Chapter 170 - 108: Civil Case! A World Turned Upside Down

For a startup law firm, becoming famous was certainly a good thing...

But... it also came with a problem.

Thinking of this, Xu De gathered his thoughts. He walked out of his office and headed toward the firm’s reception area.

After passing through the quiet hallway, as he got closer, a series of voices reached his ears.

"Hello, hello, Mr. Wang. Yes, this is Houde Law Firm..."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP—Mr. Liu? We really can’t spare anyone right now..."

"Ms. Sun, if you want to make an appointment, the earliest we have is in half a month. If you’re in a hurry, I’d suggest..."

"..."

A series of frazzled conversations could be heard.

In the main hall, Wang Chao was juggling two phones, looking completely frazzled as he sat in his chair, repeatedly apologizing.

Lin Yue was in a similar state to the side, scribbling down client information until the page was densely packed with text.

A closer look revealed she was booking clients for appointments a week from now.

「After a moment.」

The two finally got a moment to catch their breath, letting out a sigh of relief.

When Wang Chao saw Xu De arrive, a bitter look immediately appeared on his face.

"Bro, we have to hire more people... I can’t take this anymore. The appointments these past two days have been insane!"

"I have to meet nine clients this afternoon! I really can’t handle it all. There are too many cases. Have mercy on me..."

Lin Yue nodded along beside him, pointing at the circles under her eyes and saying pitifully:

"Lawyer Xu, don’t you feel bad seeing these dark circles under my eyes!?"

Seeing this, Xu De looked a little embarrassed.

’Yes, he was exploiting his only two partners!’

’It couldn’t be helped.’

The public outcry from the "No. 18 Middle School case" was simply explosive. Lusen City had a population in the tens of millions, so even if only one in a thousand called for a consultation, it was enough to overwhelm a small firm like theirs.

Three people really couldn’t handle it!

This was the definition of suffering from success. Other firms were trying everything to get cases, while they were so overloaded they couldn’t keep up...

No wonder countless law firms dreamed of landing a major case. This was why.

"We’ll hire. We’ll definitely hire."

"The Bureau of Justice has allocated us 15 internship slots," Xu De said.

Wang Chao paused and threw up his hands. "Interns? Bro, do I look like someone who can train interns?"

Xu De thought about it.

’If he were to train an intern... would he teach them how to pick locks and climb walls? Or about having a crew of "particular people"...’

’Dozens of "particular people" at the law firm!?’

Xu De quickly composed himself, not daring to let his thoughts wander any further.

"I can’t either." Lin Yue slumped in her chair, her full chest rising and falling rhythmically.

"I’m just too busy. I can’t spare the time to train an intern."

Xu De opened his mouth to speak.

Lin Yue’s expression suddenly turned serious. Her eyes held a threatening glint as she warned:

"If you dare ask me if I know the ’One Qi Transforms the Three Pristine Ones’ technique, you’re dead!"

Xu De: "..."

An embarrassed look of being seen through flashed across his face. He thought for a moment and changed what he was about to say.

"We’ll hire a few senior lawyers and have them train the interns."

’Hire senior lawyers, huh...’

Wang Chao said, "My university was all about construction sites. I barely know any law students. If you want me to recruit, I’d have to go poach people from other firms."

Although his degree was from a good university, his alma mater was a veritable holy land for mixing concrete; there weren’t many who studied law there.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, was much more reliable. She pondered for a moment.

"I know some people. I can try to poach them."

"They aren’t anyone particularly amazing, though... Of course, that’s because they aren’t being fed any cases."

The competition between lawyers is especially brutal.

Some capable lawyers are left high and dry if their firm doesn’t assign them cases. Over time, they get marginalized and eventually end up leaving.

Unless you can feed them cases.

But law firms are never short on people, they’re short on cases!

However... Xu De’s situation was the exact opposite.

He was short on people, not cases. The firm was so overloaded with cases that operating costs were skyrocketing. If no one else came, Xu De would have to personally step in to handle minor consultation cases.

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you then, Lawyer Lin. The compensation is negotiable, and we have no shortage of cases," Xu De said.

Lin Yue was reliable, after all.

Her network and financial backing were among the best in all of Lusen City.

’Once she brings some people over, this startup firm... will most likely become a boutique law firm!’

’To have developed so much in just a few short months... other firms would probably tremble if they saw this.’

"Let’s go out for a bite first. I’ll help you guys out tonight."

Xu De nodded.

Just as he said that, he was about to take them out for a quick lunch.

However...

"CREAK~"

The moment he opened the door, a man who had been pacing back and forth in front of the firm’s entrance, a hesitant look on his face, appeared before Xu De.

Xu De paused, raising an eyebrow. He was no longer in a hurry to leave and instead spoke up:

"Hello."

"How can I help you?"

As he spoke, the man subconsciously turned to leave, but as if remembering something, he gritted his teeth and turned back.

"I want to file a lawsuit... a divorce case."

’A civil case!?’

Xu De paused. Recalling the Gratitude Coins he was lacking on his panel, he immediately abandoned the thought of lunch and stepped aside.

"Please, come in and we can talk."

At his words, the man no longer hesitated and walked inside.

Wang Chao promptly poured him a cup of tea.

There’s a fundamental difference between clients who make appointments and walk-ins. Scheduled clients come to "talk," and most don’t have a solid case yet. But walk-ins... they are 100% in urgent need of help.

「In the reception area.」

Xu De sat on the sofa and pushed the tea toward the man.

"Hello, how may I address you? And how did you find out about our firm?" Xu De asked with a gentle smile.

Wang Yu heard him and replied:

"My name is Wang Yu... As for the firm, I just happened to pass by it while walking."

Lin Yue mused to herself off to the side.

’In other words... he didn’t come because he saw us in the newspaper. He found a random law firm on the street because he had a need. That makes him a quality client.’

"Alright. You can start by telling me what you’re seeking."

Xu De said gently.

Hearing this, Wang Yu gripped the cup with both hands, fell silent for a moment, and then suddenly said:

"I..."

"I think my wife might be cheating on me... and now she’s trying to divorce me."

"The court has already filed the case, and they told me I’m at a major disadvantage... I’m at my wit’s end... so I had to find a lawyer."

’Another divorce case!?’

Lin Yue and Wang Chao were a bit taken aback.

It was the most common type of civil case, but common didn’t mean simple.

Handling a divorce case perfectly was extremely troublesome!

"Could you give me some more details about the case? For instance, do you have any children? And how did you come to suspect she was cheating?"

Xu De asked.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yu said:

"I’m twenty-nine, and I have a four-year-old son. I started suspecting she was cheating because..."

"Over the last few weeks, my son’s behavior suddenly changed. He used to be very lively and cheerful, but lately, he’s become withdrawn."

"After I coaxed it out of him, my son told me that my wife often goes out with a strange man... and she even brings him along."

"After that, I confronted my wife, and we argued until it ended up in court..."

A very common scenario.

As for whether his suspicion could be wrong...

I can tell you with great certainty.

When you notice something because of a fairly obvious, abnormal change in behavior...

...don’t doubt your suspicions. It’s most likely true. The accuracy rate is frighteningly high!

A full 85% accuracy rate!

"Now, the divorce is definitely happening..."

"But I might find... the judge’s ruling a bit hard to accept."

Wang Yu’s tone was bitter.

Lin Yue and Wang Chao were also silent.

This was what made divorce cases so difficult.

What would the judge rule on? Nothing more than assets and the child.

In legal rulings, the probability of a child being awarded to the mother is naturally much higher than to the father. If both parties are on equal footing, it’s almost a certainty the child will go to the mother!

A two-year-old child will be awarded to the mother 95% of the time.

For a child under eight, there’s an 85% probability.

For a child over eight, the ruling still naturally favors the mother. It’s very difficult for the father to win custody unless the other party makes a mistake, and in the eyes of the law, cheating isn’t considered an especially grave fault...

All things considered, given Wang Yu’s current situation...

...it looked bleak.

However...

"So, your request is..."

Xu De understood. He said:

"To divide the assets, right?"

"Are you hoping to have her leave with nothing, or a more respectable 90-10 split? You get 90%, she gets 10%? I have several plans you can choose from..."

The bitter expression remained on Wang Yu’s face. He said:

"Yes, I want to get as large a share as possible..."

As he spoke, he suddenly trailed off, stunned, then looked up at Xu De.

"Leave with nothing?"

"Her!?"

Xu De nodded, a professional smile on his face.

"That’s right."

"The man can get money in a divorce case?"

"Leave with nothing? A woman can be made to leave with nothing in a divorce? From what you see in most cases, isn’t it usually the man’s assets that get divided!?"

"Since when can she be the one to leave with nothing, while the man gets to keep all the marital assets!?"

Wang Yu exclaimed in shock:

"Isn’t that completely backwards!?"

...