CH 18.2

Chapter 18 (part 2)

Of course, she couldn't blame them for thinking that she was bragging, Ning Wan thought guiltily. She really had been lying, and because she was unaccustomed to it, she had over-exaggerated. Now she had set Fu Zheng up to go against this man, and he was probably going to get slapped down immediately... This is really the embodiment of the saying, 'a small handful is joy, a large handful vanishes like smoke'1...

Ning Wan closed her eyes painfully, wishing she could just disappear on the spot. Fu Zheng's tenure at Weil & Tords was something she had just made up on the spot. How could she have known that Yang Pei would really know someone there... It's over, we're done for...

But she didn't expect Fu Zheng to be much calmer than her. He simply glanced at Yang Pei and solved the problem by cutting the knot instead of untying it. "Weil & Tords has a team specifically for the Chinese market. There are a good many Chinese-Americans working there, and about 100 lawyers in the New York office alone. I don't have the time to get to know every ordinary employee, especially if he isn't at a high level." He smiled. "So I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know him."

Ning Wan, who had originally given herself up for dead, suddenly felt like she had received a second lease on life. She couldn't help  but look at him in favour.

Listen to at those words! Watertight, yet showing off one's identity in a low-key manner.

What a talent this boy had in pretending to show off his wealth! No wonder she thought he was rich! Look, everyone, look at these professional acting skills! Ning Wan felt that if Fu Zheng would only funnel this talent into law, somehow, he would definitely achieve great things.

Yang Pei had no answer to that, but Shi Wu wasn't nearly so easy. Soon, her expression softened and she regained her calm, as if she had seen all the flaws of the Ning Wan-Fu Zheng combo. Once again, in a probing tone, she asked, "Ning Wan, what an amazing boyfriend you have! What part of the legal field does he work in? The foreign economy isn't doing too well nowadays, so there isn't a need to blindly follow after foreign institutions. Most important is the ability to choose the right field to work in! Coming back to China was the best choice for your boyfriend!"

Truly, this was endless!

But Ning Wan was now riding a tiger. She could only pretend to be calm and reply, "Business."

No matter when and where, business was the most profitable field. Ning Wan refused to be defeated.

"Oh my, what a coincidence!" As soon as she heard the answer, Shi Wu struck out like a snake2. "Our company is right this moment preparing to acquire the an American company. We've already negotiated the terms, and are ready to make the deal, but we've encountered a problem on whether or not to add a clause about insurance. Since your boyfriend is a senior lawyer specializing in the commercial field who was just about to be promoted to partner at a major American company, perhaps he could give me some advice?"

“……”

Because Ning Wan had always wanted to move into the commercial field, she had studied a great many professional books and pored over a large number of cases, but legal matters regarding commercial insurance were extremely specialized knowledge. They could not be learnt by reading a textbook, but required instead a great deal of practical experience, particularly in the case of overseas mergers and acquisitions. Though she desperately wanted to help Fu Zheng out of the fix he was in, she couldn't...

Sure enough, faking it wasn't good enough...

Ning Wan prepared herself to be devastated by Shi Wu and made one final struggle, "Fu Zheng might be in the commercial field, but there are many subdivisions in the field, and insurance..."

"You most certainly need M&A insurance for an overseas deal. Even if both parties hash out the details of the agreement before cooperation, lack of insurance written into the contract will make it difficult to pursue any issues that crop up after the transaction is complete. And as most overseas sellers are SPVs, you would certainly need at least a W&I insurance clause..."3

But before she could break through the siege, Fu Zheng had begun explaining calmly and smoothly, at a tempo so fast that if you didn't listen carefully, you wouldn't be able to keep up. What with his large sections of jargon and unheard of practical guidance, by the time Fu Zheng finished speaking Ning Wan was in a state where she looked like she knew what he was talking about, but really had no clue...

Meanwhile, Shi Wu was much worse off. Her face was completely blank, and she could no longer even pretend to understand...

Amazing! Were it not for the formidable enemy currently before them, Ning Wan would have clapped! Fu Zheng, you truly are talented!

A little fancy English terminology, a sprinkling of professional-sounding jargon, and enough advice to make anyone who didn't understand dizzy. It was good enough to scare away people like Shi Wu and Yang Pei who aren't good at their studies!

Shi Wu had been deflated, but Yang Pei was still putting up a fight. From who knows where, he came up with a tricky question. "If in the face of a hostile takeover you use the poison pill plan, then..."

Just as Ning Wan began to worry about how to get past this gauntlet, Fu Zheng smiled. "Sorry, but my usual rate is 1,200 dollars4 an hour. Although you are both Ning Wan's friends, I must still charge you for any legal consults. If you do have any further questions, though, I can make an exception and give you a discount, down to 1,000 dollars."

“……”

As if he was somehow afraid that they wouldn't just roll over and die, Fu Zheng tacked on haughtily, "You're lawyers as well, so you should understand how annoying having to give consultation out for free is, right?"

What could Shi Wu and Yang Pei say to that? They could only swallow the blood after having had their teeth knocked out, nodding and agreeing. The whole scene finally came to an end at this point, and not a word was further spoken until they arrived at the hotel where Shi Wu's birthday banquet was being held.

Thankfully, as both the host and the birthday girl, Shi Wu was surrounded by people giving their greetings as soon as they arrived. The gathering was in the form of a cold cocktail party., and aside from a few classmates whom she was slightly familiar with, Shi Wu had also invited a great many friends of hers from work. Most of them Ning Wan didn't know, and she didn't bother to socialize and exchange business cards. Instead, she brought Fu Zheng off to the food table where there were less people.

"Thank goodness we got through that!" Ning Wan ate an oyster and breathed a sigh of relief. She got angry again thinking about it. "Shi Wu said that I've never eaten good seafood. Well, she's right! I've never had it before!" She stuffed her mouth full in rage. "Delicious! Since I'm here, I'll eat it all! "

As she was chewing, she moved a few oysters onto Fu Zheng's plate. "You have some too. You were amazing just now! If you ever feel like you want to stop being a lawyer, you should consider switching to the film and television industry. I bet you'll make a killing!"

Very satisfied with Fu Zheng's performance, she complimented him again, "I'm telling you, your ability to bullshit just now was truly awesome! You hit every curveball they threw at you! I thought I'd gone too far with the backstory and blew it for you, I mean, I even name-dropped Weil & Tords... "

When she mentioned Weil & Tords, subtle disgust spread over Fu Zheng's face. "Why did you use Weil & Tords? Couldn't you have said Watchtell & Pirkins? And why a few years before I made partner?"

Ning Wan almost choked on her mouthful of steak. She stared at Fu Zheng, "You still think I didn't bullshit enough? Watchtell & Pirkins is the top commercial law firm in the United States, the number 1 firm, you know that?! Wouldn't that have been a bit too exaggerated to brag about? And let's not talk about the years before you make partner there, can you possibly say that you're already a partner at any US law firm?!”

"Fu Zheng, I get that you're brave, but you can't be too vain about acting. I chose Weil & Tords because it's one of the largest law firms in the United States. Any legal practitioner has heard of it in passing. But because it's not one of the best and it has a lot of people, even if Shi Wu cross-checked your name she would never be able to know for sure if you were lying. It's very suitable as a resume-padding firm."

"Don't you know that there's an art to fraud? To call yourself a partner at Watchtell & Pirkins! Even fraudsters nowadays have enough professional ethics to avoid that!"

She could see that Fu Zheng was not quite convinced, but eventually he seemed to feel that her lesson points were reasonable. He bit his lip and said no more.

Ning Wan thought about it. She felt like she should at least thank him for helping her out, so she softened her tone. "Of course, you've been really quick on your feet today. Just now, when Shi Wu asked you about international M&A insurance, you even managed to bullshit a bunch of jargon to give her a smackdown!"

This time, her praise seemed to be taken well. Fu Zheng raised his voice slightly and stared at her, "Did you say... I bullshitted?"

"Yes! But it doesn't matter, Shi Wu wouldn't understand it anyway. International insurance law is particularly complex, and even a senior lawyer like myself only knows a little of it."

Ning Wan coughed, remembering that Fu Zheng, after all, was her newly-acquired little mentee. Today, she had relied on her younger brother to save the day, and she was a little embarrassed about it. So she tried to save a little face for herself by commenting, "Although there were loopholes in what you said that would be apparent in a deeper delve, it sounded more than profound enough to scare off a layman..."

Ning Wan didn't know if her boasting had worked. When she looked back up, she saw Fu Zheng watching her with a subtle smile on his face. "Well, since you know a little... I mean, since you know so much, I can't be too proud of where I'm at. I'll have to study international insurance a little more after we go home today." Fu Zheng paused. "After all, I'm still waiting for you to teach me."

Though it is a compliment, Ning Wan somehow felt like his tone was a little teasing, and the way he drew out his sentences was somehow meaningful.

It must be the after-effects of him having put on such a great act just now.

Ning Wan didn't overthink it, and instead offered him two more oysters. "This is so fresh! Usually I never get to eat this kind of thing. You should have a couple more."

Although Fu Zheng didn't look very interested in the oysters, he took a bite for her sake. He immediately spat them back out, his face indescribable. "How on earth is this oyster fresh? It's been dead at least a full day."

Ning Wan laughed. "Oh, come on now, don't get too into the act. Enough is enough, no one's paying attention to us anymore."

……