Chew Slowly Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Chapter 45

===========================

“This has nothing to do with the case. Lawyer Gao seems to be very interested in my personal affairs.” Chen Zongqian’s voice was so calm that Gao Xuan could not hear any other meaning no matter how carefully he listened.

It was an abrupt and offensive question. Gao Xuan instantly understood how rude he was. This was private, and Chen Zongqian had no need to answer.It was as if cold water had been poured on his head, and it was suddenly difficult to speak.

Chen Zongqian’s eyes have always been gentle, but occasionally they show some coldness, which can be attributed to the barrier of the lenses.His eyes, language, and behavior were all appropriate, nothing overstepping the mark or making anyone feel uncomfortable.He sat across from him calmly, showing no oppressive aura except for his slightly cold expression.

This made Gao Xuan very surprised, as if what he just said was all based on imagination.

He also had this attitude in court, not as impassioned as expected.All the energy was restrained, the voice was sincere, the energy was steady, and no timidity was revealed.

Like an upside-down mirror, the person inside is completely opposite to Gao Xuan.He is young and impetuous, but Chen Zongqian is not much older than him.

“Can’t you tell me?” His palms were slightly sweaty, and Gao Xuan didn’t know why he asked this question.

Chen Zongqian smiled: “Lawyer Gao encountered similar confusion and wanted to seek experience from me? It is good to have cases for reference, but the personnel situation is complicated. Will the judge judge according to the results of the case?”

The words were spoken very tactfully, and the stern question rang in Gao Xuan’s ears again – “Are you suitable to be a criminal defense lawyer?”

Chen Zongqian’s actual choice seems to have made the answer clear long ago, but Gao Xuan is not very willing to accept the same result.At that time, as soon as Chen Zongqian took the first step, he was scolded and changed direction. Chen Zongqian had a choice, but what about himself?

He is a foreigner, and his college entrance examination results were his only success in the first half of his life.Gao Xuan passed the exam and wanted to stay here.Although Pingzhou Port is bustling and eye-catching, if you want to gain a foothold here, just breathing will take all your strength.

During the internship, I broke my leg while running, and I also had to answer phone calls in the office and had no time to get away. I was tired, but what was unacceptable was that all this busyness was completely useless except for taking up time.When he finally felt that he was going to make it through, everything had just begun.

Youth is related to immaturity, and Gao Xuan’s experience and ability are not as good as those of the seniors in the institute.He cannot create more value for the institute and has to wait for a fixed monthly salary.No connections means no sources of cases.Gao Xuan could only carry his briefcase and lawyer’s license all day long, fully dressed and lingering at the entrances of police stations and hospitals, hoping to uncover the source of the case.

He was still too tired. In addition to maintaining a normal life, he also had to send part of his salary back home, leaving no savings at all.

He regretted why he became a lawyer in the first place. It was obvious that with his academic qualifications, he could find a good job in a court or procuratorate, with a lower salary, and he could study steadily for a few years and then work his way up.You don’t even have to wander around Pingzhou Port, and you don’t have to worry about rising water, electricity and room charges.He may also think that maybe he is not suitable for criminal litigation, and whether it would be much better to change the direction, and whether there would be a ray of good winds.

But people are different, he heard Chen Zongqian say.

Not wanting to waste time with him, Chen Zongqian stood up to leave. Gao Xuan hurriedly asked people to wait. There was another piece of information in his bag.

In addition to Xu Qiaochuan, Xu Jian was also accused of extortion, amounting to as much as 100,000 yuan.

Gao Xuan asked when talking to Xu Jian in the detention center that the money was not used to repay debts and was quickly lost as gambling money.Xu Jian said the source of the money was compensation, but the details were unclear, and there was no legally binding proof.

There is no recording of the phone call, but the remittance records are still there, as are the WeChat chat records between the two, all of which were printed out and placed on the table.Just by looking at these, you can see how Xu Jian demanded tens of thousands of yuan in compensation from others and how he continued to harass him.

Chen Zongqian was very annoyed and seemed to want to use money to calm things down.He remitted the money in two installments as Xu Jian said, and the total amount was exactly 100,000.After that, he blocked the person. Xu Jian couldn’t get through the phone even if he wanted money. There were a bunch of messages in his draft box that he couldn’t send out.

If it had been anyone else, Gao Xuan would not have been so suspicious, but the other party was Chen Zongqian, an elite lawyer specializing in civil and commercial litigation.There was no way he didn’t know this money and what this number meant.

“He initially asked for 80,000 yuan, and you took the initiative to add 20,000 yuan more.” That’s not a small sum of money. How could a man as smart as Chen Zongqian do this for no reason?Xu Jianhuo had no idea that a trap had been set, and thought he had taken a huge advantage.

But Chen Zongqian’s statement was watertight, and the 20,000 yuan was to completely silence Xu Jian.During that time, Xu Jian’s harassment almost didn’t stop. His phone was full of spam calls and text messages, and his car was maliciously scratched several times.Xu Jian had a history of stalking colleagues in the law firm. Chen Zongqian did not want to be secretly remembered all the time, nor did he want to waste time on this person.

“That 100,000 yuan is related to Xu Qiaochuan?” Gao Xuan asked tentatively, and saw Chen Zongqian lowering his eyes and looking at the recording pen on the table.He generously exposed the switch, indicating that he was not recording and was just having an ordinary conversation.

Chen Zongqian smiled and did not answer the question.Gao Xuan spoke again: “You care about him very much.”

There was no refutation of this sentence. Chen Zongqian nodded slightly and then said: “Those things are unfortunate when they happen to anyone. Xu Qiaochuan has suffered enough injuries. You and I are both lawyers. I understand that you need to communicate with him to handle the case, but this is not the reason for you to harm him twice. Lawyer Gao should not use him to see me.”

Xu Qiaochuan’s spirit is very fragile and he may collapse at any time. Chen Zongqian regrets taking him out today.

Gao Xuan’s face was pale, as if his whole body had been cut open, and everything could be seen inside and out.

“I heard that Lawyer Gao actively took over the case before the Legal Aid Center assigned it. Defending a gambler, alcoholic, or domestic abuser is a thankless task. New lawyers should be more cautious. There are obviously other cases that are more suitable for Lawyer Gao, right?”

Without drinking the cold cup of coffee, Chen Zongqian moved his gaze out the window. The scenery outside was also boring: “When did Lawyer Gao think of that problem? It was earlier when he saw my name on the case file. He saw me taking Xu Qiaochuan to the hospital that night.”

That night, he went to the hospital entrance to look for an opportunity as usual, but he didn’t expect to see Chen Zongqian.After roughly figuring out who the injured person was and why he was injured, Gao Xuan was keenly aware of this opportunity.He couldn’t see Xu Qiaochuan in the hospital, so he went to the police station instead, and spent a lot of effort before taking over the case.

In the past, he never dared to take on such a case no matter how difficult it was, but when he saw the name Chen Zongqian among them, he immediately knew that this was an opportunity that he could not let go.

Chen Zongqian saw his performance in his eyes and sighed slightly, “I respect Fang Yuan very much, but I was the one who took the initiative to approach Fang Yuan for the case.”

It was a major human trafficking case that lasted for more than thirty years. Fang Yuan defended the main criminal in the criminal court.

Gao Xuan’s conversation skills were poor and he was at a disadvantage in psychological games. Gao Xuan knew that he could not hide Chen Zongqian’s secrets, so taking the initiative to expose him made people want to talk about old things.Seeing that Chen Zongqian’s attitude became slightly clearer, he breathed a sigh of relief and carefully wiped the sweat off his hands.

“The relevant information is very comprehensive. Lawyer Gao wants to know the situation at that time…”

Gao Xuan interrupted him, and his tone suddenly changed: “The second trial upheld the original verdict, which shows that there is no problem with the verdict, but I heard that someone died after the first trial, right?”

“You came to me to investigate her death?” If this was the case, Chen Zongqian would be a little surprised.He was not frightened by Gao Xuan’s questioning. He still sat calmly and said in a calm voice, “The reports back then were also very detailed. She did not accept compensation or the verdict. She committed suicide.”

“Your name is not in the newspaper.” Gao Xuan was blown by the autumn wind outside the window and suddenly felt chilled all over.

Reporters at that time focused their writing on the deceased victim, starting with the analysis from her biological parents, adoptive parents and even the newlywed family, and came to a lamentable conclusion.Because of a human life, the tragedy of this case is even more intense.The media’s words are moving, but what about the rest?

Gao Xuan was still a student at that time, and he only knew from the comments of others that the person chasing him upstairs was the young lawyer who was following Fang Yuan.At first, he was not very familiar with the name Chen Zongqian, until one day he heard Fang Yuan questioning him outside the office.

Is the whole truth in the press release?Why didn’t Chen Zongqian, who didn’t catch anyone, write about it?

Chen Zongqian paused for a moment and finally understood what Gao Xuan was asking, “Do you think I let go and killed her?”

“No.” Gao Xuan’s face froze. The crime was too heavy, and he denied it dryly.

“Fang Yuan thinks that I am too selfish, too utilitarian, not rational enough, and not compassionate enough. I am not suitable for dealing with something as heavy as criminal law… He is a person with a high sense of morality.”

Gao Xuan only heard the last sentence and thought it was Fang Yuan’s disapproval of Chen Zongqian’s ability, but he didn’t expect it to be this reason.

“But I sympathize with Xu Ni.” This was the victim who died that year. Chen Zongqian has always remembered this name, even her face, and what she said can still be recalled clearly to this day.

At that time, Fang Yuan said that this kind of sympathy was just selfish, and his initiative to follow this case was also selfish.Chen Zongqian did not refute these sharp words.