Lawyer Ge was not happy. His smile turned ugly as his mood darkened.
“It’s for you,” the female assistant spoke carefully, her smile forced. She could feel the displeasure radiating from Lawyer Ge.
“We’re on a case. Personal calls are prohibited,” Lawyer Ge stated.
“It’s Chairwoman Lin,” the assistant clarified.
Lawyer Ge’s hands froze, then he relaxed and said to the room, “Pardon me, I have to take this call.”
His hand reached out for the phone.
“Chairwoman Lin?
“Yes, we’re at the police station. The suspect had caused intentional harm through his driving.”
Despite having excused himself, he remained seated in place as he took the call.
It was a tactic employed to pressure a suspect.
Lawyers were unscrupulous and not above using dirty tactics.
A moment later, the lawyer’s hands visibly clenched.
The smile on his face became a grimace.
He fell silent as the caller went on.
After half a minute, Lawyer Ge opened his mouth to speak.
“But—”
Shouting from the other end of the phone cut through the lawyer’s retort. Zheng Ren could hear the anger reverberating through the speaker.
“Yes. Yes, I will handle it.
“Yes, you are right. We have to maintain a zero tolerance policy on this.”
Lawyer Ge finally hung up.
The room was silent as all eyes fell on him.
From the tone of his conversation, there were some changes to be made. What did the future hold for this case?
“Dr. Zheng, my employer has informed me that I am to be your legal counsel for this case,” Lawyer Ge announced seriously.
There was no hint of hesitation in his tone. Truly, he was a man of many faces.
He could change sides as easily as a coin flip.
It was a room-shaking revelation.
Zheng Ren took a moment to think and remembered Department Chief Kong’s call. “Are you Sister Lin’s lawyer?”
Sister… Lin…
It was rare to hear someone address Lin Jiaojiao so casually.
His eyes narrowed into pinpoints as he stared at Zheng Ren.
Without much fanfare, Lawyer Ge schooled his features and put on his characteristic smile.
The courts had been around for centuries.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Huizhou merchants were renowned for their economic prowess. Everyday lives of the people were simple and largely governed by the teachings of their ancestors. Larger expenses could be split into three categories: concubines, harlots and disputes.
As such, someone who could hire a personal attorney could also throw entire fortunes into the Qinhuai River.
A good attorney was hard to find, especially one who could play both offense and defense. Having a thick skin and no scruples were essential to the trade.
Lawyer Ge was exemplary in his work, and that excellence extended to his ability to switch sides at a moment’s notice.
Why else would Lin Jiaojiao hire him as the group’s legal attorney?
Why else would he be willing to come to Sea City at the drop of a hat?
Why else would he be smiling as he spoke to Zheng Ren now?
The dark aura surrounding Lawyer Ge dissipated.
“Dr. Zheng, Chairwoman Lin is the chairperson. I’m from the legal department and have little contact with her. You are her…” Lawyer Ge said.
“I’m not that familiar with her, either,” Zheng Ren answered honestly.
Old Chief Physician Pan sighed. At times, Zheng Ren was too oblivious.
Although they had morals and logic on their side, having a professional lawyer would not hurt their case.
“I performed an emergency surgery on her back in Imperial Capital. Was that Sister Lin?” Zheng Ren explained, smiling humbly.
Lawyer Ge was responsible for legal processing and had read up on the incident during his flight to Sea City.
He had gotten the gist of it before arriving at the police station.
“Zhou Bai is one of Chairwoman Lin’s partners in the franchising business. His family is wealthy. When Chairwoman Lin announced that she wanted a direct branch office in Sea City, he quickly packed up and headed over.”
Zheng Ren listened to the lawyer talk but was getting bored by the second. He wanted to return to the emergency department. Even with no surgeries scheduled, he could read his book in peace in his office.
Despite his eagerness to leave, he knew he had to settle this incident.
“He wishes to gain a small position of power in the Lin empire. With Chairwoman Lin’s blessing, I have full authority over the legal case and will proceed with a public disturbance charge.”
Lawyer Ge knew little of Zheng Ren’s character, so he studied the young doctor’s face as he spoke.
Zheng Ren was daydreaming. He found the lawyer to be most uninteresting. Sure, the whole incident could be considered a form of public disturbance.
He wished he was back in the hospital, reading.
From Zheng Ren’s inscrutable expression, Lawyer Ge could not gain any insight into the young doctor’s mind. He gritted his teeth, money from the Zhou family long forgotten.
“If Dr. Zheng feels that it is insufficient, we can bump it up to a public endangerment charge. It’ll be a sentence of three, suspended sentencing of one.[1]”
Sentence of three, suspended sentencing of one? What did that mean?
Zheng Ren did not understand what Lawyer Ge was saying.
He was exhausted after the emergency surgery, to the point where he was missing the faint minty smell of an energy elixir.
Lawyer Ge took in Zheng Ren’s silence.
The kind face of the young doctor belied his cruel demeanor.
Public endangerment was a harsh charge for a criminal case and a three-one sentencing was quite a heavy punishment.
Was he still not satisfied?
Lawyer Ge felt a chill creep into his heart. Pleasing a vengeful client was the hardest part of a lawyer’s job.
The fact that he had just threatened Zheng Ren made all this even more complicated. He could feel a guillotine hanging over his neck; one misstep and his head would roll.
“Understood. I will try my hardest!” Lawyer Ge did not know how far Zheng Ren was willing to drag the case but there was no need to show all his cards. A vague answer was best.
Suddenly, another phone rang. It was the traffic police chief’s.
He checked the caller ID and left the room.
Lawyer Ge truly believed Zheng Ren was a difficult client to handle. “I have read through the accident report and will proceed with Chairwoman Lin’s instructions. If I require any assistance from Dr. Zheng, I will personally pay you a visit.”
“Is that all, then?” Zheng Ren asked.
“Yes, we’re good for now. Zhou Bai will likely call for other lawyers but do not worry, I am an expert in court cases.”
Lawyer Ge desperately wanted to emphasize his importance in the case. At that moment, the traffic police chief entered the room.
“Overtime tonight,” the chief said.
He was addressing his subordinate.
An officer transcribing the conversation in his notebook stopped. Had there been a major accident that required them to work overtime?
“The Provincial Government Department wants to drop in,” the chief continued.
[1] suspended sentencing (缓刑, also translated as a sentence “with reprieve”): sentencing does not immediately follow the guilty verdict, but is instead determined after a period of probation.
