CH 9

Top-notch lawyers were often excellent social activists because in order to take on valuable high-profile cases, they had to form quality social connections.

Jin Zhou worked as a part-time lawyer in a small run-down law firm, miles away from the top lawyers who frequently attended charity events. However, he was a social activist with countless WeChat friends and acquaintances among the business owners on the nearby streets so everyone knew him.

“I’ll have the car ready within three hours,” Jin Zhou said as he got out of the car, addressing Luo Xueqing who was waiting by the vehicle.

On the other side, Xiao Wu stopped his work upon hearing that and looked at Jin Zhou curiously, asking, “Jin Zhou, aren’t you supposed to go back and rest?”

“It’s alright, I’ll go back after I’m done,” Jin Zhou replied. Normally, he wouldn’t take on such urgent requests, but as a qualified “social activist,” he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make new friends. 

“In that case, thank you so much,” Luo Xueqing said. “Also, I feel like this car doesn’t drive very smoothly…”

“That’s normal,” Jin Zhou went to the desk and started writing the work order. ” This is a downgraded version of the car.”

“Downgraded?” Luo Xueqing followed Jin Zhou, furrowing her brows with a puzzled expression.

“A car has numerous components, and sometimes due to various reasons like outsourcing and production lines, you may come across the same model of car with different layouts,” Jin Zhou explained as he handed the work order to Luo Xueqing for signing. “It’s common for this brand of car to have downgraded versions. When you say it doesn’t drive smoothly, it might be due to the suspension system or the downgraded chip.”

“Is that even possible?” Luo Xueqing took the pen and signed her name on the work order, frowning as she looked at Jin Zhou. “Is this normal?”

“It is,” Jin Zhou replied. “It’s just that most people might encounter it without knowing.”

“Well, that’s not normal,” Luo Xueqing said seriously. “Isn’t that deceiving the consumers?”

Perhaps it was her professional sensitivity as a journalist, but Luo Xueqing used such strong vocabulary right from the beginning.

Since they were discussing fraud, they had entered Jin Zhou’s area of expertise.

“It’s hard to say,” Jin Zhou leaned back in his chair, hands behind his neck. “Claimimg it as fraud requires four conditions: intentional fraud, fraudulent behavior, misleading representation, and a causal relationship between them. The cars you see in the showroom don’t necessarily represent the manufacturer’s promises, and your purchase contract doesn’t intentionally mislead you about the vehicle’s layout. So, it’s almost impossible to sue the manufacturer for fraud.“

After saying those words, Jin Zhou put down his hands and took a sip from his water cup. Seeing Luo Xueqing’s confused expression, he added, “Oh, I forgot to mention, I’m a lawyer.”

“A lawyer?” Luo Xueqing looked at Jin Zhou, then glanced around to make sure she hadn’t come to the wrong place.

“Jin Zhou is really a lawyer,” Xiao Wu stood up from behind the car with a wrench in his hand. “He prefers lawsuits over fixing cars.”

A question mark appeared over Jin Zhou’s head. Why did Xiao Wu seem a bit resentful?

Luo Xueqing’s expression still held some skepticism. “Are there really no cases where consumers have won against manufacturers?”

“Very few,” Jin Zhou said. “Unless the manufacturer explicitly states the layouts of a particular model, but the consumer receives a different one, then there’s a possibility of suing the manufacturer for fraud.”

“So, you mean I have to bear the loss?” Luo Xueqing frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the outcome. “You may not know, but I’m a journalist. Others might let it go, but I definitely won’t.”

Jin Zhou had known that Luo Xueqing was a journalist for a long time. He rubbed his chin and asked, “Are you planning to influence public opinion?”

“It’s not impossible,” Luo Xueqing said.

“But it may not necessarily have an impact on the manufacturer,” Jin Zhou said. “After all, this kind of thing is quite common.”

Even imported cars worth over a million could suffer from downgrading, and seeking justice was not an easy task.

“But I still have to report it,” Luo Xueqing said.

Jin Zhou appreciated her determination and nodded, “Alright, if you need legal assistance, you can come to me.” He added, “I’m very cheap.”

Jin Zhou was indeed inexpensive. Compared to those expensive lawyers, he was as affordable as roadside cabbage.

“Okay, thank you,” Luo Xueqing expressed her gratitude and hesitated as she looked at Jin Zhou. “What about my car?”

“I’ll fix it,” Jin Zhou stretched his wrists and went to the tool area to pick up the repair tools.

After three hours of completing the job at hand, Jin Zhou could finally go home and catch up on some sleep.

When he was working, he didn’t feel much, but once he had some free time, exhaustion hit him like a flood. Jin Zhou barely touched the pillow before falling into a deep sleep.

Jin Zhou had always believed that the best thing in the world was sleeping. Of course, if he could sleep together with someone he liked, it would be even better.

In a drowsy state, unaware of how long he had slept, Jin Zhou was awakened by a ringing phone. Annoyed, he picked up his phone, intending to hang up directly. However, seeing that it was a call from Liu Yongchang, he got up from the bed.

“Brother Liu ?” Jin Zhou rubbed his messy hair, still not fully awake.

“What time is it? Are you still sleeping?” Liu Yongchang scolded Jin Zhou and then got to the point, “Wang Darong took the bait and will come to the casino tonight.”

Jin Zhou’s drowsiness vanished instantly, “Are you sure?”

Liu Yongchang knew a few intermediaries, and one of them happened to know Wang Darong. Although they didn’t know where Wang Darong was, after releasing the information, it was confirmed that Wang Darong would come to the casino that night.

He thought it would take at least two or three days before they could achieve results, but unexpectedly, just one day after releasing the information, Wang Darong took the bait.

After hanging up the phone, Jin Zhou looked out the window. The sun had already set by that time.

If nothing unexpected happened, the trap would be successful, but he wondered if Yang Shiyu had made progress on his side.

Thinking of this, Jin Zhou couldn’t help but call Yang Shiyu. How could he let Judge Yang miss such an exciting night?

The call was quickly answered, but Yang Shiyu was already too lazy to greet Jin Zhou and just waited for him to speak.

“Are you coming tonight to catch Wang Darong?” Jin Zhou asked straight to the point.

Yang Shiyu remained silent for a moment and asked, “Where?”

Jin Zhou knew that Yang Shiyu was interested in this matter, but he deliberately teased him, “You have to beg me, beg me, and I’ll tell you.”

As expected, the sound of the call being hung up came from the receiver.

Jin Zhou smiled as usual and called Yang Shiyu again.

Before leaving, Jin Zhou took a shower and picked out clothes to wear to the bar.

The loose low-cut shirt exposed his slender collarbone, and the cropped jeans highlighted his straight and long legs. The white canvas shoes made him look lazy and casual.

He ran his fingers through his hair with some hair gel and sprayed a bit of perfume. Just as Jin Zhou was about to leave, he ran into his neighbor who was returning from a walk. The neighbor asked, “Going on a date?”

Jin Zhou shook his head and replied casually, “Going to handle some serious matter.”

Liu Yongchang’s bar was located in the busiest part of the city, and outside the main entrance was a bustling street.

Jin Zhou arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. After parking his car, instead of going in directly, he waited at the entrance.

The security guard approached him and offered a cigarette. Jin Zhou instinctively raised his right hand but quickly put it down again, saying, “Not today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a black figure walked towards him amidst the colorful neon lights.

Seeing that Yang Shiyu was still wearing the same black outfit, Jin Zhou frowned displeasedly, “Why are you still dressed like that?”

Although they came to the bar to catch Wang Darong, it was still a bar after all. Shouldn’t they blend in with the environment?

To his surprise, Yang Shiyu also furrowed his eyebrows, glanced at Jin Zhou’s exposed neckline, and said, “Lead the way.”

Jin Zhou shrugged indifferently, leading Yang Shiyu into the bar.

It was around eight or nine in the evening, and the bar hadn’t fully heated up yet. Jin Zhou first took Yang Shiyu to the bar counter and ordered two low-alcohol cocktails.

” We can’t be sure when Wang Darong doesn’t will come, so let’s wait for now,” Jin Zhou said, leaning against the bar counter with his elbows on the tabletop, casually greeting people passing by.

Compared to the relaxed Jin Zhou, Yang Shiyu clearly didn’t seem like he belonged in a bar. He looked around, examining the interior, and asked Jin Zhou, “The casino is located here?”

“It’s a fake casino, Judge Yang,” Jin Zhou corrected him. “They don’t engage in illegal business here.”

Whether it was real or fake, Jin Zhou was probably the first person in history to bring a judge to a casino.

The low-alcohol drinks tasted almost like water, so Jin Zhou pushed his empty glass towards the bartender and was about to order a stronger whiskey. However, at that moment, a figure dressed provocatively swiftly rushed into his embrace.

“Jin Zhou, why haven’t you come to see me for so long?” The young man in his arms looked up, his big watery eyes gazing at Jin Zhou affectionately.

The young man had dyed his hair a light blue color and was one of Jin Zhou’s more treasured playthings. However, even so, Jin Zhou had never bothered to ask about his real name, just like everyone else, they all called him Lan Lan.

“I’ve been busy lately,” Jin Zhou said as he naturally held onto Lan Lan’s waist, allowing him to lean against him.

“I’ve been busy too,” Lan Lan said, taking a step back and turning around, presenting his butt to Jin Zhou. “I’ve been working out lately. Jin Zhou, do you see that my butt has become more perky?”

Lan Lan was wearing tight shorts, slightly sticking out his butt. The lower edges of his buttocks were exposed.

Jin Zhou gave it a pat, feeling it for a moment, and said, “It has indeed become perkier.”

“Hey, Jin Zhou, !” Lan Lan said, pouncing back into Jin Zhou’s embrace. “I want to touch Jin-Zhou’s abs too!”

‘Behave, stop messing around,’ Jin Zhou said, holding Lan Lan’s restless hand. He slightly raised his chin and pointed to the stiffened figure of Yang Shiyu beside them, casually saying, ‘Sister-in-law is here.’

Yang Shiyu’s expression went through confusion, shock, and stiffness in sequence. At that moment, his face could no longer be described as black; it was as if carbon powder had been sprinkled into squid ink, black beyond measure.

1take note wife or rather sister-in-law in this case does not refer to any heteronormative situation it just a term they have used to refer to bottoms.