Chapter 5 - 3: New Case

Hearing the voice, Xu De answered casually while clocking out.

"It’s handled."

With that, he didn’t explain any further.

Amidst everyone’s surprised and doubtful gazes, he pushed open the law firm’s door.

In an instant, the clamor from outside filled his ears, and a scene unique to the year 2002 rushed into view.

He stopped thinking, got on his bicycle, and headed for home.

’I need to go test out my skill!’

After Xu De’s figure disappeared, the few lawyers in the lobby immediately showed their surprise.

"The case from 103 was handled that quickly!?"

"Say, do you guys feel like..."

"Lawyer Xu seems a little different than before?"

The female lawyer from before started chattering.

"It’s true... His whole vibe is different... but if you look closely, it’s like nothing’s changed."

"Haha, all I know is that bastard Sun Hao definitely didn’t expect Lawyer Xu to actually solve this case!"

Someone said with a laugh.

They didn’t like Sun Hao’s personality or how he handled things either.

Now, Xu De had unexpectedly completed the case...

They wondered what kind of expression he would have when he heard the news.

Speak of the devil.

"What are you all laughing at? Is work a time for you to stand around chatting!?"

Sun Hao’s voice suddenly rang out.

The lawyers in the lobby turned to see Sun Hao standing not far away, walking toward the time clock.

He scolded them as he walked.

"Heh, it’s after hours now." Someone rolled their eyes.

’No resume to speak of, got his position through connections, and yet he still loves to ’manage’ us!’

Sun Hao was about to get angry, but unexpectedly, the other person’s eyes darted, and he looked at him with a grin.

"Congratulations, Team Leader Sun. Someone on your team has completed another special consultation case."

’Someone under me completed a consultation?’

"That can’t be right. None of my people have time to take consultations, aren’t they all busy with..."

As Sun Hao spoke, he saw the mocking looks in the eyes of those around him. He suddenly thought of someone and blurted out:

"Xu De?"

When it came to special consultations, it could only be Xu De.

But... was the case from consultation room 103 that easy to handle!?

’The client wants a divorce without splitting any assets. That’s simply impossible to achieve!’

The case had been shelved at the firm for half a month; no one could make any headway with it. That was precisely why he had Xu De take it, even thinking the guy would be losing sleep over it for the next few nights.

This...

"He finished it!?"

A look of bewilderment appeared on Sun Hao’s face.

Just then, someone from the finance department came to clock out. Sun Hao immediately grabbed Li, the cashier.

"Li, did Xu De really handle the consultation case from 103!?" Sun Hao asked anxiously.

Hearing this, Li nodded. "He did. The client has already signed off."

’He really finished it!’

Sun Hao’s expression immediately soured. Unresigned, he asked:

"Was it just because the client got impatient after being passed around a few times?"

Li looked surprised and shook his head:

"No, the client was very satisfied. He even wanted to tip Lawyer Xu twenty thousand, but that’s against the rules... In the end, he could only add an additional 999 yuan."

999? Plus the seven hundred, that’s seventeen hundred!?

Now,

It wasn’t just Sun Hao; even the other lawyers looked astonished.

"Seventeen hundred yuan... HISS, that’s more than what most people make in a month!"

"I barely made twenty-eight hundred all of last month."

"He earned more than half my monthly salary in an hour. Team Leader Sun, you’ve really got a capable man on your team now!"

Someone said, directing the topic back to Sun Hao.

Now, everyone’s gazes were like red-hot branding irons, searing Sun Hao’s face.

His face turned ashen.

His plan had backfired spectacularly. He wanted to make things difficult for Xu De, but instead, he’d helped him score a great performance...

"It’s after hours! What are you all still doing gathered here!?"

Sun Hao snapped, furious and embarrassed.

"Haha, let’s go, let’s go. Time to get some dinner. We can congratulate Lawyer Xu tomorrow morning."

The people around him didn’t press him any further, just laughed it off and left.

As for Sun Hao...

He stood in front of the time clock, his expression shifting between anger and gloom.

’It was just a consultation case, it’s nothing...’

’Didn’t you want me to give you a big case?’

Sun Hao sneered inwardly; he had clearly come up with a plan.

What’s a big case? A criminal case, that’s a big case!

That kind of thing is different from civil cases. If you mess it up, it can end your career!

Besides, Xu De might have gotten lucky and solved one civil case, but criminal cases... they don’t depend on luck, only ability.

’Coincidentally, a pro bono criminal case just came in from the legal aid agency—no money, time-consuming, and a real pain...’

Sun Hao muttered.

’I’d like to see... how you handle this one!’

...

...

「Evening, six o’clock.」

Lusen City, Hongfeng District, in room 404.

"CLICK!"

With the flick of a switch, a rather spartan rental room appeared before him.

"Tsk, just like in my last life."

Xu De glanced around. Looking at the incredibly spartan thirty-square-meter rental, he felt no stirrings in his heart.

He was an orphan. His mother died at his birth, and his father died when he was young. Every step he took in life was a struggle, requiring his all and fraught with hardship. It was only natural that he wouldn’t have a very nice place to live.

Recalling the past, he felt a little dazed, but he didn’t dwell on it and collected his thoughts.

Xu De summoned the light screen. Without being stingy, he spent all 10 of his Gratitude Coins on Culinary Skill.

[Consumed Gratitude Coins x10]

[Talent: Culinary Skill Lv. 1 (0/10) —Upgraded to— Culinary Skill Lv. 2 (0/20)]

Immediately after, he headed to the kitchen.

"WHOOSH~!"

As the stove roared to life, the busy sounds brought a trace of warmth to the deathly quiet room.

To be honest, his cooking skills used to be average at best, but with the boost from [Culinary Skill]... whether it was his knife work or flipping food in the wok, it all felt as natural as moving his own limbs!

A long while later.

"TSSS~!"

Xu De carried several steaming hot dishes to the dining table.

After washing his hands, he sat down, picked up a piece with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a savory, aromatic flavor exploded on his taste buds.

Xu De raised an eyebrow and continued to taste the food.

After a moment...

"Tsk, this is probably on par with the Chef at a pretty successful restaurant."

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu De had a satisfied look on his face.

’It seems the system’s leveling judgment is extremely strict. The upper limit of level five... probably corresponds to the level of a state banquet Chef. Ordinary people and even some Chefs probably haven’t even reached Lv. 1.’

’However... civil cases are only good for grinding experience. To get truly useful skills... I’ll need to take on criminal cases.’

Xu De fell into thought, muttering to himself.

According to the system’s introduction, civil cases award a lot of Gratitude Coins, but the drop rate for Talent Skills is extremely low. Getting the [Culinary Skill] was pure luck.

Criminal cases were the opposite.

’I need to find a chance to take on a criminal case, and then leave Jinmao Law Firm.’

Xu De sat in his chair, a clear plan for his future path now forming.

Leave the law firm...

Relying on his talent for law... it wasn’t impossible for him to build a Red Circle Law Firm of his own!

He collected his thoughts.

He turned to look at the large amount of food left over on the dining table.

He picked it up and walked toward the shabby old refrigerator.

"CLICK!"

The refrigerator door opened, revealing it was crammed with leftovers.

Xu De had to struggle to stuff all the newly-made dishes inside.

"Tsk, that’s a lot of leftovers..."

Looking at the refrigerator, Xu De felt a headache coming on.

He couldn’t bring himself to throw it away, but he couldn’t eat it all either...

’I remember... weren’t there a pair of scavenger brothers near my house?’

Xu De suddenly fell into a memory.

In his past life, there was a pair of parentless scavenger brothers nearby. He had given them food many times, but they suddenly disappeared later, and he never knew where they went.

’They exist in this life, too.’

The image of two grimy, grinning children appeared in Xu De’s mind.

’I’ll drop it off on my way to work tomorrow.’

With that decided, Xu De didn’t think about it anymore and went to the bathroom to wash up. But while he was washing up...

In a daze, the image of Zhang Hu suddenly appeared in his mind.

’Considering the time... he should have met with his wife by now.’

Xu De looked at his reflection in the mirror, his eyebrow raised as he thought about his first special consultation client in this world.

’I wonder what he’s doing.’

...

...

What was Zhang Hu doing?

At that moment, inside a villa, in a massive living room, he was lounging on the sofa, watching the color TV on the wall.

Not long after.

"CLACK~!"

The villa’s main door opened.

Hearing the sound, Zhang Hu turned to see a curvaceous, attractive middle-aged woman walk in.

This was...

"Bai Jie."

Zhang Hu said her name subconsciously. The woman before him was indeed his cheating wife.

Bai Jie ignored him. There was a smile in her eyes, and she seemed to be in a very good mood. After walking into the living room, her scorching, greedy eyes swept across the surroundings.

The thought of getting several million after the divorce made Bai Jie unable to suppress her anticipation.

’Once I’m divorced and have the money, I’ll be an independent woman. I won’t have to live by anyone else’s rules!’

Thinking this, she looked at Zhang Hu on the sofa, composed her expression, and with a cold face, pulled a contract from her bag and threw it at him.

"This is a contract I had a lawyer draft."

"It’s a very fair property division agreement. You can take it to any other lawyer, and they’ll just confirm that this is the best deal you could possibly get."

"Sign it, and we’ll pick a time to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and finalize the divorce."

Rage flared in Zhang Hu’s heart.

’Fair?’

’How is carving up all *my* money considered fair!?’

He was about to curse her out, but he suddenly remembered what Xu De had told him...

Immediately, an idea struck Zhang Hu, and he tore up the contract right in front of Bai Jie.

"RIP!"

The contract was torn in two.

Bai Jie’s brows furrowed, and she couldn’t help but say:

"What’s the meaning of this? I’m telling you, this is already my biggest concession. You..."

But before Bai Jie could finish her sentence,

Zhang Hu suddenly spoke up:

"I’m not getting a divorce!"

Not... not getting a divorce?

Bai Jie froze, a stunned look on her face, her brow tightly knitted. "What do you mean?"

"Honey, I actually love you. I don’t want a divorce!"

Although there was no love in Zhang Hu’s eyes, his face wore a smile.

Bai Jie was baffled. She knew that just a short while ago, he hated her so much he wanted her dead!

How could he suddenly be saying he loved her after just one day?

"What... what do you mean?"

Bai Jie grew hesitant, unsure what kind of trick he was playing.

"I really do love you," Zhang Hu said.

Bai Jie paused, then had another thought and suddenly said, "I saw a pair of earrings I liked recently. In that case, honey, you..."

In the past, when Zhang Hu loved her, he was never stingy.

But...

Zhang Hu smiled.

"No money."

Bai Jie tried again, "Well, there’s also a handbag that’s very cheap, you..."

Zhang Hu kept smiling.

"Still no money."

Bai Jie finally exploded, "You bastard Zhang, what the hell are you playing at!? I’m telling you to sign the divorce papers as soon as possible, it’s for the best for both of us!"

"I can’t do that."

The smile on Zhang Hu’s face grew wider, now tinged with a hint of playfulness. He said:

"The divorce... I’m definitely not going through with it!"

No divorce, no money. If she asks why...

"Honey, I love you."