Cold Sweat!

"Come see the morning paper for yourselves!"

Cashier Li held up the freshly delivered paper, still warm from the printing press.

That immediately drew everyone's attention.

Several lawyers looked puzzled. They stopped bothering to tidy their desks and walked over.

"What's in the morning paper?"

Lawyers generally made a habit of reading it every day.

But they had only just arrived at the firm, and most could barely muster the energy to wake up, let alone read the paper.

When they gathered beside Cashier Li, took the paper, and looked down at it...

The smiles on their faces froze.

A moment later...

Their pupils contracted. Their hands tightened around the paper, muscles tensing until the corners tore.

But no one cared about that now.

They practically pressed their eyes to the page, scrutinizing every word!

What did the morning paper say?

As expected, it covered the case Xu De had argued at the Intermediate People's Court yesterday.

But what they hadn't expected was...

"The indict... the indictment was rejected!?"

After a long silence, someone cried out, eyes full of disbelief.

The outburst shattered the quiet, and the crowd erupted.

Everyone stared at the paper and drew a sharp breath. Some looked stunned, others shocked, and still others baffled.

Heated discussion broke out.

"Wait, what do you mean Xu De single-handedly got an indictment from the Procuratorate's entire prosecution team rejected!?"

"An act of bravery? What the hell? How did he dare say that in court, in front of more than four hundred people!?"

"He combined the two cases... and used the trafficking case as his way in! Brilliant. What an angle!"

"..."

A few lawyers farther away had been enjoying the commotion, but what they heard didn't match what they'd expected.

They hurried over and took the paper. The moment they read it, the same shock appeared on their faces.

Then they furrowed their brows and read it carefully, word by word.

As the saying went, outsiders watched the spectacle; experts saw the skill.

Ordinary readers would find the story exhilarating. These fellow lawyers found it... almost impossible to believe!

He had organized his approach, arguments, legal provisions, evidence, and loopholes into a coherent framework while setting a massive trap for Chen Wei. It was simply...

Terrifying!

It looked simple on paper, but putting it into practice was nearly impossible—especially for the usually unassuming Xu De.

"Am I still asleep!?"

One lawyer blinked, but the words on the page didn't change. He began to question reality.

"How old is Xu De this year? Does anyone remember!?"

Cashier Li had been holding it in for ages. She answered at once:

"He's twenty-five. His birthday was in April, and he's only had his license to practice for three years!"

"Twenty-five? He's only twenty-five!?"

The lawyer cried out.

"He went toe-to-toe with Hu Guang and Wang Wei in court and had them on the back foot!? His reasoning was so tight the judge couldn't find a fault, and you're telling me he's only twenty-five!?"

"Those are the facts," Cashier Li said.

"What about before this? Has he ever handled another criminal homicide case?" someone else asked.

Lawyers were much like criminal investigators.

They had to work through a mountain of cases to build their skills!

Anyone with that kind of ability would normally have handled at least dozens of major cases.

That wasn't an exaggeration. Without experience, you simply wouldn't know how to do it.

But Xu De...

"He has no criminal-case experience."

Cashier Li took a deep breath. "No firm would have assigned him a criminal homicide case in his first two years."

"And after he came to Jinmao Law Firm... well, you know."

Director Han had taken a liking to Xu De, which had immediately made Sun Hao turn against him.

Xu De could barely get a routine consultation, much less a criminal homicide case!

Sun Hao had only agreed to let him take the Wang Qiang Case because he thought Xu De was flying straight into a flame.

Which meant...

"You're saying..."

"He's twenty-five, has no track record, no renowned mentor, and no legal team behind him. This was his first criminal homicide case, and he went up against Hu Guang from the Procuratorate..."

"How did he pull it off?"

The lawyer stared at the morning paper, feeling as if his entire understanding of the world had cracked.

There was only one explanation...

"A genius. He's a genius among geniuses!"

"He had Hu Guang on the back foot in his very first case. Xu De's future... there's no telling how far he'll go!"

What separated one lawyer from another?

After all...

Whether you studied law at an elite university or a second-tier college, you memorized the same statutes.

The difference between schools lay in their teaching resources. What truly determined a lawyer's ceiling was something personal...

Their way of thinking!

An understanding of the law and a perspective that no one else could replicate!

Xu De clearly had both. As for his way of thinking, everyone there had to admit he was exceptional.

None of them would ever have thought to use an act of bravery as bait to lure the other side into admitting the trafficking case wasn't over!

"Where's Sun Hao? Has Sun Hao read the morning paper?"

Someone changed the subject, still sounding dazed.

The others exchanged strange looks.

Xu De was famous now. If Sun Hao found out... how would he react?

Speak of the devil.

Creak!

The firm's front door opened.

Two men walked in. The one in front wore a suit. He was thin and around fifty, and he went straight to the time clock.

As for the man behind him...

Everyone stared at his still-swollen face for a long moment before recognizing him.

"Oh, Team Leader Sun! What happened to your face!?"

At that...

Sun Hao, who had been avoiding their eyes, flew into a rage. He pointed at them and said darkly:

"Is the firm paying you to stand around chatting? You're all gathered here when you could be out taking cases!"

Chen Wei had beaten him up yesterday, and his face still hurt.

He couldn't stand being laughed at. He might not be able to do anything about Chen Wei, but surely he could deal with his own colleagues!?

Ordinarily...

The lawyers would have been angry. Now, they only gave him peculiar looks, their brows furrowed.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

Cashier Li waved the paper in her hand. "The morning paper."

The morning paper?

Sun Hao paused. Chen Wei had said this so-called morning paper was why he'd beaten him up.

Hesitantly, he held out his hand.

"Let me see."

Cashier Li handed it over without objection, then retreated into the crowd with an expression that said she was ready to enjoy the show.

"The morning paper... what's so interesting about it..."

Sun Hao muttered as he briskly flattened the pages.

He glanced down, barely paying attention, intending to skim it. But once he read the headline...

"[A Stunning Turnaround! Defense Lawyer Xu De Outargues Entire Prosecution Team; Court Calls Emergency Recess...]"

As he read...

Sun Hao's face went rigid. He stood motionless as a statue while a storm raged inside him.

This is... Xu De? He got the prosecution's indictment rejected in that hopeless case!?

No... impossible. How is that possible?

He's a rookie lawyer with no team and no track record. How could he possibly do this...

He roared inwardly.

But the morning paper couldn't be lying!

Gulp.

Sun Hao swallowed as something suddenly dawned on him.

Ever since Xu De had been assigned to his team, Sun Hao had treated him terribly.

He'd denied him cases and deliberately obstructed him at every turn...

Before, it hadn't mattered. Xu De had had no say, and Sun Hao could claim he was testing him. Xu De wouldn't have dared object.

But...

If Xu De overturned the Wang Qiang Case on his own, his standing would change overnight. He would be on par with the firm's star lawyers!

And those lawyers were equals to Sun Hao's cousin, Director Han.

Then all Xu De would have to do was say a few words to Director Han...

I'm finished...

Sun Hao's vision went dark. His mind went blank, his hands and feet turned cold, and his breathing quickened.

And what he dreaded most came to pass.

"What are you looking at?"

Director Han, having clocked in, walked over with a cheerful smile and picked up a morning paper from the rack.

One look made his eyebrows rise. Delight spread across his face.

"Beautiful! Beautiful! That's exactly how to do it!"

"A not-guilty defense... and one with the upper hand, no less!!!"

"Haha! Xu De's given me quite a surprise! He even found an opening in the Wang Qiang Case. I knew I was right to back him!"

Director Han was overjoyed, full of praise.

He knew Xu De's background.

Xu De's mother had died when he was born, and he'd lost his father as a child. He hadn't finished elementary school or attended middle school, yet he'd climbed all the way from the bottom to Yanda University...

Director Han valued talent like that.

And when his relative Sun Hao joined his firm, he'd thought he could give the two of them plenty of freedom to work together and build a rapport. Then he would have two capable right-hand men.

One was Sun Hao, bound to him by blood; the other was the exceptionally talented Xu De!

With all three pulling together, why would he need to worry about what the other partners thought?

"Excellent, Lawyer Sun. You did very well!"

Director Han had never smiled so broadly. He patted Sun Hao on the shoulder.

"I had my reservations when you recommended Xu De for the case. I had no idea you two were planning to surprise me!"

"When Xu De gets back, I'll make sure you get credit!"

With that...

He strode toward his office with a spring in his step.

What he didn't notice was...

Sun Hao remained rooted to the spot, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. His fingertips were icy, and his once-rapid breathing had turned weak and strained.

This is bad. This is bad. This is bad...

Sun Hao's hands trembled. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if Director Han learned the truth.

The other lawyers glanced at one another, strange looks in their eyes.

"Heh... this should be interesting."