CH 52

“Chen Zhang?” Yan Suizhi asked doubtfully. “Isn’t that the name of George Manson’s diving instructor? Is this the same person, or just someone else that shares the same name? Where’s the case file?”

Gu Yan, “It’s just these for now.” 

“Are you sure you need to use ‘these’ to describe what’s in my hands?” Yan Suizhi waved the thin and lone sheet of holographic paper.

In general, a complete Notice of Commission from the Legal Aid Bureau of the alliance would contain three parts:

First, a brief summary of the case, stating the case name, the basic information, the circumstances of the victim, as well as the identity of the defendant.

Second, prosecutorial documents, allowing the designated lawyer to know the progress of the current case proceedings and thus the amount of time that they had to prepare. 

Third, a stamped and signed notice, which was usually only a few sentences long, basically a formalised format of official drivel.

Besides these, when the Notice of Commission arrived, a thick case file would also be sent along with it. The legal assistants from management would tidy it up and send it over to the designated lawyer.

This was standard procedure.

Whereas what Yan Suizhi held now, was only the lone ‘notice’.

Apart from the names of the lawyer and the client, there wasn’t a single shit to read.

“The documents must have been lost in the transmission, right?” Yan Suizhi said.

Gu Yan, “I’ve asked a legal assistant to check.”

Yan Suizhi pointed at his own pseudonym. “Also check in passing if they wrote the wrong name. It’s not too late to regret it.” 

“…”

In fact, in addition to those who had been in practice for years, the Legal Aid Bureau also had a reserve list of all lawyers still in their internship period but likewise qualified to stand in court. It wasn’t unheard of for a Notice of Commission to be shoved into the hands of intern lawyers.

This could be due to special circumstances, or the case had been directly refused by several lawyers in succession.

In any case, it was relatively seldom seen. 

But it was really too easy to link Chen Zhang’s name to George Manson, as well as the current situation the latter was in.

“Could George Manson’s case already be closed?” After guessing this, Yan Suizhi shook his head. “Unlikely. It’s too quick.”

Gu Yan eyed the interstellar smart clocks on his office wall. Tian Qin, where Yaba Island was located, was a small planet famous as a get-away spot. Due to the difference in time speeds between the stellar systems, it had been five days in De Carma since they last contacted Kane, whereas a week had already passed over in Tian Qin.

Taking into account the efficiency of the police headquarters in Tian Qin, it usually took about fifteen days for a case to go from the report to evidence collection to identification of a suspect. And from the time a suspect was identified to the time that the prosecution filed a lawsuit to the time that the Legal Aid Bureau appointed a lawyer for the accused, it would take another ten days. 

So whether it was five days, or slightly over a week, it wasn’t long enough to accommodate this time frame.

Gu Yan thought about it, then tried dialling Chief Kane’s communication number again. This time, the other side picked up in no more than a few seconds.

Neither men were people who liked beating around the bush with pleasantries; they went straight to the point as soon as they opened their mouths.

“How’s the situation with George Manson?” 

“Oh, I’ve been working overtime the past few days and forgot to keep you informed. George Manson is still lying in the ICU, it’s hard to say if he will pull through. His physical indicators are really bad; the Manson family is keeping a tight wrap over the news, so it isn’t convenient for me to touch more on it. Regarding the case, it has already been handed over to a police division with higher jurisdiction. My unit over here only has the authority to handle the preliminary investigation when it comes to intentional homicide. After collecting the crime scene evidence and obtaining the results, we had to hand it over.” Chief Kane said. “It’s been a few days. Your friends’ communication devices might still be restricted for the time being, but it should only be for a day or two more.”

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“From the way Kane put it, the case might really be closed.” Yan Suizhi was a little surprised by the efficiency of the police this time. “It looks like the Manson family is giving them quite some pressure.” 

“It is also possible that the investigation might not be convoluted.” Gu Yan said.

Or, it could be both.

It was already the next morning when the legal assistant’s feedback reached Yan Suizhi.

By happenstance, it unfortunately coincided with the alliance’s preliminary review of First-Class Lawyer applicants. Gu Yan and Hobbes had taken an early morning shuttle to the review board’s headquarters with a senior affairs manager, and they wouldn’t be able to return within the next three to five days. Further, it wasn’t appropriate for interns to be brought along for such a thing. 

“I’ve checked with the Bureau and it’s been confirmed that you’re the one commissioned to take on the case.” The legal assistant explained to Yan Suizhi. “The case file was consolidated overnight and is now being sent to you. Please check if you’ve received it.”

Soon, a not-very-thick stack of materials was spat out from a photon computer. Yan Suizhi swiftly skimmed through them, and only then did he understand how the police were this efficient.

After George Manson’s case was handed over to the Tian Qin Police Force in Zone 3, the officers conducted a second round of investigation and evidence analysis overnight. Suspicion quickly pointed towards George Manson’s diving instructor, Chen Zhang, and while digging into his history, they found that there had been some conflict between him and the Manson family, thus finding a motive for the crime.

The smoothest part of the process was that Chen Zhang didn’t even try to defend himself or put up a fight, confessing on the spot when questioned. The oral confession both times were consistent with each other, saving them a lot of trouble. 

This, coupled with how the Manson family was honking behind them like their lives depended on it, made the George Manson case the fastest case solved in the history of the Tian Qin Police Force in Zone 3, the speed baffling even the police themselves.

As the saying went, money made the world go round. After the high-pressure talisman that was the Manson family finished harassing the police, they immediately turned their gun to the prosecution and court in Zone 3. They claimed that only after justice was served could George Manson have the peace of mind to come out of the coma.

Could the prosecution and court have the right to refuse when it involved human life?

Obviously not. 

The high pressure visibly sped up the entire process, and the case reached the stage of commissioning a lawyer even before the communication restriction on the persons of interest in the case was lifted.

During this process, Chen Zhang showed a very cooperative attitude in the early stages, but he sunk into great despondency in the latter stages, even giving up the right to appoint his own lawyer.

As such, the case went through the Legal Aid Bureau and landed in the hands of an intern lawyer.

And this intern was Yan Suizhi. 

“Ruan?” Luke, who was also cast behind by his teacher, snuck into Lawyer Gu’s office in the evening.

Yan Suizhi lifted his eyes. “Why do you act like a thief every time?”

“I heard you took on a case?” The slight thrill in Luke’s expression bore a striking resemblance to a gossipy weasel that caught sight of a juicy chicken.

“Yeah,” Yan Suizhi nodded. 

“How’s it? Is it complicated?”

Looking at his expression, Yan Suizhi cooperatively replied, “Quite complicated.”

“Really?!” This weasel had caught the chicken this time. However, he quickly sighed. “Man—that’s great. Why isn’t anyone dishing me a slice of the pie?”

He envied him for a moment before quickly shifting his focus, saying, “Oh, speaking of. Since Lawyer Gu isn’t around, you don’t have to pull overtime tonight, right?” 

Yan Suizhi shook his head. “I’m about to pack up.”

“That’s perfect!” Luke said, “Because you were held up at Yaba Island for two days, the flat I found for you got snatched away. But I just received a message from the landlord saying that the other guy changed his mind, so the apartment is still available for rental. If you’ve nothing on over here, I can bring you over to check it out now.”

In these days, because his accommodation was still unresolved, Yan Suizhi had continued to borrow Gu Yan’s loft.

Only, as Gu Yan either had court appearances to make or short business trips to catch up on the work that piled up from their delay at Yaba Island, he hadn’t actually spent much time in his own house, and the frequency of them running into each other was low. 

“I’m afraid I can’t make it today.” Yan Suizhi stood up and stored all the case materials in the photon computer.

Luke started. “Huh? Why?”

“I’ve said it just now.” Yan Suizhi laughed. “I have to pack my things, the legal assistant is booking shuttle tickets for me to head to Tian Qin tomorrow.”

“To Tian Qin? What for?” Luke was still baffled. 

Yan Suizhi lightly flicked a finger against the photon computer. “The pie that dropped into my lap.”

“So soon?!” Luke said, “Aren’t you going to wait for Lawyer Gu to return so that he can help you prepare? I heard from a graduated senior that he screwed up big time in his first independent court appearance. His face was so red that he could fry an egg on both sides.”

“…”

The esteemed Professor Yan would probably never know what a blush feels like in this lifetime. 

He casually praised, “Oh? He has good blood circulation.”

Luke, “…”

“Do you really intend to go alone?” Luke asked again.

With that tone, it was as if Yan Suizhi was taking the highway to hell. 

“Mhm,” Yan Suizhi smiled. As he put on his coat and scarf, he said, “I can’t wait for Lawyer Gu, the court schedule is a little tight.”

“When will the hearing begin?”

“Next week,” said Yan Suizhi.

“That’s barely any time!” Luke cried out. “Why is it so rushed? This doesn’t make sense! You’re just an intern lawyer but they only gave you a few days to prepare? Aren’t they just hammering a nail into a coffin?” 

Saying this, he paused, as if suddenly enlightened. “Ah… Is it possible…”

Why else would the stingy Legal Aid Bureau dish out a pie to an intern lawyer?

Allegedly, many lawyers had turned it down. And that might well be true…

After all, being the defence counsel for a suspect must seem like going against the victimised Manson family; many people would be less than delighted to play the role. 

But in such a short span of time, how many lawyers could they have approached?

There was a greater possibility that the Manson family, who had pressured the police and court, had turned the muzzle of their gun towards the Bureau, which simply gave in to their wishes, giving up the risk of approaching experienced lawyers, instead picking an intern lawyer from the pool.

Ruan Ye’s resume wasn’t even two lines long. It could easily be inferred that he had mucked his schooling days away, thus was the perfect candidate for the job.

Such situations of finding an intern lawyer to perfunctorily by-step trouble wasn’t anything new to Yan Suizhi. He had cottoned on from the get-go. 

He had also ascertained with Fizz in the afternoon that his intern status was listed under the name of Lawyer Moore in the Legal Aid Bureau’s database, as Southcross Law Firm had tacitly acknowledged Gu Yan to be a temporary stand-in. Lawyer More wasn’t an acclaimed lawyer, so no one really expected much of his interns either.

Luke froze with his mouth agape for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence. “Then, in finding an intern lawyer… means that you’re expected to lose?!”

Yan Suizhi glanced outside the French windows behind the office desk, and could feel the chill from the glass even without needing to step outside. He pulled his scarf up to his chin, and the corner of his lips quirked upwards. “Precisely. Still envious?”

Luke almost shook his head off. “Nonono. You… man… take care.” 

The next morning, Yan Suizhi carried his photon computer and simple luggage up the shuttle to Tian Qin.

Travelling on business trips alone was all too familiar to him, so familiar that he had forgotten he was still masquerading as an intern and more importantly, forgot to check in with his teacher.

In all his years of existence, Professor Yan had never been in the habit of checking in with anyone, and didn’t even realise this for a while.

Until he received a communication request on the space shuttle. 

Seeing the name ‘Pettymint Essence’ pop up on his screen, Yan Suizhi wavered for two seconds, inexplicably feeling just a tiny little bit guilty. But this little bit of guilt dissipated into nothingness within the blink of an eye.

He cleared his throat and picked up the call, opening his mouth to say matter-of-factly, “I was just about to look for you, you have such good timing.”

And he sounded especially sincere.

On the other end, Gu Yan, “…” 

Who was he trying to kid?

But with such a manoeuvre, Lawyer Gu could only go along with it. “How’s the case going?”

There weren’t many people on this space flight. The seat next to Yan Suizhi was empty, but he still wasn’t fond of going on at length in such a public space. As such, he pithily summarised the key points and trusted that the other should understand everything that needed to be understood.

At the building where the Joint Review Board was located, the senior manager, carrying a cup of coffee, handed another cup to Gu Yan. 

Gu Yan, wearing an earpiece, opened the lid of the coffee cup, giving a low hum in response to the person at the other end of the line.

Until a certain someone’s remark on the Legal Aid Bureau came through the earpiece. “Deliberately picking on cinnamon rolls.”

“…”

Lawyer Gu’s coffee got caught in his throat. 

“Eh? What happened?” The senior manager watched him cough with a frown. “How did you end up choking for no reason? Inhaled it down the wrong pipe?”

Gu Yan waved a hand, and his face was expressionless when he looked up again. “Nothing much. Heard some nonsense.” And with this, without caring about how the person through the earpiece would react, he hung up the call.

They tried to pick on a cinnamon roll… and the cinnamon roll ended up being Yan Suizhi.

Well played.