pjbooks Chapter 66 Let's have a meal at home.
Chapter 66 Let's have a meal at home.
The fourth day of National Day.
Zhang Jiajing sat at the dining table at home, with a bowl of freshly served pork rib soup in front of her. Her father had simmered it for three hours, and the soup smelled delicious.
But Zhang Jiajing changed her usual style, staring straight at her phone without touching it.
The television was broadcasting a special National Day program, with the host's loud voice and songs and dances.
Zhang's mother came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried vegetables. Seeing that she hadn't drunk a drop of soup, she couldn't help but frown.
"What are you looking at now? You're home on holiday and still glued to your phone, your eyes are going to ruin!"
Zhang Jiajing quickly shoved her phone under the table.
"It's nothing, let's check the news."
Mr. Zhang, wearing reading glasses, was watching the news on the sofa when he suddenly looked up.
"Jiajing, is your law firm's boss named Wu Liang?"
Zhang Jiajing's heart skipped a beat.
"……yes."
"The internet says he's a lawyer for some shooting suspect," Mr. Zhang said, holding his phone further away. "It also says he used to specialize in exonerating murderers. Is that true?"
Zhang Jiajing put down her chopsticks.
"Dad, it's the law that lawyers defend suspects, not that they become sworn brothers with the suspects."
"I didn't say anything, I was just asking. That shooting was really scary, they even dared to shoot in a hospital."
Zhang's mother also looked over.
"You work at that law firm, is it safe?"
"No, no," Zhang Jiajing said quickly. "My boss is a very nice person and very professional."
Zhang's mother became even more worried.
"If he takes on cases like this, doesn't that raise questions about his character?"
"Don't worry! Don't you trust your daughter's judgment?"
Zhang's mother seemed to find these words a bit strange. Zhang Jiajing had already lowered her head and reopened her phone, where more than a dozen posts were still refreshing.
People are criticizing Wu Liang, criticizing the law firm, and even her, an intern, has had half a photo of her back dug up.
Fortunately, she was dressed warmly that day and her face wasn't showing.
Zhang Jia visited several accounts on the scenic spot, and the more she looked at them, the deeper her brows furrowed.
They criticized Wu Liang for defending a ruthless bandit, but then they edited out a video clip from the entrance of the Tongcheng Government Service Center, claiming that Wu Liang incited migrant workers to cause trouble.
Two completely unrelated things were forcibly linked together, and surprisingly, this actually established the image of an unscrupulous lawyer.
Zhang Jiajing put down her chopsticks, grabbed her phone, and ran back to her room.
Zhang's mother called from behind, "Aren't you going to drink the soup?"
"I'm not drinking anymore, I'm going to work overtime!"
"Why aren't you resting during your vacation?"
"I will dedicate myself to the development of the rule of law!"
……
City Bureau corridor.
Wu Liang sneezed twice in a row.
Li Mu passed by and handed Wu Liang a bucket of instant noodles.
Who insulted you?
"There are tons of them." Wu Liang rubbed his nose. "Now, people who want to insult me have to take a number."
"So you seem to be quite popular."
"It's just not auspicious."
Meng Jiang walked over and placed several sheets of printed paper on the table.
"The anti-prostitution records from ten years ago at Jinwan Bathhouse were found, but the registered ID cards were all fake. This woman named A-Lian has never been seen since the incident."
Wu Liang slurped up a mouthful of noodles, which was so hot that he kept breathing out hot air.
Where is the landlord?
Meng Jiang shook his head.
"They're dead. We're currently making inquiries, trying to find as many as possible. We've submitted a lawyer's opinion; how long can they hold onto it?"
"It won't last long." Wu Liang didn't even look up. "We've already given them face. The courts and procuratorates aren't run by us; they have to follow procedures too."
Li Mu glanced at him.
"You even know how to talk about procedures?"
Wu Liang turned the paper over.
"This is how I make a living."
The phone rang.
Wu Liang glanced down and saw that Zhang Jiajing had sent him more than a dozen screenshots, followed by a message.
[Boss, I've seen it. These accounts aren't just criticizing you for taking on the Cao Yang case; they're also sharing videos from Hongyuan. Especially the one at the government service center entrance, which was edited to make it look like you incited workers to riot.]
Wu Liang stopped slurping the noodles.
Li Mu, standing beside him, noticed that his expression was off.
"What's wrong?"
Wu Liang handed over the phone.
Li Mu looked down at a few screenshots, his brows slowly furrowing.
Meng Jiang also came over.
On the screen, several accounts posted very close together, and their titles were increasingly vulgar.
Wu Liang incited migrant workers to besiege government offices.
From protesting unpaid wages to defending ruthless criminals, what exactly is Yuanda Law Firm trying to achieve?
This isn't a lawyer; it's a traffic-driven businessperson.
Meng Jiang's face turned ugly.
Wu Liang simply smiled, completely unconcerned.
"Captain Meng, some people are trying to pin the blame on me. Can I request an investigation to determine the source of the evidence?"
……
Tianyue Group Headquarters
Lin Zhiyi returned to her office in the evening. She had visited several construction sites that day to check on the progress, trying her best to prevent a similar incident from happening again in Tongcheng.
Most of the office lights were off, and only the emergency lights were on in the long corridor. The cleaning lady pushed her cart out of the tea room and stopped quickly when she saw her.
"Miss Lin."
Lin Zhiyi nodded and walked into the office.
Two documents were placed on the table.
One document is a detailed list of wage supplements for the Hongyuan Copper City urban renewal project.
The other document was a public opinion briefing sent by the group's brand department.
Lin Zhiyi first looked at the salary details.
Zhang Huaizhong is slow to get things done, but he's quick at gathering materials. He clearly listed each worker's name, job title, amount of unpaid wages, and proposed payment date.
She turned to the last page, and just as she picked up her pen, her gaze fell on the public opinion briefing next to her.
The title is very formal.
Report on the Interim Handling of Online Public Opinion Related to the Hongyuan Copper City Project During the National Day Holiday
Lin Zhiyi put down her pen and turned to the first page.
The first few paragraphs are all clichés.
It wasn't until the third page that she saw Wu Liang's name.
[The lawyer involved, Wu Liang, has recently been suspected of representing a suspect in a hospital shooting, leading to controversy online regarding his professional ethics. It is suggested that subsequent public opinion management downplay the single point of contention regarding unpaid wages and emphasize his tendency to manipulate online traffic.]
His brows slowly furrowed.
Lin Zhiyi closed the briefing and picked up the internal phone.
Who is the person in charge of the brand department on duty?
The person on the other end of the phone answered quickly.
"Manager Chen."
"Have him come to my office."
Five minutes later, a man in his thirties with slicked-back hair knocked on the door and came in.
"Miss Lin."
Lin Zhiyi pushed the briefing over.
"Who decided on this line?"
Manager Chen glanced at it, his expression not changing much.
"We are cooperating with the suggestions from the group's risk control department. The Hongyuan project is currently under a lot of public pressure. If we continue to respond to the issue of unpaid wages, it will be easy for people to question us about the wage account and the flow of project funds."
"So you dragged Wu Liang out?"
Manager Chen paused for a moment.
"Ms. Lin, strictly speaking, Wu Liang is already a public figure in the media spotlight, and the shooting incident is also gaining traction. We are simply shifting the risk."
Lin Zhiyi looked at him.
Manager Chen felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but he still finished speaking.
"And judging from the results, it is indeed effective. Now many comments have shifted from Guangdong Hongyuan's unpaid wages to whether Wu Liang himself is using the case for publicity."
The office was silent for a few seconds.
Lin Zhiyi suddenly smiled.
"It works well?"
Manager Chen lowered his head.
"From a brand management perspective, that's the case."
Lin Zhiyi took the briefing back and flipped to the sample headings.
"Are these accounts yours?"
"It's not the group's official account," Manager Chen replied quickly.
Lin Zhiyi nodded slightly.
At least they're not completely brain-damaged if they know to hire online trolls.
"Stop it for now."
Manager Chen was taken aback.
"Miss Lin?"
"The salary for Hongyuan will be paid after the holiday, and the focus should return to the project itself. Don't bring that lawyer with you anymore."
Manager Chen looked somewhat embarrassed.
"This will probably need to be discussed with the risk control team..."
"I said, stop."
Manager Chen fell silent.
"clear."
He took the briefing and went out, then closed the door again.
Lin Zhiyi leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.
Although she had only met Wu Liang twice, he left a deep impression on her.
Making an enemy of him is definitely not a good thing.
The phone rang.
Lin Zhiyi stared at the screen for a few seconds before answering.
"dad."
The voice on the other end of the phone was very gentle.
"Still at the company?"
"Yes, there are some materials that need to be processed."
"I can't take a break during the National Day holiday, my body can't handle it."
Lin Zhiyi leaned back in her chair, looking at the public opinion briefing on the table.
"Didn't you rest either?"
There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone.
"I'm old, I need less sleep. You're young, it's different."
Lin Zhiyi hummed in agreement.
"The brand department is a bit chaotic, so I asked them to retract Hongyuan's public opinion stance."
"It's a small matter. People below are afraid of taking responsibility, so they inevitably go overboard. If you think it's inappropriate, then do it your way."
"I know."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.
"You can put company matters aside for now. Let's go home for a meal on October 7th."