Futile Devices Scans

Chaoyang was a law firm established only last year. In the beginning, it could only take on minor, trivial cases. Although every case ended in victory, none of them were enough to make the firm’s name known. It was not until the end of the year, when they accepted a sensational major lawsuit and spent two months fighting it to a successful conclusion, that extensive media coverage propelled the firm to prominence.

It was said that Chaoyang Law Firm had been founded by two partners, both of whom were exceptionally beautiful women. Those fortunate enough to have met them had nothing but praise for their looks.

There was nothing unusual about women opening law firms. In a metropolis like the Imperial Capital, there were more female-founded law firms than one could count on both hands. However, very few managed to achieve fame or cause a sensation. People often assumed that men were inherently more capable in the legal profession. Of course, that was merely a subjective belief. Were women truly inferior to men? Chaoyang Law Firm provided the answer.

The major lawsuit that made Chaoyang Law Firm famous involved a chain-reaction traffic accident. Because of its severe impact, the incident caused an enormous uproar both in reality and online. Eventually, the authorities had no choice but to take the matter seriously.

The accident began when two wealthy second-generation youths were racing their sports cars on public roads. At first, the roads were relatively empty, with few vehicles or pedestrians, so the danger seemed limited. However, after entering a tunnel with much heavier traffic, neither driver slowed down, and tragedy struck.

One of them was driving too fast. The tunnel was dimly lit, and before he could brake in time, he slammed into a school bus that had been traveling normally ahead of him. The bus flipped forward, only to be struck again with tremendous force by the second sports car. The school bus caught fire. At the time, it had been carrying more than a dozen elementary school students. Only twelve or thirteen survived, and all of them were injured. Some were left in critical condition, while three children died.

The situation was extremely grave. The police quickly secured the scene and rescued the surviving students, but the children who had died could never be brought back.

The grieving parents were devastated and demanded that the police severely punish the culprits. Newspapers covered the tragedy extensively, yet the authorities failed to provide a satisfactory answer for a long time. They merely promised to handle the matter as quickly as possible and urged the families to be patient.

Later, some parents investigated the identities of the two drivers and discovered that they were both children of high-ranking government officials. Neither came from an ordinary background. The driver primarily responsible for the accident was, in fact, the son of the renowned Zhang family of the Imperial Capital.

The Zhang family was one of the elite political families, comparable to the Zheng and Chu families. The parents fell into despair. They were ordinary people with neither power nor influence. How could they possibly bring down a giant like the Zhang family? Worse still, they feared the family might turn the blame back on them.

Unable to find help anywhere, the parents were repeatedly advised to give up. Everyone told them they could never defeat the Zhang family. Just as they were preparing to make a desperate public appeal outside government offices, representatives from Chaoyang Law Firm approached them. The firm offered to represent them free of charge and even guaranteed victory.

The parents did not entirely believe them, but at that point, anyone willing to help was a lifeline. Clinging to that final shred of hope, they entrusted the case to the firm.

Once the news spread, few people had any confidence in a law firm that had existed for less than a year.

The Zhang family hired Li Daoguang, the most infamous sharp-tongued lawyer in the profession. He was known for being able to turn the dead into the living and black into white. His greatest skill was exploiting legal loopholes. Many wealthy clients had escaped punishment thanks to his efforts. As a result, he was widely despised. The real Li Daoguang was a lawyer without professional ethics, willing to do anything for profit.

The lawyer Chaoyang Law Firm assigned to the case was not only a woman but reportedly one with very little experience. How could a lawyer like that possibly defeat someone like Li Daoguang? People considered the very idea laughable.

The result, however, shocked everyone. Had it been only a minor courtroom victory, perhaps people would not have been so surprised. Instead, the Zhang family—a major political force that had stood in the Imperial Capital for more than twenty years—faced the greatest crisis in its history because of this case.

The pillar supporting the Zhang family was taken away for investigation. Younger members of the family were also implicated, and problems were uncovered wherever authorities looked. Within only a few months, the family collapsed like a line of dominoes. Once the central pillar fell, the rest followed. The once-powerful clan found itself teetering on the brink of ruin.

Many of the forces that had once depended on the Zhang family were also dragged into the investigation. The result was the largest corruption and bribery scandal the Imperial Capital had seen in years. Once the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. A major power in the city vanished overnight.

Who could have imagined that a simple traffic accident would ultimately bring down the Zhang family? Everyone knew that political rivals of the Zhang family had certainly helped push events from behind the scenes. Yet how had a small law firm managed to connect with such people and use the opportunity to become famous?

Regardless of the answer, Chaoyang Law Firm had become a sensation.

Thanks to its newfound reputation, the firm began receiving a flood of commissions. No longer limited to trivial disputes, it was now handling significant cases. Its staff grew from four people to eight.

Still, many remained curious about the firm’s background. How had it managed to rise so quickly in a city as fiercely competitive as the Imperial Capital? Investigations eventually uncovered the identities of its two partners. They turned out to be former classmates. One came from a straightforward background—her family had produced lawyers for three generations. The other was far more intriguing.

Her name was Gu Ziyu. She was the lawyer who had represented the victims of the school bus tragedy. Calling her the most beautiful lawyer would not have been an exaggeration. On the surface, she appeared to be nothing more than a particularly attractive woman. She had only been practicing law for a little over six months. Although she had already handled more than ten cases, they had all been relatively simple, making it difficult to judge her true abilities.

But her surname was Gu.

That alone was enough to arouse suspicion. Could she be connected to the Gu family?

Whenever anyone tried to investigate further, however, they found themselves unable to uncover anything else. Information regarding Gu Ziyu’s identity and background seemed protected by an invisible force that prevented deeper inquiry. Anyone with experience immediately realized she was no ordinary person.

In truth, Gu Ziyu was none other than Wang Ziyu.

Five years earlier, no one had expected the young woman who loved physics to abandon that path and switch to law, transferring directly into Mi Li’s class. By the time Wang Cheng and the others found out, the decision was already irreversible. She had made the choice entirely on her own without informing anyone.

At the time, her family thought she had suffered some kind of emotional shock and worried enough to sit down and talk with her. Wang Ziyu repeatedly assured them that nothing was wrong. She simply wanted to change herself. Since Mi Li was also studying law, the two of them could support one another. Eventually, her family accepted her explanation and allowed her to pursue her decision.

In reality, she had told one person beforehand—Mi Li. Gu Li’s appearance had made her realize her own shortcomings. She did not want to become the weak link dragging her family down, and that was why she chose to change herself. Mi Li was the other partner of Chaoyang Law Firm.

After Gu Ning’an took over the Gu Corporation, the entire family officially changed their surname to Gu.

By her sophomore year of college, Wang Ziyu had become a thing of the past. Everything that had happened before faded into history. She became the new Gu Ziyu. Together with Mi Li, she shone brilliantly within the law department. After graduation, the two women boldly founded Chaoyang Law Firm. Starting from nothing, they built it with their own hands. Mi Li never relied on her parents’ reputation, and every case they handled in the beginning was one they had secured through their own efforts.

As for the school bus accident, Gu Ziyu had not taken the case by leveraging the influence behind her. Because she regularly had to go out for client matters, she happened to witness several parents crying their hearts out in a public square that day. Due to interference from the Zhang family, they had been unable to find a single lawyer willing to represent them, even though they had the money to pay.

Gu Ziyu could not tolerate the Zhang family’s bullying and abuse of power, so she volunteered to help. However, she knew she was no match for the Zhang family on her own, so she turned to her eldest brother and second brother for assistance.

The Zhang family and the Chu family had long been political rivals. Furthermore, because Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng were married, the Zheng and Chu families had become relatives as well. There was no way the Zhang family could compete against the Chu family. Since the Zhang family had personally handed over evidence against themselves, there was no reason not to make use of it. Once the Chu family made its move, the enormous Zhang family naturally collapsed in accordance with fate.

After spending an entire year dealing with all kinds of people, Gu Ziyu was no longer the gentle, easily bullied girl she had once been. She had learned how to disguise herself. Don’t be fooled by the smile on her face—no one could tell what she was really thinking. For all you knew, you might be the next person she set up.

These days, Gu Ziyu did not return to the Gu family estate very often. Most of her time was spent at the law firm. When work became busy, she would even sacrifice her weekends. She had practically become a workaholic, and Wang Cheng had teased her about it more than once.

The newer employees couldn’t understand it either. Lawyer Gu was young and beautiful, so why was she acting like a man whose entire life revolved around his career? If they had her looks and qualifications, they would definitely be looking for a wealthy and powerful husband.

“That’s enough chatting. Get back to work. Lawyer Gu will be back soon.”

Chen Qiu appeared behind them carrying a freshly brewed cup of coffee, startling them all. She was one of the firm’s first employees and had already spent several years working in the legal profession. In terms of experience, even Mi Li—who had grown up surrounded by her lawyer parents’ influence—could not compare to her. When the firm had first opened, Chen Qiu had played a major role in helping it establish itself so quickly. As a result, both Mi Li and Gu Ziyu valued her highly.

The group let out awkward laughs. They were all a little afraid of Chen Qiu, so they immediately dispersed and returned to work.

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