What's wrong with this lawyer?!

Finally, it was Old Yan who broke the silence, confirming that there were no additional points from either party, and declared the courtroom debate concluded, calling a temporary recess.

Secretary Liu watched the proceedings from start to finish, feeling somewhat dazed. He had always taken student recruitment and admissions for granted, never imagining there could be such a perspective on the matter.

"Director Dong, this..."

Dong Wenlu responded with a wry smile, "We've probably lost."

What? A look of confusion spread across Secretary Liu's face, "Does that mean when we recruit students, we are actually in a contractual relationship with them? That's impossible, we're not a corporation, but a public institution."

Dong Wenlu didn't know how to explain, she hadn't dealt with these issues before and was feeling slightly overwhelmed.

In fact, Old Tang was quite clear. In his previous life, the relationship between universities and students was seen as having both "teaching contract relationships" and "administrative management relationships", which didn't conflict with each other.

The latter is mainly reflected in the management of student status and the issuance of certificates, a right legally granted to universities as administrative entities.
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Therefore, lawsuits over the expulsion of student status are brought as administrative litigation.

Old Yan returned soon afterwards and delivered the verdict in court.

"The court believes... Therefore, a de facto contractual relationship exists between the two parties, with the training uniforms being purchased by the defendant on the plaintiff's behalf, which should be regarded as a supplementary contract to the main contract..."

"Thus, the plaintiff is entitled to the right to be informed about the school's uniform purchasing actions."

"In conclusion, the judgment is as follows: the defendant, Jingzhou Vocational and Technical College, shall disclose the following information to the plaintiff, Liu Zixu, within fifteen days after this judgment takes effect...."

The judgment essentially supported all the claims Old Tang had made, including how the uniforms were purchased, their price, and which manufacturer was used.

Upon hearing the verdict, Secretary Liu, with a dark expression, instructed Dong Wenlu to appeal and then rose to approach Tang Fangjing, who was packing up his belongings.

"Lawyer Tang, I actually have a question for you. How much did you earn from this case? How exactly did you brainwash that Liu Zixu into insisting on suing our school at all costs!"

Secretary Liu said, looking at Tang Fangjing.

It was all about letting off steam, completely meaningless. Liu Zixu's family wasn't wealthy—how did he manage it?

Old Tang initially didn't want to reply, but after some thought, he spoke up, "You want to know? Okay, I'll tell you, two thousand yuan. That's not a small amount."

"Hmph, if you don't believe me, I have evidence here..."

Secretary Liu felt like his CPU had overheated and it took him a while to speak up again, "Why did you even do this?"

Old Tang seemed surprised at the question, "Why? Of course, to make money. What are you talking about, what lawyer doesn't take on cases to earn money."

"You're really an interesting person."

Having said that, he picked up his briefcase, turned, and left the courthouse, leaving Secretary Liu standing there, muttering to himself, "Madman, a real damn madman..."

You, a lawyer like this, only charge two thousand yuan? Damn it, how did the school manage to provoke you!

After Dong Wenlu learned the details, she fell into a stony silence; she had charged eighty thousand for this case...

Old Tang had already left the courthouse. The key at the second instance was winning, he was positive of it, but it was what he would do after winning that mattered. By now, he already had some ideas.

He pulled out his phone and made a call: "Hello, yes, it's me, Tang Fangjing. I have a favor to ask of you..."

Over the years, Old Tang had helped too many people, and now with just one call, his problems could be solved.

Inside the school, Dean Wang listened to Secretary Liu's words and glanced at Dong Wenlu, barely containing his anger, "So what do we do now? Do we still have a chance at the second instance?"

"Right, Director Dong, if we expel Liu Zixu now, would that affect the second instance..." Secretary Liu also chimed in.

Everyone was panicking after losing the first trial.

Dong Wenlu replied with another bitter smile, "It's too late, Secretary Liu, we can't fabricate the expulsion time."

Even if the school authorities dared to do so, she wouldn't risk it. Lawyers tampering with evidence is a major taboo in the legal profession, and one could easily get imprisoned.

Dean Wang truly wanted to lash out, having spent so much money only to lose the case—what was the point in hiring her then?

All Dong Wenlu could do was to promise to do her best in the second trial; lawyers losing cases was not uncommon.

After Dong Wenlu left, Dean Wang called the director of logistics into his office.

"How are things on your end now? If we lose the second instance, can we disclose the information?"

The director of logistics replied, "Don't worry, leader. Everything is in order on our side; we have procurement records. It's just that the prices are a bit high, so we'll say the logistics department didn't review it carefully."

Dean Wang nodded. As a critical department, the logistics director was naturally a confidant of the school's leadership. Everyone knew that was an area where dirty dealings were commonplace.

"Didn't review it carefully"—implying that if things really escalated, they could simply discipline the logistics director and naturally resolve the problem.

A minor mistake at work can happen, right? You want to discipline someone for that, what more could you ask for?

Yet Dean Wang still felt uneasy. A single student had managed to bring the situation to this point. Sigh, had the times truly changed?

In the past, a single student was insignificant.

Old Tang spent the days waiting for the second instance in massage and psychological counseling sessions.

"I am mentally ill, I have certification," so naturally, seeking psychological counseling from Chi Yan seemed logical.

The second instance encountered no surprises; Jingzhou Intermediate Court did not hold a trial and subsequent judgment dismissed the appeal, upholding the original decision, moving the case into the enforcement stage.