CH 201

Golden clouds streamed across the evening sky over Fa Wang District.

The gathering wound down and everyone drove off on interlocking hover roads. 

Mid journey, a web notification popped up on smart devices, with an official interface and a simple title. It read, ‘The pre-evaluation system for the First-Class Lawyer’s public notification period opens tomorrow at 12 n.n. sharp.”

Joe, on his way back to the hotel, Laura, on her way back to her apartment, and Bens, on the way back to Honeycomb Media’s office, all cursed in unison when they saw the message.

“Fuck!” Joe slapped his hand on the steering wheel. “I forgot about this shit!”

The pre-evaluation system was a randomly selected three-day period in the later stage of the public notification period for First-Class Lawyer nominees. People from all walks of life could participate in the evaluation and raise objections to nominees that they considered inadequate. 

The results of the pre-evaluation, although not representative of official channels, had considerable influence on the final evaluation. For example, unpopular lawyers would basically be brushed aside.

The young master instantly called Gu Yan.

The comms channel in the car was picked up after two dial tones.

“Gu, have you seen the news about the First-Class Lawyer pre-evaluation period?” Joe asked without preamble.

“I have.” The person who responded was, on the contrary, Yan Suizhi.

Joe was nonplussed. “…Dean Yan?”

“Oh, Gu Yan’s smart device is with me. He’s showering,” Yan Suizhi explained simply.

Joe, “?” 

Ke Jin, “???”

The dean spoke thoughtlessly, but when he mused that, after the words were out, it did sound a bit odd, he amended, “The search on my smart device is too restricted, so I took his to use for a while.”

But this explanation came too late.

Ke Jin was struck as dumb as a wooden chicken, stilling completely, and only after a long while did he turn to Joe with question marks all over his face. 

The lil’ young master went oops in his head. In the past couple of days, he had only cared to explain to Ke Jin that ‘those articles are full of bull. The internship is fake and the allegations are fake’—completely forgetting to tell him that ‘the dean’s relationship with Gu Yan is real’.

“Don’t be confused, I’ll explain it to you when we get back, just prepare yourself psychologically first. Anyway, I know that it was definitely Gu who made the first move.”

Ke Jin, “??????”

On the other end, Yan Suizhi said tetchily, “What is that about Gu Yan making the first move? Do you think I can’t hear you just because you’re muffling the receiver?” 

“Nothing.” Joe whisked his hand back, pulling the subject back on track. “By the way, Dean Yan, why did the First-Class Lawyer pre-evaluation period come so suddenly? Did it always use to be a day’s notice?”

“Thereabout,” Yan Suizhi said. “But it isn’t sudden, we were expecting it.”

“Expecting it??”

“Or did you think those defamatory articles about Gu Yan were released on any random day?” 

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If the tabloids continued to dredge up Gu Yan’s scandal, it would be to their detriment and to Gu Yan’s benefit instead. Because everyone was now well aware of the intern’s identity. Any further discussion on the purported ‘power play’ and ‘unusual relationship’ would prompt others to stand up in Gu Yan’s defence without him having to say a word.

But they played it smart. They created the buzz around the topic, and, the moment they saw that the momentum wasn’t in their favour, they retreated. This way, there were no grounds for debate; then, there naturally wouldn’t be voices speaking out to shed light on the situation. 

This would maximise the retention of those who still believed that he had engaged in ‘unspoken rules’ with his intern.

As long as that group of people existed, Gu Yan’s First-Class Lawyer pre-evaluation wouldn’t be smooth sailing.

“The situation now isn’t optimistic…” Joe said with a frown. “If you want to control media opinion, I do have some contacts I can pull. But I’ll be real here. If the snake doesn’t come out of its hole, our thrashing around will look fake instead.”

The young master was never a real fool when it came to business matters; he could always pull his weight in a clutch. 

Yan Suizhi said, “That is indeed true.”

“What should we do, then?” Joe scrunched his face in thought. “To be honest, we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. They’re a pain in the ass either way.”

Little did he expect Yan Suizhi to take it completely in stride. “Don’t worry.”

“Dean Yan, you have a plan?” 

“It’s not yet time; there’s no hurry.”

So found lil’ Young Master Joe wide awake trawling the news again, completely unable to get how there was no hurry.

“The pre-evaluation system is opening in a few hours, how is it not time yet?!” The lil’ young master could feel his hair dropping in clumps.

As Joe worried over his balding problem, some people on the opposing side were rubbing their hands in anticipation, waiting for noon to arrive. 

Meanwhile, a visitor dropped in at the offices of De Carma’s First-Class Lawyer Selection Committee.

—a visitor who would induce headaches in all that saw him at the offices.

De Carma was an economic hub that rivalled Redstone. Though the head office of the selection committee was situated on Redstone, they also had a branch office on De Carma, where the president and vice-president would rotate between.

The president and vice-president were powerful in the legal community of the alliance and basically had nothing to fear… sans some people whose mere presence could give them such a migraine that all instincts screamed for them to flee. 

These people had a uniform name—First-Class Lawyers.

Yes, the very assemblage of ancestors that they on the selection committee had personally hand-picked.

This assemblage of ancestors were all unique figures in their own rights.

They were particularly difficult to wrangle with, and particularly skilled at brainwashing. 

For example, Yan Suizhi.

The moment he heard that this ancestor had gotten into the elevator, he immediately stuffed the photon computer he was using into his bag.

“Say I’m not in today! I’m on sick leave!” The old codger instructed his secretary. He hoped to make a break for it, only to collide head-on with Yan Suizhi at the encrypted door to the office floor, who cowed him back into the office.

The president took his seat behind the desk again, scowling at Yan Suizhi for what had to be at least five minutes, before saying sternly, “It’s a pleasure to see you again.” 

Yan Suizhi took a seat on the soft sofa with poise, nodded, and said, “Thank you. It’s the first time I’ve learned that the expression of great pleasure also includes avoidance and bolting for it.”

The president, “…”

Yan Suizhi, “It’s just a joke. It’s also my pleasure to see you again.”

The president, “…” 

It’s just… for some reason, there was a strong sense of mocking.

With a taut face, he coughed and asked Yan Suizhi. “That’s enough, out with it. What is your reason for coming here today?”

Yan Suizhi relaxed into the seat. He interlocked his fingers together and smiled. “We’re foxes from the same burrow. Don’t ask questions that you already know the answers to, okay, old friend?”

The president said inwardly, Who the hell is from the same burrow as you?’ Look at your age and look at mine, don’t try and rip me off here. 

The old codger fumed for an age, finally laying off the pretences. He said, “Is this regarding the pre-evaluation?”

Yan Suizhi tipped his head.

“It’s unfortunate, truly.” the president said gravely, “But you understand. The pre-evaluation is not held whenever you want it to be held; it can’t be prepared in a matter of a few days. The date was set ten days in advance to allow time to test the system. In other words, we arranged the time first, and Lawyer Gu was hapless enough to run into it.”

“Relax, I know how the process goes,” Yan Suizhi calmly reassured him. “That’s why I haven’t come here for a statement or an explanation.” 

The old president was slightly relieved to hear this. “Then you are…”

“I’m here just to submit an application,” said Yan Suizhi.

“An application for?”

“An application to shut down the pre-evaluation process during the public notification period,” Yan Suizhi said evenly. 

The president, “…”

He blanked for a beat, then asked incredulously, “What in God’s name do you mean by shut down?”

“The entire pre-evaluation process, including the submission of objections and popularity ratings; the shutdown of all related systems and platforms.”

“Are you kidding me?! Stop making a scene, it’s impossible.” The president flatly shot him down. 

Yan Suizhi arched an eyebrow, asking, “Is that so? Then, if you may, I’d like you to do one thing.”

The president’s brows furrowed. “What.”

Yan Suizhi, “Turn on the photon computer.”

The president, “It’s on.” 

Yan Suizhi, “Open the search interface.”

The present, “Uh-huh.”

“Search for a document titled the Screening Process of First-Class Lawyers by the Selection Committee in the Alliance.”

The president, “…I’ve searched it up.” 

Yan Suizhi crossed his long legs, saying comfortably and elegantly, “Please scroll to page 7, clause 32 of the document, and read it aloud for me.”

The president, “…”

“Can’t find it?” Dean Yan checked the other’s expression and said placidly, “No matter. I can summarise the key elements for you. It explicitly states that if a nominee is targeted with unbalanced treatment, such as slander, defamation, attacks on character, etc, with more than 300 million articles disseminated across a time frame of more than three days, the situation would be deemed exceptionally severe. The selection committee shall immediately suspend the entire pre-evaluation process, remove all affected scores, publish a network-wide announcement, and investigate to the end.”

The president gaped at the holographic screen of his photon computer, his lips twitching twice. 

“Find it unfamiliar?” Yan Suizhi said, “That’s normal. This article hasn’t been invoked in decades; it’s too easily brushed to the back of the mind. But, nevertheless, it’s written there in black and white. This legal document has memorised it for everyone.”

He casually typed a few words into his smart device and turned the screen over, presenting it to the president. “Searching with ‘Lawyer Gu Yan’ in conjunction with ‘unspoken rules’ and other relevant keywords pulls up 2.168 billion articles. The earliest one I found was posted at 8:12 a.m. the previous morning, and the most widely shared one was posted at 10:42 a.m. I’m a reasonable person, I’ll take a step back and use the one posted at ten as the starting point.”

He had always had excellent control over cadence. As he finished the sentence, the seconds on the smart device time ticked to the last number, and the minutes jumped gently to read—10:42 a.m.

Yan Suizhi raised his gaze, looking at the president. “Right now, it’s been exactly three days since.” 

Silence reigned in the office.

After a long spell, the president eventually had to remind Yan Suizhi, “The application for suspension of the pre-evaluation can only be submitted by a First-Class Lawyer, but there is also a rule that if you submit this application, you will need to abstain from partaking in the final voting to avoid suspicion.”

This stipulation was set in place to prevent unfairness during the selection by public appraisal. Yan Suizhi was naturally aware of it.

He nodded readily, saying, “I know.” 

“I’ll be honest here. Lawyer Gu was your student; you could have guaranteed a vote for him in the final voting, but now with this vote missing, who knows which way it’ll swing.” The old president said, “If you consider the costs and benefits, having a say in the final vote is worth a lot more than the current pre-evaluation.”

Nodding, Yan Suizhi took a sip of the water in front of him, then set the glass down, saying to the old president, “I’m just sick of all the condescending speculation and malicious smears. As far as the final vote is concerned…”

He smiled gently, “I know my student best. Lawyer Gu is capable enough not to need that buffer from anyone.”

An hour later, just before the pre-evaluation system opened, the alliance’s First-Class Lawyer Selection Committee issued a network-wide announcement, solemnly suspending the pre-evaluation altogether. The selection through public appraisal would be accordingly postponed until the rumours were investigated. 

In the afternoon of the same day, the Supreme Court of De Carma also issued a notice stating that Defence Lawyer Gu Yan had cancelled the application for postponement of the trial. The trial for the Elderly Bobblehead case was set to start at 10 a.m. the following day.