One could say George was inherently cut out for a career in law. Although he lacked so-called professional ethics, his capabilities were top-notch.

"Your chances of winning a lawsuit against him are very slim," Chen Tiankuo gently reminded him.

"He’s quite formidable," Qin Mu nodded. If Chen Tiankuo hadn’t explained, he wouldn’t have known this George was so formidable. He took on any case that came his way and won every single one. It wasn’t just about specializing in one field; he took on whichever case paid well. He had delved deeply into case law. No wonder the people from this tour group were so audacious.

"Tsk!"

Zhang Qingyuan, who was nearby, immediately looked displeased. He retorted with a curl of his lip, "Isn’t it just a not-guilty defense? Xiao Qin has done that in Jin City, hasn’t he? It caused a sensation not just throughout the city, but nationally as well!"

Chen Tiankuo was taken aback. He glanced between Zhang Qingyuan and Qin Mu. But he didn’t take Zhang Qingyuan’s words seriously, thinking it was just him speaking out of spite. True or false, it would be evident once court began. Even if Qin Mu was skilled domestically, this was a foreign country, and the legal systems were different. He just hoped Qin Mu wouldn’t lose too badly. If that happened... their chances of winning would plummet, and worse, Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua could be the ones to suffer the consequences!

This case determined whether the two of them would have to pay the donation and compensation. If they lost, they could face hefty compensation payments.

"Are those two from your tour group?" Qin Mu suddenly pointed to the other side and asked.

Chen Tiankuo looked up. He saw two middle-aged men striding confidently towards George. They shook hands and greeted each other, then began chatting warmly. All three appeared very relaxed, as if they didn’t consider the case a big deal.

"Yes, that’s them," Chen Tiankuo replied. "One is Xu Liming, our original tour guide, and the other is his assistant, Zhao Wan."

Nearby, Zhang Qingyuan snorted coldly and said resentfully, "When we first joined the group, I thought they looked kind and benevolent, like good people. I never expected them to be so ruthless, charging me 100 yuan for a single bottle of water!"

"Also, they said there was a place where altitude sickness was common and sold oxygen for a thousand yuan a bottle! There’s so much oxygen in the air; why didn’t they just rob people instead?"

Zhang Qingyuan and his wife looked at each other, their faces filled with resentment as they continued their complaints.

"’A hundred yuan for a bottle of mineral water?’" Chen Tiankuo’s eyes widened upon hearing this. He was astounded; he’d never heard of such a thing. All he knew was that Zhang Qingyuan and his wife had been tricked by this tour group over donations; he hadn’t realized so much else had transpired. It seemed this tour group specialized in luring people abroad only to fleece them. Moreover, they specifically targeted elderly people, who were less able to resist and dared not cause trouble. Typically, the victims would resign themselves to their misfortune and suffer in silence. Low cost, low risk, minimal repercussions... The profits, however, were exceptionally high.

Looking at Zhang Qingyuan, he couldn’t help but say, "Forgive my bluntness, but you... shouldn’t have fallen for such a cheap deal. A 1,000-yuan group tour? During peak season, a plane ticket abroad alone costs more than that."

Zhang Qingyuan’s face flushed. He also realized his mistake. He had only seen how cheap the tour group was; he never imagined it would involve so many deceptive practices.

While they were chatting, Xu Liming and the other two on the far side suddenly stood up and walked towards them.

"These two, are these the lawyers you found?" Xu Liming scanned Qin Mu and the others, then looked at Zhang Qingyuan and his wife with a hint of provocation.

Zhang Qingyuan snorted coldly, showing no weakness.

Xu Liming narrowed his eyes, focusing on Qin Mu. He was particularly curious about Qin Mu’s background. He already had a good grasp of Chen Tiankuo’s situation. Qin Mu, however, being from China, was an unknown quantity. His information network wasn’t that extensive, so for now, he didn’t know Qin Mu’s full background. All he knew was that Qin Mu was an intern lawyer who had only recently obtained his license. With that level of experience... he genuinely couldn’t understand why Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua would pin their hopes on him.

Finally, George, who had distinct foreign features, spoke up, urging, "Let’s go. It’s about to start."

Xu Liming then averted his gaze, and the three of them leisurely walked into the pre-trial conference room.

Qin Mu watched and smiled faintly. He didn’t take their disdain to heart. Having lived two lives, his mindset wasn’t so petty. He was, after all, still an intern lawyer; it was natural to be underestimated.

"Let’s go in too," he said.

Then, he led Chen Tiankuo, Zhang Qingyuan, and Feng Cuihua, following them into the conference room.

「...」

At eleven in the morning, in the pre-trial conference room.

After the court clerk confirmed attendance, the two parties sat facing each other. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Qin Mu and Chen Tiankuo sat at the counsel’s table. Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua sat in the defendant’s dock.

As he took his seat, Zhang Qingyuan felt somewhat uncomfortable. Normally, he was seated in the gallery or at the plaintiff’s table. This was the first time he’d been sued and ended up here, in the defendant’s dock.

On the other side, George sat at the plaintiff’s counsel table. Xu Liming and Zhao Wan, representing the tour group, were the plaintiffs who had initiated the lawsuit.

BANG—

At the head of the room, a judge with graying temples, nearly seventy years of age, struck the gavel. He adjusted his glasses. Speaking in the local language, he announced, "Today, this court will conduct a pre-trial conference. This concerns the suit filed by Xu Liming against Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua for refusal to pay donations."