My stepmother forced me to donate bone marrow, so I retaliated by slapping my scumbag father in the

The conference room was deathly silent.

Sun Mei swayed and almost lost her balance.

They exhausted all their connections and spent a great deal of time before finally getting in touch with one of the top law firms in Shanghai.

They thought Zhang Lu was the last hope to rescue Shen Cong, but who would have thought that the mastermind behind this law firm was actually Shen Ze!

Shen Jianjun's expression kept changing, and his originally straight back became slightly hunched.

"Xiao Ze".

His way of addressing people has changed.

"Shen Cong's case goes to trial the day after tomorrow, and only Attorney Zhang can save him now."

"You're brothers after all, you share the same blood. What's past is past, so please let Attorney Zhang help him this once."

Sun Mei disregarded her pride and hurriedly walked up to Shen Ze.

"Shen Ze, as long as you let Zhang Lu defend Congcong, we'll agree to any conditions!"

"Money is not a problem. We can make up for what we owed you before."

"If one hundred million isn't enough, then two hundred million! Houses, shares, properties—just name your price, and we can discuss it!"

Zhang Lu stood to the side, his expression unchanged.

Several staff members at the law firm couldn't help but exchange glances.

Shen Jianjun and his wife are considered prominent figures in the outside world, but now, for Shen Cong's sake, they actually bowed down to Shen Ze in public.

Shen Ze looked at the two of them: "Is the past all in the past?"

"In your eyes, it is indeed easy to get through."

"When my mother brought me to your door for help, you threw the money on the ground and told us to get out."

"When my mother was sick and needed treatment, I begged you for help, but you ignored me completely."

"Shen Cong has hurt me time and time again, and you have never thought he did anything wrong. Instead, you have helped him cover up everything."

"Now that Shen Cong is in jail, you suddenly remember we're brothers?"

Sun Mei's face turned pale: "Congcong was young and didn't understand things at the time..."

"Just because he's young doesn't mean I deserve to be harmed by him?"

Shen Ze interrupted her directly: "Your son makes a mistake and you can just say he's immature. But what my mother and I have suffered is not even worth mentioning in your eyes."

"This isn't family affection; it's double standards."

"You're not here to make amends for what you owe, you're just here because you need my help now."

Many staff members had already stopped outside the conference room.

Upon hearing these words, the way the people looked at Shen Jianjun and his wife changed.

"You don't even care if your own son needs treatment?"

"Now that his other son is going to jail, he's suddenly asking for favors."

"They don't care about family ties; they only care about the son they favor."

Whispers drifted into the conference room.

Shen Jianjun felt his face burning, and he forced himself to endure the embarrassment: "What exactly do you want in order to get Zhang Lu to take the case?"

"Zhang Lu will answer."

Sun Mei suddenly looked up: "Really?"

"But he is not Shen Cong's defense lawyer."

Shen Ze looked at Zhang Lu: "You will appear in court as the victim's representative."

Zhang Lu immediately replied, "Understood."

Sun Mei's surprise vanished instantly: "Shen Ze!"

She screamed, "We've already begged you, why won't you let Congcong go?"

"He's seriously ill and faces over ten years in prison! Are you only satisfied when you've driven him to his death?"

Shen Ze looked at her: "When you drove my mother and me to the brink of despair, did you ever consider giving us a way out?"

Sun Mei's chest heaved violently; she wanted to continue her insults, but Shen Jianjun grabbed her arm.

"That's enough!"

He had already realized that there was no point in continuing to beg.

"Let's go!"

The couple left the meeting room in a disheveled state, under the watchful eyes of the law firm staff.

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Sun Mei burst into tears: "Zhang Lu refuses to help, what will happen to Xiao Cong?"

"If we can't find them domestically, then we'll find them overseas!"

Shen Jianjun gritted his teeth and said, "No matter how much money it costs, I will find a lawyer who can stand up to Zhang Lu!"

The two used all their connections and eventually spent a lot of money to hire a foreign lawyer from overseas and organize a temporary defense team.

That evening, they rushed to the hospital again.

As soon as Shen Cong saw his parents, he immediately sat up and asked, "Dad, Mom, did Zhang Lu agree?"

Sun Mei dared not look him in the eye: "Congcong, Zhang Lu cannot defend you."

Shen Cong's expectant expression froze: "Why?"

"The mastermind behind Jinan Law Firm is Shen Ze."

Sun Mei gritted her teeth and said, "Not only did he refuse to let Zhang Lu help you, he also made Zhang Lu appear in court as the victim's lawyer."

Shen Cong froze for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed the water glass from the bedside table and smashed it on the floor.

"You can't even afford a lawyer?"

"Isn't Dad the chairman of Jianjun Group? Isn't Mom from the Sun family of Longdu?"

"They always claim to know so many important people, but now they can't even save my life!"

Shen Jianjun's face was grim: "We have already hired lawyers from overseas."

What's the use of overseas lawyers?

Shen Cong grew increasingly agitated: "Zhang Lu has never lost! Now he's going to help Shen Ze against me!"

"It's all because you're incompetent!"

"If you had suppressed Shen Ze sooner, how could I have ended up like this today?"

"Useless! They're all useless!"

At the end of his shouting, he suddenly started coughing violently: "Cough cough cough!"

Shen Cong clutched his chest, his face turning bright red.

Sun Mei rushed to the bedside in fright: "Congcong, don't panic! Doctor! Call a doctor quickly!"

The ward immediately descended into chaos.

The case officially went to trial the following day.

When Shen Cong was pushed into the courtroom in a wheelchair, he was pale and his body was noticeably weaker than it had been a few days earlier.

Shen Jianjun and Sun Mei sat in the audience, their fingers tightly clasped together.

When Shen Ze appeared with Zhang Lu, the entire audience quieted down.

Many people recognized Zhang Lu.

"It really is Zhang Lu from Jin An Law Firm."

"I heard that the Shen family offered him a large sum of money to defend Shen Cong, but he refused in the end."

"He represents the victims today."

Shen Cong stared intently at Shen Ze, his eyes filled with resentment.

After the trial began, the overseas lawyers raised several questions, attempting to prove that there were procedural problems with some of the evidence. They also focused on Shen Cong's physical condition, hoping to secure an acquittal or a significant reduction in sentence.

"The defendant suffers from a serious illness and has been receiving treatment for a long time."

"When some of his actions occurred, he lost control of his emotions and was unable to make normal judgments."

"The existing evidence is insufficient to prove that the defendant had the intent to cause harm or commit other crimes."

Sun Mei nodded repeatedly as she listened, as if she had seen hope again.

However, when it was Zhang Lu's turn to speak, he simply placed the prepared evidence on the table one by one.

"The defendant's claim of emotional instability has no medical basis whatsoever."

"On the contrary, these chat logs, financial transactions, call recordings, and on-site evidence prove that the defendant had fully planned the crime before committing it."

On the big screen, the complete chain of evidence appeared one by one.

The time, location, destination of funds, contact person, and specific actions all correspond.

Zhang Lu continued, "The defendant did not act on impulse."

"He arranged for personnel in advance, clearly selected targets, and attempted to destroy evidence and evade accountability afterward."

"Being ill does not absolve one of criminal responsibility, nor can it be a reason to harm others."

The overseas lawyers tried to refute this several times.

However, for every point of doubt raised, Zhang Lu immediately produced corresponding evidence.

"The defense has questioned the authenticity of this recording; the expert opinion is on page seventeen."

"The defense argues that the fund transfer is irrelevant to the case, and the recipient's testimony and subsequent withdrawal records are on page twenty-four."

"The defense argued that the defendant had no subjective intent, but the messages he sent before the incident clearly stated his purpose."

One piece of evidence after another was confirmed in court.

Cold sweat began to bead on the foreign lawyer's forehead. He flipped through the documents in his hand several times, but could no longer find a way to break through.