Blank Charge

Jin Zhou didn’t like others touching his head.

Perhaps it was a matter of male dignity, as he always felt that having someone touch his head would be very embarrassing.

If any classmate did that to Jin Zhou, he would definitely retaliate, even if it meant chasing them . He would insist on an equal exchange, just to settle the score.

But when Yang Shiyu first touched Jin Zhou’s head back in school, he had stared blankly at the textbook in his hand, not even noticing that his own ears turned red.

It was probably the second semester of their sophomore year when Jin Zhou correctly solved a difficult homework problem. Yang Shiyu casually rubbed his head as a form of congratulating him.

After that, head-rubbing seemed to become a habit for them, combined with “listen to me.” As long as Jin Zhou behaved and followed Yang Shiyu’s instructions to study well, Yang Shiyu would habitually give his head a rub.

No one knew that Jin Zhou only gave this privilege to Yang Shiyu; he wouldn’t even allow his own parents to touch his head.

Hanging the black baseball cap on the balcony, Jin Zhou flicked the brim with his index finger and asked the cap with a dispirited tone, “do you know what he is really thinking?”

Yang Shiyu had earnestly talked about feeling guilty and even got worried about Jin Zhou getting wet in the rain, so he put the hat on him. But when Jin Zhou questioned him about what case his father was handling back then, that tight-lipped guy suddenly fell silent again.

The baseball cap hanging on the clothesline swayed back and forth and gradually came to a stop. Jin Zhou poked the top of the cap and grumbled, “Why don’t you know mind-reading techniques?”

It would be great if that hat had special powers.

The damp hat swayed twice more, as if silently pleading its innocence.

Jin Zhou inexplicably felt restless and impatient. He forcefully slapped the brim of the hat, causing it to pitifully wrap around the clothesline several times.

The next day,….

When Jin Zhou arrived at the auto repair shop, it was as deserted as usual.

Xiao Wu didn’t have any work to do at the moment; he was sitting behind the desk, absentmindedly looking at his phone and didn’t even notice Jin Zhou’s arrival.

“What are you looking at?” Jin Zhou hooked another chair with his leg and sat down next to Xiao Wu.

“Brother Jin.” Xiao Wu looked up, wearing a troubled expression. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.” Jin Zhou had always been the caring big brother for his friends. He could offer advice on any life or work-related issues.

“You’ve had many relationships, right?” Xiao Wu looked at Jin Zhou with doe eyes, as if he were a student eager for knowledge.

Jin Zhou hesitated for a moment, maintaining his composure, and said, “Of course.”

“Then, how can you know what your girlfriend is thinking?” Xiao Wu continued, seemingly realizing Jin Zhou’s sexual orientation and changing his wording. “How can you understand what your partner is thinking?”

Jin Zhou remained calm on the surface and asked, “When did you start dating?”

—When you don’t know how to answer, just divert the topic and ramble on. Maybe you can get through it.

“It’s been a while; we were introduced by a friend.” Xiao Wu honestly confessed, “We get along well, but I often can’t grasp what makes her angry.”

“For example?” Jin Zhou, like an encouraging mentor, appeared to be guiding Xiao Wu to figure it out for himself. In reality, he had no clue and could only continue to bluff.

“Last night, I was playing a game and didn’t respond to her messages in time. I felt like she was angry, but she said she wasn’t.” Xiao Wu said.

Jin Zhou immediately grasped the key information and asked, “Did she explicitly say she wasn’t angry?”

“Yes.” Xiao Wu pulled up their WeChat conversation, and it was clear that the girl indeed replied with “not angry” and even informed Xiao Wu that she was going to take a shower.

“You’re overthinking it.” Jin Zhou finally figured out how to respond. “Do you know how rare it is to have such an honest partner?”

“Is that so?” Xiao Wu asked skeptically.

“Some girls simply won’t tell you what they’re thinking. For example, if you ask her what she wants to eat for dinner, she says ‘anything,’ and if you suggest roast duck, she says no. You suggest hot pot, she says no. Then if you ask her what she actually wants to eat, she says ‘anything’ again.” Jin Zhou patted his left palm with the back of his right hand. “Tell me, if you find someone like that, won’t it be a living hell? So your girlfriend is already good; if she’s not angry, she tells you directly.”

Xiao wu nodded thoughtfully, “Makes sense.”

“On the contrary, it’s you. You keep asking her if she’s angry, and that’s really annoying,” Jin Zhou said. “Since she already said she isn’t, you should act like a man and be more carefree.”

“Understood, Jin Zhou,” Xiao wu felt as if he had been struck by the phrase “like a man.” He immediately put away his phone and stopped thinking about how to reply. “They say women’s hearts are like the depths of the sea, but Jin Zhou is amazing.”

“That’s nothing,” Jin Zhou modestly waved his hand, then thought of that dull-mouthed Yang Shiyu and said unenthusiastically, “Actually, it’s men’s hearts that are like the depths of the sea.”

The two of them chatted aimlessly for a while. Before long, a familiar car arrived at the door of the shop.

Luo Xueqing got out of the car, holding a document bag in her hand, and nodded towards Jin Zhou, “Hello, boss. I’m here to trouble you again.”

Xiao wu instinctively stood up to greet her, but Jin Zhou held him back and stood up himself, “What’s wrong? Is there another problem with the car?”

Jin Zhou wanted to find something to do, to divert his attention from Yang Shiyu. Even if the person who arrived wasn’t Luo Xueqing, he would still have asked Xiaowu to take a break.

“No, the car is fine. It’s about a fraud issue,” Luo Xueqing opened the document bag and took out a stack of materials, handing them to Jin Zhou. “I brought the car purchase contract and the dealer’s brochure. I think there’s still a chance of winning. Can you take a look?”

Many people who go to court believe they have a chance of winning, or they think they are right; otherwise, they wouldn’t waste their time and money on legal proceedings.

Jin Zhou took a look at the car purchase contract, but there was nothing special about it. The standard clauses were all aimed at protecting the seller’s interests.

“Look at the brochure,” Luo Xueqing opened the folded booklet and pointed to the off-road mode function written on it. “It says this car has three off-road modes to choose from: city/mountain/desert. But my car only has city and mountain modes. Can this be considered fraud?”

Jin Zhou carefully reviewed the information on the brochure and remained silent.

“Look here,” Luo Xueqing pointed to a line of small print on the brochure. “Although it says ‘for display purposes only, does not constitute any commitment,’ they didn’t remind me of this when I made the purchase. Does that mean they didn’t fulfill their duty to inform?”

Jin Zhou put down the brochure and looked at Luo Xueqing, “Have you consulted other lawyers?”

Luo Xueqing felt a bit embarrassed for a moment and said, “Yes, I have.”

This was a normal thing, and Jin Zhou didn’t think much of it. Anyone who conducted legal business in a repair shop would feel unreliable. Even if they didn’t discuss it in a repair shop, it was completely fine for someone to consult multiple law firms for comparison.

Luo Xueqing explained, “I’m a cautious person. I hope you understand.”

“I don’t mind,” Jin Zhou shrugged indifferently. “Let’s go upstairs and talk.”

The small rundown law firm upstairs wasn’t necessarily more reassuring, but compared to the repair shop, it was much more decent.

Sun Yi happened to be free and helped make two cups of tea. Jin Zhou and Luo Xueqing sat on the guest sofa and discussed the specific issues.

“I can tell you clearly that this doesn’t constitute fraud,” Jin Zhou calmly held the teacup and pointed with his chin at the brochure placed on the coffee table.

Luo Xueqing frowned, “But the other law firms I consulted said there’s hope.”

It seemed she had consulted more than one firm.

“No one will refuse business that comes to their door,” Jin Zhou said. “Even if the chances of winning are slim, lawyers will still give it a try. They won’t directly tell you it’s impossible.”

“But you’re telling me it’s impossible,” Luo Xueqing said.

“I don’t rely on being a lawyer for a living,” compared to other lawyers, Jin Zhou didn’t prioritize money. When representing a case, he naturally excluded business considerations. “If you ask for my advice, then I suggest you not stubbornly pursue fraud; it’s best to go for false advertising.”

“False advertising?” Luo Xueqing furrowed her brows in confusion. “Is there a difference from fraud?”

“Fraud means they compensate you three times the amount, while false advertising only compensates for your actual losses, maybe a few thousand yuan.” A few thousand yuan wouldn’t justify the need to go to court. Jin Zhou paused and added, “But the good thing is you are a journalist.”

Luo Xueqing understood the implication behind Jin Zhou’s words and suddenly realized, “As long as I can win, whether it’s fraud or false advertising, it doesn’t matter in the eyes of the public.”

“That’s right,” Jin Zhou said. “Only by winning the lawsuit can we effectively raise awareness among other consumers.” If the lawsuit fails and the business is not deemed fraudulent, the impact of the awareness campaign would be greatly reduced.

Although the trial process might not go as smoothly as envisioned, Jin Zhou’s proposed strategy was at least highly feasible.

“Okay,” Luo Xueqing nodded. The conversation took a turn, and she changed the subject, “May I ask about your fee structure?”

Jin Zhou thought for a moment and casually replied, “Let’s say 800 yuan for now.”

Luo Xueqing was taken aback, “800? Are you sure?”

The two of them discussed many more details, completely dispelling Luo Xueqing’s doubts.

When signing the agency agreement, Luo Xueqing finally learned Jin Zhou’s name and looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking, “Your surname is Jin?”

“Do you find it familiar?” Jin Zhou smiled. He hadn’t intended to hide it, as there weren’t many people with that surname. “You might know him. Jin Wei is my father.”

Luo Xueqing’s eyes widened instantly, surprised. “That judge?”

“Yes,” Jin Zhou said. “If possible… I’d like to ask for your help too.”

Luo Xueqing was also an intelligent person and immediately understood why Jin Zhou only charged her 800 yuan as a legal fee. She signed her name on the agency contract and said readily, “No problem, what can I do to help?”

“Help me check the  news from that year and see if there’s anything related to my father.”

As they came downstairs, the shop still had no customers. Xiao Wu was making a phone call at the shop’s entrance, judging from his tone, it seemed to be his girlfriend on the other end.

Jin Zhou returned to his desk and was about to organize Luo Xueqing’s lawsuit materials when his phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, it was an old acquaintance of his who worked in the prison.

“I found out the information you asked me to investigate a couple of days ago,” Jiang Chijing said. “During his time in prison, Wang Darong met a pen pal from the women’s prison, and they were still together after his release. She might know something.”

Jiang Chijing used to be a clerk in the court and had known Jin Zhou for a long time. Later, he was transferred to the prison to manage prisoners’ mail and learned a lot about their personal situations.

“Thanks,” Jin Zhou said. “I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

“No problem, by the way,” Jiang Chijing continued, “Judge Yang from your district came to Southern Prison this morning and also asked about Wang Darong’s pen pal.”

Jin Zhou raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. That dog, he’s obviously deliberately acting alone.

However, today was quite fruitful, and Jin Zhou couldn’t be bothered with him.

After expressing his gratitude and hanging up the phone, he started organizing the lawsuit materials. At that moment, Xiao Wu walked over to the shop’s entrance with a dejected expression.

“Brother Jin,” Xiao Wu looked at Jin Zhou with a complicated expression, struggling to speak, “I just got dumped.”

Jin Zhou: “…”