Chapter 182 - 114: It’s in the Bag

「The next day.」

「January 9th.」

「Noon, 11:30 AM.」

Torch Road, inside the Houde Law Firm.

Three lawyers were getting ready to clock out for their lunch break when, out of the blue, Xu De suddenly got a call.

"Hello? Lawyer Xu, we found him! We found the kid!"

Xu De, who had been on his way out, stopped in his tracks.

The caller was none other than his client, Wang Yu!

His brow furrowed as he asked:

"Where did you find him?"

An astonished and furious voice erupted from the speaker. It was Wang Yu.

"A hotel!"

"Those goddamn cheating bastards! They were really at a hotel, just like you guessed, Lawyer Xu!"

"Damn it, I’m heading to the police station now. Lawyer Xu, are you coming too?!"

’They already caught them... and at a hotel!?’

Xu De paused, then said, "Wait for me. I’m on my way."

With that, he hung up the phone.

BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Xu De looked up and saw Wang Chao trying to sneak out for a bite to eat. He called out to him.

"Chaozi."

"This afternoon, go to the airport and pick someone up. It’s a new hire for the firm, from Yanjing. Their personality might be a little... odd."

"After that, make a trip to Jinmao Law Firm... hmm, and bring some people over."

Wang Chao stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Xu De, his eyes lighting up.

"Does that mean I don’t have to meet with clients?!"

Like salespeople, a lawyer’s income depended entirely on their individual performance. The more clients you had, the more money you made.

But Wang Chao felt there was no need to overdo it. He really couldn’t handle meeting with dozens of clients one after another!

"No, you don’t. Just bring the people back and hand them over."

Xu De said, straightening his clothes and picking up his briefcase.

"Lord Lin, you’re coming with me to the police station."

With that, he led Lin Yue out the door, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wang Chao watched them go, a thoughtful expression on his face.

’Jinmao Law Firm? Heh, since when did Lawyer Xu start poaching from his old firm?’

Wang Chao’s brows shot up, then furrowed again.

’And...’

’A new lawyer with an odd personality?’

’How much weirder could they be than me? The firm’s practically turning into a monster-spawning tower, filled with every kind of Pokémon imaginable. One more won’t make a difference,’ Wang Chao mused.

So he didn’t give it much more thought.

...

...

「Eleven-fifty.」

A taxi pulled up in front of the Criminal Investigation Division headquarters.

SLAM!

The car door shut.

Xu De and Lin Yue got out of the back seat. After paying the fare, they hurried into the station.

Wang Yu, who had been waiting for a while by the main entrance, rushed to greet them.

"What’s the situation inside?" Xu De asked, slowing his pace.

Wang Yu replied:

"I don’t know, I just got here myself. But I asked an officer a minute ago, and it sounds like that whore’s lawyer is here. The police can’t hold her for long; she’ll be released today."

’A lawyer...’

’Right, she has a lawyer. It’s a huge hassle when the defendant in a civil case doesn’t show up in court. A lawyer who wants to win will see it through to the end.’

Therefore, although this case was reported as a kidnapping and the police made the arrest on that basis, it was obvious this wouldn’t hold up as a kidnapping case.

’So... Yang Chunping will most likely be released today. As for the other guy, Guo Tu... I’m not so sure,’ Xu De thought.

’If Yang Chunping is willing to explain or coordinate their stories, he’ll probably walk free on the spot. If she isn’t, then just based on the child fainting...’

’He’d be locked up for at least seven days and seven nights!’

But Xu De wasn’t particularly concerned about Guo Tu. After all, Wang Yu was divorcing Yang Chunping, not him.

"Where are they now?" Xu De pressed.

"In the holding cell. It seems like they’ve finished all the necessary checks."

Wang Yu pointed in a direction, and the three of them hurried toward the holding cell.

At that moment, inside the holding cell.

"A complaint! I’m going to file a complaint against you all!"

"Just you wait! When I get out, I’m reporting you to the city, and I’m suing you!"

"You better start thinking about how much you’re going to pay me! Who gave you permission to enter my room? You even assaulted me!"

"Your name is Li Xiang, right? I’ll remember you..."

...

A series of shrill shouts echoed from the holding cell.

Several police officers looked on, dumbfounded. Li Xiang of the Criminal Investigation Division wore a pained expression, as if he had a toothache. He stood in the main hall, listening to the yelling from inside, feeling utterly helpless.

Division Captain Wu Kang, who had just arrived, felt his eye twitch. He turned to Li Xiang and asked:

"What’s going on here?"

"Why has she been yelling since early this morning? She hasn’t stopped."

Inside the holding cell, it was, of course, Yang Chunping who was screaming. It was as if she had a motor installed in her throat, endlessly emitting sharp, explosive cries.

The petty criminals locked up with her for minor thefts were truly suffering.

After listening to this racket all morning, their heads were just buzzing.

The officers on duty were miserable as well.

"Don’t even ask. It’s about last night’s ’kidnapping case’."

Li Xiang sighed, looking completely exasperated.

"Son of a bitch."

"If you’re going to have an affair, have an affair. Why the hell did she have someone else take the kid away?"

"And if you’re gonna take the kid, take the kid... but the key thing is, she had a complete stranger do it! We searched all of Nanshan District for a whole night, and just when we were about to crack the case, we end up... we fucking end up busting adulterers on the scene!"

Li Xiang was thoroughly exasperated.

He felt like bad luck had been clinging to him since October of ’02.

First, there was the Li Family Village case, then the case at No. 18 Middle School where Sun Zhigang brought people to blockade the school.

Now, when there were finally no major cases, he’d tried to nab a kidnapper to boost his year-end performance numbers.

Who would have thought...

...that dozens of officers would work all night, mobilizing the entire Lusen City taxi network, only to end up busting a couple of cheaters?!