MWC – Chapter 44 Each Has His Own Intentions

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

In the Wang-Lu Law Firm located on the first floor of the two-story building on Jing’an Alley, it was unusually quiet today.

Lu Ming sat in his office, browsing the newspaper.

The back window was open, letting in a gentle breeze. It had just rained, and the fresh, moist air was very pleasant.

There was a knock on the door, and Chen Qinghua entered. “Boss, Li Si is here!”

Li Mingxuan limped in slowly.

Tomorrow was the court date.

It had been a month since the last court session, and the prosecution had been delaying the proceedings.

Tomorrow was also the annual review by the Bar Association, meaning the outcome of Li Mingxuan’s case would no longer affect Liu Hanming’s promotion to a Senior Level Four lawyer.

However, the prosecution had replaced the lead prosecutor with Zhang Jingjing. Clearly, regardless of the outcome, Liu Hanming didn’t want to continue with this case.

Of course, even if Liu Hanming was no longer the lead prosecutor, losing the case would still affect his evaluation score.

Fortunately, the infamous case of Li Si’s brutal murder of a socialite had become old news.

Currently, the most sensational case in the Beiguan legal community was a new one involving a member of a Japanese noble family stationed in Donghai. This individual had been exposed for raping and murdering numerous young boys over several years. This case had caused a public outcry and might be handed over to the Ninth Circuit Court, which is the Beiguan Court, for trial. This had caused a sensation, and from high officials to common folk, everyone was discussing this case.

As for Li Si’s case, it had long been forgotten.

This was what Lu Ming hoped to see, and Liu Hanming would certainly be happy with this outcome.

“If nothing unexpected happens, you should be acquitted,” Lu Ming said, putting down the newspaper and looking at Li Mingxuan.

Li Mingxuan nodded slightly. Wearing a mask and sunglasses, his expression was hidden.

He had moved to Xiaocui’s rented apartment, where she willingly took care of him.

Although the wounds on his face had mostly healed, the fresh scars were still red and crisscrossed his face, making him look frightening. He usually wore a mask and large sunglasses, and his limping made him look like a blind old man to many on the street.

“How have you been lately?” Lu Ming asked.

“I don’t know. I just moved out of Xiaocui’s rented apartment,” Li Mingxuan said with a bitter smile. “To be precise, I was kicked out. Xiaocui has a new suitor, tall and handsome…”

Lu Ming was momentarily stunned, then understood. Xiaocui was not some extraordinary woman, just an ordinary one. Initially, she was attracted to Li Mingxuan’s appearance, and in a series of emotional upheavals, she imagined herself as the heroine of a tragic romance.

But living together with Li Mingxuan for less than a month, she realized that this scarred, limping man was far from her dream lover. Another mouth to feed only made her already tight life even more strained.

“Even poor couples have a hard time, let alone such a mismatched pair.”

“I thought I could live a plain and simple life, but even that was too much to ask for…” Li Mingxuan’s voice was numb, and he sat there as if devoid of any vitality.

Lu Ming quietly watched him and asked, “Have you thought about returning to your old profession?”

Li Mingxuan pointed to his face, “Lawyer Lu, are you joking?”

Indeed, whether as a lawyer or prosecutor, appearance still mattered.

“You could work behind the scenes as an advisor! Join my firm,” Lu Ming smiled.

Li Mingxuan was taken aback, then looked up, “Would you really take me in?”

“Of course, we’re fellow townsmen after all. It’s rare to meet someone from Wu’an in Donghai,” Lu Ming smiled.

“I…I’ll think about it!” Li Mingxuan hesitated, then sighed. “I treated you poorly before, but you… I don’t know what to say…”

“Alright, I hope to hear good news from you tomorrow. Also, don’t forget to be in court by nine!”

“Mm, mm…” Li Mingxuan was lost in thought, still considering Lu Ming’s offer.

The office door was gently knocked again, and Chen Qinghua’s voice called, “Boss, Lawyer Rodman is here!”

“Lu, I’m here!” In walked a flamboyant Western man with an explosion of colorful hair, dressed even more garishly in a floral shirt and red pants, looking every bit the hippie.

When he first met Lu Ming, Rodman wore a wig. Now, he showed his true colors.

Moreover, due to the three-point seatbelt project, he had been hired by Lingwei Motors as one of their legal advisors. He was no longer the personal advisor to some second-rate prince but a member of the legal team of a company worth tens of millions. His income had quadrupled from an annual salary of 3,000 to 12,000.

Many of these developments were thanks to Lu Ming’s new ideas, which Rodman incorporated into his suggestions to the second-rate prince, who then presented them to his father. Chairman Zhu recognized Rodman’s talent and hired him as a legal advisor. Rodman, seeing the benefits of listening to Lu Ming, became his enthusiastic follower.

“Lu, you’ve been so stingy! Getting a few coins from your pocket is too difficult!” Rodman sat dejectedly across from Lu Ming, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

Lu Ming laughed, “I’ve been busy lately. I’ll treat you another day.”

A few days ago, Huaxia Technology received the first authorization fee from Lingwei Motors, amounting to 10,000 yuan.

Lingwei Motors was about to launch its first batch of cars with three-point seatbelts, with a planned production of ten thousand units.

Rodman had been pestering Lu Ming for a treat, but it was clear he was just looking for an excuse to hang out.

Seeing this, Lu Ming said, “How about hanging your name on my firm and helping out with some cases when you’re free?”

Rodman, though a third-level lawyer, wasn’t very skilled. In a real court battle, he would be no match for Liu Hanming, but his Western lawyer status could intimidate people.

“No, no, no! I get a headache just thinking about work, even my fingernails hurt!” Rodman shook his head vigorously.

“Fine, I have a court case tomorrow. Come over the day after tomorrow, and we’ll change the partnership agreement,” Lu Ming smiled.

“Hey, you can’t just make decisions on your own. You heard me refuse!” Rodman exclaimed.

“Don’t forget to bring your lawyer’s license. After you become our partner, I’ll take you to the best club in Beiguan,” Lu Ming said.

“Deal!” Rodman laughed, “But you know I live in the city, so…”

Lu Ming smiled, “Small cases won’t trouble you.”

“Alright, alright, we have an agreement. Looking forward to working with you!” Rodman extended his large hand.

Lu Ming ignored him and picked up the newspaper again, “You can leave now. Come back the day after tomorrow!”

Rodman looked a bit disappointed but suddenly remembered something, “Lu, I came to tell you that this afternoon, Zhu Guodong is holding a press conference to announce the new selling points of Lingwei Motors’s new model, including the focus on safety and comfort with the three-point seatbelt!”

Lu Ming was stunned, putting down the newspaper, “Is this Chairman Zhu’s idea?”

Rodman shook his head, “No, it’s Zhu Guodong’s idea.”

Lu Ming nodded. He thought it was unusual to announce such a new selling point before the car was even on the production line. Normally, they would wait to surprise their competitors.

This second-rate prince Zhu was just showing off, causing trouble.

However, this was good news for Lu Ming, as it would help make the three-point seatbelt known faster.

“I think you should inform Chairman Zhu, but do it during the press conference, so you won’t offend the second-rate prince. He won’t think you’re the whistleblower, and Chairman Zhu will appreciate your capability.”

“What do you mean?” Rodman widened his eyes, “Would Chairman Zhu stop the press conference?”

Lu Ming looked at him helplessly. This guy was only slightly better than the second-rate prince; no wonder they got along well. Western lawyers had it easy. How did he become a third-level lawyer? It was too easy.

“Do as you wish,” Lu Ming shrugged.

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you!” Rodman laughed, as he had benefited greatly from following Lu Ming’s advice.

“I’m going now!” Rodman rushed out in a flurry of colorful hair.

Lu Ming shook his head at Rodman’s retreating figure and picked up the newspaper again to read some technology news.

Recently, the company had no new patents to work on. Being a small company, even extensive advertising wouldn’t have much effect.

So, there was no need to rush.

On the other hand, the nylon hook-and-loop fasteners project was already being worked on by the shoe factory introduced by Old Liu, mainly producing a type of children’s shoes.

This project was fully entrusted to Pamela, and she was doing quite well. She even designed this new children’s shoe herself.

It seemed her pursuit of beauty gave her a talent for design.

So, Lu Ming simply decided to cooperate with the shoe factory, renting their production line. They would handle the shoe sales and pay for using their channels, while the profits and losses from the shoe sales would go to the newly registered Huaxia Garments, fully controlled by Huaxia Technology.

The shoe brand was named “Buyun,” pronounced “Gerte” in Western languages, meaning “walking on clouds.”

This was a new type of cooperation for the present era, essentially having the shoe factory produce branded shoes for Lu Ming’s company.