Chapter 586 - I’m Pissed!
Gu Nianzhi was overthinking things as she walked Ye Zitan to the door and happened to run into Gu Yanran coming in. This time, she came alone and didn’t bring Ye Xuan.
Gu Nianzhi waved to Ye Zitan and turned around to follow Gu Yanran to visit their father, Gu Xiangwen. Gu Xiangwen’s condition was about the same. It hadn’t improved or worsened. Gu Nianzhi was heartbroken to see Gu Xiangwen lying on the bed, wasting away so much that no one could tell what he had originally looked like. Who would’ve thought the handsome and incredibly intelligent Mr. Gu would turn into a skeleton?
“…Sis, should we have Father go through a craniotomy?” Gu Nianzhi suggested quietly. “I think that he might have a blood clot in his brain since he hasn’t woken at all.”
“Nonsense. A craniotomy is too risky. There’s still hope that he’ll wake up if he stays like this, but he’ll lose his life instantly if the craniotomy fails. Nianzhi, how can you be so cold-blooded?” Gu Yanran stared painfully at Gu Nianzhi, her tone accusatory.
Gu Nianzhi was silent. It was a waste of breath to talk to people on the wrong wavelength. She sat down and started twiddled her fingers, no longer interested in chatting with Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran also ignored her and grabbed a towel to wipe Gu Xiangwen’s face and hands.
Chen Lie finally arrived at Gu Xiangwen’s ward after a while. He was surprised to see the sisters separated—one in a daze on the couch and the other looking out the window with her arms crossed. He went over to Gu Yanran.
“Miss Gu, you’ve finally come,” he said. “Here. Last time, you promised to tell me everything about your father’s situation back then.”
Gu Yanran arched her brow and glanced at Gu Nianzhi. “Didn’t I already tell her? Didn’t she tell you?”
“She did, but I still think there are some points that weren’t clear. She’s not a professional, so it’s better that I ask you personally.” Chen Lie giggled and took Gu Yanran to the small room nearby to sit down and talk.
Gu Nianzhi saw this and assumed he was going to put a lie detector on Gu Yanran. She couldn’t stay here and raise her voice at the people inside the room.
“Brother Chen, Sis, I still have things to do,” she said. “I’ll be going now!”
“Go on! You have no business here!” Chen Lie didn’t even look up as he waved her off.
It was already noon on Sunday, and Huo Shaoheng wasn’t there, so Gu Nianzhi didn’t plan to stay any longer. She packed her things and said goodbye to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze so they would have someone drive her back to school.
When she got back to campus, she sat at her desk and watched the sun outside her window, gradually setting in the west. Another week had passed, and tomorrow, she would welcome a new week!
There were no classes on Monday the next day, but Gu Nianzhi still went to He Zhichu’s office to complete her daily duties as his legal assistant as usual. He Zhichu didn’t have summer classes, but he still had work from his American law firm. After dealing with the daily emails, Gu Niaznzhi stared blankly at the computer screen and seemed to be absentminded.
He Zhichu knew from her expression that she wouldn’t absorb anything from reading right now. He finally sent several cases from their law firm to Gu Nianzhi.
“See which one you’re interested in and let me know.” He Zhichu’s email was succinct, yet the cases themselves were fairly complex.
Gu Nianzhi studied them all afternoon, but her eyes were still on the case of the female exchange student murdered in Germany. Not only did she want to do something for that unfortunate female exchange student, but she also had an ulterior motive. Huo Shao was also there, so she wanted to be closer to him. Although he might continue to leave her, she could also choose to continuously move closer to him. That way, the gap between them wouldn’t be so vast.
Gu Nianzhi quietly contemplated it and sent the case to He Zhichu. “Professor He, this one is quite interesting.”
He Zhichu read Gu Nianzhi’s email and smiled knowingly. He sent back a simple reply: “I understand.”
This case had the advantage that they were required to go to Europe, so he could simply take Gu Nianzhi abroad to take her mind off things. He Zhichu didn’t like to see her pining mindlessly for another man. It would be good to have something to distract her, and this case might be just the thing. He Zhichu immediately sent an email to his American law firm to indicate that he was accepting the case.
Because of the time difference, it was nighttime in the Huaxia Empire and daytime in America when the firm saw the email. They were very pleased to see Lawyer He, who seldom accepted cases finally take the first non-corporate law case for the year. How could they not be excited? He Zhichu had never accepted a criminal case like this. However, they would be hired as plaintiffs of the accused not for the criminal trial but for the accompanying civil lawsuit. After accepting the case, He Zhichu had Gu Nianzhi write a proposal.
“Nianzhi, the criminal proceedings for this case are still ongoing, so in other words, it may not be concluded by the time the civil proceedings open trial. Are you mentally prepared?” He Zhuchi sat at his desk and solemnly asked Gu Nianzhi’s intentions and plans.
Gu Nianzhi carefully went over all the information related to the case last night and was getting more and more passionate. She had many ideas and was excited to give it a try. “Professor He, I thought about it carefully, and I don’t think this civil case has much to do with the criminal case. So it doesn’t make a big difference whether the criminal proceedings have concluded.”
“Keep going.” He Zhichu smiled with encouragement.
Gu Nianzhi took out the case outline she had written down the day before. “Professor He, as for the criminal case, the plaintiff doesn’t need to hire a lawyer because the German prosecution is making these charges. They have their own prosecutor performing the duties of a lawyer. As legal representatives of the plaintiff’s parents, we don’t need to go directly to court for their criminal case, but we can supervise the German plaintiff’s prosecution and prosecutors to ensure that they perform their duties.”
“Interesting.” He Zhichu’s indifferent face revealed a hint of praise. “And then?”
Gu Nianzhi’s slim and delicate fingers gently tapped on He Zhichu’s desk. “The entire case had been botched from the beginning by the German police’s exploitation of official power for personal reasons. So we have reason to believe that the German prosecution and the prosecutor may have possibly engaged in malpractice. If the case is ruled in favor of the victim and the plaintiff is sentenced appropriately, then our civil case will only consist of seeking compensation from the local German police station, because their high-ranking officer immediately held a press conference using the accused’s excuse to discredit the victim. This was a major dereliction of duty, and the German police had only let this senior official retreat from the backlash by using the excuse of taking a long vacation. I’m pissed about this!”
He Zhichu inclined his chin slightly. “You’re right. In order for civil lawsuits to achieve a punching effect, it would require the seeking of massive civil compensation. If the sum is too low, it’s not a punishment at all.”