Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 206 - 205: Ni Qiuping’s Threat, Three Digits

Chapter 206: Chapter 205: Ni Qiuping’s Threat, Three Digits

At 9 AM, at the entrance of the city courthouse.

"Support Zhu Tianying, release her as she’s innocent!"

"Punish the insatiable board of Ren’s Film Industry!"

"Support Zhu Tianying, release her as she’s innocent!"

"Punish the insatiable board of Ren’s Film Industry!"

"Support Zhu Tianying, release her as she’s innocent!"

"Punish the insatiable board of Ren’s Film Industry!"

...

Right here, the onlookers and Zhu Tianying’s "supporters" had completely surrounded the area, making it impenetrable.

The Martial Association had to dispatch dozens of field staff to maintain order at the scene.

Whenever an important courtroom figure appeared, the shouts of these supporters grew louder and more impassioned.

Tan Yingying and other trial participants had to be escorted through the noisy crowd by the field staff to enter the city courthouse.

However, passing through so many people was a test in itself.

The timorous Tan Yingying almost collapsed after emerging from the crowd. If it were not for Xiao Baihe at her side, she might have made a fool of herself again.

Glancing back at the excited crowd, Tan Yingying shrank her neck in fear.

Also at the entrance of the city courthouse, the treatment for the defense was different.

When Zhu Tianying appeared, she heard voices supporting her.

With the help of Jiang Fengzhen, she walked toward the city courthouse and before entering, she waved to the supporters to leave them with a positive, sunny impression.

When the board of Ren’s Film Industry arrived, they were met with a barrage of boos and jeers.

Watching each smartly dressed board member pass by, the crowd truly became agitated.

Even those who were not supporters of Zhu Tianying despised the ZB Family group; they joined the ranks of the supporters as well.

When President Ding and others entered the city courthouse, many of them had broken out in a cold sweat and looked very flustered.

At the entrance of the city courthouse, Cheng Lisha, acting as Zhu Tianying’s media spokesperson, was also dealing with the media.

"I believe that the presiding judge will make a fair and just verdict, she will not wrong any innocent person, nor will she let off any guilty party!"

"My friend, Miss Zhu Tianying, is absolutely innocent. She is just a woman who wants to protect herself; she has done nothing wrong. The wrongdoers are the group from Ren’s Film Industry, the ZB Family, and..."

After her impassioned statement, Cheng Lisha did not give the media a chance to ask questions, and amidst the media’s dissatisfaction, she ended her speech directly.

The excitement of the courtroom scene had also spread throughout Dongfang Capital.

The level of attention on this trial was unprecedented.

In the courthouse, the preparation room.

Zhang Wei looked at the crowd at the door and shook his head.

"Although these people are gathered together, they don’t really constitute a protest; most of them are just onlookers, pity they are being used by someone with an agenda!"

"Moreover, many of them are temporary actors, this bunch only cares about money, not the truth of the case."

The so-called person with an agenda naturally refers to Jiang Fengzhen and Cheng Lisha from Zhu Tianying’s side.

These two may not have many other skills, but they are adept at manipulating public opinion.

Now, the attitude on the internet was almost uniformly in support of Zhu Tianying.

It even included a lot of internet trolls and flamers, who posted some extreme remarks.

Fortunately, Zhang Wei knew without looking that these must be the paid trolls that Cheng Lisha had hired.

This trick, he had stopped using it more than a decade ago.

In the courthouse, the preparation room.

Tan Yingying’s complexion wasn’t looking good.

Because Zhao Chunming had called her again, and unsurprisingly, he had been reprimanded by the superiors again.

And this was the third time since yesterday, Tan Yingying was under a lot of pressure.

"What to do, what to do, Director Zhao said even the Chief Prosecutor asked about the case, I..."

"Xiao Tan, don’t panic, you have to believe in yourself, believe in the investigation division!"

Seeing his teammates anxious and flustered, Zhang Wei could only offer words of comfort.

"After all, you’re the one who’s going to court soon. If you lose face, it’s going to be you, so you better think about yourself. But look on the bright side, if you win this time, maybe in a few years I’ll have to start calling you ’Prosecutor General Tan’!"

Our future Prosecutor General Tan’s mood at the moment was far from relaxed; she was still very fearful.

"Prosecutor General Xiao, won’t you say something?" Zhang Wei, having no other options, turned to another person for help.

Xiao Baihe couldn’t help but hurriedly step forward to coach Tan Yingying to ease her nerves.

Zhang Wei looked to the other side, where Li Yueqin was conducting mock cross-examinations with President Ding of Ren’s Film Industry to prepare for what was to come.

"Alright, let’s just wait for the trial to start!"

The time for the opening of the court arrived quickly.

As the prosecution and defense walked into the courtroom, countless gazes converged upon them.

This time, the grand courtroom was indeed filled to capacity.

So much so that Xiao Baihe and Li Yueqin had to notify the Court Guard in advance to prepare two chairs for them, so they could sit in the back row behind the prosecution.

In the front row of the public gallery, Tie Ruyun and Lin Yumeng had also arrived.

Beside them were Bai Meiqi and Bai Ruoyun, even Jincheng Litigation Department’s Li Qingshou and Wang Jianren were also present, including several group leaders sitting nearby.

In the back, there were quite a few legal professionals, including Qin Shaocong from Longteng International, as well as many lawyers from other Top Ten Firms.

After all, the case had garnered such high attention that it would be unreasonable for the Top Ten Firms not to send someone to be present.

Similarly, quite a few media reporters were present, many of whom had already started taking out notepads to write up their stories.

Right after the prosecution and defense sides settled down, the jury rushed into the courtroom.

However, many people noticed that the faces of several jurors did not look very good.

"Zhang Wei, what’s going on?"

Tan Yingying couldn’t help but ask from the prosecution side.

"It’s simple, they’ve been disrupted by influences outside of the court!"

"Ah, how could that be possible?"

Tan Yingying looked puzzled, "Aren’t they staying in hotels guarded by logistics with their electronic devices confiscated? How could they be disturbed?"

"The hotel may be isolated from the world, but they still have to pass through the courthouse’s main entrance on their way here, don’t they?"

Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow, pointing out the critical issue.

Tan Yingying was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood.

If you pass by the courthouse’s main entrance, you will be baptized by Zhu Tianying’s supporters.

Seeing the fervor of this group, even legal professionals can be influenced, let alone the ordinary jurors.

Seeing so many people standing at the courthouse entrance voicing support for Zhu Tianying, the jurors’ internal scales had probably already tipped.

The so-called juror sequestration hadn’t completely insulated the jurors from the outside world; on their way to the courtroom, they would still see or hear something.

Similarly, the supporters gathered outside the court were the unavoidable contact that the jurors faced as they entered the courtroom.

At this moment, their minds were probably echoing with the supporters’ slogans, weren’t they?

From the defense’s side, both Hu Yaode and Jiang Fengzhen wore cold smiles.

Although they had suffered a setback during the pretrial hearing, putting them at a disadvantage,

now, before the trial began, they had managed to gain an advantage through their tactics.

Didn’t everyone see that after the jurors entered the courtroom, they all looked towards Zhu Tianying? This was the effect of the "slogans" outside.

"Lawyer Jiang, it’s your task next, you need to completely crush that novice prosecutor, and also take a good swipe at that little brat’s face for me!"

"Don’t worry, Lawyer Hu, I know what to do!"

After Hu Yaode and Jiang Fengzhen finished speaking, they both looked malevolently towards Zhang Wei.

Little brat, just you wait!

In the courtroom.

"All rise!"

As the Court Guard announced, Judge Ni walked into the courtroom.

She adjusted the black robe draped over her and calmly took her seat.

"Cough cough, before the trial begins, this court has something to say to both the prosecution and defense. Please come forward, lawyers!"

Seeing Judge Ni speak, Jiang Fengzhen and Tan Yingying had varying looks on their faces, but they quickly stepped forward.

"Do you know, I’m actually quite depressed now, especially after our court leadership watched ’Lisa’s Talk’ yesterday. This morning, he called me into his office and talked to me for 40 minutes. Do you know what he said?"

Both Tan Yingying and Jiang Fengzhen shook their heads.

"Imagine, you are a cow, and now someone is playing the lyre for you..."

The idiom of playing the lute to a cow immediately sprang to Tan Yingying’s mind, so it seemed Judge Ni was about to enlighten her on idioms.

"... That person is playing the lyre, but he has a butcher’s knife by his hand, and there are a few people next to him with ropes, eyeing your flesh greedily!"

As Tan Yingying listened, she suddenly felt something was off.

"Now, I am that cow, our leadership holds the knife, and my colleagues are holding the ropes, eyeing me greedily, all looking forward to my downfall!"

"I think if this case drags on a bit longer, or if the verdict when it comes out is not convincing, I might be contributing a little bit to Dongfang Capital’s unemployment rate!"

"I believe you can empathize, right?"

After saying this, Judge Ni looked at Tan Yingying and Jiang Fengzhen "smilingly."

The two were stunned in place, unsure if they should speak.

"Hmm, both of you, I didn’t hear your answers, did I?"

"Your Honor, I will certainly not make things difficult for you!"

Feeling the gaze of Ni Qiuping, Tan Yingying quickly expressed her stance, pledging loyalty to the judge.

"Lawyer Jiang?"

"Your Honor, our side concurs!"

"Alright, you may step down, I’m tired, make it quick..."

Ni Qiuping waved her hand, dismissing the two back to their positions.

"The court now declares that the public trial for the prosecutor’s charge of Zhu Tianying for the murder of Ren Xinwei will now commence!"

With the judge’s gavel, positions taken by both the prosecution and the defense, the trial began.

Firstly, it was natural for the prosecution to present evidence and deliver the opening statement.

Tan Yingying’s proficiency in court was only average, hence her opening statement lacked any grandiose flourish.

"The prosecution calls the first witness to the stand to testify!"

The first witness was, of course, President Ding, the executive CEO of Ren’s Film Industry.

As a representative of the family and the company, President Ding stood opposed to Zhu Tianying and was a powerful witness for the prosecution.

"President Ding, as an executive officer of Ren’s Film Industry and also the capable assistant of the deceased Ren Xinwei, do you understand his relationship with the defendant?"

"Of course, we are all very clear about Chairman Ren’s relationship with the defendant Zhu Tianying."

"Then, are you aware of the prenuptial agreement they signed?"

"Certainly, we have all seen this agreement!"

Tan Yingying spoke as she took the document from Zhang Wei and passed one copy to the bench.

"This is Evidence No. 1 for the prosecution, the prenuptial agreement between the deceased Ren Xinwei and the defendant Zhu Tianying. Both have signed their names and had it notarized!"

Continuing her questioning, Tan Yingying asked, "May I ask the witness, do you remember the clauses of the prenuptial agreement? Does it contain obligations for both parties?"

"Of course I remember. This agreement stipulates many obligations for Ms. Zhu Tianying, including her wife duties to be performed weekly, monthly, and even annually, which include but are not limited to travel, attending the company’s business meetings, being present at company events, as well as..."

President Ding hesitated for a moment, then stopped short.

"As well as what?" Tan Yingying spread her hands.

"As well as some... intimate obligations of a wife, that is, between a husband and wife..."

At this point, everyone understood what President Ding implied.

The clauses in the agreement even included content that might easily incite an error 404.

"I’ve heard a lot about Miss Zhu Tianying’s obligations from the agreement, but didn’t Mr. Ren Xinwei make any contributions?"

"How could he not!"

After a denial, President Ding went on, "The agreement explicitly stated that as long as the defendant fulfills the annual agreement, then Chairman Ren would pay her a considerable sum!"

"Considerable, how much are we talking about?"

"Ten million a year!"

As President Ding announced this figure, there was a stir among the jurors.

Ten million! Ten million a year — for many workers, that was a lifetime’s goal.

"May I ask President Ding, how many years have passed in the marriage between the defendant and the deceased?"

"This is the fifth year."

"So for the previous four years..."

"I know what you want to ask. The total amount for the previous four years is forty million, which Chairman Ren has already paid in full to Miss Zhu!"

"Chairman Ren was actually quite trustworthy, wasn’t he?"

"Of course, even though Miss Zhu had thrown tantrums, been late for exhibitions, and even broken appointments before, Chairman Ren still forgave her and even sent her many luxury goods as gifts every year!"

After finishing, President Ding glanced at Zhu Tianying with a look of disdain.

Chairman Ren doted on you so much, and yet, you ended up stabbing him with a knife.

"Objection, hearsay evidence!"

Jiang Fengzhen stood up, raising an objection.

"Objection sustained!" Judge Ni wasted no time in efficiently making the decision.

Tan Yingying had no choice but to shift her approach and continue questioning, "President Ding, let’s not talk about gifts, let’s focus on the agreement. The defendant has been married to Chairman Ren for 5 years, has already received forty million, and may also receive the last ten million this year, right?"

"That’s correct!"

"Then I have a question, what if Chairman Ren met with an accident?"

Tan Yingying elaborated, "For example, if he became seriously ill and didn’t recover, or if he went skiing, skydiving, bungee jumping, or suddenly took up extreme challenges like wilderness survival, and an accident happened, what then..."

"If Chairman Ren were to die, then as the sole spouse, the defendant would inherit all of Chairman Ren’s possessions, including our Ren’s Film Industry, of course!"

"May I ask, what is the total value of Ren’s Film Industry..."

"Yesterday was Monday, and I still remember the closing price of the stocks. Ren’s Film Industry’s total value is approximately 61.3 billion!"

As these words fell, the entire courtroom was in an uproar.

The previous 40 million had already made an impact on the jurors and the hearing audience, but it wasn’t enough to leave them dumbstruck.

However, when the figure of 61.3 billion emerged, it was different.

This amount of money was simply an astronomical figure beyond imagination for many people.

One billion in cash weighs about 1.15 tons and has a volume of 1.19 cubic meters.

If 61.3 billion were converted into banknotes, that would be around 700 tons and a volume of 720 cubic meters. Even if you bought a large flat, you probably couldn’t stuff all that money into it.

This sum of money was utterly terrifying.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s clear to all. On one side is 40 million, and on the other is 60 billion. May I ask, would Miss Zhu Tianying undertake any irrational actions for this 60 billion?"

"Or to put it another way, think for yourselves. If you had the chance to get 60 billion, would you..."

"Objection, speculation of evidence. What the prosecution is doing is nothing more than baseless conjecture!"

Seeing Tan Yingying trying to guide the court’s direction, Jiang Fengzhen immediately stood up to interrupt.

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Ni glared at Tan Yingying and immediately declared with a bang of the gavel.

Intimidated by such a glare, Tan Yingying backed down, "Your Honor, the prosecution has no further questions!"

She scurried back to the prosecutor’s bench as fast as she could.

Once back in her seat, she leaned towards Zhang Wei, "How did I do? It wasn’t bad, right?"

"Not bad, but if you hadn’t looked so timid in front of the judge at the end, it might have been more effective!"

Tan Yingying felt helpless; she didn’t want to, but who could ignore the judge’s "warning" before the trial?

To say she wasn’t afraid inside would be a lie!

Zhang Wei had been observing the jury the whole time. When the amount of 40 million was mentioned, some jurors had already reacted.

And when he finally mentioned the 60 billion, most of the jury had already begun to waver.

The amount was so vast that even they might act irrationally.

Considering the position from another angle, if they couldn’t resist, how could Zhu Tianying?

Especially "Juror No. 1," as Zhang Wei deemed, who now glanced at Zhu Tianying with a trace of concealed envy.

Because she herself may only earn a small sum of money through hard work.

And yet, Zhu Tianying played with a wealthy magnate for a few years and earned more money than she ever could in a lifetime; envy was inevitable.

The court’s sentiment naturally swayed towards the prosecution.

"Lawyer Jiang!"

Unable to hold back, Hu Yaode from the defense bench exclaimed.

"Don’t worry, leave it to me!"

Jiang Fengzhen immediately stood up and approached the witness stand.

"President Ding, the figures you just mentioned are indeed shocking, but I have a question for you, and I hope you can answer it!"

"Please ask!"

"If my client had not protected herself on the night of the incident and had been killed by Chairman Ren, who you said was generous, how much money would she have received?"

"This..."

As these words were spoken, the courtroom fell silent.

Indeed, they had all been dizzied by the previous figures and had not considered this point.

Although the amount of money was enormous, terrifyingly so...

But what if Zhu Tianying were dead? How much money could she get?

"Chairman, you don’t need to answer. I can tell everyone, the answer is ’zero,’ right?"

If Zhu Tianying were dead, she wouldn’t get a single penny because she would no longer be able to enjoy it.

Such a simple question shifted the direction of the courtroom once again.

Although the astronomical figures of 40 million and 60 billion could shock everyone...

The figure of zero could also bring about another kind of shock!

On the prosecutor’s bench...

"S.H.I.T!"

Under his breath, Zhang Wei muttered this one word, somewhat helplessly.

He had considered this issue too, but there was no way around it.

Because numbers do not lie.

This move was unsolvable...