Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 177 - 175 Zhao Qingyan Seeks Help, The Case is Somewhat Complicated

Chapter 177: Chapter 175 Zhao Qingyan Seeks Help, The Case is Somewhat Complicated

(A new case incoming~)

...

That very night Zhang Wei returned to Dongfang Capital.

Blacksmith Technology, headquarters building.

Research and Development Office.

For coders, working overtime until 9 PM was the norm.

At this moment, a group of coders in the R&D department was having a "discussion" about something.

But when coders meet, it’s generally about one of three things.

Either the software has a major bug, the project needs to rush the schedule, or the manager has some new demands.

As it happened, all three issues were present today.

"Fuck, who created this bug? Why doesn’t it show up in the logs?"

"How can this kind of bug even occur? Who’s operating the system? Are these operations even humanly possible?"

"I really admire these testers, all the stress testing and extreme testing. Can you tell me how to fit 30 people in one car? Wouldn’t it be normal to call the police then?"

A group of them was arguing over the bug.

Next door, overtime work was underway...

"Nani, overtime again? I haven’t had a single day off since the beginning of the year!"

"Who hasn’t? I’ve been working overtime for two months myself, these managers must be eating shit!"

"Oh my god, I barely have any hair left, and I’m not even 30 yet. Every time I go out for blind dates, they say I have the aura of a leader. I’m going to the union; I’m declaring a work injury!"

"Ctmd overtime, ctmd projects, ctmd rushing the schedule, I quit!"

For coders, while overtime was part and parcel of life, that didn’t prevent them from cursing up a storm upon hearing another overtime notice.

Even though they’d have to work those hours and get the overtime pay, it was important to them to express their hatred for it.

Coders, after all...

Overtime, what a joke!

"Fuck, how are we supposed to implement this function?"

"These damn idiots should go eat shit. Do they have any idea how much manpower and resources it would take to implement this function? We’d have to pull all-nighters for days on the software side and the hardware team would have to test how many rounds of new materials. Have they even thought about this?"

"Don’t listen to those project managers, they don’t know shit about development, it’s not them who have to write the code. This feature can’t be done, just reject it straight up, let them see our attitude!"

"Right, it has to be rejected. Last time that damn project manager asked me to add a distance measuring feature, and a few days later the client said they didn’t want it anymore. I was so fucking annoyed, I wasted three days writing that code for nothing. This time, this damn manager is adding new requirements. I bet in a few days they’ll want to change it again!"

"Exactly, we shouldn’t keep indulging those bastards. Our R&D department needs to stick together and resist those brainless people in the project department!"

The large office was filled with noise and fervent emotion.

After all, when you’re a developer, you’re bound to clash with the project management every other day.

Today just happened to be the day when coders encountered all three annoying issues at once.

Even one issue would have been terrifying enough, but with three combined, an explosion was inevitable.

Anyway, coders have to vent; by tomorrow, they’ll still have to continue working overtime.

As a member of the R&D department, Zhao Qingyan was mingling with the crowd.

However, unlike the others, he neither shouted nor made a fuss, only nodding or giving a light laugh when someone near him cursed.

Even though he was the Chief Development Officer at Blacksmith Technology, he wasn’t the nominal head of the R&D department, and was more like an independent developer.

As for the person in charge of the project department, he was at the very front, shouting loudly and enthusiastically.

Incidentally, the one cursing the loudest in the room was him!

Buzz—

Suddenly, Zhao Qingyan’s pocket vibrated with his phone.

The number was unfamiliar, but the call location showed Dongfang Capital.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call outside!"

He had no choice, even though he loved the atmosphere and enjoyed watching his colleagues curse at the project managers, the call still had to be taken.

After reaching the hallway, the noise finally subsided a bit.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Big Brother Zhao, it’s me..."

The voice on the other end of the phone was a woman’s. She sounded extremely weak and somewhat haggard.

Upon hearing this voice, Zhao Qingyan appeared slightly stunned.

"What’s up with Xiangzi again? Is he harassing you?"

"No, it’s not that. I’ve done something wrong, and now I need your help. I’m in the detention room, this phone belongs to the Martial Association, I..."

"What happened? Slow down and tell me?"

The woman on the phone hesitated for a moment before finally starting to speak.

"I killed him... he’s dead... dead by my hand..."

Those last few words caused Zhao Qingyan’s pupils to suddenly constrict.

He was stunned for a long time, and the woman on the phone called out several times, but he did not respond.

He just stood there in the corridor, stunned, for an entire hour.

A night without words...

The next morning, inside the R&D department’s office.

When a few early-arriving colleagues entered the office, they saw a man sitting in his chair, in a state of utter dejection, as if his soul had been lost.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was actually Zhao Qingyan!

"Holy shit, Brother Zhao, you’re still here!"

"No way, Old Zhao, you didn’t go home all night, did you?"

"We just have to work overtime because there are new project requirements, and the testing team reported a big bug, right? You always used to laugh it off, so why are you reacting more intensely than us this time?"

"Exactly, exactly, despite us complaining a lot yesterday, those were just words said in frustration. We still have mortgages and car loans to pay off and kids to feed. If we don’t work overtime, where will the overtime pay come from?"

Zhao Qingyan did not respond, leaving his colleagues looking at each other, somewhat stunned.

Was this still the same Zhao Qingyan who always remained calm and collected? Why did he seem like a different person today?

"Old Zhao, you can’t go on like this, why not take some time off? I can let the person in charge know for you!"

"Yeah, Brother Zhao, go back and get some rest. Even though we programmers stay up all night leveling up like immortals, if you made me stay awake for a day and a night, I definitely wouldn’t be able to write a single line of code the next day!"

"Go back, go back and get some sleep, and everything will pass!"

Several colleagues advised him earnestly, and Zhao Qingyan, who was looking up at the ceiling, finally showed some movement.

"No, this matter isn’t over yet. I need to ask someone for help!"

With a ’swish’, he stood up from his seat and then dashed toward the elevator like a shot.

He still remembered the call from yesterday; this matter hadn’t ended yet.

He pressed the button for the elevator to the company’s legal department, and then the elevator ascended.

But he soon hesitated.

"Ah Xiang left us in the end, and to count it up, he betrayed us. The legal department will definitely investigate Xiangzi’s background and will learn about his circumstances!"

"Furthermore, this time it’s a personal matter, and maybe the legal department won’t help me..."

Ding-dong!

The elevator reached the legal department’s floor, and Zhao Qingyan hesitated for a moment but still did not step out.

After all, as he said, the legal department dealt with company matters, and personal issues weren’t theoretically their concern.

They might be able to handle it, but a commercial lawyer dealing with an employee’s personal case probably wouldn’t give it their all.

Therefore, Zhao Qingyan dismissed the idea of seeking help from the legal department.

He needed someone skilled in criminal defense, who could wholeheartedly help the client, and someone experienced and capable.

Instantly, he thought of someone.

Zhang Wei!

...

Jincheng Law Firm.

26th floor, Criminal Division office.

Achoo!

"Who’s thinking about me now?"

Zhang Wei rubbed his nose and complained.

The weather had not yet warmed up, and Dongfang Capital being in the south with a significant temperature difference between day and night, perhaps he had caught a cold?

Sure enough, he had been sleeping with Jessica, and just last night he suddenly slept alone.

Without a pretty girl to hold, he really felt a little uncomfortable...

Having been away on a business trip a few days ago, Zhang Wei was finally back in his office and took a look around.

Since it was the beginning of the month and there were no urgent cases on hand, it seemed like everyone was... slacking off.

His little apprentice Lin Yumeng was glued to her screen, actually watching a drama series, engrossed and completely absorbed in it.

Zhang Wei initially wanted to say that this was not a good look, but considering she was the big boss’s daughter, and that Jincheng Law Firm effectively belonged to her family, he swallowed his criticism.

Li Yueqin, sitting opposite, was browsing through law books, occasionally looking up at her computer screen, seemingly studying.

Xiao Li is indeed a hardworking kid; I should help her land a big case this month!

Old Tie, meanwhile, was busy at his workstation, the keyboard clacking away, making him seem like he was coding.

"Folks, let me say this, we can’t lag behind in our April performance!"

Zhang Wei stood up and called out to the three.

As he spoke, Lin Yumeng, Li Yueqin, and Tie Ruyun all subconsciously looked over.

It couldn’t be helped, in the criminal law group’s office, Zhang Wei had the highest authority, his words carried even more weight than Tie Ruyun’s.

"Especially Xiao Li, our criminal group aims for everyone to land a major case. If we don’t show up the litigation department even once, can you really say you’re part of the criminal group?"

Zhang Wei even specifically named Li Yueqin, making his meaning quite clear—she also needed to land a big one.

"Hm, I’ll strive for it!" Li Yueqin naturally understood that she absolutely needed to try to make a performance.

"Cheer up, I’ll help too!" The junior disciple also joined in the cheer.

After all, helping out a fellow group member with their case also filled her with enthusiasm!

Tie Ruyun looked at the improved demeanors of Li Yueqin and Lin Yumeng and couldn’t help but sigh.

He had come to terms with it and didn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm of the newcomers. Plus, with Zhang Wei around, it really might be possible.

As for the warning from the leadership...

In Zhang Wei’s words: qnmlgbd, I’m making money for the law firm, could you really bite me for it?

Having come to terms with it, Tie Ruyun just let Zhang Wei do his thing.

Just as Zhang Wei was about to talk about some grand blueprint for the future of April, Tie Cuilan came over.

"Zhang Wei, the project department is looking for you!"

"The project department, who?"

Zhang Wei paused, questioning. The project department didn’t have much to do with him—at most, there was his nemesis Lin Yufeng.

Or could it be that a client he had signed wanted to sue someone?

"It’s Boss Ren from the project department looking for you, he’s already in the reception room downstairs!"

"Ha, Ren Xingzhou, even went downstairs, what’s up with that?"

Upon hearing that the head of the project department was looking for him, Zhang Wei was surprised.

But since the other party was seeking him out, he didn’t have a choice, and he had to go downstairs.

On the 25th floor, the VIP reception room.

Ren Xingzhou personally brewed a cup of tea for the guest in front of him.

"Mr. Zhao, please!"

Although he was the head of the project department, he didn’t usually receive clients personally.

But that depended on who it was—like the person in front of him, they were worth his personal reception.

"Lawyer Ren, you’re too polite!" Zhao Qingyan took the tea cup and managed a smile.

Ren Xingzhou nodded his head but was secretly shocked.

Because the person before him was a representative of Blacksmith Technology, and Ren had been quite shocked when he first saw him.

In his memory, Mr. Zhao had always been amiable, so why did he look like this today?

Knock knock knock!

The reception room door sounded, signaling Zhang Wei’s arrival.

"Mr. Zhao, that little twerp... Zhang Wei is here!"

Ren Xingzhou almost subconsciously blurted out "little twerp," but he managed to hold it in.

After all, Zhang Wei had completely offended the big boss’s son, and he, Ren Xingzhou, had also lost face during that mock trial. The project department could be said to despise Zhang Wei.

However, since Zhao Qingyan sought him out, Ren Xingzhou had to give some respect to the person before him.

"Lawyer Ren, could you give us some privacy?" Zhao Qingyan made another request.

"This..."

Ren Xingzhou wanted to say something, but seeing Zhao Qingyan’s expression, he could only nod.

He went to the door, opened it for Zhang Wei, then with the attitude of a leader, he commanded:

"Remember this, laddie, Mr. Zhao is a valued guest of Jincheng. If you upset him, I’ll take it out on you!"

Finishing his statement, he left, returning to his own office.

"Ren Xingzhou, right? I’m not your subordinate, you’re giving me orders?"

Zhang Wei inwardly cursed, then put on a smile.

After all, the person inside had helped him out a lot, he had to be courteous.

"Uncle Zhao, you were looking for me... holy shit, what happened to you, Uncle Zhao, do you also need a liver transplant?"

He was going to greet Zhao Qingyan, but upon seeing his complexion, couldn’t help exclaiming.

Zhao Qingyan’s face was terribly pale, like those who played mobile games, grinding for three days and nights, ending up with nothing to show for it.

His complexion was just like Yao Liting’s had been before.

"You little rascal, are you cursing me to get cancer?" Zhao Qingyan managed another smile, jokingly.

However, his forced smile made Zhang Wei feel bewildered.

What happened to the composed Zhao Qingyan? Now, why did he seem as if he’d lost his soul?

"Uncle Zhao, there are no outsiders here, so what exactly is going on? I can’t imagine you’d ever do something like this, not even if you lost your job," Zhang Wei said.

"No, if I had lost my job it would’ve been okay, at least I have skills that other companies would fight for!" Uncle Zhao replied and couldn’t help but let out a sigh, "My good brother died!"

"Oh, that’s what happened!"

Zhang Wei nodded in understanding. So it was because a close friend had died. No wonder he was acting like this; it seemed that the deceased and Uncle Zhao were very close.

"Has the murderer been caught? If not, I could contact Captain Wu and his serious crime team for you. They’ve been racking up a lot of wins lately; they’ll surely catch the killer for you," Zhang suggested.

"No, the murderer has been caught, and with the evidence to match," Uncle Zhao explained.

"Should I get in touch with Xiao Baihe for you? She’s an ace prosecutor at the Procuratorate Headquarters. She’ll definitely bring the criminal to justice. For murder, a life sentence is guaranteed. Are you hoping the killer gets the death penalty?"

Hearing Zhang’s words, Zhao Qingyan smiled, "Actually, the reason I’m here is to ask you to save someone..."

"Save who?"

"Save my good brother’s wife, she’s facing a life sentence!"

"How is that possible? Your good brother just died, and now his wife is facing a life sentence? That doesn’t make any sense," Zhang expressed, scratching his head in confusion, "Unless your brother’s wife is the murderer, but that kind of thing..."

Zhao Qingyan lifted his head, staring straight at Zhang Wei.

Just now, you’ve accidentally hit upon the truth.

"Uncle Zhao, you’re not saying it’s such a coincidence, that the murderer is really..."

"Xiao Zhang, I have to say you have sharp instincts; you’ve guessed it!" Uncle Zhao revealed.

"Uncle Zhao, you’re here to ask me to defend the murderer?"

"Yes!"

"The same murderer who killed your good brother, and she also happens to be your good brother’s wife?"

"To be precise, ex-wife, they’ve been divorced for several years now!"

"Okay, but this... I need to think this through. Are you asking me to defend the person who killed your good brother, who also happens to be his ex-wife?"

"Yes!"

My goodness!

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but exclaim. The case Uncle Zhao was giving him, or rather the request he was making, was totally bewildering.

In the old days, it was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Even now, there is the death penalty. And even if the death penalty isn’t enforced, a murderer must go to prison.

This is the natural order of things!

But with Uncle Zhao, his good brother is murdered, and yet, he forgives the killer and wants to hire someone to defend her?

By doing this, would his brother rest in peace knowing what you are doing?

When you pass away and meet your brother again, are you sure he won’t tear you apart?

"Uncle Zhao, what exactly is going on here?"

Zhang Wei sat down, looking at Zhao Qingyan with a curious expression.

He was waiting for an explanation; the case was just too absurd. He needed to understand the full story to analyze the situation.

"Sigh," Zhao Qingyan let out a long sigh before recounting, "My good brother, Zeng Xiang, was an old friend with whom I started a business. A few of us developed a small company into something much larger. The days and nights we spent working on the system, punching code—those were truly happy times!"

"Unfortunately, Ah Xiang had a rather extreme personality. He didn’t tolerate questioning over things he was convinced about. It was because of his personality that he had conflicts with a few of us. After a disagreement over one incident, he left our startup team."

"As for his wife, I knew her as well. In fact, when Ah Xiang was still with our team, he even asked me to be the celebrant at their wedding."

"Years passed, and we each went our own ways. I focused on research and development while Ah Xiang, I heard, had opened a studio and was doing quite well for himself, with no worries about his livelihood. But then..."

At this point, Zhao Qingyan paused, his expression changing as he did so.

"Later on, he and his wife fell out, and they separated. Although I stayed in touch with both of them, matters of the heart are hard to say..."

"In short, I know Yun Shu isn’t that kind of person. If it weren’t for something compelling, she wouldn’t have killed Ah Xiang!"

"Yun Shu?" Zhang interrupted.

"Yes, Yun Shu, that’s Ah Xiang’s wife, Fang Yunshu!" Uncle Zhao explained before looking at Zhang again, "Xiao Zhang, would you be willing to do Uncle Zhao this favor and defend Yun Shu for me?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t skimp on the lawyer fees, and if you make this work, I’ll pay you an additional amount. Name your price, and I’ll satisfy it!"

"Uncle Zhao, there’s no need for that. How can you talk about money between us? You’ve helped me so much. I’ll take the case for you, but let’s not make it awkward by discussing money," Zhang decided.

Having made up his mind, since Uncle Zhao was asking, he had to help!

However, whether to plead not guilty or sign a guilty plea, he would need to meet with the client first.

Relieved by Zhang’s acceptance, Zhao Qingyan finally let out a sigh of relief.