Final Civilization

Chapter 16: Coincidence

Gurgle~

Han Ming took a sip of coffee, searched for news keywords, and clicked open the video from the day of the car accident. He had watched this video years ago when he first learned about Tao Jie's accident. At the time, he had sent Tao Jie a message but received no reply. He only found out later that she had been severely injured, lying in the hospital for months, and could only use a wheelchair after waking up.

"Legal studies, cares about environmental protection, loves science fiction works, boyfriend is the youngest son of a 20-billion-yuan industrial family... a perfect match for Tao Jie, her future and life were incredibly bright... what a pity."

Among these materials, Han Ming focused particularly on the Greenpeace environmental youth organization and that sci-fi literature club named 'Nebula Assassins'. Perhaps he could find some information about Tao Jie here. He guessed Tao Jie might have come into contact with people related to the 'Sacred Realm of Science' through these groups.

Just as he was about to put away the materials and close the webpage, something in the car accident video suddenly caught his attention.

He rewound the video, then paused the frame one second before the wedding motorcade was hit by the red-light-running truck.

Han Ming zoomed in on the vehicle, saw the paint on its body, and frowned.

He then repeatedly compared it, finally detecting a subtle sense of wrongness.

He immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number: "Attorney Su."

"What's up, Attorney Han?""Need to ask you something, remember the Xing'an Energy case?"

"Of course I remember, that was terrifying."

"I recall the defendant was the general manager of Xing'an Energy, sued by shareholders for unauthorized guarantees. The defendant died before the trial even started, and then it turned into a criminal case, right?"

"Yeah, body fragments found in an incinerator. That case was quite a sensation back then, made the social news."

Han Ming frowned: "Okay, I know, thanks."

After hanging up, Han Ming immediately dialed another number.

"Hey, Chen Yang."

"Han Ming, what's up?"

Chen Yang was the captain of the city's Criminal Police Second Brigade. They had met a few years ago collaborating on a criminal case involving a partnership dispute and had a pretty good relationship.

"I want to ask you something. Was the victim in the Xing'an Energy case from June 2022 named Wei Cheng?"

"Why are you asking about this?" Chen Yang, busy at the station, immediately questioned upon receiving Han Ming's call.

"I want to know the date of death for the victim as determined by the forensic examination in that case."

Chen Yang frowned: "Let me think... at least a month prior. I remember the person had been missing for a while. Initially, wasn't it your law firm filing it as an economic case? The timeline was roughly around that."

Hearing this, Han Ming's expression changed slightly: "Okay, talk later."

"Hey, you kid..." Chen Yang hadn't finished speaking when the other end hung up. He then chuckled and cursed: "These lawyers, is their time really that precious..."

In his office at Huatian Tower, Han Ming looked at the content on his computer, his fingers tapping the desk rhythmically, murmuring in a low voice.

"One month... exactly the same time as the Wenhai Road car accident case. Such a coincidence?"

...

In the afternoon, upon receiving Director Qi's notification, Han Ming went to the 20th floor to attend the partners' meeting.

He hadn't reached partner level yet and strictly speaking wasn't qualified to attend this meeting. However, when he walked into the conference room, apart from Qin Shanhai's sharp gaze, the others were quite amiable toward him.

"The proposal for Tianzhou has been finalized. Attorney Yan will serve as the chief representative of the advisory team. I had dinner with Old Chu and the others yesterday. Losing Tianzhou seemed to be a relief for Yingcheng. But I looked at their legal case files from the past few months. Just land litigation, administrative litigation, and cross-border intellectual property litigation add up to over a hundred cases. It's definitely a tough nut to crack."

Director Qi was in a good mood. Though she spoke seriously, she wore a smile: "The burden is heavy. Attorney Yan will have to work hard."

Yan Li's gaze swept over Han Ming as she said calmly: "Many of the industries Tianzhou's business segments involve are highly profitable, so legal risks are inherently high. That's understandable. But what I didn't expect is that they agreed to our quoted price without any consideration."

"That generous?" someone said.

Qi Rong nodded: "60 million. Besides basic legal services, it includes full-case litigation and the two existing corporate merger and acquisition cases. The rest are additional clauses."

"And besides the handover with Yingcheng, it's a non-resident system."

"Wow." Qin Shanhai glanced at Han Ming with a complex look, saying sourly: "This Tianzhou really is rolling in money. Switching even before their contract with Yingcheng is up, not even haggling over the price. If we get a few big clients like this a year, our lives would be much easier."

Qi Rong pointed at Han Ming: "As you all know, Attorney Han secured the Tianzhou client. The client specifically requested his involvement. So, Attorney Yan, on this project, you and Attorney Han need to cooperate closely."

"Of course." Yan Li smiled at Han Ming: "I need to catch some of your luck. I hear you're now a benefactor to Chairwoman Yan of Tianzhou and a benefactor to our law firm."

Han Ming nodded helplessly: "I don't deserve that."

"Hey, Attorney Han, I rewatched the news from that day. I heard you bravely rescued someone, almost got hit by a car yourself, is that true?" a slightly plump partner asked.

"I suggest the firm award a 'Courageous and Righteous Act' prize." Qin Shanhai chimed in with a sly tone, his gaze toward Han Ming also somewhat subdued.

"Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn't have had the guts."

"Should probably start working out too. In today's society, you never know when an accident might happen. Attorney Han's rescue must have been quite perilous."

"Regardless, a courageous and righteous act makes one a hero, worthy of praise. Attorney Han has brought honor to our firm."

Everyone chimed in, discussing back and forth. Han Ming looked pained, raising his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Everyone, perhaps we should focus the topic on the Tianzhou case."

...

After the meeting, Han Ming was called alone into Qi Rong's office.

"Han Ming, by year-end, I plan to nominate you for the secondary partner selection."

Qi Rong, wearing a sharp white professional suit, leaned against the edge of her desk, arms crossed, looking at Han Ming: "I have high hopes for you."

Han Ming was somewhat surprised: "I recall one hard requirement for secondary partner promotion is at least 10 years of practice experience. I only have 7."

"Rules are dead, people are alive."

Qi Rong said: "I've already asked the board. This proposal has received majority approval. Of course, the promotion assessment remains unchanged. You helped the firm secure the Tianzhou case. I believe as long as nothing unexpected happens, this secondary partner position will definitely be yours."

After speaking, she looked at Han Ming, noticing his silence, and raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Not happy about a promotion and raise?"

"No one dislikes promotions and raises."

Han Ming smiled faintly, murmuring: "It's just that relying on the luck of a benefactor's favor feels somewhat inconsistent with my professional philosophy."

"I don't consider this luck." Qi Rong looked at him with appreciation: "Risking your life to perform a righteous act—a good person inherently deserves fate's favor. Plus, your own professional abilities are outstanding. So, all of this was created by you. The firm is merely providing a platform."

Han Ming nodded: "To be honest, rescuing someone was just instinct. I believe many people would make the same choice in the same situation."

"You just didn't expect the person you saved was the daughter of Tianzhou International's Yan Jing, and it seems her goodwill far exceeds 30 million?" Qi Rong said with keen interest.

Han Ming smiled wryly.

Qi Rong changed the subject: "There's a situation you might not know. Three months ago, Tianzhou had a cross-border mine acquisition case with a transaction amount exceeding 1.2 billion USD. At the time, Yingcheng was responsible for the due diligence and cross-border compliance. This project was a very important acquisition for Tianzhou, planned for a long time, and should have been a sure thing. However, it was delayed due to environmental regulations, and that mine project was snatched by a European company."

Han Ming frowned: "Environmental regulations? Problems with the cross-border compliance investigation?"

Qi Rong lowered her gaze, speaking very subtly: "Didn't I mention earlier that Yingcheng lost two of their aces?"

Hearing this, Han Ming paused for a moment, then smiled wryly:

"Someone is targeting Yan Jing."

"So, Yan Jing changing her legal team isn't entirely because of you. Thinking that way, does it feel a bit smoother in your mind?" Qi Rong said pointedly.

Han Ming nodded: "Looking at it this way, the internal strife within Tianzhou Group is quite significant. We're charging headfirst into the difficulty."

"Perfectly normal." Qi Rong said: "Yan Jing herself attracts quite a bit of controversy. But we're cooperating normally, no need to pay attention to these things."

"Do you know Yan Jing?" Han Ming asked.

Qi Rong pondered for a moment, then said: "Within Jinghai's wealthy circles, her reputation is rather bad."