I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping Chapter 2095 - 1349: Better Days When You Were Young (2)

"This lawsuit isn't so straightforward."

Fang Qing grabbed the disposable chopsticks from a nearby hand, already split apart.

"Any issue that money can fix isn't really an issue."

Boss Jiang's offhand comment carried an air of total dominance; it would have suited a cozy family diner much better than this humble roadside noodle shop.

"How much are that couple demanding?"

"Five million."

Jiang Chen grinned, dipping his head to slurp up noodles with his chopsticks. "These days, five million could snag a decent house in River City."

Fang Qing kept her personal feelings out of it, brushing her hair aside so it wouldn't drop into her bowl, then spoke in a matter-of-fact voice: "Hand over five million to them, and you'll have a line of others demanding the same amount."

As someone in the legal field, you have to grasp human nature alongside the rules of law.

Jiang Chen might not have delved into formal studies like Qing Mei had, yet his rough path through life had exposed him to plenty of humanity's uglier aspects.

Thus, he got exactly what Fang Qing meant.

Open that door, and if leaping from a building could deliver a five-million inheritance to a family, picture Xinghuo Medical Center swarming with dying patients ready to jump instead of getting cured.

Of course.

Not everyone acts so nobly; even facing death, some fight tooth and nail to live on, but you still have to weigh the family's "feelings" in those situations.

Stuck choosing between cash and total ruin, burdened by sky-high medical bills—giving up someone already lost to save the rest of the household—how would anyone pick at that fork in the road?

In those scenarios, deciding to jump isn't solely up to the dying individual.

And it goes beyond just fatal diseases.

With Shen Zhou's population topping a billion, how many folks ever see five million in earnings over a lifetime?

"That's why you've held off on settling, right?"

Jiang Chen chomped down on a mouthful of hot dry noodles.

To be frank, though River City's hot dry noodles get all the hype, they don't quite match the real deal from Sha City.

"The law deals in rights and wrongs. In this case, neither Xinghuo Medical Center nor Star Medical Technology bears blame. Offering 300,000 stands as the maximum act of compassion."

In the legal world, you can't afford to go "soft," and Fang Qing, being a standout from Political and Legal University, shows no such basic weakness.

She meant Star Medical Technology, the outfit started by Wu Yufei and his crew.

"If it's truly as you describe, with us free of fault, then I say skip even the 300,000—not a single cent."

Fang Qing stayed level-headed and composed, but she hadn't realized this guy was even more uncompromising.

To the point where she shot him a quick look.

"We could still cover funeral costs."

Jiang Chen laughed lightly, grabbing the moment to preach a bit. "Why cover funeral costs? Because 'the dead deserve respect'? Real legal justice shouldn't side with the vulnerable or blur the lines; it ought to judge purely on the hard facts of what happened."

Fang Qing dropped the subject, focusing on her noodles instead. "At first glance, this suit looks like a cash grab, but really, it's aimed straight at Xinghuo Medical Center."

Don't let the precise, upright talk fool you; in truth, paying 300,000 or 500,000 wouldn't faze him much, but if it's gunning for Xinghuo Medical Center, that shifts everything.

"Got proof?"

Jiang Chen kept his face steady.

Fang Qing went quiet.

"Spill any secrets you have. I promise to keep them locked up." Jiang Chen joked.

"If that couple was purely after money, they'd have approached Xinghuo Medical Center to negotiate first, not rushed straight to court. Plus, the court keeps nudging us toward a deal."

Jiang Chen let out a sigh. "Good thing it's you handling this—you're quick and insightful. If we'd gone along with the court's suggestions, it'd be like trouble sticking where it shouldn't—innocent yet impossible to clear up."

You didn't knock them down, so why bother lifting them?

It's not on you, so why shell out all that cash?

"I trust in the fairness of the law, but courts are a different story."

Jiang Chen muttered to himself, brushing off Qing Mei's response, then bent back to his food. Fang Qing stayed silent too.

"The one who stands out gets targeted; challenging established ways invites pushback from those clinging to power, though Jiang Chen hadn't foreseen it."

Happening right in River City.

River City serves as the provincial capital.

It's also his birthplace.

So his emotions right now defy easy words.

"You probably saw it coming." Fang Qing picked up on the tangle in his feelings.

"I did, but it's still aggravating. Xinghuo Medical Center isn't solely mine; Cao Jinse set it up. Imagine if she heard about trouble hitting Xinghuo here in River City—wouldn't she mock me?"

Jiang Chen figured she'd "pile on the pain," but instead caught: "She wouldn't."

Jiang Chen swiveled his head.

"You don't speak for River City, and it doesn't speak for you."

"Sigh~" Jiang Chen sighed once more.

You couldn't fault him for it.

While abroad, his flight ran into snags; returning home, his own countrymen turned on him.

Anyone would struggle to stomach that.

"This suit marks just the start; stir up the hive, and brace for nonstop strikes. But keep the innocent out of it."

She caught the hint perfectly, or maybe they just clicked that well.

"You referring to Wu Yufei and the others?"

Direct.

Genuine.

Unfiltered truth.

Exactly.

Why dance around it?

He's no Zhou Zhiruo; he's Zhang Wuji—what's to worry about?

"The stakes in the medical world run deep, and Korea saw huge uproar over it; mess with someone's livelihood, and you better gear up for the dangers."

Those in the know can trace who's backing Xinghuo Medical Center.

A tough shield doesn't guarantee no one will test it.

Korea proves that point.

President or not, what difference does it make?

"You're spot on." Jiang Chen nodded along. "If it drags in old classmates, I'd carry that guilt forever."

"I get that you're classmates; no need to stress it."

Jiang Chen paused briefly. "Did I stress it? You getting touchy?"

"Am I touchy?"

Fang Qing held his stare.

Their gazes met, and Jiang Chen stayed bold. "Sure, maybe Wu Yufei had a secret crush on me back then, but that's history; those were simpler, carefree times. With my charm in those days, girls crushing on me was no big deal—nothing worth bragging over."

From beginning to end, Fang Qing heard him out in silence, then tacked on after he wrapped up: "Did I call it a big deal?"

Boss Jiang, on the verge of smugness, pressed on steadily. "Glad you see it that way. What I'm saying is, past is past. We're just classmates now, pals. Sharing a meal like this is nothing but wholesome fun."

He picked up on the undertone in Fang Qing's remark, so naturally, she caught the bite in his words.

"So you're saying I'm pushing them away?"

"Never crossed my mind."

Jiang Chen shot down the idea right away, then let out a sigh. "Perhaps your presence just packs too much punch."

"How could I stack up to you?"

Fang Qing at last fired back with a jab.

"I'm not like that; I'm approachable."

Boss Jiang's cheeky attitude was maddening in ways words couldn't capture.

All at once.

He set aside his chopsticks and snatched a handful of tissues from the table's dispenser, offering them across.

"Clean your mouth."

Yes.

Boss Jiang really knew his limits.

Fang Qing skipped taking them, pulling her own tissues to dab at her lips, only to find no sesame paste there.

Glancing his way again, he wore a sly grin, like a mischievous boy after pulling off a trick.

Fang Qing held back from snapping, simply setting the tissue down quietly and stating, "You were definitely more charming back in your younger days."

His grin stiffened.