Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

It did not have a significant negative impact. Each of them only brought a small stool and a poster; strictly speaking, they weren't even setting up stalls. Even if scolded by the relevant management units, it wouldn't amount to a fine. The most important thing was that this time the "clientele" were just too numerous; no one could resist the temptation.

On a typical day, the number of people entering and leaving the court didn't even reach twenty in total. Most were there to inquire about situations, not as plaintiffs or defendants. But now, nearly every person coming and going was a precise potential client, all urgently needing lawyers. The chance of securing representation was extremely high. One case could be worth thousands, nearly 10,000. The more cases they took, the more they earned. As legal professionals, they needed to take cases to make a living. Those lawyers who disdained "setting up a stall" were basically not far from changing professions.

「That afternoon.」

After a morning of overt and covert struggles outside the court, the success of various lawyers in securing representation gradually diverged. Rising to the top tier were Lawyer Qi, Lawyer Ling, and Zhang Wei. Each had secured representation for no fewer than 50 defendants. Although it was Zhang Wei's first day, he attracted a large number of defendants with his poster and his professional authority, as he specialized in sentence reduction cases. Other lawyers, perhaps due to poor locations or lacking eloquence, only managed to secure a handful of single-digit representations.

However, they weren't discouraged. This was only the first few days. With a total of 3,200 cases, the number of defendants was expected to peak in the coming days as more arrived. They still had a chance to surpass the leaders!

「The next day.」

Only four days remained before the court session. Learning from yesterday's lesson, Zhang Wei arrived at the courthouse entrance at seven in the morning. However, when he arrived, he found Lawyer Ling and Lawyer Qi had just sat down as dawn was breaking. The three of them exchanged smiles. With time to kill, they sat and chatted.

"Lawyer Qi, you pulled in quite a few people yesterday, right? You came the earliest and had the best spot."

"Not that many, just under 100."

"You're still the impressive one; I only got 99."

"What about you, Lawyer Zhang? It looked like there were quite a few people around you..."

"..."

The three chatted idly, waiting for "clients" to arrive.

By eight o'clock, dozens of lawyers had already arrived at the courthouse entrance. The number of lawyers was greater than on any previous day. Zhang Wei and the other two felt considerable pressure. This case, involving 3,200 defendants, had shaken the entire legal community. Many civil lawyers had come to "compete for clients" with them.

I only got a little over 80 yesterday; I need to pull in more today. Zhang Wei thought, looking at the two formidable rivals beside him. His attorney fee was approximately 8,000. Yesterday, he had only earned 600,000 to 700,000. Compared to Qi ZhaoYu and the others, he was still quite a bit behind. Qi ZhaoYu's attorney fee was 10,000, and he had made nearly 1,000,000 yesterday.

And today, most of the expected defendants would arrive. "Client traffic" would reach its peak!

Soon, after nine o'clock, more and more people arrived outside the courthouse. These individuals were accompanied by their family members. Zhang Wei and the other two, having secured the best spots, pounced like hungry tigers upon seeing the crowd, eagerly promoting themselves.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Qi ZhaoYu, Jin City's top lawyer, with a 100% success rate. I've handled hundreds of cases in my career without a single loss!"

"To be frank, I am Zhang Wei. My specialty is sentence reduction defense. Your defamation case is hard to win, but I'm confident I can reduce your sentence from three years to two years and nine months!"

"I am a lawyer from Linghe Law Firm, with over twenty years of experience in criminal defense..."

The three continuously showcased their strengths and expertise, trying to attract the defendants who had rushed to Jin City.

"Sentence reduction?" Zhu Qingyun, emerging from the courthouse, looked at the three lawyers swarming her and swallowed hard. She couldn't help but ask, "Can you argue for an acquittal?"

After arriving in Jin City, she had tried multiple times to contact the plaintiff, seeking a private settlement, but the plaintiff completely ignored her. She went to the court, which informed her that the other party did not accept mediation. In other words, the lawsuit was unavoidable. If she lost, she would be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment or detention for defamation. All her years of hard work building her business would vanish. Without her, the company would surely collapse.

"'An acquittal? That's impossible.'" Zhang Wei and the other two lawyers gave the same answer. As top lawyers in Jin City, all three understood the case's unique nature. The evidence was substantial, widely disseminated, and ironclad. Even if they challenged it, they could find no loopholes.

"Is there really no way?" Zhu Qingyun bit her lower lip, her face filled with anxiety.

Immediately after, refusing to give up, she asked every lawyer present, but the answer was always the same. Even when she offered a high fee of 100,000, no lawyer would guarantee a win. Eventually, out of desperation, she had to take a gamble, choosing Zhang Wei from the three, as he was the most skilled at sentence reduction.

The other defendants, upon gradually realizing they couldn't win, also weighed the pros and cons and leaned towards choosing Zhang Wei. Gradually, Zhang Wei came from behind, securing representation for more and more defendants.

「The nursing home.」

"It's that competitive?" Qin Mu was playing chess with Old Zhang when he suddenly saw a message from Qing Lan.

"It's true. I was out shopping yesterday and passed by the court. It was quite a scene there." Qing Lan added a few more details, "Many lawyers were scrambling for clients, Lawyer Zhang included. It was very intense..."

Qin Mu's lip twitched. "..."

He hadn't expected his action of suing the entire internet to cause such a stir. The whole legal community was shaken. Lawyers, big and small, had all come out to scramble for clients. The defendants arriving in droves didn't even need to look for lawyers themselves. After learning about their case details at the court, they could be matched with a suitable lawyer right outside. It saved time and effort. According to relevant litigation laws, these cases were all independent, and everyone had the right to hire a lawyer for their defense. If this trend continued, he worried there might be dozens of lawyers at the trial—truly unprecedented and likely unrepeatable.

"I wonder how many clients Zhang Wei has secured..." Qin Mu couldn't help muttering.

After filing the case, he had even tipped off Zhang Wei in advance, but these lawyers were too aggressive. Many had channels to learn about potential cases. Those without such channels would either starve or change professions. Knowing that over 3,000 defendants were about to arrive "on the battlefield," they all showcased their skills, competing for representation based on their abilities. At that moment, no one chose to slack off; everyone was competing furiously.

「At the same time, in the Jin City Detention Center.」

"Yuan Cui Lian, Xia Qingqing, this is a court summons. Please sign for it." The guard on duty handed them the document.

Yuan Cui Lian and her daughter, who were watching TV, paused, stunned. They had already been detained for four days. During these days, they followed a strict routine: waking, eating, and sleeping at set times. Life was incredibly regimented. Their only entertainment was watching TV after meals. No phones, no internet access, no soap operas. Every day was mind-numbingly boring—not quite torture, but close enough.

"A summons?" Xia Qingqing took the document and opened it. As she read, her face suddenly turned pale, then ashen.