Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 190 - 189: Zeng Xiang’s Sins, Zhao Qingyan Arrives

Chapter 190: Chapter 189: Zeng Xiang’s Sins, Zhao Qingyan Arrives

Courtroom scene.

"The first time I noticed my ex-husband was stalking me was half a year ago in a coffee shop. I was browsing videos on my tablet when suddenly the video turned into a recording of our honeymoon abroad, which I clearly remember having deleted long ago!"

"After that, many inexplicable files began to appear on my phone and computer, all files I had deleted, including photos and videos of us together. No matter how I tried to delete them, they kept reappearing."

"My phone wallpaper, computer wallpaper, the background images of my websites, essentially any account related to the internet, my backgrounds would mysteriously change to our photos together. I couldn’t modify them or, if I managed to change them, by the next day they’d revert back to those photos."

"I called the official support several times, sought help from customer service to replace them, and even set up alerts for backend changes, but these photos always seemed to bypass the official channels, replaced without my knowledge."

Fang Yunshu sighed at this point, "Fortunately, all of this was just online. If I didn’t go online, it wouldn’t matter too much."

"But in recent months, when I planned to give up the internet and socializing, his behavior didn’t subside, it actually intensified."

"My phone would often receive mysterious calls. Whenever I answered, the call would play our wedding background music, and sometimes I’d get over a hundred calls a day."

"When I contacted the telecommunications company, they told me the calls were international, from dozens of different regions around the world, and they couldn’t trace the origin."

"So, for a while, I was afraid to answer calls, even scared to look at my phone. I ended up putting it in a metal box."

"I thought this would free me from him, but I was naïve!"

Massaging her forehead with a pained expression, Fang Yunshu continued, "In the following months, I would ’coincidentally’ bump into him at various places—bars, shopping centers, street corner cafés, breakfast joints, even in parks, sometimes several times a day."

"From that time on, I started to get scared, knowing that he was infiltrating every aspect of my life, omnipresent. That’s why I added so many security measures to my house."

"Although I couldn’t control bumping into him, at the very least, I needed to ensure that I could have a moment of peace in my last sanctuary."

"Sadly, when my last sanctuary also became unsafe, I made a decision that I do not regret..."

Fang Yunshu’s story ended there.

She admitted from the start that she killed Zeng Xiang, and now she had given her reason.

She had been secretly surveilled and stalked by Zeng Xiang through illegal means for so long that it left her with psychological shadows and fear.

That final moment, when Zeng Xiang broke into her house, Fang Yunshu knew her last sanctuary had been breached.

"Ms. Fang Yunshu, I know you are very sad right now, but I still need to ask carefully, did you ever give your ex-husband a key or the password to enter your house?"

"No!"

"So you’re saying that he entered your house by illegal means?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, I have no further questions!"

Zhang Wei glanced at the time and then at the jury members.

He noticed that indeed, many people were captivated by Fang Yunshu’s story, and a few even felt sympathy for her.

But it was useless, because what came next was...

"Since the defense has concluded its questioning, it’s now the prosecution’s turn for cross-examination!"

Following Judge Chen’s announcement, Zhang Wei returned to his seat, and Lan Zhengye stood up.

"Miss Fang, your story is quite sensational. I’m sure you and your attorney rehearsed it in secret numerous times, haven’t you?"

"Objection!"

Lan Zhengye’s opening statement immediately had Zhang Wei standing up, his bottom having barely felt the warmth of the chair.

"Prosecutor Lan?"

"I retract my previous statement!"

Prosecutor Lan smiled at the judge and continued with the questioning, "Miss Fang, in your testimony, about the allegation that your ex-husband was tracking and following you, do you have any evidence to corroborate these claims?"

The question, in fact, already had an answer. Zeng Xiang was an IT expert, certainly wouldn’t leave any traces for himself.

Despite having done so, he had erased all evidence, so much so that even Zhao Qingyan couldn’t find any, let alone anyone else.

"I have call records, lots of call records, and the phone company also has backups!"

"Those call records are of no use, because they could be from anywhere. You yourself said that the phone company told you the calls came from various places around the world!"

With a sneer, Lan Zhengye elaborated, "Just like me, I too was harassed by a cyber scammer, and the incoming calls displayed numbers from different international regions. There was even a time when I received dozens of calls in a single day!"

"If you use online loans or visit some illegal websites, you could receive even more spam calls a day, a few hundred shouldn’t be an issue, right?"

Fang Yunshu immediately countered, "Then how do you explain him appearing in my life like that?"

"I live in Central Ring, and he lives in the outskirts. We live dozens of kilometers apart, and his internet workshop isn’t near my house, either!"

"Dongfang Capital is vast, yet at times also small. You might encounter a person or two on the street that you’ve met before, especially an ex-husband with whom you’ve spent so much time. Besides, Zeng Xiang has no restrictions on his movements in Dongfang Capital. He goes wherever he wants!"

Lan Zhengye looked at Fang Yunshu and asked coldly, "What you’ve said might all just be coincidences. It was Zeng Xiang’s freedom to go to a bar, a shopping mall, or a coffee shop; none of those are criminal acts."

"Furthermore, considering your testimony, I believe you simply despise Zeng Xiang. Therefore, whenever you see him, you feel disgust, you find it psychologically unbearable!"

"I guess your patience has its limits, which must have led you to finally lose your restraint and decide to kill Zeng Xiang, right?"

"Objection, speculation of evidence!"

Zhang Wei immediately objected and added, "Also, the defense objects to the prosecutor’s speculation about my client’s mental state!"

"Objection sustained!"

Lan Zhengye glanced at the defense bench, not at all irritated by the interruption.

His attack had only just begun.

"Ms. Fang, you remember making phone calls to Zeng Xiang, don’t you?"

Fang Yunshu raised her head, looking at Lan Zhengye, "I called him many times, and I repeatedly warned him to stay away from me!"

"Really?"

Lan Zhengye laughed, "Those were your so-called warnings?"

He gestured towards the prosecutor’s bench, and Zhao Jing immediately began to operate the equipment, playing the recording.

"Zeng Xiang, I warn you, stay away from me!"

"Zeng Xiang, you are trash, sleaze, a beast, a scum, you are a... man without balls, you..."

"You son of a bitch, if you dare trouble me again, I’ll kill you... I warn you, I will kill you, I definitely will!"

These were all recorded calls, many of them shouted by Fang Yunshu.

Upon hearing them, Zhang Wei was also slightly surprised.

He didn’t expect this seemingly frail woman to be screaming obscenities at someone.

"These are what you call warnings, but to me, they sound more like death threats, don’t they?"

Although Lan Zhengye phrased it as a question, his tone was very certain.

These recordings also had an impact on the jurors, with a few of them looking at Fang Yunshu with particularly unfriendly expressions.

Because of these recordings, they sensed danger.

It was as if Fang Yunshu might have harbored a murderous intent.

"These recordings, how did you...?"

"These recordings were provided to our office by the Xiang Yun party, recorded by your ex-husband Zeng Xiang before his death!"

"Objection!"

Lan Zhengye was about to continue, but was interrupted by Zhang Wei.

"Your Honor, these recordings are inflammatory evidence, and the prosecution hasn’t provided the complete phone recordings. On the contrary, from the defense’s perspective, these are just a small excerpt from the full recording and should not be considered as admissible evidence in court!"

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Chen nodded, looking at Lan Zhengye, "Prosecutor Lan, you should be aware that these partial recordings have no legal effect, right?"

"My apologies, Your Honor, I retract my previous statement!"

Lan Zhengye apologized, but whether he truly acknowledged his mistake was something only he knew.

Judge Chen looked again at the jury, "Jury, the recordings that you just heard are inflammatory evidence. Please disregard them entirely, and do not consider these phone recordings as decisive evidence in the remainder of the trial!"

The judge issued a warning, but everyone knew that the recording had an impact on the trial.

Would the jury actually heed the judge’s words?

Of course not!

The faces of the jurors who had begun to view Fang Yunshu with hostility remained unchanged.

"There are 7-8 jurors looking at Fang Yunshu with hostility, no chance there!"

Seeing the jury’s reactions, Zhang Wei felt considerable pressure.

If they couldn’t get past this today, and if Old Zhao didn’t make a breakthrough, they were likely to lose.

Once Fang Yunshu finished testifying, finding a strong witness to change the direction of the trial would be nearly impossible.

"Ms. Fang Yunshu, since you do not wish to discuss the recordings, let’s talk about something else!"

Lan Zhengye took a document from Zhao Jing’s hands, opened it, and said, "Ms. Fang, a week before the incident, did you visit Wan Jiahui Shopping Center and try on an outfit in a clothing store on the fourth floor?"

"Yes," Fang Yunshu nodded, but her complexion turned somewhat unsightly.

"According to the service staff who assisted you at the store, you had a dispute with her over the color of the clothes, and in the end, you pushed her and even violently threatened her?"

"I saw him at that time, that’s why I couldn’t control my emotions!"

"You saw your ex-husband, so you threatened to kill someone and actually did hit someone?"

"This..."

Seeing that Fang Yunshu couldn’t explain, Lan Zhengye lifted the documents in his hand, "There’s a lot more. It’s not just in the shopping center, you’ve shown some violent tendencies in bars and other public places!"

"Am I to understand that your hatred towards your ex-husband is growing every day, to the point that any slight displeasure could provoke you, and cause you to harbor murderous intent? Do you have violent tendencies?"

"I don’t!"

Facing Lan Zhengye’s accusation, Fang Yunshu immediately denied it.

"Then why would you resort to harming someone?"

"Because I saw him, I was scared!"

"That’s strange then, many of my colleagues have divorced too, and when they see their ex-wives, they’re not scared. In fact, some of them even take the initiative to greet them and even go on trips with their ex-wives and their current boyfriends. How come they’re not like you?"

"I..."

Confronted with Lan Zhengye’s barrage of questions, Fang Yunshu was left speechless.

"Objection, the questions the prosecutor poses are irrelevant to the case!" Zhang Wei interrupted hastily.

"Objection overruled; the witness must answer this question!" But Judge Chen wasn’t giving any leeway this time.

Not only that, he even showed a curious expression, looking towards the witness stand.

"Damn, Judge Chen also wants to know the answer. He too is curious why Fang Yunshu gets so agitated upon seeing her ex-husband. But the answer is that he’s been lurking, monitoring and stalking her, making her feel threatened!"

Zhang Wei was helpless; this explanation lacked evidence, so Judge Chen didn’t believe it. He also thought Fang Yunshu had violent tendencies.

Having no other choice, Zhang Wei could only gesture to Fang Yunshu to "zip the lip."

"I... I invoke my right to silence!"

After saying this, Fang Yunshu clamped her mouth shut tightly.

Seeing this, Lan Zhengye ordered Li Qinghua, "Clerk, please note that the defendant has chosen not to answer the prosecutor’s questions under questioning!"

"Miss Fang Yunshu, do you deny having violent tendencies?"

Fang Yunshu didn’t speak.

"Then, did you intentionally plan to murder Zeng Xiang?"

She still didn’t speak.

"Your resentment towards Zeng Xiang isn’t out of fear, as you claim, but pure hatred for him. You wanted to kill him!"

"You did all this because you wanted to be with Zhao Qingyan, so you had to remove Zeng Xiang, the obstacle in your path. Only then, there would be nothing standing between you and Zhao Qingyan!"

"Your motive for murder, your purpose, it’s all for yourself. Do you realize how malicious your heart is?"

"You..."

Lan Zhengye’s attack was relentless, a fusillade of questions bombarding the witness stand.

Under his intense questioning, Fang Yunshu was quietly shedding tears.

"Your Honor, my client..."

"I object!"

Just as Zhang Wei was about to stand up and object, the courtroom doors were flung open.

The person saying ’objection’ caused Zhang Wei’s heart to leap with joy, and also restored a bit of spirit to Fang Yunshu at the witness stand.

The newcomer was none other than Zhao Qingyan!

Zhao Qingyan had arrived!

He had finally arrived!

"Uncle Zhao!"

Seeing Zhao Qingyan, Zhang Wei hurriedly went to greet him.

"You’ve worked hard, Xiao Zhang. You’ve indeed not let me down, you’ve held on until now!"

Although Zhao Qingyan wasn’t in the courtroom, he had arranged for someone to be there, and they had been keeping him informed about the situation in the courtroom.

He even knew that to buy time, Zhang Wei had gone so far as to invite his own father-in-law to the stand.

This move had really surprised him; Xiao Zhang’s tactics were truly unpredictable.

And now, the moment had finally arrived.

"Uncle Zhao, did you get it?"

"Of course, I not only got it, but I’ve also placed the decisive evidence right here!"

Zhao Qingyan handed a USB drive to Zhang Wei and firmly grasped the latter’s hand.

Within this USB drive lay the most crucial evidence.

In the courtroom, Judge Chen appeared slightly surprised to see Zhao Qingyan.

"Mr. Zhao, this is a solemn area of the courtroom, could you please be quiet?"

As the person whose words carried the most weight in the courtroom, he still had to warn them to ensure the proceedings went smoothly.

"Sorry, Your Honor, I lost my composure!"

Zhao Qingyan quickly apologized and then walked to the front row of the witness stand.

"Your Honor, the defense requests a recess and applies to submit new evidence relevant to this case!"

Zhang Wei immediately made his move with this demand.

"Objection!"

Lan Zhengye would not let Zhang Wei have his way; this was, after all, the prosecution’s turn, not the defense’s turn to attack.

"Your Honor, this new evidence is very important and can even reveal to the public what Zeng Xiang has done!"

"Impossible, if there were such evidence, the investigative division would have found it long ago. This evidence is just an excuse for the defense to delay time!"

"Your Honor!"

"Judge Chen!"

In the courtroom, Zhang Wei and Lan Zhengye faced off.

"Both of you, come up here!"

Judge Chen felt a headache coming on but decided to let both approach after all.

If they kept arguing, what would become of the courtroom order?

The two had no choice but to step forward.

"Lawyer Zhang, you’re saying this evidence can tell us what Zeng Xiang has done?"

"Yes, the USB drive in my hands holds the decisive evidence of Zeng Xiang’s crimes, the pain he inflicted on my client!"

Seeing Zhang Wei’s firm stance, Judge Chen could only turn his gaze to Lan Zhengye.

"Prosecutor Lan, I believe you, as the prosecution and also as a seeker of justice, wouldn’t oppose me disclosing the facts to the public, would you?"

Zhang Wei scoffed and immediately challenged Lan Zhengye.

At the same time, he was telling his opponent that the USB drive in his hands was the decisive evidence.

As a prosecutor, you seek justice, not just your own victory in the courtroom— that is the duty of the prosecutor.

Lan Zhengye furrowed his brows, his eyes betraying a hint of discomfort.

He was pondering whether Zhang Wei was bluffing, or if Zeng Xiang really had done something reprehensible, and whether the allegations were indeed true?

He thought for a long time but could find no other excuse to rebut.

As for the spiel about disclosing evidence, it might work on newbies, but for veterans, it was nonsense.

"Hmph, I want to see what evidence you’ll submit and whether it indeed relates to the truth!"

In the end, considering the prosecutor’s duties, Lan Zhengye decided not to oppose.

Since Prosecutor Lan did not object, Judge Chen naturally wouldn’t either.

"Fine, this court will allow the defense to submit new evidence!"

Zhang Wei nodded to Fang Yunshu, casting her a reassuring glance.

Then, holding the USB drive, he walked toward the prosecution bench, toward Prosecutor Zhao Jing seated there.

Zhao Jing’s expression turned very gloomy as she saw Zhang Wei approach.

Why did she have to be the tool for the other side again today?

She disliked it, but she could not refuse.

Today, she was determined to be that tool!