This Lawyer Has No Scruples!

Lawful, aboveboard revenge?

Zhang Hu's heart skipped a beat. His breathing quickened, and he jerked his head up to look at Xu De.

"R-really!?"

Yes. Revenge!

He didn't care about the money. What mattered was that the other party had done something wrong and might get away without any punishment!

"Of course."

Xu De nodded, then said,

"In that case, let's change what we're asking for. Instead of focusing on divorce, let's think about how you can get lawful, aboveboard revenge!"

"First, since the financial side of this has made you angry... let's hit them financially!"

"They want to profit by dividing the assets in a divorce. So... what if you don't divorce?"

N-not divorce?

Zhang Hu's expression froze.

Before he could object, Xu De brewed a cup of tea, pushed it toward him, and continued,

"Why are you in such a hurry to divorce? What would you gain from it?"

Would divorce benefit him? Yes, but the losses would be greater!

First, he would have to split the family assets. Then, freed from the constraints of marriage, his wife and her lover could run off with his money and live it up!

So...

"Divorce would do you more harm than good!"

"Besides, your wife's goal is to divorce you and take a share of the money!"

Xu De spoke slowly.

From the standpoint of revenge, refusing to divorce and keeping her from getting what she wanted was the right move!

"But..."

Zhang Hu hesitated. What Xu De said sounded right, yet something still seemed off.

"That may be true, but if we stay married, both our incomes are marital property..."

"Wouldn't half of everything I earn from now on belong to her?"

At that, Xu De smiled—a shrewd smile.

"No, no, no."

As he spoke,

Xu De suddenly pulled out a pen and some paper and began writing.

"Mr. Zhang, I think you may have misunderstood the law on marital property."

"First! You need to understand that Article 301 of the Civil Code states this clearly."

"Joint ownership does not equal an unconditional right to spend!"

Put simply, joint ownership meant that if one spouse wanted to spend two-thirds of the family savings, both spouses had to agree.

It did not restrict everyday spending or personal funds.

For example, if you earned ten thousand a month after marriage and had enough money to buy a five-thousand-yuan coat, you could buy it even if your wife disagreed.

The biggest restriction was on major purchases!

Would Zhang Hu make major purchases?

Yes, but he could keep them separate from the family's funds and would not need his unfaithful wife's consent!

And if she wanted to make a major purchase? Zhang Hu had the right to refuse!

"So..."

Zhang Hu stared at him, stunned by what he had heard. Hesitation showed on his face.

"So you mean I only need to give her a little spending money?"

"No!"

Without missing a beat, Xu De continued, working out the figures on paper for him.

"In theory, you don't even have to give her money for her personal enjoyment. You only need to provide a certain amount for household expenses!"

"That's covered by Article 1060 of the Civil Code: agency in everyday household matters!"

"It covers many things, but the ones most relevant to you are daily necessities and small entertainment expenses."

"If your income is low, you can refuse to pay for the latter."

"As for the former—food, clothing, housing, and transportation—you can pay for those without handing the money to your wife."

Spouses did have a duty to support each other, but there was a condition.

One spouse had to be unable to work, as in the case of a disability, before they could demand support from the other.

If his wife was able to work but chose not to for no good reason, then in theory...

"Even with the law on marital property, you could get away with giving her nothing at all."

Xu De sounded certain. Then he paused and added,

"Of course, that's only in theory."

"In practice, you'd have to give her something—but not much!"

So if Zhang Hu stayed married, he would only need to pay a little. And he wasn't the one desperate for a divorce.

His wife was!

"I-is that legal?"

Zhang Hu hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't understand.

He understood perfectly, and that was what shocked him!

"Even though there's such a thing as marital property... I wouldn't actually have to give her much!?"

Zhang Hu blurted out in shock.

"That's right."

Xu De nodded.

Zhang Hu pressed him. "Then how much would I have to give her?"

Xu De kept writing and calculating as he asked,

"How much does your wife usually spend each month?"

"Ten or twenty thousand a month, I guess," Zhang Hu answered without thinking.

Xu De nodded.

"The amount you'd give her... Suppose your monthly income were two thousand. After deducting household expenses, you'd probably only need to give her..."

As he spoke,

Xu De wrote a figure on the paper and slid it over.

Zhang Hu took it. His heart jolted at the number, and he blurted out,

"Three hundred yuan!?"

He looked up at Xu De in disbelief.

If he gave her just three hundred a month, that was only thirty-six hundred a year!

From twenty thousand down to three hundred!?

Forget how hard it was to go from luxury to thrift—even an ordinary person would struggle to live on three hundred a month!

But then again, if he really dragged things out and refused to divorce... she would only have three hundred a month to spend!

Which meant,

If she wanted money for fun, she would have no choice but to work!

His wife wasn't well educated or particularly capable. If she had to earn a living on her own merits... she wouldn't even qualify for construction work. She would be stuck with exhausting jobs that paid next to nothing!

Zhang Hu's eyes gradually lit up.

His heart began racing, and excitement surged through him.

Making a gold digger work... she would find that worse than death!

"In fact, it could be even less than three hundred!"

Xu De smiled. "That's a conservative estimate."

Zhang Hu was overjoyed.

Then he stopped, deflated, and shook his head.

"I live in a house my father owns. I don't pay rent."

If he had extra expenses like rent, the amount he had to give her would be even lower—less than three hundred.

But Zhang Hu didn't have to pay rent...

"No, you can choose to pay it!"

Xu De smiled again. When he spoke, his words sounded like a devil's whisper:

"You can have your father charge you rent."

Zhang Hu: ?

That one sentence left Zhang Hu dumbfounded. He looked up at Xu De, his face full of astonishment.

Have his dad... charge him rent!?

"Wait... that... that..."

Zhang Hu was stunned. He struggled to speak for a long moment.

"Is that legal!?"

Why did it sound so strange...

And wasn't that a little too blatant?

Would the court really let such naked revenge slide!?

"Mr. Zhang, I'm a lawyer. Naturally, what I'm telling you is legal!"

Xu De's expression turned stern. He knew the law inside out. How could it be illegal?

"No law says a father can't charge his son rent!"

"Of course, you'd need to sign a proper lease."

Zhang Hu's mind went blank again.

It was true... no law said a father couldn't charge his adult child rent!

But still...

"My salary is high, though. I own a food company."

Zhang Hu suddenly sighed again and gave a rueful smile.

The amount he would have to give her was based on a percentage of his base salary, and he earned quite a lot...

"My income comes from a combination of salary and business profits. Each month, I make..."

Before he could finish,

Xu De interrupted him.

"Mr. Zhang, you own the company."

"You can cut your own salary."

Zhang Hu: ?

Zhang Hu's eye twitched, and his eyes widened.

Xu De went on calmly,

"You can give yourself a reasonable pay cut, down to a thousand a month, or even one yuan a month... though I wouldn't recommend one yuan. That would be too brazen."

His salary was too high? Easy.

He could just cut it himself!

Zhang Hu's head buzzed.

What did Xu De mean, one yuan would be too brazen?

Would cutting it straight to a thousand somehow not be brazen!?

When he finally came back to himself, Zhang Hu stared at Xu De in disbelief. After a long while, he stammered,

"Then what about my shares..."

"Judging by your age, you started the company before you got married, didn't you?"

Xu De spoke unhurriedly, showing his professional expertise.

"Assets you owned before marriage are personal property. They aren't included in marital property."

"But any increase in value after the marriage, as well as any later dividends, would be marital property."

For example, if you bought shares worth one million yuan before marriage, and they rose to 1.1 million after you married, the extra hundred thousand would be marital property.

"But!"

"You can sell your shares."

Xu De offered another suggestion. "You can sell them to your father at a reasonable market price of nine hundred thousand or one million yuan. Don't keep a cent of the sale proceeds in the company. That money would count as premarital property."

"And the company can reimburse your everyday expenses."

"Your father can also provide the money you spend as a personal gift!"

"That would make you a low-income earner bringing in two thousand—or even one thousand—a month while still having rent to pay."

Zhang Hu's eyes widened. He shot to his feet as though lightning had struck him, his whole world turned upside down.

Listening to Xu De for a moment was worth ten years of study!!!

What did he mean, a father could charge his son rent?

What did he mean, he could cut his own salary?

And what did he mean, he could reasonably sell shares that had risen in value after marriage to his father at their old, premarital price, and the sale proceeds would count as premarital property!?

Zhang Hu swallowed. His voice trembled as he looked at the lawyer before him.

"Is... is all that really legal?"

It seemed a little... brazen!

Wouldn't the judge whip him with a belt for that!?

"It's perfectly legal."

"Of course, that assumes the reasons for your actions are 'normal.' Otherwise, it could be deemed concealment of assets."

Xu De stood as well and looked gently at the client before him.

"In that case, you would only need to pay your wife three hundred yuan a month. And that would continue..."

"Until you decide to divorce."

In other words... as long as Zhang Hu chose not to divorce,

his wife would have only three hundred yuan a month if she didn't work. That wouldn't even cover a decent meal!

And if she latched on to another wealthy man... as long as Zhang Hu refused to divorce, she would never be free to marry him!

If she cheated again, it could also give Zhang Hu more leverage in a future divorce, leaving her with fewer assets—or none at all!

"This... this..."

Zhang Hu felt as though a door to an unfamiliar world had opened before him.

Right.

That's how it should be!

Divorce? First, I should make her suffer financially for a few years!

Seeing this, Xu De asked,

"Mr. Zhang, do you have any other questions?"

Zhang Hu snapped back to himself and looked at him excitedly.

He had thought he'd ended up with an inexperienced young lawyer and that there was probably nothing to be done.

But this lawyer... when he had an idea, he really gave it to you!!!

Something about it still felt a little off.

But who cared? It was legal and aboveboard—who could object!?

Zhang Hu excitedly clasped both of Xu De's hands.

"I'm satisfied. More than satisfied! I only wish I'd met you sooner!!!"

Xu De said,

"Then... shall we go to the finance office to settle the contract?"

"Of course!" Zhang Hu said eagerly.

"Good."

With that, Xu De stepped aside, wrote up the "drafting guidance" for him, issued a "payment notice," then led him out.

The approach he'd suggested was rather risky.

But if Zhang Hu followed his drafting guidance... he'd be on solid ground!

Creak.

The door opened.

Zhang Hu followed Xu De toward the lobby.

On the way,

their colleagues in the lobby raised their eyebrows at the gratitude on Zhang Hu's face.

He solved it?

Even the staff in the finance office looked a little surprised.

Inside the finance office,

"Cashier Li, could you settle the bill for my client?" Xu De said to an ordinary-looking female employee.

Hearing this, she looked up at Xu De, then at Zhang Hu. Surprise flickered across her face.

"Lawyer Xu, you finished the consultation?"

Xu De nodded. "Yes."

She was astonished.

She knew this was a dispute case under a package contract—the kind where the lawyer had to come up with a strategy!

Even an elite lawyer would probably have offered a solution that left the client swallowing a loss.

But judging by the client's expression... he was clearly delighted.

What advice had Xu De given Zhang Hu!?

Cashier Li held back her curiosity, took a deep breath, and said,

"All right. Please wait a moment."

Before long, Zhang Hu had the receipt in hand.

He looked at it and stopped short, surprise crossing his face.

"Why are you only charging seven hundred!?"

Zhang Hu frowned. "I want to add twenty thousand. I'm doing it voluntarily, so put it on there!"

Cashier Li's eye twitched.

Before she could speak, Xu De said from beside her,

"That's against the rules. Mr. Zhang, if you're satisfied... you can add a few hundred yuan."

Overcharging was no small matter. Before resigning, he didn't want to cause needless trouble for his license to practice law.

Zhang Hu didn't insist. He nodded.

"Then make it 999."

Cashier Li silently wrote him a new receipt.

This one-hour consultation had brought in more than she earned in a month. She couldn't help thinking,

Is this really the same Xu De as before? How did he do it...?

Receipt in hand, Zhang Hu looked at Xu De with heartfelt appreciation.

"Lawyer Xu, I'm sorry to have put you to so much trouble!"

"You paid me to do a job, that's all." Xu De smiled.

Zhang Hu turned to leave. He still had to go home and tell his wife, "I love you. I'm not divorcing you."

But then...

"Wait a moment."

Xu De glanced at the extra amount Zhang Hu had paid and suddenly called after him.

"Mr. Zhang, if I remember correctly, you said the third party called you and even showed you videos and photos of himself with your wife. What was he after?"

At the doorway, Zhang Hu stopped and instinctively turned back.

"What else? He threatened to release the video if I didn't give him money."

"Did you pay him?" Xu De asked.

Zhang Hu frowned and said indignantly,

"Of course not! I hung up as soon as he said it."

At that,

Xu De made a show of relief.

"Good thing you didn't."

Zhang Hu froze. "What do you mean?"

Xu De explained,

"If you hadn't hung up and had offered him two or three hundred yuan to delete the video,

"he would certainly have been furious. And once he saw there was money to be made, he might have demanded millions by threatening to expose the video.

"If you'd been pressured into agreeing and paying him, that would have been terrible!

"He would have committed extortion. It wouldn't matter even if your wife had agreed to be filmed and later forgave him. He would still have knowingly committed a crime against you—and completed it, too. That's a serious offense!

"The court would sentence him to at least ten years. A full ten years! It would ruin his life!!!

"Fortunately, you hung up."

Zhang Hu: !!!

Those words struck Zhang Hu like a thunderbolt.

His breathing grew faster, and his gaze burned hotter as he stared at Xu De. Finally, he couldn't help asking,

"Wouldn't... wouldn't that be illegal?"

"What would be illegal? I'm just reminding you not to fall for a scam," Xu De said, deflecting the question.

A good lawyer...

Now this was the good lawyer he wanted!!!

Zhang Hu studied him for a long moment, then took a deep breath and strode out excitedly.

As for Xu De, just as he put his hand on the finance office door handle to leave,

a pale blue screen suddenly appeared before him again, and a voice sounded in his ear.

[Congratulations on completing one civil consultation.]

[The client praised your service highly and was extremely satisfied!]

[Congratulations! You received 10 gratitude coins.]

[Congratulations! You've had a stroke of luck and obtained a talent skill: Cooking Lv. 1 (0/10).]

Xu De stopped in his tracks.

"A skill? A reward?"

Curiosity stirred in him, but he didn't linger. He dismissed the screen and headed out.

Creak.

The finance office door opened.

In the lobby, several lawyers saw that Xu De was about to leave for the day. One of them couldn't resist asking,

"Lawyer Xu, did you resolve the consultation in Reception Room 103!?" a female lawyer asked, her face full of surprise.