Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 186 - 185 Zhao Qingyan Proves Herself, Lan Gaojian Gives No Chance

Chapter 186: Chapter 185 Zhao Qingyan Proves Herself, Lan Gaojian Gives No Chance

(This is the second update today, and the first Chapter is completely free~)

...

In the courtroom, the tide had completely turned.

Everything was developing in the direction the prosecution had anticipated.

Especially Lan Gaojian’s final move, which had practically dragged the defense and the defendant into the eye of the storm.

The last sentence by Lan Zhengye was particularly thought-provoking.

It turned out that Fang Yunshu had maintained contact with Zhao Qingyan, who had also been Zeng Xiang and Fang Yunshu’s officiant at their wedding, someone like an elder brother.

Zhao Qingyan had divorced a long time ago, and if Fang Yunshu’s feelings for Zeng Xiang had soured, could she have developed feelings for Zhao Qingyan?

This was something only the two parties involved would know.

But this did not prevent the jury from speculating. They could come up with countless ideas, after all, thought is free, and nobody can restrict your imagination.

Plus, Lan Gaojian had made his point, why would Zhao Qingyan help Fang Yunshu instead of seeking justice for his deceased best friend Zeng Xiang?

If you say there’s no secret behind this, that would actually be suspicious.

In conclusion, Lan Gaojian’s final strike had further solidified Fang Yunshu’s motive for murdering Zeng Xiang.

Initially, you claimed that Zeng Xiang stalked and spied on you, so you killed him.

But now...

It was very possible that Fang Yunshu killed Zeng Xiang to remove the obstacle between her and Zhao Qingyan, so that they could be together.

The method of murder was also very straightforward.

Luring Zeng Xiang home through a phone call, then using the pretext of Zeng Xiang threatening her to conduct so-called "self-defense," and "accidentally" killing him in the process.

Upon Zeng Xiang’s death, Fang Yunshu immediately called Zhao Qingyan, asking for his help.

And Zhao Qingyan lived up to Fang Yunshu’s expectations, finding a lawyer from the Jin Cheng Law Firm’s Criminal Division, and it was none other than Zhang Wei, who had a high success rate against the Procuratorate Headquarters, all to help Fang Yunshu get off the hook.

If Fang Yunshu truly got acquitted, perhaps she and Zhao Qingyan could be together!

Everything was connected.

Because the defense could not prove that Zeng Xiang had truly stalked Fang Yunshu, not even a shred of evidence was found.

Instead, Lan Gaojian provided long-term phone records between Fang Yunshu and Zhao Qingyan, as well as records of their communication at the time of the incident, which in turn substantiated Lan Gaojian’s conjecture.

Was Fang Yunshu’s killing of Zeng Xiang premeditated and for another purpose?

In the jury box, the atmosphere was tense.

Among the 12 jurors, more than half seemed to believe this statement, or at least they were not averse to this speculation.

Among them, there were already many who doubted Fang Yunshu. Although there was no concrete evidence to prove it, it didn’t prevent their suspicious minds.

In the public gallery, many journalists were also whispering among themselves.

They all believed that Lan Gaojian had found the truth, and what he said at last was the fact!

Zhao Chunming felt that this was the best court hearing he had ever attended.

The Lan Gaojian in court was truly a senior prosecutor from the headquarters. His level and methods were far above those of the youngsters in his office.

"All of you watch carefully, learn well, and take notes of the details of this trial, they are enough for you to study for a lifetime!"

He couldn’t help but whisper this to the newcomers beside him, prompting them to nod repeatedly and write frantically.

At an adjacent seat.

"Team leader, what do we do now?"

"You ask me, but whom should I ask?"

The situation for Lin Yumeng and Tie Ruyun was entirely different.

"Will Master refute it?"

"There’s no way to refute now because explaining is akin to covering up. The more you explain, the more it’ll make the jury believe the prosecution’s speculation!"

Tie Ruyun sighed deeply. Although he wanted to tell Lin Yumeng that Zhang Wei had a way, he knew it was just a platitude.

Zhang Wei’s best course of action at this stage was either to say nothing or to produce irrefutable evidence in rebuttal.

Regrettably, he had none!

The two colleagues from the criminal division were quite concerned about Zhang Wei, but Zhang Wei himself, seated at the defense bench, felt relatively calm.

A flicker of enlightenment passed through his eyes as he looked towards the prosecution bench.

"To think they would use such tactics, slandering Uncle Zhao and the party to suggest an ambiguous relationship, thereby convincing the jury that Fang Yunshu’s murder was premeditated and motivated!"

He watched Lan Zhengye nod and smile at him, a smile that seemed that of a victor.

"Your Honor, due to the prosecutor’s recent statement, my witness and the party concerned have suffered a tremendous blow to their reputations. May I have 5 minutes to confirm whether our witness needs to continue testifying?"

"Granted, the court grants this request!"

Judge Chen felt Zhang Wei’s request was reasonable and thus approved the brief exchange in court.

Zhang Wei immediately approached Zhao Qingyan and asked him to lean in.

"Uncle Zhao, you can see the situation for yourself, can’t you? Even if you continue to testify about Zeng Xiang’s volatile personality, the jurors will hear it as you slandering the deceased. Likewise, vouching for Fang Yunshu’s character, in their eyes, means defending a murderer, and they might even consider you an accomplice!"

"This tactic of Lan Gaojian’s is indeed formidable. Merely on a guess, they have put me in a difficult position. If I just walk away like this, wouldn’t it mean I’m admitting guilt?"

"But Uncle Zhao, if you don’t step back a bit, staying here to explain is useless, isn’t it?"

"Not explaining, that’s not my style!"

Zhao Qingyan looked intently at Zhang Wei, "Young Zhang, no need for further words, let me stay."

"Well... Alright then!"

Seeing Zhao Qingyan’s determination, Zhang Wei did not stop him.

"Your Honor, after communicating with our witness, we have decided to continue the cross-examination!"

"Very well, you may proceed!"

Judge Chen had no objections. After all, the court’s attitude was already set, so they might as well do as they please.

Zhang Wei stepped back three paces to the center of the courtroom, organized his thoughts, and then looked toward the witness stand.

"Mr. Zhao, do you feel wronged by the prosecution’s allegations just now?"

"I do, very wronged!"

Zhao Qingyan looked towards the jury, but unfortunately, at this time, not many were paying attention to his answer.

He was aware of this and nodded at Zhang Wei.

"Then, would you like to explain any of this for the sake of your own innocence?"

"No need. Too much explanation can have the opposite effect, alienating people."

Zhao Qingyan shook his head, "For me, the clear conscience shall prevail."

Zhang Wei was moved. Zhao Qingyan did not want to waste words, but some things still needed to be clarified by him.

"Mr. Zhao, let’s then leave aside these peripheral issues and focus back on the case at hand. Let’s talk about the deceased, Zeng Xiang, shall we?"

Seeing Zhang Wei shift the topic, Lan Zhengye from the prosecution bench smiled.

You want to discuss Zeng Xiang? Very well!

After all, the trap had been set, and the more they talked about Zeng Xiang, the more they would smear him, and the more the jury would dislike them.

Sure enough, the jury showed a hint of disgust toward Zhang Wei and Zhao Qingyan.

The man is already dead, and yet you still want to fire at Zeng Xiang, are you even human?

But Zhao Qingyan ignored these hostile looks entirely and nodded at Zhang Wei before he began speaking leisurely:

"Ah Xiang and I have been friends for over 20 years. Although we have had our disagreements, I have always supported his work."

"He named his studio ’Xiang Yun’, and I think you all understand the meaning behind this name?"

Indeed, hearing this name, many looked toward Fang Yunshu.

Zeng Xiang and Fang Yunshu made up the very name "Xiang Yun."

"Ah Xiang once really loved Xiao Fang, and their relationship was very good when they first got married, so good that even I was envious. Back then, my wife and I were in a strained relationship, so I hoped that the tragedy that befell us would not happen to them."

"Unfortunately, as Ah Xiang took on more and more projects, the tragedy common to us programmers occurred to them as well."

"I don’t deny that there are many problems in our industry, and the biggest one is the conflict between work and life. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day, and for the sake of the project and performance, you have to work overtime. Ah Xiang holds the record in our team for working continuously for 72 hours. At that time, he was almost supported by his fervent passion for the project, and miraculously, his body held up."

"After founding Xiang Yun, Ah Xiang’s ambition grew even larger. His studio had just started, yet he dared to launch 6 projects at the same time, and all projects were developed concurrently. He once spent 2 consecutive months living and working in the studio, dragging his team to code without sleep or rest!"

"His subordinates couldn’t withstand the work pressure or share Ah Xiang’s passion, so they left one batch after another. Without reliable assistants, Ah Xiang did everything himself. For two whole months, he never stepped out of the studio, sleeping only 4 hours a day, and it was that deep passion that toughed it through."

"Unfortunately, his efforts and passion were not appreciated by the clients. Instead, because he was developing 6 projects simultaneously, the pace and quality of the projects varied greatly. Almost all of them failed to meet the minimum standards upon delivery. Out of the 6 projects, only 2 were barely approved, while the remaining 4 were rejected. Months of hard work were all in vain."

At this point, Zhao Qingyan looked towards the jury box, "Can you imagine how many harsh words the clients from those 4 companies said at the time?"

"Can you imagine how Ah Xiang felt when, despite giving his all, he was instead met with ridicule and made fun of by 4 clients?"

Several jurors felt a bitter taste upon hearing these words.

They also had jobs, had done business, and understood the pain of being rejected or even insulted by customers.

The story told by Zhao Qingyan resonated with many people in the courtroom.

But why tell this story, what is your intention? This is about Ah Xiang, don’t your words make everyone in attendance even more sympathetic towards him?

"I know many people are wondering why I’m telling this story?"

Zhao Qingyan began to answer his own question, but indeed, he was addressing what others were thinking.

"What I want to tell you is, Ah Xiang once was a man full of passion. But from that day, he changed, he became completely a different person!"

Which day?

Of course, the day his projects were rejected by those 4 clients!

Honestly, such a blow, if it happened to any businessperson, might be unbearable.

Sometimes, when a single client stands you up, you almost want to get rid of them.

What about being hit by 4 at the same time? That’s quadruple the strike.

If it were them, they might think a change in attitude would be justified, and Ah Xiang’s transformation seemed inevitable.

If Ah Xiang could have withstood the pressure, then he would probably be the saint from the legends.

"Ah Xiang’s personality changed, became extreme, impulsive, irritable, and even vengeful to the point of nitpicking!"

Having said that, Zhao Qingyan paused for a moment before looking at everyone, "Although I know it’s not good to speak ill of someone behind their back, but..."

"Stop!"

Just as Zhao Qingyan was about to speak, Zhang Wei suddenly interrupted, holding a stack of documents in his hand.

"The content that the witness is about to reveal, I’ll be the one to disclose it!"

Zhang Wei did not want Zhao Qingyan’s image to change, considering the good impression he had left on the jury thus far, so he took on the role of the villain himself.

Zhang Wei opened the documents and explained, "The 4 companies that initially rejected Ah Xiang’s proposals, in the years that followed, their executives were embroiled in personal scandals. Even those two companies that hadn’t rejected him had executives resign over personal conduct issues!"

"And due to frequent executive turnover, these companies eventually closed down due to poor management. Right after their closure, many emerging tech companies swiftly occupied the market, with Xiang Yun, founded by Ah Xiang, seizing the most market share!"

"I object, hearsay evidence. These are just news from several years ago, and there’s no evidence proving any connection between the closure of these businesses and the deceased Ah Xiang!"

Lan Zhengye saw Zhang Wei begin to lead the jury and immediately stood up to interrupt.

"Yes, we have no evidence, but 6 companies closed down one after another, and before they did, all signed outsourcing agreements with Xiang Yun. Don’t you think this is too much of a coincidence?"

"Your Honor, the defense attorney is leading the jury, attempting to make the jurors believe in some groundless speculations!"

Lan Zhengye didn’t bother with Zhang Wei but directly appealed to the judge.

He knew Zhang Wei’s intention was to let the jury know that Ah Xiang had once retaliated against 6 companies that had wronged him, causing their downfall and ruin for their executives.

If he could retaliate against these people, then why wouldn’t Ah Xiang take revenge on his ex-wife after a divorce?

Would Lan Zhengye let Zhang Wei have his way?

"Defense attorney and witness, the stories you’ve told are just like what Lan Gaojian mentioned earlier, all belong to unsubstantiated conjectures. The court does not allow you to smear the reputation of the deceased Ah Xiang based on such guesses!"

After Judge Chen finished speaking, he looked towards the jury and warned, "Please disregard the defense’s last statement. Any speculation regarding the deceased having attacked and retaliated against those 6 companies is unfounded, cannot be confirmed, and therefore cannot be used as the basis for judgment in this case!"

Since the judge had spoken, Zhang Wei was out of options.

However, he knew that imagination is something a court could not ban.

Even if what they said was mere speculation, it didn’t guarantee the jury wouldn’t consider it.

He looked at the jury and noticed that several of them indeed appeared contemplative.

Just as they speculated about the relationship between Zhao Qingyan and Fang Yunshu, this time it was their turn to speculate about Zeng Xiang’s character.

"Defense, do you need to continue questioning?"

Zhang Wei heard the judge’s question and looked at Zhao Qingyan, who just shook his head.

After all, everything that needed to be said about Zeng Xiang had already been said.

As for Fang Yunshu, they could let her testify in court next.

"Your Honor, the defense’s cross-examination of this witness is concluded!"

Zhang Wei finished speaking and returned to his seat.

"Your Honor, the prosecution wishes to add questions!"

But just then, Lan Zhengye felt they couldn’t give the defense an opportunity and immediately stood up.

Zhao Qingyan was about to leave his seat, but upon hearing what Lan Zhengye said, he could only sit down helplessly.

"Mr. Zhao, you told a good story just now, but besides you and the defendant, does anyone else know so much about the deceased Zeng Xiang’s experiences while he was alive?"

"No!"

"Besides you, who else suspects that Zeng Xiang took revenge on those six companies, including their executives, or anyone else for that matter?"

"No one!"

"So, all these details are told solely by you, with no one else to corroborate this story?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, so what you’ve said could very well be a fictional story?"

Lan Zhengye scoffed, casting a meaningful glance at the jury.

These things, completely unsubstantiated, were all told by Zhao Qingyan alone – nothing but a story!

"Lastly, I have one final question for Zhao Qingyan. Has the investigation department, or you yourself, found any concrete criminal evidence against Zeng Xiang, such as him stalking Fang Yunshu or surveillance of the executives of those six companies – any evidence at all?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhao Qingyan’s expression showed a hint of helplessness.

"None!"

"Good, my additional questioning is finished!"

Seeing that Zhao Qingyan did not lie, Lan Zhengye returned to the prosecution bench satisfied.

As long as you don’t have evidence, then everything is speculation, and my repeated questioning was to emphasize that point.

Lan Zhengye was preparing to conclude the evidence presentation, and over the entire weekend, what the jury would remember last was the point he emphasized at the end.

The prosecution has no evidence, Zeng Xiang is innocent, not guilty, the slandered victim of this case!

"Prosecution, do you have any more witnesses to summon?"

"Your Honor, the prosecution has no more witnesses to summon and concludes the court’s proceedings!"

Of course, Lan Zhengye wouldn’t continue with the presentation of evidence. That would only be giving Zhang Wei an opportunity.

The final questioning had achieved its purpose, so there was no need to give the other side a chance.

"Very well!"

Judge Chen nodded, checked the time, and then declared, "Today we have already conducted two rounds of hearings, morning and afternoon. The court believes that continuing further would test everyone involved in the courtroom, and fatigue might affect your judgment. Therefore, we decide to adjourn temporarily!"

"The court announces that it will reconvene next Monday at 9 AM. Have a pleasant weekend everyone!"

The court began to disperse.

However, while the prosecution side was jubilant, the defense side was clouded with gloom.

Zhang Wei watched Lan Zhengye, who appeared like a victor, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Ultimately, it’s the lack of concrete evidence. If we cannot prove Zeng Xiang’s malice, then Fang Yunshu, who committed the murder, is the evil one!"

This was the first time Zhang Wei felt completely without leverage!

Even though he had been trying his best to save the situation, he still could not change the courtroom’s direction.

Murder is murder, an undeniable guilt that nobody can wash away.