The Master's Mask Unveiled Again

Chapter 370: Chapter 369: The casualness spoken of by a deity is not the same as that spoken of by a mortal!

However, his protest didn’t elicit a single glance from Xiao Qimo. Mo Si silently sighed and ultimately resigned himself to thinking that it must have been because he hadn’t taken a shower the day before, and Mo Ye, with his obsession for cleanliness, despised him for it.

After consoling himself, he remembered the pressing matter at hand and hurriedly stepped forward to report, “Master, Mo Nie encountered a bit of trouble in F Continent.”

“Him?” Xiao Qimo’s expression seemed as if he was pondering who this person was and why he had gone to F Continent.

Mo Si gave a succinct explanation and then concluded with a serious and shocked tone, “In the end, it was Miss Lu who resolved the issue!”

He eagerly anticipated seeing his master share his shock.

However, after waiting a long time, he couldn’t discern any change in Mo Ye’s emotions, only catching a fleeting glimpse of confusion that quickly vanished.

Xiao Qimo, looking at Lu Mian, mimicked her earlier tone, “You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing.”

The two of them left side by side.

Mo Si scratched his head from behind: Mo Ye is Mo Ye indeed, such remarkable mental composure!

But Master, your subordinate still has even more explosive news to tell you!

Yet your subordinate doesn’t quite dare to speak…

If you would protect your subordinate, then your subordinate might take the risk and tell you this sensational news…

——

Criminal Investigation Bureau lobby entrance.

Qiong Can, who had come downstairs first, happened to meet Sheng Zijin, Gu Jingyi, and Wa Zhiqi as they arrived.

He was merely polite to Sheng Zijin, but he treated Wa Zhiqi with both respect and flattery, greeting them from afar.

Sheng Zijin returned a slight smile, her demure and graceful demeanor laced with an air of unapproachable distance.

She was there today to see the outcomes with Gu Jingyi and was thinking that after this negotiation, they should successfully suppress Lu Mian, allowing her to naturally bring up the matter of transferring Lu Mian to another school.

It was necessary to show Lu Mian a bit of color.

Although she didn’t wholly agree with her grandfather’s command, she had no other choice but to carry it out.

Now that she had run into Qiong Can, she felt more confident about the pace of the negotiations, guessing that they must be proceeding smoothly. Yet when her gaze swept over Qiong Can’s complexion, she noticed his mood seemed quite heavy, which made her frown with a sudden sense of unease.

Gu Jingyi, with her hair in twin ponytails, looked much better; her bruised skin had returned to its normal color. As she followed Sheng Zijin into the building, she looked up, naively asking, “Sister Zijin, is there a problem with Lawyer Qiong?”

“There shouldn’t be.” Sheng Zijin replied, comforting her, “The capabilities of Lawyer Qiong Can are beyond question; he’s known as the lawyer with a zero loss record. Even intentional murderers have been argued down to accidental injury by him. Lu Mian only hired that Director Qi as her lawyer, how could an amateur compare with a professional?”

“Besides, we have Captain Wa overseeing everything here; no one can pull anything off under his watch.”

Gu Jingyi nodded, not saying much.

Wa Zhiqi, with his dark circles, squinted, not quite agreeing.

He was just here on a business trip, casually taking on a supervisory role.

Qiong Can approached the trio with a forced smile.

“Captain Wa, Miss Sheng, Miss Gu.”

Sheng Zijin gestured dismissively, speaking indifferently, “Lawyer Qiong, is everything taken care of?”

Qiong Can’s face showed embarrassment as he recalled the negotiation with the unprofessional-looking Lawyer Qi, which had left him sweating profusely.

He prided himself on his thorough knowledge of the law and countless cases, and he thought he could easily win this round. But to his surprise, the opposition gave him no opportunity, as after presenting evidence, they tightly and eloquently rebutted all his accusations.

Strength and weakness were apparent the moment one spoke.

He was exhausted from fending off the random legal provisions and well-researched references the other side spouted, ultimately unable to resist and suffering a complete defeat.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sheng…” Qiong Can hung his head.

As soon as he said this, Sheng Zijin understood what he meant and incredulously asked, “You lost to him? How could you lose?”

“This…” Who would have known that the evidence they casually produced wasn’t as insignificant as he had assumed…

“They presented surveillance video,” he said, shaking his head. “Miss Sheng, I was simply outmatched.”

Not only did this statement slap his own face, but it also slapped Sheng Zijin’s face, since she had never taken Director Qi seriously from the beginning and had even doubted his qualifications as a lawyer, seeing no possibility for him to win.

But, unexpectedly, Lu Mian had won.

They hadn’t even reached the step of going to court, yet their side had completely crumbled, not even faring well in the first battle.

Qiong Can kept wiping the sweat from his forehead; despite the cold weather, he was still sweating profusely, clearly showing he was shocked. Gu Jingyi had been listening calmly all along, only her gaze changed slightly when she heard about the surveillance video.

Sheng Zijin still couldn’t accept it, and her voice rose a notch.

“Lawyer Qiong, you’re the lawyer who has never lost a case, those exorbitant legal fees…”

As Sheng Zijin said this, Lu Mian and Xiao Qimo happened to be walking down the central staircase.

Legal fees?

When Lu Mian heard these three words, she turned her head while stepping down, and seriously asked Xiao Qimo, “Director Qi, what do you charge?”

“Charge?” Xiao Qimo’s lips thinned, “How about giving one or two hundred?”

“Hmm… is that enough?” She doubted it was anywhere near reasonable.

Xiao Qimo humbly replied, “It’s enough. After all, you’re my first client.”

“…”

Qiong Can, on hearing this, became completely numb.

A casual exam… a casual acceptance of a client… A god’s idea of ‘casual’ is utterly different from that of mere mortals!

And still, even for a first client, a fee of one or two hundred was outrageously cheap. His hourly rate already exceeded a thousand, and for a lawyer like Qi, the fees should be well into the six figures!

Sheng Zijin was quite perturbed at the moment, having never considered the possibility of defeat; hence she had no fallback plan prepared.

Seeing Lu Mian and Xiao Qimo again only complicated her emotions further.

Meanwhile, Wa Zhiqi, who had been disinterested all this while, suddenly looked spirited upon seeing the person descending the stairs.

His eyes landed on Xiao Qimo with complexity.

Sheng Zijin gritted her teeth, realizing she might need to call in some favors this time.

She turned to look at Wa Zhiqi, “Captain Wa, as you can see, this matter can’t be handled this way. If just a few eloquent words are enough to clear away all suspicions, then what’s the need for the police? What do you think?”

She hoped Wa Zhiqi would take her side.

“I hope you will uphold justice. This matter should be dealt with as it ought to be! They shouldn’t be allowed to overshadow everything with just a few words!” she said with conviction, but Wa Zhiqi had no patience to listen and waved her off, striding purposefully towards Xiao Qimo.

Sheng Zijin raised her hand, looking in surprise as he walked towards the other side.

Xiao Qimo and Lu Mian were just coming down the stairs.

Mo Si, who was trailing behind, unexpectedly saw Wa Zhiqi, and greeted him with a wave, “Captain Wa, what brings you here?”