Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 178 - 176: Fang Yunshu and the Deceased Zeng Xiang

Chapter 178: Chapter 176: Fang Yunshu and the Deceased Zeng Xiang

Martial Association Headquarters.

Criminal Investigation Department, interrogation room.

"Miss Fang Yunshu, yesterday you asked us to postpone the interrogation because of your mental state. Now that you’ve rested for one night, are you ready to answer our questions?"

"Miss Fang, we need to record your testimony. Your statement is crucial to this case, and we hope you can cooperate with us!"

"Miss Fang, if you continue to be uncooperative, it will be tough for us. You should know that cooperating with the investigation is a citizen’s duty. Moreover, last night, someone saw you killing the victim, your ex-husband, in the street. Don’t you plan to explain yourself at all?"

The Heavy Case Group 1’s Deputy Captain, Lin Ruonan, was conducting routine questioning for a murder case that happened last night.

And the one being interrogated was naturally the perpetrator herself.

She hadn’t expected that this woman, who looked extremely haggard, could "brutally" kill her own ex-husband in front of a public audience.

As a criminal homicide case, naturally, it fell into the hands of the Criminal Investigation Department’s Heavy Case Group 1.

To facilitate the interrogation, Group 1 had specially assigned Lin Ruonan, a female officer, for questioning the suspect, which led to the current scene in the interrogation room.

Unfortunately, the suspect, Fang Yunshu, was uncooperative.

Facing Lin Ruonan’s continuous inquiries, Fang Yunshu responded with silence.

"Miss Fang, you don’t think that we will let you go just because you remain silent, do you?"

Lin Ruonan was not annoyed, after all, the evidence in this case was irrefutable. Several eyewitnesses saw her commit the murder at the scene; that was tangible evidence.

Iron-clad evidence!

If she could still be declared innocent, Lin Ruonan would eat her office computer screen on the spot!

"Miss Fang, since you’re not talking now, we’ll give you some more time. Think carefully about it!"

Seeing that Fang Yunshu was impervious to her efforts, Lin Ruonan decided to give her a break after repeated unsuccessful attempts, letting her stew for a while.

Outside the interrogation room.

Lin Ruonan began to report the situation to a man who was built like a human-shaped iron tower.

"Captain Lei, the suspect hasn’t said anything. I’ve asked her about the circumstances, but there’s no response at all!"

"So she’s got quite the tough mouth!"

The man gave a cold laugh, unsurprised by the situation.

After all, he was the leader of Heavy Case Group 1, known as the "Tiger of the Heavy Case Group," Lei Hu. There wasn’t a type of suspect he hadn’t seen before.

"Then give her some time, she will speak eventually!"

Lei Hu waved his hand, preparing to leave.

"Captain, do we need to arrange a lawyer for her?"

"Did you mention it to her?"

"I did, but there was no response!"

"Then there’s no need for now. When we arrested her, we already read her rights. If she doesn’t want a lawyer herself, why go to the trouble?"

Lei Hu glanced at the interrogation room, snorted coldly, and left straight away.

As long as this woman didn’t ask for a lawyer, they could create pressure step by step. They also believed that Fang Yunshu would eventually speak under continuous interrogation.

Lin Ruonan watched the captain leave and glanced at the interrogation room, where Fang Yunshu was still sitting in her chair, silent.

"What are you waiting for?" Lin Ruonan could tell this woman was definitely holding out for something.

Whether she was waiting for someone or for the right time, she couldn’t guess.

Lin Ruonan motioned to two subordinates nearby and ordered, "You two, keep an eye on her. Make sure nothing unexpected happens to the suspect in the interrogation room. I..."

"Hehehe, the lawyer is here~"

But before she could finish her instructions, she was interrupted by laughter.

At the office door, a young man dressed in a suit hurried over.

"Zhang Wei!"

Seeing the man’s playful and laughing demeanor, Lin Ruonan frowned slightly.

After all, the person in front of her was a criminal defense lawyer, and a highly skilled one at that.

His appearance was not a good thing for the criminal investigation unit.

"Hello, Deputy Captain Lin, long time no see. Has your team been busy lately?"

Upon seeing Lin Ruonan, Zhang Wei hurriedly "smiled" to curry favor.

What he didn’t know was that in the eyes of the Lin standing before him, his smile was considered frivolous, the sort of ingratiating behavior shown only by those up to no good or outright thieves!

"Lawyer Zhang, why are you here in our major case unit? I remember you have a good relationship with Team 7. If you wanted to get cozy with the major case unit, you should have gone to Team 7’s offices, right?"

"Deputy Captain Lin, what are you talking about? Do I, Zhang Wei, look like the type who ingratiates himself for no reason?"

"Is that not the case?" Lin Ruonan gave him a sidelong glance.

"All right..."

Zhang Wei, resigned but too lazy to beat around the bush with Lin Ruonan, straightforwardly spread his hands and admitted, "Deputy Captain Lin, let’s not beat around the bush today. I’m here on official business!"

"Official business, you’re a criminal defense lawyer, and you come here..."

After glancing at the interrogation room, Lin Ruonan finally understood why Zhang Wei had appeared here.

"Lawyer Zhang, could it be that you..."

"Indeed, I have been entrusted and now serve as Fang Yunshu’s defense lawyer!"

Zhang Wei straightened his posture and asked Lin Ruonan, "Deputy Captain Lin, before I arrived, you didn’t coerce a confession from my client, and you didn’t record any invalid confessions obtained in my absence, did you?"

"Of course... not!" Lin Ruonan replied, though her expression was not very pleasant.

"That’s good. Now, please allow me to talk privately with my client, and, yes, provide us with a place not under surveillance by the investigative unit. I don’t want our confidential conversation to be heard by a third party!"

Faced with Zhang Wei’s request, although Lin Ruonan was irritated, she knew these were the rights of a lawyer and their client, and she could not object.

"You two, take Lawyer Zhang to see his client, and prepare a quiet, undisturbed room for them!"

Lin Ruonan ordered two subordinates to make the arrangements, then walked away rubbing her forehead.

While the investigative unit could interrogate suspects and deal with criminals, the one thing they couldn’t handle was lawyers, because these people might know the law even better than you.

...

A few minutes later.

In a private room prepared by the Martial Association, Zhang Wei met with his client Fang Yunshu.

She was a petite woman with a dignified appearance. She must have been a beauty in her youth, but time had left its marks on her face.

"Mrs. Fang, I have been entrusted by Mr. Zhao Qingyan to serve as your defense lawyer," Zhang Wei declared.

Upon hearing the three words "Zhao Qingyan," Fang Yunshu lifted her eyelids briefly and swept a glance over Zhang Wei before lowering her head again.

"You say he hired you, but why haven’t I seen him?"

Zhang Wei was taken aback for a moment, apparently surprised at the wariness exhibited by the woman before him.

I’m a lawyer, after all, the lawyer who is going to fight your case, and you’re still so guarded against me?

"Mr. Zhao didn’t sleep well last night, so I asked him to catch up on some sleep. He also knew that he wasn’t in a state suitable to meet you, so he agreed to my request," Zhang Wei explained.

After hearing Zhang Wei’s explanation, Fang Yunshu pondered for a moment before suddenly asking,

"Do you know what the relationship between Zhao Qingyan and I is, how we got to know each other, and what his relationship was with my ex-husband?"

Faced with a barrage of questions, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but be amazed.

Wow, this woman is so guarded,

he finally understood why Zhao Qingyan had called for him. With the woman’s attitude, which lawyer could stand it?

Fortunately, Zhao Qingyan had shared their story with him, so Zhang Wei was able to respond smoothly.

"Actually, I call Zhao Qingyan ’Uncle Zhao’; we’re neighbors, so we’re practically family. As for your relationship with him, I’ve also heard about it from him. The deceased, that is, your ex-husband, was once his close friend, and he even served as the witness at your wedding..."

As Zhang Wei recounted the story, the expression on Fang Yunshu’s face softened a bit, at least the wariness in her eyes dissipated somewhat.

These were events from the distant past that ordinary people couldn’t possibly know.

Fang Yunshu had never met Zhang Wei, and the only way he could know these details was from Zhao Qingyan himself.

Seeing that Zhang Wei even mentioned the matter of the wedding witness, Fang Yunshu’s hostility toward Zhang Wei seemed to lessen slightly.

"Big Brother Zhao, did he really entrust you?"

"Of course, Uncle Zhao and I have a certain relationship, and since he has entrusted me with this, I will certainly give it my all!"

Fang Yunshu nodded, her initial wariness towards Zhang Wei seemingly gone.

"Ms. Fang, now that my side is clear, it’s time to discuss your situation, right?"

Seeing Fang Yunshu beginning to cooperate, Zhang Wei eagerly asked about the case.

"May I ask if you have any rebuttal against the charge of murdering your ex-husband Zeng Xiang?"

"I remind you, the scene of your crime was the sidewalk in front of your house. There happened to be people out for an evening stroll or night run nearby. Basically, there’s no going around this—so many eyes were watching."

When Zhang Wei first learned of the case details, he also couldn’t help but be taken aback.

A woman, under the gaze of passersby and right at her own front door, had done away with her ex-husband.

Talk about ruthless!

"Lawyer Zhang, I won’t deny that I killed him, but he brought it upon himself!"

As Fang Yunshu spoke, her face was a tapestry of complex emotions, "It wasn’t just last night. For several months now, I’ve been feeling like he’s been stalking me. I believed he wanted to kill me, so I..."

"Stop!"

Zhang Wei quickly interjected before Fang Yunshu could continue her story, "Is all that you’re saying just speculation, or do you have evidence to prove that he was stalking, tailing, or spying on you?"

"One time at a bar with my friends, he showed up. And I remember he never used to go to that bar!"

"Is that it? With just this, you’re concluding he was stalking you?"

"Another time, while I was shopping at the mall, I saw him standing outside our women’s clothing store, staring straight at me, I..."

"Shopping at a mall?"

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but shake his head at Fang Yunshu’s poor excuses.

What, a man can’t go to bars, malls, or even women’s clothing stores?

Doesn’t everyone have some private privacy or peculiar habits?

The reasons Fang Yunshu provided were completely untenable.

"Lawyer Zhang, you don’t understand. After our divorce, we agreed to cut off contact, but ever since he first reappeared in my life a few months ago, he’s been showing up more and more frequently. I had a feeling I was being watched by him!"

"Moreover, just a month ago, I could feel that my home was under surveillance too. I know he was skilled in this, so I made a call to warn him to stay away from me, but he didn’t listen. Instead, he intensified his efforts, and even my home security system became a source of unease..."

"Stop!"

Once again, Zhang Wei raised his hand to interrupt, "You said you called him, did you threaten him?"

"That was a warning, a warning to keep him away from me!"

Fang Yunshu said this with an excited expression and a hint of resentment.

Zhang Wei nodded; he understood.

An angry woman could lash out with any words during a phone call, and if those words reached the jury’s ears, they could easily be interpreted as verbal threats.

If the jury thought you threatened the victim, then killing him would seem like the logical next step.

"Alright, Ms. Fang, now I need you to do as I say!"

After gathering his thoughts, Zhang Wei said, "First, you must tell me in detail everything between you and your ex-husband, from the time you met up to now. Include anything you consider significant, all interactions where you both were involved. Repeat it as detailed as possible."

"Next, the serious crime unit will interrogate you, record your statement, and I will be there with you the whole time. If any questions are out of line, I will remind you, and you may refuse to answer."

"Finally, I need you to stay calm in custody because you’ve not had a steady job for a long time, and you have no relatives in Dongfang Capital. Furthermore, due to the nature of this case being murder, the likelihood of you being released on bail is nearly nonexistent. You may have to stay in detention until the trial."

"Now, starting from the first event, how did your relationship with Zeng Xiang get to this point today?"

Fang Yunshu gave a wry smile and began her story. "Actually, he was very talented, and it was his talent that attracted me. Back when he started a business with Big Brother Zhao, the vitality they exhibited was truly enviable..."

In Fang Yunshu’s narration, Zhang Wei saw the story of a young couple falling in love and getting married.

The story was beautiful, but unfortunately, the man’s changing character altered everything.

Zeng Xiang was obstinate, or rather, arrogant. At the start of the business venture, this didn’t seem like a problem. Zhao Qingyan and his team each had their own skills, and by learning from and complementing each other, they formed an excellent R&D team.

Regrettably, as the team and projects grew, discrepancies arose among the founders, leading to conflicts between Zeng Xiang and Zhao Qingyan.

As for the nature of the conflict, Fang Yunshu wasn’t sure, but the upshot was Zeng Xiang breaking away from Zhao Qingyan’s team to go on his own.

Then, after branching out on his own, Zeng Xiang achieved success in his career, but his obstinate character became increasingly evident, and his relationship with Fang Yunshu deteriorated further.

Before their divorce, their relationship had escalated to the point where they would fight over the most trivial matters; at this stage, the marriage could be said to be dead in name only.

Divorce was inevitable.

Yet after the divorce, Zeng Xiang couldn’t let go, or rather, he couldn’t accept the reality of their divorce and had been stalking her continuously for the past few months.

Finally, just yesterday.

On that day in early April!

When Fang Yunshu returned home, she found Zeng Xiang in her house, and, unable to tolerate any more, she grabbed a weapon...

"Let me confirm this, the weapon you used to kill your ex-husband was the handmade repeating crossbow he made, and you shot him with a total of six arrows?"

"Yes!"

Seeing Fang Yunshu admit to it, Zhang Wei felt a great headache coming on.

Six arrows, that’s a full six arrows!

You could claim the first arrow was for self-defense, and the second and third arrows to ensure you were not threatened.

But what about the remaining three arrows?

Fang Yunshu held the crossbow and chased him all the way outside the house, with the last arrow piercing through Zeng Xiang’s temple.

Heaven knows why all these people have crossbows at home?

Previously, Cao Mu was also killed by his son with a crossbow, and now Zeng Xiang was done in by his ex-wife with a crossbow.

Zhang Wei was almost speechless.

Putting aside the matter of the weapon, he planned to head to the morgue after the major crimes unit finished their interrogation to have a look at the body of the deceased and confirm the situation.

"Alright, I understand, let’s go and record the statement now. This must be done, the sooner it’s recorded, the sooner it’s over!"

Seeing that Fang Yunshu had no objections, Zhang Wei called in someone from the Martial Association and made clear the intention of the concerned party to cooperate with the recording of the statement.

After that, the recording of the statement went smoothly without issues.

Lin Ruonan was in charge of the questioning, a team member took down the written record, and Zhang Wei accompanied Fang Yunshu, who started answering questions on Zhang Wei’s suggestion.

The process went very smoothly, and the scene was very harmonious.

Lin Ruonan probably also understood Zhang Wei’s tactics and didn’t dare to do anything out of line, even refraining from asking some off-topic questions.

Although Zhang Wei maintained a smile throughout, the latter was well aware that this was someone who could make the Procuratorate Headquarters eat humble pie in court.

"Thank you, Deputy Captain Lin, my client may still need to be in your care for some time, so I’ll take my leave first..."

After saying goodbye to Lin Ruonan, Zhang Wei did not visit the seventh team to check on Xia Qianyue, but went straight to the autopsy office downstairs.

As a defense attorney, Zhang Wei saw the body of the deceased Zeng Xiang in the morgue of the autopsy office.

The person in charge of receiving him was still Mo Yuzhu, Xia Qianyue’s close friend.

"I must admit, that woman is ruthless!"

Mo Yuzhu, with a nonchalant face, pointed out the wounds on the body in front of Zhang Wei.

"The first arrow hit the deceased’s knee, robbing him of his ability to pursue and greatly affecting his mobility; the second and third arrows didn’t hit vital spots. Judging by the blood traces left at the scene, he struggled to crawl out of the kitchen, over the corridor, towards the door."

"But during this time of crawling in the corridor, the suspect fired the fourth and fifth arrows—one hit the buttocks, the other the shoulder."

"By the time the deceased managed to crawl out the door, the suspect didn’t stop, giving the deceased a final arrow. Judging from the angle of the wound, at the last moment of his life, the deceased was pleading with the suspect; he was shaking his head, so the arrow hit right through the temple!"

"I have to say, having worked in the morgue for so long, I always encounter some ruthless people. That woman is really quite ruthless; she didn’t give the man a chance to explain!"

Mo Yuzhu showed Zhang Wei photos of the multiple wounds on Zeng Xiang’s body and pointed to the wound in the right temple of the deceased, clicking her tongue in a teasing manner.

"Zhang Wei, are you planning to have her plead guilty?"

After analyzing the body, Mo Yuzhu looked at Zhang Wei and spoke leisurely, "Although I’m not a judicial worker, I can tell you very responsibly that this was a one-sided slaughter. The jury isn’t me; after seeing the wounds on the body, they will only think your client is a cruel woman."

"To be honest, my opinion is similar to yours, but as a defense lawyer, I still have to consider my client’s best interest. Besides, I always feel there’s more to this case..."

Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "I’m planning to provide a not guilty defense for Fang Yunshu, which is also her request. If we go for a guilty defense, my hands would be tied!"

After hearing this, Mo Yuzhu’s eyes widened in shock beneath her messy hair.

You saw this body in the morgue and acted as though you didn’t? Are you sure you’re not joking with me by planning a not guilty defense for the suspect?