Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 168 - 166 After the Preliminary Review, the Problem Is...

Chapter 168: Chapter 166 After the Preliminary Review, the Problem Is...

(Although it’s Saturday, and it’s raining, Author Germ still needs to run through the streets and neighborhoods, such a tough life...)

...

The voir dire began, and the defense took the lead in questioning.

Although Su Bancheng was the chief lawyer of Haofangzi Group, something as trivial as selecting a jury, of course, couldn’t possibly be handled by him personally.

The person in charge of questioning was a subordinate colleague and junior at his law firm.

The junior was a quite handsome male lawyer, seeming to be in his thirties, mature and steady in appearance.

The male lawyer approached the jury box and slowly asked:

"I would like all of the jurors present to imagine this scenario, your town is experiencing winter, and it has been snowing for several days. The snow on the ground is at least a dozen centimeters thick, causing huge difficulties in the lives of townsfolk."

"Just at that time, the town decides to organize snow removal. Everyone picks up a shovel and starts to shovel the snow out of town, shovelful by shovelful, and after several days of effort, the town’s snow is completely cleared away."

"But at this time, two residents slipped and fell due to the accumulated snow during the shoveling and ended up breaking their toes and fingers, so they decided to sue the town, sue those who initiated the snow removal!"

Upon saying this, the male lawyer queried with a smile, "What do you think about this story?"

"Sir, what do you think?"

The juror called out by the male lawyer was utterly baffled.

"Do you want me to tell the truth?"

"Of course!"

Seeing that the male lawyer was insistent, the juror chuckled, "I think your story is pretty absurd!"

The male lawyer was not surprised by this response but instead gave a slight smile to the bench.

"Your Honor, the defense thanks this juror for his honest answer, and we request that he be dismissed!"

The man walked away, yet the male lawyer continued to question others.

"Ma’am, what is your opinion on this story?"

"I think these people are ungrateful. The town helped you clear the snow, and yet you blame the town for petty trivialities. In my view, that’s no different from making trouble without reason!"

"The defense thanks you for your answer!"

The male lawyer was very pleased with the woman’s response and nodded to the bench.

Clearly, he intended to keep this woman.

The defense’s questioning puzzled Susan, who sat at the plaintiff’s table.

"Zhang Wei, what do they mean by their questions? I don’t understand."

"You don’t understand?"

Zhang Wei was shocked for a moment. You actually didn’t catch such an "obviously transparent" intent?

"I don’t understand..." Susan shook her head.

"Well, alright, I’ll tell you their purpose!"

Zhang Wei sighed helplessly. There was nothing he could do if his teammate was not up to par.

"Actually, this question is aimed at the residents of Tonghu Town. The opposition compares themselves to the people who helped the town shovel snow, and they compare you and a few other families to those who are being unreasonable. In their eyes, their factory has helped the town solve the employment rate, providing jobs for the townspeople. This is all charity to the town, yet you still want to extort Haofangzi Group, which amounts to biting the hand that feeds you!"

"That’s why they dismissed that man—because he didn’t even entertain the idea of the story!"

"As for keeping that woman, naturally, it’s because her answer matches their expectations, the ideal juror they need."

"So that’s how it is..."

With Zhang Wei’s explanation, Susan finally caught on.

Such a simple story actually harbored such implications, truly an eye-opener.

"So what should we do?" Susan quickly asked.

Zhang Wei leaned in and whispered, "Simple, when it’s your turn to ask questions, just ask them like this..."

A moment later, the male lawyer nodded towards the plaintiff’s table.

It was the plaintiff’s turn.

Susan took a deep breath, then stood up and walked towards the jury.

"May I ask the jurors, what sports do you like?"

As soon as this question was asked, the whole room was confused.

The jurors exchanged glances, the audience whispered to each other, and even Su Bancheng from the defense table looked slightly surprised at Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei was naturally calm and even nodded back to him.

"What on earth is this kid up to? What significance does such a question have?"

He didn’t understand, and neither did anyone else.

However, the question wasn’t difficult to answer, as everyone has a sport they like.

"Sir, what sport do you like?"

"Me? I like table tennis and diving!"

"These are Dragon Country’s strong sports. It seems you really enjoy seeing our Dragon Country team win, don’t you?"

"Of course, who likes to watch losing?"

Susan nodded, then after seeing Zhang Wei give a slight shake of his head, she turned to the bench and said, "Your Honor, the plaintiff thanks this juror for his response and requests that he be dismissed."

The judge had no objections and signaled to the man, who promptly stood up and left.

"Madam, may I ask what sport do you like?"

"I like soccer!"

Upon hearing the woman’s reply, many nearby laughed.

"Madam, as far as I know, soccer isn’t our strong suit, is it?"

"Yeah, they keep losing, but my husband likes to watch it, so I just watch along with him..."

Seeing the woman shrug in response, Susan suddenly felt unsure and hurriedly looked towards the prosecutor’s bench.

Zhang Wei nodded at this time.

"Your Honor, we accept this juror!"

Although the judge was also somewhat surprised, he recorded it nonetheless.

Susan prepared to continue questioning, but out of the corner of her eye she caught Zhang Wei pointing towards the bottom left corner.

"Oh, that woman!"

It was then that Susan remembered there was a woman in the jury that required special attention.

She approached the woman and asked, "Hello madam, what is your occupation?"

"I’m an architect and serve as a project development manager in a real estate company!"

Upon hearing the woman’s answer, Susan had no thoughts, but Zhang Wei gasped.

For a woman to hold a significant position in the male-dominated fields of construction and real estate was quite an achievement.

"This woman could be the centerpiece of the jury— the judge might even appoint her as the foreperson!"

Plus, this woman had just gotten divorced, distrusting men or, to put it bluntly, anyone full of lies, which made her the ideal juror Zhang Wei was looking for.

He made a slight nod to Susan.

"Your Honor, we accept this juror!"

Of course, Susan had no objections and conveyed the prosecution’s request.

"What about the defense?" asked the judge, looking towards Su Bancheng.

"Your Honor, the defense also accepts this juror!"

This time, Su Bancheng personally stood up, smiling in response, without even having his male lawyer speak.

Seeing his smile, Susan knew there was a catch, and naturally, Zhang Wei wouldn’t miss it either.

There was a problem!

Both sensed that there was a major issue at play!

"Very well, our jury is now complete. Tomorrow happens to be the last day of March. Court will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. We are now adjourned!"

With the judge’s gavel, the trial date was set.

"Lawyer Zhang, Lawyer Su, I’m looking forward to your performance tomorrow!"

This time, Su Bancheng approached Zhang Wei and greeted him with a smile.

Then, without waiting for their response, he left with his subordinates and the Haofangzi Group’s people.

"Zhang Wei, their smiles as they left are a big problem!"

Jessica, who had come over from the gallery and was a psychology expert, also noticed something was off.

"Indeed, there is a problem. We need to go back and examine where exactly the issue lies!"

Aware of the seriousness of the issue, Zhang Wei headed back with Jessica and Susan in tow.

...

In Tonghu Town, at Su Mei’s Home.

"The juror should be fine. If that woman had any connections with Haofangzi Group, she certainly wouldn’t have passed the juror’s integrity background check!"

"The Haofangzi Group mainly manufactures furniture; they have collaborations with many real estate companies, but surely none of them happens to be where that woman works!"

Zhang Wei knew that the Taoyuan District Court would never allow an employee from a real estate company affiliated with the Haofangzi Group to join the jury.

Therefore, the woman was definitely not a problem.

Since there was no issue, and if he hadn’t misjudged her character, where was the problem?

Su Bancheng, with 40 years of legal experience, couldn’t possibly have failed to read the woman’s thoughts.

A woman who couldn’t trust lies, why did Su Bancheng want to keep her around?

In an instant, Zhang Wei realized.

"There must be a traitor among us."

This was the only explanation he could come up with!

Since the woman mistrusted anybody and had zero tolerance for lies and deception, Su Bancheng’s purpose for keeping her became clear.

Among the six families of Tonghu Town, there had to be an issue!

Only then would Su Bancheng have such a smile after the voir dire proceedings.

He had obviously gained a significant advantage, and that was why he couldn’t hide his joy.

"Impossible, there can’t be an issue among us, absolutely no issues!"

Su Mei couldn’t believe that there could be any issue among the six neighboring families.

She had previously vouched for their character, assuring Zhang Wei that all six families were clean and innocent.

They had all been neighbors for decades; if there were any issues between the households, it would be impossible to hide from the others.

"Aunt Mei, are you sure? I think Su Bancheng must have known something we didn’t, which is why he acted like this..."

"No, Lawyer Zhang, you must have made some mistake. I can guarantee with my personal integrity that none of our families have any issues!"

Seeing Zhang Wei starting to have doubts again, Su Mei hurriedly assured him.

"Zhang Wei, it’s really impossible for our families to have any issues. I personally organized the medical records for all the uncles and aunts!" Susan also explained on the side.

"Aunt Mei, Susan, you shouldn’t burden Zhang Wei further. Let him make his own judgment, your insistence is only adding to his troubles."

Although Jessica wanted to stand by Aunt Mei, reason told her that Zhang Wei was actually not wrong.

"Zhang Wei, what you’re thinking is not wrong. I support you!"

"However, you should also consider whether investigating our own people now might destroy our unity."

As she said, the trial was about to begin, yet here you are, investigating your own. Even if you really find something and expose it,

how will the other families view you? How could you not trust even us?

Once the alliance among the families dissolves, it could very well be that the Haofangzi Group would defeat each of us one by one.

Zhang Wei also waved his hand, Jessica’s considerations were not without reason.

"I just want some quiet..."

He needed to calm down, he needed to think.

After all, he knew that Su Bancheng must be gloating because they knew a secret that Zhang Wei didn’t.

This was the checkmate!

Zhang Wei didn’t like this, being forced into a passive position.

"Aunt Mei, let’s go to the yard and enjoy some sunshine, give him some time!"

Jessica naturally understood Zhang Wei’s concern. Seeing through the situation, she quickly pulled Su Mei and Susan to the backyard.

"Six families, even if Aunt Mei vouched for them, I couldn’t possibly really trust them because I have no familial ties with them; they must have some issue, I just don’t know who!"

"Judging from Su Bancheng’s smile, he must possess crucial evidence that could be our undoing. Who could it be, could it be the Wang family?"

Zhang Wei’s first suspect was naturally Wang Qiang.

Because the other party’s behavior did not fit the profile of the typical underdog; their strong stance was obviously abnormal.

But Wang Qiang wasn’t the primary initiator of the case, and even if this guy had problems, Zhang Wei thought it unlikely that he could directly alter the course of the case.

If there were key witnesses to speak of, they would have to be the initiator of the case, Su Mei, and the principal lawyer, Susan, they...

"Wait, what is Aunt Mei’s real name again?"

A light seemed to flash in Zhang Wei’s mind.

Although he wouldn’t trust others, Su Mei’s expression did not seem to be joking; she was convinced that the other families had no issues.

But what about Su Mei herself?

With that thought, Zhang Wei immediately took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, is this Lawyer Zhang? This is Cheng Liang, what can I do for you?"

"Representative Cheng, can your company access international insurance information?"

"Foreign information, this... it’s not too difficult. Chengyi Insurance has partnerships with foreign corporations. If Lawyer Zhang really needs an investigation, we will certainly expedite it!"

"Great, I need you to help me look into a name. Her name is Su Mei, no... her name is Melina Kent!"

"Melina Kent, I understand. Lawyer Zhang, we will get it done as quickly as possible!"

On the other end, Cheng Liang jotted down the name and immediately hung up the phone, getting to work at once.

After hanging up the call, Zhang Wei looked towards the backyard, deep in thought.

He hoped that his suspicions were wrong.

He spent the whole afternoon waiting.

Right before dinner, Cheng Liang finally sent news.

At dinner time, the four of them sat together around the table.

Even though the food laid out was rather good, none of the four, including Zhang Wei, moved their chopsticks.

"Aunt Mei, I finally understand what the problem is!"

"Lawyer Zhang, what problem?"

Su Mei looked worried because she feared that there might indeed be an issue among the other five families.

"The problem is you!"

But Zhang Wei was looking at Su Mei.

"Me?"

"Yes, it’s you!"

Zhang Wei spoke as he turned on his phone screen, displaying it in front of Su Mei.

"I asked Chengyi Insurance to find your insurance registration info back in your hometown, and I also found out about your family’s medical history. Melina Kent, it turns out your grandfather, William Kent, died from cancer!"

"My grandfather?"

Su Mei was also stunned; she had come to Dragon Country decades ago, and her grandfather had even died before she was born.

Who could know these things?

Had it not been for Zhang Wei leveraging his relationship with Chengyi Insurance, which in turn had dealings with foreign insurance companies, how could an ordinary person possibly uncover such matters?

"Aunt Mei, I’ve been thinking, and you told me that the others had no issues, so I began to wonder if you might be the one with the problem. I didn’t expect to guess right!"

Zhang Wei looked helpless, the one person who should have been without issues was Su Mei, yet the outcome had severely slapped their faces.

Su Mei had developed cancer due to environmental pollution and was left with less than a year to live.

But now, the cancer didn’t come from environmental pollution, nor from potential carcinogens at the factory, but from a family genetic inheritance!

In that case, wasn’t their biggest reliance for their case now about to lose its power?

"Zhang Wei, what do we do next?"

Seeing Zhang Wei solve the puzzle, Susan had lost her own ideas as well.

How should this be handled, why is a court hearing so difficult?

It even involved the family history of genetic disease from their mother, who could have thought of that?

"What we need to do is quite simple. In the upcoming court hearing, just have Aunt Mei stay in the spectators’ bench. Fortunately, we listed all six families as prosecution witnesses from the start, so as long as we don’t call any witnesses, the defense can’t either!"

Under the circumstances, that was the only thing to do.

As long as Su Mei didn’t testify in court, then Su Bancheng wouldn’t be able to reveal the matter, and they would be safe.

The only pity was that Su Mei and Susan had prepared so much for this case, only to find themselves without any chance to put it to use.

Zhang Wei was helpless too, but this was the best course of action available.

A dinner finished amidst the four people’s helplessness.

Because of Su Mei’s situation, none of them had much appetite.

Evening.

Zhang Wei lay alone on the edge of the bed, propping his head up with his arms, his gaze fixed on the solitary window in the room, pondering something.

"Are you asleep?"

A soft whisper floated to his ears.

"Not yet!"

Zhang Wei exhaled a sigh.

It was nearly midnight, but he couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

Suddenly, Zhang Wei felt two soft sensations pressing against his back.

Without a doubt, it must be Jessica; only she had such ample breasts.

Although the two had shared a bed for two days now, and had grown accustomed to each other beyond their initial embarrassment,

they had both remained restrained, still managing to behave fairly decently on this small bed just one and a half meters wide.

But today, because of Su Mei’s issue, Zhang Wei felt more agitated, and Jessica had picked up on this.

"I know Aunt Mei’s matter has upset you, and I’m sorry for dragging you into this. If it weren’t for my stubbornness, you wouldn’t be like this..."

Jessica said as she snuggled closer.

Zhang Wei instantly tensed up, not because of worries about the case, but because of the sensation on his back.

The feeling was too real, and he could already picture how those two mounds of flesh were being compressed, probably deformed.

He could clearly feel the changes in their shapes against his back.

Hiss~

Zhang Wei drew in a sharp breath, this level of close contact was a first for them.

Yet Jessica continued to apologize, feeling responsible for bringing Zhang Wei to Tonghu Town.

"Zhang Wei, I’m so sorry..."

As she spoke, her right hand inadvertently encircled Zhang Wei’s chest.

At that moment, Zhang Wei too was in agony.

Jessica, what are you doing! Don’t you know you’re playing with fire?

Acting like this could lead to error 404!

Zhang Wei quickly grabbed Jessica’s hand, holding it tightly in his palm.

He could no longer afford to savor the touch in the palm of his hand but forced himself to calm down.

"Jessica, thank you, I’m okay now. Let’s go to sleep early, we have a tough battle ahead of us tomorrow!"

The so-called tough battle was naturally the court hearing.

"Yeah, let’s sleep early!"

Jessica, seeing Zhang Wei finally settle down, happily agreed.

However, she still let Zhang Wei hold her hand and didn’t intend to adjust her position.

Zhang Wei, resigned, feeling the touch of her fingers and the tremendous pressure on his back, forced himself to close his eyes.

Zhang Wei thought that sleeping with Jessica was really a trial.

This pressure was greater than facing a hundred lawyers!

Who could withstand the weight of those two mounds on their back!