Chapter 25: Expensive for a Reason
The banquet was in full swing, filled with fine wine and gourmet food as glasses clinked.
Midway through the banquet, Xia Zhenzhong took out a proposal he had prepared in advance and handed it to Gu Heng.
The proposal came in two versions: a summary version for Gu Heng’s quick review, and a detailed version for use during the subsequent contract signing.
The summary version was only a few pages long, filled with nothing but the essentials.
As Gu Heng leafed through the summary, Xia Zhenzhong and Yang Wenjie, who were seated on either side of him, took turns providing detailed explanations.
After half an hour, Gu Heng had a fairly clear understanding of the exclusive legal services plan Jun Cheng Law Firm had prepared for him.
Just as the description of the reward from Brother Tongzi had indicated, the legal services offered in this exclusive plan were indeed incredibly comprehensive.
From asset protection and global tax structuring to legal support for a high-end lifestyle, from crisis and emergency response to privacy and information security, from legal guarantees for personal safety to commercial law support and corporate M&A and restructuring...
In addition to these core modules, the plan also included numerous specialized legal services.
For instance: asset information encryption, media and public sentiment monitoring, due diligence for real estate acquisitions, ownership verification for art collections, 24-hour emergency incident response, holding sensitive assets in trust through legal agreements, expedited processing of permits for domestic and international flight routes...
In short, whether at home or abroad.
As long as the rule of law existed wherever Gu Heng might find himself in the future.
Jun Cheng Law Firm would unconditionally meet any and all of his legal needs.
Only after reading through the entire exclusive legal services plan did Gu Heng realize he had gotten the wrong idea.
He had originally thought that this ten-person team was the full extent of the human resources Jun Cheng Law Firm would be providing him.
However, that wasn’t the case at all.
Each of these ten people, it turned out, was a leader.
For example, if Gu Heng were to encounter an international tax issue within the next two years, the relevant specialist on his exclusive service team would immediately form a core. They would then draw upon Jun Cheng Law Firm’s entire team of over 700 lawyers to assemble a dedicated task force of experts in that specific legal field.
Depending on the severity of Gu Heng’s problem, this task force could number a dozen people, or it could be several dozen.
At that point, every lawyer in the task force would be dedicated solely to Gu Heng’s case, providing him with their full and undivided legal support.
In other words, if Gu Heng signed this exclusive legal services plan, Jun Cheng Law Firm’s entire team of over 700 lawyers would be at his beck and call, ready to be dispatched as needed.
It was only then that Gu Heng finally understood why the reward from Brother Tongzi was valued at fifty million.
It really was...
You get what you pay for!
Gu Heng gently closed the proposal in his hands, his heart pounding with an excitement that was difficult to contain.
In the past, might made right.
Now, knowing the law made you king.
No matter how strong your fist, it could never be stronger than the iron fist of the law.
A single criminal code could land you in prison for life.
A single Civil Code could bankrupt you completely.
That was the power of the law.
And now, Gu Heng was backed by one of the nation’s top law firms, with over 700 lawyers at his disposal.
You could say that as long as Gu Heng didn’t go looking for trouble and avoided poking the bear of that "mysterious Eastern power," he would be completely safe and secure within the country.
"Mr. Gu, do you feel there are any parts of this proposal that need to be changed?"
Xia Zhenzhong asked Gu Heng tentatively, "If there is anything at all that you feel is inappropriate, please don’t hesitate to say so. We can make amendments for you right here on the spot."
"It’s excellent."
"No changes are needed."
Gu Heng nodded slightly, a satisfied smile on his face.
’Well...’
’The truth was, at my level, I couldn’t find any fault with it even if I tried.’
’Besides, Brother Tongzi was the one who had chosen Jun Cheng Law Firm for me. Even if I didn’t trust them, I had to trust Brother Tongzi.’
Hearing Gu Heng’s response, Xia Zhenzhong and Yang Wenjie, who were sitting beside him, exchanged a look, each seeing the astonishment in the other’s eyes.
’Since when were clients this easy to deal with?’
Even though Xia Zhenzhong and his team had deliberated over and revised the proposal dozens of times before he even called Gu Heng today, they still came to the banquet fully prepared for it to be sent back for yet another round of changes.
This was a fifty-million-yuan super-deal, after all. They had figured the entire process—from initial contact and discussion to reaching an agreement and signing the final contract—would take over a month. They had even prepared for a long, drawn-out negotiation.
And yet...
’They’re finalizing the proposal on the very first meeting?’
Things were going so smoothly, it was beyond their wildest dreams.
"So..."
"So, Mr. Gu, you mean..."
Gu Heng’s decisiveness actually left Xia Zhenzhong at a bit of a loss.
"Let’s just sign it."
’Since Brother Tongzi chose Jun Cheng Law Firm, all I need to do is trust his choice.’
’There’s no need to be paranoid. Besides, it’s not like I feel I could offer any meaningful advice to legal titans like Xia Zhenzhong anyway.’
’I’m not about to do something as foolish as an amateur trying to tell a professional how to do their job.’
’Sign early, benefit early.’
’Besides, I have many other matters that will require Jun Cheng Law Firm’s legal services, and I don’t have much time to waste.’
The moment Gu Heng spoke those words, the entire private room fell silent.
The group of highly distinguished, elite lawyers now stared dumbfounded at Gu Heng. Many of them even wondered if they were hearing things.
"Quick!"
"Quick, get the contract for Mr. Gu!"
The first to react was Xia Zhenzhong, who was sitting right beside Gu Heng. His breathing quickened as he hurriedly called out to his secretary, who was seated at the far end of the table.
"Yes, yes!"
Li Wen snapped out of her daze, immediately getting up and rummaging through a briefcase that had been placed behind her. After finding the contract, she quickly brought it over to Gu Heng.
"Do you have a pen?"
After receiving the contract, Gu Heng quickly leafed through it from start to finish. Confirming that the contents matched the summary version he had just reviewed, he looked up at Li Wen and asked.
"Yes, yes, I do."
Li Wen reacted at once, hastily handing Gu Heng the fountain pen she always carried with her. The whole process felt rather clumsy and flustered.
After taking the pen, Gu Heng raised his hand to sign.
However, just as everyone was holding their breath and Gu Heng was about to put pen to paper, a sudden knock came at the door. A moment later, it opened to reveal Fan Hong, followed by five servers carrying exquisite dishes.
"Good evening, esteemed guests. I am Fan Hong, the deputy general manager of this restaurant. I’ve taken the liberty of bringing five complimentary dishes for your private room. I hope you all feel right at home here at Banquet Fusion tonight."
Fan Hong led the five servers to the front of the round table. He first gave a slight bow to everyone present before explaining his purpose with a smile.
Xia Zhenzhong, sitting beside Gu Heng, had thought the knock on the door signified some urgent matter.
’And it was just for this?’
’Are you kidding me?!’
’He was the director of the prestigious Jun Cheng Law Firm. Did he look like he needed someone to bring him complimentary dishes?’
’Any other time, it would have been fine, but of all the moments to interrupt...’
’This was the most critical moment of the signing!’
Xia Zhenzhong stared at Fan Hong in the distance, his brow furrowed deeply. His expression quietly turned cold and severe...