Chapter Fourteen: The Two Lawyers

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The sun set, painting the dusk with a blood-red hue.
When Yan Ming stepped out of the hospital, he felt hollow, as if the emptiness within him made his steps falter.
He sat on the bench outside, lit a cigarette, and gazed silently at the road stained crimson by the dying sun.
A little girl with a ponytail dashed past him, giggling, drawing his attention. Her round cheeks glowed with innocence, and Yan Ming’s eyes followed her as she ran onto the street. Suddenly, the screech of brakes pierced the air. Yan Ming sprang up, searching the crowd for her. At last, a middle-aged woman picked the girl up—she was unharmed.
With a long sigh, Yan Ming sat down once more.
After finishing his cigarette, he reached for his wallet, drew out a photo from a hidden pocket: a girl of seven or eight, ponytail, round face, wide eyes, a pure, joyful smile. Staring at the photo, tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head forcefully, put the photo away, lit another cigarette, and pulled himself back to reality.
That morning, Yan Ming had used his connections to arrange a meeting with Yu Weiran for the evening, hoping for a frank conversation. For lawyers in litigation, winning isn’t the ultimate goal—client satisfaction is.
Taking a deep breath, Yan Ming pressed his negative feelings down, rose, and glanced up at a certain window on the third floor of the inpatient ward, murmuring, “Hold on, you must hold on.”
The blood-red sun cast its light on his back, staining him crimson as he strode forward, stepping over his own shadow.
At half past seven, Yan Ming arrived at a relaxed lounge bar as agreed. Soothing music played inside. He ordered a cocktail and drank slowly, waiting for Yu Weiran.
“One martini, with ice.”
A cool, clear female voice sounded. A short-haired woman in a pale blue suit sat down.
Yu Weiran had arrived.
“Not many people come to a bar for drinks in a suit,” Yan Ming teased, “and it’s even rarer for two to appear at once.”
“Just say what you want.” Yu Weiran was not in the mood for pleasantries, her expression icy and alluring.
“No need to rush. Work can be busy, but sometimes we need to relax. Let’s sit somewhere comfortable—I suspect we’ll be talking for quite a while.”
“What are we talking about?” Yu Weiran glanced at Yan Ming, still seated at the bar, not moving.
Yan Ming smiled, revealing his slightly crooked canine teeth, adding a touch of charm: “The case, of course.”
“What’s left to discuss at this stage? See you in court.” Yu Weiran took a deep drink, as if ready to leave.
“The court is public; our conversation is private. Sometimes, the private matters fare better than the public ones.” Yan Ming sipped his drink, speaking carelessly.
His casual manner piqued Yu Weiran’s interest. She studied his face and said, “I know you.”
“Oh? You know me?”
“Yes.” Yu Weiran narrowed her eyes, smiling ambiguously, “Someone mentioned you to me, said you’re a lawyer with a strong sense of justice.”
“I don’t deserve such praise. Rather than being a righteous lawyer, I prefer to be one who satisfies his clients—within the bounds of ethics, of course, and by legal, proper means.”
“Ethical bounds? Legal means?” Yu Weiran smirked, her lips curling in disdain. “Are you implying I lack ethics, or my methods aren’t legal?”
“Not at all. I simply believe that sometimes, lawyers should respect the truth.”
“Respect the truth? A lawyer’s goal is to win the case. Leave the truth to the police. Is truth really so important? In this world, how many things have any true answer at all?”

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“That’s the difference between you and me.”
“You called me here just to lecture me about your worldview? I think you’re wasting my time.”
“Do you feel no pang of conscience? This is blatant extortion, yet you help them tirelessly, offering advice and strategies—making them kneel at Yin Nian’s company, hang banners at the community gate, thoroughly disrupting her work and life. Yin Nian saved Granny Yang’s life, asked for nothing in return, but this is how you repay her?”
Yan Ming paused, then continued, “If one day your parents fall on the roadside, lose consciousness, surrounded by onlookers but not one steps forward to help—if such a thing happens to you or your loved ones, how would you feel? Today, you refused to stand up for justice; instead, you aided the wicked. When evil grows strong, it will turn on you, and you’ll pay a bitter price!”
“Is anything you say useful?” Yu Weiran remained unmoved, her voice cold. “It’s simple: Granny Yang’s family paid me to be their lawyer. They claim Yin Nian hit Granny Yang and won’t admit it. My job is to seek justice for Granny Yang.”
“Justice? Please. It’s all about the money. Granny Yang’s life means nothing to you, but Yin Nian truly cares. How ironic!”
“Isn’t it normal to work for money? Don’t you charge clients for cases?” Yu Weiran leaned forward. “They told me you’re short of cash, that you take lots of cases just to make ends meet, but it’s never enough to fill that hole. If I recall, that hole is your sister, isn’t it—”
“Mind your own business!” Yan Ming interrupted her sharply.
“See? Everyone has their own problems. No need to stand on some moral high ground and judge me. I know exactly what I’m doing; your words won’t sway me. As for you, I’m sure Yin Nian paid you well—otherwise, why go to all this trouble to meet me? Looks like you’re out of options, trying to use morality to pressure me.” Yu Weiran shook her head in disdain. “It’s useless. I only care about the money.”
Yan Ming’s mood soured. He drained his glass, ordered another, his face a shade paler.
Yu Weiran smiled, half mocking: “You keep calling it extortion. But have you considered if Granny Yang isn’t extorting, but rather Yin Nian tried to flee the scene?”
Yan Ming frowned. “If she’d tried to run, why would she take Granny Yang to the hospital? She could’ve left her on the roadside—there were no cameras, no one knew she was the driver.”
Yu Weiran shook her head. “Not so simple. In such circumstances, if Yin Nian fled and Granny Yang died, she’d live in the shadow forever. And if Granny Yang died, it’d become a criminal case. True, the mountain road had no cameras, but the entrances did—eventually, she’d be found. The best move, in my view, was to take Granny Yang to the hospital and claim she was saving her, not responsible for the accident.”
“That’s a presumption of guilt. You first decide Yin Nian hit her, then look for motives to fit your narrative.”
“Even now, you believe Yin Nian didn’t hit her? Who deleted the surveillance footage?”
“It was you, Granny Yang’s family!”
“Come on. I asked them—they never touched the footage. Would we be foolish enough to delete it? If you caught us, it’d be destruction of evidence.” Yu Weiran’s gaze was sharp, as though she could read Yan Ming’s soul. “So far, you haven’t found out who deleted it. In my opinion, there’s only one possibility: Yin Nian herself.”
“You’re overthinking it. We haven’t even investigated.” Yan Ming looked away.
“Then I suggest you start.” Yu Weiran sipped her drink, her tone meaningful.
Yan Ming said nothing, drinking in silence. He realized the meeting was a failure. Yu Weiran was a pure pragmatist, unconcerned with morality, and from the start, she’d shown no intention of negotiating. If so, she shouldn’t have agreed to meet at all.
Yan Ming was about to finish his drink and leave when Yu Weiran spoke softly, “You’d best not lose everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have no chance of winning for Yin Nian. That bloodied towel will ruin you, and the deleted dashcam footage will prove she was the culprit. Granny Yang is stable now, but if anything happens to her—” Yu Weiran’s lips twisted into a strange smile, “then it won’t be solved with a mere hundred or eighty thousand. As her lawyer, you won’t just lose a case; your reputation and future will be scarred.”
“How do you know we can’t win? If Yin Nian really didn’t hit her, no matter how much evidence you have, the truth will prevail. Justice will be on our side.”
“You believe Yin Nian because you trust her, don’t you? She is trustworthy: a senior executive at a listed company, beautiful, honest, kind—otherwise she wouldn’t have saved anyone, right? But why is Yin Nian so certain she didn’t hit Granny Yang? Is it really because she didn’t? Or is there another possibility?” Yu Weiran’s tone carried a hint of mystery.
“What possibility?” Yan Ming, though suspecting Yu Weiran was being deliberately enigmatic, couldn’t help but ask.

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“These past days, I’ve consulted several psychiatric experts. They told me many people suffer temporary amnesia or psychological trauma after car accidents. Do you understand what I mean?”
“You mean... Yin Nian has amnesia?”
“I never said that. I said there’s a possibility. I’ll present it in court, too. I’m telling you now so you can advise Yin Nian to check herself for such conditions. If she does, things get easier—we can sit down and discuss a settlement. Litigation is a long process; no one wants to drag it out forever, right?”
Yan Ming hadn’t considered this possibility; he found it absurd.
Seeing him silent, Yu Weiran continued, “Besides, there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
She suddenly leaned close, shoulder brushing against his.
Yu Weiran’s hand slid onto Yan Ming’s shoulder, her lips near his ear, whispering, “I know you’re short of money, and I know you can’t win this case. But women like Yin Nian don’t give up easily—she’ll fight to the end. That means a long battle. Lawyers hate drawn-out cases. But if you help me, things could end quickly. As a thank you, we’ll give you a five percent commission. If it’s a million, five percent is fifty thousand—far more than your fee for representing Yin Nian.”
“What are you implying?” Yan Ming pulled his hand away, frowning.
“You know exactly what I mean. If Yin Nian tells the truth, it’s likely only to you. I want you to get useful information from her and help us win the case.”
“You want me to be a spy?!”
“Mutual benefit, maximizing interests. Whether Yin Nian hit Granny Yang doesn’t matter. What matters is what we gain.” Yu Weiran’s eyes gleamed with cunning.
“If lawyers like you multiplied, society would collapse!” Yan Ming glared at her.
“I don’t care. With or without your help, we’ll win. But for you, it’s a good opportunity—fifty thousand isn’t much, but it could solve some of your problems.” Yu Weiran raised her glass, sipping, exuding confidence.
“I never expected such shamelessness from you. Justice, decency, truth, kindness—none of it matters to you. Your only concern is money. You are nothing but parasites obsessed with profit!” Yan Ming drained his glass, slammed it on the table. “I never should have met you!”
“You really are a lawyer with a sense of justice. But good lawyers rarely meet good ends.” Yu Weiran sneered. “Don’t worry, the offer stands. Before court, you can always contact me.”
Before her words faded, Yu Weiran placed her hand on Yan Ming’s shoulder, looping her arm through his. Yan Ming glanced down and saw her cheeks flushed—uncertain whether from the alcohol or the lighting.
“I heard you’re single?” Yu Weiran smiled, her eyes seductive, her voice suddenly soft. “With looks like yours, how are you still single? Strange.”
“My affairs are none of your concern.”
“Such a temper. Well, anyway, if you have news, contact me anytime. Besides fifty thousand, there are other benefits.” Her laughter hinted at teasing.
Yan Ming ignored her, rising to leave.
“Aren’t you curious what those other benefits might be?” Yu Weiran called after him as he walked away.
Yan Ming strode out of the bar, never looking back.
“What a fool,” Yu Weiran muttered, raising her glass and shaking her head. “If there were more fools like him, society really would be doomed.”