Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 561 - 554 Tie Ruyun’s Past, The Female Sea King?

Chapter 561: Chapter 554 Tie Ruyun’s Past, The Female Sea King?

Longdu Lawyers Association.

Second-floor office.

The female lawyer who had just confronted Zhang Wei was on a call with someone.

"Lawyer Chen, someone came to bail out Tie Ruyun just now. He claimed to be Zhang Wei from Jincheng Law Firm."

"I know, it’s said that Senior Procuratorate Qin was defeated by his skill. This guy gives me a hard time, is tough to deal with, and has a really annoying attitude!"

"Don’t worry, today was just a greeting. We will keep an eye on Tie Ruyun for you. Your case has always been our top priority. We will see justice done for you and we won’t let that shameless person off the hook!"

"Lawyer Chen, but I have to say, you should be the one to step forward next, after all, one of the parties involved is you, and you are also the one providing the eyewitness testimony. Simply relying on the evidence we have, if you don’t step forward, it’s actually difficult for the association to proceed..."

"Alright, I understand!"

The call ended quickly, and the female lawyer let out a long sigh.

She then took out a business card and examined it carefully in her hand.

"Zhang Wei, huh? I heard he’s a formidable lawyer from Dongfang Capital and even defeated Senior Procuratorate Qin?"

"Unfortunately, we don’t need to go to court this time. I wonder how you’re going to work your tactics under the Lawyer’s Association investigation?"

"I want to say, don’t think Longdu is the same as Dongfang Capital. We’re not as easy to deal with as you think!"

Zhang Wei had no idea that he had only arrived in Longdu not long ago and was already being targeted.

At that moment, he was having a meal with Tie Ruyun.

"Eh, this noodle dish really has a nice chew to it!"

"With one bite, I feel like my soul is soaring."

"Just the right amount of saltiness and rich in soy flavor, the toppings are also tasty, with a good mix of meat and vegetables. Gotta give a thumbs-up to the chef of this noodle shop!"

Zhang Wei slurped his noodles while expressing his admiration.

Compared to his hearty appetite, Tie Ruyun sitting opposite him had little interest in eating.

"Hey, kiddo, you look a little pale. What’s up?"

"Ah, don’t mention it. Knowing I was going on a business trip, my simple-minded girl kept me up for a whole four hours Saturday night."

"Four hours!"

Tie Ruyun was flabbergasted. When you say ’kept up,’ do you mean the kind I’m thinking of?

And four hours, can you even manage that, buddy?

Zhang Wei assured him that he was very capable, no problem at all, just a slightly sore back and a bit of leg pain afterward.

Seeing Zhang Wei’s smug expression, Tie Ruyun felt as irritated as if he’d eaten sh*t.

You showing off for who?

So you’re the one with a girlfriend, you’re the one who knows a few beauties, and you’re proud of it?

I, Tie Ruyun, although... currently still single... but I...

Tie Ruyun thought to himself, with the corners of his eyes involuntarily moistening.

Why does Zhang Wei have a girlfriend right after graduation, and so many close female friends?

While I, nearing 40, don’t even have a girlfriend, haven’t even held a girl’s hand.

Can’t take it anymore, the more I think about it, the angrier I get, I’m about to cry...

"Old Tie, why is your drool coming out of the corner of your eye?"

Seeing Tie Ruyun’s sh*t-eating expression, Zhang Wei was absolutely stunned.

Old Tie, we’re eating here, can you not make a scene?

Tie Ruyun really felt screwed over. Who exactly is causing a scene here?

"Speaking of which, Old Tie, isn’t the Lawyer’s Association’s investigation on you due to your indecent stalking behavior and misconduct towards a female colleague?"

Upon mentioning this matter, Tie Ruyun’s formerly somewhat angry expression turned melancholic instantly.

"Ah, let’s not talk about it..."

"Talk about it, how can we not? I still have to defend you!"

Seeing Tie Ruyun intent on staying silent, Zhang Wei would not agree.

What had I struggled so much for to come to Longdu?

Wasn’t it all for you, you old man, for your case?

Seeing Zhang Wei looking at him seriously, Tie Ruyun felt helpless and could only open his mouth wide to take a bite of noodles, before beginning to recount:

"Actually, before I came to Dongfang Capital, I was a lawyer at Longteng International."

"Not bad, Old Tie, joining Longteng right after graduation, you’re so awesome~"

"Can you not praise me like that?"

Tie Ruyun always felt that Zhang Wei was giving him backhanded compliments, making sarcastic remarks at him.

Feeling uncomfortable in his heart, he still continued, "Back then, not to brag, but I was always the first in my period, then the first in my group. I was also the first to be promoted to full position, with the best performance and the highest success rate among the three-year lawyers."

"At that time, I felt that as long as I could hold on for another two years and reach the five-year lawyer threshold, there was a good chance I’d be promoted to partner. The future was looking bright!"

"That’s pretty good!" Even Zhang Wei couldn’t help but nod.

Old Tie had had such glorious days. You were so impressive before, and you knew it yourself.

"But everything started to change from the moment I was promoted to team leader..."

As Tie Ruyun mentioned the past, his expression turned somewhat gloomy.

"The year I became team leader, I was in charge of the criminal team, and Chen Xiao was one of the first group members to join. She had just graduated from university, was like a direct junior under me, a clever and beautiful young woman, always showing a polite smile to everyone. She was the girl that the whole department liked."

"Naturally, I also had a good impression of her at that time. We worked on many cases together, and I found that she had a gift for it. So I specifically kept her close and trained her diligently, planning to let her take over as team leader once I was promoted to partner."

At this point, Tie Ruyun revealed a smile on his face, but it carried a hint of self-deprecation.

Back then, he thought everything was wonderful, his work was going smoothly, his subordinates respected him, and he had a cute junior sister who would follow him around calling him "Brother Tie."

"Hey, hey, hey, what’s with that look in your eyes?"

"Old Tie, why are you so dedicated to cultivating your junior sisters, yet when we joined the criminal team, you had such an attitude? I heard you’ve driven away more than a dozen criminal lawyers before?"

"Sigh, let’s not talk about it. Once bitten, twice shy. I have a psychological shadow over my team members now."

"What did Chen Xiao do to you?"

Zhang Wei asked the most crucial question.

For Old Tie to be so wary of his subordinates, Chen Xiao must have done something terrible to him.

"Speaking of which, I was just like now, ignorant about women. I naively thought that Chen Xiao had feelings for me, so I considered developing a relationship with her, and she didn’t refuse..."

Remembering his times with Chen Xiao, Tie Ruyun’s face showed a hint of a smile.

More than a decade ago.

The beautiful young sister and the flourishing senior brother. Everyone thought they were a match made in heaven.

"Brother, come, let me take a photo of you?"

"Brother, this way, this way. I’ve been queuing for a long time today..."

"Brother, you’ll look good in this outfit..."

"Brother, sorry to trouble you again, but I need you to highlight the key points for me. This business paper is over 1,000 pages. I definitely can’t finish it alone..."

Each of these scenes, these images, all conveyed something beautiful.

"Come on, I want to hear the twist!"

"Don’t rush, the twist is coming!"

Tie Ruyun signaled for Zhang Wei to sit tight; he was about to get to the meat of the story.

"It was late one night after working overtime. In fact, I had been planning for several days to confess my feelings for her. That day, I gave her plenty of tasks just so that she and I could stay late together... Hey, hey, hey, don’t look at me like that. I learned it from TV dramas. That’s how the male leads create the opportunity, I..."

"Old Tie, keep going, these are just minor details. You’re talking about the confession, and then?" Zhang Wei hurriedly urged.

"Right, the confession!"

Tie Ruyun nodded and continued, "That day, after she finished work, I planned to create a chance coincidence with her and take the opportunity to say that it was fate that brought us together, then use that chance to confess."

"I hesitated for a long time, even lingering outside her apartment for a while, never mustering the courage to take that step. I probably hesitated for about 30 minutes before I finally gathered the courage to make a move, and right when I was about to..."

At this point, Tie Ruyun’s face revealed a self-mocking smile, "As I was about to act, I saw Chen Xiao step out of the apartment and wave to someone not far away, her face beaming with the same smile she would only show me at the law firm."

"A man?" Zhang Wei suddenly interrupted with a mischievous smile.

"Sigh, yes, it was a man!" This time, Tie Ruyun didn’t argue but just let out a sigh.

"And it was a man driving an imported car. Although that brand often leaks oil now, it was still a two-million-dollar S series, enough to prove the man’s worth wasn’t low."

The following events were quite straightforward.

Chen Xiao got into that imported car and then disappeared from Tie Ruyun’s sight.

Tie Ruyun noted down the license plate number and hired a private detective to investigate, only to discover that the owner of the car was actually a client of the law firm.

"Well, well, a lawyer getting chummy with a client, isn’t that a bit inappropriate..."

Although there was no explicit rule against lawyers fraternizing with their clients, if there was a clear conflict of interest, one of the parties had to recuse themselves.

Of course, that was assuming that the relationship was confirmed.

In cases like that of Chen Xiao, who acted sneakily and didn’t allow anyone to catch her out, that’s a different story.

"And then what happened?" Zhang Wei hurriedly asked again.

Recalling the past, Tie Ruyun continued, "After that, I found out that Chen Xiao wasn’t just cozy with one client, she maintained contact with more than seven clients from Longteng Law Firm."

"Hiss—"

Upon hearing this response, Zhang Wei drew in a sharp breath.

Chen Xiao turned out to be quite the seductress!

Despite her young age, having just graduated and still in her probation period, she was already so calculating.

Compared with her, his own team members, Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng, were as naive as kindergarten girls.

"So, I took the photos and confronted Chen Xiao!"

"What, you just took some photos and confronted her just like that?"

Upon hearing of Tie Ruyun’s rash act, Zhang Wei was at a loss for words.

"You should have gotten hold of records of her calls or chats with clients, or hotel records at least. What can a few photos prove? Did you catch them in any intimate behavior?"

"No, the photos only showed them walking together or talking in a coffee shop, with no intimate actions."

"Heh!"

Hearing Tie Ruyun’s reply, Zhang Wei let out a sardonic laugh.

Good job, Old Tie, acting so impulsively, no wonder you ended up at a disadvantage.

"Continue!"

"I confronted Chen Xiao with the photos, but she claimed she was only performing necessary work follow-ups with the clients, and discussing some new business for the law firm."

"Although that’s a hackneyed excuse, if you can’t prove it otherwise, that’s another matter."

"Of course, Chen Xiao didn’t admit to anything, and I thought I had seen through her. I was determined to sever ties with her and to have nothing more to do with her, but unfortunately, I was wrong."

Tie Ruyun remembered the events of that day, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

"That day, the assistant informed me that the department head wanted to see me. But when I arrived at the head’s office, I found not only the head present but also one of the senior partners of the firm, and Chen Xiao!"

That day.

The senior partner scolded Tie Ruyun furiously.

"Tie Ruyun, I had high hopes for you, believing you were the best choice for the new manager. I never expected you to do something like this!"

"Taking advantage of your position to oppress female subordinates, stalking and peeping at women, and even sending threatening messages, you’re truly audacious!"

"Had Chen Xiao not come to me today, I would have remained ignorant of the fact that such a scoundrel was in the department I oversee. You’ve completely disgraced me!"

"Get out, just get out. From now on, we at Long Teng don’t need a troublemaker like you!"

"And let me tell you, you’re unwelcome anywhere in Longdu; nobody will ever want a disgrace like you. You’ll spend the rest of your life regretting what you did today!"

These were the exact words of the senior partner’s fierce reprimand at the time.

"Old Tie, why didn’t you defend yourself?"

"I wanted to, but..."

Seeing Tie Ruyun lost for words, Zhang Wei analyzed calmly, "But you didn’t have any evidence to prove your relationship with Chen Xiao, right?"

"What you had in mind was to use your romantic relationship with Chen Xiao as a rebuttal. After all, a man caring for his girlfriend is perfectly justified. But then you realized that there wasn’t even a single photo of you and Chen Xiao together in your phone, right?"

"Yes, we’d been together for nearly a year, and I didn’t have a single photo of her!" Tie Ruyun nodded in agreement with what Zhang Wei said.

"Indeed, such is the craft of a seductress, never leaving any evidence that could work against her—a true mastermind!"

Zhang Wei thought it over carefully, picking out the implications from the hints strewn throughout Tie Ruyun’s account.

Why was it that Chen Xiao never took photos with Tie Ruyun on their outings, not even a single group picture?

Why is it that every time it’s contact by phone, never text messages, and even emails are rarely answered?

Why is it that whenever there’s a team-building event, Chen Xiao always volunteers to take photos? All of this had a purpose.

"So, after you produced the photos of Chen Xiao liaising with a client, that woman realized your threat. And since you were her superior, if you kept your guard up, she felt her own promotion path would be blocked as well. So, getting you out of the law firm, tarnishing your reputation, was also clearing the obstacles for her own promotion, right?"

"Pity me, who only now realizes how stupid I was back then, sigh––"

The bitterness and grievance in his heart could only be sighed out in a long breath.

The current state of Tie Ruyun was truly pitiable.

"So, this Chen Xiao, is she the one who initiated the charges against you, causing the Lawyer’s Association to relentlessly go after you?"

Zhang Wei finally identified the enemy, the partner of Longteng International Law Firm, Chen Xiao; she was the adversary for this trip to Longdu.

"Oh, right, Old Tie, there’s one more thing, what did you come to Longdu for?"

"Damn, I almost forgot about the real issue!"

Hearing Zhang Wei say this, Tie Ruyun abruptly stood up with a "swoosh."

He had forgotten a more important matter because he was under investigation by the Lawyer’s Association!

"Let’s go, Zhang Wei, come with me to meet the client. This time it’s a criminal case, we..."

"Old Tie, give it up already. You’re under investigation by the Lawyer’s Association right now and cannot provide legal assistance to anyone."

Zhang Wei grabbed Tie Ruyun, urging him to stay calm.

Because even if you’re not calm, it’s useless; you can’t meet with the client.

You’re currently under investigation by the Lawyer’s Association, and it’s questionable whether you can even keep your license to practice law.

If you were to meet with the client and then lose your license during the handling of the case, then who would be responsible for the client’s losses?

That’s why the Lawyer’s Association has rules that during an internal investigation, the investigated lawyers must cease all legal services and not engage in any litigation until the investigation is concluded.

"This..."

Tie Ruyun only then remembered that even he could make a critical mistake in his haste.

If he couldn’t meet with the client, what should he do?

Tie Ruyun had no choice but to turn his gaze to Zhang Wei.

"Fine, this time I’ll help to the end and go meet the client for you!"

Zhang Wei knew that it seemed he was the only one Old Tie could rely on now.

Tie Ruyun was naturally very grateful, then after informing Zhang Wei of the client’s information, he urged him to set out quickly. The client might still be waiting.

Zhang Wei had no objections.

He took another cab and headed to a prison located in the outskirts of Longdu.

The client this time was a Mr. Guan Yuhong, who committed intentional homicide more than a decade ago, with extremely severe circumstances and a horrendous social impact, leading to a life imprisonment sentence.

This was the biggest challenge of the case: Guan Yuhong had killed people, and it wasn’t just one person.

One night, over a decade ago, he killed a man surnamed Sun, and at the same time, a child still in arms also died by his hand.

If it had only been a man, maybe the circumstances would have been a tad lighter.

But when the prosecution presented the photo of the deceased child, the outcome of the trial was plain to see.

guilty votes!

Guan Yuhong had even appealed several times since then, but each was rejected, and he remained in a high-security prison to this day.

This time, he was the one who had written to Tie Ruyun, asking for his help.

In other words, Old Tie came to Longdu for this Mr. Guan Yuhong.

And now that Old Tie couldn’t meet with him or take on any cases, Zhang Wei would have to help with the case.

But Zhang Wei felt that the case was extremely difficult; practically impossible to win if they fought it.

Moreover, this was an away game, where he had no advantage whatsoever.

Winning this case would require finding the real murderer from over a decade ago.

Is that even possible?

The hope was indeed slim!