Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 208 - 207: Leading Questions, Liang Canguang Confesses

Chapter 208: Chapter 207: Leading Questions, Liang Canguang Confesses

"Members of the major case team, you may all step down!"

Following Ni Qiuping’s wave of dismissal, Lin Ruonan and the others left the courtroom.

Xia Qianyue alone remained in front of the witness stand, sitting next to Xiao Baihe’s special seat.

The attention of everyone in the courtroom, which had been on the "petite and frail" intern from the major case team, was now redirected elsewhere.

However, their gazes toward the witness stand were no longer so friendly.

Well done, Liang Canguang, you really know how to find an excuse, blaming someone who isn’t good, actually blaming a weak woman.

You’re clearly lying!

Equally, Ni Qiuping was also unhappy.

Liang Canguang truly wasn’t giving her any face, making such "random accusations" in front of the court.

As a judge, how could she tolerate this?

Bang!

With a strike of the gavel, Judge Ni announced in court, "Witness Liang Canguang, this court believes your accusations seriously contradict the facts and there is a possibility of perjury! The court now declares you as the prosecution’s ’hostile witness’!"

At this statement, there wasn’t much reaction from the bench.

But two people on the prosecution’s side changed their expressions.

"This is bad, this idiot could have blamed anyone but had to blame an intern who obviously has no combat ability, giving the judge a chance to explode!"

Hu Yaode’s face changed dramatically because once Liang Canguang was declared a hostile witness, the impact on the trial would be terrifying.

Similarly, in front of the bench.

"Xiao Baihe, what is a hostile witness?"

Xia Qianyue didn’t understand the matters of a trial and naturally asked the professional beside her.

"Simple-minded person, you truly are simple-minded, not even knowing this!"

Xiao Baihe rolled her eyes, but seeing the other’s eager-to-learn gaze, she couldn’t help but explain.

"A hostile witness is one whose testimony is unfavorable to the questioning party, thus allowing the questioning party to use leading questions!"

"What are leading questions?"

Geez, is this never going to end?

Xiao Baihe was already somewhat fed up with the stupidity of the person next to her; she wasn’t a law professor and had no responsibility to educate those around her on these matters.

"Just open your eyes wide and watch the court, Ying Ying is going to ask a lot of leading questions, and even if she doesn’t know how, Zhang Wei will tell her what to do!"

"Oh, got it!"

Xia Qianyue nodded her head, obediently sitting back in her seat and quieting down.

But this only made Xiao Baihe speechless for a moment, internally wondering how normal people could stand such a fool.

She even felt a bit of sympathy for Zhang Wei, whose patience must be considerable.

Meanwhile, in the courtroom.

Following the judge’s declaration of Liang Canguang as a hostile witness.

Zhang Wei was now communicating with Tan Yingying.

Because now, they could ask Liang Canguang leading questions, and the defense couldn’t object.

"Do so-and-so, this-and-that... do you understand?"

"Mhm, I got it!"

Seeing Tan Yingying nod, Zhang Wei waved his hand, signaling her to freely proceed.

"Your Honor, the prosecution is ready!"

"Then get on with it, I’ve been waiting for you for half a day!"

Ni Qiuping waved her hand, signaling for the trial to continue.

Tan Yingying walked up to the witness stand, but this time, her gaze at Liang Canguang was completely different from before.

In her eyes, there was a hint of pity, a touch of sympathy...

"Ahem, Mr. Liang Canguang, I am going to start asking questions now..."

Under Liang Canguang’s watchful eye, Tan Yingying finally asked her question.

"Please tell us, did you have a relationship with the defendant Zhu Tianying, have you two ever done it?"

As this question was asked, the entire courtroom was stunned.

What the heck!

Was the first question supposed to be this explosive?

Isn’t that inappropriate?

Don’t you have any foreplay? Going straight for the kill like that?

Even in dating, don’t you start with dinner, hand-holding, watching a movie or something, and then head to a hotel...?

You came up here and skipped right past the preliminary steps, directly asking about sex, isn’t this somewhat...

However, this question is indeed attention-grabbing.

The whole courtroom’s gaze was concentrated on Liang Canguang.

The latter, being stared at by so many people, felt exceedingly uncomfortable.

He looked towards the defense bench as if seeking help, but unfortunately, he only encountered the cold stares of Hu Yaode and Jiang Fengzhen.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but Tan Yingying immediately stepped in between him and the defense bench.

This tactic was also imparted by Zhang Wei. Using reasonable actions in the courtroom to block the witness’s line of sight to the defense can block some of the opponent’s tactics.

"Liang Canguang, you haven’t answered the question yet?"

"Did you have sexual relations with the defendant Zhu Tianying? Did you ever sleep together?"

Tan Yingying stood in front of the witness stand, and her questioning tone did create a sense of oppression.

"I..."

Liang Canguang suddenly felt an enormous pressure.

Defense bench.

Even though Zhu Tianying was expressionless, her fingers were tightly clasped, obviously feeling uneasy inside.

Jiang Fengzhen beside her wanted to stand up and object but was stopped by a look from Hu Yaode.

"It’s useless. Your opposition now is futile. This is the downside of a hostile witness. The prosecutor’s very first question was leading, and you couldn’t stop it!"

Because he knew objecting would be futile.

As a junior partner, how could Jiang Fengzhen not understand this?

But she couldn’t swallow this insult, especially since she had been outmaneuvered by a prosecutor who was obviously a rookie.

In the courtroom, the questioning continued.

"I didn’t, I didn’t have relations with the defendant, I..."

Liang Canguang actually denied it, even if the facts stated otherwise, he still denied it.

"Liang Canguang, do you know the consequences of perjury? Do you know that lying in court carries criminal liability?"

"I..."

"I’ll ask you again, did you engage in a sexual relationship with the defendant Zhu Tianying in the room on the second floor of the villa? Did you come to the villa multiple times to have an affair with the defendant when the deceased Ren Xinwei was not present?"

"I..."

"If you lie and the forensics team discovers evidence that proves you are lying, you will face 10 years in prison!"

Tan Yingying, at this moment, spoke with newfound firmness.

"Do you understand that even if you admit it, you won’t have to go to jail; because having an affair with a married woman doesn’t violate any criminal laws. At most, you will be subject to finger-pointing and hear some gossip."

"But if you lie in court, that is 10 years behind bars. Think for yourself, is it worth it?"

Liang Canguang’s gaze suddenly turned into a panicked scramble; he tried to look towards the defense bench but, unfortunately, couldn’t see anything.

Similarly, Jiang Fengzhen from the defense bench tried to stand up several times but ultimately did not take action.

"Liang Canguang, we, the prosecution, give you one last chance and hope you can be truthful."

"Otherwise, as you know, we are now in an era of advanced technology. Anything you’ve done won’t go unnoticed, and if the forensics team finds any traces at the scene, you won’t be able to deny it later."

"So I will ask you one last time, did you have sexual relations with the defendant Zhu Tianying? Did you have an affair with her in the villa? Did you..."

"I confess, I’ll be honest, I did indeed sleep with her!"

Under the relentless pressure of Tan Yingying, Liang Canguang finally couldn’t bear the pressure. His mental defenses collapsed, and he chose to confess.

"Yes, I had an affair with Zhu Tianying. We did it not only in the room on the second floor but also in the bathroom, the restroom, the kitchen, and even the living room and office on the first floor. There’s nowhere in that villa where we haven’t done it..."

"Every time the housekeeper left, we would... we would..."

Liang Canguang completely confessed, even revealing a major scandal.

"Wow, impressive!"

On the prosecution’s bench, Zhang Wei wore a smile on his face.

He was very pleased with the witness’s response.

With this testimony, at least regarding inheritance rights, he now had a point to explore further.

In the spectator area, President Ding laughed too.

Now, that woman in the courtroom was in trouble, the opponent actually had an extramarital affair, doing something that betrayed Chairman Ren.

So relying on the prenuptial agreement and moral constraints, it won’t be easy for her to inherit Ren’s Film Industry.

Among the jury, the jurors’ gazes towards Zhu Tianying also changed.

Wow, what a story!

Before coming to court, they had heard countless people’s shouts, thinking the defendant was indeed innocent.

But who would have thought... who would have thought...

You actually cheated on your husband, and did it so outrageously; this must have been happening dozens of times!

Outrageous, absolutely outrageous!

The 12 jurors almost all looked at the defendant on the prosecution’s side with hostility.

But Zhang Wei knew that this move had not completely killed the opposition’s will to fight back.

"Cough, cough..."

Zhang Wei coughed again and made a gesture as if he was slitting his throat, then pointed towards the defense’s bench.

Tan Yingying immediately understood the intention, which was for her to block the opponent’s counterattack strategy.

"May I ask the witness, since you admit to having an affair with the defendant, could you please tell everyone, who initiated the affair? I fear that the defense may slander you during their questioning, claiming that you either seduced or forced the defendant into the relationship!"

"How could that be, it was all her seducing me!"

Liang Canguang pointed at Zhu Tianying on the defense’s bench, unable to hold back, "The very first time, it was she who took the initiative. I even remember the details of that day. As a client, it was her first time at our Yangxin Hall. At that time, our master chose me from all the disciples, as the eldest apprentice, to be responsible for her, that day..."

At the court, Liang Canguang began to narrate a "small story," and everyone in the room pricked up their ears.

minutes later...

"...So, the first few times, it was she who seduced me, and each time after we were done, she would pour out her sorrows to me, complaining about how her husband abused and beat her. It pained me to hear it, and I felt sympathetic towards her. She even said that she found warmth with me and that she was very happy when she was with me!"

"Thank you for your testimony, witness. I believe that after hearing your words, the defense will no longer reverse right and wrong to slander you."

Tan Yingying was, of course, very satisfied with Liang Canguang’s testimony, and even, at Zhang Wei’s hint, dissed the defense.

"Your Honor, concerning the rebuttal against witness Liang Canguang, the prosecution has no further questions!"

Tan Yingying, filled with satisfaction, finished her questioning.

However, when she returned to the prosecution’s bench, she saw that Zhang Wei’s expression was not good.

"What’s wrong, Zhang Wei?"

"You should’ve interrupted him when Zhu Tianying was ’airing her dirty laundry’ to Liang Canguang. You should have stopped him so the defense couldn’t catch that point!"

"Which point?"

"Your rank is too low, and I’m too lazy to explain it to you. Because Hu Yaode is certainly no fool, he will definitely notice that crucial point!"

Zhang Wei shook his head, having decided not to bother explaining any further to Tan Yingying.

After all, it was useless to explain; the defense would still point it out in court.

On the prosecution’s bench.

Zhu Tianying looked particularly distressed.

How could she not realize that the advantage in the trial no longer lay with her?

"Lawyer Jiang, Lawyer Hu, don’t you have a strategy to stop these people from defaming me, slandering me, and looking at me with that nauseating gaze?"

"Miss Zhu, rest assured, we will definitely help you. Let me..."

Jiang Fengzhen had just begun to make a promise when Hu Yaode stood up before her.

"Lawyer Hu, you..."

"Stop talking nonsense, let me do it!"

With that remark, Hu Yaode walked towards the witness stand.

"Witness, you say that every time affair took place, it was our client who seduced you?"

"Yes, if she hadn’t seduced me, why would I have possibly..."

"Really?"

Hu Yaode sneered and pointed towards the defense’s bench, "In my opinion, such matters are always voluntarily engaged in by both men and women. If you truly did not want to do it, you could have outright refused, couldn’t you?"

"This..."

Liang Canguang was at a loss for words; why refuse such an opportunity anyway?

"You don’t deny it, which means you were actually not averse to such affairs, right?"

"This... I can’t deny it, and the facts are as you say."

Seeing that Liang Canguang did not deny it, Hu Yaode didn’t continue questioning but walked in front of the jury box.

He looked at the 12 jurors, raised his hand to point at Zhu Tianying on the defense’s bench, and loudly asked, "Although my client had an affair first, which we don’t intend to deny, have any of you considered why she would have an affair?"

At this moment, the jurors were all thinking the same thing: Enough, defense attorney, there are reasons for an affair now?

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and everyone in the court, I wonder if you caught something just now?"

On the prosecution’s bench, Zhang Wei muttered to himself, as expected.

Hu Yaode had indeed grasped that key point, which was the consequence of Tan Yingying’s failure to interrupt.

"You must all remember the witness’s testimony from the last round, don’t you? What he said, you should recall, right?"

Everyone thought back: What did Liang Canguang say earlier?

"The witness accused my client of having a relationship with him, but my client also told the witness that she engaged with him because the deceased, Ren Xinwei, hit her!"

The whole courtroom came to a realization—so that was the issue.

"Witness, when you were having relations with my client, did you happen to see some bruises on her body?"

"You mentioned this point, and I do recall it!" Liang Canguang nodded.

"Then did my client tell you why she came to Yangxin Hall?"

"She did, it appeared to be because her husband kept threatening her and committed domestic violence, that’s why she came to our Yangxin Hall for treatment."

"So my client..."

Lawyer Hu started a series of questions, all revolving around Ren Xinwei’s domestic abuse of Zhu Tianying.

On the prosecutor’s side.

Zhang Wei nudged Tan Yingying with his elbow again, and the latter reacted immediately.

"Objection, hearsay evidence, and the defense lawyer is leading the witness to speculate!"

"Prosecutor, please be quicker with your responses next time, I have been waiting for you for quite a while!"

Judge Ni gave Tan Yingying a stern look with a hint of warning.

Then, she warned Lawyer Hu in the courtroom, "The prosecution’s objection is valid. Defense lawyer, please do not ask questions that lead to baseless speculation. Unless your side can provide conclusive evidence that the deceased was abusive to the defendant, this court will not consider it!"

"Sorry, Judge Ni, I retract my previous statement!"

Lawyer Hu quickly apologized, with quite a good attitude.

"Witness, let me phrase it differently. When you first had sexual relations with my client, did it happen because she was injured, looking pitiful, which moved you to sympathy?"

"This..." Liang Canguang thought for a moment and could not help but nod.

"It seemed so... She also said that she felt safe being with me..."

"So you’re saying that, even if we can’t determine whether Ren Xinwei was the one who abused my client, she was injured somewhere and needed a man for comfort?"

"Yes, she always had injuries, mostly abrasions and bruises; she must have been beaten by someone. If it weren’t for our Yangxin Hall’s expertise in traditional Chinese medicine, some scars might have remained."

"Thank you for your answer, I have no more questions!"

Seeing that Liang Canguang’s testimony fit his objectives well, Lawyer Hu couldn’t help but smile.

And because of his series of questions, the jury’s gaze towards Zhu Tianying shifted from full hostility to a measure of sympathy.

They felt that perhaps the woman had an excusable reason for her infidelity.

Because she had suffered from long-term domestic violence, she connected with the elder brother of Yangxin Hall who could give her the sense of security she lacked.

A woman, if she does not feel safe and lives in such an environment for a long time, surely deserves sympathy.

Seeing his goal achieved, Lawyer Hu finally walked back to the defense bench with a smile.

"Thank you, Lawyer Hu!"

Zhu Tianying also noticed that the courtroom’s mood had finally shifted and, while breathing a sigh of relief, thanked Lawyer Hu.

Jiang Fengzhen thought the same, crediting that Lawyer Hu was indeed worthy of the Boss’s interest, otherwise, why would he have been promoted to senior partner.

Zhang Wei noticed the change in the atmosphere too, but he did not want to bother with it.

"Xiao Tan, while the witness hasn’t left, quickly ask a follow-up question for me!"

He immediately instructed Tan Yingying to prepare.

In the courtroom.

Since both the prosecution and defense had finished questioning Su Canguang, he could leave too.

"Witness, you may..."

"Your Honor, the prosecution wishes to ask an additional question!"

But just as Ni Qiuping was about to dismiss the witness, Tan Yingying stood up again at Zhang Wei’s instruction.

"May I ask the witness, you said under your master’s guidance, you were responsible for helping the defendant with her physical conditioning, and you were also the defendant’s teacher. What exactly did you teach the defendant?"

"Oh, that, I taught her some knowledge about traditional Chinese medical treatment, the basic self-defense techniques of our Yangxin Hall, as well as some..."

Su Canguang didn’t hide anything and revealed all he had taught Zhu Tianying.

"Thank you for your answer, the prosecution has no further questions."

It wasn’t until then that Su Canguang finally left the witness stand and exited the courtroom.

"Prosecution, do you wish to continue summoning the previous witness, Miss Xu?"

"No need, Your Honor!"

Since it had been proven that Zhu Tianying had an affair, there was no point in further summoning Aunt Xu.

"How about the defense?"

"We also waive the cross-examination of Aunt Xu!"

"Understood!"

Ni Qiuping got the message and declared, "Since both parties are in such accord, this court hereby announces that today’s session is concluded!"

After announcing, the judge glanced at her schedule, "Court will resume on Thursday at 2 p.m., and I hope both sides will not be late!"

The court was officially adjourned.