When Qiao was asked, he was more stunned than Gu Yan: "What do you mean? Why can't I come?"
He turned his head to look at the brightly lit manor-style hotel, and said in confusion, "The letter from your law firm."
Gu Yan: "A letter from the Southern Cross?"
He does not have a strong sense of belonging to Southern Cross Law Firm, only a simple concept of cooperation. I haven't changed places for many years, and it's just because I'm friends with Secretary Adams.
So the closer he is to people, the less he calls the Southern Cross "our place", and he calls it by his first name.
Of course Joe knew this. He was just stunned just now, but now he changed his mind and said, "Yes, the partner surnamed Gao at Southern Cross told me. You are so surprised... The notice is different?"
Yan Suizhi said, "I always said it was an internal reception. Interns are welcome, but it was changed temporarily?"
Gu Yan asked, "When did you receive the letter?"
"A few days ago," Joe said, "I thought you must have made excuses to avoid Mr. Gao before, so I rejected Mr. Gao. I just found out last night that the two of you were coming too, so I changed my mind, and came here to surprise you without saying a word. Now it seems that there are only surprises and no surprises!"
Young Master Qiao complained half-truth, and turned his head to pat Ke Jin very naturally, "Really?"
Ke Jin's attention was a little distracted. After listening to his words, it took a long time for him to react. His black and white eyes slowly turned.
Qiao was always very patient with him. When he met Ke Jin's gaze, he laughed and said to Gu Yan, "Look, he agrees."
Gu Yan looked helpless.
"Who else do you know?" he asked again.
"I heard the news that your partner is celebrating his birthday soon, and decided to be lively. Of course, I think his main purpose is to expand the relationship network of a few consortium families. So... Manson, Ba There's definitely going to be degrees, Cliffs, and stuff like that, oh, and the free-spirited type like me."
Qiao listed a few roughly, and then said, "It seems that the internal and external notifications are different. No wonder, I just said how could you attend this kind of party, I feel bored."
The news of the two parties is on the line, whether it is Yan Suizhi, Gu Yan, or Qiao, there is a lack of interest.
"I hate being cheated," Joe said. "Or just don't go in there and let's--"
Before he finished speaking, several people came out of the hotel and greeted him with smiling faces.
They were all Southern Cross partners and business officers, and Adams was also inside, squeezing his eyes at Gu Yan several times.
As a result, I can't run if I want to.
Young Master Qiao did not shy away, hehehe smiled with a face on the grave, and was welcomed into the hotel with Yan Suizhi and the others.
There are two mountain-like twin buildings in the front and rear of the hotel, with a huge glass garden in between, and the reception is in the arranged garden.
When one of Yan Sui entered, he saw the trembling interns, huddled in front of an inconspicuous dining table in the corner, like a nest of quails.
"Ruan—" When Locke saw Yan Sui, he looked like he had seen a savior, but he didn't dare to raise his voice because of the scene, so he could only wave frantically, "Ruan—this way—"
They are more interesting than others.
So Yan Suizhi raised his hand to signal, and walked towards them.
Gu Yan glanced at the main venue and followed.
Then Master Qiao and Ke Jin...
Locke didn't expect him to be so powerful. He recruited four people in one move. He turned his head and slapped himself on the mouth secretly, "Let you scream..."
These interns have always had a good relationship with Yan Sui, but seeing Gu Yan is like a mouse meeting a cat, not to mention a stranger like Qiao who looks like a gold master's father.
"Hello, lawyer Gu, who are these two?"
The intern's eyes are pitiful, and people can't bear to see it.
Yan Suizhi turned to look at Gu Yan, Gu Yan calmly turned to look at Qiao, Qiao looked innocent.
"Forget it, let me introduce you-" Yan Suizhi couldn't help but laughed.
But just as he was about to introduce, he was robbed by Master Qiao himself, "Joe, how many seniors have you grown up. Are you all from Metz University?"
In his self-introduction, he has always only nominated his surname without mentioning his surname. He may have preferred to emphasize himself as an individual rather than the family behind him.
Locke and the others nodded quickly, "Yes, both."
This kind of self-introduction directly ignored other identities, and only said that he was a senior, which made the trembling interns relax a little.
"Oh." Qiao said, "I'm at the same level as you Lawyer Gu, but I'm a few years older than you. Strictly speaking, Lawyer Gu wants to call my brother. You can decide what you call it."
Gu Yan: "..."
Intern: "… "
Yan Suizhi was very surprised. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, he hooked Gu Yan's fingers with his downed hand, "Qiao is actually older than you?"
He always thought that the two were of the same age, and even because of their personality, he always felt that Gu Yan was older.
For this kind of small action, lawyer Gu is very useful.
But he hadn't answered anything yet. Master Qiao had already heard the key words, and answered with sharp ears: "Yes, I don't know? I'm older than him, but after a few grades, I'll become the same class. already."
He said this kind of thing very calmly, and instantly made the interns feel cordial.
"Are you also from the law school?" Phyllida looked curious, after all, the law school had never heard of this student.
"Do you look like me?"
"Uh… "
"I don't think your dean would allow a nonsense student like me in the law school." Master Qiao said confidently, "I'm not a masochist either."
"… "
There are some sticks that have the ability, and a single sentence can make everyone present, from the intern to Gu Yan to Yan Suizhi himself, all of them are spared.
When Master Qiao saw their indescribable expressions, he immediately burst into laughter, "Okay, I won't tease you any more. Let's go on, you lawyer Gu will be the first to turn your back on me."
He said and pointed to Ke Jin, his voice softened, "This is the pro-senior of your law school, the same age as Gu, surnamed Ke."
The psychiatrist who is in charge of treating Ke Jin said, don't treat him too differently, how to come here normally, it is not easy to stimulate his emotions.
But in daily life, it is actually difficult to do this. Whether it is a classmate or a friend, he will always take care of him as a special person more or less. Only Qiao has been working hard to pursue it.
As law school students, I have heard about Ke Jin, so Locke and the others are very knowledgeable and politely called the senior without asking much.
"How long have you been here?" Yan Suizhi glanced inside the garden and asked Locke.
"It's been a while."
Phyllida couldn't hold back, and whispered: "Isn't it just the people in our company? It's because I understand that there is a problem or something, how to make such a big scene, most of those people have appeared in various reports."
"I just asked quietly, and it's more than that." Anna said, "There will be another wave tomorrow."
The garden is brightly lit, with sofas, dining tables, and various entertainment facilities, which are actually no different from indoors. But the roof is all glass, and you can see the starry sky when you look up.
"It's a nice place if you ignore the buzzing fake politeness," Joe said. "I think this corner is fine. We'll just sit here and drink, do you mind girls and boys?"
The interns really liked him, and they shook their heads quickly and said with a smile, "I don't mind, I don't mind."
But obviously, this wish is not so easy to achieve.
Even if they ignore those guests, those guests will not let them go.
Some are out of polite greetings, and some are in order to get close.
In short, their corner has never been quiet, and there is an endless stream of people holding wine glasses to say hello.
The interns were desperate.
Some of them are curious about Yan Suizhi.
"What about the famous intern?"
"I heard it."
"Yeah, the Manson case."
…
This pretty much sums up a standard set of opening lines.
Gu Yan and Qiao are always the first to say hello to the people who come, one is lukewarm, the other is sloppy.
Two people can block most of the wine. Those who insisted on staying for a few words would always run into a wall here in Yan Suizhi.
The basic process is roughly like this-
"Oh, are you the intern?"
Yan Suizhi pretended to be stupid: "Who?"
"Isn't it you? The one who took the Manson case."
Yan Suizhi: "I didn't pick it up."
"Mistaken?"
"Randomly distributed by the Legal Aid Commission."
"… "
"I've heard of your performance in court, and it's very commendable."
Yan Suizhi: "Then you may need to praise my teacher more. It's basically his remote guidance."
"It's good for young people to be humble, but they don't have to be so humble. It's not just the teacher who can make a case for an intern so well."
Yan Suizhi: "Yes, it depends on modern communication."
"… "
"At least you did a great job in court and were said to be very calm."
Yan Suizhi: "It's alright, but my legs are shaking all the time. Thank you for the design of the defense bench in the court, which perfectly blocks the lower body."
"… "
"I was fortunate enough to be in the gallery, and the defense was great, and it's pretty amazing that an intern could do that."
Yan Suizhi: "Then there's no need to be surprised, it wasn't the point of defense I was looking for."
As he spoke, he turned his head and said to Gu Yan seriously, "Teacher, this gentleman is complimenting you."
"… "
This man remembered that he was still wearing the skin of an intern, and his speaking style and words were different from when he was the dean.
But it didn't make the guests happy.
While passing away, he also silently wrote down these people who were curious about him in his heart.
"My mother." Locke counted his fingers, "Who are you just now, some of our big partners, and Mr. Qin, the giant in smart metal? Cliff, the alliance uses it. 1/3 of the shuttle is his family, right? But he seems to be more inclined to freight? And that Mr. Badu, his family… What does his family do?"
"Let's get medicine." Phyllida said, "Anyway, there are all kinds of monsters."
Connecting with various industries is one of the things that alliance law firms are keen to do today.
Therefore, such a reception is understandable, but the interns can't cope with this kind of scene.
But it didn't take long for their respective teachers to come and lead them to let the big guys recognize familiar faces one by one. In the end even old-fashioned Hobbes came.
After tossing around in the hospital for several days, he finally got rid of the suspicion of infection, and took another day off at home. This is the first time he has appeared in front of everyone.
"You..." Hobbs's eyes became very complicated when he saw Gu Yan, "You actually took over the case of Shaoxing Weng."
He couldn't tell if his tone was more surprised or more mocking. How to put it, it's a bit like the senior is watching a junior who doesn't play cards according to the routine.
"Find me and I'll pick it up." Gu Yan's answer was very flat.
Hobbs glanced at Adams, who was drinking with someone not far away. "I'm even more surprised that your affairs officer agreed."
Gu Yan said: "Indeed."
Hobbs was not keen on chatting, and there was nothing to chat with Gu Yan. After listening, he squinted his eagle eyes and said, "I really can't understand what you young people think."
His eyes swept across Yan Suizhi, stopped for a moment, and then said to Locke, "Go, why come to the reception when you stay in the corner?"
Locke scratched his head embarrassingly, greeted Yan Suizhi and the others, and followed Hobbs away.
They quickly gathered around the partner surnamed Gao, and then chatted with Cliff and Badu, as if they had become a faction in just a few minutes.
"That old man still has time to laugh." Yan Suizhi looked at Hobbs over there and sighed.
Joe said, "He just smiled at me just now."
This is actually quite normal. After all, these people's right to speak is not comparable to that of ordinary people. When they get along well, there is always someone who can talk. Few people would struggle with their future, including shrewd old-fashioned Hobbes.
But it didn't take long for the gathering place to be scattered—
Someone was belatedly.
There were a group of people, at least a dozen, but most of them stopped at the gate of the garden, like a dedicated guard, standing with the security guards outside the door in twos and threes.
There were only three people who actually entered the garden, two of whom were brothers with similar facial features but completely opposite temperaments. The older one had short hair, and when he looked at people, his eyes were always swept away, with a sense of arrogance.
Coincidentally, not long ago, Yan Suizhi had a face-to-face meeting with him, in the court of Tianqin Star.
He is the eldest son of the Manson family, Brewer Manson.
The waiter greeted him with a tray, and Brewer Manson took a random glass of wine from it without looking at it. The ring on the index finger shone through the light, and there were three black diamonds and a huge K on the ring, showing a flamboyant wealth.
And half a step behind him is Milo Manson, the second son of the Manson family. His hair was longer than his brother's, and he combed it meticulously towards the back of his head, with a few strands slipping down from one side, and with his eyes, everyone seemed playful. He also picked a glass of wine when he entered the door, and before he even greeted anyone, he raised his eyebrows and took a few sips to himself. He also has an ornament similar to Brewer's, with three black diamonds holding a huge K, but instead of a ring, it's an ear stud, which is nailed to his right ear, showing a flamboyant... arrogance.
The remaining person is the assistant of the two.
"By the way, how is George Manson?"
Compared with these two, the young master of the Manson family is really... just a young master. Yan Suizhi didn't see him, so he asked Qiao.
"Should be out of the hospital in a few days," Joe said.
"It hasn't recovered yet?"
"Actually, he recovered a few days ago, but he has been silent and ignored." Qiao pouted and took a sip of wine silently.
There has not been any rumors from the outside, but Qiao learned from the inside yesterday morning that Zhao Zemu should be the one who started the attack on Young Master Manson. There can be no mistake.
After learning the news, he went to Manson's ward to let him know the results. However, after talking for a long time, he never got to the point.
In the end, it was Manson himself who suddenly looked out of the window and said, "You've never been so grumpy before."
This was the first time in so many days that Young Master Manson took the initiative to speak. Before, he was either in a daze or sleeping.
Qiao snorted, was silent for a moment, and said, "It's Zhao Zemu."
After listening to Manson, the expression on his face did not change at all, and he did not reveal the slightest surprise. He just cast his eyes out of the window again, and after a while said, "Well... I know."
"You know?" Joe was a little surprised.
But after that, Manson didn't speak again.
"I thought about it later, maybe he was paralyzed in the bathtub that day, and he didn't really get dizzy." Joe muttered in a low voice.
It was then that he suddenly understood why Manson had been so sullen after waking up, as if he had a sense of disgust at everything. Probably because he knew who did those things.
"But why? I've never figured it out."
"What did Zhao Zemu say?" Gu Yan asked.
Joe said: "On the police side, his rhetoric was because of the years when Manson was a dick, some things he did and some words made him feel very humiliated, as if the Zhao family was only worthy of carrying shoes behind Manson. In addition, there was a problem with the cooperation between the Zhao family and the Manson family some time ago, and he almost became an abandoned child. He was a little unwilling and wanted to do something to regain the attention of the two eldest sons of the Manson family, such as clearing obstacles... This kind of nonsense Whoever likes to believe it, I don't really believe it anyway."
He thought for a moment, glanced at Brewer Manson, and said, "His statement made Brewer and Milo take a day trip to the police station, but it's just a day trip, nothing else. thing."
The Manson brothers had a tough time getting in.
Because they had just stood still, most of the people at the reception had gathered around.
A round of greetings was over, and the wine glass that had just arrived was already empty.
"Anyway, let me sit down first." Brewer Manson joked with a few of them, "Are you going to leave me at the door?"
They laughed and walked towards a certain sofa. After the crowd dispersed, Brewer Manson's eyes swept to the corner where Yan Suizhi and the others were chatting.
Milo Manson followed, his playful gaze stopped for a while on Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan, and finally landed on Qiao.
He said hello to Brewer Manson, and walked unhurriedly with his pockets in. Brewer Manson frowned behind him, but didn't stop him. He just nodded to Gu Yan and the others from a distance, and walked away surrounded by the crowd.
Milo Manson raised his glass at Joe all the way. "Look who I saw! How did you come?"
Qiao also raised a toast to him, but didn't take a sip, and asked back of course: "There are friends here, why don't I come?"
"Oh - I thought you would never show up when your father was there."
"Is he here now? Will you find me and see?" Joe said irritably.
He and Brewer Manson can still pretend to be polite, but they don't show any kindness to this guy.
"Aren't you there? It should be there tomorrow."
Milo Manson took a half-truth scan, his speech was a bit draggy, and it wasn't that comfortable to listen to.
Joe rolled his eyes.
"Young talent, Lawyer Gu?" Milo Manson stopped teasing Qiao, he touched Gu Yan's cup, turned to look at Yan Suizhi, and narrowed his eyes, "This must be Lawyer Gu's intern. already."
Holding the wine glass, he pointed at Yan Suizhi with his little finger, and said regretfully: "I heard Brewer say that your performance in court that day was impressive. I have always been very annoyed why I rushed to a court that day. Date, or you won't miss it."
This is very unreasonable to say. At the time of the trial, his younger brother, George Manson, was still in the hospital, and he had to go to an appointment.
The worst thing is that he actually said it without any burden.
The news reports are all about "the two older brothers have haggard faces and serious expressions", and I don't know which blind person saw it.
Yan Suizhi had not dealt much with this person before, but in just a few words, he could feel that he was more arrogant than his brother Brewer Manson, and he didn't know how to restrain himself.
"As compensation, I'll have a drink with you," Milo Manson said. "Where's your glass?"
Yan Suizhi raised his eyebrows, and just as he was about to say something, he felt that a glass was stuffed in his hand.
He looked down, a glass of milk.
"… "
Yan Suizhi's face was calm and steady.
Milo Manson laughed angrily: "...What does lawyer Gu mean?"
Before Gu Yan could speak, Yan Suizhi said with a smile, "I have had my stomach changed three times because I drank without any scruples because of my young age, and my stomach was full of alcoholic ulcers. There has been a bit of bleeding in the past two days. I don't dare drink. Of course, if Mr. Manson insists, I can give up my fourth stomach."
This sounded a little terrifying.
"… "
Milo Manson accidentally imagined it, and looking at the wine in his hand was a little distasteful.
"That's it." With a green face, he kowtowed perfunctorily on Yan Suizhi's milk cup, turned his head and left.
Asking the angry Manson to leave, one of Yan Sui turned his head and saw that Qiao's face was also green. He looked at him and asked, "Have you had three stomachs?"
Yan Suizhi: "Do you believe this?"
Joe: "...you have a very sincere tone."
Yan Suizhi's tone became more sincere: "I died once."
Joe: "… "
The eldest young master looked at Gu Yan with dissatisfaction, "Your intern treats me as a fool, do you care?"
Gu Yan calmly took a sip of wine, "I'll take care of it later."
Joe: "… "
After all, everyone hadn't arrived yet, and the main event was the next day, and the passengers and boats were exhausted, and the night did not last long.
The law firm arranged rooms for everyone in the hotel, from Manson to the interns. However, there are still differences in treatment. The guests of Manson are on the first floor, and each floor has a separate combination lock and housekeeper. The barristers in the firm are also top-level suites. The interns live in the front building, two people in a suite.
I don't know in what order, but in a word, it went to Yan Suizhi's place, and he just came out, and he lived alone.
Gu Yan frowned when he heard the room arrangement.
Young Master Qiao is actually a very careful person. He noticed this and found Yan Suizhi who was alone. In fact, he didn't think about it that much, but just based on "a friend's intern is my intern", he simply circled Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi to his own level.
"This whole floor is just me and Ke Jin. How boring." Qiao said.
This kind of housekeeper on the first floor is a bit like a whole house. Entering the password door is the living room, dining room, small swimming pool and activity area, which lead to several suite-type bedrooms.
Joe arranged Ke Jin in one of the rooms, and he lived in the other room that was most convenient to take care of him.
"It's troublesome to take care of like this, why don't you just live in a room?" Yan Suizhi wondered beside him.
Gu Yan said in a low voice, "In the beginning, I lived in one room for convenience. Later, someone wrote a report, which is not good for Ke Jin."
Yan Suizhi understood, "However, why haven't I seen any reports?"
"I was pressed down by Qiao, but he has been paying attention since then." Gu Yan glanced at the layout of the hotel on this floor, "It is quite private here, but he has developed a habit, and it is the same in his own home. ."
"What are you mumbling about?" Joe came over and said, "You can choose two rooms. By the way, Gu, are you in a hurry to sleep? If you are not in a hurry, accompany me for two drinks."
They didn't have much interest in the drinking party just now, but they didn't drink much. The outsiders were gone now, and Joe seemed to be worried.
Gu Yan patted Yan Suizhi and said in a low voice, "Choose one first, I'll chat with him, and I just have something to ask him."