Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 182 - 180: No Clues, Lan Gaojian’s Opening Remarks

Chapter 182: Chapter 180: No Clues, Lan Gaojian’s Opening Remarks

Thursday afternoon.

Blacksmith Technology Tower.

Research and Development Department, inside a certain conference room.

Zhang Wei, having finished the pretrial, now comes to Blacksmith Technology to report to Zhao Qingyan.

The latter had likewise been out on an errand and just happened to return here, starting to discuss case details with Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Zhang, how’s the situation in court?"

"The pretrial just ended today, and the situation is not very good. Both the prosecution and the media are thinking of convicting Fang Yunshu as soon as possible. In their eyes, she’s a murderer."

"The prosecution has made its stance clear, life imprisonment; after the pretrial, they didn’t come to me to discuss a plea bargain for a quick guilty plea."

Hearing Zhang Wei’s explanation, Zhao Qingyan’s expression grew grave.

"Uncle Zhao, how about you? Seeing as you look..."

"I have to say, Ah Xiang’s skills are really something!"

Hearing Zhao Qingyan admit this, Zhang Wei had some idea.

Fang Yunshu had mentioned that Zhao Qingyan was a well-rounded talent, but Zeng Xiang specialized in one area, and it was clear that the latter’s skill in that area surpassed Zhao Qingyan’s.

"Ah Xiang’s methods of intrusion are flawless, leaving no loose ends. The security system’s backend doesn’t have any traces of a brute force breach. The only thing I could find was that the system parameters were abnormal for several days, but these are not enough to prove the system has been hacked into!"

"If even you cannot prove it, Uncle Zhao, doesn’t that mean that no one in the world can?"

Zhao Qingyan opened his mouth, but still reluctantly nodded, "You’re right; with the current evidence, it’s very hard to prove the system has been hacked, at least not from the evidence in Xiao Fang’s home."

"To prove that Ah Xiang had hacked into the system, you would need to find his computer and the logs of his intrusion on it!"

To prove that someone has done something, apart from having a complete record, the only other option is to have that person personally admit to it.

Since Zeng Xiang had cleaned up his tracks and left no evidence, the only option left was to find Zeng Xiang’s computer and uncover new evidence on it.

"I remember the people from the Martial Association Investigation Department visited Zeng Xiang’s residence. If they discovered logs of system intrusion, they should have included them in the public evidence, right?"

Zhang Wei carefully recalled, yet the public evidence seemed to show no such records.

"There are many possibilities for that. Either the Investigation Department didn’t thoroughly inspect Zeng Xiang’s computer, like you once said—blind detectives—or, when it comes to evidence that may threaten their desired outcome, they may choose to ignore it."

"Or maybe Ah Xiang’s computer had a robust stealth system set up that the Investigation Department couldn’t bypass, allowing them to see only the surface."

"Alternatively, perhaps Ah Xiang has a second computer, a second system hidden somewhere, and the Investigation Department has failed to find any record of it!"

Zhao Qingyan shared his speculations, but Zhang Wei, not being a tech expert, couldn’t comment.

Moreover, these suspicions would need further evidence for verification; otherwise, it would not be possible to prove that Zeng Xiang had done those things.

"Uncle Zhao, what you mentioned is speculation. The evidence is with the Martial Association Investigation Department. How will you proceed with the investigation?"

"Don’t worry about that part. I have my ways with the Investigation Department. However, if I can’t find logs of system intrusion on Ah Xiang’s computer, then I won’t be able to prove that Ah Xiang threatened Xiao Fang’s personal safety. What do we do about that?"

"Then I will raise reasonable doubts. After all, Zeng Xiang’s expertise as a computer whiz can be testified by the staff of his studio. Perhaps the jury will consider this possibility!"

Zhang Wei said, raising a finger, "The most difficult issue now is changing the jury’s perception of our client. Her act of killing her ex-husband on the street is undeniable."

"Indeed, committing murder in broad daylight is something we can’t change!"

Zhao Qingyan let out a sigh, somewhat helpless.

"Alright, Xiao Zhang, I’m going to apply for evidence inspection at the Martial Association. You should head back too!"

"Okay, Uncle Zhao, remember to inform me of the results!"

Since Zhao Qingyan was busy, Zhang Wei could only take his leave.

After the two parted, Zhao Qingyan made several phone calls, and subsequently, he surprisingly obtained permission to investigate the evidence.

He went straight to the Investigation Department and began investigating Zeng Xiang’s computer.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wei returned to the law firm to strategize for the case and anticipate the prosecution’s attack.

This research continued on into the evening.

...

Late at night, at the entrance of Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Qingyan had been busy all day and was explaining the situation to Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Zhang, I’ve checked Ah Xiang’s computer and haven’t found any hidden systems. His computer is very clean, not to mention hacking tools, there isn’t even a game installed!"

"Then I went to his studio and inspected all the computers of the developers there, but I didn’t find any traces of hacking into Xiao Fang’s family system. Their work logs are all clear, without any issues. You could say there wasn’t a trace!"

"Lastly, I went to Ah Xiang’s residence. Although I know the Investigation Department has searched many times, I still wanted to check it out for myself. Regrettably, the result was not good..."

Seeing Zhao Qingyan shaking his head, Zhang Wei knew the results of the investigation were far from ideal.

"The studio where Zeng Xiang works, and his place of residence, are these the only locations?"

Zhang Wei speculated.

"Regarding that, I’ve also investigated. Ah Xiang doesn’t have any relatives in Dongfang Capital. I’ve searched his household registration too, there’s no record of any other property purchases."

"So, is this a dead end?"

The expressions on the faces of Zhang Wei and Zhao Qingyan were quite grim.

They couldn’t prove that Zeng Xiang had hacked into Fang Yunshu’s home security system, so naturally, it was also difficult to prove that Zeng Xiang had stalked or harbored malicious intentions towards her.

"Don’t worry, Uncle Zhao. I have ways to corroborate this in court, but without substantial evidence, the effectiveness of my corroborating methods will be greatly reduced!"

Zhang Wei tried to reassure Zhao Qingyan with these words. Since there were no new leads, he could only take his leave.

After returning to Lin Mansion, Zhang Wei went up to the second floor and knocked on the tightly closed room door.

"What’s up? Didn’t we just have dinner, and now it’s already morning?"

The door cracked open, revealing Zhao Xiaoxiao’s dissatisfied expression.

"Xiao Zhao, I have a few questions to ask you..."

Hearing Zhang Wei call her Xiao Zhao instead of "second miss," Zhao Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, already guessing what was coming.

When there’s something up, it’s Xiao Zhao, but when there’s nothing, you call me the second miss, huh?

"Is there a possibility that Zeng Xiang has hidden a computer and server somewhere else, a place that unfortunately hasn’t been found, and he used that system to hack into your Aunt Fang’s home security system..."

"Hold it right there!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei discuss the case, Zhao Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hands, "That’s impossible. Although that guy next door might not be good at anything else, he is a professional when it comes to technology research!"

"If he couldn’t find it, then it truly doesn’t exist!"

"You have that much confidence in your dad?"

"Hmph, you’re underestimating his skills. Do you really think he went to investigate all by himself? I don’t even need to be at the scene to know that he must have also sent investigators from Blacksmith Technology to join him, right?"

"Now that you mention it, Uncle Zhao holds a high position at Blacksmith Technology. Sending a couple of investigators to join him doesn’t seem like a big issue at all!"

Since Zhao Xiaoxiao said as much, it seemed like a true dead-end.

The investigators from Blacksmith Technology were not mediocre, and if they couldn’t find a clue, then there really was no hope.

"Alright then..."

Zhang Wei felt even more disappointed. If everyone couldn’t find any clues, then there was only one possibility.

Fang Yunshu was lying!

But he had also spoken with Fang Yunshu, and she didn’t seem to be lying. Moreover, the absent-mindedness she had shown didn’t seem feigned.

This left Zhang Wei in a difficult position.

Seeing that Zhang Wei didn’t ask anything further, Zhao Xiaoxiao closed the room door, ending their conversation.

Zhang Wei pondered until midnight, but unfortunately, he still hadn’t come up with a good strategy.

And the night passed like that...

...

Friday, the day of the court session.

Today was the day of the public trial for the case of Fang Yunshu’s alleged murder of Zeng Xiang.

The case had a significant impact, and journalists had already written countless reports about the matter.

For several consecutive days, it dominated the headlines of the Dongfang Capital Daily, and media interest was unprecedentedly high.

Even many people were discussing it in their leisure time, after meals.

After media sensationalism and reporting, Fang Yunshu, the suspect in the case, had already become a murderer who brutally killed her ex-husband in the street.

Furthermore, some of the footage from the scene that day was also leaked through some unknown channels.

Although the Dongfang Capital News Bureau and the Procuratorate’s Office jointly issued a statement explaining that the video was not genuine, the media didn’t care about that.

They relied on the power of headlines and text to sensationalize the story, completely indifferent to whether Fang Yunshu was innocent and portrayed her as a demoness.

Even many new-media workers started to release so-called interviews with Fang Yunshu’s family, her ex-boyfriend, her lover, and so on, deceiving countless numbers of clicks.

In the eyes of these unscrupulous media folk, the name Fang Yunshu simply meant traffic and popularity.

And traffic and popularity meant making money; they didn’t care what happened to Fang Yunshu, as long as they made money.

Sure enough, Zhang Wei arrived at the city courthouse early in the morning and was watching a video from the media.

The video was titled "Exclusive on the Net, Interview with the Parents of Wife-Killer Fang Yunshu!"

"Regret, I can only say I regret it very much, regret giving birth to such a daughter..."

In the video, a pair of parents, filled with genuine emotion and tears in their eyes, were being interviewed by a reporter.

"Look at this bandwagoning; randomly hiring two extras and daring to impersonate, huh?"

Zhang Wei watched in disbelief as the two actors in the video played the roles of Fang Yunshu’s parents.

Fang Yunshu’s mother had passed away early, and her father was suffering from Alzheimer’s, unable to speak coherently, and was currently residing in a nursing home.

The media, in their thirst for viewership, would truly do anything, casually hiring two actors to claim they were Fang Yunshu’s parents for an interview.

And the key was the heat of the video was extremely high; within just one day of being released, it had already received millions of clicks.

Because Zhang Wei had watched this video, similar content also appeared in the links at the end of the video.

"Exclusive on the Net, Interview with Fang Yunshu’s Ex-Boyfriend!", "First on the Net, Fang Yunshu’s Confession!", "Risking My Life To Broadcast Live, I’m the First Reporter To Interview the Murderess Fang Yunshu!"...

Seeing these videos, which were clearly click-baiting, Zhang Wei couldn’t even be bothered to comment anymore.

His client was locked up in the detention center, how could these media folks have interviewed her?

Zhang Wei shook his head, dismissing the reports from these unethical media, and then entered the courtroom directly.

He had said everything that needed to be said yesterday, and he was too lazy to deal with the media any longer, preferring to just go straight to the courtroom to wait.

Upon arriving at the scene of the court, he saw Zhao Qingyan had already arrived in the front row of the spectator’s section.

The two nodded to each other, with all said and unsaid.

"Master, we’re here to support you!"

In the front row of the spectator’s section as well, Lin Yumeng and Tie Ruyun had arrived; however, Li Yueqin had not.

"Xiao Li has been busy lately?"

"Yes, she’s been very diligent these days, busy with cases until very late!"

When Zhang Wei asked, Lin Yumeng immediately responded.

"Li Yueqin has been busy with cases recently. She might also be looking to land a big one!"

Tie Ruyun added, "By the way, she told me to tell you that she wanted to come and support you too, but she has a client meeting scheduled for Friday, so she couldn’t make it!"

"As long as there’s a case, it’s understandable!" Zhang Wei smiled.

Being busy with cases was a good thing.

As he spoke, he exchanged a few words with Old Tie and Xiao Meng, and then took a seat at the defense bench.

Soon, there was noise outside the courtroom, clearly indicating the arrival of a VIP.

The doors of the courtroom were pushed open, and Zhao Chunming led the team from the Procuratorate Headquarters into the room once again.

The Procuratorate’s Office would always send a large number of people, with ordinary reporters nearly unable to get close to them.

This time was no different; a formidable group of more than twenty people entered the courtroom, taking up a large section in the front row of the spectator’s section with their impressive presence.

Many of the younger prosecutors even took out notebooks, clearly planning to learn court trial techniques from Lan Gaojian.

Seeing the Procuratorate Headquarters with such a grand entourage again, Zhang Wei felt a wave of speechlessness.

Look at them, then look at ourselves.

In the spectator’s section, even including Zhao Qingyan and his peers, they totaled only three people.

vs 20+, the pressure was already against them.

Lan Gaojian arrived at the courthouse later than Zhao Chunming and others; he passed through the reporters and then into the courtroom.

Behind him, acting as his aide, was Zhao Jing, carrying a briefcase and holding a file folder, following behind him.

Clearly, their tardiness was due to dealing with the media; it was Lan Zhengye himself who stepped up, not leaving the task for a rookie prosecutor to handle the media’s questions.

"Quite confident, aren’t we!"

Seeing Lan Zhengye’s demeanor and how he handled the media with such ease, Zhang Wei understood that his opponent had already sized him up.

Next, Fang Yunshu arrived at the courtroom, escorted by field officers.

Zhang Wei whispered some instructions to her in a low voice, and Fang Yunshu nodded seriously.

Time quickly passed as everyone waited.

"All rise!"

As the court guard announced, the judge entered the courtroom.

Everyone stood up, and Zhang Wei showed a smile towards the clerk’s position next to the judge.

"You little rascal, you still have the leisure to smile at me!"

Li Qinghua looked at Zhang Wei, who was grinning at her, with disapproval in her eyes and a cold expression on her face.

"What’s wrong with my mother-in-law, giving me such a look? I just wanted to greet you. Is there a need for such a sour face?"

Zhang Wei muttered to himself inwardly, feeling somewhat helpless.

Did his mother-in-law think he wanted to curry favor with the courtroom clerk in order to connect with the judge?

Get real, he, Zhang Wei, was not someone to resort to such petty tricks.

"The court now declares, the public trial for the murder case of Zeng Xiang shall commence. Will the prosecution please prepare to present their opening statement..."

Following the judge’s declaration, Lan Zhengye, representing the prosecution, stepped forward first.

"Honorable jurors, members of the audience in the witness stand, on this sacred court, as the prosecutor, I must tell you a known fact first!"

Lan Zhengye raised a finger and narrated, "As we all know, and everybody understands, the fact that the suspect at the defense’s bench, Fang Yunshu, killed her ex-husband Zeng Xiang in view of eyewitnesses is indisputable!"

"Today, on the day of the public trial for this murder case, as the public prosecutor of this case, I am here to seek justice for the deceased Zeng Xiang, and to denounce the murderous act of Fang Yunshu!"

"I know the defense’s tactics—they will surely attack the deceased Zeng Xiang, accusing him of a variety of unfounded charges, such as whether he had harassed the defendant, followed her, harbored malintent, or even threatened her life and so on..."

"But I want to point out something very clear to everyone, when Zeng Xiang went to meet the accused, he had no weapons on him. He was practically empty-handed, posing no threat to the defendant. He might simply have wanted to see his ex-wife."

"I want to ask everyone, even if you are divorced, wanting to see your ex-wife shouldn’t be such an unthinkable act, right?"

What Lan Zhengye said made several members of the jury and the audience in the witness stand nod unconsciously.

"But what happened then?"

Lan Zhengye then shrugged helplessly, "As we know, what welcomed Zeng Xiang was not a greeting from his ex-wife, but six crossbow bolts—six fatal attacks!"

"The first shot, you could say, was self-defense, just as the defense has suggested, a necessary action for the defendant’s safety!’

"But what about the second shot, and the third, the subsequent fourth, fifth, and even the sixth shot? What are they classified as, further self-defense after the initial act, or perhaps a case of emergency avoidance?"

Lan Zhengye took a report from Zhao Jing and spoke with an intensified voice, "According to the autopsy report, the first arrow pierced Zeng Xiang’s kneecap, virtually robbing him of his ability to move, hence the drag marks of blood in the kitchen!"

"You can imagine, a man with a bolt in his knee, out of a necessity to avoid further threat to his life, had to endure the excruciating pain to crawl through the corridor, to get out of the house—imagine the immense pain he had to bear!"

Hearing this, the jurors were visibly moved, feeling that Zeng Xiang had suffered a particularly horrific death.

"And what about the defendant? The defendant did not cease her intentions to kill the victim. She even chased after him with a weapon and continued to attack an injured man, her merciless killing did not stop, even though he pleaded for mercy!"

Lan Zhengye pointed at Fang Yunshu, emphasizing each word heavily.

"Fang Yunshu’s actions, in fact, were not self-defense at all, but a unilateral act of murder. I urge the jury to be clear about this point, thank you all!"

This concluded the prosecution’s opening statement, decisive and articulate.

Lan Gaojian had even managed to sway the direction of the court without calling a single witness.

"He has done his homework indeed, preparing so thoroughly for the opening of the trial."

Watching Lan Zhengye return to his seat, Zhang Wei felt a surge of pressure!