Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 171 - 169: To Save the Situation, Su Mei Must Take the Stand

Chapter 171: Chapter 169: To Save the Situation, Su Mei Must Take the Stand

(A reminder that this week in Wu Xi City, the second and third rounds of nucleic acid testing will be conducted. Our district is the Xishan District, which currently has the highest number of infection cases in Wu Xi City. Therefore, there’s undoubtedly a lot of work to be done in terms of prevention and control. As for Author Germ’s workplace, it’s responsible for managing the streets. I’ve been running around the neighborhoods with the community committee ladies to tally the number of residents and remind everyone to get tested for nucleic acid. Author Germ is exhausted...

So, regarding updates, Author Germ can only try to maintain them as best as I can. Today there are two updates, but if nucleic acid testing is underway in the future, I’m not sure if there will be enough time to write every day...

Last but not least, I hope the epidemic in Wu Xi and our neighboring Suzhou passes soon!!!)

...

Spoiler alert!

And it’s a big one!

Zhang Wei never imagined that in the trial he was controlling, such a major bombshell would drop.

And it was on the courtroom floor, forcibly pointed out by the opposition.

This was nothing short of a slap in his face!

You could see at that moment, Wang Qiang’s face alternating between green and white, his gaze becoming extremely frantic as his secrets were poked and prodded.

This scene did not escape the jury’s notice; they saw every bit of it.

"Obje...,"

Susan sensed the shift in the courtroom and was about to stand up and intervene but was pulled back by Zhang Wei.

"It’s no use!"

He sighed, pointing at a woman in the lower left corner of the jury box.

When Susan looked over, she saw that the woman’s gaze was somewhat frightening.

She looked at Wang Qiang as if he were a murderer, hostility almost spilling out of her eyes.

"Now in her eyes, Wang Qiang is nothing but a liar full of lies, just like her ex-husband before their divorce, who would profess eternal love with his lips but betray you countless times behind your back!"

"Even if you interrupt now, it won’t make any difference because Su Bancheng knows that this case ended at this moment, and Wang Qiang’s role as a witness is our death sentence!"

Zhang Wei looked helpless but still gave instructions to Susan.

"Witness, you have not yet answered my question. Are you willing to undergo an independent test again under the supervision of a third party?"

In the courtroom, Su Bancheng continued to press Wang Qiang step by step.

"Witness, please answer the question!"

The judge also timely joined in.

Wang Qiang could only look towards Susan with a pleading gaze under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Unfortunately, Zhang Wei had no intention of saving him; he even instructed Susan not to speak.

Seeing his plea for help was ineffective, Wang Qiang gave Zhang Wei a resentful look.

He knew that it was Zhang Wei’s signal to Susan not to rescue him.

"I... I don’t want to... My doctor’s test report is definitely without any problems... definitely no problems,"

Under Su Bancheng’s relentless questioning, Wang Qiang replied with almost all the strength he had, trembling.

"You don’t want to?"

Seeing he had achieved his desired effect, Su Bancheng laughed, "Well then, if you don’t want to, we won’t insist!"

"Your Honor, as for this witness, our side has no further questions!"

Although the cross-examination had ended, the looks from the crowd towards Wang Qiang not only didn’t change; they intensified with suspicion and doubt after his refusal to cooperate with the testing.

"Uncle Wang, don’t leave just yet, I have something to say to you!"

Just as Wang Qiang was about to get up, Susan, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up.

The entire courtroom was surprised. The questioning was over, so why stir things up?

Susan ignored the gazes from around the room, just coldly looking at Wang Qiang, observing him for a long time.

It wasn’t Susan’s own doing; it was Zhang Wei’s request.

Zhang Wei also said that such actions, coupled with a detached demeanor, could help save face a little.

Susan didn’t understand, but she knew one thing...

Acting was the right move!

Wang Qiang, faced with Susan who kept silent for so long, was also baffled.

What are you doing? I just want to get out of here as soon as possible, your prolonged silence is making me panic!

After a long while, Susan finally spoke.

She said with an icy tone, "Uncle Wang, this is the last time I’ll call you uncle. After today, you and I are strangers!"

"Also, your story is indeed quite fascinating, I believe you and your buddies must have spent a long time concocting it. But there’s a flaw in your story, which is when you went shopping, how come you never mentioned paying at the end?"

At this remark, people on the witness stand and in the jury box laughed.

Indeed, in Wang Qiang’s story, he suffered an illness while shopping, but he indeed bought something.

And since he bought something, he had to pay for it!

It must be said that Susan’s mockery actually caused the jurors to change their attitude toward the plaintiff’s case somewhat.

In the courtroom, Susan walked up to Wang Qiang step by step.

"...And thank you for screwing this up, goodbye... No, our family and your family are now never to see each other again!"

After dropping that line, she walked back to the plaintiff’s bench without looking back.

This scene also led the jury to wonder whether Susan was also in the dark, otherwise why would she say that at the end?

The first juror was thinking that Susan’s expression and movements didn’t seem like acting.

It seemed like she too was deceived by Wang Qiang!

A twinge of sympathy for Susan crept into her heart.

She felt that Susan was like her, a woman deceived by a man.

Zhang Wei noticed the shift in Juror Number One and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Good thing he had reacted quickly and had Susan pretend for a bit, successfully fooling Juror Number One.

On the other side, Su Bancheng also noticed the situation in the jury box.

"Clever boy, to turn the tide just like that, are your improvisation skills really that strong?"

He couldn’t believe that Zhang Wei had Susan say a few words and, with some acting that seemed very "amateurish" to him, managed to save the day.

He wouldn’t allow it!

Victory had been within his grasp; how could he possibly let the other side turn the tables.

"Your Honor..."

"Your Honor, given that the credibility of our witness has been questioned, and the provocative impact of the testimony, in addition to the physical condition of our other witnesses requiring rest, the plaintiff requests that the court be adjourned for 30 minutes," he requested.

Just as Su Bancheng was about to speak, Zhang Wei beat him to the punch and stood up.

Good lord, with so many reasons, the judge was in a difficult position.

He could tell that Su Bancheng had something to say.

But he also saw the condition of Su Mei and a few other families in the front row of the witness stand.

After all, they were patients with serious illnesses, and their request for a rest was irrefutable.

"The court grants the request, we will adjourn for 30 minutes!" Eventually, the judge compromised with Zhang Wei.

Su Bancheng, watching Zhang Wei regain a small victory, a flash of dissatisfaction crossed his eyes.

He had been so close, just a step away from delivering a final blow to his opponent.

Yet unexpectedly, the youngster in front of him managed such a rescue!

Now, his use of the recess had interrupted his subsequent move.

Indeed, the little brat from Dongfang Capital had some tricks up his sleeve!

...

Courtroom, preparation room.

All but Wang Qiang’s family had arrived.

Wang Qiang and his relatives, knowing they had no face to stay, had fled during the recess.

"Zhang Wei, it’s my fault, I should’ve listened to you from the start, and let you investigate our families!"

As soon as she arrived, Su Mei promptly apologized.

Zhang Wei had previously proposed to investigate the condition of the six families, but she had stopped him.

She had even vouched for their integrity, claiming that none of their families had any issues, but what was the outcome...

Her face hurt~

If Zhang Wei had really investigated back then, Wang Qiang’s forged medical records and fraudulent acts would have not remained hidden.

After all, that was better than having the opponent expose everything in court and completely turn the tide against them.

"Aunt Mei, Zhang Wei has actually saved the day for you already. If it hadn’t been for Susan’s last words, this case would have been over by now. Plus, even if we really wanted to investigate, we have no relatives or acquaintances in Jinying City, how could we have found out immediately?"

Jessica quickly spoke up to ease the tension while comforting Su Mei.

As an expert in psychology, she naturally noticed the change in the jury.

To be honest, when Su Bancheng exposed Wang Qiang’s issues, she had already felt desperate.

But in that critical moment, Zhang Wei had come through and made Susan put on a final performance.

The result, naturally, was not bad; the move not only changed the oppressive atmosphere in the courtroom but also aroused a degree of sympathy in Juror Number One for Susan.

One could say that Zhang Wei indeed saved the day for the courtroom at the critical moment.

"Aunt Mei, there’s no point in discussing this any further!"

Zhang Wei, the man of the hour, waved his hand dismissively.

He looked at Susan and said helplessly, "You go draft a notification later, tell Wang Qiang’s family that they have lost their qualification as plaintiffs. Even if we win this case, they will no longer have a share in the compensation!"

"Oh, alright!"

Susan had no objections; the Wang family was so outrageous that they naturally could not continue to host them.

The other four families also had no objections; of course, Wang Qiang could not stay.

From now on, they and the Wang family were no longer friends.

However, the expressions on the faces of several families also showed some changes.

They obviously had no confidence in this trial, and someone was considering giving up.

Zhang Wei could naturally tell the change in the mentality of those families.

At this point, there was only one strategy left.

"Aunt Mei, if we ask you to testify in court, can you withstand the pressure?"

In the end, Zhang Wei could only turn to Su Mei.

"When my husband died years ago, I had to bring up my daughter Susan by myself. I thought the sky had fallen, but didn’t I still manage with these two hands?"

Su Mei’s response made it clear to Zhang Wei.

The woman before him was definitely stronger than he had imagined.

"Well then, Aunt Mei, you go up for the next statement!"

Since Zhang Wei had made a decision, no one else naturally had any objections.

minutes later.

The recess was over, and the court reconvened.

As everyone took their seats, Susan immediately announced:

"Your Honor, we call Ms. Su Mei to testify in court!"

The judge glanced at Su Bancheng, guessing that the opposition must have something to say.

But obviously, Zhang Wei had no intention of giving the opposition a chance, directly aiming to preempt their move with the summons of a new witness.

Su Bancheng’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly he too had discerned Zhang Wei’s intention.

But since it was still the prosecution’s phase of courtroom statements, he was helpless.

Seeing no objection from Su Bancheng, the judge could only nod in agreement.

"Witness, please take the stand!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Su Mei walked from the front row of the gallery to the witness stand.

Once Su Mei was in place, the courtroom fell silent, waiting for her statement.

Susan, under Zhang Wei’s gesture, slowly walked to the center of the courtroom.

"Hello, Mom!"

"Hello, daughter."

This might be the first time the mother and daughter had such a face-to-face conversation under these circumstances. With nearly a hundred people spectating their conversation, it was somewhat novel for both of them.

"Mom, even though I know the answer, I still have to ask you, how long have you lived in Tonghu Town?"

Without much thought, Su Mei answered with a smile, "I’ve been in Dragon Country for over thirty years now. Since I followed my father here, I’ve been living in Jinying City. I never left the town, not since my daughter was born, nor as I watched her grow up."

As she spoke, she smiled and looked at Susan.

Her daughter was right in front of her.

"May I ask, why did you choose to stay in Tonghu Town?"

"Because of my husband, he worked in a furniture factory under the Haofangzi Group, working as an assembly line worker for furniture, and I found a job at a school in the town, teaching foreign languages to the local children."

"My father, your husband, where is he now?"

"He has passed away, it’s been almost 15 years now..."

As Su Mei spoke, a faint mist of tears welled up in her eyes.

"Although I also know the answer, I still want to ask, his cause of death was..."

"My husband worked at the furniture factory for nearly ten years, always on the front line. Years of physical labor took a toll on his health, his condition deteriorating day by day. I remember every detail of that day. He went to work as usual, but around 2 in the afternoon, the factory called my school... my husband... he had an accident at the factory... he..."

By the end of her sentence, Su Mei could no longer speak for sobbing.

"Objection!"

Although refuting an injured woman, a woman seriously ill, is a very disagreeable thing to do, Su Bancheng had to do it.

Because he had seen a change in the jurors’ box, Juror Number One actually showed sympathy for Su Mei.

Seeing Su Bancheng’s objection, the judge nodded and was about to announce.

"Your Honor, what is the defense attorney’s reason for objection? We haven’t heard it."

But Zhang Wei beat him to it with a question.

The judge paused, then turned to Su Bancheng.

Since the other party had asked, you indeed need to provide a reason; otherwise, I also cannot be too lenient.

"I object because we are not here to listen to stories; the witness’s words are irrelevant to this case!"

"Your Honor, our side believes that the witness’s courtroom statement has no issues whatsoever. Ms. Su Mei’s words just now are all based on facts, yet the defense has slandered our witness by accusing her of fabricating stories out of thin air. If the court doesn’t mind, we can invite the factory worker who called Ms. Su Mei back then, as well as the school’s headteacher at that time, to corroborate this matter and prove our witness’s integrity!"

"This..."

At this, the judge was in a dilemma.

Lawyer Su was simply trying to stop you all from spinning tales, but instead, you brought up issues of integrity and even wanted to summon two witnesses to corroborate this.

Does it really need to be this complicated?

Feeling helpless, the judge did not want to dwell on this matter too long and had to compromise, "The defense’s objection is overruled, the prosecution may continue to tell stories... cough, I mean, continue to recount the facts!"

Since the judge had said so, Lawyer Su could only sit down reluctantly.

But a shadow of gloom crossed his face because in this brief exchange, he was yet again suppressed by Zhang Wei.

To be suppressed by a mere youngster in a courtroom!

Simply intolerable!

In the courtroom, since the judge had allowed it, Susan continued her questioning.

"Ms. Su Mei, I would like to ask a critical question, and I hope you can answer me honestly, may I?"

"Of course!"

Seeing Su Mei nod, Susan then asked solemnly, "What are your feelings toward Haofangzi Group, the subsidiary factory, and the people responsible for your cancer and your husband’s death? Or, to put it another way, do you hate them?"

Upon hearing this question, everyone’s attention in the court was focused on Su Mei.

Even President Wu from the defendant’s seating area, along with Lawyer Su, stared at Su Mei in astonishment.

"Hmph, having family members come to court to play the sympathy card and then crying accusations, right? This old trick is something I stopped using more than a decade ago!"

After a moment, Lawyer Su had a rough idea.

If he’s not mistaken, Su Mei would surely break into tears immediately and denounce the multitude of wrongdoing by Haofangzi Group, no doubt her task was to gather enough tears.

He could even guess that the task Zhang Wei gave her was to make the accusations more intense, to cry out as loudly and desperately as needed!

Lawyer Su even speculated that Su Mei’s first words would certainly be of hatred...

"No, I don’t hate them."

"What!"

As Su Mei gave her answer, Lawyer Su suddenly stood up from his seat.

He was so shocked that he didn’t even realize he had lost his composure.

"How can this be... She doesn’t hate them... Is she a saint?"

His astonishment was evident as he looked at the witness stand, then at Zhang Wei at the plaintiff’s side.

The latter was also looking at him, with a seemingly provocative smile.

"Old man, you didn’t see this coming, did you? This move is called ’catching you off guard’. Against conservatives like you, the approach is to do the unexpected!"

Zhang Wei sneered inwardly, then slowly stood up, pointed at Lawyer Su, and spread his hands towards the bench.

With the prosecution’s lawyer expressing things this way, the judge was powerless.

"Lawyer Su, please sit down and remain calm, it’s still the prosecution’s stage to present," the judge said.

Lawyer Su clenched the silver cane beside him, and after regaining his composure, could only sit down slowly.

He could not have anticipated the witness’s response.

Why could you not hate Haofangzi Group, the factory, the place that caused your husband’s death?

What exactly is going on?

Not just him, but everyone in the court, including the jury and the gallery, was curious why Su Mei’s answer was not one of hatred; they all wanted to know the answer.

"Ms. Su Mei, why don’t you hate them? From my point of view, they have caused you so much harm..."

Susan voiced the question everyone had on their minds.

"Because Haofangzi Group’s factory has actually brought a lot of help to Tonghu Town, I know many might not believe it, but I am truly grateful to them in my heart. Because of their presence, the people of Tonghu Town could live a good life. Many of my neighbors, many friends worked at the factory, and before I taught at school, it was the factory that I frequented the most."

"In fact, I’m not afraid to tell everyone that the majority of what my husband shared with me before he died were the little moments he had at the factory. It’s because of Haofangzi Group that he was able to have a good life, marry and have a daughter, and have a complete family."

"If my husband loved them so, what reason would I have to hate them?"

Su Mei’s response was incredible, yet the effect was remarkably positive.

Zhang Wei and Lawyer Su were both observing the first juror, and they could see the change in that woman’s eyes as Su Mei spoke.

"This damn kid and that damned juror, they were swayed just like that?" Lawyer Su cursed internally.

"Well done!" Zhang Wei silently praised.

Su Mei’s magnanimity and gratitude had a positive effect, moving juror number one.

However, Zhang Wei did not show too much happiness.

With Wang Qiang’s influence still lingering, even if juror number one trusted Su Mei, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t remember Wang Qiang’s actions.

Thus, in his view, the trial still hung in the balance.