0017 Ancillary Obligations
One of the greatest achievements a criminal defense lawyer can make is to successfully defend a criminal defendant in an acquittal. Many people are fortunate enough to do this only once in decades, while many others dedicate their entire lives to criminal defense and never manage to do it even once.
Qu Zhong actually accomplished this in his second year of practice.
If Xue Bo's case was what brought her to the forefront, then Yu Wen's case can be said to have made her famous.
Since receiving the decision not to prosecute, four or five cases have come knocking on our door.
One of the cases involved forced molestation. The details are that a middle-aged man broke into the female dormitory of H University in the middle of the night and sexually assaulted a female student while she was asleep.
Qu Zhong was greatly shocked, realizing there was a reason why H University had never been able to achieve Double First-Class status. Back when she was a graduate student, the living conditions were comparable to a prison, and the security facilities were extremely rudimentary. Regardless of the harsh winter or scorching summer, rain or shine, the security guard could only stand under a dilapidated pavilion with a megaphone. The megaphone blared the same message year after year: "H University students may study law, but quite a few have been scammed."
Qu Zhong had heard this sentence for three whole years, and his ears were calloused from hearing it so much.
She was speechless at all the useless things they did.
However, she accepts all cases without hesitation, and charges full legal fees. This month's commission is the highest she's ever received. Naturally, her workload has also increased dramatically. She used to be able to leave work around 6 PM, but now she stays at the law firm until after 9 PM every day.
That day, all the other colleagues had left one after another, but Qu Zhong was still writing a defense statement for a suspect in a case of harboring prostitution. As he was flipping through the case file, his cell phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
Qu Zhong took it and saw a name on the screen that she hadn't seen in a long time—Xu Xinzhou.
The lawyer who called her "Little Sun" for three months during her internship is a partner at Huanli, one of the eight major red circles.
Qu Zhong answered with a puzzled look: "Attorney Xu?"
Xu Xinzhou: "Is it Xiao Qu?" He addressed Qu Zhong, now acting as if he were calling an intern.
Qu Zhong didn't want to listen to that, nor did she want to engage in any pleasantries. She asked directly, "What is it?"
Are you still practicing Guanzheng?
"Um."
"Should we consider switching law firms?"
His intention in calling this time is obvious; it's mostly because Qu Zhong's innocent defense has shown him its exploitable value.
Qu Zhong pretended not to understand: "Which one should we switch to?"
Xu Xinzhou chuckled: "Our team is currently preparing to transition into professional criminal defense, and we hope more capable and innovative young people will join us..."
He's talking about her—capable and thoughtful.
He didn't say that about her three years ago.
Three years ago, Qu Zhong, nearing graduation, encountered the worst job market ever. Rumors circulated online that H University's employment rate was only around 20%, a figure Qu Zhong knew was a hoax. Where did this 20% come from? It wasn't even 10%.
She submitted hundreds of resumes and went to various law firms for interviews every day, but the results were unsatisfactory. Some of the law firms she interviewed with told her, "The monthly salary is 3,000 yuan, but one of the five insurances is missing." Others told her, "We can arrange for you to live in public rental housing in District M, but you will have to pay your own social security." Still others told her, "You are very good, but you are not the right assistant for us."
Qu Zhong failed every job interview she had. During that time, she doubted herself, wondering if her resume wasn't good enough or if she hadn't performed well in the interviews.
Just when she was extremely anxious, she accidentally came across the latest recruitment information on the Bar Association's official website. It was a job posting from the team where she had previously interned, recruiting legal assistants.
Because of some unpleasantness that occurred when her internship ended, she didn't know how to contact him again. But at that time, she didn't want to miss any opportunity, and after a lot of mental preparation, she finally humbly sent Xu Xinzhou a WeChat message, asking him for an interview opportunity.
He agreed and asked her to meet him at Huanli the next day. Qu Zhong naively thought that her employment problem was about to be solved.
But when she sat down in front of him in a formal suit, he didn't even glance at the resume she handed him, and simply returned it to her untouched.
Then he said something that utterly disappointed Qu Zhong: "Xiao Qu, you've been my intern for three months now, so I'll be frank with you. You're too stubborn and speak too bluntly. I personally don't think you're suited to be a lawyer."
The repeated setbacks she had faced hadn't discouraged Qu Zhong; she had gritted her teeth and persevered, imagining herself as an inflatable balloon that would never deflate. But his words were like a fine needle, piercing her in an instant, shattering her last line of defense.
During those agonizing days, she doubted the quality of her resume and the quality of her performance, but she never once doubted her determination to become a lawyer. So when her family advised her to apply for corporate legal positions, public institutions, or even positions unrelated to her major, she refused without hesitation.
But now, this senior lawyer, a highly influential partner in the legal profession, tells her firmly, "Qu Zhong, you are not suited to be a lawyer."
Her cherished ideals seemed insignificant, laughable, and utterly worthless in the face of his words. It was as if, before she had even graduated from law school, she had already been excluded from the legal profession.
As a consolation prize, he added, feigning concern, "You should apply to other firms as well. I'll also take a look around. We'll get in touch again."
Qu Zhong will always remember how dejected and pathetic she looked when she walked out of Huanli's gate that day.
Xu Xinzhou, acting as if nothing had happened, called her and offered her a job that was three years overdue.
Xu Xinzhou told her not to rush to reply, but Qu Zhong just smiled and said, "Attorney Xu, you should look for other young lawyers. I'll also think about it some more, and we'll contact each other again."
After saying that, she hung up the phone and used the same words he had used to reject her on him.
She was so impressed with herself that she wanted to find a cheerleading squad to applaud her brilliant counterattack.
When she calmed down, she looked at her phone and realized it was almost ten o'clock.
Ten o'clock isn't a big deal, but she had plans to meet someone tonight...
When Qu Zhong rushed to the hotel, the room was quiet, with only one light on. Following the dim light, Qu Zhong walked to the bedside and found that Zhai was already asleep.
She was always exhausted after they finished, so she always fell asleep before Zhai. This was the first time she had seen his sleeping face.
She couldn't help but squat down to observe his features. She hadn't noticed before that his eyelashes were so long, his nose so straight, and that he even had a light-colored beauty mark near the corner of his eye.
You have to get this close to see it clearly.
I really wanted to kiss him. So Qu Zhong did just that, lightly touching his lips, and quickly pulling away.
After quickly showering, she climbed onto the other side of the bed. That was the space he had made especially for her, even when she wasn't punctual. She whispered "Goodnight" in his direction, then turned over and began to drift off to sleep.
To her surprise, the person next to her pressed close, his body completely against hers. Even through the bathrobe, Qu Zhong could clearly feel the beating of his chest. Then came his warm breath: "You're late."
Qu Zhong's ears suddenly felt hot, a strange burning sensation like they'd been icy cold and then quickly warmed up. She felt a little guilty, both for being late and for stealing a kiss: "...I thought you were asleep..."
Zhai bit her earlobe: "With you making so much noise, who can sleep?"
The movement was sudden, and Qu Zhong let out a sensitive "hmm," her fingertips, buried in the blanket, turning white rapidly.
Then, Zhai Shi's hand lifted her bathrobe, slowly moving from her lower back to her lower abdomen, finally stopping at her chest, grasping her soft flesh, and playing with it in his palm.
Qu Zhong began to writhe because of his movements, and reached out to touch his genitals.
His penis was so hard. It didn't seem like a recent reaction; it felt like it started from when she kissed him, from when she walked in the door, or maybe even earlier…
Zhai propped himself up on one side and gave the order in a hoarse voice: "Lift your buttocks up."
Qu Zhong obediently cooperated, and then he spread her thighs apart, lifting one of them, and he directly inserted himself into her, thrusting in and out of her vagina.
Each thrust precisely targeted her sensitive spots, making Qu Zhong increasingly wet as he penetrated her. She gripped the corners of the blanket with both hands, panting uncontrollably.
Her moans excited Zhai more and more, and his breathing became more and more rapid with each thrust: "Does this position feel good, hmm?"
Unable to think, Qu Zhong could only close her eyes and hum softly with a flushed face, "Mmm, mmm..."
Not getting a clear answer, Zhai bumped into her dozens of times, panting, and asked again, "Hmm what? Answer me."
Qu Zhong couldn't take it anymore and kept nodding: "So good... umm... so good... I'm going to be fucked to death..."
Zhai stopped speaking and rubbed against her deepest point with all his might. He was still wearing his bathrobe, which he hadn't completely taken off yet, and every muscle below the collar was taut as he did it. Because of his pale skin, you could even see the slightly throbbing veins on his skin, as well as every drop of sweat sliding down from his neck.
Finally, he ejaculated when Qu Zhong was screaming the loudest and squeezing him the tightest, letting out a rough roar.
After his penis was withdrawn from her vagina, Qu Zhong had no strength left. Ren Zhai turned her over and began to kiss her.
Qu Zhong loved kissing him after her climax. He would always gently hold her lips in his mouth, using his warm tongue to pry open her teeth and slowly penetrate her mouth, his lips and teeth filled with a refreshing minty flavor.
At these moments, Qu Zhong felt that their relationship seemed to be more than just a matter of mutual physical needs.
Of course, she also knew that this was just an illusion created by her immersion in these kisses.
He kissed her as if fulfilling an extra, revocable obligation, simply to complete the sexual encounter.
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