Chapter 100: The Annual Spectacle

Breaking the silence, Yang Meng clapped his hands and said, “Speaking of which, Officer Liu, Wang Xin Nuan really does look a lot like you! What’s this all about? Has Old Wang next door had Old Liu from next door steal his thunder? This gossip is quite something! Lawyer Wang, did you capture this on camera? It seems like misconduct among public officials in romantic matters is a big deal, right?”

Wang Zhihao nodded. “I think the most unfortunate person here might be Mr. Wang. If it’s confirmed that Miss Wang isn’t his biological daughter, that’s nearly twenty years of raising someone else’s child. As a legal professional, I advise him to get a DNA test first. If the results show she’s not his biological daughter, he can file a lawsuit against Officer Liu and his wife. Hmm, for that case, feel free to contact me—I’d say the chances of winning are nearly a hundred percent.”

Yang Meng laughed. “Lawyer Wang, one should be kind. Don’t rub salt in someone’s wound! Uh, Officer Liu, my phone is on twenty-four-seven. Whenever you need me to cooperate with the investigation, just call. I’ll be there in a flash. Let’s go, Secretary Duan, Lawyer Wang; let’s grab a drink. No point standing here watching people’s misfortune!”

Duan Bowen quickly nodded. “Alright, alright, let’s go for drinks. This whole thing is way too melodramatic… But now that you mention it, I really do think Miss Wang looks a lot like Officer Liu.”

Yang Meng chuckled. Duan Bowen wasn’t as innocent as he appeared; the guy wasn’t exactly kind-hearted—he had to deliver a parting jab before leaving.

Wang Shouzhi’s eyes widened as he scrutinized Liu Heping, making the latter uneasy. “Wang… Brother Wang, my wife was just speaking out of panic earlier!”

Zhang Yunfang chimed in, “Exactly, exactly, I was just angry! It’s all because of that little bastard!” She even pointed at Yang Meng, who was preparing to leave.

“That’s enough!” Wang Shouzhi suddenly shouted.

Zhang Yunfang was startled. “You… you dare yell at me?”

They had been married for so long, and Wang Shouzhi had never once seen Zhang Yunfang lose her temper.

But now, Wang Shouzhi seemed like a different man. Even a lump of clay can have a spark of fire—especially after something like this happened.

Without looking at Zhang Yunfang, he swiftly approached Wang Zhihao, blocking him as he was about to get into his car. “Lawyer friend, what should I do now?”

Wang Zhihao handed him a business card casually. “This is my law firm’s number. Your case isn’t hard; any lawyer there can help you solve it.”

Seeing Wang Shouzhi ask for the card, Zhang Yunfang suddenly pointed at him. “Wang! Don’t think I don’t know about your affairs outside! And now you have the nerve to lecture me? This mess will ruin us both!”

“Shut up! I didn’t force you to raise someone else’s child all these years!” Wang Shouzhi snapped angrily.

“You… what are you saying? Nuan Nuan is your child…” Zhang Yunfang tried to argue.

“Let’s wait for the DNA results,” Wang Shouzhi said firmly.

Nearby, Duan Bowen said, “Brother Yang, get in the car! Weren’t we going for a couple of drinks and a chat?”

Yang Meng replied, “This storyline is too thrilling. I’m waiting to follow the next episode.”

Duan Bowen laughed. “Alright, Secretary Wang and Lawyer Wang will keep an eye on this. After all, this case concerns you too, doesn’t it?”

Wang Zhihao said, “I’ll be tracking how things unfold.”

Yang Meng whistled. “Make sure to keep me posted on this spectacular drama!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” the three joked as they got into the car and drove off.

“Secretary Duan! Lawyer Wang!” Only after their car left did Liu Heping come back to his senses. It was too late to chase after them.

What Lawyer Wang said was terrifying: he intended to follow up on this case. What did that mean? That he wouldn’t let it drop? How could he keep this under wraps? It meant a relentless fight to the very end.

But Yang Meng and the others had already lost interest.

They happily drank and chatted for quite a while.

Wang Zhihao couldn’t understand why the Long family treated this young man with such respect. He had investigated Yang Meng—just an ordinary laborer.

But he wasn’t foolish. If the Longs treated him with such courtesy, it had to be because the young man knew something unknown to them. So he spared no effort to help Yang Meng.

Currently, Yang Meng was involved in two cases, both of which entrusted Wang Zhihao as their legal representative.

The stolen motorcycle case was a mixed bag—complicated yet straightforward.

According to the law, anyone over sixteen bears criminal responsibility. So Yang Meng insisted on fighting them to the bitter end? No good would come of it.

But sentencing standards were tricky because of a complex factor:

These kids had been stealing motorcycles for years, some starting as young as thirteen or fourteen.

The law didn’t count criminal liability for ages fourteen to sixteen, and thefts during that period weren’t counted in this case. That’s why the trial hadn’t started yet: they needed to determine whether the motorcycles were stolen before or after the thieves turned sixteen.

In any case, they were unlucky: the bike Yang Meng had stolen was worth enough to qualify as a “huge amount,” and the multiple thefts counted as “serious circumstances,” meaning they could face three to seven years in prison.

Now, the parents of these thieves were stalling. On one hand, they tried to claim their children were coerced into stealing to reduce charges; on the other, they tried to devalue Yang Meng’s motorcycle by petitioning relevant departments to appraise it lower—because the cheaper the bike, the lighter the sentence for their kids.

It was a battlefield of tactics among the families of the thieves.

But Wang Zhihao was confident. Yang Meng’s motorcycle had a clear value, and it had been transferred less than ten days ago. How could they devalue it? He was fully prepared to face the lawsuit.

As for the accusation of Yang Meng being a victim of sexual assault? That was a farce—no need to take it seriously.

Besides, the Wang family’s own mess was enough to give everyone headaches.

However, Duan Bowen brought some bad news to Yang Meng.

The training institution where Liu Zhaoting worked was, in fact, a foreign-funded organization. All its paperwork was legitimate. Trying to cause trouble would be difficult.

Just as Liu Zhaoting had said in her lecture, the institution was backed by the Nyx family from the Balkans! The registrant was a woman named Phylotes!

Duan Bowen’s skills were no joke—he had already dug up the basic information on Phylotes.

After reading the dossier Duan Bowen gave him, Yang Meng nearly got scared: Phylotes was a genuine countess, related to the royal family of the British Empire. Although the title was honorary now, it proved she was a true aristocrat!

Her background was impressive: a philanthropist, dedicated to advancing women’s status, fluent in seven languages, and holding multiple doctoral degrees!

Her seven doctorates covered an astonishing range: literature, engineering, education, dentistry, music and arts, orthopedics, and social sciences—all from prestigious universities.

The file didn’t reveal Phylotes’ age, but earning seven doctorates would put her at least in her forties or fifties. Yet photos in news reports made her look like she was in her twenties!

The woman really knew how to maintain herself!

Besides her doctorates, she was an outstanding architectural designer, having won the World Designer Award twice. The women’s brand she founded spared no effort to empty every woman’s or their men’s wallets, while bringing her a steady stream of wealth...

This woman seemed more like an heir than an ordinary person.

Yang Meng felt he had seriously underestimated the world’s heroes.

The only consolation was that seven doctorates weren’t that many—after all, Master Hu Shih earned 35 in his lifetime. Compared to that, she still had a ways to go.

Forget it—no more self-comfort. The more he comforted himself, the more he wanted to cry.

How could the gap between people be so vast?

Holding the file, Yang Meng turned to Duan Bowen. “Secretary Duan, I’m uneducated and inexperienced. Tell me, what’s the meaning of having such a formidable woman running a training institution in our country? Please don’t tell me she’s just here to make money; I wouldn’t believe it even if you killed me! And don’t say it’s about ‘internationalism’; might as well just stab me.”

Duan Bowen smiled wryly. “I can’t figure it out either. If she just wanted to make money here, why not do something easier? This training is thankless. She probably makes more selling perfume. Plus, it’s easy to stir controversy. After thinking it over, the only explanation I have is that she’s been working on advancing women’s status all these years. Maybe that’s her goal?”

“Bah!” Yang Meng cursed. “Is what they teach really about empowering women? That women’s status improves by marrying into wealthy families? That’s nonsense! I don’t care if she’s fooling others, but if she’s fooling my friend, I’ll have a serious word with her! Secretary Duan, can we make things difficult for her?”

Duan Bowen considered it. “Only two options: first, challenge their instructors’ qualifications; second, expose their training content to spark public debate and hinder their growth. But shutting them down outright will be very difficult. Lawyer Wang, don’t stay silent—what’s your take?”

“Me?” Wang Zhihao, who had been quietly listening, sounded surprised. “Uh, I’m a lawyer, so I care about evidence. I don’t understand what you’re saying either, so I won’t comment. But one thing puzzles me: why would her parents name her ‘Phylotes’?”

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