Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 141 - 140: Refuting the Witness? Zhang Wei Disapproves of These Tactics (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch, Do I Still Have a Chance?)

Chapter 141: Chapter 140: Refuting the Witness? Zhang Wei Disapproves of These Tactics (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch, Do I Still Have a Chance?)

"Your Honor, we have no further questions for Representative Cheng,"

Zhang Wei concluded his speech, and Cheng Liang’s self-testimony as a defense witness came to an end.

After he returned to the defendant’s bench, Wang Meiyan stood up.

"Lawyer Zhang, are you confident about the plaintiff’s upcoming questions?"

Yang Fawu cautiously approached with a look of concern.

After all, the critical part was yet to come; as a five-year lawyer for Heizu, Wang Meiyan had some level of competence herself.

She would not just sit by and let Zhang Wei’s team guide the jury’s inclination.

Especially after Cheng Liang’s self-testimony, with many case exhibits demonstrated, the jury’s sympathy for the plaintiff’s side had already significantly weakened.

Even Yang Fawu could see that the tide was no longer on the plaintiff’s side.

How could Wang Meiyan just sit back and wait to lose the lawsuit?

Zhang Wei, however, remained silent and did not respond.

In court, the cross-examination began.

"Representative Cheng, as an executive of the insurance company, I hear you climbed up from the position of an insurance agent, right?"

"I have been with Chengyi Insurance Company for almost 25 years; I am considered one of the company’s veterans."

"So from the time you joined Chengyi Insurance until now, when the company’s scale exceeds ten billion, you must be aware of quite a lot of things inside the company, right?"

"Um, of course. I watched the company grow; it’s like my child."

"Then you must also be familiar with many of the dirty secrets within insurance companies, right?"

"Objection!"

Before Cheng Liang could answer Wang Meiyan’s last question, Zhang Wei had already stood up in protest.

"The question is vague, and the lawyer is leading the witness. Your Honor, please remind Lawyer Wang that every industry has hidden wrongdoings. I believe Heizu has even more. Shall I bring those up in court?"

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Ni looked at Wang Meiyan, warning her with a glance: "Lawyer Wang, I suggest you not dwell too much on this issue of ’dirty secrets.’ If you want to seek the truth, please make your questions more specific!"

"Sorry, Your Honor, then I’ll proceed with specific questions now!"

Wang Meiyan apologized and also gave Zhang Wei a glare.

She looked at Cheng Liang again and asked, "Representative Cheng, has Chengyi Insurance ever engaged in false advertising, obfuscation of product functions, coercion of employees to buy company products, or misleading customers?"

"Also, has your company ever experienced instances of violence, brawling, large-scale employee strikes, or high-level corruption?"

"Are you serious with these questions?"

Cheng Liang had not expected Wang Meiyan to ask so many questions all at once.

Zhang Wei on the defense bench, on the other hand, was not surprised.

He even asked Yang Fawu casually with a smile:

"I believe such issues are common in large companies, right? Chengyi Insurance is a company with a scale of ten billion, and it has branches in many cities in the Southern region. Events like strikes and high-level corruption might not occur at the head office, but they must have taken place at branch offices, right?"

"They have occurred, but those were issues from years ago. Our company has undergone two large-scale personnel changes. The current CEO’s faction used to belong to a branch, and most of these problems were caused by people from the old head office faction."

Zhang Wei didn’t delve deeper with Yang Fawu’s explanation.

After all, weren’t these common problems for big companies?

If you claim that a company grew to a ten-billion scale without any "grey" methods, he wouldn’t believe it.

If you really do business honestly, don’t you just disqualify yourself as a businessman?

In the face of Wang Meiyan’s interrogation, Cheng Liang hesitated for a moment but still answered, "The issues you’ve mentioned have indeed occurred during my company’s development, and I will not deny that."

"Oh, so can I understand then that these issues are no longer present in Chengyi Insurance now, right?"

"Since the CEO took office, there has been a concerted effort against impropriety. Now, there are very few similar issues within Chengyi Insurance. The entire company has completely changed from the old faction’s days!"

"Good, remember your answer!"

Wang Meiyan laughed coldly and looked at Judge Ni: "Your Honor, regarding the testimony of the defense witness, we need to call a rebuttal witness!"

"A rebuttal witness, you say? The court grants permission."

Judge Ni did not object, and Wang Meiyan immediately said, "The plaintiff summons Chengyi Insurance Company employee Li Youqian to testify in court!"

"This is an employee from the old faction, right?"

Zhang Wei immediately asked Yang Fawu beside him, who nodded in response.

Zhang Wei had a grasp on the situation; since the witness was an employee from the old faction, he would naturally feel discontent towards the newly appointed CEO who was keen on cracking down on corruption.

In other words, this person’s testimony was not trustworthy.

Li Youqian was a thin, middle-aged man who sat uneasily in the witness stand, occasionally looking around the courtroom but soon bowing his head again.

"Mr. Li, thank you for testifying today. I know it must be extremely difficult for you to accuse the company you work for, and you must be under a great deal of psychological pressure to stand in that sacred witness stand, right?"

"Yes, I know what I’m doing might not be right, but as a person with a conscience, I know that I must stand up and expose the lies of Chengyi Insurance!"

Li Youqian suddenly became indignant, speaking with utmost seriousness.

"Very well, could you please tell everyone if there were any falsehoods in the testimony of Representative Cheng from your company?"

"Hey, I’m not afraid to tell everyone that Cheng Liang and the CEO are two hypocrites. What happens inside the company is completely different from what he has stated, like the issue with the Jinnan City branch last year. They blocked the news of that incident..."

Following that, Li Youqian began to reveal dark secrets fervently, eliciting sideways glances from the jury.

He spoke for several minutes, and after finishing, he looked toward the defense side, eyeing Cheng Liang with a hint of satisfaction, as if avenging a great wrong.

Clearly, he had been suppressed by Cheng Liang’s faction within the company and had come to court today for revenge.

"The plaintiff’s side once again thanks the witness for his statement!"

After Li Youqian vented, Wang Meiyan went back to the prosecutor’s bench.

Li Youqian’s statement seemed quite effective, as she could feel the jury’s sentiment shifting.

"Mr. Li, may I ask how much you earn per month?"

Zhang Wei began his cross-examination by immediately posing the first question.

"A base salary of 4500, commissions are extra."

"Then may I ask if you have made any sales in recent months and approximately how much the commissions were?"

"Can I refuse to answer this question?"

Li Youqian looked at Zhang Wei with a somewhat unnatural expression.

It was mainly because this question was too private, and he hadn’t made many sales over the past few months.

"Hmm, indeed it’s somewhat private, but even if you don’t tell me, I already have the answer. You haven’t made many sales in the past few months, and your monthly commission is just from the residual income of past clients, never exceeding 2000. So, combined with your base salary, your maximum monthly income is no more than 7000, right?"

"It’s about that amount," Li Youqian nodded.

"Right, let me ask you another question. Does your wife have a job?"

"Objection, this question is irrelevant to the case!"

Wang Meiyan immediately stood up, but her face turned somewhat unnatural when Zhang Wei mentioned Li Youqian’s wife.

"Your Honor, I assure you that in the next round of questions, I will reveal how these matters relate to the witness and the case at hand!"

"Alright then, but if your next question doesn’t match your assurance, be careful that I might revoke your right to question!"

Judge Ni issued a warning and looked at Wang Meiyan: "Objection overruled!"

Wang Meiyan harbored resentment in her heart but could only sit down, frustrated.

"Witness, please answer my question. Does your wife work?"

"My wife, she doesn’t work..."

"Alright then, can you explain why there was an anonymous deposit of 100,000 yuan in your wife’s account last night? What’s that about?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Youqian jolted, a look of shock spreading across his face.

The jurors were also abuzz.

Goodness, just a moment ago you were so righteous and seemed to be a brave soul willing to expose the ugly truth about the company.

But turns out you took money!

"Witness, your salary has been low in recent months, but your expenses have been plenty. I believe your savings wouldn’t account for 100,000 yuan, so how did your wife’s account suddenly receive an anonymous transfer of such an amount, especially during the trial of this case? Don’t all these seem too coincidental?"

"This..."

Li Youqian’s forehead began to sweat.

"Can you tell everyone who gave you this money? What did they ask for in return when they transferred it to you? You’re not going to tell us that someone just handed over this sum without asking for anything in return, right?"

"This..."

Under Zhang Wei’s relentless questioning, Li Youqian was speechless and looked helplessly at Wang Meiyan.

"Witness, you’re looking at Prosecutor Wang. Are you indicating that the person who transferred the money to you is her?"

"Objection, defense counsel is making unfounded accusations!"

Wang Meiyan couldn’t hold back and immediately stood up to deny it.

"Lawyer Wang, you surely cannot deny that your rebuttal witness was paid, can you?"

"I am not aware of the origin of that money!"

"Are you certain, because I think for your group, Heizu, influencing witnesses with money is nothing out of the ordinary, is it?"

"I’ll say it again, I am not aware of the issue with this sum of money!"

Wang Meiyan continued to deny it, but Zhang Wei had no intention of probing further, instead looking towards the bench.

"Your Honor, given that the witness cannot account for the origin of the large transfer of funds, and considering the timing of the transfer is so coincidental, the defense requests that the previous testimony of the witness be treated as perjury. Furthermore, we request the court to hold the witness in custody under the charge of perjury, pending trial!"

"Hmm, the court grants this request."

Judge Ni nodded and summoned the court guard.

And just like that, Li Youqian was taken away. As a rebuttal witness, he hadn’t expected that shortly after speaking, he would be charged with perjury.

Wang Meiyan watched as Li Youqian was taken away, unable to lash out, seething with anger inside.

"Lawyer Wang, did you think I couldn’t guess what you were plotting? The tactics of Heizu are all too predictable. But this move is simply too outdated; I would suggest you play by the rules."

Just then, Zhang Wei leaned over to the plaintiff’s bench and mocked Wang Meiyan with these words.

Wang Meiyan gritted her teeth, but Zhang Wei ignored her.

"Your Honor, in light of the rebuttal witness’s statement, our representative, Cheng Liang, requests to respond to these statements!"

"The court grants permission."

With the judge’s approval, Cheng Liang took his seat in the witness box again.

After taking a deep breath and seeing that the courtroom had quieted down, he slowly began: "I know when people hear the words ’insurance company,’ they usually roll their eyes, thinking of the persistent salespeople and the barrage of nuisance calls."

"But what I want to say is, the services our company provides are truly invaluable. The work we do is very important, and I have a deep understanding of this."

With emotion in his voice, Cheng Liang continued, "Not long ago, I, too, went through a very painful period. Like the plaintiff, Yao Liting, and those cases we presented, my health also collapsed due to years of work. At that time, I needed comprehensive care, and I was fortunate to receive such services—thanks to our company’s insurance."

"I also acknowledge that any company in the process of growth is bound to encounter ups and downs and may face various issues; such is the common plight of large organizations."

"But I can tell you, these problems have been overcome one by one, under the leadership of our new CEO. The image of our company has completely transformed, and the misconduct within has been eradicated. I take great pride in working for Chengyi Insurance Company."

"I also assure those of you watching the trial, we at Chengyi Insurance Company will definitely provide our clients with the best service we can offer..."

After finishing his statement, Cheng Liang nodded to Zhang Wei and then stepped down from the witness stand.

"Not a bad advertisement!"

Zhang Wei mocked inwardly, responding with a similarly polite nod.

Advertising for his own company in the sacred space of a courtroom—truly the mark of an experienced salesman.

"Your Honor, the defense has no further witnesses to call and decides to conclude the presentation of evidence!"

Hearing Zhang Wei say this, Judge Ni nodded.

"The court will recess for 15 minutes, after which both sides will present their closing arguments!"

...

After 15 minutes.

"I want you all to look at that woman on the plaintiff’s bench; she’s about to die!"

"If she doesn’t undergo the transplant surgery, she won’t be able to watch her child enter school, let alone celebrate the next six birthdays with them."

"And standing before all of you is an insurance company doing everything in their power to prevent this, all because of money. To them, a human life is cheap. They are inherently profit-oriented, and what is their goal, to provide service to our clients?"

"Wrong, their goal is to make money!"

"So, please see the insurance company’s vile nature clearly, and help my client fulfill her last wish..."

As Wang Meiyan spoke, Yao Liting on the plaintiff’s bench began to weep, creating a mournful atmosphere in the courtroom.

After Wang Meiyan finished speaking, indeed, many on the jury were looking at the plaintiff, Yao Liting.

"Lawyer Zhang, everything is up to you now!"

Perceiving another shift in the courtroom’s mood, Cheng Liang could only look to Zhang Wei.

"I’ll do my best, but the argument I’m about to make, I don’t like it myself either!"

Zhang Wei muttered reluctantly and waited for Wang Meiyan to finish speaking before slowly making his way to the front of the courtroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you think Yao Liting urgently needs a liver source, you’ve seen her miserable experience, you sympathize with her, don’t you?"

"Yes, not only you, but even I deeply sympathize with her, I also think she is a victim. She is in imminent danger, and if she loses the suit, she might never see her children again."

"But what I want to tell you is, what if there are people in this world who are even more wretched than Yao Liting and they also urgently need such a liver source?"

Zhang Wei said this while taking out the documents he had been holding in his arms.

"Chengyi Insurance Company has many customers who are even more miserable than Yao Liting. Let me give you a few examples for comparison."

"Customer Mrs. Sun, 28 years old, in desperate need of a liver transplant surgery. Doctors say that if the surgery is successful, she could find a good man to marry and have children, and if she recovers well, she could live to be 60 or even 70 years old, leading a perfect life."

"Customer Mr. Li, 34 years old, once the pillar of his family, with two sons and a daughter, and a wife who stands by him through thick and thin. He also urgently needs surgery, and doctors say that if the surgery is successful, he could accompany his children for another twenty or even thirty years. But without the surgery, he would have to stay in the intensive care unit all the time, and the cost of treatment could crush any family. Do you think he isn’t miserable enough?"

"And there are many, many more such customers right here..."

"Now I want to ask you all, do you think that the plaintiff, Mrs. Yao Liting, should be prioritized for the compatible liver source over them?"

"If you think so, then I want to ask on behalf of these customers..."

Zhang Wei walked in front of the juror’s bench, speaking with deep meaning, "If so, would that be fair to them?"

"If your answer is yes, wouldn’t your actions amount to murdering their lives?"

This question let the jurors look at each other in dismay.

Hearing this question, Bai Meiqi’s eyes lit up slightly in the spectator’s gallery.

It connected!

Zhang Wei’s closing argument actually tied back to the question he asked when selecting the jury at the beginning!

Even Bai Meiqi had to commend him for being someone who had thought of this last step right from the start of the trial!

So terrifying!

Setting aside someone’s speculation in the spectator’s gallery, Zhang Wei’s closing argument came to an end.

He walked back to the defense bench and began to wait for the final verdict.

An hour later, the result finally came out.

In the courtroom.

"Foreperson of the jury, have you reached a unanimous verdict?"

"Yes, Your Honor!"

"Very well, you may announce it!"

At the plaintiff’s bench, Yao Liting clasped her hands tightly, and Wang Meiyan’s gaze was weighty.

At the plaintiff’s bench, Cheng Liang and Yang Fawu were both tense, while Zhang Wei appeared comparatively calm.

In the spectator’s gallery, Ding Chuntian was tightly hugging his two children, and Bai Meiqi’s face was full of expectation.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the foreperson of the jury stood up and solemnly announced:

"After deliberations by the six of us jurors, in this case we support..."

"The defendant Chengyi Insurance Company!"

As the announcement ended, Zhang Wei silently exhaled, but also felt somewhat helpless.

Using the method of comparing others’ misery, a move he didn’t really like.

"Lawyer Zhang, thank you so much. You truly live up to the expectations of the CEO who took notice of you, absolutely outstanding!"

However, sitting nearby, Cheng Liang and Yang Fawu were very excited.

But different from the joyous atmosphere at the defense bench, the plaintiff’s bench was shrouded in gloom.

"No..."

Upon hearing the verdict, the plaintiff Yao Liting finally collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Wife, don’t be afraid, we can still appeal!"

Ding Chuntian hurried forward to comfort her; their two children were also on the verge of tears at this point.

Wang Meiyan, on the other hand, was staring intensely at Zhang Wei’s position, her expression turning uglier than if she had lost her own parents.

She had lost, lost to Zhang Wei!

At the same time, she had failed to live up to Hu Yaode’s expectations and, not to mention, caused the future plans of Blackfoot to abort.

For her, Wang Meiyan, it was all over!