Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 157 - 156 Lin Yufeng Is Suppressed, Bias?

Chapter 157: Chapter 156 Lin Yufeng Is Suppressed, Bias?

Backstage, the studio.

Because a mock trial was taking place in the hall, this area had been transformed into a VIP observation room with the capability to monitor the entire courtroom through surveillance equipment.

Sitting here, one could clearly see every corner of the simulated courtroom through the dozen or so monitors in front.

This was an exclusive spot for the upper echelons of the Super Energy Drink Company.

They were the clients, and after all, the mock trial was conducted for them.

If they didn’t sit here, then who else could?

Of course, Lin Yufeng couldn’t possibly let the clients sit here alone.

He had to make sure his eloquent performance in the courtroom would catch the clients’ eyes, and it would be best if it came with a qualified commentary on the side.

As it turned out, the heads of both the project and litigation departments were accompanying the clients.

This was also because Lin Yufeng’s status was evident here; otherwise, it would have been impossible to get the head of the project department to make an appearance in person.

The head of the project department was named Ren Xingzhou; he looked slightly younger than Shen Zhengyi, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and his tie was a shiny red.

As soon as Zhang Wei finished his opening statement, Ren Xingzhou quickly made eye contact with Shen Zhengyi.

Understanding, the latter immediately said, "The plaintiff just made his opening statement. I must say, for a newcomer, this kid’s courtroom skills aren’t bad at all; he managed to bring up every move we could predict before we did, creating quite a bit of pressure on Young Master Lin."

Director Zheng of Super Energy Drink Company nodded and then whispered something to his subordinates behind him.

Super Energy Drink Company, too, was putting its best foot forward this time.

Not only had the Chief Executive Officer personally attended, but the company’s legal affairs director, financial director, security director, and operation director had all also shown up.

After discussing with his subordinates, Director Zheng asked, "Will the plaintiff’s lawyer ask these questions during the actual trial as well?"

"Oh, that’s not necessarily the case. Some lawyers might bring it up during their opening statements, but most wouldn’t consider it this thoroughly."

"But didn’t you say that kid’s a newcomer?"

"This..."

Shen Zhengyi and Ren Xingzhou exchanged glances, both somewhat at a loss for words.

Naturally, a typical newcomer couldn’t possibly talk about so much during their opening statement, and preemptively shut down the opponent’s strategies.

These were tactics that only seasoned veterans with ample litigation experience would think of, and to use them as smoothly as Zhang Wei did, casually and effortlessly, was something most people simply could not achieve.

So, in fact, Shen Zhengyi and Ren Xingzhou were also quite puzzled.

Because in their perception, a newcomer could never put Lin Yufeng under any real pressure.

Yet, the situation in the courtroom clearly renewed their understanding.

"Rest assured, Director Zheng, soon Young Master Lin will prove to you the strength of Jincheng Law Firm!"

Ren Xingzhou hurriedly reassured him, then took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

In the hall, on either side.

The entire place fell silent following Zhang Wei’s opening statement.

Among those who came to watch the trial were many from Jincheng Law Firm, including quite a few talented lawyers.

So, as Zhang Wei concluded his opening statement, many were momentarily stunned.

"Isn’t he just a newcomer?"

"Newcomers can’t make such an opening statement—which pre-emptively blocks the opponent’s moves!"

"Young Master Lin might be in trouble, right?"

"Man, you’re calling that a newcomer?"

Not to mention the various reactions and speculations around the room,

Lin Yufeng on the court was undeniably on the defensive at the moment.

He tore off the first two pages of his notebook in succession since they contained the two strategies Zhang Wei had mentioned.

Blaming the death on the victim, blaming the death on the victim’s family.

Just as the opposition said, if someone from among the victim or the victim’s family could be pinned with the blame, then his objective would have been achieved.

But now, that approach was utterly unfeasible.

Lin Yufeng’s expression was anything but pleasant!

"Counselor Lin, it’s your turn!"

Just then, Judge Mi looked over from the bench.

The plaintiff’s opening statement had concluded, and it was Lin Yufeng’s time to speak.

"Well, um... I find it odd that the allegations made by the counsel for the prosecution are completely unfounded. How could I possibly blame such a young girl?"

Lin Yufeng forced a laugh, as if he was telling a joke.

However, his words clearly amused none of the jurors, who looked at Lin Yufeng with expressions filled with indifference.

Lin Yufeng’s smile stiffened, and he found himself in an awkward predicament.

At the plaintiff’s bench, Zhang Wei watched this scene, the corners of his mouth slightly curling up.

"Jincheng Law Firm’s Young Master really can’t be this amateur, can he?"

"Just this, just this..."

Lin Yufeng skulked back to the defendant’s bench, and he ultimately failed to change the jury’s opinion of him.

Clearly, the Young Master of the Lin Family had just been dealt a heavy blow by Zhang Wei!

On the judge’s bench, Judge Mi watched the scene, shaking his head inwardly.

"Young Master Lin, are you sure your opponent is a rookie?"

He then glanced at Zhang Wei, his expression somewhat stern.

Although as a judge he must be impartial, this wasn’t a real court, and he was a senior partner brought in by the Lin Family; thus, at critical moments, he still needed to consider Lin Yufeng’s position.

However, it wasn’t time for that yet; his duty was to maintain the progress of this mock trial.

"Plaintiff’s side, please call your first witness!"

Zhang Wei nodded, stood up, and announced, "This court calls its first witness, the deceased Feng Xinxue’s mother!"

As soon as he said this, those backstage were taken aback.

Director Zheng, looking at Shen Zhengyi and Ren Xingzhou, asked, "Did someone from the plaintiff’s side come?"

"Nope, we don’t have any record of such a visitor, and the real plaintiff’s side wouldn’t agree to have the deceased’s mother come to our company, right?" Ren Xingzhou naturally shook his head.

Next to him, Shen Zhengyi, after pondering for a moment, guessed, "It might be an actor hired by Zhang Wei. Your company asked us to make it as real as possible, so spending some money to hire someone to play a plaintiff’s witness isn’t unprecedented in mock trials."

"Oh, an actor brought in!" Director Zheng nodded and whispered a few questions to the legal affairs director beside him.

In the courtroom.

The witness was led in by Tie Ruyun.

"Ah, my daughter—"

"You died so tragically, you were only 16, how could you leave us—"

"Alas, my dear girl, how could you bear to leave your mother alone—"

The "witness" started her performance as soon as she entered the court, crying as if her heart was being torn apart.

The woman, though not a professional actress, was adept at playing to the gallery, and her performance at this moment did seem somewhat genuine.

However, to the veterans of the courtroom, it was clear that the woman’s acting skills were not quite realistic.

Even Zhang Wei found it hard to watch, internally complaining, "Sister, there’s no need to be so over the top; your acting is somewhat exaggerated."

Once the witness’s cries subsided a bit, Zhang Wei then asked, "Witness, please tell us, what is your relationship with the deceased in this case?"

"She is my own dear daughter, whom I brought up with hard labor, such a lovely girl, how could she have died, ah—"

With a heart-wrenching scream, the woman started crying all over again.

Zhang Wei’s mouth twitched, regretting giving her 2000 yuan; her acting was barely worth 500.

"Thank you for your answer. Now listen to the second question, please..."

"My daughter, my Xiao Xue, ah—"

Zhang Wei continued asking questions, but the woman’s responses were nothing but pig-like screams, her voice filled with desperate sorrow.

Zhang Wei decided that he would never again hire this woman to testify in court.

"Alright, my questioning is over!"

Many in the jury were looking at the woman, with varying expressions, but his questioning was finished.

Overall, the effect was neither good nor bad.

The purpose of having the woman in court, as Zhang Wei intended, was simply to elicit pity.

Bringing the victim’s family to cry in court didn’t really help advance the case; the only purpose was to earn tears and the jury’s sympathy.

In that regard, the woman had indeed played her part.

Of course, you had to overlook her clumsy acting.

"Witness!"

Finally, it was Lin Yufeng’s turn to take the stage.

"Ah—"

"My beloved daughter Xiao Xue—"

But once Lin Yufeng took the stage, the woman started screaming loudly as if she had seen the murderer of her father.

"This—"

Lin Yufeng was startled by the woman’s crying, his prepared questions abruptly cut off.

Zhang Wei watched the scene, quite amused.

He immediately turned to look at the observer seats and locked eyes with Tie Ruyun.

The two began a silent exchange of glances.

Zhang Wei: Did you signal her?

Tie Ruyun: No, it was all her improvisation on the spot.

Zhang Wei: Got it!

Alright, although this woman’s acting isn’t perfect, if there were to be another simulated court, it wouldn’t be out of the question to invite her again.

In the end, Lin Yufeng also couldn’t find a breakthrough when faced with a woman consumed by grief.

Every time he tried to ask tricky questions, the woman would interrupt with her "violent" sobbing.

After several attempts, Lin Yufeng also grew frustrated, and even raised an objection in court.

"Your Honor, what does the witness mean by this, she..."

"Your Honor, I’ve lost my daughter, am I not allowed to cry, have you ever lost a daughter, can you understand my pain, ah—"

The response to both the judge and Lin Yufeng was the woman’s crying, followed by another piercing scream.

Judge Mi was helpless against the woman; of course, he had never lost a daughter, and in the end, he could only shake his head to Lin Yufeng.

The cross-examination of the first witness ended, and to Zhang Wei, the effect was at maximum.

The woman’s exaggerated acting had indeed garnered a certain amount of sympathy from the jury.

After all, the jury was not him; they hardly had a professional eye and naturally couldn’t see that the woman’s acting was quite unprofessional.

"Does the plaintiff have any more witnesses to summon?"

"Yes, we would like to summon an expert witness, a pathology expert!"

Zhang Wei immediately called out the next witness.

This time the witness was a doctor, also one of the expert witnesses hired by Jincheng Law Firm, and the only expert witness Zhang Wei had invited.

Upon hearing that an expert witness was taking the stand, the jury looked over.

The witness took the stand.

"Hello, doctor, have you reviewed the deceased’s forensic report?"

"You sent me the report yesterday, and I have looked it over!"

"Good, may I ask, doctor, what do you think is the cause of death?"

"It’s written in the report, it was due to caffeine poisoning causing gastric spasms, which led to vomiting. The vomit obstructed her respiratory tract and windpipe, and some of it was even aspirated into her lungs. Put simply, she was choked to death by her own vomit, a very painful way to die."

Hearing this answer, Zhang Wei nodded.

He then took out the canned drink once again and asked, "Witness, you’re saying this small can in my hand took her life?"

"Yes, don’t underestimate this can. It might not look like anything dangerous, but appearances can deceive you. It’s very dangerous, inside it has..."

"Objection, leading the witness to speculate!"

Lin Yufeng couldn’t stay seated any longer and quickly objected.

"Objection sustained!" Judge Mi glanced at Zhang Wei with a warning look.

"Alright, Your Honor, my questioning is over!"

Zhang Wei smiled faintly, gestured an apology to the judge, and then returned to the plaintiff’s bench.

"Defendant, it’s your turn for cross-examination!" Judge Mi nodded and smiled at Lin Yufeng.

Lin Yufeng straightened his suit and stood up, walking toward the witness stand.

"Witness, you are a pathology expert and also a doctor, correct?"

"Yes!"

"Witness, are you aware that in the medical field, there is a set of standards to measure whether a person is healthy?"

"You’re referring to the medical health standards, I am certainly aware of that, aren’t you?"

"Good!"

Lin Yufeng nodded, then picked up the remote control for the projector.

"Thanks to the photos previously provided by the plaintiff, we learned some information about the life of the deceased, Feng Xinxue. But after looking at her photos, one question has been on my mind, and I hope you can answer it."

Lin Yufeng pressed a button on the remote, and a series of photos appeared on the projection screen.

On the screen was a little girl, smiling sweetly, but her cheeks were somewhat chubby.

"This is a photo of the deceased from two years ago. In your opinion as a doctor, is Feng Xinxue in the photo healthy?"

The witness glanced at the photo, pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Hmm, very healthy!"

"Then..."

"Objection!"

Just as Lin Yufeng was about to continue his questioning, Zhang Wei stood up.

"The defense’s questions are irrelevant to the case, Your Honor. What does the deceased’s photo from two years ago have to do with this case?"

Lin Yufeng saw Zhang Wei dare to interrupt him, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The judge was about to agree, but hesitated upon seeing Lin Yufeng’s grim expression.

"The court is also curious, Counselor Lin, surely your questions aren’t without significance, are they?"

The judge’s question, in Zhang Wei’s view, seemed somewhat biased.

"Of course not, my question is highly relevant to the case!"

Lin Yufeng gave a vague explanation, but Judge Mi nodded in agreement.

"Objection overruled, the defense may continue with the questioning!"

Upon hearing this decision, Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes and glanced at the judge.

But since the judge had spoken, he could only sit down.

"Well, if this were a criminal court, that question would have been dismissed long ago. You guys really dare to push it!"

He saw that because this wasn’t a real court, the judge didn’t have to be completely impartial, and Judge Mi was doing just that.

He was obviously favoring Lin Yufeng.

Finally, Lin Yufeng smiled, showing off a triumphant and contemptuous sneer to Zhang Wei.

"Witness, please continue to look at the screen!"

As Lin Yufeng operated the equipment, the photo on the screen changed—still Feng Xinxue, but this time her face had thinned considerably, and her figure had become slenderer, or rather, skinnier.

"Doctor, this is a recent photo of Feng Xinxue. Can you tell me what’s different from when she was 14?"

"Uh, she looks thinner, and this level of thinness seems somewhat unhealthy..."

"Exactly, the 16-year-old Feng Xinxue, at a height of 158 cm, weighed less than 35 kilograms. In layman’s terms, she had become skinny as a rail!"

"Objection!"

Lin Yufeng’s words naturally met with Zhang Wei’s objection.

"Objection overruled!" But Judge Mi plainly dismissed Zhang Wei’s objection.

Zhang Wei could only sit down helplessly, and he made a mental note of Mi Haiyang’s name.

"Witness, based on the data I just mentioned, do you think Feng Xinxue was healthy?"

"With that data, I suspect the deceased might have suffered from conditions like anorexia. She was too thin, her nutrition intake was insufficient, so I’d say her health was quite poor."

Hearing the witness’s response, Lin Yufeng smiled, as he had almost achieved his goal.

"So, can anorexia lead to convulsions?"

"Yes, an anorexic’s stomach is actually in an unhealthy state, which can cause spasms!"

"Therefore, can I assume that the plaintiff’s adamant attribution of the cause of death to our product is an irrational judgment?"

"You’re right, a definitive report can only tell us the basis for judgment but cannot trace the root cause, especially when the deceased was not healthy. To rashly blame the drink is indeed not a sensible conclusion!"

In the jury box, many were taken by surprise.

Among the 12 jurors, some began to ponder whether the witness had opened another line of thought.

That was the issue Zhang Wei had mentioned before, attributing it to the deceased’s own problems.

Could it really be that the deceased herself had issues, and it was her own fault that led to this tragedy?

This time, Lin Yufeng finally allowed himself to smile, because his cross-examination had indeed caused the jury to have doubts.

"My questioning is over!"

Having achieved his goal, he returned to the defendant’s seat.

Seeing the shift in the wind, Zhang Wei immediately stood up: "We wish to add..."

Bang, bang, bang!

But before Zhang Wei could speak, Judge Mi struck the gavel and interrupted him.

He glanced at Zhang Wei, then ignoring him, announced, "It’s noon, everyone go and have lunch. We will break for one hour, and the trial will continue in the afternoon!"

Clearly, he had intentionally interrupted Zhang Wei.

"Hmph, is that all you’ve got?"

Lin Yufeng walked up to Zhang Wei, let out a cold laugh, and then strutted away.

Zhang Wei’s face looked somewhat displeased because he had wanted to continue questioning, but had been cut off by Mi Haiyang.

"Well played, deliberately keeping me from questioning and wasting this witness!"

The witness was an expert he had brought, but the outcome had inadvertently helped the defendant. He could not tolerate this.

But with the judge adjourning the proceedings until the afternoon, and as both the prosecution and the defense had finished cross-examination, this witness was no longer needed in court.

So that afternoon, Zhang Wei would need a new witness.

But his list of provided witnesses contained only two names; where would he find a third witness?

"You’re forcing my hand. I didn’t want to go to such extremes. I had thought of leaving some face for you, Young Master Lin!"

Zhang Wei looked meaningfully towards the backstage studio.

If you show no mercy, don’t blame me for being ruthless!

I’m doing this solely to win!

And that’s all I care about!