Chapter 246 The Witness Escapes
Han Xi took the two back to his office to understand the situation. The most important thing in this case is the witness; otherwise, they would surely lose.
Wang Wei and his wife were extremely anxious, and Gao Juan quickly grabbed Han Xi's hand.
“Attorney Han, you must help us. Without this money, my child cannot have the surgery.”
Han Xi withdrew her hand to calm them down: "Calm down first. Didn't you say yesterday that you had found a witness? How come you're saying he ran away today? What happened in between?"
Wang Wei slapped his thigh angrily and said, "Yesterday when we went back, we found a witness. He admitted that he heard our conversation at the time, so I begged him to testify in court, but he refused at first."
Han Xi asked, puzzled, "Why wouldn't he agree? Would being a witness affect him? Is he afraid of your brother's retaliation?"
Wang Wei shook his head: "I don't know either. I begged him for a long time and finally promised to pay him 50,000 yuan as a reward before he agreed to appear in court."
Han Xi frowned as she listened and reminded him, "What you did is illegal. If the opposing lawyer finds out, he can easily say that you bribed him, which is detrimental to us. Since he agreed to it, why did he run away in the end?"
Wang Wei sighed and said, "We arranged to meet at seven o'clock this morning. When the car arrived at his house, we called for a long time but no one answered. His roommate said that he had left last night."
The witness escaped, and Han Xi realized there was something unusual about this place.
"Have you figured out why he left overnight?"
Wang Wei shook his head. "No, but I suspect it has something to do with my older brother. I heard he was contacted last night."
Han Xi tapped his fingers on the table and frowned, saying, "According to what you're saying, it's highly likely that your older brother bribed him. If he offered you twice as much money, it's not impossible for the witness to try to profit from it."
Wang Wei and his wife looked at each other dejectedly, but then looked at Han Xi with expectant eyes.
"Attorney Han, what should we do now?"
Han Xi frowned. This case was both simple and complicated. Now that there were no witnesses and the defendant refused to mediate, there was only one possible outcome if they forced a lawsuit.
She stated bluntly, "We must find witnesses. If that doesn't work, we should find new witnesses. I thought about it yesterday. When you were buying the lottery tickets, didn't the shop owner hear your conversation?"
Wang Wei shook his head: "The boss was busy that day. He usually chats with us brothers, but we didn't get a chance to talk that day."
Han Xi sighed, realizing the situation had reached a stalemate.
"In that case, you should continue to try to contact witnesses and think carefully about the people you met before and after winning the lottery. I will meet with the opposing lawyer and try to resolve this issue out of court."
The two looked at her expectantly, and Gao Juan even said something that made Han Xi feel depressed.
She said, "Attorney Han, whether our child can be treated depends on you. Everyone says that although you don't appear in court often, you've never lost. You must help us fight for it."
Han Xi gave a wry smile and said bluntly, "Mrs. Wang, I need to make this clear to you. You need witnesses to have any chance of winning this case. Otherwise, no one can prove that you and the defendant had any agreement at the time."
Upon hearing this, Gao Juan's face stiffened. In their view, finding Han Xi would guarantee victory.
Han Xi added, "No one is perfect. I have also lost before. As long as I do my best, I have no regrets. I hope you can take this matter in stride."
Han Xi understood that people are greedy when it comes to money, especially when it comes to such a large sum of unearned wealth; everyone would want that.
These words calmed the couple down. Wang Wei took a deep breath and said, "Attorney Han, I'm sorry, we were too anxious. Anyway, please take care of us."
Han Xi thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. Wang, have you made any concessions on the bonus split? I was thinking that since you are brothers, if we can persuade the other party with our emotions, we should be able to give you a share."
Han Xi meant that it would be better if the other party could resolve the matter privately without going through formal procedures, so as not to damage the harmony between the brothers.
After thinking it over, Wang Wei said, "If he's willing to split the profits 40/60, I can accept it. I'll treat him more like an older brother."
Han Xi thought it sounded very unlikely; given his older brother's personality, there was no hope for this assignment.
Is this Mr. Wang's final concession?
Han Xi needed to understand his thoughts before she could negotiate with him.
Wang Wei refused to back down this time, nodding firmly: "Yes, if he still refuses even after getting 60%, then we'll have no choice but to take him to court."
Han Xi knew what was going on: "I understand. I'll talk to his lawyer when the time comes, and I'll let you know as soon as I have the results. The key is that you need to find new witnesses."
Han Xi needs to make them understand that this matter cannot be won by her alone; a witness must come forward for them to have a chance.
After seeing the two off, Han Xi immediately called the other party's lawyer to arrange a meeting, but unexpectedly, the other party asked to have lunch together to discuss work.
Han Xi glanced at the other party's lawyer information. It was Ye, a lawyer from Tianxiang Law Firm. She didn't remember ever dealing with this person before. Why would he make this request?
Driven by curiosity, Han Xi arrived at the restaurant as promised at noon, only to be stunned when she entered the private room. The person sitting inside was none other than Shen Jiheng.
He waved and greeted everyone with a big smile.
"Attorney Han, I've been waiting for you for a while."
Han Xi quickly exited the private room, looked around, checked the room name, and only went back in after confirming it was correct.
"Shen Jiheng, what are you up to? Did you ask me to come out?"
Shen Jiheng pulled out a chair for her in a gentlemanly manner and smiled, "You're very clever; it was I who invited you out."
Han Xi was confused by him, so she rubbed her temples and asked, "What about Attorney Ye? What exactly is going on?"
Shen Jiheng thoughtfully poured her a glass of water, but made no attempt to explain.
Han Xi grabbed his arm, gritted her teeth, and forced a smile.
"If you don't tell me, I'm leaving. I'm very busy today and don't have time to play these tricks with you."
"Of course I know you're busy. If I hadn't used his identity to get you to come out, would you have had dinner with me?"
Han Xi was speechless. "I met with Attorney Ye to discuss serious business."
“I’m here to talk to you about serious business. I’m here on behalf of Attorney Ye to discuss the case of Wang Wei suing his own brother. I can handle this case on behalf of Attorney Ye.”
"...Are you kidding me? You already know the whole case?"
Is there anything in Chongqing that Shen Jiheng can't do? He can even talk to me as the opposing defendant's lawyer now. Han Xi really underestimated him.
Shen Jiheng did not notice the change in Han Xi's expression and nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I understand. I am here to meet with you on behalf of Attorney Ye and our client. You can discuss any issues with me."
Han Xi took a breath, reminding herself not to get angry.
"Shen Jiheng, do you think this is fun? I'm doing serious business and don't have the time to play these role-playing games with you. Can you please stop interfering with my work?"
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