Grassroots lawyers also have their day

Chapter 63 Effeminate Man

"After that, he said he could do anything. After he came to our company, he asked me to hand over the administration, human resources and finance departments to him for management, as if he were omnipotent."

I felt something was off. If he were to manage all three departments, wouldn't that be tantamount to sidelining me? So I didn't agree to his offer.

I communicated with him several more times. During this period, he resigned from his original company and came to our company to help out. However, we couldn't reach an agreement on the position and authority, so we didn't sign an employment contract.

"He left without saying goodbye a couple of days ago and applied for labor arbitration, saying I lied to him. Now he's quit his previous company, has no job, no social security, and is under a lot of mental stress, suffering from insomnia at night. He's demanding 300,000 yuan in compensation from me, plus mental distress compensation..." The middle-aged woman rambled on, and Wang Chuan roughly understood what was going on.

"How long has he actually worked at your company?" Wang Chuan asked.

"Not long, at most twenty days. Less than a month. I have WeChat chat records here. He came to our company after he resigned," the middle-aged woman said.

"Hmm, is the lack of a labor contract due to his own reasons, or has the company never given him a labor contract in the first place?" Wang Chuan asked again.

"We sent him a labor contract via QQ, and I still have the record. But he refused to sign the labor contract because we couldn't agree on the specific work authority," the middle-aged woman said.

"Well, based on what you just said, firstly, although he came to work for your company without signing a labor contract, a substantive labor relationship has already been established."

Secondly, he has not actually worked for your company for a full month. The Labor Contract Law clearly stipulates that a company should sign a labor contract with an employee within one month from the date of employment. Since he has not worked for your company for a full month, and it was the other party who refused to sign the labor contract, it is clear that the company is not at fault; the fault for not signing the labor contract lies with the other party.

"So, based on your explanation, your company doesn't need to bear any responsibility, nor does it need to pay compensation for emotional distress," Wang Chuan explained.

"Then... can I not pay him for the previous few days? His sudden departure without saying goodbye caused us a considerable loss," the middle-aged woman said, her eyes darting around.

"Uh... I'm afraid that won't work. Even if he only worked for your company for one day, he should still be paid for that day."

If your company fails to pay his salary for more than one pay cycle, then your company is in arrears with wages, and the other party can apply for labor arbitration.

"As for the company's losses you mentioned, you need to provide evidence to prove them. If there are indeed losses, you can request compensation from the other party," Wang Chuan said with a serious expression.

"I see! Hmm, I understand." The middle-aged woman finished speaking and got up to leave. Wang Chuan hurriedly said, "You've been consulting for half an hour, so I'll charge you fifty yuan for the consultation."

The middle-aged woman was taken aback. Wang Chuan quickly pushed the small sign on the table that read "Consultation Fee" forward and added, "Our consultations are charged; it's fifty yuan for half an hour. If you hire someone, the consultation fee can be deducted from your lawyer's fees."

The middle-aged woman glanced at the small sign on the table and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I didn't see it just now. Here's fifty yuan, for you!" As she spoke, she took out a fifty-yuan note from her small bag and handed it to Wang Chuan.

Around noon, Zhang Da's customers were so hoarse from talking that they finally got up and left.

"Sister Zhang, you must have collected quite a bit of consultation fees this morning!" Wang Chuan joked.

"I only charged her 100 yuan for chatting with her all morning. The old lady was really good at talking, sigh!" Zhang the conman shook his head helplessly.

"Why are you only charging so little? At fifty yuan for half an hour, that's over two hundred yuan!" Wang Chuan asked, puzzled.

"Don't even mention it. If I take two hundred yuan from her, the old lady might sit here all day, and I won't be able to take any more cases," Zhang the conman said with a bitter face.

Pan Jinlian sat there all morning, and her mood improved slightly. Just as she was about to call Wang Chuan to go out for lunch, she heard someone talking outside the door.

"This is it, this is it!"

As the voice faded, two people walked in. The one in front was a young man, easily over six feet tall, with a well-proportioned build. He wore a high-end bespoke suit, Gucci sunglasses, and his jet-black hair gleamed under the indoor fluorescent lights. His hair was neatly styled, meticulously combed, clearly styled by a hairstylist. He looked very handsome!

Behind him, about half a step away, stood a man in his thirties with a shrewd appearance. He was well-built, and although his clothes weren't as expensive as the man's, they still looked pricey. He was currently scanning the three people in the room with sharp eyes.

"Yuanyuan, I've been looking for you everywhere! I went to your law firm, and your colleague said you were here. Luckily, you didn't miss lunch. Come on! I'll treat you to lunch!" The young man wearing Gucci sunglasses took them off as soon as he saw Pan Jinlian, quickly walked up to her, and said with a fawning smile.

When he spoke, his left hand swayed back and forth with a delicate, effeminate gesture. Hmm... he lacked masculinity, to put it bluntly... effeminate! A total sissy!

"Li Mubai, didn't I tell you yesterday? There's no hope between us. Why did you still chase me here?" Pan Jinlian said with an unfriendly expression.

Who? Li Mubai! Wang Chuan suddenly seemed to lose his composure.

As a seasoned martial arts fan, he'd watched the 2000 film *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* at least five times. Looking at this effeminate, sissy-looking guy in front of him, and then thinking of the heroic Li Yu who died from a poisoned needle in the movie, he wondered if Li Yu, if he were alive, would travel back in time and strangle this effeminate fellow.

"Yuanyuan, don't be like this! Our marriage was arranged by both our parents, the red thread of fate tied by the God of Marriage. Although this is only the second time we've met, last night when I saw you, I felt every cell in my body tremble violently, and then a voice told me..." Li Niangpao's words were only halfway through when Pan Jinlian got goosebumps all over her body. She really couldn't listen to it anymore.

"Stop! The God of Love is matchmaking? Don't be ridiculous! Even if he were, he was drunk and made a mistake!"

"Senior Brother, I'm hungry, let's go eat!" Pan Jinlian winked at Wang Chuan, then pulled him by the arm and walked towards the door.

Watching Li Niangpao's declaration of love, Wang Chuan suddenly thought of the Northeast comedian Song Xiaobao. If Li Niangpao were to say at this moment, "Haiyan! You'd better watch your step!" his expression would be exactly like a larger version of Song Xiaobao.

Wang Chuan imagined the scene and forced himself to suppress his laughter, almost causing internal injuries.

(End of this chapter)