Chapter 563: Devotion or Duty

Two Jinbei vans stopped by the roadside, the bodyguards opened the car doors, and a group of people filed out.

Tan Zheng took a few looks: a ten-story building, unremarkable in appearance, with a few bronze characters hanging on the lintel: Beijing Changsheng.

Opposite was a low-lying hutong, and not far away at the intersection stood a road sign: Xirongxian Hutong — Beixinhua Street.

Tan Zheng suddenly had an impression: passing through the hutong, or heading north along Beixinhua Street for less than a kilometer, was Chang'an Street. Inside that wall across the street were the Zhonghai and Nanhai of the Forbidden City.

To the left were the Ministry of Propaganda and the Ministry of Industry, and opposite were the Organization Department and the Yinyuetang.

Lin Sicheng's Center was right here?

To be honest, other than being close to the Forbidden City, this place had no advantages: heavy foot traffic, traffic jams, noisy, and the rent was ridiculously high. While she was secretly thinking, Lin Sicheng pointed forward: "Lawyer Tan, this is it!"

She nodded and followed Lin Sicheng into the building.

The lobby was a bit dim, the lights were barely on, and a security guard around fifty was kicking his legs and swinging his arms in the lobby, as if exercising.

A small bar, empty inside, with the marble tabletop covered in dust.

Taking the elevator to the seventh floor, Tan Zheng looked around.

It was just a standard office building layout, with a corridor in the middle and rooms on both sides. It hadn't been renovated long ago and looked quite new.

But it was also quite empty: apart from them, she didn't see anyone else.

Passing by, she took a look: the layout in the rooms was relatively simple, with desks, filing cabinets, and two sets of sofas.

Tan Zheng stopped abruptly: No... this wasn't an Artifact Research Center at all.

At most, it was an office...

"A temporarily rented place, Lawyer Tan, please bear with it!" Lin Sicheng explained with a smile, "For the time being, we will all stay here..." Temporarily rented?

Tan Zheng looked suspicious: "Why not rent a hotel?"

At least, a hotel would be much more convenient than this.

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Not safe!"

Tan Zheng thought of the old security guard downstairs: she didn't feel there was any safety to speak of here.

Lin Sicheng pointed to the opposite side: "This row is for offices, this row is for accommodation; there are plenty of rooms, Lawyer Tan, pick one."

As he spoke, he pushed open the doors one by one. The rooms varied in size, but the renovations were quite good, and they were fully furnished.

Tan Zheng picked the one furthest inside, with the two Assistants living next door to her.

Lin Sicheng, Wang Qi Zhi, and Zhao Xiuneng each picked one, and the eight bodyguards took one room for every two people.

Tan Zheng only then realized: Lin Sicheng had booked the entire half-floor here.

She was curious for a moment: "How much is the rent?"

"Seventy thousand a month!"

"Tsk, that's enough to book half a floor in a four-star hotel!"

"Lawyer Tan, it's different!"

Tan Zheng didn't know what was different, and she didn't care.

After putting away their luggage, Lin Sicheng said he was hosting a welcome dinner for her, and the group went back downstairs.

It wasn't far; the cars drove north for five or six hundred meters and turned into a small hutong.

Just as they were turning, Tan Zheng glanced over and saw the Ministry of Industry across the intersection, as well as a high wall.

Behind that wall should be those two seas.

While she was recalling this, the car stopped: a small two-story building with green walls, gray tiles, vermilion doors, and carved beams.

A plaque hung on the lintel: Lufeng Courtyard.

Tan Zheng suddenly remembered: two years ago, she had come here with a client.

The client was in the export trade of electrical equipment and was a partner of Huadian. The person who invited them here at the time was the General Manager of Huadian. Tan Zheng remembered very clearly that after entering, the client had deliberately warned her: ordinary people couldn't get in here, including him.

Therefore, see as little as possible, say as little as possible.

Although she had only been there that one time, Tan Zheng would never remember it wrong.

But looking at Lin Sicheng, dragging his family and entourage along, bustling and noisy, it was just like visiting a vegetable market.

The greeter and security guard at the entrance didn't even stop them, and even greeted him cheerfully: "Teacher Lin, it's been a long time!"

"Been a bit busy lately!" Lin Sicheng responded with a smile, "Is General Manager Huang in?"

"Yes, he is currently talking with guests!"

"Good, you two carry on!"

"Teacher Lin, I'll take you!"

The greeter led the way, and the group swarmed into the courtyard.

Huang Zhi was sitting under a magnolia tree; seeing Lin Sicheng, he apologized and walked over to meet them.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng had both met him before, so they weren't strangers; after a brief greeting, Lin Sicheng introduced Tan Zheng emphatically: "A senior Partner at Fanghe Law Firm in Shanghai, Lawyer Tan Zheng, a famous Gold Medal Lawyer!"

Huang Zhi was taken aback: whether Tan Zheng was a Gold Medal Lawyer, he didn't know. But he knew that Fanghe was one of the eight recognized "Red Circle" firms in the country. Simply put: the eight most powerful law firms in the country with the highest win rates.

For no reason at all, why would Lin Sicheng invite someone like this?

While he was suspicious, seeing the few bodyguards behind her, Huang Zhi was stunned: Good heavens, they were practically holding guns in their hands.

"Lin Sicheng, did you kill someone?"

Lin Sicheng looked helpless: "If I had killed someone, could I still come here?"

Huang Zhi pointed behind him: "Then what is this formation?"

Between the bodyguards and the Gold Medal Lawyer... this was clearly to guard against someone making a move in the dark.

This wasn't the place to talk, so Lin Sicheng was ambiguous: "Had a small dispute with a foreign-funded company!"

Huang Zhi squinted, not believing a single word.

It's just foreign capital, not the Crown Prince, right?

"General Manager Huang, I'm not lying to you!" Lin Sicheng lowered his voice, "Both Customs and the Public Security Bureau have opened cases!"

Huang Zhi was stunned for a moment: the Public Security Bureau was one thing, but Customs...

"A Smuggling Case?"

It was too hard to explain in a short while, so Lin Sicheng changed the subject: "That's only a part of it. I'll tell you the details later, but today I'm asking you for a favor first!" Huang Zhi patted his chest: "Just say it!"

"General Manager Huang, can I order work meals from you for a period of time? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day, and I'll send someone to pick them up on time. About twenty people per meal, and I'll pay whatever the cost should be..."

After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng added, "The place isn't far, just a few hundred meters from here: I've rented half a floor in Changcheng Dasha..." Huang Zhi narrowed his eyes.

If it were anyone else, he would have started kicking them out: his place was a high-end restaurant, and more importantly, a private kitchen, not a banquet hall.

You want me to make work meals for you?

But looking at this lineup: lawyers, bodyguards, renting a building, and ordering meals?

The reason Lin Sicheng was temporarily staying in this vicinity was clearly because he was afraid the other side would resort to underhanded tactics.

The reason he came to his place to order food was, one hundred percent, because he was afraid the other side would poison it...

The more Huang Zhi thought about it, the more astonished he became, looking at Wang Qi Zhi: "No... Professor Wang, who exactly did he offend?"

"General Manager Huang, it really is foreign capital!"

"Even you can't handle it?"

"This isn't a question of whether I can handle it or not!" Wang Qi Zhi shook his head, "Even a dog will jump over a wall when desperate, let alone tens of billions?"

Huang Zhi immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion: a smuggling case worth tens of billions... How much was General Manager Lai's case worth?

Lin Sicheng had truly poked a hole in the sky...

He gasped, grabbed Lin Sicheng by the arm, and pulled him into a private room.

As soon as they entered, Huang Zhi's expression changed: "With such a big case, how come I didn't hear even a whisper of Wind?"

"General Manager Huang, it does involve Smuggling, but that only accounts for a tiny part; the bulk of it belongs to an intellectual property case. So it's not what you think: at least there are no gloves involved. However, the number of foreign companies involved is quite large, and the case value is quite high..."

Lin Sicheng sighed, "The ten billion the teacher mentioned is just the starting point, and the unit is in US dollars!"

Huang Zhi was dumbfounded: Ten billion, just the starting point?

And in US dollars?

"You did this?"

"Yes!"

Then if they don't go after you, who would they go after?

Huang Zhi finally understood: why couldn't Wang Qi Zhi help?

And he understood even better why Lin Sicheng, with such strong connections, still had to put on such a display?

This wasn't a normal economic dispute; as the old saying goes: cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents... At this level, who cares who you are? It is easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow...

"Does Tang Sijiang know?"

"He knows!"

The case is being jointly investigated by Customs, the anti-smuggling bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and Hong Kong departments; with so many sensitive factors involved, it certainly had to be reported upward. Furthermore, he had also entrusted Tang Nanjin to hire a security company.

Huang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief: as long as they know, at least the higher levels won't be in chaos...

"Do you need help?"

"Yes!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "Order the meals!"

Huang Zhi paused, then nodded solemnly: "Good, I will keep an eye on it personally!"

He understood the subtext of Lin Sicheng's request: at this stage, helping blindly could very likely turn into a disservice...

Huang Zhi asked no more questions, took the menu, and handed it to Tan Zheng: "Lawyer Tan, I'm hosting this welcome meal for you today, please don't be polite!"

Tan Zheng was stunned: did that mean he was paying on behalf of Lin Sicheng?

It felt very strange: this General Manager Huang was clearly closer to Lin Sicheng, yet seemed more like a stranger to Wang Qi Zhi.

But logically, he and Wang Qi Zhi should be the same type of person...

Just feeling curious for a moment, Tan Zheng said thank you and took the menu.

They didn't drink, just had a meal. When they were leaving, Huang Zhi personally saw them out the door.

Seeing those two Jinbei vans, Huang Zhi's pupils constricted.

If he had been half-doubting before, he was now one hundred percent certain: Lin Sicheng was playing for real.

But he couldn't figure out why a mere foreign capital dispute could cause losses of over a hundred billion.

While he was suspicious, Lin Sicheng waved his hand and got into the car: "General Manager Huang, I'm counting on you!"

Huang Zhi gave him a reassuring look.

The car drove out of the alley and headed toward Changcheng Dasha.

It was only a few hundred meters, arriving in an instant.

Just as it came to a steady stop, two "bang-bang" sounds came from the roadside as car doors were closed.

Seeing the vehicle and the people, Lin Sicheng hurriedly got out of the car.

The vehicle was a Mengshi, with civilian plates, and three people stepped out, all in training uniforms.

Fearing it would be too conspicuous, all three had removed their rank insignias when they got out.

Lin Sicheng went up to meet them: "Brother Jin, Brother Yu, why did you come?"

With such a big matter, how could they not come?

Not to mention that his father and second uncle had both expressed their stance, just speaking for the two brothers themselves: they were such good friends with Lin Sicheng, how could they act like nothing had happened? "Nothing much, just came to see you!" Patting Lin Sicheng on the shoulder, Tang Nanjin pointed to the person beside him, "This is Nanyu's leader, you can just call him Captain Wang;..."

"Hello Teacher Lin, I've long heard of your great name!"

"Captain Wang, you are too polite!"

He really wasn't being polite: the team had long made plans to invite Lin Sicheng over for a training session, but Lin Sicheng had never been able to find the time. The man reached out his hand and shook Lin Sicheng's: "Teacher Lin, Battalion Commander Tang and Nanyu have already told me about the situation. Zhu Heng has my number, you save it too. If there is any situation, call me anytime!"

Lin Sicheng breathed a sigh of relief: Why did he choose this place?

Because once you exit the Backdoor of Changcheng Dasha, you are at the Special Protection Brigade; the two establishments are right across from each other.

And just one wall away is the Xicheng Gonganjian.

More importantly, the Special Protection Brigade is a corporate entity, so it does not violate any discipline.

Take Zhu Heng for example: strictly speaking, he and those seven colleagues are all contract employees of the Shanghai Special Protection Company.

This is also the most legal, compliant, and professional security force that Tang Nanjin could find.

The situation here in Beijing is a bit more special; people certainly cannot be hired. But the area around the Forbidden City is already within their scope of prevention and control... they just met face-to-face, spoke a few simple words, and the three of them left by car.

At first glance, it looked like they were just going through the motions.

But except for Lin Sicheng, no one knew: including renting Changcheng Dasha, finding Huang Zhi to order meals, as well as Zhu Heng coordinating and collaborating with the Special Protection Brigade to handle emergencies jointly, Tang Nanjin had made a complete set of plans.

This also included scouting the terrain in advance and connecting to the building's surveillance system.

Tang Nanjin said it himself: he guaranteed that not even a fly could fly up...

Watching the Mengshi turn the corner, Lin Sicheng turned around and stepped onto the stairs.

Tan Zheng gave Wang Qi Zhi a look and fell a little behind.

"Professor Wang, are those people soldiers?"

Wang Qi Zhi just wanted to say no, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back: Tan Zheng was not deaf, and when that Captain Wang addressed "Battalion Commander Tang," she heard it very clearly.

"Only one is active duty, and he is a friend of Lin Sicheng!"

"How come Lin Sicheng's friends are all so strange?"

Wang Qi Zhi paused, lost in thought.

He knew what Tan Zheng wanted to ask: Lin Sicheng is just a student, and his family background is average, so why would he have such friends?

Like Huang Zhi, like Tang Nanjin and Tang Nanyu.

And these people are clearly closer to Lin Sicheng.

"Lawyer Tan, this has nothing to do with the case, right?"

Tan Zheng sneered: "Professor Wang, I am not that idle, nor am I that curious!"

As long as one's eyes aren't blind, anyone can see: Lin Sicheng is about to stir up big trouble.

As a Lawyer, Tan Zheng must weigh: Lin Sicheng has the ability to poke holes, but when necessary, does he have the ability to patch them? As the entrusted party, Tan Zheng must consider: does Lin Sicheng have the ability, as well as the willingness, to protect her?

To put it bluntly: whether Lin Sicheng has backup, whether he has a background, directly affects her subsequent work attitude.

Is it to go all out, bring out 120 percent of her ability, and help Lin Sicheng in every aspect and detail, or just do her own part?

A Gold Medal Lawyer is not something bragged about; being dedicated and being professional are two completely different concepts.

Wang Qi Zhi did not know how to say it.

Lin Sicheng is not the type of person to burn bridges or discard someone once they have served their purpose; he has the ability, and even more so the willingness.

The problem lies in the first point: Lin Sicheng has no grasp on controlling the development of the situation, nor can he handle it with ease.

Perhaps he only wants to poke a hole the size of a Needle, but what ends up exploding might be a hole as big as the Pacific Ocean.

Otherwise, there would be no need for him to put on this formation.

Wang Qi Zhi thought for a long while: "Lawyer Tan, how about this, you just do your duty for now. When the time comes that you need to be dedicated, we will talk again..." Tan Zheng was noncommittal: "Is that what Lin Sicheng thinks too?"

Of course not.

If he wanted to drag you into the water, he wouldn't keep you in the dark about everything...