Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 117 - 116 Li Yueqin is Afraid, Facing Xiao Baihe as an Opponent?

Chapter 117: Chapter 116 Li Yueqin is Afraid, Facing Xiao Baihe as an Opponent?

Tie Ruyun returned to the criminal division with a complicated expression on his face.

No sooner had he returned than Zhang Wei and the other two poked their heads out from the piles of paperwork.

"Sigh——"

The annoyance in his heart turned into a long sigh.

"Old Tie, what’s wrong with you? Not being able to find a girlfriend is shameful, but there’s no need to be so pessimistic, right?"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s words, Tie Ruyun’s irritation nearly reached its limit.

The fury in his chest transformed into one word.

Fuck!

If it weren’t for the need to maintain the dignity and aura of a group leader, he would have given Zhang Wei the finger.

"Actually, I think Lawyer Bai is pretty great, young and beautiful, not to mention strong in her professional capacity. If you could get together with her, you’d be set for life and could live off of her, enjoying the good life!"

Zhang Wei still wouldn’t let up, jokingly continuing.

"Scram, you never say anything serious. Someone as outstanding as Lawyer Bai, how could she be interested in me!" Tie Ruyun waved him off, cutting Zhang Wei short.

"Oh ho, so you admit she’s outstanding, huh? Looks like Old Tie here isn’t without thoughts, eh?"

"Isn’t that obvious? Just in our litigation department alone, which male lawyer doesn’t think about Lawyer Bai? She’s beautiful, has temperament, and is capable—who wouldn’t like such a woman?"

As Tie Ruyun spoke, he looked up and sighed, "I heard that Young Master Lin from the company is also quite interested in Lawyer Bai."

Young Master Lin, that would of course be the boss’s son, the ’promising’ Lin Yufeng.

If the boss is a second-generation rich, then he’s a bona fide third-generation rich!

"Please, him? He’s like that with every woman!"

Lin Yumeng sat at her desk, muttering under her breath.

"Apprentice, what did you say?"

Zhang Wei suddenly leaned in, asking with a curious face.

"Ah, Master, I didn’t say anything, really!" The latter quickly shook her head in denial, bobbing it like a rattle-drum.

"Okay then!"

Zhang Wei didn’t dwell on it; instead, he stood up and turned to Tie Ruyun.

"Old Tie, you look so worried, is something wrong? Why not share and give us all a good laugh?"

Tie Ruyun swore that if they weren’t inside the law firm, he would have picked up a stack of documents from the table and smashed it right into Zhang Wei’s face.

He thought for a moment, looking at Zhang Wei, "Are you familiar with Xiao Baihe?"

At those words, Zhang Wei’s expression changed.

Damn it!

His relationship with Xiao Baihe had been exposed!

Wait a minute...

Did they even have a relationship?

Didn’t seem like it?

I’m completely innocent with Xiao Baihe!

"Cough cough, Old Tie, why do you ask that? Whether I have a relationship with Xiao Baihe or not, what does it have to do with your mood?"

"It’s not related to me, but it does have to do with this matter."

Tie Ruyun walked to his desk, took a sip of water from his thermos, and began to explain, "I was called over by the boss just now because Manager Bai from the family department came looking for me. She has a long-time client whose granddaughter has run into trouble—it’s a criminal case, and the prosecutor is the Procuratorate Headquarters, with Prosecutor Xiao Baihe as the public prosecutor."

"Oh, I see!"

Hearing Tie Ruyun explain, Zhang Wei finally felt relieved.

So, it was this issue—no problem then.

It’s just a criminal case, aren’t there enough lawyers in their litigation department?

"The problem now is, our opponent is the Procuratorate Headquarters, and the client’s granddaughter is of age, not eligible for juvenile court; the municipal court will have to conduct the public trial."

"What’s the charge?"

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but interject.

"Apparently, it’s for spreading obscene materials!"

Hiss~

Hearing this charge, even Zhang Wei sucked in a breath of cold air.

But then, he suddenly laughed and said, "That evidence of the crime, can I see it?"

In the office, three sharp gazes suddenly shot out.

Tie Cuilan, Li Yueqin, and Lin Yumeng all looked over with icy stares.

"Cough cough, I was just joking... But that’s not right, isn’t it our job as attorneys to determine whether evidence is obscene material?"

Zhang Wei initially wanted to explain, but then he thought that his statement was actually correct.

For their clients, they naturally had to verify the authenticity of obscene materials—wasn’t this part of their job duties?

"Those items have already been appraised by the Martial Association Cyber Crime Branch and are classified as obscene materials!"

Tie Ruyun immediately clarified.

"Actually, the crime of distributing obscene materials is not that serious or trivial, depending on the circumstances," Zhang Wei began to explain to everyone: "Here we need to determine whether the party concerned is accused of the crime of distributing obscene materials or the crime of profit-making distribution of obscene materials, as the sentencing for the two is different. The former case involves the distribution of obscene books, films, audio-visual materials, pictures, or other obscene items, which if found to be serious, can result in imprisonment for up to two years, criminal detention, or public surveillance."

"The latter depends on the amount involved in the crime, generally for the purpose of profit, producing, copying, publishing, selling, or distributing obscene materials. For cases involving a small amount, the punishment is imprisonment for up to three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, plus a fine; where the circumstances are serious, imprisonment for three to ten years and a concurrent fine; and for particularly serious circumstances, imprisonment for ten years or more or life imprisonment, and a concurrent fine or confiscation of property."

"If there are profit-making circumstances involved, the case can be major or minor. If the amount involved is enormous, then the highest punishment might be life imprisonment!"

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, he looked at Tie Ruyun, "What’s the situation with the case’s concerned party now?"

"Don’t get so excited, kid. I haven’t said I’m giving the case to you!"

"Old Tie, you’re not thinking of passing the case the leader gave me to my apprentice, are you?"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s words, Lin Yumeng immediately stood up, almost ready to beat her chest in assurance.

But after seeing Zhang Wei looking at her with a "beaming" smile, she immediately settled back down.

"Actually, I think doing paperwork is pretty good; apart from my mentor, there’s nobody else suitable for such an important case!"

"Hmm, I think my little apprentice has a point, what do you think, Old Tie?"

Zhang Wei was very pleased with Lin Yumeng’s response and couldn’t help but give her mental thumbs up.

Although Tie Ruyun internally wanted to hand the case to Zhang Wei, he didn’t want to let the young man off so easily.

"Li Yueqin, if I gave you this case to handle, would you feel pressured?"

"Group Leader, you’re choosing me..."

Li Yueqin was slightly surprised upon hearing this, but thinking that the group leader was showing his trust, she immediately accepted: "Group Leader, if I take on the case, I will definitely secure a not guilty verdict for the client!"

Seeing Li Yueqin so eager, Tie Ruyun was mildly surprised, but he still nodded his head.

He raised an eyebrow at Zhang Wei, the unspoken message clear: See that? I don’t necessarily need to rely on you, kid!

"Well, that’s nice, I also have high hopes for you, Li Yueqin!"

Zhang Wei chuckled and cheered Li Yueqin on.

But then, he changed his tone, "This case’s opponent is the notorious ace prosecutor at the Procuratorate Headquarters, Prosecutor Xiao Baihe. It’s said that the last defense attorney who went up against her nearly slipped into depression after losing, not speaking to anyone for half a month..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yueqin’s expression stiffened.

"And the defense attorney before that, the one who faced her, supposedly quit practicing law altogether, is rumored to have opened a flower shop instead. Now they spend their days watering flowers and tending grass, which is quite nice..."

Li Yueqin’s hand started shaking, her fingers curling like chicken claws, her complexion also becoming unnatural.

"Oh, by the way, Old Tie, do you know what Prosecutor Xiao Baihe’s first case was when she was a newbie? It was alleged that it involved a rape case. The defense attorney was also a novice and made a big mistake."

"What mistake?"

Li Yueqin asked hurriedly, her voice tensed.

"Oh, nothing much, just a defense attorney instructing the suspect’s father to attempt to change the victim’s testimony. The plot fell through; the woman who had been raped was accused of perjury, the suspect’s father of obstruction of testimony, and the defense attorney himself was prosecuted for obstructing justice in his role as a defense counsel."

At this, Zhang Wei looked at Li Yueqin, smiled, and said: "Quite impressive, right? She sent the opposing defense attorney to jail on her very first case!"

Li Yueqin’s face was almost drained of color.

"Xiao Li, do your best, I’m rooting for you!"

Zhang Wei walked up to her, patted her on the shoulder as a form of encouragement.

"Cough cough, well, Group Leader, I’ve been thinking... maybe I’m not up to this case. You should find someone else to represent it!"

How could Li Yueqin dare to stand trial now, facing someone like Prosecutor Xiao Baihe who could send defense attorneys to jail?

Though that defense attorney was foolish and made mistakes they shouldn’t have.

But she, Li Yueqin, was also a newcomer, and she too was afraid!

"Ah, this..."

Tie Ruyun never expected that Zhang Wei would scare Li Yueqin off with just a few words.

"Lin Yumeng?" he turned to look at Zhang Wei’s little apprentice.

She shook her head and then gestured towards Zhang Wei with her lips.

"Alright then, I’ll leave this case to you. Do you have the confidence to handle it?"

"Old Tie, I’m very familiar with the Procuratorate Headquarters, going there is like going home, I absolutely love that place!"

Zhang Wei made an "OK" gesture, ready to set off.

But just as he was about to step out the door, something occurred to him, and he immediately looked back inside.

Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng, the two women, naturally gazed at him eagerly, with faces full of hope.

"Old Tie, I’ve thought it over, and since this case is a confrontation with the ace prosecutor of the Procuratorate Headquarters, we must have enough staff mobilized. I apply to have Lin Yumeng and Li Yueqin be my assistants."

"Since our criminal division has a case, we should put all our effort into it. As for the clerical work, it should all be returned to the commercial division, isn’t that right?"

Hearing Zhang Wei say this, Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng unconsciously nodded their heads.

"Zhang Wei, you are absolutely right!"

"The master is correct, return all the clerical work to them!"

They were both on the verge of tears. If Zhang Wei had left and they had to spend the entire day flipping through files, their eyes would probably be blurry by the end of work.

Zhang Wei was really considerate, knowing how to take care of them, it was incredibly moving~

"Hmm, that makes sense!"

Tie Ruyun also understood the hardship of the team members and immediately agreed.

"Cuilan, help Zhang Wei and the others with the registration. Since it’s Supervisor Bai’s case, it wouldn’t be too much to have three newcomers take charge of it together. After you finish registering, come with me to return the files. Let the commercial division handle their own affairs!"

"Alrighty!"

Tie Cuilan was still in charge of registering attendance for Zhang Wei and the two others.

After issuing the instructions, Tie Ruyun nodded at Zhang Wei and the others, signaling that they could leave.

"Let’s go. Let’s first head to the family division to understand the situation. Since it is Supervisor Bai Ruoyun’s case, she should be the clearest about the details."

Zhang Wei, along with the two assistants, headed straight for the family division.

26th floor, family division.

Although it was on the same floor as the litigation division, the workspace of the family division was much smaller, consisting of only two office areas, one large and one small, plus a separate office.

The small office area was for the assistants and had only three female assistants.

The larger office area was for the lawyers. The dozen or so female lawyers of the family division were all busy with their cases. A few of them were gathered together, chatting, possibly discussing case details.

When Zhang Wei and his two companions arrived, all the female lawyers in the larger office area looked up at them.

The dozen or so gazes locked onto them, Zhang Wei remained composed, while Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng behind him subconsciously used their notebooks to cover their faces.

"Hello, I am Zhang Wei from the criminal division. We are here to find Supervisor Bai Ruoyun to understand more about the case."

"Zhang Wei?"

An older female lawyer stood up, a look of confusion on her face.

She had never seen Zhang Wei and guessed that he must be a newcomer.

"Isn’t Supervisor Bai’s case assigned to Group Leader Tie? Why have newcomers come instead?"

"Doesn’t this show that Group Leader Tie trusts us? Besides, to learn about the case, doesn’t it make no difference who comes? We have three people here, so our notes should be more detailed, right?"

"Oh, that does make sense..."

After hearing this, the older lawyer unconsciously nodded her head.

She walked to the independent office and knocked on the door.

"Supervisor, people from the criminal division are here. But it’s not Group Leader Tie, three newcomers have come instead."

"Newcomers? Let them come in then!"

"Okay."

The older lawyer waved to Zhang Wei and his group and then helped them open the door to the office.

Bai Ruoyun’s office wasn’t big, very standard in design, with a desk, two chairs in front of it, plus a sofa and coffee table set for guests, simple and plain.

Bai Ruoyun glanced at Zhang Wei and his companions with a hint of surprise.

"You are the newcomers from the criminal division?"

"Supervisor Bai, my name is Zhang Wei. I haven’t been in the criminal division long. These two are Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng. We are all under Group Leader Tie."

"Lin Yumeng?"

Bai Ruoyun murmured the name as if she had heard it somewhere before.

However, she quickly pushed aside these trivial thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.

"Did Group Leader Tie tell you about the case?"

"He told us some, but I think it wasn’t detailed enough, as it was secondhand. I thought we could get a clearer understanding from you."

"That’s true. Well, let’s sit down and talk!"

Bai Ruoyun said this and gestured for Zhang Wei and his companions to sit down on the sofa while she also stood up and moved toward the sofa.

Zhang Wei calmly sat down while Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng each took out their notebooks, ready to take notes.

"Actually, this case, to put it mildly, is just a misunderstanding, my client and her granddaughter are both unaware..."

Lawyer Bai began to explain, while Zhang Wei listened intently to every single word.

...

Meanwhile.

At the Dongfang Capital Procuratorate Headquarters, Major Crimes Division.

Prosecutor Xiao Baihe stood outside Zhao Chunming’s office with a frosty expression, holding a file in her hand.

Bang!

She threw the file onto Zhao Chunming’s desk.

"Xiao Baihe, what do you mean by this, you don’t want the case I’ve given you?"

"Supervisor, I can’t handle this case, that girl was implicated by her brother, isn’t that obvious?"

Zhao Chunming narrowed his eyes, unusually keeping his anger at bay.

"Then let me ask you, did the girl have any intention of hiding the stolen goods?"

Xiao Baihe retorted, "When people panic, they subconsciously make decisions that benefit themselves."

"I’m asking you if she did it or not!"

This question stumped Xiao Baihe.

The girl had indeed made that move.

Seeing this, Zhao Chunming felt certain in his heart.

His expression unchanged, he commanded, "Since you’re clear in your mind, then proceed according to the law!"

"But..."

"I remind you, your opponent in this case is most likely Jincheng Law Firm, you should be aware of their influence!"

"Jincheng Lawyers, they advocate for a high win rate, they champion stringent targets, isn’t there a high turnover in their criminal division?"

"So what if there is, Jincheng Lawyers are the leaders among the Top Ten Firms, even if their criminal division isn’t very famous, backed by Jincheng Group, their resources are top-notch!"

As Zhao Chunming spoke, he picked up another file from the corner of the desk and handed it to Xiao Baihe.

"Moreover, this time we need to make an example. In recent years, the Education Department and the public have been placing increasing emphasis on child health issues, and the crackdown on the distribution of obscene materials has been intensifying year by year. Only by setting precedents in our rulings can our Procuratorate Headquarters be considered to have fulfilled our duty."

"But that girl..."

"Xiao Baihe, do I need to remind you again that you are a public prosecutor of our Procuratorate Headquarters? Your responsibility is not to a girl, but to the citizens of Dongfang Capital, to the entire judicial system!"

Seeing Zhao Chunming’s firm stance, Xiao Baihe knew it was useless to say more.

"Don’t leave just yet..."

But just as she was about to leave, Zhao Chunming called out to her again.

"There’s one more thing, I need you to know that Zhang Wei has joined Jincheng Law Firm."

"I’m aware of that, in the case Ying Ying had before, she went up against Jincheng Law Firm."

"Hmph, that’s good, saves me from having to remind you. You withdrew from that case, but the result was positive; you caught a bigger fish and redeemed our Procuratorate Headquarters’ reputation. So with this case, you must make sure to handle it well and not lose face for our Procuratorate Headquarters!"

"Go on, take this case to heart!"

After leaving Zhao Chunming’s office, Xiao Baihe’s expression wasn’t great.

"Sister Baihe, how did it go, this case..."

Tan Yingying, seated next to Xiao Baihe, immediately approached to inquire as soon as she returned.

"Supervisor wants me to fight it hard, meaning I should handle it as I see fit!"

"Ah, really? Do we have to go that far?"

"Why don’t you go and talk to the supervisor then, see if he’ll change his mind?"

"Forget it, I’m afraid of angering the supervisor..."

Tan Yingying immediately chickened out and cautiously sat back down, picking up her teacup to drink and alleviate the awkwardness.

"By the way, our opponent in this case might be Zhang Wei!"

Pfft—

Upon hearing the name "Zhang Wei," Tan Yingying spat out the water from her mouth.

"Cough cough, Sister Baihe, what did you say, you’re going to be up against Zhang Wei?"

"I said it’s a possibility, look how frightened you are, are you scared of him?"

"Scared, of course I’m scared, Zhang Wei is terrifying. I still don’t dare make eye contact with him to this day."

Seeing her timid sidekick, Xiao Baihe shook her head and sighed internally.

This Zhang Wei, if he truly turns out to be the opponent this time, she was determined to teach the scoundrel a lesson!