Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

After spending sixteen days in Los Angeles, Martin returned to New York with Rachel.

Priya didn't accompany them; she stayed behind at Facebook to familiarize herself with the company's internal legal processes and basic operations.

With a briefcase full of contracts worth millions and the plane arriving in the morning, Martin didn't head back to his apartment. Instead, he took a taxi straight to the office.

Who could say Martin wasn't a dedicated lawyer?

The big boss of the firm, Jessica, warmly welcomed Martin into her office.

After all, Martin had just earned the firm over two million dollars and had become acquainted with a behemoth like Microsoft. Such treatment was only natural.

After finally dealing with Jessica, Martin returned to his office to store the contracts and began tackling the accumulated workload from the past few days.

Everything else was manageable, but the key issue was the commercial merger case Jessica had handed over before the trip to Los Angeles.

The client had already arranged for an accounting firm to conduct due diligence and asset inventory on the opposing company. In a few days, they would enter the actual negotiation phase.

While in Los Angeles, Martin had spoken with the client several times. Initially, the client had been critical of Martin's absence. However, upon learning that he was handling the Facebook-Microsoft financing deal and seeing the signing ceremony on the news, their attitude changed dramatically.

"It was such an exciting transaction! If I weren't busy with the merger, I'd have loved to attend your celebratory cocktail party."

This demonstrated that a lawyer's status was entirely bolstered by having high-quality clients!

As Martin was busy reviewing the asset details sent by the client, a crisp knock sounded on the glass door of his office.

Looking up, Martin saw it was Louis Litt, one of the senior partners of the firm!

There he stood outside the door, smiling broadly, his signature large front teeth on display, waving a bottle of whiskey in his left hand as a gesture.

Rachel stood behind him, giving Martin a helpless expression.

What was this guy up to?

Suppressing his doubts, Martin got up to open the door for Louis.

"Congratulations! You're now a top-notch lawyer and a future senior partner!"

Louis immediately gave Martin an enthusiastic hug and congratulations—the first such intimate contact since Martin joined the firm.

According to the firm's regulations, senior partners received an eight percent share of all the firm's earnings. This meant that Martin's recent business trip had earned Louis nearly $200,000, even though, on the surface, Louis hadn't done much.

Could it be that he came specifically to express gratitude for the earnings?

"Thank you, Louis!"

Martin's response wasn't entirely sincere, but the hug was sufficiently firm.

Louis released him, glanced around Martin's slightly smaller office, and placed the whiskey on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"I heard about you, Martin!"

Louis's smile squeezed his face almost comically. "You've made an incredible deal—I dare say no young lawyer in the U.S. could have achieved what you've done. It's astonishing!"

"Louis, you know that without your help, without the firm's brand effect and industry standing, I couldn't have done any of this. I'm very grateful for everything."

Martin skillfully balanced youthful pride with mature demeanor.

Aside from being a lawyer, he had also been the lead actor in his high school drama club and, during his sophomore summer, impulsively registered as an actor in the Hollywood Actors Guild for $25.

Purely on a whim!

Aside from gaining a few sweethearts as running buddies, Martin had also landed a minor role in a box-office flop—a character with two lines!

The movie never premiered in Boston, where Harvard was located, so Martin had to buy a hundred DVDs from the distributor. After showing off to his classmates, he stored the rest in his apartment.

It seemed that American celebrities and politicians had a penchant for cameo appearances in movies and TV shows—like…

After some polite small talk, the two sat down on the sofa. Rachel entered at the right moment, placing two glasses and a bucket of ice on the coffee table.

It was already 7 p.m., and drinking in the office wouldn't have any negative repercussions.

Louis proactively opened the whiskey and poured Martin a glass. "Victories always call for celebration with fine wine. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Martin raised his glass in acknowledgment and downed it in one gulp.

Feeling the subtle aftertaste, Martin furrowed his brow slightly and glanced at the amber liquid in his glass.

This was good stuff…

"Ever since you handled that competency test case I've been telling Jessica that we chose the right person! As I expected, in just over two months you've created so many incredible miracles."

Competency test?

Martin recalled the rental dispute case he handled shortly after joining the firm.

"The supervising guy back then was Harvey. Seeing his stern unsmiling face, I thought he was someone who didn't tolerate nonsense." Martin gently swirled the glass, allowing the liquor to mix with the ice, locking in the slowly evaporating aroma. "I just tried my best, and thankfully, the outcome matched my expectations."

"Harvey… He truly is a capable partner," Louis admitted.

Though direct competitors, Louis wouldn't engage in backstabbing behavior in front of Martin—it would only lose him points. "However, our working styles are quite different."

"Diversity and teamwork are what make Pearson Hardman valuable, aren't they?"

Seeing that his probing yielded no results, Martin was happy to keep things diplomatic.After circling around for a while, Louis noticed the young lawyer's slickness and casually revealed his thoughts as if making idle chatter.

"The firm might promote a senior partner after Christmas. You know, Harvey and I are neck and neck in terms of client performance and seniority, which puts Jessica in a bit of a… predicament."

Martin was momentarily stunned, unsure why Louis suddenly brought up the topic of partner promotions.

Was he asking for Martin's support?

But partner promotions were always decided by the big boss, Jessica. After all, most of the firm's business and its stellar reputation stemmed from her…

After a moment of silence, Martin said, "Though it might be inappropriate to say this, I sincerely hope you get what you wish for. You're a good person, Louis!"

Based on his impressions, this fat man, despite often clashing with the main characters Harvey Specter and Mike Ross, hadn't done anything unforgivable. In fact, sometimes he was even forced to lend a helping hand. He was quite a likable antagonist.

This compliment wasn't entirely flattery.

Hearing Martin's praise, Louis Litt's chubby face lit up even more. "Thank you, Martin! I really need support right now!"

After another toast, Louis finally loosened up. "By the way, Martin, I heard you gave the Facebook contract to your paralegal—she should have been promoted to junior lawyer by now, right?"

He then looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I remember her name is Priya Koothrappali? She's a great girl, and being Asian avoids potential racial discrimination risks for the firm. You know, there were very few qualified Asian lawyers graduating from Harvard this year"

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