Chapter 315: Forget about the case and give you 1 million

Brighton is one of the oldest cities in the United States, so naturally there are many old streets in this ancient city. Hank Street is just such a street. Although it is narrow, there is a constant stream of vehicles, because the Brighton City Justice Building is located here.

Brighton's city justice building is a very old building, built in the last century. It is a very rich Romanesque-style building. The Brighton Public Prosecutor's Office is located here. At this moment, the prosecutor, Chief Prosecutor Reese Wright, is meeting with three guests: a white American with thinning hair and two young Chinese men. They are none other than Zhou Ming and his bodyguard **, as well as lawyer Alan.

'I have no objection in principle to you filing a joint lawsuit, as long as you don't interfere with the normal procedures of the judicial authorities. Otherwise, I have the right to withdraw the joint lawsuit at any time,' said District Attorney Sweet.

Alan nodded with a smile and said, 'Thank you very much, Prosecutor Sweet. We are only filing this lawsuit to fight for our own interests. Because of Brooke, my client's dormitory convenience store has suffered huge losses, so this lawsuit is very necessary. For this reason, our lawsuit will only help the judicial authorities' lawsuit and will not cause any trouble to the judicial authorities. Please rest assured of this, Prosecutor Sweet.'

'In that case, I'm afraid I don't have much to say. Our procuratorate will notify you before filing a prosecution after collecting and collating the evidence.'

Prosecutor General Sweet paused at the end of his words, looked at Zhou Ming and Allen, and said, 'Would you like to try the lunch in the judicial building?'

This sentence was obviously a dismissal, and Zhou Ming and Alan immediately got up to bid farewell to Prosecutor Sweet. As they walked out of the courthouse, Alan said to Zhou Ming, 'With Prosecutor Sweet's authorization, I can intervene in the investigation of the case as a co-counsel and attend the opening arguments. Whether Mr. Zhou Ming wants to claim compensation or seek a heavier sentence, I think we both have the initiative.'

'Thank you very much, Lawyer Alan, then I'll trouble you to take care of this case.' Zhou Ming said.

Alan shrugged, 'No problem, but I usually appear as the defence lawyer in cases like this. This time, I think it will be a nice view from the plaintiff's perspective.'

Zhou Ming and Alan walked to the parking lot when suddenly ** took two steps forward and grabbed them. Then an extended Cadillac limousine pulled up and stopped in front of them. The window was rolled down and the face of a man in his sixties appeared. He said to them, 'Zhou Ming, a first-year student in the Department of Economics at Harvard Business School, right? Don't ask who I am, I just want to know if you have the guts to come in and talk?'

The tone of the old man was arrogant, as was his expression, waiting for Zhou Ming's answer.

Zhou Ming laughed at this pointlessly: 'I'm not interested in knowing who you are. Since you say I don't have the guts, then have it your way, I'm leaving. Bye.'

After saying this, Zhou Ming walked past the courtesy car, leaving the old man there in a daze. Although the last sentence Zhou Ming said was in Chinese and the old man didn't understand it, he could understand the middle sentence, "Bye." It was this sentence, combined with Zhou Ming's direct departure, that made the old man unable to figure it out.

He couldn't understand what was going on with Zhou Ming. This was completely different from the script he had imagined beforehand. Aren't young people like Zhou Ming all hot-tempered and easily provoked? Why didn't Zhou Ming play by the rules today? He didn't react even when provoked like that, but instead just left directly. Doesn't he feel that this is a very cowardly act?

The old man really wanted to just walk away in a rage, but then he thought about his mission and had to suppress his temper. He let his limousine block Zhou Ming's path again.

'I told you, old man, I'm not interested in knowing who you are, and I don't want to get in the car and chat with you,' Zhou Ming said as he got out of the car.

Do you think I want to chat with you? What kind of person is he, really thinking he's someone?

The old man cursed in his heart, but on the surface he still had to force himself to say to Zhou Ming, 'I guess you must not have heard of a story about a box of chocolates with no packaging on the outside, but you really want to eat them. You want to know what the chocolates taste like, and there's only one way to find out, which is to open the box.'

'But the problem is not everyone wants to eat the chocolates. For example, I don't want to eat them, so can you please move out of the way?' Zhou Ming asked.

'Don't you want to know who I am and why I'm here today?' the old man asked.

'Not really,' Ming shook his head.

The old man was almost beside himself at Ming's answer. He had given Ming such a good opportunity, but Ming just wouldn't take it. He even reached out to open the door for him, but Ming refused. How could there be such an inconsiderate person in the world? If he could, the old man really wanted to take the knife and kill Ming right then and there, but he couldn't do that.

Finally, the old man took a few deep breaths and said, 'Okay, Zhou Ming, now I'm inviting you to get in the car. Someone asked me to give you a message.'

'Generally speaking, an invitation doesn't mean you have to accept it, especially for someone like me,' Zhou Ming said with a smile, 'but we Chinese have always had a tradition of respecting the elderly. I can see that you're so old, so I'll give you face. I just don't know what you think?'

The old man's face turned green and white. He never thought that he would be teased like this. At the moment, he no longer wanted to kill Zhou Ming, but to shoot him with a gun and turn him into a sieve.

However, no matter how angry the old man was, he still had to hold back his anger and nod. Zhou Ming then got into the car with Allen**.

'Do you know? If this happened twenty years ago, I would have hung you from the mast at the pier,'

This was the first thing the old man said to them after they got into the car. Zhou Ming laughed and said, 'I can bet with you that no matter how many years ago, you definitely won't be able to do it, but I can.'

The old man's eyes narrowed into a slit: "Chinese, don't try to provoke me, the price is one you can't afford.'

Zhou Ming shrugged uselessly and said, "If that's what you want to say to me, then I think I've heard enough.'

The old man took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing, 'I am the butler of Senator Brook, a name I'm sure you've heard of. He is the father of your classmate, Brook Jr.'

Zhou Ming nodded in confirmation. The old man turned his head and glanced at the Justice Building before asking, "I'm very interested in what you are doing at the Justice Building at this time. Don't tell me you plan to file a joint lawsuit with the prosecutor's office.'

'That is exactly what I plan to do," Zhou Ming replied.

'Well, I know that what Brock Jr. did this time caused quite a loss to your dorm convenience store, so my boss is willing to compensate you ten times over if you drop this lawsuit and testify in court that it was a misunderstanding, is that okay?' the old man asked.

This time, before Ming Zhou could say anything, the lawyer Alan spoke first: "Wait a minute, can I take that as you trying to bribe my client into testifying falsely through financial means?'

The old man turned to Alan: "Is that so? But I think I'm doing my best to reach an out-of-court settlement.'

After that, the old man turned back to Zhou Ming and said, 'Chinese people, think about it. I know you have a deep relationship with Consul General Cheng Jun of your country in New York, and you also have the means to get a presidential pardon. But as the old Chinese saying goes, it's better to avoid trouble than to get into it. And an out-of-court settlement will get you a very generous compensation. I think it's a very worthwhile proposition.'

'What if my answer is no?' Zhou Ming asked in return.

'I think you should think carefully before you answer, because there are many things here that are not as you think. If you can afford to hire Alan, I can also hire a lawyer, maybe in New York or a more powerful lawyer in another state. It is hard to say who will win in the end.' The old man thought for a while and asked, "I think you have been in Brighton for a long time and you should have heard of the James case, right?'

'Are you threatening me?" Zhou Ming asked with a frown.

Of course Zhou Ming had heard of the James case. It was a sensational case that had happened in Brighton last month. James was the chairman of the Brighton James Foundation and a billionaire with assets of over 100 million. He was accused of murdering his best friend the year before. At the trial, the evidence was conclusive, but after two rounds of court proceedings, James was ultimately acquitted.

Like the O.J. Simpson case that shocked the United States, the James case was also hailed as a victory for the rich. Through their defence teams, they constantly negotiated with the prosecution over every detail of the evidence, and eventually found a breakthrough point to win the defence.

However, the James case was different because James did not rest after winning the defence. Instead, he sued the prosecution for compensation, which is why Zhou Ming asked the question.

The old man smiled at Zhou Ming's question and said, 'I dare not threaten you, as this is obstruction of justice. I just want to tell you that this is a bridge over a river. You know that all helpful advice comes with a bitter taste. Or I won't ask you to testify, as long as you don't pursue it, this is already a very low request.'

'You make a lot of sense, but I still refuse to accept it,' Zhou Ming said.

'What if I increase the compensation to one million dollars?' the old man said.

'Not every Chinese person is short of money. If I could get Brooke to the gallows by giving you ten million, I think I would not hesitate to do so,' Zhou Ming said.

'That's a real pity, Chinese. You have just closed the door to heaven with your own hands,' the old man said.

'Perhaps the path to hell is more suitable for me. Goodbye.'

Zhou Ming finished and got out of the car with Alan. Looking at the departing back of the limousine, Zhou Ming said with a sigh, 'Perhaps I really should have accepted his offer.'

Alan immediately disagreed, 'No, Mr. Zhou Ming, that would be cowardly behaviour, I disapprove!'

'So I didn't do it,' Zhou Ming shrugged, 'but I'm afraid the next court hearing won't be as easy as we expected.'