Chapter 62: The Assistant Confesses

Ye Sangsang listened to what the other person had to say, and her heart stirred slightly. "What is Mr. Wang's usual alcohol tolerance?"

"His tolerance is mediocre. In these kinds of social networking occasions, he is very often sent back by his driver, completely blind drunk. His mother and I have quarreled with him a few times over this, hoping he would drink less, as excessive alcohol harms the body."

Wang Ziyang's father spoke up upon hearing this, his expression carrying a trace of bitterness over a son failing to meet expectations.

Ye Sangsang looked at him. "I mean, what is his specific alcohol tolerance?"

"Well..." He pondered for a moment. "On one occasion, we had a couple of drinks together. He could probably manage about five of those small baijiu cups; one more drink and he would pass out completely."

Ye Sangsang nodded to show she understood, and looked at them both. "Alright, I will do my utmost to defend him. If you have anything you would like to send to Wang Ziyang, I can take it with me to the detention center, and you can also pass along any messages you want to say."

"We don't need much, just bring him some clothes and money..." After saying this, Wang Ziyang's mother hesitated for two seconds, then asked with some worry, "May I ask how long the sentence will likely be?"

Wang Ziyang's father also looked over, his expression suddenly laden with a deep sense of sorrow and anxiety.

Ye Sangsang deliberated and said, "Generally speaking, for dangerous driving while intoxicated resulting in accidental injury that reaches the legal definition of minor bodily harm, the prison sentence is roughly three years."

The two of them looked at Ye Sangsang, and the light in their eyes dimmed considerably. Three whole years!

"You two don't need to worry. I already went to talk to the victim of the car accident today, and the other party is inclined toward a settlement. As long as the compensation amount is successfully negotiated, there will be a chance to obtain a letter of forgiveness, and the sentence will be reduced to about one year."

Ye Sangsang looked at the deeply distressed couple and comforted them.

The two looked at each other, sighed, and said, "We'll leave the matter of the letter of forgiveness to you, Lawyer Qi. We trust your abilities. That girl is also quite pitiful, running into a disaster through no fault of her own because of my son. Even if the compensation is a bit higher, it doesn't matter; if it's not enough, we two will make up the difference."

[It feels like this family all have good hearts. When I got into a car accident before, it was clearly the other person's full fault and they didn't even have insurance, yet they insisted on dragging out time and energy with me, and I only got compensation after filing a lawsuit.]

[I checked the time just now; the game instance is set in the year 2016. One million back in 2016 was quite valuable—they are very sincere.]

[Listening to the description, it feels like their character is quite decent overall. How could they have been so careless! Another reminder: don't drive after drinking, and don't drink if you drive! You harm others and yourself!]

The live broadcast room was actively discussing this topic, and many people felt deeply moved by this seemingly ordinary dispute.

After listening, Ye Sangsang nodded to indicate she would handle it properly, and then bid farewell and left.

After the two of them came out of the villa and got into the car, Zhang Xiaoxiao, who had been silent until then, asked, "Lawyer Qi, this case seems quite straightforward. Why are you handling it personally?"

Cases like this could easily be handled by junior lawyers like them.

Qi Qin was already a senior lawyer; taking this on personally felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"The other party is wealthy and pays a high legal fee. By stepping in personally, I show sincerity. Once the other party accepts that sincerity, Wang Ziyang will become a connection in the future." After saying this, she looked at Zhang Xiaoxiao. "The legal industry is somewhat like sales; many businesses require you to open up markets yourself. Since Wang Ziyang specifically requested me, I will naturally strive to secure everything possible."

Zhang Xiaoxiao contemplated for a few seconds. "I understand."

"Besides, this case doesn't look simple. I have a lingering feeling that there is some hidden story behind it," Ye Sangsang said casually as she drove the car and turned out of the residential compound.

Zhang Xiaoxiao's mouth widened, clearly looking a bit bewildered. This case looked rather ordinary!

Thinking this, she asked aloud, "Lawyer Qi, what do you feel is wrong with it? I couldn't sense anything at all."

After speaking, she opened her eyes wide and added, "Is it the part about drinking?"

"That's part of it, and there's more, though I haven't figured out the result yet." She pressed the brake and stopped at a red traffic light.

Gazing at the countdown of red numbers flashing ahead, her brow furrowed slightly.

This case might require her to understand a bit more, such as the specific on-site situation.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have the phone number of Wang Ziyang's assistant? Set up an appointment for him to come out so I can talk to him."

"Y-Yes, I do. Let me flip through the files," Zhang Xiaoxiao said from the passenger seat. Hearing this, she hurriedly opened her bag and began flipping through documents to find it.

After a rustling sound of turning pages, she quickly located the number.

After confirming the time and place for the meeting with Ye Sangsang, she called Wang Ziyang's assistant.

Listening to the arrangements being made on the phone—scheduling a meeting during the assistant's break at noon tomorrow—Ye Sangsang drove back to the law firm.

She had no other cases on hand for the moment, so this counted as knocking off for the day.

Instead of skipping the timeline, Ye Sangsang returned to the home of the lawyer, Qi Qin.

The other's residence was a large flat in the city, decorated in a cold and austere style. There was only one domestic helper at home who was solely responsible for cleaning, while he prepared his own meals.

After changing into comfortable loungewear, Ye Sangsang walked over to the full-length mirror in the walk-in closet.

Looking at the fairly handsome face in the mirror, as well as the contacts in the phone and the condition of the home, she gained an understanding of the details Qi Qin had left unsaid in the game instance.

She went to the study, pulled open a drawer, and turned on the other person's computer.

After looking through it, a trace of doubt appeared in her expression.

Perhaps she was just being overly suspicious.

She stopped reviewing the files, stood up, and left Qi Qin's study.

Then came the time skip, bringing her to around noon the next day.

At the scheduled time, Ye Sangsang arrived at the designated cafe.

She and Zhang Xiaoxiao arrived earlier than the other person. After sitting for a few minutes, the assistant walked in from outside with somewhat sluggish steps.

Clearly, the assistant did not seem very willing to see them.

"Apologies, have I kept you waiting long?" asked a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a white shirt and suit trousers, looking full of apologies.

Ye Sangsang shook her head at him. "Not at all, we just arrived. Care for a cup of coffee?" With that, she extended a hand, preparing to signal the service staff to order more.

"No, no, no... I don't want any. Once we finish talking, I'll be leaving," the assistant hastily stopped her.

He kept his hands restrained on his thighs, perhaps out of nervousness, constantly rubbing his palms against his suit trousers.

Looking at Ye Sangsang, who was holding her coffee and taking a leisurely sip, he thought for a moment and took the initiative to speak. "Lawyer Qi, I wonder why you are looking for me?"

"Don't be nervous. I'm not a police officer, you don't need to be like that. I just want to understand the specific details of that day." Ye Sangsang swallowed the coffee and imperceptibly frowned. She didn't quite understand the reason why Qi Qin was so fond of pure black coffee, as it tasted bitter and carried a hint of astringency.

Hearing this, the assistant sighed slightly. "Everything I said is true. Lawyer Qi, you must have read the statements given to the police; it's just as I stated."

"Might I trouble you to tell me once more?" Ye Sangsang raised her eyes to look at him.

A trace of impatience instantly surfaced on the assistant's face, though he forcefully suppressed his irritation and recounted every detail of that day.

As an assistant, he had also consumed some alcohol that day.

However, as the primary target of harassment, Wang Ziyang had drunk much more, and was already heavily intoxicated by the time he left the restaurant.

"I helped him to the back seat at the time, intending to call a designated driver for him. I never expected that he wouldn't appreciate it at all. Taking advantage of the brief moment while I was ordering the driver, he moved to the driver's seat and drove the car away directly..." Speaking up to this point, the assistant was left speechless, a genuine flash of annoyance crossing his face.

Ye Sangsang observed the other person's expression and asked again, "How would you describe his mental state at the time? Were there any specific actions or words?"

She did not ask why he hadn't called the police, because doing so would mean his boss getting caught on the spot, and the assistant definitely wouldn't come out looking good afterward. Since he wasn't family, he had no obligation to be utterly devoted to that extent.

Allowing the other person to drive off probably stemmed from the mentality that his boss was still somewhat sober, holding onto the hope that the leader might avoid being caught and make it home safely.

He simply hadn't expected that not only did his boss fail to make it home, but he also sent himself straight into a detention center.

"Aside from being a bit hazy and slurring his speech, he seemed somewhat normal. I figured that late at night, the road he took home might not have traffic police, so I didn't take any steps to stop him." He paused and said helplessly, "You know as well that if I had called the police for drunk driving and sent President Wang in, I would essentially be blacklisted locally and never find a job again."

Without Ye Sangsang even asking, the assistant spilled all of his own opportunistic thoughts.

Zhang Xiaoxiao, sitting to one side, thought about it and didn't find anything wrong with that. If she were in his shoes, she would likely have done the same.

Ye Sangsang placed her hand on the armrest and stared at him. "How did you get home after that?"

"I... I stood anxiously on the spot for a good while before taking a taxi home. I even have the taxi ride history, which I showed the police," the assistant replied after a brief hesitation, as if recalling something.

Ye Sangsang nodded, her gaze fixed on the assistant while she pondered something.

Under Ye Sangsang's piercing gaze, the assistant's eyes flickered, and three seconds later he turned away, pretending nothing was wrong.

Ye Sangsang stood up and said to him, "Thank you for the explanation. Your lunch break is almost over, you should head back early too. The traffic on the road is quite heavy right now."

"Right... right, I'll head back, otherwise being late in the afternoon wouldn't be good." His expression instantly relaxed. He stood up abruptly from his chair as if poked by a needle, hung his head while listening to Ye Sangsang speak, grabbed his portable bag, and hurried away in a rush.

Ye Sangsang's gaze landed on his trembling, uncontrollable fingers, watching with an inscrutable expression as he departed.

[This assistant feels so guilty it's obvious.]

[There is definitely something fishy going on.]

[Could Wang Ziyang actually have been framed?]

Expressing it so blatantly, not only Ye Sangsang noticed, but many viewers in the live stream also saw that something was amiss.

Ye Sangsang stood up and motioned to Zhang Xiaoxiao. "Let's go, we're heading back too, to carefully examine the specific situation, and by the way, make another trip to see the victim."

"We're going again?" Zhang Xiaoxiao scratched her head, completely baffled.

Ye Sangsang looked at her and said with certainty, "Yes. When doing things, don't be afraid of trouble."

In the car, Ye Sangsang recalled the other person's statements, and many doubts remained unresolved in her mind.

The assistant's obvious reaction had given her part of the answer, but it didn't constitute the whole truth. If anything, the truth had only become more baffling and elusive.

She planned to visit the victim first, then apply for another meeting with the client, and afterwards request an inspection of the vehicle involved in the accident.

Her intuition told her that the order of these steps mattered greatly.

This time visiting the hospital, she didn't bring a basket of flowers. Zhang Xiaoxiao followed closely behind her every step of the way, looking precisely like a little follower.