Chapter 215 Sensation! Endless Regret

"Find him! We need to find him now!"

Secretary Shi’s reaction was swift.

Once the nomination was secured, the defense presentation would be in seven days.

Two days for preparation and travel left only five days. Realistically, that meant only four days of actual work.

Four days to perfect the presentation... The timeline was too tight!

If Xu De were to disappear for even a day or two, Secretary Shi would die of anxiety.

"Alright, I’ll have the department find him!"

The call ended, and both sides immediately began their search for the man.

The quickest way was to make a phone call.

The city had Xu De’s file, which included a phone number from when he handled the Li Family Village case.

Inside the department office.

After receiving the notice, the department’s section chief wasted no time dialing the number on the landline phone in front of him.

RING... RING... RING...

The phone rang for a short while before it connected with a *click*.

"Hello? Is this a law firm?"

"This is the Municipal Affairs Bureau. I’m calling to inquire about two cases..."

...

「At Jinmao Law Firm.」

At the front desk, an intern lawyer quickly covered the receiver and turned to call out toward the coffee station in the lobby.

"Director Han, it’s someone from the city government!"

’The city government?’

Director Han paused by the public coffee machine, then hurried over.

"I’ll take it,"

he said, taking the phone. He brought the receiver to his lips and spoke.

"Hello? This is the director of the firm. How can I help you?"

The voice on the other end of the line said,

"The director? Excellent! Here’s the situation."

"An order just came down from above. The province is selecting classic cases for this year’s awards, and two of the criminal cases from your firm have been chosen!"

"The mayor is looking for you right now. The defense presentation for the provincial classic case selection event is in seven days, so please be prepared."

Hearing this, Director Han froze for a second. An ecstatic joy flooded his mind, as if the surprise had knocked him senseless.

’A classic case nomination?’

’Two criminal cases, at that!?!’

Director Han was floored. A rush of adrenaline surged through him, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

’A nomination... a criminal case actually got nominated!’

’And not just one, but two!’

’Hot damn. Forget two criminal cases—even one civil case nomination would be enough for the firm to frame it, hang it by the door, and declare itself the number one law firm in Lusen City without anyone daring to argue.’

’Let alone a criminal case!’

In the past, although Jinmao Law Firm called itself number one, many others refused to accept it.

Take Zhenghe Law Firm, for example. The team led by Zhang Wei was a frequent dissenter, believing that in a head-to-head case competition, Jinmao wouldn’t stand a chance.

The other two large firms, each with nearly a hundred lawyers, felt the same.

But now...

If they had two provincial-level criminal case nominations to their name, who would dare to object!?

’Heck... Jinmao Law Firm might even be able to expand further!’

In just a few seconds, Director Han’s mind was filled with vivid fantasies of expanding the firm to the provincial capital. He grew incredibly excited, as if a golden path had just opened up before him.

However...

When Director Han came back to his senses, he asked with urgent excitement,

"Hello, would you mind telling me which two cases they are?"

"I’ll contact the handling attorneys so they can start preparing."

’I’ve already got a plan.’

’If it’s one of our Gold Medal Lawyers, I’ll tie them down with company shares.’

’If it’s a regular lawyer, I’ll throw resources at them, personally mentor them, and give them shares.’

’No matter what, I can’t make the same rookie mistake as before and let talent slip through my fingers!’

Unexpectedly, the person on the phone replied,

"Huh? Find the lawyer?"

"Weren’t you the one who handled both of these cases?"

His tone was full of confusion.

Han Jun’s mind was also full of question marks.

Han Jun: ?

In a daze, a sense of foreboding suddenly washed over Han Jun. His heart dropped, and he quickly pressed,

"Wait, can you explain in more detail?"

"Are you Xu De from Houde Law Firm?"

"I’m Han Jun from Jinmao Law Firm..."

"Ah? How could that be? Let me see... Oh, oh! My apologies, my apologies. The file here hasn’t been updated."

"During the Li Family Village case, Lawyer Xu listed Jinmao Law Firm’s phone number. His firm changed later, but the contact info was never updated, so it still shows Jinmao Law Firm."

"So sorry, Lawyer Han. I wish you a pleasant day. I have to go now."

As soon as the words were out, the line went dead before Han Jun could even react.

Han Jun: ...

Staring at the phone in his hand, Director Han’s eyes went blank. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat.

He didn’t speak or move.

But his face flushed an unusual red. In moments, the color spread from his neck to his forehead until his whole head was turning purple.

"A ROOKIE MISTAKE!!!"

Han Jun suddenly roared, slamming the phone down on the floor with all his might. He cursed, his face contorted with rage, furious to the absolute limit.

"Idiot! You useless idiot!"

"You call without even updating the damn file! You incompetent, do-nothing parasite!"

Han Jun roared, but it wasn’t enough to vent his anger.

He even lifted his right foot and began stomping on the shattered phone on the floor.

"Classic cases... Two criminal cases nominated for the classic case award, even going to the province for the defense presentation..."

"Two of them."

"Two whole cases!"

"This should have belonged to Jinmao! He should have been my partner! How... how... how did it come to this!"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"How could you get the number wrong!?"

Director Han was fuming, and he continued to stomp on the phone.

"This is a rookie mistake! You’re making a rookie mistake!!!"

Behind him,

several lawyers watched the scene, staring at each other in bewilderment.