Grassroots lawyers also have their day

Chapter 79 Brother, it's not easy for me to save up some secret money.

"Many friends have called him heartless, but he doesn't care. As long as the woman's reputation isn't affected, he'll bear all the criticism himself!" Zheng Yi said earnestly.

"That's rare! I was wondering why his wife insisted on paying his lawyer's fees today. What a man!" Wang Chuan exclaimed.

He said that the house, car, and other valuables were originally bought by his wife, so it's good that they're returning them to their rightful owners after the divorce. Actually, he's a pretty easygoing person, the kind who's content with a modest life!

Although he didn't make a lot of money, he was never short of small sums. "That's just fate! What's meant to be will be, and what's not meant to be, you can't force!" Zheng Yi sighed.

"I reckon his wife, the woman we met today, must be quite assertive," Wang Chuan said, swallowing the roasted meat in his mouth.

"Yes, his wife is a true powerhouse in the business world, very influential, and belongs to the category of a hidden tycoon."

In the capital city, the visible wealthy are nothing compared to the truly terrifying ones—the hidden rich. These people have the power to influence the lives of ordinary people. The super-rich you see are merely tools for them to make money.

Big stars are powerful, right? When they go out, a whole group of people shield them from view. Even when they enter a building, they have to listen to their rules and are forced to lie down, not daring to stand up.

A big star works himself to the bone and earns hundreds of millions a year, appearing to us like a super-rich person.

If you knew that those hidden millionaires who hold vast resources could earn a big star's annual income just by chatting over tea, you wouldn't envy the big stars anymore.

Then again, how much they earn has absolutely nothing to do with us. Even if they need to go to court, they would never use lawyers like us. They're followed by a trainload of top-tier lawyers!

To put it bluntly, we're just trying to make a living in Beijing. Whether they're big stars or reclusive tycoons, they're all too far removed from us. We couldn't reach them even if we climbed a ladder.

If I hadn't previously represented a case for someone surnamed Guo and had some trust between us, I wouldn't have been able to offer my services for their divorce today.

If it were the woman who hired a lawyer to draft the divorce agreement, I estimate that the price of that agreement would be more than my annual income, without any discounts!

Therefore, I realized a truth: a lawyer's fees are related to the wealth of his clients. For example, when writing a complaint, you might only charge a client struggling to make a living at the bottom of society, except for those seeking legal aid, a fee of one or two hundred yuan. Even then, many people would still call you "heartless".

Wealthy clients will casually charge at least one or two thousand yuan; he'd be embarrassed to offer anything lower. And if the service is good, he'll likely give you more work later. No matter how much you charge him in legal fees, no one will cheat you.

As the saying goes, "Follow the money, and you'll make money!" That's the principle. Most importantly, there's no moral coercion involved!

For us ordinary folks, the key is to watch what we eat and keep moving. We're all competing to see who lives the longest! Only by living long can we truly understand the hardships of life... no... we mean, to gain more opportunities.

In the words of Attorney Wan, "Let them make big money. Who knows who will spend the money they earn after their businesses fail halfway through?" Zheng Yi muttered after drinking some wine.

Wang Chuan sensed a hint of jealousy in his tone. He believed that if the lawyer in front of him were given the chance to choose between making a lot of money and living a long life, Zheng Yi would probably choose the former without hesitation, even if it meant "dying prematurely."

The reason is simple: living in the capital is too tough, too damn difficult! Who doesn't want to live comfortably!

Wang Chuan and Wei Ping noticed a problem: Zheng Yi became very talkative after drinking. After a few beers, Zheng Yi's mouth wouldn't stop, making him almost as talkative as Zheng the troll.

"Attorney Zheng, it's almost 8:30. How about we stop here for today? I'd like to propose a toast to you to thank you for your hospitality." Taking advantage of Zheng Yi's break, Wang Chuan quickly gave Wei Ping a wink, and the two of them raised their glasses to look at Zheng Yi.

"Alright! Come on, let's have a drink!" Zheng Yi picked up his glass, clinked glasses with Wang Chuan and Wei Ping, and downed it in one gulp.

Wang Chuan downed the remaining half-glass of beer in one gulp, his face flushing. Wei Ping, on the other hand, was drinking juice.

"I drank a bit too much today and lost my composure. Please don't tell anyone what I said," Zheng Yi said, reeking of alcohol as he walked out of the barbecue restaurant.

"Don't worry, we didn't hear anything." Seeing Zheng Yi's square face turn as red as a sheet, Wang Chuan hurriedly said, "I'll call you a taxi! Don't take the bus."

"It's alright, there are plenty of taxis around here. I'll flag one down." With that, Zheng Yi staggered to the roadside and shouted at a taxi swaying towards him, "Viter! Viter!"

"What is he yelling about?" Wang Chuan looked at Wei Ping with surprise.

"It sounds like Attorney Zheng is calling...waiter!" Wei Ping thought for a moment and said.

"Water? Is he thirsty?" Wang Chuan asked, taken aback.

"It's not water. It's waiter, waiter, waiter, waiter," Wei Ping chuckled, then paused, looking at Lawyer Zheng by the roadside.

"Is Attorney Zheng calling for a 'waiter' at a taxi?" Wang Chuan asked in surprise, looking at Zheng Yi as he opened the taxi door and got in.

Goodness! One dared to hail the cab, and the other dared to stop. This taxi driver must have been a waiter before!

Zheng Yi, sitting in the taxi, waved to Wang Chuan and Wei Ping, who hurriedly ran over.

"If my wife calls you guys, just say it's a client treating us, okay? Don't say it's me treating us. It's not easy for me to save up some money on the side..." Zheng Yi said to Wang Chuan through the car window.

Attorney Zheng kept rambling on and on, showing no sign of stopping. Wang Chuan felt embarrassed to interrupt, so he could only listen with a slight bow.

"Are you going or not?" the driver urged impatiently.

After seeing off Attorney Zheng, Wei Ping and Wang Chuan walked towards the subway station half a kilometer away.

"People are just so dramatic! They'll fuss whether they're broke or rich. They spend their whole lives fussing," Wang Chuan sighed.

"If you don't make a fuss when you're broke, you'll be broke even more, so you have to make a fuss! If you have money, you can't be idle. You have to find something to do even if you have nothing to do, so you have to make a fuss too!" Wei Ping chuckled as she looked at Wang Chuan beside her.

"Uh... what you said seems to make some sense! You didn't minor in philosophy or sociology in college, did you? It sounds very philosophical!"

"By the way, have you heard that song about 'philosophy'?" Wang Chuan asked with a mischievous grin.

(End of this chapter)