Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 123 - 122: Don’t Even Want 4 Months, Encounter for Stress Relief

Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Don’t Even Want 4 Months, Encounter for Stress Relief

Municipal Court.

Inside a preparation room.

Bai Ruoyun and Tie Ruyun, among others, were all sitting here.

The defendant, Zhuo Xiaoting, was also sitting calmly, accompanied by Grandma Wang.

"Xiao Meng, where’s that kid Zhang Wei? The court has adjourned for today; why isn’t he here?"

"Master, I saw him just now with the prosecutor from the other side."

Lin Yumeng thought for a moment before replying.

"With Prosecutor Xiao Baihe?"

Tie Ruyun and Bai Ruoyun exchanged glances, both somewhat astonished.

Could this kid be flirting?

Impossible, there’s still a case ongoing.

Even though court has adjourned for today, it will continue next week, and it’s unlikely for parties from both sides to have private contact in unofficial capacities.

If it’s not a private matter, then Zhang Wei approaching Prosecutor Xiao Baihe could only be for official business.

"This kid, meeting with the prosecutor without giving me a heads-up!"

Seeing Zhang Wei do this, Tie Ruyun grumbled.

He’s the leader, and yet this kid goes and does as he pleases without notifying him at all, pushing him forward as a shield at crucial moments.

Just look at leader Bai Ruoyun for comparison.

When she comes out for a case, there are three female lawyers awaiting her orders.

While Bai Ruoyun sits, they can only stand with folders in their hands, lending their support to one another.

Tie Ruyun felt morose. Why was there such a big discrepancy among leaders?

"Let’s not talk about Zhang. I think his performance today was quite good. His courtroom skills and adaptability are almost catching up to my cousin!"

Bai Ruoyun’s cousin was, of course, Bai Meiqi.

Clearly she was very optimistic about Zhang Wei’s abilities, or else she wouldn’t praise him so highly.

Bai Ruoyun, reminiscing, said, "Especially those questions he asked Chief Liu at the start. I couldn’t have asked them so detailedly, and those hypothetical questions later on were really tricky. Did you see how they made Chief Liu’s face change?"

"That kid Zhang Wei, even though he acts without respect sometimes, his courtroom abilities really can’t be faulted. I also think he asked well."

Since Bai Ruoyun had said as much, Tie Ruyun could only agree.

After all, Bai Ruoyun was a junior partner at the law firm and the head of the family law department, while Tie Ruyun was just a five-year lawyer and leader of the criminal group in the litigation department; their statuses were not on the same level.

Leaders must be flattered!

"However, this kid is just too unruly, letting Sister Bai sit here waiting for him..."

"Old Tie, from afar I could hear you bad-mouthing me. Talking behind your group member’s back isn’t something a leader should do!"

Tie Ruyun was still thinking of criticizing Zhang Wei when he saw the door to the preparation room being pushed open.

Zhang Wei had returned.

"Oh, so I’m the leader now?"

Tie Ruyun muttered to himself, then quickly asked, "Where have you been, kid? If you’re in contact with someone from the Procuratorate Headquarters, you need to be careful."

"Old Tie, what are you talking about? The Procuratorate Headquarters isn’t some dragon’s lair or tiger’s den. On the contrary, everyone there is talented, and they speak so nicely. I love going there~"

Zhang Wei joked, then directly sat next to Old Tie.

"Ahem, let me report the latest discussion results with the prosecution to everyone..."

As he spoke, the gazes of Bai Ruoyun and the others were all drawn to Zhang Wei.

Then they saw him put up four fingers.

"Yikes, it’s been reduced to four years? The Procuratorate Headquarters is so harsh!"

Lin Yumeng was the first to exclaim in surprise, her face showing disbelief, but then she quickly realized, "Wait, wasn’t it originally a five-year sentence? A reduction to four years still means a year off, right?"

Zhang Wei’s face immediately darkened.

His disciple was good in all respects except sometimes being a bit dense, a bit simple-minded, just like a certain Simple-minded person.

He quickly looked to Tie Ruyun, knowing that at critical moments, he still had to rely on the leader.

"Originally ten months, and now with an extra four months, that’s one year and two months, right?"

Well, sometimes leaders aren’t reliable either!

"What are you all doing? I went through an extreme tug-of-war with the prosecution. They’ve now come up with a new offer, four months!"

"Four months!"

Hearing this, Bai Ruoyun and Tie Ruyun looked at each other, their eyes filled with immense surprise.

This sentence was shorter than those given to some juvenile offenders.

"Zhang Wei, is it really four months?"

"Really, truer than pure gold. Xiao Baihe hasn’t even left yet, if you don’t believe me you can go outside and ask!"

Seeing Zhang Wei say this, Bai Ruoyun almost believed it.

"Procuratorate Headquarters really gave a four-month term, you wouldn’t really be having an affair with that Xiao Baihe, would you?" Tie Ruyun, having recovered, looked at Zhang Wei with a look of surprise.

If the Procuratorate Headquarters could give you a four-month deal, I wouldn’t believe there’s nothing between you and Xiao Baihe, no matter what you say.

"Old Tie, what do you take me, Zhang Wei, for?"

Feeling the doubt in Tie Ruyun’s gaze, Zhang Wei naturally protested.

But then, he looked towards Zhuo Xiaoting and Grandma Wang.

"Zhuo Xiaoting, as your defense lawyer, I think you can accept this deal."

Seeing Zhuo Xiaoting about to speak up, Zhang Wei was the first to speak: "Four months, it’s like two summer vacations, just hang in there and it’ll pass."

"We can persuade the prosecution to let you be in a more relaxed prison, or even just under control in a detention center, and not send you somewhere like Iron Island Prison. You can think of it as a four-month boarding school. We’ll prepare some textbooks for you, and you can even study without distractions!"

Grandma Wang was also persuaded by Zhang Wei and looked at Zhuo Xiaoting.

"Granddaughter, four months isn’t really out of the question..."

"No, I won’t!"

But unfortunately, Zhuo Xiaoting still wasn’t persuaded.

"If I plead guilty, then wouldn’t I be admitting to something I haven’t done!"

"It’s not fair to me, I haven’t done anything, I won’t plead guilty!"

"I don’t know anything about what my brothers did, and I don’t want to know, nor will I plead guilty."

"I don’t want to lie, your asking me to plead guilty is asking me to lie about something I haven’t done, which is totally different from what my grandma told me, I won’t lie, and I won’t listen to you either..."

Zhuo Xiaoting got more and more agitated as she spoke, and at the end, she almost shouted at everyone.

Being shouted at by a young girl left Zhang Wei feeling nothing but helplessness.

Just as Judge Wang had said, he almost started to doubt his own abilities.

Lawyer Zhang, of all people, couldn’t persuade a young girl?

Zhuo Xiaoting’s fierce resistance also left Bai Ruoyun and Tie Ruyun somewhat surprised.

With terms so favorable, why wouldn’t she accept?

It was hard to imagine that a young girl could get so worked up just because Zhang Wei and others were advising her to plead guilty.

"Xiao Ting, if you really don’t want to plead guilty, then grandma supports you!"

It was Grandma Wang who compromised in the end; she was biased towards her granddaughter.

"Dear lawyers, although I know that four months might be the best result for my granddaughter, I choose to respect her wishes, and I ask you to respect her too, can you?"

Grandma Wang looked at Bai Ruoyun, then at Tie Ruyun, and finally turned to Zhang Wei.

"Lawyer Zhang, I know you’re a capable person, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to persuade them to reduce the sentence to four months. Honestly, I’m even a little tempted, because I would just need to let my granddaughter go in for four months, and then I wouldn’t need to worry about anything else, just four months..."

"But I can’t convince myself, truly, my granddaughter clearly hasn’t done anything, why should she go to prison?"

Grandma Wang’s tone also became somewhat angry.

"Lawyer Zhang, my granddaughter’s parents died when she was three, so she and her brother were brought up by me personally. I admit, I didn’t manage to discipline Dawu well, but I am also proud because Xiao Ting is a good child, sensible and well-behaved since childhood, never made a mistake, did well in school, and was also filial to me at home, I don’t want her life to be tainted by such a blot, it would be something that affects her for the rest of her life."

"Lawyer Zhang, I have fulfilled my responsibilities, now it’s your turn, can you please understand this old woman’s stubbornness!"

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, "I understand!"

Bai Ruoyun and Tie Ruyun, moved by Grandma Wang’s words, also seemed to be deep in thought.

As for what Lin Yumeng and Li Yueqin were thinking, that was unclear to the others.

Zhang Wei was the first to digest these words.

"We are defense lawyers, so of course, we must respect the wishes of our client. Since you don’t want to plead guilty, then we must go all out starting next Monday!"

"Zhuo Xiaoting!"

When Zhang Wei called her name, Zhuo Xiaoting immediately looked over.

"Prepare yourself this weekend; we will help you with the cross-examination simulation. You have to go to court to prove your innocence on Monday, do you understand?"

Zhuo Xiaoting and Grandma Wang exchanged glances, then nodded firmly.

"Good, let’s all go back to rest early today, take some time over the next two days to help Zhuo Xiaoting with the mock cross-examination!"

As Zhang Wei instructed, Grandma Wang left with Zhuo Xiaoting and everyone else.

Zhang Wei also planned to say goodbye to Tie Ruyun.

"Zhang Wei, where are you heading? Get back to the law firm and clock in!"

"Damn, I forgot I’m a working stiff!"

Although the law firm didn’t have a clock-in system, after a case was concluded, he still needed to report the progress to Tie Cuilan.

So Zhang Wei couldn’t leave immediately; instead, he went back to the law firm and dutifully waited until 5 p.m. to finish work.

The plight of the working person, it probably goes something like this...

...

Saturday.

Zhang Wei arrived at the law firm early in the morning because today was the day he had agreed to conduct a mock interrogation with Zhuo Xiaoting.

Soon after, Tie Ruyun arrived.

Grandma Wang and Zhuo Xiaoting also came, accompanied by Bai Ruoyun.

As for Lin Yumeng and Li Yueqin, they did not show up.

Because to conduct a mock questioning, Zhang Wei alone was enough; there was no need to trouble his two apprentices.

After all, it was the weekend, and Zhang Wei didn’t want to make them work overtime.

There were no major events over the weekend, so rest was still necessary.

Tie Ruyun did not have to come either, but as a leader, with Zhang Wei there, how could he be absent?

"Although I don’t know what questions the prosecution will ask you, the general framework of the questioning is quite easy to guess," he said.

"If I were Prosecutor Xiao Baihe, I would definitely focus on one thing: you must have known your brother was committing crimes, yet you did not report it. This act is equivalent to condoning your brother’s behavior and the criminal act!"

"Prosecutor Xiao Baihe’s questions would probably go something like this..."

In the criminal group’s office, Zhang Wei began to mimic the prosecution, subjecting Zhuo Xiaoting to intense questioning.

It didn’t take long for the young girl to start crying.

Under Zhang Wei’s nearly shattering interrogation, naturally, she couldn’t bear it and let out a loud sobbing sound.

"Xiao Ting..."

Grandma Wang couldn’t bear it and wanted to stop it, but Bai Ruoyun held her back.

"Right now, it’s Zhang Wei who is asking, and there is no jury around, let her cry for a bit!"

"Grandma Wang, Xiao Ting can still make mistakes now, but come Monday, it will be Prosecutor Xiao Baihe asking the questions. Her interrogation might be even more intense than Zhang Wei’s, do you want Xiao Ting to have no mental preparation at all?"

Grandma Wang had no choice but to sit down, yet she kept worrying glances toward Zhuo Xiaoting who was being interrogated by Zhang Wei; her concern was unmistakable.

"Zhang Wei’s interrogation techniques are indeed sharp; even I can feel the sharp edge in his words!"

Bai Ruoyun, listening to Zhang Wei’s questions, also had her concerns.

Asking her like this, a young girl, that’s really a bit inappropriate.

But then thinking about what might happen Monday in court when the questioner would be the Procuratorate Headquarters’ ace made that moment of pity vanish.

If they were to interrogate her, perhaps it would be a hundred times more intense than Zhang Wei!

All morning, Zhang Wei kept on asking Zhuo Xiaoting questions.

By noon, Zhuo Xiaoting had finally stopped crying; it was more accurate to say she had adapted to Zhang Wei’s high-intensity interrogation.

"Let’s take a break; I’ve asked everything I needed to ask. This afternoon you need to digest it properly, or find a way to not be so nervous, and for this, you can ask Sister Bai!"

Zhang Wei pointed to Bai Ruoyun, who as an excellent lawyer, surely knew many ways to decompress.

She just needed to teach Zhuo Xiaoting how to relax during the trial.

"I also need to take a break..."

Zhang Wei said, flipping open his phone, intending to scroll through the news and his social media.

Ding—

A social media notification caught his attention.

[Xia Qianyue: Weekend, accompanying Sister Xiao Wu to the skating rink! ’Location: Wan Jiahui Shopping Center, Ice and Snow Amusement Park’]

"Silly is actually off work, doesn’t the major case unit work on weekends?"

Seeing Xia Qianyue’s post, Zhang Wei felt his spirits lift, and the pressure on him sharply decreased.

"Wan Jiahui, huh? Just two or three subway stops away from Jincheng..."

Zhang Wei decided to go out and see Silly that afternoon, considering it a way to decompress.

"Old Tie, I’m going to make a trip to Wan Jiahui. I want to have a chat with Silly!"

"Oh, go early and come back early," replied Tie Ruyun casually, but soon he sensed something amiss: "By the way, who is Silly?"

"Heh heh, of course, it’s my girlfriend!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, winking and grinning at Tie Ruyun.

"Shit, you little rascal!"

Before Tie Ruyun could explode, Zhang Wei had already excused himself and departed from Jincheng Law Firm.

On the subway.

He sent a message to Xia Qianyue and quickly got a reply.

minutes later.

He appeared near the Wan Jiahui Shopping Center.

He headed straight for the indoor Ice and Snow Amusement Park and soon arrived at the ice rink.

In an ice rink as big as a soccer field, many people were enjoying the sport of ice skating.

Of course, there were also some experiencing the pain of being beginners at ice skating.

"Ouch, I fell again!"

Gathered at the entrance of the ice rink were mostly beginners, among whom was a person who couldn’t even stand steady—Xia Hanhan.

"Sister Xiao Wu, I..."

Xia Qianyue had just gotten up when she saw Zhang Wei waving at her from a distance. She got so excited that she lost her balance and fell again.

"Ouch!"

"Little Sister Xia, your sense of balance still needs training. Ice skating is the sport that best exercises bodily coordination, and we martial artists also need to focus on the coordination of our bodies."

Compared to Xia Qianyue, Zhang Xinwu, who was giving instructions on the side, was much more skilled.

She could not only sprint but also jump and spin, performing actions like a professional athlete, drawing gasps and applause from the nearby crowd.

Today, Zhang Xinwu’s task was to help Xia Qianyue master the basic moves of ice skating. Ice skating itself requires a lot of coordination, which is great for martial artists to practice.

After a while, Xia Qianyue barely managed to keep her balance and then slowly moved towards the edge of the ice rink.

"Zhang Wei, you came to see me~"

"Yes, but it looks like you’re having a tough time. Is this your first time ice skating?"

"Mhm mhm, Sister Xiao Wu said it’s important because martial arts require focus on coordination, so she brought me to ice skate!"

While the two of them were chatting, Zhang Xinwu also made her way to them.

"Zhang Wei!"

"Sister Xiao Wu!"

They both greeted each other, Zhang Wei was very composed, while Zhang Xinwu seemed a bit shy.

"By the way, Zhang Wei, did you and Prosecutor Xiao Baihe arrange to meet? She just mentioned that she was going to come!"

Xia Qianyue mentioned offhandedly.

"Xiao Baihe!" Hearing that Xiao Baihe was coming, Zhang Wei was taken aback.

Prosecutor Xiao Baihe probably wanted to see Xia Hanhan, likely having seen the post on social media and needed to relieve some stress.

"Then I need to avoid her for a while, as we’re currently in the middle of case hearings, and it’s not permitted for a prosecutor to have private interactions with a defense lawyer at a personal event!"

"Ah, you’re working on a case together?"

"Yes."

Zhang Wei was about to turn back when he saw Xiao Baihe approaching from a short distance away.

She wore a beige trench coat, her pretty face slightly cold, and her steps towards the ice rink hesitated upon seeing a certain someone.

Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe looked at each other, and both discreetly kept their distance.

Several minutes later.

Outside the ice rink, Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe stood with at least 3 meters of distance between them.

"I didn’t expect to bump into someone else while coming to see Xia Hanhan today—what are the odds?"

"I didn’t expect it either, I wanted to relieve some stress with Hanhan and it seems someone else had the same idea."

Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe, as if the other did not exist, began "talking to themselves" next to the barrier of the ice rink.

Their gazes were fixed on Xia Qianyue on the ice rink, with no intention of looking away.

"By the way, about that case, I..."

"Stop, hold up!"

Xiao Baihe was about to discuss the case, but Zhang Wei interrupted her.

"Rules are rules. I came today to see Xia Qianyue. I didn’t know a certain prosecutor was coming, and I don’t want to know anything about the case either!"

"I didn’t expect someone to be such a stickler for the rules!"

"Can’t help it, can’t let anyone catch me on the wrong foot, can I?"

Zhang Wei said, laughing, "Also, I believe that even if I want to win, I shouldn’t hope for my opponent to go easy."

"You..."

"I was just talking to myself just now, hope the person next to me was too. Now, I’ve finished relieving my stress and need to go back to the law firm. If Hanhan asks later, maybe someone could explain for me!"

Zhang Wei, not wanting too many to see him interacting with a prosecutor, chose to leave early.

Xiao Baihe was helpless but couldn’t stop him either.

In the process of court hearings, personal contact between her and Zhang Wei was not allowed.

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