After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 12

Classes at Hong Kong University aren’t too demanding. Major lectures are two to three hours, and tutorials are one hour. Except for Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays are usually half-day classes. In special circumstances, like internships or exchanges, you can reduce your courses, but you still have to meet the credit requirements.

Ming Si’an is in a special situation. Law students usually start interning in their third year, but she started in her second. Her internship is at a He-affiliated law firm, and so many teachers at her school are connected to the He family that it’s easy to reduce her course load.

Therefore, she can work full-time at Anling two days a week. On half-day class days, she still has to work for the other half. Anling Law Firm has her class schedule.

She has no time to think. She’s busy from morning to night with classes, work, and her part-time job. She just hopes that when she gets her paycheck, it will bring her some joy.

Ms. Chen calls and texts her like a maniac whenever she has time. It’s a good thing she set her phone to do not disturb. The original character didn’t give Ms. Chen her new number after moving to Hong Kong, otherwise, she’d never have a moment of peace.

The name Anling Law Firm has a nice meaning.

As soon as Ming Si’an arrived at the firm, she noticed that everyone looked serious, as if they were facing a big enemy. What happened?

Just then, Huo Qi walked out. “You’re here. Did you handle the email I sent you yesterday?”

Ming Si’an nodded. “Team Leader, I’ll send it to you in a moment.”

Just because she wasn’t at the office didn’t mean she wasn’t working. She did just as much work online as she did in person. And ever since she drafted that document and sent it to He Yiling, she’s been given even more work.

However, Anling Law Firm was paying her, a second-year student, a high salary, so she couldn’t complain.

After she sat down at her desk and sent the file to Huo Qi, Huo Qi received it. In the same office, she could see Huo Qi quickly scanning the document before closing her laptop. “Ming Si’an, come to the meeting with me.”

“Okay, Team Leader.”

She was just an intern, but she was going to a meeting with so many full-time employees. It seemed her recent work had impressed her superiors.

As she followed Huo Qi, Huo Qi quickly explained the meeting’s content. “You’re familiar with Ms. Aileen’s property division case. In the meeting, just talk about what you’ve written.”

She was familiar with the detailed property list, the source, ownership, proof of contribution, debts, and other evidence. She had also drafted the legal document, so it was only natural for her to attend the meeting.

When she got to the office, she realized it was just the two of them.

“Team Leader, just us?”

“Wait a moment.”

Ten minutes later, He Yiling walked in with a woman in her forties with wavy hair.

Huo Qi quickly stood up, ready to remind Ming Si’an, when she saw that she had already walked over and opened the door.

Huo Qi looked at Ming Si’an with a hint of surprise. This kind of initiative didn’t seem like an intern’s.

It was a habit. When Ming Si’an ran her own studio, she did everything herself, from pouring water to serving tea. Opening a door was nothing. She was a lawyer who specialized in protecting the rights of women and workers. Most of her clients were vulnerable individuals. Her attitude as a lawyer, and whether she was down-to-earth, could build trust with her clients.

Whether it was at a top firm or a small-town studio, etiquette was essential when dealing with clients.

The woman who walked in with He Yiling was clearly a client. It was obvious from her expression when she spoke.

The woman looked at Ming Si’an and chuckled. “The lawyers at Anling are quite young.”

He Yiling walked straight to the head of the table. “Young lawyers wouldn’t be able to handle Ms. Aileen’s case.”

The smile on Aileen’s face froze for a moment. “My lawyer is you, and my stepson’s lawyer is He Chenzhang. No matter who wins or loses, the legal fees will still go to your He family.”

“It’s not too late for Ms. Aileen to change her lawyer.”

He Yiling’s attitude towards Aileen was not good, and it was even a little aggressive.

Based on the information she had, Ming Si’an knew Aileen’s identity and the lawsuit she was fighting. From the case, the result Aileen wanted, and the evidence related to the case, she could roughly figure out her personality. This was her unique method of analysis.

Aileen was very aggressive. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten to where she was today. But when it came to negotiations and lawsuits, He Yiling was a professional. She would not allow the other party to tell her what to do in her field of expertise.

Aileen suddenly smiled. “Lawyer He, you’re being too serious. Since I chose your firm, I naturally trust it.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Aileen didn’t get the upper hand in this round, so she decided to start the meeting.

Huo Qi looked at He Yiling. When she saw her nod, she tapped Ming Si’an on the arm.

Ming Si’an stood up and opened the PPT. “Lawyer He, Ms. Aileen.”

After a simple greeting, she began to talk about the content of the PPT. “This case is different from a traditional property division case. Ms. Aileen is nominally Mr. Liang’s wife, but you two are not legally married. You have a daughter. Liang Feng is Mr. Liang’s illegitimate son, but Mr. Liang has been cremated, so we can’t directly prove their blood relationship. We can only indirectly prove it. Mr. Liang’s parents have passed away, and he has no siblings. The only person who can indirectly prove his blood relationship with Mr. Liang is your daughter.”

Hong Kong does not recognize common-law marriage, even though Aileen and Mr. Liang have been together for twenty years.

“The birth registration information for Liang Feng from back then can’t confirm if Mr. Liang was the one who registered him. The correspondence, emails, and testimonies from relatives and friends could all prove the relationship between Liang Feng and Mr. Liang.”

However, they still couldn’t check Mr. Liang’s chat history to see if he had admitted that Liang Feng was his son.

Furthermore, Mr. Liang and Liang Feng did have financial interactions, even though it wasn’t explicitly stated that it was child support. He would send him a fixed amount of 100,000 every month.

Ming Si’an continued to explain the case. She was very skilled at speaking, clearly outlining both their strong points and their opponent’s.

Mr. Liang’s electronic devices were in Aileen’s hands, but she refused to submit the relevant evidence. It was clear that she didn’t trust the law firm.

This was why He Yiling was being so sharp with Aileen. The client’s attitude dictated her attitude.

As Ming Si’an spoke, He Yiling’s gaze lingered on her lips. A sweet and bitter scent of cherry rum seemed to be in the air. Was Ming Si’an releasing her pheromones? She cautiously glanced at the other two people. They didn’t have any reaction.

Ming Si’an was working very seriously, and her ability was stronger than she had imagined. She thought she had already overestimated Ming Si’an’s ability.

What a surprise.

But they were at least two meters apart, and Ming Si’an wasn’t releasing her pheromones. Her pheromone patch was also still on.

He Yiling frowned. She listened to the entire process without showing any emotion. What Ming Si’an had written was flawless and even impressive, making people have to look at her in a new light.

Aileen’s eyes were full of admiration. “Lawyer He, you have a lot of talented people working for you.”

“Ms. Aileen, you’re too kind. I hope you will seriously consider handing over all the evidence to me.”

He Yiling didn’t want to say anything more. With the current evidence, their chances of winning were not high, but the other party’s chances weren’t either. But as long as the other party had evidence to prove their relationship with Mr. Liang, Aileen would have to give up her share of the property. In Hong Kong, illegitimate children, or non-marital children, have the same rights as legitimate children.

Aileen’s tone was cold. “Lawyer He, my request is simple. The property must be mine. Liang Feng can’t get a single cent. Just handle the case the way I want it to.”

This was why He Yiling was at odds with Aileen. Aileen wanted to control the case, and there was no way He Yiling would agree to that.

After seeing Aileen off, the meeting room fell into a brief silence.

Huo Qi opened a bottle of water and said with annoyance, “She’s hiding too many things, but she still wants to tell us how to handle the case. Do we really want to take this case?”

He Yiling pushed her phone over. “It’s in the news.”

She clicked on a video about the case. The report downplayed the Liang family’s property division and focused on the headline: [The He siblings will face off in the Liang case. Who will come out on top?]

The Liang family’s property dispute had become a showdown between the He siblings. The headline was clearly malicious.

Huo Qi frowned. “Someone is deliberately stirring up public opinion. Is it He Chenzhang?”

“I think it’s Aileen,” Ming Si’an, who had been quietly drinking water, suddenly said, grabbing their attention. “By turning the case into an internal He family conflict, she can escape. Maybe what she wanted from the start wasn’t to win, but to divert attention and buy time.”

She looked up at He Yiling. He Yiling slowly opened her mouth. “The Liang company is bankrupt. The Aileen company is rising. Even if Liang Feng wins, all he’ll get is an empty shell and debt.”

“So for Aileen, winning or losing the case isn’t important. All she needs is time to transfer the assets. And if she loses the case, it doesn’t matter to her if Anling’s reputation is tarnished and if people say Lawyer He is not as good as He Chenzhang.”

The two of them, in unison, voiced Aileen’s plan. Huo Qi looked at them in shock. “When did you two build this kind of rapport?”

And they said they didn’t sleep together!

He Yiling & Ming Si’an: “…” They really didn’t want to say anything.

Author’s Note

Ming Si’an: I have no rapport with her.

He Yiling: I didn’t sleep with her!