"Lawyer Zhao, your place is really... unconventional," Ma Da couldn't help but tease.
Zhao Tianyi was so embarrassed he could’ve dug a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
"None of that matters now. Let’s talk about the case, shall we?"
Ma Da: "What case? We don’t have any cases to handle! The boys have all served their time and are out now!"
"We’re just here to ask you a question."
Zhao Tianyi: "..."
So much for getting his hopes up.
He thought he’d landed a big case, but it turned out they just wanted free advice.
Still, even if there was no case, he could at least charge a consultation fee. Not a total waste of time.
"Consultation is fine, but let me be clear—my rates aren’t cheap. Five hundred an hour..."
"Hold on," Ma Da cut him off. "You expect me to pay just to chat? Think I’m some kind of sucker? Five hundred an hour? Might as well rob me!"
Zhao Tianyi awkwardly explained, "It’s standard practice. Consultations do require a fee..."
"So if I don’t pay, it’s not a consultation, right?" Ma Da leaned back in his chair, arms spread.
Zhao Tianyi: "???"
Seriously? Trying to freeload?
He was about to stand up and show them the door when a loud commotion of footsteps echoed from outside.
The brothers who’d been delivering seafood to the night market had all arrived—summoned by Ma Da.
A sea of nearly forty men, dressed in rough work clothes, flooded into the office. Some even carried wrenches and hammers, looking downright intimidating.
"Brother Ma!"
"Brother Ma!"
"We’re here!"
"..."
"Why so late?" Ma Da grumbled.
"Had to fix something on the way. Took a while."
"Man, that thing was tough. Took a few good whacks with the sledgehammer to bust it open."
In reality, their beat-up truck had broken down—engine trouble and a flat tire. Too far from a repair shop, and towing was too expensive, so they’d bought tools and fixed it themselves. Some bolts were rusted shut, so they’d hammered them loose.
"Where’s Brother Yun?" Ma Da asked.
"Brother Yun took a few guys to handle the aftermath. Don’t worry, it’s all under control," one of the lackeys declared confidently.
Truth was, the truck had stalled again near the county town, and Yun Cheng had to push it to the shop with a few men.
But to Zhao Tianyi’s ears, it sounded entirely different.
His legs trembled, fear gripping him.
What were they just saying?
Smashing someone’s skull open with a hammer?
And "handling the aftermath"—were they disposing of a body?
Sweet mother of mercy, these guys were ruthless!
Zhao Tianyi wanted to slap himself.
Why’d you have to open your big mouth?
Now he’d brought a gang of troublemakers right into his office. What was he supposed to do?
Ma Da nodded after hearing the report. "Good. I trust Brother Yun’s got it covered."
Then he turned back to Zhao Tianyi. "Now, where were we?"
"Wait, Lawyer Zhao, why are you crying? There’s no wind in here!"
Zhao Tianyi hastily wiped his tears. "It’s just my chronic dry eyes. No big deal."
Ma Da immediately turned serious, barking at his men, "Put those cigarettes out! Can’t you see Lawyer Zhao has eye problems?"
The lackeys quickly stubbed out their smokes.
Ma Da then grinned and said, "Alright, Lawyer Zhao, let’s get down to business. With so many of us here to learn from you, it’s only fair we pay a consultation fee. Name your price."
Zhao Tianyi waved his hands frantically. All he wanted now was to get these troublemakers out of his office. "No, no! Having you all visit my humble firm is an honor! How could I possibly charge you? That’d be downright ungrateful!"
Touched by his noble words, Ma Da clapped him on the shoulder. "Now that’s the spirit! You’re a real one! Consider us brothers from now on. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you live the good life."
Zhao Tianyi: "..."
"Uh, I—"
Ma Da’s face darkened. "What, you got a problem with that? Think you’re too good for us? Too fancy to be brothers with a bunch of street guys?"
The room full of roughnecks glared at Zhao Tianyi.
They weren’t scholars, but in their world, status didn’t matter. If they liked you, you were family.
For a big shot like Brother Ma to call you brother? That was respect.
Were they supposed to believe some book-smart lawyer thought he was better than them?
Sweat poured down Zhao Tianyi’s back. "N-no, I’m honored," he stammered.
Ma Da grinned. "Good. Now say it—‘Brother Ma.’"
Zhao Tianyi forced out the words with difficulty: "Ma... Ma Da."
Ma Da nodded in satisfaction. "Good! Having Zhao Tianyi—Brother Zhao—join us today is truly a stroke of luck. Come on, everyone, raise your cups and let’s celebrate Brother Zhao’s arrival!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd eagerly picked up disposable cups, each filling theirs with water.
Of course, they didn’t forget to pour a cup for Zhao Tianyi as well.
"Bottoms up!" Ma Da threw his head back and downed the water.
"Bottoms up!" The others followed suit, draining their cups in one go.
The display was nothing short of bold and spirited!
Immediately after, dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto Zhao Tianyi.
He hurriedly gulped down his water, though inwardly, he was miserable.
"Good! That’s the spirit!" Ma Da dramatically flung his disposable cup onto the ground.
At the same time, everyone else followed suit, smashing their cups to the floor with a thunderous clatter—an unmistakable show of unity.
Zhao Tianyi had no choice but to do the same.
Ma Da declared, "Now, everyone in this room is a brother. I won’t waste words. Since you’ve all chosen to stand with the young mistress, I’ll just say this: Anyone who betrays her or their brothers will face three stabs and six holes!"
"Three stabs and six holes!"
"Three stabs and six holes!" The crowd roared in unison, their voices charged with fervor.
Zhao Tianyi’s face twisted into an expression even more pitiful than if he were crying.
What the hell was this? He’d just wanted to take on a case to earn some money—how had he suddenly ended up in some gangster gathering?
Was a lawyer even supposed to be mixed up in this kind of scene?
If given another chance, he’d rather die than have struck up that conversation with Ma Da outside the courthouse.
But it was too late for regrets now.
The situation perfectly illustrated the old saying: "A scholar meets a soldier—reason is useless."
Sure, he could use legal means to have them locked up for offenses like disorderly conduct, but that wouldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t end up with a sack over his head the next time he stepped outside.
After the commotion settled, Ma Da sent someone to buy dozens of small folding stools, and the group all took their seats.
Only then did Ma Da turn to Zhao Tianyi and say, "Brother Zhao—no, now we should call you Professor Zhao. Professor Zhao, why don’t you give us a lesson?"
Zhao Tianyi hastily waved his hands. "Uh, Ma Da, just call me by my name. I’m hardly a professor!"
But Ma Da remained dead serious. "In private, we brothers can call each other whatever we like. But right now, we’re in class—and in class, we use titles!"
"Professor Zhao, begin the lecture!"
"Professor Zhao, begin the lecture!" The rowdy crowd of bleached-haired gangsters chanted in unison.
Zhao Tianyi could only nod hurriedly.
It was his first time seeing so many street toughs sitting stiffly in front of him, poised to learn—though the whole scene was undeniably bizarre.
Most importantly, he had no idea what they even wanted him to teach.
"Uh... Ma Da, what exactly do you want me to talk about?"
Ma Da replied matter-of-factly, "The law, of course."
Zhao Tianyi blinked. "The law?"
