Chapter 17: I'm Just Asking!

When is a person least afraid? That is, of course, when they are inherently in an invincible position.

Zhou Yi had already made up his mind to resign, so even if the other party talked until the sky fell, he wouldn't be worried.

It wasn't like in the past; because it was his first job, his parents at home would give all sorts of advice: have higher emotional intelligence, be more resourceful, be sweeter-tongued, and be more diligent.

Of course, Zhou Yi didn't think the elders' experience was wrong.

These experiences were very correct, but the premise was that he had to be in a suitable place, such as within the system.

Not to mention how much money he earned, at the very least, it was stable.

But in such a small Company, honestly, Zhou Yi felt that, let alone anything else, it would be normal if he woke up one day and the Company was suddenly gone.

So, saying things like "if you don't come back to work overtime today, don't bother coming to work tomorrow"—what do you call this? This is just perfect!

However, Zhou Yi decided to ask Lawyer Fang anyway, just to see if there would be any problems if he simply didn't go.

After all, he had signed some kind of contract when he first joined the Company, so he was still a little worried.

Yet, unexpectedly, before he could even make the call, Lawyer Fang had already called him.

"Lawyer Fang, what's wrong? Is there something up?" Standing on the side of the road, Zhou Yi chuckled into his phone.

On the other end of the line, Lawyer Fang was very helpless. Heaven knows why, but after this guy learned his name and got familiar with him, he gave him a nickname directly.

He said that this name was really well-chosen and looked like the name of a legal advocate at first glance. Poor Fang, with his sharp tongue, explained for a long time that a modern Lawyer is not some legal advocate, but it was no use.

Since there was no way to resist, he might as well just enjoy it.

You have to admit, being called this "Lawyer Fang," the feeling was actually quite satisfying...

"There is something. Didn't we talk about the Kitten Company needing Mediation before? The time for Pre-trial Mediation has been set for ten o'clock this Friday morning. Do you think you have time to come over?"

Pre-trial Mediation, huh... This was something they had discussed before; he definitely had to go.

The key was to see the other party's sincerity. As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling face; as long as the other party's sincerity was sufficient, then... of course, it still couldn't be mediated.

His Lawsuit this time was also originally part of completing the task. The task progress had been stuck at sixty-three percent for a while now and hadn't moved. It seemed he had to wait for Liu Xu's sentencing and the release of the second video before he could truly complete the task.

And suing the Kitten Company was a supplement to Zhou Yi's task. After all, the Kitten Company also played a certain role here. In fact, many people who buy accounts get scammed by trading platforms.

When you buy, those trading platforms say things very nicely, like "no need to worry about account recovery," "we cover losses if recovered," and so on, but when you are truly scammed and go to them, there's nothing you can do.

He had also filmed this part of the situation in his first video. Anyway, since he was being serious, he would be serious to the end!

According to Fang, this civil case was simple, so if Pre-trial Mediation didn't work, the court hearing would be held soon, and the verdict would be quick, so he could actually release a video about trading platforms first.

Anyway, the last one he released was "Account recovered at the start, counter-recharge one million," so this time he could do a middle part, which would be perfect to supplement some things about catching people and the other party requesting him to issue a Letter of Forgiveness, etc.

He was definitely not padding the video!

It was just that he felt the audience would get impatient if they waited too long. Yes, that was it...

"No problem, I will definitely be there on time."

"Alright, just call me when you get to the Court, and I'll come to pick you up."

After finishing the business, Lawyer Fang prepared to hang up the phone.

Just then, Zhou Yi hurriedly said: "Wait, Lawyer Fang, there is one more thing I have to ask you."

However, after Zhou Yi finished speaking, there was no sound from Lawyer Fang on the other end, which even made Zhou Yi wonder for a moment if the other party had quietly hung up.

But there would be a busy signal if the call was hung up.

He took the phone down to look; it hadn't hung up. What was going on?

"Lawyer Fang? Lawyer Fang? Are you still there?"

Just as Zhou Yi was wondering if Fang Xujing might have suddenly had a medical emergency, a voice came through the phone.

"Mr. Zhou, what you just said was... 'ask'?"

Uh... huh?

Before, he was still "Brother Zhou," and when he was drunk, he even said he would take him to a bathhouse or foot massage parlor to experience the legendary "big health service." How did it turn into "Mr. Zhou" in the blink of an eye?

"Yes, yes, ask. Is... is there something wrong with that?" Zhou Yi said cautiously.

He didn't know if he had pressed the wrong switch or said some keyword, but he just felt that Lawyer Fang on the other side had suddenly become a different person.

Another silence.

Finally, Lawyer Fang spoke: "Mr. Zhou, for a professional legal advo—oh, no, for a Lawyer, the most taboo phrase is 'I'm just asking!'"

Huh? Now it was Zhou Yi's turn to be confused. What was going on now?

"Mr. Zhou, legal consultations require fees. Do you understand what I mean?"

Having finally found a kindred spirit, it took a long time for Lawyer Fang to hold back from launching into a lecture.

Every industry has some taboos. For example, for Lawyers, the most taboo thing is when some people come to the door, calling it nicely: "I'm just asking."

What kind of international joke is that? A Lawyer studies hard for so many years, racks their brains to pass the exam, and has to work hard to study the laws and regulations promulgated by the authorities as well as various Judicial Interpretations—all to charge for their knowledge!

Consultation fees are the most basic thing.

However, it is obvious that some people nowadays do not have this awareness.

Their thinking is: "I'm just asking you, what's the big deal? It's just a few words, and you didn't even solve my problem, so how can you charge me?"

Basically, this is like saying to a web novelist that if their writing is trash, people should just go read pirated versions...

Zhou Yi wasn't a fool; he understood in a single sentence.

There is no such thing as "just asking" with a Lawyer. As long as it involves their professional knowledge, and you happen to need that part of the professional knowledge, then you must pay!

No wonder he suddenly stopped talking; it turned out he really had said the other party's keyword!

So, you mean you didn't speak for all this time because you were actually switching modes?

"Okay, okay, okay, Lawyer Fang. I am just consulting with you; that's fine, right?"

"No problem. Mr. Zhou's previous case was free, which goes without saying, but my fee structure is: depending on the complexity and difficulty of the case, etc., the fee starts from 500 yuan per hour up to 1,500 yuan per hour. Is that acceptable to you, Mr. Zhou?"

Fang becoming so serious all of a sudden made Zhou Yi a bit unable to accept it, but he still said: "Yes, yes. Then let me state the case first, and you can set the price?"

Look at that—at this price, it's no wonder that a phrase like "I'm just asking" could become a taboo.

"Of course you can, but it's not easy to talk over the phone. Let's find a place; the same coffee shop as before."

"Alright. By the way, I still like that... that free-spirited look you had before. Why don't you go back to that?"

Ah...

"Brother Zhou, do you want me to bring you a bottle of vinegar?"

Zhou Yi: "(°ー°〃)"

At Kitten Company, President Sun looked at Li Xiang in front of him and said, "Is what you said true? Did that buyer really film the video and post it?"

Li Xiang brought the phone forward: "President Sun, you can take a look yourself."

President Sun picked up the phone, and a title already caught his eye: "Account reclaimed at the start, backhanded a one-million recharge!"

Looking at the popularity, President Sun suddenly felt his hands trembling...

Second update. Regarding how much a Lawyer consultation fee is, Lao Jiu also heard it from a friend, who said that the top partner bigwigs at their law firm charge around 1,500 to 2,000. Jingzhou City is a fictional city after all, but it should count as a second-tier provincial capital. Whether that is a lot or a little, if there are any bigwig Lawyers, feel free to speak up, and Jiu Jian can make changes.

(End of this chapter)