Chapter 230 - 135: A Common Man’s Fury, Blood Splattered Five Steps

Meanwhile.

At the reception center.

"What’s the deal with Lanhua Law Firm? Has Lusen City ever offended him?"

The moment Zhang Bingxin returned to the reception center, he couldn’t contain himself. He stared at Xu De in shock, his face a mask of disbelief.

It was the first time he’d ever seen a bar association president take the lead in objecting when everyone else had already tacitly agreed to approve something.

After all...

Even if someone was going to object, the president would normally have someone else do it on his behalf.

The position of president was truly one of great influence. Not to mention, Lanhua Law Firm also collaborated with major universities, so those experts and professors would all consider his opinion when it was time to score.

If Feng Ji so much as hinted that he wanted to give a low score, that whole group would follow suit.

"Did we offend him somehow?"

Lin Yue also frowned, her pretty eyes filled with bewilderment.

She just couldn’t figure out why he would do such a thing.

’Is offending a rising star lawyer and a local government a good thing for Feng Ji?!’

Putting everything else aside, any lawyer from Lanhua Law Firm who tried to take a case in Lusen City would absolutely be met with scorn.

’It makes no sense...’

’There’s no reason for him to do this!’

"I can’t figure out what’s going on," Lin Yue said with a deep breath, shaking her head.

Xu De was also silent, racking his brain to figure out if he had any connection to the man, or if they had clashed somewhere before.

After a long while...

CREAK~

The door to the reception room was pushed open.

Everyone looked up to see Huang Shi walk in, a grim look on his face.

Seeing this, Zhang Bingxin’s heart sank. He asked,

"What’s the status of the case?"

Huang Shi had pulled some strings, asking someone to look into the scoring issue right after the conference ended.

Normally, the scores are only announced after all the evaluations are complete, but it’s different when you have connections. While he couldn’t get the exact numbers, he could... at least get a general idea.

And the No. 18 Middle School case...

"It’s gone."

Huang Shi took a deep breath, his expression terribly grim. He said, word by word,

"We were so close..."

"So close!"

Huang Shi slammed his fist on the bed in anger, his voice filled with frustration.

’A classic case...’

He hadn’t expected it before coming here, but during the defense, he had coordinated so well with Xu De... It had clearly passed...

But then some unknown factor came into play, and the prize they had in their grasp flew away.

He couldn’t accept it.

But it was useless not to. The selection committee wasn’t going to give him a second chance!

"Forget it."

Huang Shi heaved a deep sigh. He was silent for a moment before saying,

"Don’t let the No. 18 Middle School case affect you."

"Xu De, you’ll also need to summarize the next case, and you’ll be questioned as well."

"Judge Zhang, with this experience, you should also prepare in advance. At least you won’t be caught off guard."

Hearing this, the two men opened their mouths to speak, but after a moment of silence, they simply nodded.

"Okay."

The No. 18 Middle School case was clearly hopeless. There was no way to get it re-evaluated.

That being the case, it was better to pour all their energy into the only remaining case: the Li Family Village case!

But... this case was far more difficult to get selected than the No. 18 Middle School case.

First, it was a major case. If selected, it would, to some extent, achieve the effect of the "Brother Long case" appearing early in Qingwu Province.

The stakes were high, and so was the controversy.

By contrast, the only factor weighing against the No. 18 Middle School case was that it would be difficult to replicate.

And on top of that...

"What about the Bar Association?"

Lin Yue asked.

"What if, for the Li Family Village case, the Bar Association continues to..."

She trailed off, but everyone knew what she meant.

If Feng Ji spoke up again, wouldn’t they fall into the same situation as the No. 18 Middle School case?

’It’s a situation we were sure to win, yet we can’t find a way to break the deadlock!!!’

At her words, everyone fell silent.

After a long time, Zhang Bingxin sighed and said,

"Let’s just take it one step at a time."

After he spoke, no one said another word.

Xu De left the reception room with Lin Yue, heading for the hotel where they were staying.

On the way, the two of them kept pondering the situation with the Bar Association. Lin Yue proposed various theories, but none were supported by any objective information.

Xu De had a vague inkling, but no way to verify it.

The two of them had a quick dinner, then washed up and went to bed.

Lying in bed, he tossed and turned all night, completely unable to fall asleep.

...

...

「The next day.」

January 21st.

8:40 in the morning.

SPLASH!

He scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed it on his face.

Xu De took a deep breath and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His face was haggard after a sleepless night. He scooped up another handful of cold water and splashed it on his face again.

He hadn’t slept all night.

He had been wracking his brain, wondering what was going on and why Feng Ji was specifically targeting him.

Just then...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~

There was a knock on the door.

Xu De paused. He got up and opened the door, expecting to see Lin Yue and ready to head out for breakfast with her. But unexpectedly, when he opened the door...

CREAK~

The door opened.

In the doorway stood a man, about five-foot-nine, wearing a suit.

When the man saw Xu De, a smile spread across his face.

"Lawyer Xu, hello. I’m Sun Jianshan, a practicing lawyer from Lanhua Law Firm. You can call me Lawyer Sun."

’Sun Jianshan... Lanhua Law Firm?!’

Xu De’s guard went up instantly.

His intuition told him that the man’s visit... was very likely related to Feng Ji’s inexplicable attitude.

"What can I do for you, Lawyer Sun?" Xu De asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I’ve come today mainly to discuss a matter of mutual cooperation and benefit."

A hearty, genuine smile appeared on Sun Jianshan’s face.

"Our Lanhua Law Firm is currently interested... in acquiring Houde Law Firm. What do you think...?"