing meeting room, Zhang Wei met with one of the high-level executives of the Tiger Fish platform’s parent company.

"Where is Vice President Wang?"

Zhang Wei pointed to an empty seat at the conference table and asked curiously.

This seat should belong to Vice President Wang.

"Xiao Wang, aware of the major errors in his work and knowing he could no longer carry on with his duties, submitted his resignation last night!"

The speaker was the old boss of the Tiger Fish parent company, a middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table.

With the surname Chen, his mere presence exuded a sense of composure.

Chairman Chen, who oversaw Tiger Fish and many other live streaming industries, was considered a big shot in the live broadcasting sector.

To be honest, if it weren’t Zhang Wei who came today, but some other junior lawyer, Chen Mou would not have agreed to meet with them.

But Zhang Wei was different; his reputation had been on the rise recently.

He wanted to see what this lawyer, who had won against Take You Flying Network and caused significant damage to Tiger Fish’s reputation, intended to do.

"Chairman Chen, since Vice President Wang is not here, then I’ll deal directly with you."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he took out several documents from his briefcase and distributed them to every high-level member of the group present, including Chairman Chen, one for each person.

"How dare you demand that we publicly apologize and guarantee that such actions will not occur in the future? You’re simply not taking us seriously!"

One of the executives slammed the table in anger after seeing the demands in the document.

The others also showed expressions of indignation, and even Chairman Chen frowned in displeasure.

"Chairman Chen, surely you don’t think that Tiger Fish can come out of this lawsuit unscathed?"

"You don’t think that by firing Vice President Wang, you can just wipe your hands clean and walk away without any consequences, do you?"

"I am well aware that Vice President Wang is just a scapegoat; the real evil lies in the hidden rules of the live broadcasting circle. Even if Vice President Wang steps down, there might be a Vice President Li or Chen in the future who can commit similar misdeeds!"

"For this reason, I need you to restrain your subordinates and make a guarantee to prevent a repeat of past mistakes!"

Zhang Wei’s advice was naturally unlikely to make the group’s high-level executives compromise.

In fact, seated in those positions, they would not heed someone else’s slightly threatening advice, especially when that adviser was a young man.

Arrogance is a characteristic of big companies and those in high positions!

It might not have been their original personality.

But after being in a high position and surrounded by sycophants, it’s only natural for them to develop such a personality.

Now, to be threatened by a young man and expect them to compromise would be preposterous.

"What’s the matter, Chairman Chen? You disagree?"

"Lawyer Zhang, I believe we haven’t done anything wrong, have we?"

Chairman Chen chuckled dismissively, "The operation of Tiger Fish platform was previously handed over to Xiao Wang. I admit that he made many mistakes in his work, but so what?"

"He has resigned now, and we will hold a press conference later to acknowledge Xiao Wang’s work failings. We will also instruct the new person in charge to restrain themselves to avoid repeating the same mistakes Wang made!"

"Acknowledge mistakes, to avoid wrongdoing?"

Hearing this perfunctory excuse, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but laugh.

Such a guarantee had no strength; it was tantamount to telling him, "Although we know there’s an internal issue, we have made a commitment and provided a guarantee, so what more do you want?"

But if similar errors occur next time, the person who made the guarantee can just resign.

After all, we dare to do it again!

Zhang Wei looked at Chairman Chen and then at the rest of the board members, sneering inwardly.

To deal with capitalists, if you cannot strike directly at their vital interests, they will not compromise.

"Chairman Chen, do you truly intend to proceed like this?"

"Lawyer Zhang, coming out to meet you is already giving you a lot of face, but you make such an unreasonable request and still expect our company to compromise, it’s simply a fool’s dream!"

Chairman Chen stood up and waved to his female secretary beside him, "Please show Lawyer Zhang out, we still have to prepare for the press conference!"

Having said that, he was about to leave.

"Lawyer Zhang, please!"

The female secretary, though polite in her words, had not a trace of respect on her face, only cold and arrogant, just like her boss.

Zhang Wei but sneered coldly, looking at the person who was leaving.

"Chairman Chen, are you sure there’s no larger mistake within your company?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other’s footsteps paused slightly.

"Lawyer Zhang, are you trying to use Xiao Wang’s error to coerce our group?"

"A mistake by Vice President Wang alone certainly can’t shake your group to its core, but what if there’s a bigger problem?"

Chairman Chen’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, "What bigger problem?"

But Zhang Wei leaned in close to him, his tone eerie, "For instance, tax evasion!"

With these words, the atmosphere in the entire conference room shifted.

"What are you talking about? Our company could not possibly have such a problem!"

"Is that so?"

Zhang Wei ignored the executive’s denial, sneered again, and took another document out of his briefcase.

"Truth be told, the Tiger Fish platform harbors many issues. The biggest of these, naturally, includes rigging rankings and inducing consumption, from which stems another major issue!"

"That is, during bidding wars for rankings, your group, in order to stimulate contesting users, will create a competing user who stimulates rivals by spending large amounts for rankings, also known colloquially as competing for the top spot."

"Take, for example, the number one gaming streamer on the Tiger Fish platform. During a Tiger Fish carnival event, he spent a whopping 200 million on rankings, with the top contributor in the gifting leaderboard being a tycoon who alone contributed over 100 million in gifts."

"However, looking at his posts after the fact, he originally intended to spend only ten or twenty million to secure the top spot from his fans since, by his experience, ten to twenty million would have been enough to secure the top position on the fan contribution leaderboard."

"But that evening, suddenly, a new user appeared who started spending big right out of the gate, directly spending thirty million, seemingly eager to compete with this tycoon brother in the bidding war, ultimately leading to both sides driving the amounts higher and higher, creating this new record of 200 million in gift spending."

"Chairman Chen, I ask you, who is this number two tycoon, do you know?"

Chairman Chen’s eyes began to flicker; several other executives seemed aware of the insider information and subconsciously lowered their heads.

"What, can’t answer, Chairman Chen?"

Zhang Wei sneered coldly and pressed on, "Let’s temporarily put aside the identity of the second tycoon, but there’s a mistake in your company’s work."

"Although that broadcaster received 200 million in gifted rewards, according to the tax rate, he should pay personal income tax on the full 200 million amount. But what amount did your company actually declare for tax, surely it wasn’t 200 million, right?"

At this statement, a high-level executive’s complexion underwent a drastic change.

Because he was the executive responsible for paying taxes; the tax matters were under his supervision.

"Your company actually paid taxes on a sum of 111.3 million, in other words, you’ve evaded personal income tax on 90 million. Calculated at 11.2%, you’ve stolen a full 10.08 million in taxes!"

Now even Chairman Chen understood the gravity of the problem.

"How could this..."

"How could it not?"

Zhang Wei scoffed, "Who told you to inflate fake data? However, you won’t admit to faking data, otherwise all your users will see through you, and the market supervision will send people to investigate suspicions of your data fraud."

"But when you pay taxes, you go by the real data displayed on the backend, yet you’ve forgotten something—the backend data you see is different from the frontend data that I see."

"Chairman Chen, just one broadcaster’s single event caused you to evade over ten million in taxes. There must be about ten top broadcasters in the carnival event, and that’s tenfold, which means in one event alone, you’ve evaded over one hundred million in taxes. And I haven’t even counted the mid-level, or other somewhat famous broadcasters, especially since your Tiger Fish platform is first in the industry, with the highest number of broadcasters."

"But those are fake numbers; why should we pay taxes on fake data?"

"Well then, you’re welcome to issue a statement, confess the truth about these fake numbers, dare you?"

Zhang Wei crossed his arms over his chest, assuming an "I bet you wouldn’t dare" posture.

The executive didn’t dare speak anymore because indeed, they didn’t dare to admit it.

Admitting it would be a devastating blow to their company.

"Chairman Chen, let’s get back to the original issue. I’ll give you a choice: apologize to my client, and to all the broadcasters exploited throughout your platform, and I mean a sincere apology—I want to see your sincerity."

"If we don’t apologize, then you..."

"If you don’t apologize, then this record of tax evasion will soon appear in the offices of the Financial Investigation Division and the Tax Bureau, and your company and Tiger Fish platform will undergo a comprehensive tax investigation for 3-6 months."

"Not only that, but having your business interrupted for six months and the tax investigation made public will also hit the top headlines in Dongfang Capital’s entertainment section, and it may even stay in the top ten hot searches until the investigation concerning you is concluded."

"Please estimate for yourself what this incident will cost you. Once your investigation is concluded, even if the tax authorities give you a chance to make up the back taxes, can your company continue to lead the live broadcasting industry?"

Zhang Wei’s words combined an appeal to emotion with reasoning, boiling down to two words.

Threat!

I, Zhang Someone, come to you well prepared.

You’re not afraid of me, Zhang Wei, but aren’t you afraid of the tax authorities, afraid of the Financial Investigation Division?

If you say you’re not afraid, fine, I’ll invite them over right now, let them have a "friendly" talk with you face to face.

"Chairman Chen, my time is limited; I give you five minutes to think about it. How does that sound?"

Zhang Wei glanced at the time on his phone, a smile on his face.

"Lawyer Zhang, you..."

"Chairman Chen, the choice is in your hands, either apologize and admit your mistakes, or your company is finished. It’s your call!"

At this moment, could Chairman Chen even make a choice? Did he dare not apologize? Certainly not.

He thought to himself, you’re really quite a little bastard!

"Alright, Lawyer Zhang, it’s just an apology. I agree to it!"

"Very good, Chairman Chen. You can have your secretary prepare the apology letter shortly, but I’d like to make a small request!"

Zhang Wei looked at the aloof-faced female secretary and sneered, "The apology letter must be prepared with ten thousand words, and it has to be expressive and heartfelt. It should show sincerity and ideally provoke resonance among the audience, make peers reflect, and serve as a warning to everyone. These are my requirements for the speech!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the color drained from the secretary’s face, turning into a look of astonishment.

This damn thing, it’s just an apology, where are all these requirements coming from, and ten thousand words at that?

Are you trying to give me a hard time?

"Lawyer Zhang, aren’t you being a bit too much?"

"Chairman Chen, was it not too much when you deceived users, tricked consumers, committed tax evasion, and cooked the books?"

With one witty retort and a rhetorical question, Zhang Wei left Chairman Chen speechless.

"Chairman Chen, you’d better behave yourselves. I’m leaving now!"

Zhang Wei did not intend to stay any longer and promptly made his exit, striding away with arrogant flamboyance.

After Zhang Wei’s departure, everyone in the boardroom bowed their heads.

Especially the female secretary, her face full of bitterness, as if preoccupied with the thought of the intense workload that now rested on her shoulders.

She had no idea that if she hadn’t taken such a pretentiously authoritative attitude towards Zhang Wei just now, she wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

This ten thousand-word reflection was a punishment that Zhang Wei had whimsically decided upon for her.

...

That same afternoon.

Dongfang Capital, some pedestrian street.

"Lawyer Zhang, I really can’t thank you enough!"

Bobo looked at Zhang Wei with admiration and excitement, "Not only did you help me win the lawsuit, but you also got me a compensation of five million. I really don’t know how to thank you."

"No need to thank me, just thank Radish!"

Zhang Wei raised his hand and patted Luo Xiaobu beside him, pushing him forward.

"Thank you, Big Brother Romeo, you are a good person!"

"Ah?"

Luo Xiaobu was expecting to be happy, but something seemed off in Bobo’s words.

How had he suddenly become a good person?

"Bobo, the truth is, I helped you because..."

"Big Brother Luo, you don’t have to say anything. I’ll always remember you in my heart. I’ll consider you and Lawyer Zhang as my lifesavers in this lifetime!"

Bobo said, then gestured towards the not-too-distant street. "By the way, I might not do live broadcasting anymore, but if you need anything from me in the future, I won’t hesitate to help!"

Beep—

A luxury car worth millions parked behind Bobo in the distance.

The door of the luxury car opened, revealing a man dressed in designer clothes with a potbelly sitting in the driver’s seat.

"So, Lawyer Zhang, Big Brother Luo, I’ll be leaving now."

Under Luo Xiaobu’s affectionate gaze, Bobo got into the passenger seat of the luxury car.

The last thing Zhang Wei and Luo Xiaobu saw as the door closed was the man’s smiling face, his hand already making its way onto Bobo’s thigh.

The door shut and the luxury car started up, disappearing around the corner of the pedestrian street.

Crack...

Zhang Wei faintly heard the sound of something breaking near his ear.

Luo Xiaobu stared in the direction Bobo had gone, his figure not moving for a long time.

"My pure and innocent young man’s heart... it shattered today, shattered..."