The downtown skyscraper towered into the clouds, isolating all birdsong and floral scents, leaving only cold steel and glass standing silently in the sunlight.
Zeng Keqin swiped her card, rode the elevator, and arrived at her workstation.
Not long after, Zou Min walked in carrying a stack of documents, her expression more serious than usual.
"Everyone here? Come to the conference room."
They immediately stood up, gathered their things, and headed to the conference room.
"What's going on?" Qiao Meng whispered.
"I think it's not good news," Zhou Yi replied beside her.
Sure enough, Zou Min announced loudly:
"Today we have a new assignment. This is an ongoing commercial litigation case involving contract breach and intellectual property infringement. The amount in dispute is large, and the legal relationships are complex."
As she spoke, she distributed the documents. "The six of you will be divided into two groups of three, representing the plaintiff and defendant respectively."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Qiao Meng asked quietly, "Lawyer Zou, how do we divide the groups?"
"Draw lots."
Zou Min pulled several folded slips of paper from her pocket. "Those who draw the same color form a group. The plaintiff group will draft the complaint and evidence list; the defendant group will draft the answer and cross-examination opinions. Submit within one week. I will grade based on the quality of the documents, and the scores will be recorded in your evaluation."
She put the slips into a box.
The six stepped up in turn to draw.
Blue team: Zeng Keqin, Zheng Zhixi, Qiao Meng.
Red team: Zhao Mo, Su Wanyi, Zhou Yi.
"As for team leaders, you can decide among yourselves."
Zou Min adjourned the meeting and left the conference room.
In the end, the team leaders were also decided by drawing lots.
Blue team leader: Qiao Meng.
Red team leader: Su Wanyi.
Qiao Meng scratched her head sheepishly. "I've never been a team leader before. Please bear with me."
Zeng Keqin smiled. "I believe in you."
Zheng Zhixi adjusted his glasses and said nothing, looking down to review the case.
Zeng Keqin had a vague feeling that this group collaboration might not go smoothly.
Her premonition proved correct.
On the first day of group discussion, Zheng Zhixi gave her a tough time. As team leader, Qiao Meng listed the case issues and assigned tasks.
Zeng Keqin volunteered for the part on liability for breach of contract. She spent a whole afternoon drafting a complete plan and posted it in the group chat.
Soon after, Zheng Zhixi commented: [There's a problem with your logic.]
Then at the afternoon meeting, he directly pointed out: "You determined the other party's delay constitutes fundamental breach, but the contract doesn't specify the exact number of days for delay. The guiding precedent you cited has different facts from this case. The opposing party could easily distinguish..."
This was clearly nitpicking.
Zeng Keqin suppressed her anger and countered each point: "Even if the contract doesn't specify exact days, the time intervals between the plaintiff's three demands..."
Qiao Meng looked left and right and quietly said, "I think Xiaoke makes sense."
Zheng Zhixi snorted. "Do you think that matters? We need Lawyer Zou's approval."
Zeng Keqin: "So what are your suggested revisions?"
Zheng Zhixi: "I haven't figured that out yet. But your draft won't do. Redo it."
Qiao Meng wanted to defend her, but Zeng Keqin stopped her.
"Fine. I'll redo it."
After the meeting, Qiao Meng grabbed her sleeve apologetically. "Xiaoke, I'm sorry. I'm not a good team leader."
"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."
Zeng Keqin pulled her hand away and returned to her seat.
For the next few days, she buried herself in the case, consulting numerous materials and compiling a list of evidence. But when she got to the school library, she found that the book she needed most had been checked out.
Left with no choice, she tried her luck online to see if she could find the same edition.
While scrolling through her Moments, she happened to see a photo posted by Liao Junyu not long ago, captioned: "Weekend happiness: an old book and a cup of coffee."
She tapped the image and zoomed in.
The yellowed book was unmistakably "A Practical Guide to Contract Law."
What a coincidence.
Zeng Keqin hesitated for a few seconds. She didn't like asking people for help, but this time she had no choice.