Let's Steal the Child!

The moment those words left his mouth,

Lin Yue shot to her feet and stared at Xu De in disbelief.

What did he mean, steal the child?

Wasn't that human trafficking? Wasn't human trafficking illegal?!

"Hey, why are you getting so worked up? There are people here trying to get things done. What if you scare them?"

Xu De felt the puzzled looks around them and regarded the stunned Lin Yue with displeasure.

Lin Yue: ?

"Wait. Have you considered that you might have scared me?"

Lin Yue pursed her lips but sat back down, shifting her chair away as if to put more distance between them.

Seeing this, Xu De added, "Relax. What we're doing really is legal!"

Lin Yue took a deep breath and said slowly, "Let's set aside whether it's legal."

"What I want to know is... why would you steal a child out of the blue?"

With that,

she widened her clear eyes and looked at him questioningly.

The court had already ruled on custody of Wang Mei's child. It had been a complete victory: Wang Mei had been awarded full custody.

Even if Li Youcai and Liu Cui refused to hand the child over, they could later request police enforcement. The child would come back.

So...

No matter how she looked at it, stealing the child was completely unnecessary.

But...

"Do you think she can keep custody with Wang Qiang under arrest?" Xu De suddenly asked.

"Well..."

Lin Yue hesitated, then shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

Xu De sat back in his chair, looking relaxed as he spoke.

Without waiting for her answer, he supplied it himself.

"Because Li Youcai and Liu Cui believe that, to Wang Mei, custody can't compare to whether Wang Qiang lives or dies!"

It was true.

If Wang Qiang's case continued toward a hopeless outcome, Wang Mei would absolutely trade custody for a change in their testimony.

In other words, winning the custody case meant nothing.

Everything hinged on Wang Qiang's case. If Xu De failed, all Lin Yue's hard work would end in bitter disappointment.

That was why she had been willing to talk with him for so long. Their interests were already bound tightly together!

As Lin Yue considered this,

Xu De suddenly spoke again.

"Have you thought about why they made that demand?"

"Li Erniu was their own flesh and blood, and Wang Qiang is the man they should hate more than anyone!"

"In theory, they should want nothing but Wang Qiang's death!"

"Yet now they're willing to spare him if they get the child... Don't you find that strange?"

At his words,

Lin Yue froze, her eyes widening slightly.

That's right.

The child was their grandson, but Li Erniu was the son they had raised for thirty years!

Wang Qiang had cut his belly open, yet Li Youcai and Liu Cui showed no grief. They had even used his death as leverage to demand custody!

If Lin Yue were in their place, she would have tried to kill Wang Qiang even if it cost her own life!

Why?

"Because of ignorance."

"Li Family Village is steeped in ignorance, and Li Youcai and Liu Cui are even more bound by old-fashioned thinking!"

Xu De wasted no time giving her the answer.

He crossed his right leg over his left, a cold smile flashing across his face.

"Li Youcai and Liu Cui care about descendants, but only because they care about their so-called bloodline continuing!"

Put simply,

the more ignorant people were, the more obsessively they clung to the idea of carrying on the family line.

Some younger people in later generations, such as those born in the 1990s and 2000s, knew this feeling well.

Some parents constantly pressed their children to marry. They wanted them to have kids, preferably a big, healthy son to carry on that supposed bloodline. As for why...

Was there a throne to inherit?

Or a business empire to take over?

Neither!

But they still insisted on "carrying on the family line," even if it derailed their children's futures or saddled them with the costs of raising a child.

Whatever it took... they would force their children to have kids!

Have a child, and they could "save face," "hold their heads high," and say they had "done their duty"!

Refuse, and they were unfilial! Rebellious! A disgrace! They made their parents too ashamed to show their faces!

Did it make sense? No. If it did, it wouldn't be called ignorance.

"The most stubborn among them

see children only as tools to continue their bloodline. They may feel affection, but even that is secondary to carrying on the family line."

Xu De's gaze was calm.

From the moment Li Erniu died, he had known Li Youcai and Liu Cui were exactly that kind of people!

When he finished,

Lin Yue understood at once. Everything that had seemed wrong about the two of them suddenly made sense.

Shock crossed her face. She covered her mouth and blurted out,

"So even though Li Erniu was their son, his death doesn't hurt them."

"Because their bloodline lives on. They have a grandson!"

Xu De nodded. "Exactly."

"Li Youcai and Liu Cui are over sixty. They can't have any more children."

"Their only son is dead, and they have just one grandson."

"If they lose that grandson... to them, it's the end of their family line!"

Even if Wang Mei took the child away and he remained perfectly healthy,

in Li Youcai and Liu Cui's minds, it would be no different from his death. Their family line would be finished.

"From all this, we can draw a conclusion."

Xu De took a deep breath. Looking at Lin Yue, he continued at an unhurried pace,

"We have two cases: Wang Qiang's criminal case and the custody case."

"Our priority is Wang Qiang's case. Li Youcai's priority is custody."

The two sides wanted different things.

That was why Chen Wei, the lawyer from Yang Teng Law Firm, believed he and Xu De could both win and each get what they wanted!

But there was a problem.

"Now that we understand what they want, let's return to the original question."

For a moment,

Xu De's gaze sharpened as he brought the conversation back to where it had begun.

"Why do we need to steal the child?"

"Before I answer that, I have another question."

"Namely,

if both sides want something, why do they dare threaten us?"

The two questions

scattered the thoughts Lin Yue had only just put in order, leaving her head buzzing.

That's right.

Li Youcai's side wanted the child. Without him, their family line would end.

Wang Mei didn't want her father to die. If he did, she would live in pain for the rest of her life.

Both sides had something to lose. Both needed something badly... so why did Li Youcai feel free to threaten them?!

"Because one side's need is more urgent!" Xu De answered without hesitation.

Lin Yue paused. Her brows drew together, confusion filling her eyes.

She leaned slightly toward Xu De, her hair falling loose. A faint gardenia scent reached him as she asked,

"What do you mean by more urgent?"

"The two cases run on different timelines. That changes how urgently each side needs a result."

Xu De remained clearheaded despite her beauty. He leaned against his chair and folded his arms.

"Wang Qiang's case is imminent."

"In half a month—November ninth, at the latest—the trial begins. By then, we'll probably know whether Wang Qiang lives or dies!"

"But what about custody of the child?"

In half a month, Wang Qiang would face a life-or-death trial. If he received a death sentence and could not appeal for a second hearing, he really would die!

They had only half a month!

But custody of the child...

"Even if the custody judgment comes half a month before Wang Qiang's trial, how long will it actually take to enforce?"

Xu De asked, "Surely you know, Attorney Lin."

Lin Yue paused.

As a professional lawyer, she knew exactly what he meant.

Custody cases dragged on.

First, after the court awarded custody to Wang Mei, Li Youcai and Liu Cui would be given time to comply with the judgment and hand over the child. Say a month.

But what if that month passed and Li Youcai still refused?

Then they could apply for police enforcement. But generally, the police would not forcibly take the child until a year after the compliance period ended, sometimes even two or three years!

Lin Yue was silent for a moment before saying stiffly, "Two... two or three years."

"I won't even say three years. Or two."

Xu De shook his head and compared their timelines directly.

"Let's say enforcement happens after just one year!"

"Li Youcai still has a year before he feels that his family line has ended. We..."

His voice lowered as he gave a number that silenced her.

"Only have fifteen days!"

Fifteen days versus a year.

Li Youcai was in no hurry. Wang Mei was desperate.

In business, the more desperate you were, the more you needed what the other party had—and the easier it was for them to squeeze you or raise their price at the last minute!

"That's why they dare threaten us even though both sides need something!" Xu De said.

Lin Yue went still, then fell silent.

From where she stood,

it was a dead end.

The two cases operated on completely different timelines. Unless the Eastern Kingdom suddenly changed its laws, they would always be more desperate than Li Youcai!

And that was clearly impossible.

"Hm... Attorney Lin, why have you drifted off again?"

Beside her, Xu De raised an eyebrow and leaned down to get her attention.

Lin Yue came back to herself. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a hint of dejection on her face.

"It's nothing. I just think this case is a little difficult..."

"Difficult?"

"Which part?" Xu De asked, taken aback.

Lin Yue stared at him.

He'd laid out the problem himself, and there was no changing the timelines... How could he not see what made it difficult?!

"Never mind. We'll get to that. For now, let's return to the original question."

"Why do I want to steal the child?"

Xu De paid no mind to her reaction. He waved a hand and brought the discussion back to where it had started.

"Because I want to..."

"Create urgency ourselves!"