Chapter 1: Legal and Compliant

October 1, 2002. Lusen City, Qingwu Province, Dongguo.

4:00 PM. Inside the lavishly decorated Jinmao Law Firm on Torch Street Shopping District.

In the restroom.

SPLASH!

A handful of cold water splashed on his face, bringing Xu De back to his senses.

He looked up.

Reflected in the mirror was a young, water-splashed face. He stared, stunned and lost in thought.

After a long moment, the two sets of memories in his mind finished merging, and he finally understood his current situation.

’Reborn... Am I back in 2002...?’

Xu De had transmigrated... or rather, he had been reborn into his 2002 self in this parallel world’s Dongguo.

In his previous life, he had worked in the legal field as the Chief Legal Officer—CLO—of a top corporation, and his work was always flawless!

Until he met his final opponent: a large truck whose driver had been drinking on the side of the road.

The result was obvious. A tragic loss.

And so, he was reborn into his younger self in this parallel world, in the year 2002.

The version of himself in this world was identical to the one in his memories... no, there were some slight deviations...

The only difference was that this version of him had chosen to become a lawyer.

’Graduated from Yandu University in 1999. After my internship, I returned to Lusen City and joined Jinmao Law Firm.’

’But not long after I started, I was inexplicably targeted by a team leader who got his position through connections.’

’And "I" had planned to switch jobs after getting a feel for the legal environment in Lusen City, but unexpectedly, I suffered a sharp pain in my heart while at the firm...’

The next thing he knew, he was picking himself up from the restroom floor and standing in front of the sink.

’So I’m a lawyer now?’

Xu De was lost in thought. After a long while, he let out a breath.

’Good. The laws in both worlds are the same.’

The legal system in this world’s 2002 was largely similar to his previous life’s.

That being the case, it saved him the trouble of spending a week looking for legal loopholes.

As for why his first instinct was to exploit legal loopholes... don’t worry about it.

’Well, when in Rome. Being a lawyer... isn’t so bad. It’s semi-related to my expertise. I can definitely make something of it.’

But just as Xu De was pondering the subtle differences of this world...

A loud shout came from outside the restroom.

"Xu De! Xu De!"

"Where’s Xu De? Where did he go?!"

The voice grew louder, eventually yelling from the main office area outside the restroom. It sounded somewhat familiar.

’Someone’s looking for me.’

Xu De paused, then pulled out a paper towel to dry his face, turned off the faucet, and walked out.

CREAK~

He pushed the restroom door open, and his view widened.

In the main office.

Several people in professional attire were gathered.

"Where’s Xu De? Where’d he disappear to in the middle of the day?!"

"Lawyer Xu wasn’t feeling well and went to..."

"Not feeling well? If everyone acts like this, our firm might as well just disband!"

Team Leader Sun Hao glared at the lawyers before him, speaking with great dissatisfaction.

The lawyers’ expressions soured, but given his position, they could only mutter under their breaths:

"What, would he only be satisfied if we dropped dead in the office?"

The voice wasn’t loud, but Sun Hao caught it. He flushed with anger and was about to erupt.

Just then, Xu De’s voice suddenly rang out.

"I’m here."

His voice echoed through the office, and everyone instinctively turned to look.

They saw him walking slowly from the restroom entrance toward them.

Seeing this, Sun Hao swallowed his anger and shot a glare at the lawyers in front of him.

Then, he turned to Xu De with a beaming smile.

"Lawyer Xu, not feeling well?"

Xu De’s expression didn’t change. "I’m fine."

This team leader in front of him was the one who got his job through connections and constantly gave him a hard time. He was typically arrogant.

"Good that you’re fine."

Sun Hao chuckled, then his tone suddenly shifted as he handed over a contract. "Weren’t you asking the team to assign you some cases a couple of days ago?"

"I took a look. We don’t have any criminal cases, but..."

"The firm just so happens to have a ’special consultation’ today."

"The client’s fee is a full seven hundred yuan."

"They’re waiting for you in reception room 103 right now. Sign the contract and go on over. Don’t keep the client waiting."

Seven hundred yuan. It didn’t sound like much.

But it was. This was 2002, when countless people earned less than a thousand yuan a month.

Of course, what interested Xu De most wasn’t the money, but...

[Ding! A common civil case has been detected. Accept? Yes/No?]

[Civil Case Reward: Small chance of randomly acquiring a common skill from the client, high chance of receiving a number of Gratitude Coins.]

[Note: (Reward quality increases with client satisfaction.)]

Suddenly, a voice sounded in Xu De’s ear, and a translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

[Current Status]

[Name: Xu De]

[Age: 25]

[Gratitude Coins: 0]

[Win Rate: N/A]

[Cases Taken: None]

[Talent Skills: None]

’What... is this?’

A glint flashed in Xu De’s eyes. He glanced around and saw that no one else seemed to notice it, so he narrowed his eyes and continued to study it.

While he remained silent, the people around him began to speak up instinctively.

"The special consultation in 103?"

The surrounding lawyers showed looks of surprise, then frowned and crossed their arms.

"Team Leader Sun, this isn’t right. Lawyer Xu is so young... he..."

Hearing this, Sun Hao, who could see that Xu De was tempted, scowled.

"Being young is all the more reason to seize opportunities!"

One lawyer frowned. "But the client in reception room 103 has been a nuisance for a month. Isn’t it a bit much to send Lawyer Xu in...?"

But Sun Hao retorted:

"That’s because the previous lawyers were incompetent. Lawyer Xu is a top graduate!"

"Besides, the man himself hasn’t said anything yet!"

Seeing that the others had gone quiet, Sun Hao turned to Xu De with a cheerful smile.

"Lawyer Xu, what do you think?"

Xu De, who had been engrossed in studying the screen, was jolted back to reality.

He glanced at the other lawyers, thought for a moment, and then made a decision in his mind.

[’Accept.’]

[Civil case accepted!]

[Note: Please do your best to satisfy the client!]

Looking at the light blue screen, Xu De hesitated for a second before looking up and saying:

"I’ll give this case a try."

With that, he took the contract under everyone’s gaze and signed his name.

A look of delight immediately appeared on Sun Hao’s face as he gloated:

"Excellent! Lawyer Xu is a top graduate, after all. I have high hopes for you."

Sun Hao then tucked away a copy of the contract and headed for the finance office.

Once he was gone, the other lawyers couldn’t help but speak up:

"Lawyer Xu, you shouldn’t have taken this case. It’s a really tough one!"

Xu De thought for a moment and gave them an excuse.

"I had no choice. I’ve had almost no cases for the past few months. If I don’t take this, I’ll be starving."

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

After speaking, he turned and headed for reception room 103.

The other lawyers watched him go. They looked like they wanted to say more, but in the end, they could only sigh.

"Sigh."

...

CLACK, CLACK, CLACK...

The sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway.

Finally, the sound stopped in front of a door marked ’103’.

Xu De placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed lightly.

CREAK~

The door opened.

The reception room was simple: a sofa, a chair, a table, and a water cooler in the corner.

As the door swung open, a man appeared in his line of sight. He was about thirty, with a square face, wearing a black suit, and sitting on the sofa.

He had an ordinary appearance and wore a silver watch on his wrist.

An idea struck Xu De, and he quickly walked to the other side of the table.

"Hello, I am Xu De, the lawyer in charge of this special consultation. You can call me Lawyer Xu."

Hearing the noise, Zhang Hu opened his eyes. He was momentarily taken aback when he saw the lawyer who had come in, and his tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

"And you are?" Xu De asked, pulling his gaze away.

"Zhang Hu," Zhang Hu replied.

Xu De sat down on the sofa, sized him up for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Zhang, please state your request once more."

Zhang Hu was silent. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice:

"My wife cheated on me..."

At the very first sentence, Xu De’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

’So it’s a marital dispute case...!’

’No wonder the firm couldn’t resolve it in a month.’

’These types of cases are notoriously messy. It’s almost impossible to get the client completely satisfied, the pay is low, and they drag on forever!’

’Sun Hao really did dump a hot potato on him...’

Xu De sneered inwardly but didn’t let it show on his face. He simply looked at Zhang Hu.

"Please continue."

Zhang Hu nodded, folded his hands, and stared at the floor as he spoke slowly.

"I met that bitch back in high school."

"After we got married, I worked my ass off, leaving early and coming home late. I never asked her to get a job, she didn’t even have to cook meals on a normal day!"

"And what’s the result? She turns around and gets with some gym rat, saying I wasn’t romantic, that I was old-fashioned and boring!"

"A while ago, that adulterer found out I own a food company..."

"Then he not only encouraged that slut to divorce me and split my money, but he also contacted me privately to show me pictures and videos of them screwing around!"

"I couldn’t accept it, so I went to court, and the result..."

As he spoke, Zhang Hu slammed his hand on the table. SLAM! His chest heaved violently.

He suppressed his rage and said in a low voice:

"The court told me that infidelity in a marriage is just a moral issue, not a crime. Even if I divorce her, I still have to split the assets!"

"The thought of those two adulterers messing around behind my back, and I still have to give them money..."

"And if I wanted to vent my anger and hire someone to beat that bastard up, *I’d* be the one going to jail."

"I just feel so wronged!"

With that, he looked at Xu De, his face ugly with resentment.

"I can’t accept this!"

Hearing this, Xu De understood, but he could only shake his head.

"Your case is very tricky."

"Legally speaking, even if your wife cheats, she still has the right to a division of assets in a divorce, unless she voluntarily gives up that right."

"But obviously, that’s not going to happen."

Zhang Hu’s face grew even more resentful. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He had been to many lawyers.

But no matter which one...

They all said that the division of assets upon divorce was inevitable. Even if she cheated, got a lover, and even sent him videos and photos, he still had to act like a cuckold and hand over the money.

It was infuriating.

So damn infuriating!

Forget millions, Zhang Hu didn’t want to give her even a single cent!

But reality was cruel.

There was no getting around the laws on the division of assets in a divorce.

Just as Zhang Hu was about to resign himself to his fate...

Xu De, who had been contemplating for a moment, suddenly changed his tune.

"But... it’s not entirely hopeless."

If it were just a matter of dividing assets, Xu De could have easily given some advice, but...

’The quality of the system’s case reward increases with client satisfaction!’

’Any solution for just dividing the assets would be something he’d accept while holding his nose, not something he’d be satisfied with, let alone grateful for!’

’In that case...’

’I’ll have to resort to some more... unconventional methods.’

’The kind of methods that secured my position as Chief Legal Officer in my past life, and ensured I never made a single mistake!!!’

Zhang Hu froze, thinking he must have misheard. "Wh... What?"

"Mr. Zhang, judging by your attitude, what you really want isn’t just a divorce, nor is it just to give her less money. What you want is..."

"Revenge you can’t get!"

Xu De paused for a moment, then looked up at him.

His low voice was like a devil’s whisper, tempting Zhang Hu:

"What if I told you I could help you get..."

"Perfectly legal and compliant revenge?"