From abandoned baby to CEO

The meeting with Attorney Zhao took place in a rather unique restaurant. Sun Xue had ordered the food in advance and was waiting for Attorney Zhao's arrival. At the same time, she had also prepared a large red envelope for Attorney Zhao.

Attorney Zhao is the lawyer she admires most among all the lawyers she has worked with, and they have had a very pleasant working relationship over the years.

Especially in the past year or so, Sun Xue encountered many troubles, big and small, and Attorney Zhao helped her a lot in terms of legal matters.

About ten minutes later, Attorney Zhao arrived as scheduled.

Attorney Zhao is in his early fifties, with a typical northern appearance: a square face, tall and robust. He has a refined and easy-going personality and is quite well-known in the Jinan city's legal circle.

Looking at the table laden with fragrant dishes, Attorney Zhao was a little surprised and said politely, "Mr. Sun, it's just the two of us, why did you order so many dishes?"

Sun Xue quickly got up and brewed a steaming cup of black tea for Attorney Zhao, saying with a smile, "Attorney Zhao, you've been working hard lately. I want to treat you to a good meal. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up first."

Attorney Zhao picked up his teacup with a kind smile. He looked at Sun Xue, who was looking refreshed and beaming, and was genuinely happy for her.

He hadn't seen Sun Xue so relaxed and smiling so happily in a long time.

Since Sun Xue took over the city investment company, she has always looked serious whenever they meet, especially recently with Zhang Jianguo's case, which has left her at a loss.

She greatly admired the girl in front of her who appeared frail but was actually strong-willed.

Over the years of working with Sun Xue, he has assisted her in handling one difficult case after another, and has witnessed the hardships and difficulties she has faced along the way.

He has been engaged in legal aid for decades and has handled countless cases. Sun Xue is the young entrepreneur he has met who has faced the most pressure and challenges, but also has the strongest ability to withstand pressure. She is the only one among his clients over the years.

Any one of the thorny issues Sun Xue encountered in her career would be enough to crush many young entrepreneurs.

His own daughter is about the same age as Sun Xue, but Sun Xue has a maturity and wisdom beyond her years, which is why he sincerely admires this young entrepreneur.

Sun Xue smiled and pushed a thick red envelope in front of Attorney Zhao, saying, "Attorney Zhao, thank you for your hard work."

Attorney Zhao was taken aback. "Mr. Sun, this is... Didn't the court fees already get deposited into my account a few days ago?"

"This is a small token of my appreciation, Attorney Zhao. Please don't be shy, just accept it."

After some polite refusals, Attorney Zhao gladly accepted the red envelope, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Sun."

"Attorney Zhao, from now on, I would like to hire you as the general counsel of my company. Please consider it."

Attorney Zhao joked, "My net worth isn't low, you know."

Sun Xue smiled slightly, "Name your price, as long as it doesn't cause any major upheaval, I can accept it."

Attorney Zhao readily agreed, "Mr. Sun, just because of what you said, I'm willing to join your company."

Sun Xue said happily, "That's great, thank you, Attorney Zhao. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future."

Having gone through so much, Sun Xuezhen realized that as the company grows larger in the future, it urgently needs an excellent lawyer to provide legal assistance, and Attorney Zhao is undoubtedly the best candidate.

She paid a heavy price for it because of her lack of awareness in this regard.

Being framed by her business partner not only embroiled her in a lawsuit but also caused huge losses to the company.

My collaboration with Wu Zechen many years ago is a stark example of what goes wrong.

Attorney Zhao immediately got to the point, "Mr. Sun, the verdict in Zhang Jianguo's case is coming out soon. I've called you here today to discuss this matter thoroughly. This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for you to proactively advocate for your company's interests..."

Sun Xue couldn't quite process what Attorney Zhao had said and eagerly asked, "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? What do you mean?"

"Didn't the judicial authorities seize a large amount of cash and gold bars from Zhang Jianguo's home? That's what he embezzled and accepted bribes from the city investment company. They also seized valuable paintings and calligraphy, as well as properties under his name—all of which are worth over 100 million yuan in total. Oh, and the money he gave to government officials will also be confiscated and turned over to the national treasury..."

Sun Xue finally understood and excitedly asked, "Attorney Zhao, do you mean... all of these were illegally obtained by Zhang Jianguo from the city investment company, and in the end they still have to be returned to the city investment company? Is that what you mean?"

"That's right. According to normal judicial procedures, all the property that Zhang Jianguo embezzled and accepted as bribes will be confiscated or ordered to be returned by the judicial authorities."

Attorney Zhao changed the subject, "Mr. Sun, please note that it says 'or order to return.' In the end, it's possible that a portion will be returned, or only a very small portion, with the remainder going to the national treasury. Therefore, you should try to actively apply for this money. As for the application process, I will help you develop a detailed plan."

Sun Xue was extremely excited, "Okay, okay."

This is like a windfall! Even if we can only get half of the 100 million, that's still 50 million!

Fifty million is a huge sum of money for local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) at present.

The moment she conceived the idea of ​​exposing Zhang Jianguo's embezzlement and bribery, she had no idea about these things at all.

She never imagined that Zhang Jianguo had embezzled such a large sum of money.

She thought that even if a company vice president embezzled or accepted bribes, the amount would not exceed seven figures.

"Mr. Sun, the law has its procedures, but the actual circumstances are also taken into account when enforcing the law. There's a lot to be done in this regard..."

Sun Xue looked puzzled. "Attorney Zhao, could you please explain in detail..."

Attorney Zhao lowered his voice and spoke cryptically, "You have a good relationship with Vice Mayor Wang, right? I suggest you try to negotiate with Vice Mayor Wang about what percentage of the amount can be refunded to the city investment company..."

Sun Xue was quite sensitive to this topic, and she corrected him in a serious tone, "Attorney Zhao, my relationship with Vice Mayor Wang is not very good. We just know each other."

The previous incident was caused by someone spreading rumors that Vice Mayor Wang and she had a good relationship, which brought considerable trouble to Vice Mayor Wang.

So the moment she heard the words "good relationship", she immediately became extremely nervous.

"Attorney Zhao, isn't there any better way?"

Attorney Zhao immediately saw Sun Xue's concerns and told her frankly, "Ms. Sun, to be honest, in my opinion, this is the most likely solution at present."

Sun Xue nodded. "Oh, I'll think of another way."

After parting ways with Attorney Zhao, Sun Xue was overwhelmed with excitement, but also caught in a dilemma...

She really wanted to return the maximum amount of the embezzled funds to the city investment company. At this time, a large sum of money would be a godsend for the company, which was just starting to recover.

With this money, the company can quickly recover.

However, she was also troubled, wondering whether she should bother Vice Mayor Wang again about this matter.