Wu Min was somewhat surprised. The Jin Zhong Lawyer's Firm? This was a renowned law firm in Zhonghai, known for exclusively providing legal consultancy to the wealthy elites. How could they know that guy? Could there be a mistake? Wu Min could hardly believe it.
Lawyer Han quickly dispelled Wu Min's sliver of hope, "No mistake, my client is indeed Zhang Ziwen." Then he turned his head towards Zhang Ziwen who was sitting on the specially designed chair and asked: "You are Mr. Zhang Ziwen, right?"
Zhang Ziwen nodded his head, unable to fully comprehend the situation at hand.
Upon noticing that Zhang Ziwen was handcuffed behind him, Lawyer Han frowned and addressed Wu Min, "Officer, it appears you're not treating my client very kindly. How come he is still cuffed in the interrogation room?
"....um....We suspect that he has a strong propensity for violence, it's just a precaution." Wu Min responded quickly, proving her worth as a senior inspector.
"Suspect?" Lawyer Han shook his head, "Now I suspect that you're abusing my client, with hints of torture and forced confession. I reserve the right to lodge a complaint regarding this."
Lawyer Han continued in a serious tone, "Now, please uncuff my client immediately."
Wu Min and Little Flat Head exchanged glances and both thought that lawyers from Jin Zhong indeed had sharp tongues.
Wu Min signaled Little Flat Head to uncuff Zhang Ziwen. It would be extremely troublesome if they faced a lawyer's complaint. No matter how reluctant Wu Min was, she did not wish to invite trouble.
Seeing Wu Min's cooperation, Lawyer Han nodded and said, "Now I want to bail my client out, from now on, I will answer all the questions regarding my client."
"What? You want to bail him out? No, absolutely not." Wu Min refused outright without any consideration.
"I'm sorry, but because I suspect you're attempting to coerce a confession out of my client, I must bail him out." Lawyer Han's words were sharp and decisive, "Moreover, if the marks where the cuffs were applied on my client's wrist are deep, I will take photos as evidence for future court proceedings."
"Do whatever you want, the bottom line is, I can't let you bail Zhang Ziwen out." Wu Min became heated and refused to give in to Lawyer Han.
Lawyer Han was unfazed, calmly saying, "Alright then, since you are not in charge, I demand to see your superior."
"It won't make a difference seeing my superior, if I say he can't be released on bail, then he can't be." Wu Min was resolute.
Seeing the situation about to worsen, Little Flat Head lightly touched Wu Min, signaling her to remain calm. Offending a lawyer would lead to significant trouble.
Ignoring Wu Min's attitude, Lawyer Han took out a camera from his briefcase and began to photograph Zhang Ziwen's wrists. Zhang Ziwen cooperated fully, raising his hands to show yesterday's cuff marks, the two purple-red traces very clear.
At this moment, the iron door chimed again, and a chubby cop walked in. Seeing the rank insignia on his shoulder, it was clear that he was a high-ranking officer.
"Inspector Chen...." Wu Min and Little Flat Head greeted the man as he walked in.
So this is the Inspector, Zhang Ziwen thought, wondering if Lawyer Han could manage to handle this Inspector.
The chubby Inspector nodded at Wu Min and her partner, noting Lawyer Han taking photos of Zhang Ziwen's injuries, and broke into laughter, "Ah, Lawyer Han, you should have come and sat down in my office. What are you doing taking photos?" Judging by his tone, he seemed to be on familiar terms with Lawyer Han.
Lawyer Han replied with a smile, "I had no choice, I am afraid my client may get mistreated by you. As a lawyer, I have to answer to my assigner.
"Mistreat?" The chubby Inspector shook his head and said seriously, "Impossible. I guarantee such incidents would never occur under my jurisdiction. This must be a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? Old Chen, take a look for yourself." Lawyer Han raised Zhang Ziwen's hand towards the chubby Inspector. The traces of blood were very apparent, visible at first glance.
"Oh dear, how could you be so careless?" Inspector Chen reprimanded Wu Min and her partner, "Haven't I told you to be careful when cuffing suspects? Now what's this mark here?"
Following their superiors' reprimand, all Wu Min and Little Flat Head could do was silently accept the criticism, displaying an attitude of willingness to learn.
After reprimanding his subordinates, Inspector Chen laughed nervously and said to Lawyer Han, "See? I have admonished them. There's really no need for to drag this out right? It's just a misunderstanding."
Lawyer Han frowned and pondered, "But....without securing his bail....I'm really not at ease."
"Bail? No problem, isn't it just bail? I'll get the procedure done for you right away." The rotund police inspector answered heartily.
Zhang Ziwen was relieved to hear that he could be bailed out. He didn't understand why a lawyer was involved, but it was certainly better than staying in this hellhole.
Wu Min was upset when her superior agreed to Lawyer Han's request to bail out Zhang Ziwen. She desperately tried to stop him: "Inspector Chen....."
The rotund police inspector waved his chubby hand, interrupting what she was about to say.
Since the rotund police inspector agreed to the bail, matters were resolved quickly. Little Flat Head released Zhang Ziwen from the custom-made chair, and Lawyer Han put away his camera.
Zhang Ziwen saw Lawyer Han put away his camera quite cheerily. He couldn't help but wonder: was there any film in the camera?
He was escorted into the police station but was personally released by the inspector who even apologized to him. Zhang Ziwen felt as if he was dreaming. Seeing Wu Min's angry face, he couldn't help but provocatively lift his head, looking smug. This made the beautiful female inspector grit her teeth in anger, almost biting through her soft lips.
Lawyer Han's car was impressive, a BMW 5 series. Zhang Ziwen leaned back on the comfortable leather seat, looking at Han with a face full of questions, but said nothing.
Lawyer Han looked at him and smiled: "Where do you live? I'll give you a lift."
Zhang Ziwen gave his address and looked at him, waiting for him to reveal the answers.
Han gave him a helpless look: "Don't stare at me. I promised my client confidentiality and that's a basic ethical obligation as a lawyer. You won't get anything out of me." He smiled again, adding, "But don't worry, my client has no ill intentions towards you. They just want to help."
Zhang Ziwen didn't bother to question him further since he'd eventually find out who the client was. It's just a matter of time. And anyway, it seemed to be beneficial to him. At the very least, he didn't have to stay at the police station. Considering this, he felt justified to close his eyes and rest.
The journey was quiet, and in less than half an hour, the BMW entered the peaceful neighborhood. Lawyer Han nudged Zhang Ziwen, who had drifted off in the passenger seat, indicating that they had arrived home.
Returning to his own home gave Zhang Ziwen a warm feeling. Although the room was small and slightly messy, it was his private sanctuary.
Seeing the familiar bed, Zhang Ziwen couldn't be bothered to take a bath before flinging himself onto it. Lying on the soft and comfortable bed, Zhang Ziwen lit up a cigarette, took a satisfying puff, and exhaled with a sense of happiness.
"Ring ring...." An annoying phone call woke up a dreaming Zhang Ziwen. He squinted his sleepy eyes and noticed the room was lit by sun rays coming through the window, indicating that it was already daylight.
"Hello...who is it..." Zhang Ziwen's voice was groggy, he was still half asleep.
"Scoundrel! Where were you yesterday? You didn't pick up your calls nor did you answer your mobile..."
Zhang Ziwen held the phone a little away from his ear, frowning. The only person who had the audacity to yell at him like that was his cousin, He Li.
After waiting for He Li to finish ranting, Zhang Ziwen laughed and tentatively asked: "Big sister, do you need something from me this early in the morning?"
"Nonsense! If I didn't need anything I wouldn't be calling you. Come to me now!"
"...Can't you come here instead? It's really inconvenient for me to go there." Zhang Ziwen hesitated.
"Are you looking for trouble...Get over here now, and be here within an hour. Dare not to come and see what happens." As soon as the words landed, there was a "click" and the call was ended.
Zhang Ziwen held the receiver and gave a wry smile. He didn't dare not go even if he wanted to. When his cousin gets angry, he wouldn't have a moment's peace.
He took a quick shower in the bathroom, arranged himself and left his apartment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I once dealt with a lawyer. Honestly, I suppose I probably encountered a bad one. The guy was really terrible!