A volcano red sports sedan drove past.
The curtains of a certain room on a certain floor of the chain hotel were drawn open.
"Tsk, Maserati, lawyers really damn well rake in the cash."
"She’s a lawyer who hasn’t taken a case before, even if the profession is lucrative, what’s that got to do with her."
"Didn’t you see what she was driving just now? The latest top-of-the-line President model, at least two hundred grand. No wonder Scarface gave her money yesterday, and she didn’t even blink."
"She definitely can’t afford it herself, maybe she’s being kept by a sugar daddy."
"Kept? This woman is a graduate of the Capital Law University."
"So what? Have you seen the true colors of women these days? The higher their education, the more damn shameless they are. But gotta say, this woman does look pretty decent."
A few guys were whispering to each other.
"Knock knock knock..."
A knocking sound erupted.
Someone opened the door and called out, "Scarface."
Tang Xiaosheng entered.
"Scarface, that woman just drove off."
Those in charge of surveillance turned around to report.
Tang Xiaosheng approached.
The men quickly made way.
Tang Xiaosheng looked out the window.
"Scarface, she has left."
Someone softly reminded him.
"Do I damn well not know she’s left?"
Tang Xiaosheng glanced coldly at the man, who awkwardly lowered his head. Then, taking out a cigarette, Tang placed it in his mouth.
Someone quickly nodded off.
Tang Xiaosheng took a deep drag, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
"Everyone, speak up, how should we handle this?"
The men exchanged silent looks with their eyes.
"Scarface, I think we can’t focus all our energy on this woman. Maybe we should try Guan Libing, he could become a breakthrough." One cautiously spoke.
Tang Xiaosheng, smoking, replied indifferently, "Continue."
The man gathered his thoughts, "Guan Libing still has an old mother, right? We could use her as leverage, make him confess."
Tang Xiaosheng raised his eyebrows, seemingly intrigued.
"Scarface, I don’t think this will work. We’ve dealt with Guan Libing before, that kid is stubborn. He’s practically a goner now. If we lay hands on his mother, it might backfire. He could become desperate and blabber nonsense in court, which would be troublesome."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaosheng, who was swaying earlier, found the argument quite persuasive.
Guan Libing, awaiting trial in detention, must be in constant angst, completely unaware of the usury issue. The only reason the public knows about him is because of the damned media stirring things up.
If they approached Guan Libing now, wouldn’t it be asking for trouble?
Focusing on the female lawyer was still the right move.
As long as they convinced the female lawyer to "slack off", letting the court rightly sentence Guan Libing to death would wrap up everything nicely.
"Ah Can’s right, we can’t have any contact with Guan. Tell me, how do we deal with that female lawyer?"
Tang Xiaosheng set the tone.
"Scarface, how about we talk to her again? Maybe she thought the money yesterday was too little." Someone suggested.
"How much would be enough then? From her demeanor yesterday, she clearly isn’t interested in talking with us. Scarface, I don’t think playing it soft will work."
Before Tang Xiaosheng could emphasize again, someone already reminded, "Scarface said we’re in Capital City, we can’t do anything rash."
"I didn’t say to be rash."
The man called Ah Can calmly said, "Scarface, we’re only two days from the trial, we don’t have much time. If there’s any hiccup in court, if Guan Libing doesn’t end up dead, we might not be able to explain it to Dragon."
Clutching his cigarette, Tang Xiaosheng’s naturally intimidating Scarface was shrouded in wafts of smoke, "Share your thoughts."
"Being brutal is definitely not an option, but we can go for a middle ground. Like preventing the lawyer from showing up in court. Without a lawyer, that kid Guan Libing is sure to face the death penalty."
"This idea isn’t bad!"
A spark of realization shined in their eyes upon hearing this, and everyone began chiming in with ideas: "Scarface, we could arrange an ’accident’ for her, like a car crash."
This kind of tactic was undoubtedly their forte, but Tang Xiaosheng’s eyes flickered, and his brow still furrowed involuntarily.
The admonishments of Dragon lingered in his mind.
"No, we can’t be too extreme."
Tang Xiaosheng slowly shook his head.
"I agree with Scarface too. Our goal is just to keep her from showing up in court. That alone achieves our objective. The smaller the impact, the better."
Ah Can’s gaze became pensive, "Scarface, I think we can hold her under house arrest until the verdict is out and release her then. Even if she causes trouble afterward, at most it’s unlawful confinement, not a big deal."
"Good thinking, Ah Can, you’re sharp!"
Ah Can smiled as if it was nothing major.
"This method is sound."
Tang Xiaosheng also looked at Ah Can appreciatively, nodded, and then tossed away his cigarette butt, "Learn this, guys—in this day and age, always use your brains for everything, don’t just resort to violence."
"Ah Can, when do you think is the best time to make a move? How about on the day of the trial?"
"Scarface, I think acting on that day is too obvious. The best time would be tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? If we do it then and the woman can’t be contacted, won’t they replace Guan Libing’s lawyer?"
Someone voiced a concern.