Chapter 22 - 17: You Guessed Right

The next day.

November 5th.

7:00 AM.

The sky was just beginning to lighten. The autumn chill had become a wind that raced and howled through the streets.

Carrying some leftovers, Xu De stepped out of his rented apartment. He wrapped his coat tighter around himself and blended in with the pedestrians on the street. Before long, he stopped at an alley entrance.

In a corner.

From a hidden nook in the alley, a head peeked out. Seeing who had arrived, the person shuffled forward shyly.

Once the child was in front of him, Xu De held out a hand and said:

"Shake."

The scavenger child before him reluctantly extended a hand and gave Xu De’s a shake.

He was about 1.6 meters tall with a thin frame. The hand in Xu De’s palm felt withered. His fingers, nothing but skin and bone, were slightly grating and covered in grime.

Then, Xu De said, "Spin in a circle."

The scavenger child clutched the hem of his clothes with both hands. Looking mortified, he reluctantly spun in a circle.

"Too slow. Do it again," Xu De said, clearly displeased.

The scavenger child’s eyes widened in shock.

’Spinning quickly in this god-awful cold feels terrible... I’m already so miserable, doesn’t he have any sympathy?!’

But then he remembered it was Xu De talking, and it all suddenly seemed to make sense. He spun again, picking up speed.

As he turned, his thin clothes fluttered up, letting the cold wind rush in and cover his skin in goosebumps.

"Excellent!"

Xu De was more satisfied this time. He handed over the leftovers.

"Here, eat."

Once the boy took the food, Xu De stopped his teasing, turned around, and continued toward the law firm.

Watching his retreating figure, the scavenger child seemed to want to say something but hesitated. After a moment, he finally whispered, "Thank you."

With that, he vanished into the alley like a mouse.

7:30 AM.

Jinmao Law Firm.

CREAK~

The main door of the firm was pushed open, and Xu De walked over to the time clock as usual.

A colleague in the lobby paused for a second upon seeing him, then quickly stood up and called out.

"Lawyer Xu, someone was just here looking for you."

’Was it Wang Mei and her mother?’

Xu De was a bit surprised. After clocking in, he looked at his colleague, his face full of confusion.

"Did she leave?"

His colleague shook their head. "No, she’s waiting for you in a reception room. You’ll find her in Reception Room 001."

"Alright. Thank you."

Xu De nodded and started toward the reception rooms.

To be honest, not many people ever came looking for him. If it wasn’t Wang Mei and her mother... then it had to be ’Longevity True Monarch’ Lin Yue.

After all, he had told her last night to find him.

’But it’s only seven-thirty... Would she really be here this early?’

Xu De mulled this over as he walked to the entrance of Reception Room 001 and pushed open the ajar door.

CREAK~

As the door swung open, a man’s face appeared in the widening gap.

Recognizing who it was, the man sitting on the sofa inside paused for a second before a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Hello, Lawyer Xu. We meet again."

’This is... Chen Wei! The lawyer representing Wang Youcai and his wife!’

Staring at the man, Xu De’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t enter right away, instead asking, "Lawyer Chen? What urgent business brings you here?"

Chen Wei stood up and spoke with a chuckle.

"Lawyer Xu, the court has issued the summons. The case will be heard in five days."

"As for why I’ve come to see you..."

As he spoke, Chen Wei paused. He picked his briefcase up from the sofa, pulled out a document, and placed it in front of Xu De. He chuckled again and said:

"It’s mainly because of this."

Xu De’s gaze shifted to the document, and he froze.

This document was unusual. Its title was just two words:

[Settlement Agreement.]

In that instant, Xu De narrowed his eyes.

...

...

8:00 AM.

CREAK~

A tall, slender figure in a trench coat pushed open the law firm’s main door.

She let out a breath of relief. Feeling the warmth of the lobby, she unwound her scarf to reveal a delicate, aloof face, devoid of expression. Her lively eyes scanned her surroundings before she finally spoke, her voice soft.

"Excuse me, does Lawyer Xu De work here?"

Her voice was clear and crisp.

A lawyer working in the lobby looked up. He seemed taken aback by her for a moment before snapping out of it and asking, "May I have your name?"

"I’m Lin Yue. I know Xu De."

As she spoke, Lin Yue let out a warm breath. The sudden warmth of the room made her shiver, and her aloof expression gradually softened.

It was clear she wasn’t naturally cold, just stunned by the frigid temperature outside.

The lawyer said, "Lawyer Xu is busy in Reception Room 001 at the moment. You’re welcome to wait."

’A reception room?’

Lin Yue paused. She was about to head to the waiting area, but as she turned, she arched an eyebrow and a thought struck her.

’Considering the timing, the hearing should be soon. At a time like this... could it be Xu Hong and Wang Mei?’

At this thought, she first said, "Thank you."

After confirming the direction of the reception rooms, Lin Yue strode off toward them.

Wang Qiang’s case was urgent, and it was closely connected to the custody case she had taken on. It was essential to give them a few words of advice before the trial.

However, just as she approached Reception Room 001 and was about to knock...

"Lawyer Xu..."

A man’s voice suddenly floated out from within the room.

’That’s... not Wang Mei or her mother.’

Lin Yue froze and was about to tiptoe away, but before she could move, the voice from inside the room spoke again.

"Lawyer Xu, you need to think carefully. The court won’t take the initiative to mediate in a criminal homicide case!"

"If you don’t plan on signing this settlement agreement now... then later,"

"when you finally want to sign, things won’t be this simple!"

’That voice... is it Chen Wei?’

An image from the police station lobby flashed through Lin Yue’s mind.

Before she had time to think, Xu De’s voice sounded.

"See yourself out."

"You!"

Inside the reception room, Chen Wei slammed his hand on the table. He glared at Xu De, but he was speechless.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath, looked at Xu De, and said grimly,

"You just don’t know what’s good for you..."

"Then I’ll see you in court!"

With that, Chen Wei stopped hesitating. He snatched his briefcase and stormed out.

BANG!

The reception room door was thrown open, flying right past someone’s face.

Lin Yue, who had been completely absorbed in her eavesdropping, jumped in fright. By the time she recovered, all she could see was Chen Wei’s fleeting back as he disappeared.

"What’s with the door slamming? He has no class at all!" she mumbled her protest.

Before she could fully react, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Heard enough?"

She turned to see Xu De leaning against the doorframe with an unreadable smile.

As he spoke, he reached out and tapped the glass next to the door.

TAP! TAP!

The frosted glass panel that made up part of the wall gave a sharp sound.

While the window wasn’t perfectly transparent, unless you were blind, you could definitely see the blurry silhouette of a furtive figure crouching by the door, pressed up against the glass, during his conversation with Chen Wei.

"So, Shunfeng’er True Monarch, did you hear everything said in the reception room just now? I certainly didn’t sell out my client behind their back," Xu De teased.

Hearing this, a blush instantly crept up Lin Yue’s fair neck, reaching the tips of her ears in a heartbeat.

"What do you mean, eavesdropping? I wasn’t eavesdropping! I was just... just... I just spaced out for a second by the door!"

"And what the heck is ’Shunfeng’er True Monarch’ supposed to mean... I told you I just made all that ’True Monarch’ stuff up!"

Lin Yue avoided his gaze, her response mumbled and evasive.

Xu De said nothing, merely crossing his arms and watching her with a mocking expression that made her burn with humiliation.

After a moment, she managed to steer the conversation back on course.

"Was that Chen Wei?"

Lin Yue glanced in the direction Chen Wei had vanished, one eyebrow raised in surprise. "What did he come to see you for?"

Xu De replied, "He said the victim’s family is now willing to ’forgive’ the defendant. He came to persuade me to have our client sign a settlement agreement."

’The victim’s family wants to forgive the defendant?’

"’Forgive’? They have the gall to even use that word!?"

Lin Yue first cried out in disbelief, then she paused. Stroking her chin, her eyes suddenly lit up a moment later.

"But... you were right on the money!"

’Li Youcai is using the settlement agreement as leverage!’

’He’s subconsciously realized that having Wang Qiang sentenced would bring him nothing but trouble!’

’So now he’s trying to maximize that leverage before the trial to get what he wants.’

’This is all... exactly what Xu De said would happen!’

’And that was twelve days ago!’

’Accurately predicting every move the other party would make, even their psychological reactions, twelve days in advance... Is that really something a lawyer can do!?’

’Not to mention, he analyzed it from what seemed like a no-win situation! A skill like that... in the legal world, it’s a dimensional takedown!’

’Since when did Lusen City have someone this formidable?’

Lin Yue sized up Xu De in disbelief. After a long moment, she asked doubtfully, "You’re from Jinmao Law Firm? I’ve never heard of a Gold Medal Lawyer named Xu De there."

As she spoke, she gave him a suspicious once-over.

But Lin Yue quickly pushed the thought aside.

Because...

She had just realized something else.

’If things are developing exactly as he predicted, does that mean... the solution has to be the one he proposed, too!?’

’A normal solution would be one thing, but the method Xu De came up with...’

’It was straight-up lawless!’

"Wait, you’re not going to tell me..."

The corner of Lin Yue’s eye twitched, and her heart began to pound. She stared at the tall, mild-mannered man beside her, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

She gasped.

"You’re actually going to go through with that illegal plan!"

As her voice faded, an eerie silence fell over the reception room.

They stared at each other.

Just as Lin Yue’s eyes grew wider and her heart filled with a creeping dread...

A smile suddenly broke across Xu De’s face.

"You guessed right, but..."

"I’m going to do it. And it won’t be illegal in the slightest!"