Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 199 - 198: Going to the Procuratorate Headquarters, the Teammate is...

Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Going to the Procuratorate Headquarters, the Teammate is...

Dongfang Capital, Procuratorate Headquarters entrance.

"Zhang Wei, are we really going in?"

"Xiao Li, why do you guys always get so timid every time you come to the Procuratorate Headquarters?"

Zhang Wei stated, it’s just standing at the entrance of the Procuratorate Headquarters, right?

Why does everyone who comes here with him always chicken out in advance, shaking in their boots?

What’s the big deal about the Procuratorate Headquarters?

The people here speak pleasantly, there are beauties for the eyes, and inside are all criminal law talents. Zhang Wei really liked this place, feeling as if he was coming home every time...

"Let’s go!"

He called out, making his practiced way straight to the second floor’s pantry and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

After taking a sip, his whole body felt warm and cozy.

"Hey, although the tea here doesn’t taste that great, being able to scrounge it for free is just so comfortable!"

Li Yueqin looked at a somewhat intoxicated Zhang Wei, speechless.

It’s just a sip of hot tea, are you addicted to mooching off the Procuratorate Headquarters?

"Zhang Wei, we’re not here to drink tea, right?"

"Of course not, we’re here to wait for someone!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand dismissively, turning his attention toward the entrance of the pantry.

One after another, people from the neighboring Serious Crime Division office came in to get water.

Among them, some glanced at Zhang Wei and moved on without pausing.

Clearly they didn’t recognize who he was.

But there were also some who hesitated, looking at him twice, feeling that this young man looked somewhat familiar.

Until...

"Sss, Zhang Wei!"

With a sharp intake of breath, the newcomer nearly dropped their cup on the floor.

"Yo, Prosecutor Tan Yingying!"

Zhang Wei waved to the newcomer as a way of greeting.

But as soon as Tan Yingying saw Zhang Wei in the pantry, she instinctively took two steps back, not daring to move forward.

"Prosecutor Tan, what are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you. Come get some tea!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, pointing at the pantry’s hot water dispenser, his face all smiles.

But to someone, that smile was nothing but a "devilish grin."

"That, um, I’m not thirsty yet, I’ll be going first, ha..."

Tan Yingying dropped a line and ran off quickly.

Zhang Wei wasn’t in a hurry, continuing to enjoy his tea as he waited.

A few minutes later, a coldly beautiful woman, dragging a timid Tan Yingying, walked in.

"It really is you!"

Xiao Baihe looked at Zhang Wei leisurely drinking tea next door to her department, feeling frustrated.

Do you really think of this place as your office?

"I thought Yingying’s eyes were playing tricks on her. I didn’t expect you to have the guts to show up at our Procuratorate Headquarters, do you truly think this place..."

"Yeah, I’ve always treated this place like my home. I’m very familiar with your leaders, Director Zhao, Director Guo."

Zhang Wei seemed not to hear the disdain in the other person’s voice, and actually took pride in it instead of feeling ashamed.

Honestly, if this weren’t the Procuratorate Headquarters, Xiao Baihe really wanted to slap the person in front of her.

But she knew she was a prosecutor and the other party was a criminal defense lawyer; a slap could cost her job and possibly lead to her paying compensation plus an apology.

I’ll endure!

Xiao Baihe suppressed her slight urge to hit him and asked, "What are you doing at our Procuratorate Headquarters, Lawyer Zhang? Did you take on a big case recently and need to discuss it with us?"

"Don’t be hasty, let’s talk in your office!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, indicating this wasn’t the place to talk.

As he spoke, he walked out of the pantry and toward the Serious Crime Division Office.

"Wait a minute..."

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying hurriedly followed him out, and seeing this, Li Yueqin had no choice but to follow behind.

It wasn’t long before the four of them crowded around Xiao Baihe’s desk.

In the Serious Crime Division Office, many people had also realized that a "celebrity" had arrived in the office today.

"Is that Zhang Wei?"

"He actually came to our office?"

"I heard Director Zhao put his name in his little notebook, and even marked it in red!"

"Of course, this guy has affronted the supervisor so many times, and last time he even won against Lan Gaojian, our Procuratorate Headquarters was almost left shamefaced!"

"He’s come over here today, and he especially sought out Xiao Baihe, could it be that the rumor about them having an affair is true?"

"Who knows..."

Under the scrutiny and whispers of colleagues all around, Xiao Baihe’s face completely darkened.

What do you mean I’m having an affair with him, we clearly have no such relationship, who dares to spread such rumors?

If I find out who it is, I, Xiao Baihe, will definitely sue them for defamation, and make them kneel and apologize profusely!

"Zhang Wei, what exactly are you doing here at the Procuratorate Headquarters?"

"Oh, nothing much, just wanted to ask whether you’re ready to prosecute a murderer."

"A murderer, how could we not prosecute!"

Xiao Baihe immediately responded, but soon after, she realized something was amiss.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Who else could it be, of course, it’s the headline of recent newspapers, all the morning papers, evening papers, entertainment papers, it’s all about their couple!"

"Zhu Tianying!"

"That’s what you said, I didn’t suggest anything to you!"

Zhang Wei hurriedly pointed out that he hadn’t said anything, that it was all Xiao Baihe’s own conjecture.

"You want us to prosecute Zhu Tianying, what’s in it for you, are you her legal counsel?"

"Xiao Baihe, what are you talking about? I’m not asking you to prosecute anyone, it’s just that as prosecutors, you need to bring public charges against a murderer, allowing the public to judge the case and the real criminal!"

Xiao Baihe found herself at a loss for words before Zhang Wei’s righteous and well-reasoned argument.

Nevertheless, she scoffed, "Then you’re too late, our supervisor has already said, if this case goes to court, it will be for self-defense!"

"It’s all because of you, if it weren’t for the Fang Yunshu case, would we be in such a passive position?"

"Are you blaming me again?" Zhang Wei spread his hands, signaling his innocence.

It’s your Procuratorate Headquarters’ rashness, and also the Net Investigation Department’s lackluster skills, otherwise, Zeng Xiang’s evidence of guilt would have been discovered long ago, wouldn’t that have prevented this whole mess?

Xiao Baihe looked at Zhang Wei, her eyes filled with indignation, "It’s precisely because of the Fang Yunshu case that we are now second-guessing ourselves, even faced with a murder case, without conclusive evidence, we are not willing to prosecute lightly!"

"Isn’t that a basic requirement?"

Zhang Wei touched his nose, still feeling innocent.

"Actually, about Zhu Tianying’s case, I think there are a few reasonable doubts, you might want to consider them, this case could still be..."

"You cheeky boy, dare to come to our Procuratorate Headquarters!"

Just as Zhang Wei was about to further persuade, a fierce reprimand interrupted him.

There stood Guo Wufeng at the doorway of the Serious Crime Division Office, glowering at Zhang Wei in outrage.

"Director Guo, we didn’t do anything!" Seeing this, Tan Yingying quickly called out in alarm, shaking her head frantically.

Zhang Wei was speechless, look at what you’re saying, as if we really had a problem.

"Yo, Old Guo, what a coincidence, eh?"

Zhang Wei quickly responded, waving at the other party.

Guo Wufeng, of course, was not going to entertain Zhang Wei’s pleasantry, and strode angrily over to the four of them.

"Zhang Wei, you’ve come to our Procuratorate Headquarters again, do you consider this place unmanned, that you can come and go as you please?"

"No, I was just passing by, saying hello to you all!"

Zhang Wei quickly explained, but Guo Wufeng clearly was not going to listen.

Not only that, his shouting had attracted the attention of Zhao Chunming in the office.

The latter came following the sound and saw Zhang Wei.

"What’s going on, all this noise, it’s disgraceful!"

Zhao Chunming frowned as he stepped out.

But when he saw Guo Wufeng confronting Zhang Wei, he felt a headache coming on.

Good gracious, was Zhang Wei here to throw down the gauntlet at the Procuratorate Headquarters again?

If Zhang Wei knew what Zhao Chunming was thinking, he would certainly cry foul; he was not someone who would come to the Procuratorate Headquarters to issue challenges every day.

Today, his visit was truly just to say hello.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng clearly did not believe that.

"Lawyer Zhang, we at Procuratorate Headquarters are very busy; please don’t come and make us uncomfortable!"

"Xiao Baihe, see Lawyer Zhang out. Make sure he doesn’t trip on something on his way out!"

Well, that’s a fine way to show me the door, isn’t it?

Zhang Wei certainly caught the unspoken message from Zhao Chunming, but he did not retort.

"Alright, since Director Zhao and your team are busy, I’ll take my leave!"

He bowed with his hands clasped and then strode out of the Serious Crime Division Office without looking back.

"Director, I’ll go keep an eye on him, see if he really leaves!"

Xiao Baihe also hurried out, chasing after Zhang Wei.

But just as she reached the doorway, she saw Zhang Wei suddenly turn around and enter the neighboring pantry.

"This..."

Xiao Baihe was at a loss for words, but she followed him into the pantry nonetheless.

Inside the pantry.

"Why aren’t you leaving?"

"Xiao Baihe, do you really not intend to prosecute a murderer?"

Zhang Wei’s purpose had not been achieved; how could he possibly leave.

He came here with the intention of getting the Procuratorate Headquarters to prosecute a murderer.

Although Ren’s Film Industry had no sway over the Procuratorate Headquarters, Zhang Wei thought he could still make an effort.

But his only option was to present reasonable doubts and try to persuade the Procuratorate Headquarters to pursue the truth of the incident.

An affluent billionaire from Dongfang Capital had died, and the murderer was likely to be deemed as acting in self-defense. But this was not the whole truth of the matter.

"Zhu Tianying acted in self-defense. The investigative department based their judgment on the scene’s evidence, and we, the prosecutors, are not fools. Why would we prosecute a victim!"

"Is that really the case?"

Zhang Wei stepped in front of Xiao Baihe and asked, "Ren Xinwei’s wives were nearly replaced every five years. He and Zhu Tianying never had a true marital relationship; theirs was merely a transactional one. He had money, she had beauty, and thus they came to an agreement."

"If it was as Zhu Tianying claims, that Ren Xinwei wanted to kill her, why would he choose to do the deed himself, and furthermore, use the most foolish method of physical combat? If I were Ren Xinwei, I could think of a hundred less risky ways to ’send’ Zhu Tianying off, guaranteed to leave no trace, and even less likely to end up being killed by the intended victim."

"And to be honest, Ren Xinwei probably lost interest in Zhu Tianying long ago. This year just happened to be the last of their contract, and Ren Xinwei could have simply kicked her out, at most giving Zhu Tianying 50 million. He didn’t lack money, so this sum probably wouldn’t even make him frown, right?"

"As for the so-called sudden malicious intent of Ren Xinwei to force Zhu Tianying into a sexual relationship—that seems even more far-fetched to me. A billionaire with assets worth 60 billion, can’t he control his own desires, his own emotions?"

"Now that Ren Xinwei is dead, Zhu Tianying can say anything about the situation at the time. Doesn’t the Procuratorate Headquarters have any thoughts on this? She’s Ren Xinwei’s only legal wife with spousal inheritance rights—that’s an inheritance of 60 billion. Doesn’t that constitute a motive for murder?"

"Even if you decide not to file charges, what about the investigation? I haven’t seen you thoroughly investigate Zhu Tianying’s background. You’re not treating her as just an ordinary victim, are you?"

Faced with Zhang Wei’s barrage of questions, Xiao Baihe’s elegant brows slightly furrowed, a trace of doubt forming in her heart.

Although the case on the surface was that of a wealthy man intending to commit a crime and being killed in self-defense, just as Zhang Wei pointed out, with the rich man dead, Zhu Tianying as the only person present at the scene would undoubtedly provide testimony in her own favor.

What is the truth?

Could Zhu Tianying have killed Ren Xinwei for his 60 billion fortune, and even tampered with the scene? These were all reasonable doubts.

"Unfortunately, without evidence, whether it’s the onsite investigation or the murder weapon, all the evidence is against Ren Xinwei. As for your so-called doubts, there’s no evidence to support them, so you might as well save your efforts!"

Xiao Baihe cut off Zhang Wei, speaking coldly, "Although I’m unclear on why you insist on us prosecuting Zhu Tianying, I remember you advocating the principle of ’innocent until proven guilty’ before. All your points are just suspicions and conjectures without evidence, so we take Zhu Tianying to be innocent!"

"Well, turnabout is fair play!"

Zhang Wei was speechless.

The Procuratorate Headquarters actually used the principle of ’innocent until proven guilty’ to counter a defense attorney—that was truly a surprise.

When I came to you before, why didn’t you apply this principle, but instead insisted on prosecuting my clients every time?

"In short, Director Zhao has already mentioned to us, prosecuting Zhu Tianying is unrealistic."

Xiao Baihe threw down these words and walked away without looking back.

Then, Li Yueqin crept cautiously into the pantry.

"Zhang Wei, the Procuratorate Headquarters seems to treat you quite poorly."

"Can’t help it, who asked me to always fight for justice?"

Zhang Wei quipped, then gestured for Li Yueqin to sit down.

"Shouldn’t we be leaving?"

"Leaving? Our goal hasn’t been achieved yet."

"But the Procuratorate Headquarters apparently does not plan to prosecute Zhu Tianying. Shouldn’t we go back and prepare for the civil lawsuit, the case for the inheritance rights against Blackfoot?"

"No, no, no, although I’m not afraid of Blackfoot, the difficulty of fighting an inheritance case against a wounded woman is too high. The woman may not be the best actress, but as soon as she steps into court, just a few tears, and the jurors might sympathize with her. Compared to that, it’s better to see that woman stand trial in criminal court. If her guilt for murder can be proved, let alone inheritance rights, she won’t be leaving Iron Island Prison for the rest of her life!"

"But in a criminal court, persuading 12 jurors is too difficult!"

"Xiao Li, we are defense attorneys, and the criminal court is our main battlefield!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand and then continued with a sly smile, "Besides, this time the person leading the charge isn’t us. We have a prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters to draw the fire for us. We just need to stand in the wings!"

"Look, our backup has arrived!"

As Zhang Wei pointed out, Li Yueqin suddenly turned her head and saw a silhouette entering the pantry.

At this moment, Tan Yingying was very scared because she hadn’t expected Zhang Wei to still be there, waiting in the pantry.

However, she had just failed at getting some water, so now she had to go back to the pantry again.

"What to do, I’m so scared. Will Zhang Wei hit people?"

Tan Yingying panicked, very panicked...

As she poured herself some tea, she consoled herself that as soon as the water was full, she could leave this dangerous place.

She had developed PTSD towards Zhang Wei, and now she felt a trace of fear towards the pantry as well.

Because she didn’t know when Zhang Wei would suddenly pop out in the pantry.

Luckily, the cup was finally about to be full.

"Prosecutor Tan Yingying."

But suddenly, a "sinister" voice came from behind her.

Gasp!

Tan Yingying’s body trembled, and she almost lost her grip on the teacup again.

"Actually, I, Zhang Someone, have always known that Prosecutor Tan Yingying is an upright, kind-hearted, and incorruptible prosecutor who cannot tolerate even a speck of dust in her eyes and cannot let go of miscarriages of justice. And now, you have a murder case in front of you. Are you really going to let the murderer walk free?"

"I... I don’t know... what you’re talking about..." Tan Yingying stammered nervously, her teeth chattering.

"Prosecutor Tan Yingying, I think you know which case I’m talking about. The wealthy magnate of Dongfang Capital died, and yet your Procuratorate Headquarters intends to let the real culprit go. Where is your conscience, your sense of justice, your responsibility as a prosecutor?"

"But the instructions from the Director..."

"Sigh—"

With a long sigh, Zhang Wei decided to communicate with the person in front of him in a different "way."

"Prosecutor Tan Yingying, let me ask you a simple question. Who do you think is more terrifying, me or your Director?"

"As long as it’s not in court, the Director is much more terrifying than you..."

"Oh, is that so? Then I know how to ’communicate’ with you now, heh heh..."

Zhang Wei revealed a friendly smile, his white teeth gleaming in front of Tan Yingying.

Meanwhile, her complexion became increasingly frightened and pale.

minutes later.

Zhao Chunming’s office.

Ding-ling-ling!

A series of urgent telephone rings interrupted his busyness.

"A call from the city court, what’s this about?"

Upon seeing the caller ID, he looked baffled. There didn’t seem to be any case that required his follow-up recently, so why was the city court calling him at this time on a Friday?

"Hello, this is Zhao Chunming. Who may I ask is calling?"

"Judge Chen, you’re looking for me?"

"What, the Procuratorate Headquarters has decided to prosecute Zhu Tianying? How come I’m not aware of this?"

"Right at the last moment of the acceptance deadline, someone from our headquarters submitted the application, and the court approved it?"

"Who submitted it?"

"Tan... Tan Yingying!"

"This..."

Zhao Chunming couldn’t remember how he hung up the phone anymore.

But the anger in his eyes couldn’t be concealed at all.

Well done, Tan Yingying. You dare to play a double game with me. Are you itching for a whipping?

A rookie dares to handle such a big case; aren’t you just causing trouble for our Procuratorate Headquarters!

"Right, Zhang Wei!"

Suddenly, Zhao Chunming recalled something else. Zhang Wei had shown up at the office today, and then this incident occurred.

It seemed that their Procuratorate Headquarters might have a mole!