You Look Like You Could Use Some Unusual Help

October 4.

The investigation into Wang Mei's child custody case was complete. The Greenwood City District People's Court would handle it under special proceedings. By a rough estimate, the hearing would be held around October 25.

That day, the legal aid lawyer took down her bun and tied her hair into a ponytail, preparing carefully for the case.

When word came from the court,

Li Youcai and Liu Cui were furious. They rushed to the police station and happened to run into Wang Mei and Sun Hong, who had come to visit Wang Qiang.

The couple immediately began shouting abuse, as arrogant as if they owned the place.

Inside the station, Liu Cui planted her hands on her hips, her face contorted with rage, and cursed:

"You ungrateful wretch! After how well my son treated you, this is how you repay him?!"

"Just you wait! Your damned father killed my son, and I'll make him pay with his life!!!"

Wang Mei's face went deathly pale.

Her frail figure stood there, head lowered, while Liu Cui pointed a finger at her and screamed abuse.

October 6.

Liu Cui and Li Youcai set out to find a lawyer to represent them in the civil custody suit.

An ad led them to a boutique law firm in Greenwood City. After hearing the details, the firm was ready to take the case. But just as they were about to sign the contract...

"Money? Why do we have to pay money!?"

In the reception room, Liu Cui sprang to her feet as though she had heard something outrageous. She pointed at the lawyer and shrieked:

"That murderous bitch doesn't have to pay for her lawsuit, so why do we!?"

"Where's the justice in that!"

The lawyer was at a loss.

Beside her, Li Youcai's eyes darted about before he spoke.

"How about this? We can't write, so let's skip the contract."

"You handle the case like normal, and I'll pay you when it's over."

The lawyer could only explain helplessly, "Without a contract, we can't go to court. It doesn't matter if you can't write. You can use your fingerprints..."

Li Youcai's brow darkened. He was thoroughly displeased.

He immediately pulled a hundred-yuan note from his pocket and tried to press it on the lawyer.

"What, you think we'll run off!?"

"Take this hundred as a deposit. Once the case is over, I'll pay you the rest, I swear!"

The lawyer's face turned green at the sight of the money.

When the argument went nowhere, the couple flew into a rage, cursed the law firm up and down, and stormed out.

October 9.

The police finished investigating Wang Qiang's case. The procuratorate would handle it from there.

Wang Qiang was also transferred from the holding room to a detention center to await trial.

The prosecution would bring charges, and the Greenwood City Intermediate People's Court would hear the case.

The procuratorate would likely finish its review in about thirty days, after which the trial would begin.

And judging by what was known so far, Wang Qiang...

would receive a sentence of at least ten years!

When Li Youcai and Liu Cui heard the news, they were so delighted they danced around, clapping and cheering.

October 17.

Wang Qiang's application had finished going through the process!

A few days later,

a legal aid agency staff member arrived at Jinmao Law Firm with a notice of appointment.

After speaking with the agency, the firm's executives discovered... it was an appointment for a specific lawyer!

And that lawyer was Xu De, an obscure young attorney at the firm!

They promptly called in Sun Hao, the leader of Xu De's team. Once he understood what had happened, he was overjoyed!

A criminal case, and a major one at that!

Handle a case like this badly, and it could end a career for good.

"Don't worry, sir. Attorney Xu has the makings of one of our firm's top lawyers. He's absolutely up to the task!"

Suppressing his excitement, Sun Hao fed the executive that line with a straight face.

The makings of a top lawyer?

The executive believed him. He called Xu De in to arrange the internal handover.

And Xu De, who had spent more than ten days with nothing to do, heard the news...

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

[October 25!]

The day of the first hearing in Wang Mei's custody battle against Liu Cui and her husband!

Two in the afternoon.

Outside the Greenwood City District People's Court, the end of the hearing gave way to a shouting match.

Wang Mei, her mother Sun Hong, and their lawyer had just walked out of the courthouse

when angry voices rang in their ears.

"You bitch! I fed you and gave you a place to live. What more did you want? And now you're trying to take my grandson away!"

"You ungrateful slut! No good will come of my grandson staying with you!"

"He's my grandson! Why should I let you have him? Just you wait. Erniu's barely dead and you're already doing this. He won't leave you alone, even as a ghost!"

"..."

They looked up.

Li Youcai had risen from the roadside and was pointing at Wang Mei and Sun Hong, cursing them to their faces.

He had lost.

The judge had only briefly gone over what had happened and the circumstances of both families. Without even calling a recess...

the judge had awarded custody to Wang Mei!

Li Youcai and Liu Cui had nearly gone mad at the verdict. They had waited right outside the courthouse for her to come out.

"I..."

Wang Mei's lips trembled in her gaunt, barely recognizable face, but she did not dare say anything.

Sun Hong was furious. She opened her mouth and cried "Ah, ah," but she could not get a single word out.

"I'm telling you, once you're part of the Li family, you're part of it for life!"

Li Youcai spoke viciously. "Running away won't help!"

Beside him, Liu Cui hurried to her feet too.

She turned her gaze to the female lawyer beside Wang Mei.

Liu Cui glared, and venom spilled from her mouth.

"And you, you heartless bitch! Aren't you afraid lightning will strike you down and your son will be born without an asshole!"

"Dressed like a slut, too. God knows how you won that case, you cheap whore..."

This was the lawyer who had helped Wang Mei win.

With bright eyes and even teeth, she had a striking, spirited look. Her black professional suit suited her, and she was beautiful.

At those words,

the lawyer gave a cold snort. Far from intimidated, she stepped forward and said bluntly:

"Well, Ms. Liu."

"Do you know what happens when you spread rumors about a lawyer?"

"What you just said is more than enough for me to sue you and seek compensation for damage to my reputation under the law!"

Com... compensation?

At that word,

Li Youcai jerked as if struck by lightning. He tugged on Liu Cui's arm and shot her a fierce glare.

Liu Cui did not dare say more, but her anger only grew.

Finally, she turned to Wang Mei, eyes wide, and spat out a threat through clenched teeth.

"You got a lawyer? You think we can't get one too?"

"You want to steal my grandson!?"

"Just you wait. That damned father of yours is still in the detention center, isn't he? Let's see if I take his life!"

At that,

Wang Mei panicked. This was why she had swallowed every insult without fighting back.

Yes, she had been abducted. She was a victim.

But Wang Qiang had killed Li Erniu, and he had "attacked first." Under the law, the maximum penalty was death!

As the victim's family, they had every right to pursue the matter.

"No... please don't..."

Wang Mei's breathing quickened. Her mind went blank.

"You worthless little slut. Go sell yourself and buy your father a decent coffin while you wait!"

Liu Cui spat out one last curse.

Then she turned and marched off with Li Youcai. Clearly, they were going to find a lawyer.

At the sight,

Wang Mei collapsed to the ground.

Only after a long while did she feel the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why is this happening... why..."

Her emotions broke like a breached dam, sweeping away what little strength she had left.

Wang Mei murmured through her sobs. Never in her life had she felt so helpless.

She had a child.

She had been forced to give birth to the child, but the child was still young and had not been led astray. Her child would secretly bring her food and water, try to find ways to let her escape, and cry while wiping away tears whenever she was beaten.

She did not want to give up her child...

But on the other side was her father, Wang Qiang...

Wang Qiang had searched for her for ten years. Ten whole years. His hair had gone from black to white, his strong frame had wasted away to skin and bone, and he had even killed for her sake!

Wang Mei stared at the ground, her eyes vacant.

The law could not stop Li Youcai and Liu Cui. Wang Mei felt nothing but despair, and there was nothing else she could feel.

"Ah, ah, ah..."

Beside her, Sun Hong cried out. She tried to force a smile onto her weathered face, but could not.

She turned to the lawyer and gestured something with her hands.

"Ah."

The lawyer let out a deep sigh. She wanted to help, but there was little she could do.

"Generally speaking, Mr. Wang's actions could be ruled self-defense. But... the main problem is that he struck first."

"He struck first, and someone died. There's a chance he'll be convicted of intentional homicide... At the very least, there's no avoiding an intentional-injury charge."

"Unless... he can get a letter of forgiveness from the victim's family, and the accounts of the other people at the scene support his version of events. But that couple..."

Her voice trailed off.

What would it take for Li Youcai to write a letter of forgiveness?

Wang Mei would have to give up custody of her child, wait on the couple for the rest of their lives, and become a dog that would come crawling back no matter how often they beat her away!

Of course, if Li Youcai and Liu Cui had been the buyers in Wang Mei's abduction, they could have been sent to prison, and there would be no need to worry about them now.

But according to the investigation, the buyer had been the now-dead Li Erniu. Li Youcai and Liu Cui were not guilty of trafficking.

As for harboring a criminal, shielding one, or being accomplices in the purchase... those would require a separate investigation and case. Between the investigation and the lawsuit, even the first trial would take at least a year. Wang Qiang would have been sentenced long before then...

The lawyer did not want to say any of that. It seemed far too cruel.

None of the three spoke.

In silence, Sun Hong thought back over her life. She felt as though she were in hell. Her nose stung and her chest tightened as she wiped away her tears, but more kept coming.

She was just an ordinary person, someone from the very bottom.

Once, she had barely had enough to eat or clothes to keep her warm. When life had finally improved, she had raised her daughter through hardship, only for her to vanish without warning.

A thousand kilometers. A full thousand kilometers!

Step by step, she had worn through the soles of her shoes, exhausted herself, and watched her hair turn white.

They had finally found Wang Mei, but in the blink of an eye, Sun Hong was about to lose her husband...

"Ah, ah..."

Sun Hong stroked Wang Mei's head and pulled her mouth into what she hoped was a comforting smile.

The scene fell quiet, steeped in heavy, sorrowful silence.

Just then,

as if through a haze,

a figure suddenly stopped before them, his shadow falling over the two women.

The two women looked up instinctively and saw a vaguely familiar man in a suit standing before them. Both froze.

The two women before him were plainly dressed.

Xu De, who had just arrived at the scene, stopped and pushed up his glasses. He smiled.

"Looks like..."

His gentle voice reached their ears.

"You seem to need a rather unusual kind of help."

P.S. Let me recommend a friend's book, Heavenly Court Manufacturing. The author has written a book with over ten thousand subscribers, so he knows what he's doing.