Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 156 - 155: Trial, Zhang Wei’s Crushing Counterattack

Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Trial, Zhang Wei’s Crushing Counterattack

That evening, at Lin Mansion.

At dinner, Zhao Xiaoxiao passed over a USB drive.

"Here, this is the information you asked for, it’s all here!"

"Thank you, my dear second daughter. You really are daddy’s little padded jacket..."

"Zhang Wei, go die, watch out or I’ll stab you to death with my chopsticks!"

After Zhang Wei received the USB drive, he teased her.

This naturally provoked a string of soft curses from the second daughter.

Zhang Wei wanted just this effect, and he was full of energy all evening.

After dinner, they both returned to their rooms.

Zhang Wei turned on his computer and started reviewing the information on the USB drive.

In the eyes of others, he had less than 24 hours to prepare, but in fact, that wasn’t so.

"It’s 8 PM now, there are 12 hours until work tomorrow. If I subtract 6 hours for sleep, that leaves 6 hours. For me, that’s like 60 hours. This amount of time should be more than enough for preparation!"

Zhang Wei glanced at the time on his cell phone and began preparing for the case with all his might.

He, Zhang Wei, would never fight an unsure battle.

...

The next day, in the morning.

Six hours of sleep were enough to revive Zhang Wei’s spirits and make up for last night’s exhaustion.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead to wake up quickly.

With a splash of cold water and after finishing his morning routine, he gathered the documents in his room and set off for the law firm.

o’clock sharp.

He had already arrived at the firm and walked into the office of Jin Cheng Law Firm’s Criminal Division.

When Zhang Wei arrived, almost all his teammates from the division were there.

Lin Yumeng was even sporting two dark circles under her eyes, clearly having not slept well the night before.

"The project team just sent a message over. The location for the mock trial is in the internal broadcast hall above the Jincheng Building. They’ve already set it up like a courtroom!"

"So, the stage is all set up?"

Upon hearing the news from Old Tie, Zhang Wei smiled faintly.

"You still have the mood for jokes. Your opponent this time is Young Master Lin, and the nature of this case..."

"I just want to make a good impression, as long as the leaders remember me, that’s enough. Who knows, even the big boss might be watching..."

Zhang Wei said nonchalantly, then hurriedly leaned in toward Tie Ruyun, "Old Tie, has the person you called arrived yet?"

"They’re here, waiting downstairs in the resting area. But don’t you need to prepare for court?"

"No rush on that. Let’s go meet this ’our witness’ first!"

A few minutes later, in the reception room on the 25th floor.

"Oh my god, she’s not breathing!"

"Someone save her, someone please save her, hurry, someone!"

"My daughter, my lovely daughter, I can’t live without you, I..."

Zhang Wei held his phone, which showed a video of a woman crying tears of grief, her expression one of profound sorrow, her face nearly disfigured by her weeping.

When the video ended, Zhang Wei put his phone away and looked at the woman in front of him.

This woman was in her thirties, with heavy makeup and an air of world-weariness. Due to her age and lack of upkeep, her figure was starting to thicken a bit.

"You want me to play a woman like this?" the woman asked Zhang Wei, somewhat perplexed.

"Exactly. I need you to play a sorrowful middle-aged woman who divorced early and recently lost her only daughter. She is alone and destitute, a figure so pitiable even the heavens would cry."

"Isn’t this a bit too demanding? I’m just a worker in the entertainment industry and I’m about to retire..." the woman hastily shook her head.

She wasn’t a professional actress, though her line of work bore some similarities to acting, but those were just ancillary to her main job.

She really wasn’t an actress!

"No way, big sister. I heard you fell into this world at 15 and have been at it for 20 years. Who has a more tragic life than you? Isn’t this natural casting for you?"

"It’s all a ruse. If I don’t make my story sound pitiful, those men who come for hookers won’t tip generously. Kid, you don’t understand. People are so stingy these days. If you don’t spin them a good tale, they grumble even paying up!"

"Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing that can be done..."

Zhang Wei fell silent for a moment, leaned in close to the woman, and asked in a low voice, "What’s the most you’ve charged for an hour?"

"200 bucks."

"200 for an hour, huh? After we make our opening statements in court, you’ll be the first mock witness to take the stand. Even with cross-examination, it’ll all be over in 10 minutes, tops. I’ll pay you 10 times the hourly rate—2000 bucks. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing the price, the woman immediately beamed with joy.

"Oh my goodness, kid, I had no idea you’d pay up so willingly. If my clients were as easygoing as you, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams every day."

"Deal, no problem at all! Just acting as a middle-aged woman who’s lost her daughter—that I can do. I’ll show you what real acting looks like!"

Watching the woman’s confident smile, Zhang Wei nodded his approval.

"Old Tie, take your friend to get ready. Once the court is in session, follow my lead!"

"Alright then..."

Though Tie Ruyun was somewhat speechless about Zhang Wei’s arrangements, he still led the woman upstairs to prepare.

Zhang Wei also returned to his office to start preparing the materials for the mock trial.

The mock trial was scheduled for 10 AM, and time passed amid the preparations.

...

Jincheng Group.

The internal grand broadcasting studio.

The space here wasn’t small at all, easily accommodating one and a half basketball courts, which was more than sufficient for a mock courtroom.

The employees of Jincheng Group had already taken their places and began setting up the mock courtroom.

To them, this task was a walk in the park since Jincheng Law Firm often held mock trials for substantial cases.

As the sister company, Jincheng Group naturally provided full support. Besides shooting promotional clips and commercials, the primary use of this large studio was actually lending it to Jincheng Law Firm.

"Have you heard? Today’s mock trial is about Young Master Lin Yufeng’s case!"

"Wow, the scion of the second director’s family, and his opponent is someone from our own firm?"

"I heard through the grapevine that it’s a newcomer from the Criminal Division, named something Zhang. I can’t quite recall, it’s a pretty common name anyway."

"Then Young Master Lin’s got it in the bag. What can the newbie possibly bring to the fight against Young Master Lin?"

"Maybe the newbie wants to make an impression. I guess Young Master Lin must have told him before the court to put up a good fight, right?"

"You can tell you’ve never played tennis with a manager. They might say to play well, but they really don’t want to lose to you!"

"Besides, how could a newbie ever beat Young Master Lin? The firm probably decided to let the newcomer appear in court as a chance for Young Master Lin to show off in front of the client!"

"Exactly, exactly. The outcome is predictable—Young Master Lin can’t lose!"

The employees of Jincheng Group gossiped, with various messages flying around in the internal chat groups. But they all unanimously believed that Lin Yufeng was sure to win.

Kidding, what could a newbie have on Lin Yufeng?

Meanwhile, the very newcomer who had already been branded as certain to lose had taken the elevator early and arrived at the grand broadcasting studio.

The place had already been arranged into a courtroom scene, with the judge’s bench at the top, the witness stand below, the jury box to the side, and the seats for the prosecution and defense present.

The spectators’ gallery on the outermost part could accommodate sixty to seventy people to watch the courtroom proceedings.

The entire venue had dozens of high-definition cameras set up, ensuring that customers and VIPs in the broadcast control room could clearly see every detail on-site.

"The setup here sure looks the part. So this is the stage for what’s coming?"

Zhang Wei thought to himself and checked the time. It was 10 AM.

As the employees of Jincheng Group left, the personnel for the mock court started to enter.

From the various passages around the hall, dozens of individuals gradually walked in.

Surrounded at the center by the crowd was Lin Yufeng, the supervisor of the project department.

"Young Master Lin, may you have an auspicious victory!"

"Your first deal of the New Year, a consulting fee of 30 million? We can only look up to you!"

"Your opponent is just a new lawyer from the Criminal Division. I think you’ve won before the fight even started!"

After Lin Yufeng took his seat at the defendant’s bench, he finally saw Zhang Wei.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!"

With a cold snort, his face seemed etched with the words, "I’m going to take you down."

"Go for it, Master~"

"Go Zhang Wei!"

Fortunately, his buddies from the criminal division also came, shouting and cheering for him from the audience.

As people trickled in, the venue started to feel a bit crammed.

The project department, litigation department, along with some employees from Jincheng Group, had a hefty turnout; the studio was nearly bursting at the seams.

As everyone held their breath, the mock trial finally began.

The host took the stage.

"Hello everyone, I’m the head of the media group from the operations department of Jincheng Group. I believe many of my colleagues here know me. I won’t waste time introducing myself. Let’s leave the stage to the real protagonists of the trial..."

"While I say that, every participant in the trial is invaluable. Now, let me introduce all the distinguished guests participating in the trial!"

"First and foremost, a critical member of the court, our respected judge. The person taking on the role of judge in this mock trial is a familiar face to us all. He is a senior partner at Jincheng Law Firm, a retired chief justice from the Southern High Court, Judge Mi Haiyang!"

The corner of the studio revealed an elderly man in a black robe slowly walking towards the court, smiling and nodding to the audience around him.

"A retired justice from the high court, serving as a senior partner at Jincheng Law Firm – the firm must have extensive judicial resources!"

Seeing Judge Mi take his seat at the bench, Zhang Wei’s estimation of the law firm’s capabilities grew even higher.

"Next, an indispensable part of the trial and the ultimate deciders, our jury."

"By the way, this jury adopts the twelve-person system used in criminal courts. The increased number of participants is for a better understanding of the jury’s perspective. The jurors hail from various industries, and I can assure you they have no ties to our firm whatsoever. Their background checks are completely spotless, and they have each served on a jury at least once before, possessing full experiential participation in judicial proceedings. I believe they can certainly make fair and just decisions during the trial!"

All twelve jurors took their seats, and just as the host mentioned, they indeed represented a diverse cross-section of society.

Being able to secure twelve jurors in such a short time was no easy feat, and as for the details of not being able to question and screen them, Zhang Wei didn’t mind.

As long as fairness is assured, the selection process is irrelevant.

"And finally, the crux of this trial, the opposing parties in the legal contest. First up, representing the plaintiff in this trial, is Lawyer Zhang Wei from the criminal division of Jincheng Law Firm!"

Hiss—

As soon as the host finished his introduction, the room filled with hisses.

Even the supportive cries of Lin Yumeng and Li Yueqin from the corner were drowned out by these sounds.

"Alright, alright, fellow Jincheng colleagues, let’s give the newcomer some face. This might be his first time in court. At least he has the courage to face his opponent, so let’s not be too harsh on him!"

The host quickly smoothed things over, but he himself wasn’t particularly invested in Zhang Wei.

"And now, the moment everyone has been eagerly anticipating. Let’s welcome the lawyer representing the defendant in this trial, the famous manager of the project division of Jincheng Law Firm, a junior partner at the firm, and Jincheng Group’s employee of the year, Lawyer Lin Yufeng—"

As the host finished the introduction, cheers and applause filled the air.

"Go Young Master Lin!"

"Crush that kid!"

"Show the rookie what a professional lawyer looks like!"

"Our project division has to teach the litigation department a lesson, show that criminal group some color!"

The shouts, the cheers, they rippled through the air, long and unending...

"Good grief, anyone who didn’t know better might think this isn’t a courtroom but a Lin Yufeng concert!"

Zhang Wei shook his head; all he could do was sit in his seat and make a quip.

Thankfully, after the introductions were over, the trial was finally about to start.

"Alright, without further ado, please allow the prosecution and defense to take their places, to present a thrilling court battle to the clients in the studio the day after tomorrow!"

After finishing, the host smiled and nodded to Judge Mi: "Your Honor, I leave the courtroom in your hands. I will be responsible for soliciting the jury’s opinions during recess, but I’ll depend on you to handle the rest!"

"Ha, leave it to me!"

Judge Mi nodded and then banged the gavel to announce, "The mock trial is now in session. Let the plaintiff commence with the opening statement!"

The room fell silent, countless eyes focused on the center.

Under everyone’s gaze, Zhang Wei straightened his suit and approached the jury stand.

"Good afternoon, my name is Zhang Wei. In this mock trial, I represent the family of Feng Xinxue as the plaintiff’s Attorney. You might be wondering who Feng Xinxue is. Allow me to tell you all now!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a projector remote from his pocket and pressed a button.

On the projector screen set up behind the witness stand, suddenly appeared a series of photographs.

In the photos was a girl around 15-16 years old, with a smile that was sweet and radiant.

"This is the deceased, Feng Xinxue. Her family and friends liked to call her ’Xiao Xue’, a very nice little girl. As you can see, her smile is very sweet, but sadly, it’s a smile that her friends and family will never see again."

"Now, let’s turn our attention to the primary culprit behind all of this!"

Zhang Wei said, returning to his seat, and took out a canned drink from his briefcase.

"This is what killed Xiao Xue, the Super Energy Drink Company’s sports drink. They call it ’Bull’, suggesting that drinking this can make you as strong as a bull!"

"Of course, you better not run into a matador, or that would be rather unfortunate~"

"Hahaha..."

Zhang Wei’s joke made many in the jury laugh.

And there were also chuckles from the audience around the room.

But they quickly stopped when their colleagues next to them gave warning looks, and their smiles immediately faded.

Zhang Wei, however, walked up in front of the jury holding the canned drink in his hand.

"Please listen carefully to what I’m about to say. This small can of drink contains over 200 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, a cup of black coffee contains 80–180 milligrams of caffeine, and it also contains 500 milligrams of glucuronolactone, which used to be employed as a nerve stimulant in wars."

"You might frequently see it on supermarket shelves, and you have even seen its advertisements on television. After my previous explanation, you might be wondering what could be wrong with such a small can of drink."

"Since you’ve asked, why don’t we all take a look at Super Energy Drink Company’s advertisement to see how they promote this product!"

Zhang Wei pressed the projector button again, and a video started playing.

"Do you want a life that’s more exciting, a lifestyle that’s trendier, energy that’s more abundant to face..."

The advertisement was clearly a big production, with effects maxed out, various explosive and special effects scenes, and even a well-known sports star from Dragon Country as the spokesperson.

"What is this advertisement telling us? It tells us the target audience for the product is those who like adventures. It could be children, students, or young people just entering society. These are Super Energy Drink’s target groups."

"Similarly, Xiao Xue, the victim in this case, was also one of the target groups. Because she drank this little drink, she died!"

"Her cause of death was caffeine poisoning. Please think about it; she was only 16 years old, her life had just begun!"

Zhang Wei said, looking towards the defense bench.

"Although I don’t know Lawyer Lin Yufeng well, as the defense attorney for the accused, I can guess what his strategy will be because these defenses follow a fixed script."

"He will blame the cause of death on the deceased, the girl we saw on the screen, and will stand up to accuse this beautiful girl, claiming she made a mistake. As to exactly what mistake she made, I’ll leave the defense side to find a reason—anyway, in the end, he will accuse the girl of bringing her death upon herself!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s statement, Lin Yufeng on the defense bench could no longer sit still; he tore the first page right off his notebook and crumpled the paper into a ball, venting the anger in his heart.

"How did this guy figure out my approach!"

Clearly, Zhang Wei had guessed correctly.

But Zhang Wei’s statement was not over yet.

"Then, he will also place blame on the victim’s family, particularly the parents—they are always the main target of the defense lawyers’ attacks. Although I don’t understand why the defense would have reasons to blame the family of the deceased, I can tell you their purpose."

"The reason for doing this is simple, because they only need one person from either the girl or her family to take the blame, and then you might overlook the real murderer in this case, which is the Super Energy Drink Company backing the accused!"

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, Lin Yufeng also tore off the second page of his notes.

His expression was furious, almost to the point of cursing out loud.

This was a start he had never encountered before!

Zhang Wei this time, was going all out!

"So, jurors, I only have one request for you, and that is to trust your own eyes and not be deceived by the defendant’s smooth talk."

"You wouldn’t really want to blame the deceased, nor would you want to blame the victim’s family, which is also the victim in this case, right? I trust you won’t do that!"

"Who the real murderer is in this case should be clear to everyone—that’s the Super Energy Drink Company. Their product killed Xiao Xue, and they should be held responsible for it!"

Zhang Wei concluded his speech with added emphasis, raising his arm and shouting, "Please look at the facts, at a girl as lovely as a flower wilted away. While we can’t bring back a life that’s been lost, we can save many more children. Before another victim emerges, we can deliver a heavy blow to the Super Energy Drink Company, sever their claws extending towards someone else’s child!"

"Or else, it’s hard to imagine, but maybe your own children will be the next victims!"

"Your children, the children of your neighbors, the children of your relatives—they’re all waiting for you to save them!"

"My statement ends here, thank you, everyone!"

Zhang Wei bowed in thanks and then returned to the plaintiff’s bench.

Lin Yufeng on the defense bench remained silent, but his hands were clenched into tight fists, his complexion frighteningly dark.

This kind of start, he had never experienced before!

Zhang Wei this time, was indeed firing on all cylinders!