Seeing her expression, Xu De asked in confusion, "Is that so strange?"
"Isn't it strange?!" Lin Yue was utterly shocked.
She was on the verge of losing her composure.
Having studied law for years, this was the first time in her life she had ever heard someone combine the words 'steal' and 'legal'.
Seriously, how on earth did he manage to link those two words into a single sentence?!
"Lawyer Lin, as a man of the law, I can't believe you would think I'd break it..."
Xu De looked at her with dissatisfaction, silently condemning her conscience.
"This is blatant personal discrimination!"
Lin Yue paused, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry..."
But a second later, she snapped back to reality. Her eye twitched as she retorted, "Wait, no, I'm perfectly right! You're planning to steal a child!"
Xu De replied, "Who told you that stealing a child is inherently illegal?!"
He corrected her again, then paused, looking past her.
At the corner of the lobby, two frail figures appeared in the corridor and walked toward them. Noticing this, he spoke faster, "If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I absolutely do not commit crimes."
"I guarantee that everything I do is completely legal and compliant!"
"Of course, I'll need you to cooperate with me as the handling lawyer. We'll also need to find someone capable to physically assist us. If all goes well... we can close the case before the end of the year!"
Lin Yue wanted to say something else, but the two figures had already stopped right in front of them.
"Ms. Wang, Ms. Xu."
Xu De stood up, offering a polite smile to Wang Mei and Xu Hong as they returned from completing their paperwork.
"Did the police say anything unexpected?"
When they traveled from the courthouse to the police station, Xu De had first asked them to handle the custody matters. By now, they should have finished coordinating with the authorities.
Wang Mei's face remained incredibly haggard, so thin that her underlying bone physiognomy was starkly prominent. She stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head. "No."
Only now did she realize that even though custody had been decided, it didn't mean she could immediately reunite with her child.
"Lawyer Xu... right now, I just want to spend some time with my child before my father goes on trial."
Wang Mei's tone was bitter and filled with a profound sense of powerlessness.
She knew that the day Wang Qiang stood trial would be the exact moment her child left her completely.
Right now, Wang Mei just wanted to hold onto her child for a brief period before that separation... even if it was just for a week, or a single day!
However... after asking the police, she found that this wish was nothing more than an extravagant hope.
The police could only carry out mandatory enforcement long after Li Youcai exceeded the compliance deadline.
Until then, if Li Youcai and Liu Cui refused to hand the child over, there was absolutely nothing she could do.
Powerless.
It felt as if the bones had been extracted from her body, leaving her limp and completely devoid of spirit.
"Spend some time?"
Xu De crossed his arms, rubbing his chin with one hand in thought.
"Actually, I don't think it's necessary to give up the child because of Mr. Wang."
Wang Mei's nose stung with impending tears. She replied bitterly, "Lawyer Xu, that is my father... He was taken to the police station for my sake. I can never abandon him..."
Xu De was briefly taken aback before realization dawned on him. 'She probably thinks I'm advising her to abandon Wang Qiang,' he thought.
Seeing her misunderstanding, Xu De quickly clarified, "Ms. Wang, what I mean is, both the child and Mr. Wang..."
"We will save them both!"
'Both... we can save both?'
Wang Mei froze. She lifted her emaciated face, a tiny glimmer of hope shining through her coarse wrinkles.
Beside her, Xu Hong reacted similarly. The two women looked like they had grasped a solitary, floating firefly representing their final hope in the depths of despair. They held their breath as Wang Mei asked, her voice trembling, "Really?"
Having to choose between a father and a child was a moral trial that no one could easily endure.
Wang Mei was on the verge of madness. At this point, even if he was lying to her, she was entirely willing to believe it!
Xu De nodded.
"I currently have a preliminary solution."
"Please go home and get some proper rest today. Once I return to the firm, I will work overtime to draft a concrete implementation plan. I'll pass it to Lawyer Lin in a few days."
Of course, calling it a plan was actually just a way to dispel Lin Yue's suspicions about his 'illegal' methods.
After all, words were empty. No one was willing to risk their own safety to gamble on a stranger's morality. If such a gamble went wrong, an entire career would collapse!
Let alone someone like Lin Yue, who had such a bright future ahead.
Xu De understood this logic perfectly.
"Okay... okay!"
Wang Mei's dry, unsightly hands gripped his tightly, terrified of letting go.
Xu De looked up, meeting a pair of eyes that contained a thousand unspoken words.
"I... I believe you..."
Xu De nodded. He held her hands and gently patted the back of them, then smoothly pulled away.
He borrowed a pen and paper from a police officer, wrote down his phone number, and handed it to them.
"Here is my contact information. If you have any further questions, you can reach out to me at any time."
"It's getting late... I should head back now."
"Rest assured regarding Wang Qiang's case. I will go all out to ensure your satisfaction!"
With that, Xu De bid the group farewell and slowly walked out of the police station.
They stared in the direction he had left until his figure completely vanished from sight.
Only then did Wang Mei snap out of her daze.
She felt somewhat in a trance.
For the past half-month, she had suffered in agony day and night. Every time she zoned out and came back to her senses, she would find her face inexplicably covered in tears.
Even Lin Yue could only turn the harsh reality into a blade, tearing a fresh wound directly across her heart!
Every passing moment had been pure torment for her soul.
Until now, when Xu De suddenly told her...
Not to worry!
Those few words were like a drowning person catching hold of their only lifeline. Even though this lifeline was incredibly fragile, basic survival instincts made her clutch it with a death grip, refusing to let go!
"Lawyer Lin... Lawyer Xu, he..."
Wang Mei felt as though she were in a dream. It didn't feel real. She wanted to ask something, but she didn't even know what to ask.
Beside her, Lin Yue's expression was incredibly peculiar. It was obvious she had no idea how to evaluate the man.
Logically speaking, she had never met anyone who casually brought up threats and stealing children, let alone someone who claimed to be engaging in 'legal stealing' and 'compliant threatening'!
Moreover... he was so confident. Could it be... that it actually was legal and compliant?
The more Lin Yue thought about it, the more curious she became. Her heart felt as if a cat were scratching at it, eager for him to hurry up and hand over that 'implementation plan'.
Ultimately, she suppressed her emotions and softly comforted Wang Mei.
"Don't worry. He probably isn't lying to us. After all, he calls himself..."
"...the moral paragon of the legal world."
...
...
At four-thirty in the afternoon.
A taxi pulled up in front of Jinmao Law Firm in Greenwood City.
"Clack!"
The car door opened.
Xu De stepped out, pushed open the entrance doors, and strode into the law firm.
As soon as he walked in, he ran head-on into the sharply dressed group leader, Sun Hao.
Sun Hao had been looking around the lobby, searching for something.
Hearing the door open, he turned and spotted Xu De walking in. His eyes lit up, and a warm smile spread across his face.
"Xu De."
"A few old clients from the group are coming in to ask about some matters. Come into the firm a bit earlier tomorrow..."
Xu De paused his gaze mid-stride and cast a sideways glance at Sun Hao.
He showed no emotion. He didn't wait for the man to finish his sentence, nor did he break his stride.
Instead, he brushed right past him, leaving behind only two airy words.
"No time."
In that instant.
Staring at the empty space in front of him,
Sun Hao's smile froze on his face.