Chapter 12 The Last Customer

A week later, both Xu Qinglang's noodle shop and Zhou Ze's bookstore would be moving the next day, but tonight, Xu Qinglang still opened his shop, saying he planned to do business here for one last day.

It was hard to leave one's native land, and this noodle shop held a long period of Xu Qinglang's life, even the last time he was together with his parents.

If it hadn't been for the little loli's intervention, perhaps Xu Qinglang could still "dine" with his parents every night and enjoy the warmth of being together as a family.

Zhou Ze's bookstore was already closed; all the books in the bookstore had been packed into boxes, waiting for the truck to come and take them away tomorrow.

With Bai Yingying, a workhorse with great strength, and Tang Shi, a "telekinesis" user, the efficiency of packing things was indeed very fast. The owner Zhou, whose injuries were more than half healed but not completely recovered, only needed to sit in the noodle shop next door with a teapot and drink tea, in the style of a landlord from the old society.

The old Taoist priest and the monkey were playing in the empty shopping mall behind them. The monkey was very close to the old Taoist priest, and the man and the monkey could play together.

There was no forest here, but the empty commercial center behind them was enough for the monkey to gallop and frolic.

Drinking tea and watching the sun gradually set outside, Xu Qinglang sat there looking at his phone, showing not much sadness, and certainly not much joy.

Fortunately, at this time, a customer finally came to the door.

This was the first customer today.

Unsurprisingly,

This would also be the last customer today.

After Zhou Ze took a taxi last time and asked the driver to find him an unclean place, and the driver drove him here, the last bit of popularity that originally existed here had long since disappeared.

People who used to pass by here on their way to or from work also chose to take a detour.

This was also the reason why Zhou Ze decided to move.

The visitor was wearing a suit, but his hair was disheveled and the suit was a bit dirty. He didn't look like an office worker, but more like an unemployed vagrant, but the suit itself was quite expensive.

"What would you like to eat?" Xu Qinglang asked as he got up.

"Stir-fry a few of your specialties, and a bottle of Snow, ice-cold."

"Okay."

Xu Qinglang first got him the beer and went to the kitchen to stir-fry the dishes.

The other party sat opposite Zhou Ze, with an aisle in between.

The other party glanced at the noodle shop and said,

"Moving, huh?"

"You can tell?" Zhou Ze was a little surprised.

"I can tell. It's been cleaned. Who would bother to clean so meticulously in this godforsaken place? It's obvious you're preparing to move."

The man took out a cigarette, lit it, and then directly shook the ashes onto the table.

After a short while, Xu Qinglang brought over the first dish. The other party looked at the dish and shook his head, saying,

"Boss, the dishes you make really aren't as good-looking as you are."

"Eat your food," Xu Qinglang replied flatly.

This was the temper of a man who owned twenty-odd apartments doing business.

The man picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and then spat it out. "This dish isn't made with heart, it's not authentic."

Xu Qinglang had already returned to the kitchen to stir-fry the next dish, so he didn't hear the man's mutterings.

"I think his cooking is pretty good," Zhou Ze said.

"Pretty good?" The man reached out and gently tapped the table. "Cooking and making food as a hobby, can that even be called pretty good?"

After saying that, the man opened the beer cap with his teeth, took a big gulp, and said, "I can tell, he's obviously not short of money, a guy who's cooking to experience life, this dish, there's no sincerity at all."

"It's hard to find a restaurant with sincerity these days."

"Oh, what's your relationship with him? I said his dishes aren't delicious, why are you suddenly targeting me?"

The man pointed at Zhou Ze and then at the kitchen, smiling silently,

"Oh, there's something fishy, something fishy."

Zhou Ze was too lazy to pay attention to this guy. The reason why he had struck up a conversation with him earlier was because this guy looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Of course, it should be something from his previous life.

"Disgusting? Do you think I'm disgusting? Disgusting people live more comfortably. I think your life must not be so comfortable, sitting there with a cup of tea looking very self-cultivating, but you're also the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business.

People, as long as they like to meddle in other people's business, their lives won't be comfortable."

The man took another sip of wine, looking at Zhou Ze with a smile.

"By the way, the bookstore next door, that's yours, right? Is it closing too?" The man pointed next door. "When I came over just now, I saw that the things inside the glass door were all packed up."

"Yes, we're moving."

"Did you sue?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sue for what?"

"Sue the developers here, sue the management here. I heard that incidents have been happening here one after another. It's obviously the management's fault.

There was a fire in the movie theater,

And someone jumped off a building and committed suicide.

That's why your business couldn't continue. Sue, make them compensate you for your losses."

"Sue what? The business wasn't good before," Xu Qinglang said as he brought out the last dish and placed the rice on the table. He said to the man, "Eighty yuan."

"Tsk, eighty yuan you're asking me for, I'm talking to you about a big deal. That movie theater fire, you can sue the movie theater, make them compensate you for your losses."

"That was arson. The arsonist is also a poor bum who can't afford to pay anything," Xu Qinglang retorted.

"Bullshit. Doesn't the movie theater have a responsibility for the fire?

Doesn't the management here have a responsibility?

Sue, sue them to compensate you for your losses. Also, those two who jumped off the building, I heard they were quite wealthy. Sue, they jumped off the building here, affecting your normal business operations, make them compensate you for your losses!"

"Your theory is quite novel," Zhou Ze said, finding it both funny and absurd.

It wasn't just that he and Xu Qinglang, because of their special identities, didn't have the slightest intention of asking for any compensation from here; even if they were normal people, it would probably be difficult for them to think of asking for compensation from here.

"What's novel about it? If there's a law to rely on, then rely on it. Chinese people just don't like to go to court, but I'm telling you, this lawsuit can be fought, you can get compensation.

Even if you pluck a hair from that movie theater company, it's thicker than our waists.

I can help you fight this lawsuit. I happen to be short of money. I won't charge you lawyer's fees. We'll split the compensation fifty-fifty. Don't worry, it won't be little. I wouldn't take this job if it were little."

"Go, go, go, who has the time to go to court with you? Besides, people's family members died, and we're going to run over and ask them for damages and compensation? Is that appropriate?"

Xu Qinglang was a little annoyed by this guy.

"Does being appropriate do any good? Does being appropriate get you money? You're being appropriate, but isn't your business still failing and you're preparing to move?"

The man took another sip of wine. The bottle of beer was already empty.

"Why wouldn't you want money? Are you stupid!"

"Is your surname Du?" Zhou Ze suddenly asked.

The man was stunned, then looked at Zhou Ze. "Oh, you actually recognize me."

"Old Zhou, you know him?" Xu Qinglang asked Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze nodded. "A great lawyer."

"Him, a great lawyer?" Xu Qinglang laughed so hard that tears were about to come out. "He's clearly a shyster."

"He really is a great lawyer," Zhou Ze repeated.

Zhou Ze remembered that in the past, the hospital where he worked had two medical accidents caused by new drugs. The patients sued the hospital, and in the end, the hospital hired this great lawyer Du to win the lawsuit perfectly.

He was from Tong City, but he used to have his own law firm in Shanghai. He was a very famous professional lawyer in the industry, with a very high success rate.

However, his price was also very high back then. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford his lawyer's fees, except for the super-rich and big companies.

"Since you recognize me, you should know how good I am at fighting lawsuits. Come on, hire me to fight this lawsuit, and you'll have money to open a new store, and I need money to spend."

Lawyer Du looked at Zhou Ze with an expression that said, 'Hurry up and beg me.'

"Sorry, we're not interested," Zhou Ze still refused.

"Not interested in RMB? Are you interested in ghost money?"

Lawyer Du covered his stomach and laughed.

Then he stood up,

Pointed at Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang,

"Not wanting money, two big idiots."

After saying that, he touched his pocket, took out a hundred-yuan bill and placed it on the table.

"The food is really bad, keep the change."

After saying that, he took the remaining half bottle of beer and staggered out of the shop.

"Is this guy out of his mind?" Xu Qinglang said as he cleaned up the table. "Forget it, let's close up. In the future, we'll just make coffee and pastries."

"He used to be very good," Zhou Ze said.

"You admire him so much?"

"It's not admiration. In every industry, to be able to reach the top level in a region, especially in a place like Shanghai, you really have to be a capable person.

Do you know which case he's most famous for?"

"Tell me about it."

"A case of a minor committing murder during a home invasion. With the prosecution having a lot of evidence, because the suspect's family spent a lot of money to hire him as the defense lawyer,

In the end, he really managed to win the lawsuit, and the suspect was acquitted."

"Then did that child actually kill someone?" Xu Qinglang asked.

Zhou Ze hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "He probably did."

"How can someone who only cares about money survive in the industry?"

"He'll only survive better, because what the rich and big companies need are lawyers who can help them win lawsuits and protect their own interests, not lawyers who only talk about conscience."

"I understand that principle." Xu Qinglang stretched, then pointed curiously at the figure outside who was drinking and acting crazy while staggering away.

"Then how did this guy end up like this? He even came to our door specifically to instigate us to hire him to fight a lawsuit?"

Zhou Ze took a sip of tea,

And slowly said,

"Later, that minor who was acquitted committed another home invasion and murder.

By some strange twist of fate,

He broke into,

The home of this great lawyer Du.

His wife and daughter, on that day,

Were killed."