Chapter 554: Zhou Cainiao's Scheme

Led by their boss, not only did Tengda Company party for three days, but when the pile of gifts was brought out at the annual meeting, everyone's eyes were blinded by the glare.

Perhaps online everyone is a big shot with an annual income of millions, but in reality, many people would be shocked to see a million in cash.

Not to mention the over four million worth of gold products.

The old rules apply: everyone relies on their own luck. In any case, there is a guaranteed consolation prize for everyone; if someone manages to draw the little gold pig, that is their own ability.

"Africans" shouldn't always try to compare themselves to "European Emperors"—you can't win, and the more you compare, the more miserable you'll feel.

When others casually buy a score, it's a string of four, while you buy a win-loss and it's an upset every single day; there's just no comparing that.

In the end, the grand prize was taken by Wu Qiuling; the young girl was still completely bewildered when she heard her own name.

"Yingying, this... did I really win the grand prize? Why do I feel like I always encounter troublesome things? I've been unlucky for so long, how is it that my luck is turning now?"

Beside her, Fang Xiaoying didn't want to talk; it was painful, and watching her best friend win the grand prize was even more painful. Her own prize wasn't bad, but compared to the first-prize little gold pig, it was far behind.

Of course, there were jealous people, but Zhou Yi didn't care about that. Everyone is an adult; you can't stop people from thinking things in their hearts, and a gentleman is judged by his actions, not his thoughts.

Yuan Jianhua was very disappointed. In previous raffles, he had always been able to win big prizes, but this time it was just a consolation prize.

Amidst bursts of joy, the annual meeting ended, the Company went on holiday, and the next time they would be at work was after the New Year.

Everyone was saying "Happy New Year" in advance, while Zhou Yi dialed Zhou Xinran's number downstairs at the hotel.

"Hey Xinran, so... well, come home with me tomorrow."

Zhou Xinran's crisp voice came from the other end of the line: "Sure, let's go. What time are we leaving?"

"After lunch."

"No problem, come to my house to pick me up."

At the Lawyer office, Zhou Xinran hung up the phone. The colleagues in front of her who had been discussing a case were all bewildered. One of them hesitated and said, "Lawyer Zhou, you are..."

"Oh, a friend of mine is taking me home for the New Year, and we agreed to leave tomorrow."

Suddenly, everyone's eyes widened. There was actually someone... oh no, there was actually a hero who could take down this Lawyer Zhou? That is truly a real man!

This girl was beautiful, and if she didn't speak or act, there would probably be many people wanting to marry her. But as soon as people heard about the things she had done, they would basically choose to keep their distance.

It was just like the things Zhou Mouren did; people online would admire his persistence, but in real life, many people would subconsciously stay away and keep their distance.

Fang Dazhuang was the same, which is why these three ended up together...

Time quickly arrived at the next day, and Zhou Yi got up early to start preparing things.

Going to pick up Zhou Xinran at her home, this would definitely involve lunch, so he had to bring something; showing up empty-handed wouldn't do.

Although Zhou Yi had never been in a relationship, he had seen these procedures online. No matter when, you can't go wrong with more gifts. People might not want them, but whether you bring them or not represents your attitude.

It was just that he felt increasingly strange; originally, they were just helping each other out, but by now, he figured everyone thought they were playing for real.

They set off around ten o'clock and soon arrived at Mingxiang Residential District.

After parking the car, Zhou Yi walked toward Zhou Xinran's home, familiar with the path.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xinran was chatting with her parents.

Zhou Xinran's father was named Zhou Daqing; it sounded very common, but that was the normal situation, because Zhou Xinran's grandfather was once an oil worker, so he gave his son that name.

At that time, that name was quite good.

Names are things with very distinct era characteristics; if you study them carefully, you will know.

For example, "Building the Country" (Jianguo) or "Loving the Country" (Aiguo), or "Aid Korea" (Yuanchao) and "Great Celebration" (Daqing), etc. —as soon as you hear them, you know the person should be of a certain age. Similarly, names like Zixuan or Zihao, you know they are young.

"Xinran, your mother and I have said before, as long as the one you find yourself isn't particularly bad, we have no objections. That young man is also quite good, capable. In short, consider it well yourself. It's your own decision, so if there are any problems in the future, don't complain."

Zhou Daqing said naturally. His family was well-off, but he only had one daughter, whom he had spoiled since she was small. Perhaps she was educated too well, making this girl a bit too independent.

She had previously sent two blind-date candidates to prison in a row, and Zhou Daqing already didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, she had finally brought back a decent young man.

Thinking about those things online—raising a precious daughter, the kind you really spoil, only for her to bring home a "yellow-hair" one day, and that yellow-hair has tattoos and looks like a typical "delinquent youth."

He walks up and says, "Uncle, let me shake a flower-hand for you..."

He couldn't think about it; just thinking about it made his blood pressure rise.

Zhou Xinran smiled and nodded, saying, "Dad, no problem. I trust Zhou Yi very much."

Just as she was about to say something else, the door was knocked. Immediately, Zhou Daqing saw his daughter float over to open the door like a happy little swallow.

Well, this girl's heart was already someone else's.

The door opened, and Zhou Yi stood there carrying things, smiling with an honest face.

"Xinran, hello Uncle and Auntie."

Zhou Daqing nodded and then asked Zhou Yi to come over and sit. After sitting down and chatting for a few sentences, he asked, "Little Zhou, you and our Xinran, I see your relationship is quite good. Since you're taking her back for the New Year, how about we set a time after the New Year for both families to meet and get you two engaged?"

Zhou Yi: "???"

He hurriedly looked back at Zhou Xinran, only to find this "rookie" sitting on the side with a face full of smiles.

At this moment, even though Zhou Mouren had been persistent countless times, he felt it: the longest road he had ever walked in his life was the scheme of Zhou Cainiao...

The key was that he had even happily walked right into it, and looking at it this way, he was basically going to walk this path for a lifetime.

A Lawyer who doesn't look at the law, she's playing with the Art of War!

However, these thoughts were just a fleeting moment. Zhou Yi soon wore a smile and said, "Uncle Zhou, sure, no problem. I'm free anytime on my end."

Schemes are all about who is pulling them; if it's Zhou Xinran... then there's nothing more to say.

No matter which way you look at it, the two were very compatible, especially in personality. In the words of Fang Dazhuang, they were a perfect match; if it were anyone else, they would definitely be arguing and causing a scene every day.

Of course, factors like looks and figure, as a gentleman, Zhou Mouren naturally didn't take to heart; after all, everyone knows him.

Sure enough, seeing that Zhou Yi agreed without hesitation, Zhou Xinran smiled until her eyes squinted. She dared to hate, so naturally, she dared to love.

After a sumptuous lunch, Zhou Yi took the girl home.

Because he had to drive, he didn't drink.

With the relationship out in the open, it didn't seem to make any difference to these two; along the way, they were still bickering just like before.

It's just that the topics they discussed were ones that would absolutely never appear in an ordinary family.

For instance, "What evidence is needed for a Private Prosecution Case of bigamy," or "When Domestic Violence occurs, can one fight back using Legitimate Defense," and other such topics—the two of them actually chatted about these quite enthusiastically.

The boring time spent returning to Lincheng was passed just like that; the car exited the expressway and drove into the Small Residential District where Zhou Yi's home was located.

Zhou Xinran was just tidying up her things to get out of the car, taking her two large suitcases from the trunk.

Just as she was preparing to walk inside, she felt her hand being held.

She turned her head to look and discovered that this guy beside her had a face full of seriousness, as if nothing at all had happened.

She smiled and shook her head, thinking, so you really don't understand anything at all.

The two of them walked toward the house just like that; whenever they met a neighbor, Zhou Yi would greet them and introduce that this was his girlfriend.

A girlfriend without the quotation marks.

Then, by the time the two of them reached the building, it was estimated that everyone in the entire Small Residential District knew that the boy from the Zhou family had brought back a girl who was impossibly beautiful.

They looked like a perfect match.

Arriving home and opening the door, Zhou Yi's parents were instantly overjoyed; their family's pig had finally amounted to something!

"Xinran, come in quickly, it's cold outside..."

"Zhou Yi, go buy a bottle of soy sauce."

Zhou Yi: "???"

You have to say, bringing a girlfriend home for the New Year really is a different kind of treatment; the whole house was filled with a happy atmosphere.

For parents, a son amounting to something is one thing, but settling down is another matter entirely.

Regardless, life must go on; after the excitement of bringing Zhou Xinran home, the days still passed as usual.

I have to say, Zhou Cainiao is quite good in many respects; in love and marriage, personal space and mutual trust are always unavoidable topics, and Zhou Xinran simply didn't care about this aspect.

It's just that Zhou Yi found it a bit strange; he could look at her phone whenever he wanted, but there was a notebook in her suitcase that she absolutely refused to let him see.

People are just like that; the more you aren't allowed to see something, the more you want to see it, but if you let them see it freely, they wouldn't even bother to move.

So, what exactly was written in that notebook?

He knew about Lawyer Fang's notebook; it was filled with things Lawyer Fang hadn't figured out yet regarding life and the law, but he didn't let people see it either.

So, did Zhou Xinran write these things too?

It couldn't be a diary, right? Who writes a diary if they are a serious person?

In this frame of mind, New Year's Eve arrived.

Only now, Handong Province generally prohibits the setting off of fireworks and firecrackers, so it felt a bit dull.

It's not like when I was a child, looking forward to the New Year every day; now, I just feel the New Year atmosphere is particularly faint.

Although it felt like his parents had offended many relatives because of that previous incident, but... after this New Year, Zhou Yi discovered that it didn't amount to anything at all.

"If you are poor, no one asks about you in the bustling city; if you are rich, you have distant relatives in the deep mountains"—this saying is absolutely correct.

It's not to say that relatives are snobs; this is a very normal state of life, because no matter how much one wants to reason things out, life still has to go on normally, and everyone wants to live better.

So, there were quite a few people who came to pay New Year calls on the first day of the lunar year, and taking this opportunity, Zhou Yi's parents also introduced Zhou Xinran to the relatives...

After staying at home until the sixth day of the lunar year, Zhou Yi took Zhou Xinran back to Jingzhou.

It wasn't about anything else; mainly, Tengda was starting work again, and he, as the boss, had to be there.

Arriving in Jingzhou and sending Zhou Xinran home, Zhou Yi began his work for the new year.

There were countless documents that needed his signature, and countless reports waiting for him to listen to.

After being busy for two whole days, he finally finished dealing with the piled-up matters.

News came from Lawyer Fang that the Second Instance with A-Fu Company was set for the thirteenth day of the first lunar month; looking at the legal calendar, I have to say, this thing Lawyer Fang made is really useful!

On that date, it was clearly written: "Suitable for court sessions."

The ninth day of the first lunar month—for Zhou Yi, this date wasn't very good, because it was "Suitable for imprisonment."

So Zhou Yi didn't plan to do anything else and went straight to the law firm; he hadn't found Lawyer Fang to drink with during the New Year yet. Thinking of this bald guy, he was all alone during the holiday, lonely and quite pitiful.

Entering the law firm, he first greeted a bunch of lawyers and then went to Lawyer Fang's office.

"Lawyer Fang, Happy New Year!" Zhou Yi said with a habitual smile.

In the office, Lawyer Fang raised his head, looked at Zhou Yi, and immediately said, "How does it feel to be with Xinran?"

What the heck?

"What being with... forget it, by the way, Lawyer Fang, how did you know?"

Lawyer Fang said helplessly, "That partner of yours has 'I have a significant other' written all over her face. You ask how I knew? I may not have much hair, but I'm not blind!"

"Alright, handle your own affairs yourselves; I won't say much more. In short, Xinran is still quite good. Don't let her down, and don't be like me, not knowing where to go during the New Year."

The feeling brought by this topic wasn't good, so the two of them wisely didn't continue chatting and turned to talk about some hot topics during the New Year.

The most common ones were how to handle situations where some elderly people commit relatively minor crimes, such as Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble or intentional destruction of property.

In many cases, just because you report it to the police doesn't mean a Case Filing will happen; just thinking about it feels troublesome.

Time quickly reached the twelfth day of the first lunar month, and Zhou Yi and Lawyer Fang arrived in Shenzhen.

After the New Year, the internet wasn't as concerned about this astronomical compensation case anymore; after all that effort, A-Fu Company ended up with a bunch of Litigation.

Tang Pengcheng sat in his office, his face still dark; the lawyer in front of him was no longer Lv Zuxiong, but a big shot at the partner level from another law firm.

His surname was Lian, and his name was Lian Yukuan.

It's just that he also stated clearly that this case was not easy to handle; although the previous case was eventually retried and the verdict changed, it didn't mean this case would also have its verdict changed.

In these kinds of cases, very minute details can completely affect the verdict.

We previously talked about the difference between contract fraud and contract deception, and here, another sentence has been derived: what is it called? It's called "infringing on the Right to Know does not equate to deception!"

If one understands this sentence, the reason for the failure of the retrial for the astronomical compensation in the luxury car case back then becomes clear.

Lian Yukuan had already carefully studied the case details; the reason this case was hard to handle was that the conclusion of deception had already been reached.

Time arrived at the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, and the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court opened the trial for this sky-high compensation case.

For the observers, this case was absolutely not to be missed; even many people in the legal profession were paying attention to it, mainly to see if the Court would consider the factor of balancing interests.

After so many days of the New Year, the discussions that needed to be had had already reached a conclusion.

If speaking strictly from legal statutes, not many people were optimistic about A-Fu Company's side, but after all, the law does not consist of simple statutes alone; for a case like this to reach a verdict, there are too many factors to consider.

One must know that the Consumer Protection Law, just like the Labor Law, inherently contains many, many controversies, and there is also a considerable amount of discussion regarding whether "Return One Compensate Three" should exist.

The court trial began; this time, it was not broadcast live.

The presentation of evidence and cross-examination began; this time, A-Fu Company submitted new evidence, which was the cost of this batch of gold products as well as their profit, intending to prove that the profit they gained was not large.

Therefore, they argued that it was unreasonable to have to pay so much compensation when they could not earn that much money to begin with!

And another point for Lian Yukuan was that this transaction did not involve any fraudulent behavior!

This chapter counts as a transitional chapter; I really cannot write romance scenes, but since the atmosphere has reached this point, I still have to write what needs to be written, so I specifically wrote a transitional plot chapter to fill this gap; it is truly not filler, the plot still focuses on being serious.

(End of this chapter)