Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 155 - 154: Mock Trial, Zhang Wei as the Plaintiff?

Chapter 155: Chapter 154: Mock Trial, Zhang Wei as the Plaintiff?

Lin Xiangtian.

Big boss of Jincheng Law Firm, the highest decision-maker.

Even the law firm is owned by the Lin Family, although there are many partners within the firm, they are not shareholders in the usual sense; they all have to follow Lin Xiangtian’s orders.

So Lin Xiangtian’s prestige is top-tier within the entire Jincheng Law Firm and even the Jincheng Group.

As for Lin Yufeng, he is just his son.

What’s wrong with a father disciplining his son?

Who calls the shots in Jincheng Law Firm?

Of course, it’s him, Lin Xiangtian!

Zhang Wei had not expected that this potbellied man before him was the top boss of the Dongfang Capital Lawyer Circle.

If one didn’t know better, they would think this guy was some rich tycoon.

"Who calls the shots at the law firm, huh? Your old man, I do!"

"Still acting arrogant? Still feeling high and mighty? Still dare to bully your sister?"

"An incompetent good-for-nothing, your mother called me during broad daylight, and you have to understand, that woman spends her daylight hours playing mahjong, yet she didn’t even play mahjong today!"

"You little..."

After a barrage of scolding, Lin Yufeng’s face turned red, but he couldn’t have an outburst.

In front of his own father, he could only endure, concede, and steer clear, daring not to make any response.

After finishing up with his son, Lin Xiangtian then turned to look at his daughter.

"Darling, I’ve chastised your brother for you, but now onto your matter."

"Our law firm has many departments, and each department has many teams, why did you particularly choose the criminal team?"

"Dad, I think the criminal team is pretty good too..." Lin Yumeng responded timidly.

"If you want to stay in the litigation department, I can allow you to join the commercial team, have you work under Lawyer Bai for a while, and let you learn something, how about that?"

As Lin Xiangtian spoke, he looked towards Bai Meiqi.

The latter understood instinctively, "Big boss, don’t worry, if Miss Lin comes to my team, I will certainly take good care of her!"

"Dad, I want to stay by my mentor’s side, I can learn a lot more with him!"

But Lin Yumeng shook her head, refusing, and instead pointed at Zhang Wei.

"Mentor?"

Hearing his daughter say this, Lin Xiangtian turned his surprised gaze towards Zhang Wei.

This kid, worthy of being my daughter’s mentor?

"He’s qualified?"

Indeed, like father, like son; Lin Xiangtian hadn’t said anything yet, but Lin Yufeng had already become impatient.

"Exactly, this kid seems to be a fresh graduate, how can he be your mentor?"

Lin Xiangtian, full of skepticism, looked at his daughter.

"No, I want to stay in the criminal team, I want to learn properly with my mentor, he’s really capable!"

Seeing Lin Yumeng acting coquettishly, Lin Xiangtian felt challenged.

After all, the criminal team isn’t a place for his daughter since she’d be dealing with criminals and felons daily, and people who commit criminal offenses are very dangerous.

What parents would let their daughter engage with criminals every day? Especially since Lin Xiangtian was the boss of the law firm, it was even more unlikely he would agree.

"Ridiculous!" He intensified his tone.

"Big boss, may I say a word?"

But just as Lin Xiangtian was about to chastise his daughter, Zhang Wei interrupted him.

"You?"

"Yes, me!"

Facing Lin Xiangtian, other members of the law firm were scared out of their wits, but Zhang Wei was not intimidated.

After all, Lin Xiangtian was human too; he couldn’t eat him, so what was there to be afraid of?

"Big boss, may I ask, what were you planning to arrange for your daughter originally?"

"Hmph, isn’t it obvious? Of course, I planned to have her join the project team and learn under her brother for a while. I didn’t expect her to go crazy and join your criminal team!"

"I see!"

Zhang Wei was not surprised by the answer.

"In that case, why not let me compete with your son? He had just raised a request earlier, a rare opportunity, and it would also allow me to prove whether I’m capable of being your darling daughter’s mentor!"

"You?"

The originally amiable expression on Lin Xiangtian’s face suddenly changed, becoming full of command.

A sense of authority radiated from him, intimidating everyone around.

People nearby instinctively took half a step back and dared not meet his gaze.

But Zhang Wei was unaffected, not even bothering to lift his eyes, continuing to look at Lin Xiangtian.

Seeing Zhang Wei unafraid of his presence, Lin Xiangtian was slightly moved.

This was not the demeanor of a mere recent graduate.

"Oh, what kind of competition?" His expression then became controlled as he asked.

"Dad, it’s the cooperation project I’m handling. Super Energy Drink Company is discussing a consulting agreement with our firm, but they’ve made a request. They’re currently facing litigation and need our help to resolve it. They want to see our firm’s true capabilities, so they’ve proposed to hold a mock trial over this lawsuit. Of course, this is not a big issue, I am confident in this case!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

Having heard his son speak, Lin Xiangtian already had an idea.

"Then how about you, young man? Being the opponent of the project team won’t be an easy task!"

Lin Xiangtian then turned his gaze back to Zhang Wei.

"A mock trial differs from a real court trial, but my task is to prove myself, isn’t it? I suppose even if I lose to Young Master Lin, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, right?"

Zhang Wei smiled faintly, but then his tone changed, "However, if I win, wouldn’t that prove my qualifications to be your daughter’s mentor!"

Lin Xiangtian didn’t respond to Zhang Wei’s comment but looked toward Lin Yufeng, "How long has the project team prepared for this case, this company’s cooperation?"

"Two months!"

"So, you have had a two-month head start?"

"Yes, Dad, I absolutely cannot lose!"

After listening, Lin Xiangtian fell silent for a moment and then nodded, "Young people indeed need opportunities to prove themselves; this mock trial seems good."

"However, a simulation remains a simulation and is not a real trial. It won’t have the true taste of battle. Since the other party wants to see the true prowess of the firm, we might as well get some professionals involved!"

Having said that, Lin Xiangtian whispered a few words into Lin Yumeng’s ear and then waved his hand and left.

With that, the Boss walked away, leaving everyone with his portly back view.

However, his final words had already expressed his stance.

He agreed with Zhang Wei’s suggestion, allowing Zhang Wei and Lin Yufeng to face off in the mock trial!

If Zhang Wei won, Lin Yumeng would continue to stay in the criminal division.

If Zhang Wei lost, Lin Yumeng would leave the criminal division, and whether she would join the project team or have Lawyer Bai mentor her would be a separate matter.

"The client has requested the trial to start tomorrow, you have one day to prepare, but in my opinion, your request is asking for trouble!"

Lin Yufeng snorted coldly and also left.

His confident expression clearly indicated he held the winning cards.

Of course, that was a given.

He had two months of preparation and was intimately familiar with the client’s lawsuit and the company’s situation.

As for Zhang Wei, he had less than 24 hours to prepare.

The farce came to an end with Lin Xiangtian’s departure.

However, the event sparked intense discussions within the law firm.

"Shocking, the Boss personally visited the firm and even went to the most neglected criminal division of the litigation department!"

"Have you heard? A newbie in the criminal division is actually the Boss’s own daughter?"

"Your news is outdated. Apparently, someone wants to compete for the Boss’s daughter and is challenging Young Master Lin!"

"I heard it was Young Master Lin who went to the criminal division to provoke, and it seems to be related to another newcomer named Zhang Wei. Could it be that this newcomer is related to the Boss’s daughter?"

"Let me guess, could it be that newcomer is trying to court the Boss’s daughter but was found out by Young Master Lin?"

"I’m betting that’s it. If someone manages to connect with the Boss’s daughter, won’t that mean soaring to the skies?"

"If it were me, I’d also want to be the Boss’s son-in-law. At that point, forget junior partner, even senior partner would be within reach!"

"I’d also like to live off the Boss’s family and become a stay-at-home son-in-law!"

"Get lost, just look at you bears, each of you thinking about shortcuts, it’s a disgrace! I’m different; I just want to be Miss Lin’s dog..."

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

Inside the law firm, various departments heatedly discussed the matter, and some even made shocking comments, prompting a chorus of echoes.

Lawyers may sound grand, but they are also human and also indulge in gossip.

Suddenly, the criminal division became the center of discussion within the firm, with its members standing in the spotlight.

However, as the protagonist, Zhang Wei was completely uninterested in these matters at the moment.

He was flipping through documents.

The project department had delivered all the files about the client since they had to appear in a simulated court, and they needed to be familiar with the case details.

Not only that, but to achieve their goal, the client had also allocated 200,000 yuan as a simulated trial fund to the project department, striving for utmost realism.

Half of this money was also given to Zhang Wei.

"Old Tie, can I apply for investigator support?"

Zhang Wei asked while going through the pile of documents in front of him.

"I’ll go and ask for you!"

Tie Ruyun responded and immediately left the office.

Soon after, he returned, but his expression was not very pleasant.

"The investigators got back to me, they said that since you represent the prosecution side, you’re the law firm’s opponent. The project department represents the law firm, and they are all employees of the law firm, helping you would be a conflict of interest."

"Great, not even an investigator to help, how am I supposed to fight this?"

Zhang Wei complained, but wasn’t surprised.

This case is just like playing basketball with a boss.

The moment the boss gets the ball, he becomes like an invincible player, a demon god on earth, unstoppable by anyone.

But in reality, is it truly unstoppable or just that no one wants to stop it?

Everyone knows the tricks of the trade here.

It’s the same with this case.

Lin Yufeng needs to land the client’s contract, so this case must be won.

If Zhang Wei were to win, would the client still want the contract?

And if the investigators lift a finger to help Zhang Wei, how would that make Lin Yufeng look?

No one dares to offend Lin Yufeng, he’s the son of the big boss, so of course, they won’t help Zhang Wei.

"Forget it, I’ll just use the 100,000 yuan budget to hire external investigators!"

Zhang Wei said, planning to spend the 100,000 yuan himself.

As for external investigators, the second daughter at home is a very suitable candidate.

Especially since involving the second daughter wouldn’t cost money, the 100,000 yuan budget would be like getting service for free!

"The investigator issue is settled, now for the public evidence of this case..."

"Master, let me help, I also want to contribute to the case!"

Lin Yumeng volunteered, eager to offer her assistance.

The outcome of this case was tied to whether she could stay in the criminal division, so naturally, she wanted to do her part.

"Yes, I’ll help too!"

Li Yueqin, who was nearby, joined in as well. She didn’t want Lin Yumeng to leave, otherwise the criminal division would be too quiet with only herself and Zhang Wei as the newcomers.

"Alright, then you two go to the courthouse on behalf of Jincheng Law Firm and get all the public evidence of this case that you can copy for me!"

"Okay da!" The apprentice and Xiao Li hurried off together.

"Old Tie, I have a task for you as well!"

Zhang Wei beckoned Tie Ruyun over again.

"Do you know any actors with good skills?"

"Actors, what do you need them for?"

"Of course, to play the family members of the victims, you don’t think I’m just going to go up there and talk nonsense by myself in the simulated trial, do you?"

"But actors aren’t real witnesses, right?"

"This trial isn’t real either, so what’s wrong with hiring an actor?"

"Oh, that’s true, but I don’t know any actors. You know I’m a criminal defense lawyer, the people I deal with the most are in detention centers; your request is kind of difficult for me!"

"Then..."

Zhang Wei’s eyes moved about, and then he had an idea.

"Let’s not go for actors then. You know some girls, right? Help me find one who can act!"

"This girl, is she proper?"

"Old Tie, actually, these girls are the best actors, don’t deny it. Some customers have only two minutes of strength, yet they still have to pretend they’re heartbroken, and what’s crucial is that the customers believe it. That’s some solid acting, don’t you think?"

Tie Ruyun was stunned for a moment, fortunately, Lin Yumeng and Li Yueqin had both left, so this topic could indeed continue.

"So your requirement is..."

"Preferably around thirty-five years old with a good reputation for service. Women like that have the best acting skills; they’ve been through all kinds of ups and downs. Who knows, they might have court experience too. That’s exactly the kind of actor I need!"

Speaking of which, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but admire his own flexibility in thinking; this was exactly the kind of witness he needed!

"Alright, I’ll go and look for you. It shouldn’t be difficult this time..."

Tie Ruyun responded and set off on his mission.

For this particular request, Tie Ruyun had no objections.

As a criminal defense lawyer for many years, he’d met plenty of hostesses, so finding one who met the criteria wouldn’t be challenging.

"Next, it’s my affair; since we’re starting the mock trial tomorrow, I have to get everything ready today!"

He first sent a message to Zhao Xiaoxiao, informing her of all the requirements.

Second daughter wasn’t out today and quickly replied to the message, indicating there was no issue.

Zhang Wei finally felt relieved and then began to meticulously review the case files.

The defendant in this case was Super Energy Drink Company, whose main product was a sports drink.

At the beginning of this year, a 16-year-old girl died suddenly from overdosing on the company’s sports drink, and her family took Super Energy Drink Company to court, requesting 15 million in civil damages.

Super Energy Drink Company was a beverage industry giant, with a market value of 12 billion; 15 million in damages was but a drop in the bucket for them.

But large companies have a common problem when it comes to compensation claims; they all take a hard line.

Absolute refusal to compensate!

Big companies would rather spend 20 million to win a lawsuit than pay the victim 15 million because once you start, it never ends.

Winning the lawsuit might cost more, but it can be a deterrent to similar future lawsuits and thus, ends up saving money in comparison.

This attitude is evident in Harper Cigar Company’s stance.

They might have paid 27 million, but they insisted on signing many confidentiality agreements, just to avoid publicizing the matter.

Zhang Wei also felt the difficulties of the case, because, in the end, his negotiations with Harper Cigar Company involved tricking them.

If he truly had to go to court with them, he didn’t have complete confidence in winning.

And now, he was truly going to court.

Over an hour later.

"We’re back~"

Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng returned to the law firm with the evidence for public disclosure, carrying quite a lot; two full cardboard boxes.

After laying out all the evidence, Zhang Wei began to verify it meticulously.

"Zhang Wei, the leader is looking for you!"

However, just as Zhang Wei was about to strategize for the court, Jin Mingming arrived.

"Which leader?"

If it was Li or Wang, Zhang Wei said he wasn’t familiar with them and wouldn’t go to meet them.

"Of course, it’s Boss Shen, he’s waiting for you in the outside lounge!"

Knowing it was Shen Zhengyi looking for him, Zhang Wei had no choice but to put aside his work and go to the lounge to see him.

A few minutes later, he returned to his office with a grim look on his face.

"Of course, I understand the principle of losing when playing golf with a leader; too bad I have no intention of losing!"

Shen Zhengyi’s reason for seeking him out was quite obvious.

"Zhang Wei, I know you’re hot-blooded, but what’s a young man who isn’t? "

"But you’re aware of the situation with this case, Young Master Lin demands a complete victory. Just go through the motions and we both know who will be the winner in the end, right?"

"As for your apprentice’s matter, we had no choice. She’s the big boss’s daughter; it doesn’t look good for her to stay in the criminal division. Wouldn’t it be better for her to develop in the project department or to follow Lawyer Bai from our division?"

"In any case, in tomorrow’s mock trial, you just need to go through the motions. Although you need to perform in front of the client, you must be mindful of the extent."

These were the exact words of Shen Zhengyi, his intentions made clear.

At the mock trial, you can perform a bit, but Lin Yufeng must be the winner in the end.

This was Shen Zhengyi’s warning, or perhaps.

Zhang Wei didn’t respond; he just silently returned to his office.

Meanwhile, Lin Yufeng was on the phone in his office.

"Young Master Lin, I’ve already spoken with Zhang Wei; I’ve told him to be mindful. You can rest easy."

"In tomorrow’s trial, please perform well. I wish you a victorious start."

After hanging up, Lin Yufeng’s mouth curled into a cold smirk.

"Kid, you’re still too green to fight with me. I can’t possibly lose to you, but having Shen Zhengyi give you a warning is also a heads-up for you!"

"If you know what’s good for you, there’ll still be a place for you in the firm. But if you don’t heed the warning, don’t blame me for beating you black and blue in court!"

"I have an absolute advantage in this case; I can’t possibly lose!"