"My lawyer?" Chu Yang looked up, eyeing the sharply dressed man before him.
Zhao Tianyi wasted no time. He pulled a contract from his briefcase and handed it to Chu Yang. "Your sister has already signed. From now on, I’m your legal representative."
Chu Yang skimmed the document. "How much?"
"Don’t worry about the cost. Someone’s already covered it." Zhao Tianyi snapped his briefcase shut and met Chu Yang’s gaze. "Time’s tight. Right now, I need you to recount everything that happened in detail."
After a brief silence, Chu Yang nodded.
His military background made his account concise and precise—not a single wasted word.
About five minutes in, Zhao Tianyi interrupted with his first critical question: "You’re certain there were only four people in that room? No one else outside witnessed what happened inside?"
"I’m certain," Chu Yang answered without hesitation.
Zhao Tianyi gave a slight nod. "And you’re sure you didn’t use any weapons?"
Chu Yang shook his head. "No."
Zhao Tianyi lowered his head, deep in thought.
No weapons—just fists—yet he’d sent someone to the ICU, even while outnumbered.
This guy was something else.
But no weapons also meant no physical evidence.
Qiaonan was a rural area, devoid of surveillance cameras—a point in Chu Yang’s favor.
Of course, witness testimony was crucial. If multiple independent witnesses gave consistent statements, things could turn very badly for Chu Yang.
But if he could make their testimonies contradict each other… there might still be a way out.
After a long pause, Chu Yang broke the silence. "Lawyer Zhao, how long do you think I’ll be sentenced?"
Zhao Tianyi’s tone turned almost teasing. "That eager to get locked up?"
Chu Yang’s expression remained unchanged, though his voice grew slightly hoarse. "Honestly, I don’t care how long I’m sentenced. Since you said someone sent you, can you ask them to look after my sister? I’ll repay them any way I can!"
"You can tell them that yourself later."
Zhao Tianyi said no more. Instead, he pulled a pen from his inner pocket and jotted a few lines in his notebook.
Once done, he snapped it shut and looked back at Chu Yang. "Your trial will likely start in a week. Remember—speak as little as possible in court. Let me do the talking."
Though disappointed, Chu Yang nodded. "Understood. I’ll follow your lead."
After leaving the detention center, Zhao Tianyi hailed a cab straight to Liu Yutong’s hotel.
Pushing open the hotel room door, he found several people already gathered in the living area.
Liu Yutong sat at the center of the sofa, flanked by Yun Cheng and Ma Da, while Yu Xin busied herself making tea.
"Well?" Liu Yutong asked as soon as Zhao Tianyi entered.
He took a seat by the sofa, placing his briefcase on the coffee table with calm composure. "I’ve spoken to Chu Yang and investigated the scene. Getting him acquitted isn’t impossible—the key is making the other three witnesses’ statements contradict each other. Essentially, we need to discredit their testimony."
"Here’s my plan…"
Zhao Tianyi laid out his strategy in detail.
"One of the key witnesses is a guy called ‘Big Head,’ the leader of the demolition crew. I’ve looked into it—he’ll be their star witness in court. During cross-examination, I’ll steer him into contradicting himself, rendering his testimony unreliable. But first, we need to handle his two lackeys—they’re our real leverage."
"The villagers’ stance is also crucial. If they’re willing to step up—say, with a petition vouching for Chu Yang’s good character, combined with his military record—victory is practically guaranteed."
"But that’s the tricky part. To get those villagers to speak up for Chu Yang, we’d have to neutralize one major threat: Niu Ben. No one would dare sign a petition if their safety’s at risk."
"......"
Zhao Tianyi elaborated on his defense tactics—how to expose inconsistencies in witness statements, leverage the villagers’ sentiments, and attack the case from multiple angles to secure Chu Yang’s acquittal.
Ma Da couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "Brilliant! A top lawyer indeed!"
Zhao Tianyi feigned modesty, though his pride was unmistakable. "You flatter me, Brother Ma."
Even Liu Yutong had to admit that this legendary lawyer from her past life lived up to his reputation.
In such a short time, he’d devised such a meticulous plan.
Though some methods were… aggressive.
"I see no issues. Tianyi, we’ll proceed as you’ve outlined," Liu Yutong finally agreed.
Ma Da eagerly cracked his knuckles. "Leave those two punks to me and my guys!"
But Zhao Tianyi shook his head. "You can’t go. She should." He pointed at Yu Xin.
Yu Xin blinked. "Me?"
Zhao Tianyi nodded. "Yes. Compared to Brother Ma and the others, you’re a fresh face. Plus, as a woman, you have a natural advantage—people let their guard down around you."
Though she’d long been part of Liu Yutong’s inner circle, Yu Xin had always stayed in the shadows.
She rarely made public appearances, mostly handling paperwork and reports in the hotel, practically invisible.
Niu Ben’s crew wouldn’t pay her much attention—their focus was on Liu Yutong.
As for Ma Da and his men? Even less likely.
They were too high-profile. Those low-level thugs would never trust them.
There was one more key player in Zhao Tianyi’s plan—Ji Yu.
Ma Da had really struck gold recruiting him.
He was invaluable.
The combination of Yu Xin and Ji Yu would make those small-time thugs drop their defenses completely.
As long as they weren’t dealing with Niu Ben’s inner circle, those bottom-rung lackeys wouldn’t suspect a thing about Yu Xin.
She was the perfect choice.
After hearing Zhao Tianyi’s reasoning, Liu Yutong gave a slight nod and turned to Yu Xin. "Any objections?"
Yu Xin lifted her head, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "I won’t let you down, Sister Yutong!"
After all this time buried in paperwork, this was her first real mission for the group.
"Good." Liu Yutong stood, sweeping her gaze across the room. "Then we move separately. Qiaonan is ours."
"Yes, Boss!" the group chorused.
That night, in the neon-lit streets of the night market…
Two bleached-blonde punks staggered out of a greasy diner, toothpicks dangling from their mouths as they swaggered toward the internet café.
Along the way, the two didn’t forget to chat about women.
"Jie, heard you went after that salon girl again yesterday? So, did you score?"
"Don’t even mention it. That chick’s sharp—demanded I buy her the latest Nokia. Screw that. Since when do I spend money on women? I’ve always relied on my looks!"
"Yeah, right. Weren’t you the one who said women are like cars—just hop in and drive? Looks like you can’t even find the door handle!"
"You don’t know shit! I’m playing the long game here."
"Damn, when are we gonna make it big? I saw the boss with another new woman the other day. Man, those legs, that waist—just one look and I was done for."
"Whoa! You’re not actually thinking about making a move on the boss’s woman, are you? You got a death wish or what?"
"Relax, it’s just us here. And seriously, why does the boss get all the good stuff while we’re stuck grinding?"
"You just haven’t cracked the code yet. Once you master the art of this life, all that’ll come naturally."
"What code? Betraying your own, hitting on the boss’s girl, selling out your brothers?"
"Hahaha… you nailed it."
"......"
The two kept bantering like this the whole way.
As they passed by an alley, Jie suddenly stopped after a few steps and tugged at Kai’s sleeve. "Hold up, check that out."
Kai followed his gaze and saw a young woman leaning against the wall, head down as she scrolled through her phone.
She wore a red dress that barely skimmed her thighs, paired with stiletto heels that looked especially alluring under the streetlight.
The two exchanged a glance, then strode right over to her.
"Hey beautiful, it’s dangerous for a girl to be out here alone at night. Need an escort home?"
The woman lifted her head, revealing a delicate face, and answered in a sultry voice, "Sure!"
