Chapter 10
Mo Yiyan was the first to see Zhang Xingyan's circle of friends. Zhang Xingyan probably won a lot, and there was a pile of scoring chips on the card table. Coupled with his unchanging standard scissor hand gesture, he looked like a real idiot.
"Watch your words carefully. You are from the same mother. He is an idiot and you are not a good person either." Zhang Xiang was posing for photos when she suddenly heard Mo Yiyan's extreme disgust for her brother and had to "kindly" remind her.
As a master of words, Mo Yiyan naturally heard Zhang Xiang's ill intentions and snorted coldly, "Birds of a feather flock together. I'm not a good person, and those of you who hang out with me are not much better either. The boss shouldn't criticize the second one."
"Remove the word 'men'. You're the same person. If Chuntian says something to you, just fight back. But don't hurt me and Yuanyuan by mistake."
As soon as Chen Huanong said this, Mo Yiyan and Zhang Xiang became unhappy immediately, and almost yelled in unison, "Shameless! Chen Huanong, you are the worst piece of shit!" As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. When facing Chen Huanong, Mo Yiyan and Zhang Xiang can always easily form a united front. People who have not been dominated by Chen Huanong cannot understand the feeling of wanting to cry but having no tears and wanting to lose their temper but having to suppress it. In a word, Chen Huanong is undoubtedly a piece of shit.
Chen Huanong pretended to leave but was stopped by Jiang Yuyuan, "Don't you know what kind of people they are? They are so old, but they can still quarrel like children. Don't they feel embarrassed in public?" The three of them were scolded together. They looked around the cafe and didn't argue anymore. It happened that Zhang Xiang's photos had been taken and posted in the group for them to choose from.
"What are we having for dinner? Momo, call your brother. You won so much money, you should treat us to a meal. Huahua, call your husband too. We haven't been together for a long time."
"Her husband is busy divorcing her and has no time to have dinner with us." Mo Yiyan just said it when she realized that she had said something wrong. She was very angry about Tang Chengting's behavior. No one had complained about it before, so she was inevitably careless when she relaxed today. However, Zhang Xiang and Jiang Yuyuan didn't know about this yet.
"It's okay. I was planning to tell you today that the current situation is what you've heard. But I can't leave for the time being, so don't worry. I'll have dinner with the people from the institute. You can make your own arrangements. I'll pay." As Chen Huanong said this, her hand never stopped scrolling on her iPad. She had accumulated too much work during this period, and she needed to catch up quickly. "By the way, if you want to see Director Tang, you can ask Zhang Xingyan to have dinner with you. Zhang Xingyan's winnings today should be Director Tang's money."
"We are sick. We want to see your Director Tang, but you are no longer here. Why should we see him?" Zhang Xiang looked at Mo Yiyan's eyes, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. After thinking about it, it was better not to ask about this crucial point, so as not to make Chen Huanong unhappy.
In reality, Chen Huanong, the person involved, was no longer feeling any sadness at this moment. She was the type to be strong when faced with a strong opponent, and weak when faced with a weak opponent. She had no time for pretentiousness, and a small matter like divorce would not cause her to panic. The dinner was scheduled for the evening at Jiangnan Cottage. Chen Huanong knew that this matter had troubled the other party, so she planned to arrive early and prepare. However, when she arrived, Qin Huai and her master were already sitting in the small private room. Chen Huanong was a little surprised. When it came to being late, she and her master had always been the benchmark in the agency. Being so active today seemed like a conspiracy.
"I heard that you weren't blackmailed this time? My apologies!" Her master was leaning on the sofa with a cup of tea in his hand, and he said it nonchalantly. However, Chen Huanong knew that such an opening usually meant that she was going to be taught a lesson.
"That's fine, that's fine. The main thing is that I have nothing to fear from my own shadow. There are too many unruly people, and I feel guilty."
"You're so polite. You look like an experienced veteran. Your guilty conscience is nothing but a passing fancy. Keep up the good work. It won't be long before even the provincial government knows you."
Chen Huanong lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and said in a very sincere tone, "Master, I was wrong, please don't be angry."
Chen Huanong's mentor, Zheng Fengnian, is a legendary figure. When he was young, he made his way through the south on his own. Relying on his own strength, he became one of the top lawyers. He specializes in difficult and tricky cases, and he especially likes to represent the defendant. Qin Huai was puzzled by this. Isn't it easier for the plaintiff? What did Zheng Fengnian say? Representing the plaintiff is so boring. Litigation is all about fun. Who would take the case if it wasn't fun? Chen Huanong thought secretly, you say this in front of us. If the judges heard this, they would be furious. They are busy all year round and wish that lawyers and plaintiffs would disappear. But you, for the fun of litigation, have you ever considered the feelings of the judges?
Zheng Fengnian naturally hadn't considered this. For over twenty years, his primary concern had been the interests of his clients and himself: how to help them obtain what they desired and how to maximize their own profits. Everything else was superficial. After the incident with Chen Huanong, Zheng Fengnian began to reflect, for the first time, on whether it had been a good idea or a bad idea to have Chen Huanong with him in the first place. If Zheng Fengnian was the type who looked formidable, then Chen Huanong was the timid, mean-spirited child. In short, neither of them was easy to deal with, nor were they bound by common sense. Zheng Fengnian's early career had led him to work in southern China, naturally giving him a more open and far-sighted perspective than others. As for Chen Huanong, she absorbed information quickly. It wasn't that she was easily brainwashed, but to achieve her goals or maintain a comfortable life, she habitually sifted through a sea of theories, selecting the most beneficial ones and then acting on them. In this respect, Zheng Fengnian admitted that his apprentice had been well-formed.
"What did you do wrong? Tell me."
"As a qualified lawyer, I must not only predict the development trend of the entire case, but also be able to anticipate the reactions of both parties after the case is resolved. This is not the first time a lawyer has been complained about by the other party. My case is neither unprecedented nor lasting. I should have been prepared in advance, but I did not take precautions. I need to reflect deeply on this."
Listen, is this human language? Is this self-reflection? This is clearly an excuse to say she's wronged, and anyone who hears this, Chen Huanong, will be right. Zheng Fengnian was so angry that he laughed, "So what you're saying is that there's nothing wrong with your handling of the case?"
"Maybe, but I don't regret it." Qin Huai really admired his partner. Not only was he good at changing concepts and speaking eloquently, but for him to talk to Zheng Fengnian like that, the courage given by Liang Jingru would not be enough.
"What's the situation now? Everyone from top to bottom is cracking down on organized crime. I heard that the bureau had a conversation with you when you first started the case, but not only did you ignore their warnings, you even pleaded not guilty. Chen Huanong, who gave you the courage? Thankfully, there are no loopholes in this case. Thankfully, Qin Huai is handling it for you, and thankfully, Duan Cuizhi's father didn't have time to act. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here admitting your mistake to me right now."
Chen Huanong looked at Qin Huai, "What do you mean? What did Duan Cuizhi's father not have time to do?"
"Duan Cuizhi's father is a businessman, and his connections are no less than ours, so it's inevitable that he wants a second layer of insurance." Qin Huai's face turned a little ugly when he mentioned this. "He originally planned to have dinner with people from the procuratorate and the court, but it was Elder Sun who stopped them."
"If something were to happen, don't even mention you defending someone else. Our entire Shensong criminal team would have to sacrifice everything to save you. You're really becoming more and more capable."
Rather than anger, Chen Huanong felt her master was more worried. When she took on the case, Zheng Fengnian was away on a business trip. When she changed her defense strategy, she deliberately kept it simple when presenting the case to Old Xu in order to conceal Zheng Fengnian's presence. Throughout the entire process, the most correct thing she did was to go to Sun Defang's home to ask for his advice. She admitted that she hadn't been thorough in handling the case and hadn't assumed the worst, but she had no regrets.
In front of the state apparatus, everyone seems insignificant. Although our country's criminal prosecution is in the stage of development and progress, people in the industry like Chen Huanong are well aware of the fact that its imperfections cannot be changed overnight, especially in today's environment. Any criminal case will immediately change its nature as long as it has the possibility of being related to gang-related and evil-related cases. Chen Huanong has thought about the issue of self-preservation. When she met Duan Cuizhi in the detention center, the boy, who was just in his early twenties, looked embarrassed. It was obviously his father who paid for her to come, but the boy kept saying, "Lawyer Chen, thank you for your trouble." Chen Huanong said that the nature of my profession is to deal with troubles. The other party did not get angry, but smiled slightly, revealing two small canine teeth.
"Master, if I were the one being bullied and insulted in that situation, how would you expect me to handle it? Ignore them and walk away, or call the police? Actually, we all know that's not feasible. My only hope is that someone will come to my aid. And then someone gets hurt because of helping me, or even faces a criminal charge. Can I just remain indifferent?"
"Don't always put yourself into the facts of the case. This will not help you in handling the case at all."
"I'm not putting myself into this situation. I'm just assuming it, and it's not groundless imagination. I, and that girl, are all vulnerable people. When faced with danger, we desperately long for someone to stand up and protect us. Duan Cuizhi is that person. At the very least, when someone like him faces hardship, we shouldn't stand idly by." This was the first time Chen Huanong had passionately responded to Zheng Fengnian's teachings since she began working with him. What she couldn't express was the guilt she felt in facing a child who was full of hope for the world and who faced the dark side of society with a sincere heart.
What was her original motivation for studying law? In her junior year of high school, she secretly read magazines under her desk. It was her first time learning that there were even nitpickers in the world who would sue over fifty cents. Her Chinese teacher was brimming with excitement, lecturing on classical Chinese and the wisdom of Confucianism, emphasizing benevolence, universal love, and humility. From the moment they developed self-awareness, their generation, and those before them, and many generations before them, had been influenced to varying degrees by the doctrine of the mean in their conduct. Chen Huanong was perplexed and kept reading. That year, she discovered Chai Jing, the young man who was still young, and Rosa Parks.
"In the face of powerful forces, people often have no choice but to obey, but I don't want to. I want to drag them onto the battlefield. I may not win, but I will make them feel pain, make them afraid of a dozen or twenty people like me standing up, and make them change quickly out of fear."
"Today you can lose the right to obtain it. If you don't fight, tomorrow you will lose even more rights: personal rights, property rights, including land and housing. China's current situation is not accidental, but the result of a long period of being boiled in warm water. People will think, 'What does it matter to me if farmers' land is encroached upon? What does it matter to me if the train doesn't issue invoices and evades taxes? What does it matter to me if other people's houses are forcibly demolished? One day, these things will happen to you."
This was her original intention. She didn't know where the notebook of excerpts was thrown into, but these words were buried deep in the most desolate place in her heart. In that place, there once was a dream of a female warrior, holding a sword in one hand and law in the other, trying to defend fairness and justice and protect the weak and lonely.
This dream gradually became clearer after she met Duan Cui, and memories came flooding back in an instant. It turned out that her youth was also full of fine clothes and gallant horses, and she had been a chivalrous man who traveled the world with a sword.
"What can one person change? Look at Rosa Parks. The whole world changed because of her."
She is not Rosa Parks, and she has no plans to change the world, but she also wants to be a courageous ordinary person who will not be completely swallowed up in the world. When it is difficult to decide between emotion and law, she hopes that she can abide by the little conscience she has left.
Zheng Fengnian looked at her. Qin Huai thought he was going to make a big move, but after waiting for a long while, he only heard a sigh. "Children are grown up and no longer under the control of their mothers. I believe you have your own judgment. Whether good or bad, remember that you have Shen Song behind you. If you want to do something so risky next time, please discuss it with us in advance. We will not stop you."
Seeing that her master had no intention of blaming her, Chen Huanong immediately switched to obedient and ingratiating mode, making Zheng Fengnian laugh with a series of sassy moves. As the others arrived, and their playing partners were complete, Zheng Fengnian happily went to battle. No one except Qin Huai knew about the incident. Chen Huanong knew that after this evening's meal, Duan Cuizhi's case would be completely over. No one would question the twists and turns, and she didn't need to explain her change of defense direction. It was like the end of the college entrance examination, where everyone got the result they wanted.
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