MWC – Chapter 68 A Stepping Stone

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In the afternoon, during the case discussion, Lu Ming also didn’t say much, just listening and pondering.

After six o’clock, when they had free time, Lu Ming dragged Wang Xiaohu to a food stall for grilled skewers.

Before coming, both Lu Ming and Wang Xiaohu had changed clothes, wearing casual cloth shirts and pants, and Lu Ming wore the large black-framed glasses he used in school.

Despite this, when Lu Ming opened his mouth and ordered fifty meat skewers and ten lamb chops, it still startled the owner.

The owner quickly explained that he actually only had eight lamb chops in stock each day, and they were usually sold out by evening.

Lu Ming sighed inwardly. Indeed, the standard of living wasn’t that high yet. While the working class could afford to eat meat skewers, they were still quite frugal.

At this night market, most of the patrons were laborers who would order a few skewers for a taste while mainly eating small stir-fried dishes. It was rare for someone to indulge in a feast of skewers. Those who could eat and drink without restraint were either local big shots or patrolling policemen.

Lu Ming brought Wang Xiaohu here mainly because it was behind Jinshun Hotel. After dinner, Wang Xiaohu could easily walk back and rest.

“Xiaohu, your hometown is in Wangdian, right?” Lu Ming asked with a smile. “How much do you know about Wang Zili?”

In the afternoon, after writing his application to join the Depeng Party, Lu Ming remembered that Wang Xiaohu’s ancestral home was in Wangzhuang, the central village of the forty-ninth district.

“Him? By seniority, I should call him Second Uncle!” Wang Xiaohu scratched his head. “Although he’s younger than my father.”

Lu Ming nodded. According to the information provided by Wei Baozeng, Wang Zili was thirty-nine years old and would be running for the second time as the representative of the forty-ninth district. Before him, the representative was Wang Shengtang, his uncle, who served for five consecutive terms but retired due to old age, promoting his nephew to run four years ago.

According to the data given by Wei Baozeng, Wang Zili didn’t have much formal education but was hardworking and helpful, gaining popularity among the villagers. He was essentially a warm-hearted and simple fisherman who followed the Justice Party’s instructions without his own opinions during parliamentary votes.

From the material provided by Wei Baozeng, Wang Zili seemed simple and unpretentious, almost without flaws.

Of course, this was only preliminary data. With several months before the election and Lu Ming just submitting his application to the party, the party hadn’t officially decided he would be the candidate for the forty-ninth district. Thus, it wasn’t yet time to gather dirt on the opponent.

Nonetheless, Lu Ming was curious and grabbed Wang Xiaohu to ask about it.

Wang Xiaohu didn’t know why Lu Ming was asking about Wang Zili but said, “Brother Zili…” He stuck out his tongue. “Brother Zili told me to call him that, but if my father heard, he’d definitely scold me…”

He paused, “Brother Zili treated me well. He always said our village finally produced an educated person. When I was in middle school, he would bring me lots of goodies like meat jerky whenever he came to the city. I couldn’t have eaten those without him. My nutrition during those years came from Brother Zili.”

Lu Ming nodded, noticing Wang Xiaohu’s fondness and gratitude towards Wang Zili.

Even without having met Wang Zili, listening to Wang Xiaohu’s words made Lu Ming feel a certain warmth and respect for him.

The forty-ninth district’s political dominance seemed impenetrable, and its leader was such a humble fisherman. Remarkable.

“Brother Lu, do you think we can win this case?” Wang Xiaohu sighed, visibly worried. Although some were optimistic during the case analysis, he felt it wasn’t so simple.

Their side lacked direct evidence. The opponent could counter the photos with “darkroom techniques,” and the different people’s blood traces Lu Ming found in the basement were the most critical evidence now. But these traces couldn’t directly prove that Kato Masahichi had committed murder.

Other leads had no progress.

Lu Ming smiled, “Xiaohu, do you believe in your brother Lu?”

Wang Xiaohu looked into Lu Ming’s bright eyes, dazed for a moment, then was overjoyed, “Brother, you have a trump card, right?”

Lu Ming smiled, “Eat your skewers!”

“Mm-hmm!” Wang Xiaohu’s worries vanished, and he began to eat heartily.

Lu Ming smiled, seeing his extreme trust. Once Lu Ming assured him he had a way, Wang Xiaohu relaxed and ate with great appetite.

He was a good kid from a poor family, sending most of his salary home and barely living on ten yuan a month, surviving on steamed buns and pickles, which made others avoid hanging out with him.

He was currently single and could live in the dormitory. But once he got married, with a family to support, the pressure would be immense.

As Lu Ming pondered, he noticed a black car, a Xuelong 950, parked at a nearby alley entrance.

Some hooligans surrounded it, making comments and even touching the car.

Initially, this wasn’t much of a concern, but when Pu Xiuna, who was eating snacks in the car, got out to scold them, the hooligans surrounded her, making lewd comments.

Then, an old man in a cloth shirt, sitting nearby eating a beef bun, slowly approached, grabbed the leader’s wrist, causing him to scream in pain, begging for mercy. His companions, terrified, scattered immediately.

After all, the owner of such a luxury car was obviously not to be trifled with. Teasing the female driver was one thing, but with a powerful bodyguard around, they quickly fled.

Wang Xiaohu noticed this too, smiling bitterly, “I wanted to help, but it seems Uncle Sun is more capable than I am!”

Lu Ming smiled and returned to his skewers.

…

After seeing Wang Xiaohu off, Lu Ming returned to the car, which smelled fresh.

Lu Ming nodded, appreciating that the young girl was a meticulous and competent driver. When she had to wait in the car during mealtimes, she only ate snacks, never bringing in full meals to avoid odors. She also kept the car spotless, airing it out and using fresheners afterward.

As for Uncle Sun, he loved his beef buns, which was understandable.

As the car moved slowly, Lu Ming pondered.

Back home, unexpectedly, there was a guest—Wei Baozeng, sitting under the umbrella by the lawn.

The courtyard lanterns were bright, with moths fluttering around.

“Director Wei, you’ve waited long. Something came up,” Lu Ming said, walking over with a bow, feeling helpless. There was no one to entertain guests at home, making hospitality challenging.

But there was no choice. Zhen Shi wouldn’t entertain male visitors alone, and Pamela seemed to be out, otherwise, she wouldn’t have left Wei Baozeng alone here.

Although Mrs. Sun was good at socializing, it wasn’t proper for a servant to entertain guests.

However, under Mrs. Sun’s instructions, the service was decent, with a maid soon coming to replace Wei Baozeng’s tea.

“Lawyer Lu, your place is quite secure. Actually, the security on Hepu Road is very good!” Wei Baozeng rose to greet Lu Ming with a smile.

Lu Ming smiled back, understanding his point. Nearby, a muscular female black slave stood in the shadows, along with six black female guards and the black female driver. Lu Ming had named them from Dahei (Big Black) to Qihei (Seventh Black) using Chinese phonetics, so no one knew what the names meant. To be honest, from their appearance alone, he couldn’t tell them apart.

However, they had clear marks. For instance, the guard standing in the shadows was Sanhei (Third Black) because her jet-black hair was braided into three long plaits hanging behind her. She wore a Chun-Li-style blue cloth outfit, though more conservative, with a short blue tunic over long pants and cloth shoes. She also carried a shoulder holster for her box cannon.

These six black female guards all had gun licenses, each armed with a box cannon. Of course, the guns were registered under Lu Ming’s name. While the guards could carry them, any trouble caused would be his responsibility.

As Wei Baozeng mentioned, security on Hepu Road was indeed tight, with Emperor’s Guard patrolling day and night, so not even a fly could get through. Even someone of Wei Baozeng’s status might have trouble getting in this late, though his family also lived in this area.

Lu Ming merely smiled in response.

“There’s something I need to say, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate,” Wei Baozeng began, his gaze more earnest and expectant than it had been at noon.

“Please, feel free to speak,” Lu Ming replied, taking a cup of fragrant tea handed to him by Luo Yi.

Luo Yi’s attire resembled a long, gauzy dress, accentuating her graceful figure, with a veil over her face, deep black eyes, a high nose, and a golden nose ring. Her snow-white forehead bore a bright red mark of blessing. Despite her exotic appearance, she was an appealing presence as she served tea.

Wei Baozeng was momentarily distracted by Luo Yi’s tea service. He knew that among the new wealthy immigrants, traditional lifestyles were common, with most household staff bound by lifelong contracts, much like the old indenture system. Contracted servants earning monthly wages were rare, and Lawyer Lu was no exception.

If Lu Ming entered politics, this could be a major point of contention from the liberals. But who could say for sure? Lu Ming was indeed full of mysteries, and now Wei Baozeng understood why his father was so keen on recruiting him into their party and supporting him strongly.

“Lawyer Lu, may I ask who your mentor is? Could it be the same person who won that case for the Imperial Bank…”

Before he could finish, Lu Ming waved his hand and smiled, “Brother Wei, I just had some good luck. Although I didn’t go through a formal university education, I barely passed the bar exam.”

Wei Baozeng sighed softly and said, “If Lawyer Lu doesn’t wish to say, I won’t press further.”

Initially, Lu Ming had suggested some simple ideas about the banking industry. Wei Baozeng found it laughable at first, but upon returning home and reviewing the suggestions, he was amazed and hurriedly showed them to his father, who was equally impressed.

He had thought a young lawyer with such deep insights into banking must have been influenced by a great mentor. Perhaps the renowned royal barrister specializing in finance, Muto, who was a legend in the banking industry.

But Lu Ming was secretive about it, so Wei Baozeng dropped the matter and instead praised, “Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, the three proposals Lawyer Lu made to resolve Baoyin’s crisis have convinced me that if you become my partner, Baoyin’s future will be bright.”

Saying this, he produced a few sheets of paper, “Lawyer Lu, this is the legal representation agreement Baoyin has prepared for you. Please review it and see if you are satisfied. My father has already signed it.”

Lu Ming took the agreement and nodded. It was identical to the one Baoyin had originally drafted for Reid Law Firm, offering twenty percent of Baoyin’s shares to the attorney if the lawsuit was won, but now naming himself as the representative.

Using a strategy of retreat to advance and offering sound advice was Lu Ming’s way of evaluating potential business partners. Given his expanding network, he needed to be more selective.

“My father said, if we give Reid twenty percent, we must give Lawyer Lu the same. Otherwise, how can we expect to make friends in the future? Because you genuinely have Baoyin’s best interests at heart.”

“Even if we lose the lawsuit, my father and I will not blame you!” Wei Baozeng added sincerely.

Lu Ming smiled. His so-called crisis resolution proposals were merely adaptations of banking confidentiality principles from his past life. The fact that the old chairman of Baoyin could casually check customers’ transfer records indicated that privacy wasn’t a major concern in current banking practices. 

Lu Ming had suggested reigniting public interest in the case, with the chairman personally apologizing to all clients and promising to uphold strict confidentiality in all future dealings. These principles would be written into all account contracts, allowing clients to claim high compensation for any breaches. This could turn the case into a positive publicity opportunity for Baoyin.

However, the lawsuit had to be won. The Wang-Lu Law Firm had a sixty percent chance of winning.

What had started as casual advice had brought unexpected results.

It made sense that his thorough analysis and practical suggestions had greatly impressed the Wei family compared to the money-grabbing Reid Law Firm.

Wei Baozeng must have reported that Lu Ming’s insights into the case showed his deep understanding. Professionally, he wasn’t inferior to Reid, and he had shown genuine enthusiasm.

Balancing these factors, the Wei family had decided to entrust him with the case.

Seeing Wei Baozeng’s hopeful expression, Lu Ming nodded, “Alright, I won’t refuse. I hope I can live up to the trust.”

He then turned and said, “Erniang, please inform Madam to bring my seal and ink pad.”

Since Lu Ming had returned, Sun Erniang had been standing quietly behind him. She quickly acknowledged and ran towards the main building.