Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 673 - 665: Zhang Tianyan "Accidentally Meets" Tan Yingying

Chapter 673: Chapter 665: Zhang Tianyan "Accidentally Meets" Tan Yingying

Dongfang Capital, outskirts.

Another manor near Wu Family Manor.

This place was the manor of the Zhang Family, where the former head of the Zhang Family spent his retirement.

Early this morning, Zhang Tianlong came to visit with his son, Zhang Youlin.

In the back garden of the manor, by a small bridge over running water and a pavilion among artificial hills, they met the person they were visiting today.

Zhang Tianyan, Zhang Tianlong’s father, Zhang Youlin’s grandfather, the previous head of the Zhang Family.

The elderly man had a full head of white hair, a gaunt face with prominent cheekbones, and wore white training clothes. He was sitting quietly, facing the artificial hills, with his back to the two visitors.

"Father!"

"Grandfather!"

Upon arrival, Zhang Tianlong and his son hurriedly greeted the elderly man.

"So you’ve both come today, together; it must be something big!"

Zhang Tianyan didn’t even need to turn around to sense the gravity in Zhang Tianlong’s expression.

After all, the saying ’a father knows his son best’ isn’t without merit.

"Father, something bad has happened!"

"Stop!"

Zhang Tianyan raised his hand to stop Zhang Tianlong.

"Recently, I’ve had dark circles under my eyes and pimples on my nose; these are signs of impending misfortune. What I didn’t expect was that this omen would not befall me but the two of you, the younger generation!"

"Last night, when I observed the stars, I saw a strange light flickering amongst the twenty-eight constellations, a sign of ’Mars guarding the heart’. It’s said that the Ancestor Dragon Emperor saw this same celestial sign before his demise!"

After saying this, his words carried a hint of apprehension.

"Grandfather, we live in a scientific age now. This talk of star signs and destiny seems a bit..."

"Lin’er, you don’t understand. This business of star signs and destiny, it’s all handed down from our ancestors. If it weren’t effective, how could it have been passed down for thousands of years?"

Seeing Zhang Youlin’s skepticism, Zhang Tianyan laughed and said a word of guidance.

Then, the old man turned around, his sharp eyes sweeping over his son and grandson.

"Come, sit."

Zhang Tianlong then settled down with his son, and the three of them started to discuss matters inside the pavilion.

Zhang Tianyan poured himself a cup of tea and savored it leisurely.

"Father, I’ve come today because of something from the past."

"Oh? From what time in the past?"

"When I was a child, it’s about..."

Zhang Tianlong paused for a moment, then looked at his father, probing, "It’s about A Bao, he..."

"A Bao, the matter concerning the third one?"

Zhang Tianyan’s brows knit slightly, but then quickly smoothed as he downed the tea.

"Yes, last night I took Lin’er to a rather unfriendly banquet. At the banquet, I met two young people, and some little bastard told me that those two were the third one’s children, they..."

"They couldn’t just be making it up, could they?"

Zhang Tianyan’s eyebrows raised in a teasing scrutiny.

"That little bastard gave me a photo, and the person in it looks a lot like the third one in my memory, and..."

Zhang Tianlong directly took out the black-and-white photo and placed it in front of Zhang Tianyan.

The latter’s gaze shifted downward and locked onto the man in the photo.

"Father, this is the third one, isn’t it?"

"Of course, this is indeed the third one!"

Zhang Tianyan pointed at the man in the photo, very confident in his recognition.

"Then, these two children..."

Zhang Tianlong took out two color photos, one of Zhang Xinwu, and one of Zhang Xinyan.

"Hmm, are these two young ones the third one’s children?"

"Father, that is for you to tell us..."

Zhang Tianyan picked up the two photos, bringing them close to his eyes for a thorough examination.

He set down the photo of Zhang Xinwu first, then closely inspected the photo of Zhang Xinyan.

"This child looks nothing like the third one!"

Hearing this, Zhang Tianlong inwardly sighed in relief.

That’s good, it’s better if they’re not.

"Father, since they’re not..."

"Who said they’re not?"

Zhang Tianlong’s words were abruptly cut off by Zhang Tianyan.

"This child, apart from the temperament which doesn’t resemble the third one at all, looks quite similar in other aspects!"

Zhang Tianlong became tense once more.

"Father, this..."

Zhang Tianyan put down the photo, glanced at Zhang Tianlong.

"It must be the third brother’s child, I may be old, but I absolutely would not mistake that!"

"This..."

Zhang Tianlong was now troubled, if this were the case, these two were indeed legitimate descendants of their Zhang family.

"Father, but these two, now they are our enemies. They have sided with that little bastard!"

"That little bastard is Zhang Wei, right? That kid not only didn’t die, but he has also come back, and abroad he gained the support of many powerful allies, is he relying on these forces to oppose you?"

"Yes, Father, this time his intentions are malevolent indeed!"

Zhang Tianlong’s eyes showed a trace of worry.

"Grandfather, why don’t we..."

Zhang Youlin was more direct and made a throat-slitting gesture!

"Big brother, look at Youlin, he is much more decisive than you. Sometimes, decapitating the enemy is the simplest thing to do!"

Zhang Tianyan nodded in apparent approval.

"But, Father, Zhang Wei has a master by his side, and our problem now isn’t that kid Zhang Wei, it’s..."

Zhang Tianlong hesitated for a moment but still spoke about Bashalo’s situation.

"Hmph, a wolf that can never be satiated has finally betrayed us!"

Hearing about Bashalo’s situation, Zhang Tianyan sneered coldly, "Since the beast has betrayed us, we should just take care of him."

"Didn’t that kid say? Bashalo hasn’t explained anything abroad, he wants to wait until he returns to Dongfang Capital before speaking, so why don’t we just ensure he never speaks again?"

"I understand!"

Seeing his father nod in approval, Zhang Tianlong naturally knew what to do.

As for silencing someone to prevent future troubles, he had done it many times.

"By the way, Father, about the third brother’s children, how should we handle them?"

When it came to outsiders, Zhang Tianlong was naturally quite ruthless, but when it might be his own family, he was still undecided.

After all, they were flesh and blood kin!

"Big brother, do you know why the third brother was expelled from the family by me?"

"I’ve heard some rumors about that, but I don’t know the specifics..."

"What rumors have you heard?"

"I heard that the third brother was smart from a young age, even though I am the eldest and the nominal heir to the family, the third brother truly had natural talent. Some even say that with the third brother as the heir, he could lead the Zhang family even further."

"The third brother being smart from young is true, while you were still learning arithmetic and memorizing poetry, he already had the knack for poetry."

"I also heard that the third brother was banished for speaking many unfilial and disloyal words to you, and that’s why..."

"Yes, that’s also true. He said many unfilial and disloyal words, which left me no choice but to expel him from the family!"

At this point, a shade of darkness crossed Zhang Tianyan’s aged face.

"Do you know what he said?"

Zhang Tianlong shook his head.

"He said our Zhang family shouldn’t exist, that the Five Great Families should be disbanded, that we’ve monopolized so many resources and should give them all up, benefit the people, only then will Dongfang Capital truly be better off."

"This..." Zhang Tianlong hadn’t expected the third brother to have made such disloyal statements back then.

"Laughable, our Zhang family is the head of the Five Great Families. Your great-grandfather went overseas and brought back so much wealth, which established our family’s current status. Over a hundred years of struggle, why should we give it up, especially to a bunch of commoners, wouldn’t that turn the interests of our noble family upside down?"

Zhang Tianyan’s tone became harsh and venomous at this moment.

"No matter who it is, anyone who obstructs the family’s interests is our enemy, even if it is my own son!"

"The third brother thought he was compassionate, feeling that the family should relinquish some of its benefits for the greater good of Dongfang Capital. But I told him, we, the Five Great Families, are Dongfang Capital, only if we stand strong will Dongfang Capital thrive and prosper!"

"So, since I couldn’t convince the third brother, as the child had his own thoughts and those thoughts couldn’t be changed by me easily, I had to expel him from the family. I don’t think I was wrong in this, what do you think?"

"Father’s words are absolutely right. Anyone who hinders our Zhang family’s interests, even if it’s my own brother, is out of the question!" Zhang Tianlong nodded, expressing his agreement.

To let the Zhang family cede interests for the benefit of the public is something only fools would do.

Over a hundred years they struggled to have their status and achievements today. To just divvy it up, wouldn’t that make the efforts of our ancestors go to waste?

Noble families control resources, from birth, they sit at the pinnacle, while the poor struggle for survival, striving a lifetime to contribute to the noble families.

Resources forever remain in the hands of a few. That is the essence of the world!

And those who seek to shake this foundation are enemies of the nobility!

"Father, I understand now, I know what to do next!"

Zhang Tianlong had received the answer he wanted, stood up with Zhang Youlin, and took their leave.

And Zhang Tianyan, of course, watched the two of them depart.

"The third brother’s children, huh? It’s a pity, but someone who has been expelled will no longer be a member of the Zhang family. The third brother’s children are nothing more than strangers to me!"

Zhang Tianyan sneered with a look of disdain.

...

Over the weekend, around noon.

In the Dongfang Capital Central City, on a certain street.

"Please support my campaign!"

"Please support my campaign!"

The passersby at the roadside occasionally looked up at Tan Yingying, who was vigorously promoting herself, then quickly averted their gaze.

After shouting for half a day, the results were minimal.

Tan Yingying sat down dejectedly, she was tired.

"Xiao Ye, do you think I shouldn’t have quit my job? Maybe if I hadn’t resigned, I’d still have a job..."

"Tan Yingying, how can you say that? Weren’t you almost fired? If you hadn’t resigned, would you have had the face to stay at the headquarters?"

"Uh..."

Tan Yingying felt it was a mistake to raise that question.

"But why is running for the city council so much harder than I imagined? It’s just too..."

"Don’t talk like that, we have plenty of capital, and youth is our greatest strength, so please show a little more enthusiasm!"

Ye Miaomiao encouraged Tan Yingying, cheering her on.

Unfortunately, someone had grown tired of these pep talks.

"Why did I listen to your nonsense and decide to run for election?"

Just as Tan Yingying was complaining, a luxury stretch limousine pulled up in front of them.

"Xiao Tan, Xiao Ye, hello there!"

One of the luxury car’s windows rolled down, and the person inside greeted them.

"Zhang Wei!"

Tan Yingying was surprised to see who it was.

"Come on, get in the car, I have something to discuss with you both!"

The car door opened, as Zhang Wei extended the invitation.

"This..."

Tan Yingying hesitated.

Why would Zhang Wei come to look for her? It didn’t make sense; shouldn’t he be looking for Xiao Baihe more?

"Let’s get in, you were just complaining about not having any results, weren’t you? Let’s see what he has to say?"

"This... okay, then."

Tan Yingying stopped promoting herself and followed Ye Miaomiao into Zhang Wei’s car.

The luxury car started and the group set off.

Inside the car, Zhang Wei sat calmly, looking at Tan Yingying who seemed a bit ill at ease.

"Xiao Tan, that director position you’re running for doesn’t suit you."

"I know, but what can I do? There’s only one vacancy on the city council; if not this position, which one can I run for?"

"You’re wrong. The city council’s positions haven’t opened up. That position was already decided internally; you can’t win it."

Zhang Wei seemed to see the essence of the situation, his gaze piercing through the city, focusing in the direction of the city council.

"Then, what should I do?" Tan Yingying looked desperate, realizing she had wasted so much time on a futile effort.

"That position may not be open, but there are other positions!"

Zhang Wei said, glancing forward.

"Look, we’re almost there!"

"There?"

Tan Yingying looked outside to find the street very familiar.

"This isn’t this where I..."

"Exactly, this is right outside your former workplace!"

The limousine stopped, and then the car door opened, with Zhang Wei stepping out first.

"Dongfang Capital Procuratorate Headquarters!"

Looking at the familiar place in front of him, Zhang Wei slightly smiled.

He knew this place all too well; coming here felt like coming home.

The only regret was that he used to come here looking for Xiao Baihe, who was no longer around.

"Let’s go, Xiao Tan, we have serious business to attend to!"

Zhang Wei said, taking a briefcase from inside the car, then waved at Tan Yingying, urging her to follow.

"This..."

Tan Yingying wanted to say that she had already left the Procuratorate Headquarters, and now returning made her somewhat afraid.

Who was she afraid of? Of course, it was her former boss.

But since Zhang Wei was leading the way, after pondering for a moment, Tan Yingying decided to follow her nominal assistant, Ye Miaomiao, out of the car and follow him.

...

Procuratorate Headquarters, second floor.

Bang!

Zhang Wei threw a thick stack of documents onto Zhao Chunming’s office desk.

"Here, these are all whistleblowing materials. Take a look, Old Zhao!"

"Whistleblowing materials!"

Zhao Chunming looked incredulous, casting a skeptical glance at Zhang Wei.

He had had his suspicions when he heard that Zhang Wei was coming over.

Now that the kid had become King, was he trying to get too big for his boots?

But after all, the man was a King, and his kingdom had established diplomatic relations with Dragon Country; if he didn’t meet with him, and Zhang Wei turned this into an issue, claiming it was a diplomatic problem, Zhao couldn’t afford to take the blame.

Therefore, Zhao Chunming agreed to meet Zhang Wei.

But just as they met, a pile of documents was thrown down in front of him. What on earth was this about?

"Who are you planning to report with these materials?"

"The one I want to report is one of the City Council members, Hawkins!"

"Who!"

When he heard the name of the person being reported, Zhao Chunming immediately became agitated.

Shit!

You really are stirring up a big mess, aren’t you?

Just arrived at the Procuratorate Headquarters and you’re already causing trouble for me, huh?

"Old Zhao, don’t get excited. Read my whistleblowing materials first. Hawkins has been very dirty; you’ll understand once you’ve looked at the materials."

Zhao Chunming gave Zhang Wei a look, then shifted his gaze to Tan Yingying who was standing behind Zhang Wei.

"And her, what is Xiao Tan doing here with you?"

Upon being called out by Zhao Chunming, Tan Yingying, frightened, tried to find a shield behind Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Tan, well, I brought her here actually to ask for a favor from Director Zhao. I hope that, since Xiao Tan was once your subordinate, you could help her out by speaking up for her at the press conference later."

"Oh, that’s how it is... Wait, what press conference later?"

Zhao Chunming suddenly realized something. What press conference was he talking about? He had no knowledge of it.

"Oh, it’s like this. The news that the Procuratorate Headquarters is investigating Hawkins, I’ve already leaked it in advance."

"Impossible, we didn’t say we were launching an investigation. Your actions, Zhang Wei, amount to slander..."

"Old Zhao, I didn’t say that the Procuratorate Headquarters was going to investigate Hawkins, but rather hinted that there might be such a plan. How the media interprets my bringing the whistleblowing materials here is their business."

Zhang Wei looked at Zhao Chunming with a mockingly: "After all, I only leaked some possible news. What these media choose to do is entirely their spontaneous action and has nothing to do with me~"

Just then, someone knocked on Zhao Chunming’s office door.

"Director, it’s bad. A lot of media have gathered downstairs; they’re asking about the progress of the investigation into the city council member’s corruption, and they..."

"Old Zhao, see? They just can’t wait. If I were you, I’d prepare a good statement with the material in hand!"

Zhang Wei looked at Zhao Chunming, his smile brimming with confidence.

"You, you little bastard..."

Zhao Chunming wanted to erupt, but considering Zhang Wei’s current status, he felt unable to lash out.

"Old Zhao, don’t forget about this. Xiao Tan still needs your help. When the time comes, you can tell the media this and that as we discussed..."

"Damn, so you’re using me as a tool, huh?"

"Not at all. Xiao Tan has always respected you, and as a senior, you should give our outstanding reserve some support, shouldn’t you?"

Zhang Wei seemed to have a grip on Zhao Chunming, whose eyes flickered uncertainly before he let out a helpless sigh.

He flipped through the materials, glanced over a few pages quickly, and then headed towards the door.

"Those reporters, they’re all downstairs, right?"

"Yes, Director. There are a lot of them. They said they won’t leave until they get some news!"

"Alright then, I guess I’ll go down and meet them!"

Zhao Chunming led the way out.

"Xiao Tan, let’s follow. You’ll need to make an appearance if necessary!"

"Ah, I have to make an appearance too?"

"With such a good opportunity, it’s prepared especially for you. You’re the main character!"

Zhang Wei patted Tan Yingying’s shoulder and then nodded to his assistant Ye Miaomiao, who stood aside.

The latter nodded back in acknowledgement.

All this seemed to be a part of their plan.

Of course, because from the very beginning, Ye Miaomiao had been one of Zhang Wei’s people!

Allowing Tan Yingying to run for office had been something Zhang Wei had been planning for a long time!