Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

Penny's issue was actually quite easy to resolve .Her ex-boyfriend had at least already committed the offenses of unauthorized use of likeness and defamation, which were considered serious crimes in the U.S.! Just think about Disney .

However, when Martin once again stood before that muscle-bound man who couldn't even mentally calculate 37 times 2, the man immediately caved. Not only did he delete the blog right away, but he also voluntarily returned the money Penny had lent him.

It seemed that last punch had left a deep impression on him.

After confirming that Penny didn't want to pursue legal action further, Martin didn't push her. He gave the muscle man a meaningful smile and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 8 p.m. on Thursday, Martin ended his work early and arrived at a nice French restaurant in the Upper East Side as agreed.

As soon as he walked into the restaurant, Martin saw the burly Louis Litt standing up from a chair by the window and waving at him.

Next to him was one of Martin's mutual aid group members, Steve Huffman, the founder of Reddit News.

Steve was a student at the University of Virginia. The two met during a trip and became good friends. Later, Martin learned that Steve had started a news website at school and straightforwardly invited him to join the mutual aid group.

A year later, with Martin's wildly creative promotional strategies, Reddit's traffic skyrocketed from tens of thousands to nearly 100 million clicks. It was now the third most visited news site in the U.S., after Yahoo and Murdoch's News Corporation.

Earlier this year, Steve Hoffman, a well-known angel investor from Silicon Valley whose name was almost identical, valued Reddit at $1.5 billion!

"Steve, you look great."

Martin walked over and hugged Steve. "Looks like you've found a new girlfriend recently?"

"Don't expect me to bring her to meet you!"

Steve laughed. "I read the news. Mark's deal went very smoothly with your help."

Martin waved his hand. "Not just Mark—do you know Clark Hunt? He will officially join Hope next month under his personal name."

Steve looked at Martin in pleasant surprise. "Are you sure?"

For these college students who started businesses in the new century, Microsoft was an immovable giant. They both admired its success and felt some fear and resentment toward it.

After all, Microsoft's style of doing business in recent years had been rather domineering.

But now, Clark Hunt, a director of Microsoft and chairman of the investment strategy committee, was joining them! This meant that the giant was atleast not against them!

Who wouldn't fear such a powerful and dominant company?

Amidst the joy, Steve glanced at Louis beside him and whispered in Martin's ear.

"Will Mr. Hunt join the mutual aid group?"

Martin chuckled and shook his head. "You can't expect a man close to seventy to go to Hawaii with us to watch bikini girls."

Martin hadn't kept the mutual aid group particularly secret, but he hadn't advertised it either.

Why would these guys, deeply influenced by Freemason conspiracy theories, love to play mysterious?

If it weren't for Martin stopping them, this group would have regularly worn hooded robes, held white candles, and secretly gathered in an ancient castle or stone house!

It was said that the scientifically-minded Illuminati used to hold meetings like this in medieval times when persecuted by the church.

What? You haven't heard of the Illuminati?

Go back and flip through your high school physics and history textbooks—almost 80% of the European scientists and artists mentioned are said to be members of the Illuminati!

Or watch the movie *Angels & Demons*. Although the plot is somewhat bizarre and conspiratorial, it perfectly describe the conspiracy as seen by public.

After chatting with his good friend for a while, Martin didn't forget the senior partner waiting nearby. Martin smiled. "Steve, this is Louis Litt, a partner at our firm and also my boss."

Then, turning to Louis, he said, "Steve Huffman, one of the founders of Reddit and my good friend."

Louis once again flashed his signature big buck teeth. "Thank you, Martin. We just arrived not long ago." After the introductions, the three sat down at the dining table.

After the two ordered their meals, Martin picked up the menu and said while looking at it, "Tom Brady is absolutely crazy this year. Did you watch last weekend's game? He threw four touchdown passes!"

"I watched it, but Peyton Manning also performed well." Steve immediately countered, not giving Martin any face. "And Eli Manning too! The Giants already have eight wins."

"This is Eli Manning's fourth season, and he has consistently performed well, not losing out to his brother."

Louis Litt also chimed in appropriately. "Martin, as a New York lawyer, you should support your own team!" After ordering his meal, Martin shook his head. "Of course I support the Giants, but I just feel that Brady is in exceptional form this year. Did you notice the slow-motion replays? His passing accuracy is so strong—it's like bullets!"

The three were discussing the quarterbacks of famous teams in the NFL (National Football League). Americans like to chat about unrelated topics before getting down to business.

Like the four nerds in the apartment—they would talk about the latest breakthroughs in physics or whether Season 5 of *Star Trek* was good or bad.

Facing Steve and Louis, Martin could only choose the hottest mass topic as an opener.

Who is the top quarterback of the NFL this year?

Is it Tom Brady of the New England Patriots or Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts?

As for Eli Manning of the New York Giants, he's still a bit green compared to his brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three continued chatting while eating, moving from football to Britney Spears, who had been making headlines recently.Halfway through the meal, under Louis's frequent glances, Martin finally brought up the main topic.

"Steve, do you remember talking to me about wanting to start Series B funding after Christmas?"

Steve Huffman smiled and nodded. "Of course. Do you have any recommended investment firms?"

"Not yet. After Mr. Hunt joins the foundation, he'll talk to you. He should be a good lead investor."

"I remember Reddit's legal department currently only has two full-time corporate lawyers?"

Reddit was different from Facebook. Its growth wasn't as rapid, and with fewer than 40 employees, it naturally couldn't build a complete legal department like Facebook.

Hearing this, Steve immediately realized. "Martin, do you want to take it over?"

"Isn't Series B coming up soon? Two corporate lawyers won't be able to handle the situation."

Martin said matter-of-factly, "Louis and I came to see you specifically for this. He's a partner at the firm with excellent experience and reputation. I'd feel more at ease if he helps you."

Louis Litt inwardly sighed in relief. Just as he was about to habitually recommend himself, he noticed Steve Huffman across the table raising his glass with a smile.

"Louis, do you have time to visit the company soon? We can discuss the details of the advisory contract."

That's it? Surprised, Louis didn't forget to raise his glass. "Anytime! Steve, I hope we'll have a great start." 

(End of Chapter)