Li Xuezhen had joined this law firm precisely because she wanted to start at a small practice and make a name for herself in the legal world, step by step, through her own abilities.
If they could win this criminal prosecution involving the bank, then she would have played a part in it as an intern, wouldn't she?
The more she thought about it, the more excited and motivated she became.
Every day, she shuttled between the firm and the courthouse.
Even without a salary, she was brimming with energy.
Su Bai could only marvel at how hopeful young people at this age were, especially trainee lawyers.
He took a sip of his Maojian tea, priced at 999 yuan for three jin, and felt just a tiny bit less guilty about being an exploitative boss.
Before long, the filing for the final appeal in the case of Wang Zizhong's son, Wang Li, was completed, and the application was approved.
Meanwhile.
The court summons also arrived at the bank's legal department.
The bank's staff were rather surprised when they received the court's notice.
They were being sued over improper procedures that had resulted in the client, Wang Li, being sentenced to prison, with a demand for 200,000 yuan in compensation for personal injury and emotional distress?
What?
What was that supposed to mean?
Their bank was the victim in Wang Li's case. They had already refrained from asking the court to punish him severely, yet now they had received a summons because he was suing them.
What a complete joke!
Since when did a robber have the moral high ground?
The head of Nandu Bank was furious. They were being pushed around right to their faces. Enough was enough!
He immediately contacted the legal department and ordered them to take the matter seriously.
The legal department promptly held a meeting to discuss the lawsuit.
At first, Nandu Bank's lawyers had assumed they were up against some major law firm. But after investigating and discovering that the firm bringing the suit only offered matrimonial consultations, they couldn't help laughing.
"What is this supposed to be? Have they lost their minds? It's bad enough that some tiny matrimonial consultancy is taking criminal cases, but now they're actually suing our bank? Are they that desperate to make a name for themselves?"
"Hahaha! This is a joke. Just treat them as clowns putting on a show. That firm must be so desperate for fame that they're resorting to extreme stunts to get attention."
"I really don't understand. How does a matrimonial lawyer have the nerve to take on a criminal prosecution? Is this another scam to fleece a client?"
"Who knows?"
"Enough! Quiet, everyone!"
Xu Zhiqiang, the head of Nandu Bank's legal department, had a square face that looked stern without any effort. The moment he spoke, the noisy meeting room fell silent.
"The bank's leadership takes this lawsuit very seriously. We must win. But winning alone isn't the most important thing. What matters is winning decisively, preferably getting the other party an even longer sentence. Understood?"
Everyone present was a legal professional well versed in banking law, and they hardly considered the White Jun Law Firm a threat.
"Director, according to our information, the White Jun Law Firm is just a sole practitioner's firm, and its business is mainly consultations.
"Su Bai, its practicing lawyer, has been licensed for five years and has handled a total of five lawsuits. He lost four, and even his one victory was disastrous.
"He managed to protect his client's marital assets, but the client ended up in prison for bigamy. If our legal department can't beat a lawyer like that, wouldn't it be downright humiliating?"
A male lawyer who looked barely into his twenties spoke arrogantly.
The others chimed in.
"If we let someone like him win, our bank's reputation will be completely ruined."
"Win? What could he possibly win with?"
The bank's lawyers were full of arrogance, looking down utterly on such a tiny consulting practice.
They also applied to the court for a livestream of the hearing and requested that Wang Li's final appeal and his lawsuit against the bank be heard together.
Such a case was exceedingly rare. It soon drew the attention of the court handling it, the Nandu Higher Court, which approved the request. The bank's maneuvering had played no small part in that decision.
Meanwhile.
Given the unusual circumstances of the case, the story of a man sentenced to twenty years for robbing a bank to save his father was an easy flashpoint online.
Wang Li's case had already stirred public debate online during the first trial and the appeal.
Now that it had reached the final appeal, discussion of Wang Li’s case was gradually resurfacing online.
"For fuck's sake, since when did banks become the vulnerable ones? They demand this and that when you want to withdraw money, but they're plenty eager to get you to sign up for a credit card. I support Wang Li! If the bank hadn't made everything so complicated, he could've withdrawn his money and saved his father ages ago. He wouldn't have needed to rob the bank."
"Exactly! When I deposit money, the bank staff grovel like servants. When I withdraw it, I'm the one who has to fucking grovel. I support him!"
"You people don't understand the bank's pain at all. Banks have their own difficulties, too. Just look at how every major problem involving withdrawals or missing money is always the work of a temp. You can't really blame the bank for this incident, either, can you? If you're going to blame anyone, blame the
"temp. (Fifty cents per post.)"
"To the person above, please, I'm begging you, invite me to the group! I want to earn that money, too."
Public opinion online was overwhelmingly critical of the bank.
The head of Nandu Bank was so furious at the online comments that his liver practically ached. He issued an absolute order: they had to win the livestreamed hearing, and they also had to win the battle for public opinion!
If they couldn't, he would replace the entire legal department!
Inside the White Jun Law Firm.
Su Bai happily scrolled through videos. Seeing how one-sided public opinion was, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
As things stood, both the lawsuit against Nandu Bank and Wang Li's final appeal had attracted widespread attention.
Win, and the firm would make its name.
Lose, and the firm would be finished.
As Li Xuezhen read the comments online, she felt equal parts excitement and anxiety. On the one hand, they had caused such a stir that a victory would certainly make them famous.
But if they lost... it would leave an enormous stain on their record!
"Lawyer Su, our firm has caused such a big stir this time. What if..."
Su Bai looked up from his recliner, only to find his view blocked by a swath of clothing. He tilted his head slightly before he could see Li Xuezhen's face.
"There are no what-ifs. Have you compiled the recent cases involving Nandu Bank and the victims' contact details like I asked?"
"Yes, I have."
"Bring them over. Let me take a look."
Li Xuezhen handed the documents to Su Bai.
Su Bai immediately flipped to the page listing contact details for the victims involved in lawsuits against the bank.
Then he dialed the first number.
"Hello, I'm a lawyer with the White Jun Law Firm. I heard you sued Nandu Bank back in *** but lost the case. Would you be interested in seeing how Nandu Bank loses a lawsuit?"
"Ah, yes, yes, exactly."
"..."
"All right. Thank you for coming to support us."
After hanging up, he called the second person on the list.
He used the same pitch.
Li Xuezhen watched Su Bai, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
You could find witnesses this way, too?
(End of chapter)
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