Chapter 28 Attorney Xie! I encountered…
As soon as I entered the law firm, Li Zan handed me an iPad with a serious expression.
The headline was a glaringly provocative one: "Fenghua Group President Han Shan has an extramarital affair! His assistant took his son and became his wife's mistress; the wife makes a tearful accusation."
A lengthy article of over a thousand words, accompanied by pictures, details the entanglement between Han Shan, his wife Mao Lan, and his mistress Yu Liu, with public opinion overwhelmingly condemning the scumbag and the mistress.
The most popular candid photos were taken at Xie Tang's friend's barbecue restaurant—Mao Lan and her daughter blocked Xie Tang and Chu Song's faces, and the two children were also blurred out.
At the same time, Feng Hua's stock price plummeted by 20% at the opening.
Xie Tang immediately called Mao Lan: "Sister Lan, have you seen the news?"
"After watching it, I felt quite gratified."
"It has nothing to do with you."
“It wasn’t me,” Mao Lan sneered. “Why wait until now to do something that should have been done four years ago? Han Shan has been betrayed!”
She then said smugly, "But I gave them a 'gift'—a formal report accusing them of squandering public funds!"
Xie Tang frowned: "A report might not be effective. Huasong has a complex internal structure, and your materials may be lost without a trace."
She admired Mao Lan's integrity; compared to the ruthlessness of those who exposed him, Mao Lan at least chose the right path.
"That's all we can do." Mao Lan hung up the phone.
Xie Tang, carrying the case files, walked toward Li Qing's office with Li Zan when they suddenly heard a smashing sound coming from Yuan Feng's room next door!
Yin Xi stormed out of the door, tears streaming down her face.
Xie Tang stuffed the case file into Li Zan's arms and hurried after him.
In the coffee shop downstairs from the law firm, Xie Tang pushed an iced Americano towards him: "What happened?"
Yin Xi gripped her cup tightly, staring at the composed and confident Xie Tang before her, her heart burning with jealousy—they were from the same school and the same year, yet Xie Tang had already begun to take on major cases and show her talent, while she herself was trapped in trivial matters and accomplishing nothing.
"I'm leaving Yingzheng," she announced abruptly.
Xie Tang asked calmly, "Have you found someone else?"
"Why didn't you try to keep me?" Yin Xi suddenly became agitated.
"Would it be useful to try to keep you?" Xie Tang looked directly at her. "You've endured years of hardship in Yuan Feng's team; your abilities shouldn't be wasted. Besides, I advised you to leave long ago."
"Yes! It's all my fault for believing the promises he made to me!" Yin Xi's eyes reddened. "All these years I've worked like a slave, only taking on small cases. I haven't made any money, and I haven't learned any skills! Unlike you... Li Qing taught you how to handle cases step by step!"
Xie Tang swallowed his rebuttal.
Upon graduation, the two were recommended by their professor to join Yingzheng.
Li Qing and Yuan Feng's teams both extended offers of employment.
Xie Tang decisively chose Li Qing, and also wanted to bring Yin Xi in.
Yin Xi was relieved that Xie Tang hadn't competed with her for the only spot in Yuan Feng's team.
But she was wrong.
Xie Tang quickly obtained her certification and started an internship in Li Qing's team, while Yin Xi was relegated to a menial assistant.
When someone with connections snatched the internship spot, Yuan Feng brushed her off with a "promise of a raise."
A year later, Xie Tang had become a practicing lawyer, while Yin Xi remained stagnant.
Xie Tang once advised her, "Li Qing's team still has openings, transfer here."
Yin Xi raised her head and refused: "I won't admit defeat! Lawyer Yuan has taught me a lot, I will never leave!"
Xie Tang said no more.
From that moment on, their fates diverged—one wrong step led to another.
-----------------
On the top floor of the Huasong Building, Chu Song gently placed a teacup in front of Chu Yuan.
"Han Shan is capable and decisive, but unfortunately his personal morality is corrupt..." Chu Yuan sighed, sipping his tea. "How do you plan to handle this?"
"Han and Yu have been suspended from their duties pending investigation. The internal control and legal departments are investigating the whistleblower. The company secretary is controlling the stock price."
Chu Yuan nodded: "You will temporarily take charge of Fenghua and find a successor."
He paused, then asked with concern, "Are you able to manage?"
“Okay.” Chu Song changed the subject, “but I want to protect Han Shan.”
Chu Yuan asked in surprise, "Reason?"
“He has a proven track record and is loyal to the company.” Chu Song handed over the documents. “He’s a good player—of course, he can no longer serve as president. I will sign a performance-based agreement to bind him.”
Chu Yuan looked through the data and finally nodded: "Then let's do it your way."
Chu Song got up to leave, but was stopped—
"Take Xie Tang back to the old house during the National Day holiday." Chu Yuan's eyes darted around. "Your grandfather wants to see you."
Chu Song asked alertly, "What is it?"
"...We'll find out when the time comes," Chu Yuan said vaguely.
Chu Song's eyes darkened: "Fine."
He returned to his office with a cold expression, and Tong Lan hurriedly reported, "President Han is waiting for you, and Attorney Fu will arrive shortly."
When Chu Song pushed open the door, Han Shan was slumped in the sofa, his former sharpness completely gone.
When Xie Tang received Fu Xiu's call, she was reporting to Li Qing in his office.
The other party requested a face-to-face meeting to discuss the division of property in Mao Lan and Han Shan's divorce case.
Xie Tang understood the implied meaning—an intention to reconcile—and immediately consulted Li Qing.
"They want to talk?" Li Qing's smile was friendly yet insightful. "Then let's talk."
"Teacher, would you like to come with me?"
"You're enough." Li Qing's gaze was gentle and trusting. "Take Li Zan with you and let him gain some experience. Remember, our bottom line is not to be challenged. Even if the negotiations break down, it's okay."
"Okay." Li Qing's words gave Xie Tang confidence. He turned around and called Li Zan. The two drove straight to the agreed location—Hua Song Building.
Downstairs, Fu Xiu was already waiting with people from the legal department.
As Xie Tang approached with her high heels clicking and an aura of confidence, he immediately went to greet her.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two sides entered the conference room.
After they were seated, Fu Xiu got straight to the point: "Attorney Xie, are you considering a settlement?"
Xie Tang and Li Zan exchanged a knowing look and calmly replied, "Attorney Fu, we are willing to hear your settlement proposal, provided that it is fair and in line with the core interests of my client."
“30% of the proceeds from exercising the options.” Fu Xiu’s expression was solemn, and his tone carried a hint of pressure. “This is the premise for Mr. Han Shan’s reconciliation, and it is also the biggest concession he can make to Ms. Mao Lan.”
Xie Tang smiled, then shook his head firmly: "My client will never accept this."
Fu Xiu leaned forward slightly, adding weight to the argument: "Attorney Xie, as far as I know, you haven't yet gathered enough evidence to overturn the verdict. Initiating a retrial is fraught with uncertainty, and even if successful, a retrial and appeal would take years, with the outcome uncertain. Why waste time and resources? 30% is the wisest choice right now."
Hua Songbao's determination to protect Hanshan has been laid bare.
"I'm sorry. 50% of the option proceeds is Ms. Mao Lan's bottom line, not a penny less! Furthermore, Attorney Fu, your judgment is incorrect. In my opinion, the success rate of this retrial is 100%. Even without a settlement, our probability of getting 50% is extremely high. As for the time cost…?"
She chuckled lightly, a hint of sharpness in her voice, "Ms. Mao Lan can afford to accompany you, even for three or five years. But for your side, if you didn't have some concerns, why would you have taken the initiative to invite her?"
Fu Xiu watched Xie Tang deliver a steady performance and inwardly admired her composure, which was no less than Chu Song's. On the surface, he maintained a polite smile: "Attorney Xie is truly... not giving an inch."
Inside the CEO's office, Han Shan paced back and forth like a cat on a hot tin roof, muttering curses under his breath: "That woman Mao Lan is ungrateful, and the lawyer she hired is..."
Chu Song lifted his gaze from the laptop screen and gave him a brief, indifferent glance.
The invisible pressure silenced Han Shan instantly. He sat stiffly on the sofa in the distance, his shirt already soaked with cold sweat.
The screen is locked onto the conference room feed.
Xie Tang's calmness and confidence drew his gaze like a magnet.
"Furthermore," Xie Tang changed the subject, her gaze sharpening as she looked directly at Fu Xiu, "how do you know... we haven't obtained evidence to overturn the verdict?"
Fu Xiu's smile froze instantly, his pupils contracted, and he scrutinized Xie Tang—the group's internal documents were highly confidential, how could she possibly have obtained them?
The Song of Chu? Absolutely impossible!
He wants to protect Hanshan, so why would he destroy his own Great Wall?
The negotiating table was instantly filled with undercurrents, and the negotiations reached a stalemate.
Just then, Xie Tang's cell phone rang abruptly.
She gestured an apology to Fu Xiu and walked aside to answer the call.
On the other end of the phone was Mao Lan's urgent and panicked voice: "Attorney Xie! Could you come to the police station right away? I... I'm in big trouble!"
Xie Tang hung up the phone and gestured for Li Zan to get up.
She turned to face Fu Xiu. "Lawyer Fu, our bottom line has never changed—to protect Ms. Mao Lan's rights with all our might. If your proposal cannot meet our bottom line, there is no point in negotiating. I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Fu Xiu showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, he gave Xie Tang a deep look, stood up, and smiled, "I'll see you both out."
Downstairs at the Huasong Building, Fu Xiu watched Xie Tang's car leave with an inscrutable, relaxed smile on his face.
——————
Mediation room at the police station.
When Xie Tang saw Mao Lan, he almost gasped.
The woman, who was usually so arrogant and domineering, was now disheveled, with scratches on her face, and looked utterly wretched.
"What happened?" Xie Tang asked, both shocked and concerned.
Mao Lan avoided her gaze, her voice hoarse: "...They fought."
With whom?
"Yu Liu!" Mao Lan looked up angrily. "That madwoman! She stormed into my house early this morning and started acting crazy, saying that I caused her to get fired and cyberbullied! How could I let her insult me? So we started fighting!"
Xie Tang's heart skipped a beat: "Where is she?"
Mao Lan touched the bridge of her nose, her eyes darting around: "Maybe... I hit her a little too hard, her hand seems... broken..."
"It seems so?" Xie Tang's heart sank.
The two police officers came in and sat down.
Xie Tang handed over his business card and cut to the chase: "Is there any room for mediation?"
The police officer shook his head: "The other party insists on charging him with intentional injury."
Xie Tang immediately retorted, his tone firm: "Officer, this is absolutely not a one-sided intentional assault! It was Yu Liu who first came to cause trouble, and Ms. Mao Lan was forced to retaliate in a fit of anger after being insulted. We will definitely investigate who is right and who is wrong. We are willing to actively cooperate with the investigation, and we also ask you to fully consider the cause of the incident and the other party's fault."
The police officers exchanged glances, and one of them looked at the business card: "Attorney Xie, it would be best if you could persuade the other party to accept mediation."
"I disagree! I absolutely disagree with mediation!"
A shrill female voice rang out, and Yu Liu, her face bruised and swollen, her left hand wrapped in gauze, stormed in aggressively.
Behind him followed Ni Cheng, a lawyer dressed in a suit and tie.
She pointed at Mao Lan and said, "I'm going to sue her for intentional assault! Look at my face! Look at my hands! This vicious woman did it all!"
Ni Cheng quickly handed over a business card and a medical record: "Officer, my client has a fractured left hand, which meets the standard for minor injury. The evidence is conclusive. We demand that Ms. Mao Lan be held criminally liable according to the law and that she compensate for all losses!"
Xie Tang suppressed his agitation and calmly responded: "Ms. Yu, I understand your anger. But please be clear: you came to provoke us first. Ms. Mao Lan's actions were in self-defense. Furthermore, we will also investigate the specifics of your injuries..."
"Self-defense?" Yu Liu interrupted shrilly, glaring venomously at Mao Lan. "You caused Han Shan to be suspended and investigated, and you made me lose my job! Weren't those online revelations your doing? You got 20 million and you're still not satisfied? What's wrong with scolding you a few times? You deserve it!"
Mao Lan slammed her hand on the table in a rage, "Bullshit! I'll say it again! I didn't expose your dirty deeds! You deserved to be fired! And... you were the one who came to our door and made a scene, so every slap you took was for nothing!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com