Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 228 - 227: Zhang Wei Takes Over, Ji Guoguo’s Job?

Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Zhang Wei Takes Over, Ji Guoguo’s Job?

(The torrential rain outside today is so intense...)

...

Wednesday, evening.

Dongjiang Yipin, my father-in-law and mother-in-law’s home.

On the TV, a video was playing.

"Hello everyone, I am Li Qingmu, the decision-maker of Qingmu Law Firm. At this moment, I am here to issue a statement!"

"First of all, I want to tell everyone that I have terminated the agency agreement with the client Xia Qianjun, and I am no longer Xia Qianjun’s attorney!"

"Of course, our side has amicably negotiated with him with the consent of the client, and we have finally reached a termination agreement. Please be assured that the client has also agreed not to pursue our side for the termination matters."

"At Qingmu Law Firm, we have always been dedicated to serving clients, providing the best legal advice, and I hope that people who see this news can..."

In the video, Li Qingmu delivered his "serious" speech.

As expected, the head of Qingmu Law Firm, in pursuit of benefit, had made what he believed to be the most "correct" decision.

He had terminated the contract with Xia Qianjun.

And this move had frustrated the entire Li Qinghua family.

They were handling the lawsuit well, and now they had no lawyer.

"Mom, my uncle—"

"He is not your uncle; I don’t have such an elder brother!"

Xia Qianyue tentatively asked, but it only provoked Li Qinghua’s gnashing of teeth.

Li Qingmu’s actions made Li Qinghua see things crystal clear.

All that talk about considering the big picture, for the sake of Qingmu Law Firm.

It was all about the benefits, because those clients called, threatening him to terminate the contract.

In plain terms, it was all for money!

Li Qingmu had chosen to abandon Xia Qianjun and to appease his clients for the sake of contracts and benefits.

In the end, he even personally called those major clients, displaying extreme obsequiousness and compliance over the phone.

If Li Qingmu wasn’t Li Qinghua’s own elder brother, they would definitely pursue the responsibility.

But since they were all family, Li Qinghua was left with no choice but to suppress the bitterness in her heart.

Forget it, forget it, if they want to unilaterally terminate the contract, then so be it. From now on, she simply wouldn’t have this elder brother!

In the end, the Li Qinghua family could only leave Qingmu Law Firm with resentment.

Xia Qianjun returned to the special forces dormitory, while Xia Qianyue and Xia Donghai accompanied Li Qinghua back to her house in Dongjiang Yipin.

Now the problem arose, Li Qingmu wouldn’t represent Xia Qianjun in the lawsuit.

Other lawyers from Qingmu Law Firm also weren’t likely to help Xia Qianjun.

They needed a lawyer.

"Hello, is this Lawyer Yuan? I am Li Qinghua... Hello? Hello? Hello?"

"Lawyer Zheng, I need a favor; are you available...?"

"Lawyer Yu, I am Li..."

Li Qinghua made several calls, but as soon as she introduced herself, the calls were disconnected.

The swift responses left her unable to react.

Great, is this a speed competition now, to see who can hang up on me the fastest?

Li Qinghua was already very angry; now, these lawyers she knew, who had eagerly given her their business cards in the past, were all avoiding her. Her anger intensified.

Yet she knew very well that these lawyers hadn’t given her their cards to befriend her, but to curry favor with Judge Chen behind her back.

As Judge Chen’s clerk, these lawyers wanted to probe her for Judge Chen’s inclinations.

But what of it? When they handed out their cards, they said she could seek their help whenever troubled, promising to assist with anything.

And now? Now that she needed their help, each of them was pretending to be dead!

It’s maddening!

"Mom, actually, there’s still one option we have..."

Xia Qianyue murmured to her mother, who was fuming with anger, reminding her softly.

"Who, who else is there?"

Li Qinghua snapped, her brows tightly furrowed.

"Oh, it’s that kid, isn’t it!"

Xia Donghai immediately understood whom his daughter was referring to.

"That kid, you’re not thinking of... No, that kid is too despicable. I, Li Qinghua, would rather die, jump from this riverside house, than ask that kid for help!"

Li Qinghua shook her head promptly; she would rather jump into the Dongjiang River than seek help from Zhang Wei!

...

p.m.

Inside Lin Mansion, Zhang Wei’s room.

"Yo, Simple-minded, calling me so late, what’s up?"

"Huh? My uncle and my cousin dissolved their contract, what’s going on?"

"Oh, let me check... Wow, it’s true, they even released a statement, and even took the opportunity to advertise for Qingmu Law Firm!"

"I have to say, uncle really has a business mind, huh? Since he’s already spending the money on media, might as well take the chance to run an ad, right? He’s really something..."

"Oh oh oh, right right right, uncle really isn’t human, how could he abandon you guys like that, he’s too inhumane. But I have a question, now that cousin doesn’t have a lawyer, what are you going to do?"

"You’re asking me?"

"Oh, that’s no problem, I have no issue with it, to help cousin sue, I’d be only too pleased. But what do your in-laws say?"

"Oh, father-in-law agreed first, mother-in-law didn’t like it at first, but in the end, you guys persuaded her, that’s great!"

"Simple-minded, rest assured, I’ll take the case!"

"Mhm, your worries are not unfounded, but rest assured, I don’t care about face or reputation, nothing can threaten me!"

"Besides, I’m doing this to help you, I’m willing to do anything, mua~~~"

After hanging up with Xia Qianyue, Zhang Wei’s smile quickly disappeared from his face.

Li Qingmu breaching the contract with Xia Qianjun was unexpected for Zhang Wei.

But after seeing Li Qingmu’s subsequent statement, he understood.

The uncle must be afraid that losing the lawsuit would ruin Qingmu Law Firm’s reputation completely, so he chose to withdraw early and minimize the loss.

In other words, Li Qingmu also lacked confidence in Xia Qianjun.

Even if the latter hadn’t done such a thing, without eyewitnesses or decisive evidence, it was extremely difficult to prove the case.

If the jury were to believe the plaintiff and sympathize with Ji Guoguo, then the case was destined to be lost.

Qingmu would be finished even before losing the lawsuit; what more if they actually lost?

Li Qingmu’s decision to distance himself and sever ties with Xia Qianjun was understandable to Zhang Wei.

But, understanding aside, abandoning family members at a crucial moment was somewhat heartless.

"Forget it, it’s uncle’s own choice. I should focus on the task at hand!"

Zhang Wei didn’t have the mind to worry about Li Qingmu anymore; the pressing matter now was to resolve Xia Qianjun’s case.

With that thought, he quickly began making preparations.

...

The next day, in the morning.

City court, Judge’s office.

Ni Qiuping rubbed her forehead, but the mental muddle wasn’t something she could relieve with just her hands.

She had never anticipated that she would ultimately fail to avoid being affected by a certain individual.

"Zhang Wei, could you repeat that? My mind was a bit muddled just now, and I didn’t quite catch it," she requested.

"Sure, Judge Ni!"

Standing in front of the desk, Zhang Wei smiled slightly and declared, "I, Zhang Wei, have already signed a full power of attorney with the client Xia Qianjun!"

"Lawyer Li Qingmu also issued a statement last night, unilaterally terminating the contract. So, I will take over Lawyer Li Qingmu´s work, acting as the full authority legal representative of Xia Qianjun in this case, responsible for providing him with the best legal advice and opinions and helping him handle all matters related to this litigation!"

Not only Ni Qiuping, but Chen Baoluo and Ji Guoguo standing in the next room heard these words as well.

"Does this mean, from now on, my adversary in court will be you, Lawyer Zhang?"

Chen Baoluo was quite polite as he extended his hand.

"Indeed, Lawyer Chen, let’s see who wins and who loses in court!"

Zhang Wei naturally shook hands with his opponent, both of them smiling very "sincerely."

"Lawyer Zhang, now that you’ve taken over the case, do you need time to prepare?"

Judge Ni didn’t care whether they were amiable or not; she just asked what needed to be asked.

Since Zhang Wei was replacing Li Qingmu, some tasks might need to be passed on, and usually, at this time, the changing party would apply for a postponement.

If Zhang Wei were to ask for a postponement, Judge Ni would understand; she was even ready to pick up the schedule to re-arrange the date for the case.

"Judge Ni, I don’t think it’s necessary!"

"It’s not necessary?"

Judge Ni was momentarily surprised by Zhang Wei’s response.

"Yeah, it’s not necessary!"

Zhang Wei displayed a smile toward Chen Baoluo and Ji Guoguo, "I’ve been monitoring this case from the very beginning; there’s no need for a postponement. Doing so would waste both time and court resources, having the hearing today is just fine!"

"Really not necessary?"

"Judge Ni, I’m not one of those interns, I am confident!"

Although Judge Ni felt there was something odd about that statement, she couldn’t pinpoint any issue with it.

She agreed, thus the trial continued as scheduled for the day, without any postponement.

Zhang Wei quickly excused himself; he had to meet up with Xia Qianjun and the others in the preparation room.

However, before leaving, he cast another glance at Ji Guoguo and Chen Baoluo, a look laden with a deeper meaning.

...

In the courtroom.

At the center of the witness stand.

As the person in charge of William International in Dongfang Capital, Miss Laura arrived on site 10 minutes before the trial began.

Although she could afford to show up late elsewhere, the courtroom was an exception.

If you dared to be late, the Court Guard would dare to stop you.

So, Laura was rare in showing up earlier than scheduled for the opening of the trial.

"Miss, we’ve found out who the lawyer taking over the case is!"

A subordinate approached her and whispered a name.

"Zhang Wei, never heard of him."

"Miss, this is the information the investigator found!"

Another subordinate handed over a document.

Laura turned her face sideways and glanced casually at the first page.

"Eh?"

The next moment, her pupils shrank slightly, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

She snatched the document and immediately turned to the second page.

"Hiss—"

What followed was a sharp intake of breath.

Laura looked at the pages of criminal cases, and the conspicuous information on them, with "Procuratorate Headquarters" written boldly.

In the results section of the cases, the word "victory" was particularly glaring.

"The Wang Yuqing case, the Fang Yunshu case, even that Zhu Tianying case were involved, all these by the same Zhang Wei..."

The young owner of William International finally felt challenged.

Although the previous lawyer, Li Qingmu, also had some level of competence.

This time, a fiercer one had arrived, and Chen Baoluo might be in for a tough fight.

Putting aside how this person was worried about her subordinate, people in the courtroom were arriving in succession.

Since Zhang Wei had no intention of asking for an adjournment, the trial was naturally set to proceed normally this morning.

At this moment, the spectator’s gallery was abuzz with discussion.

"Did you hear? Li Qingmu seems to have stepped down as the defense lawyer?"

"Of course, this case is tough to begin with, without any eyewitness testimony, it looks favorable to the plaintiff’s side. Plus, the case has a huge public impact, representing the defendant can easily ruin a reputation!"

"I heard that Li Qingmu received quite a few calls from clients yesterday, probably got scared."

"Nonsense, Li Qingmu always values his reputation in Chengbei District, this case would’ve completely ruined it for him, no wonder he didn’t continue!"

A few lawyers gathered together and engaged in lively discussion.

"So, who’s taking over the case?" Suddenly, someone asked.

"I remember, it seems like a young guy named Zhang Wei, looks quite young. Maybe a rookie who’s not afraid of a challenge, thinking of bumping into the second-ranked of the Top Ten Firms, William International, to gain some fame?"

"Wait, did you say his name is Zhang Wei?"

"Yes, what’s up?"

"No way, it can’t be that Zhang Wei, can it..."

The person who asked turned pale, their expression suddenly becoming incredibly animated.

If it was that Zhang Wei, then today’s hearing would be interesting.

While the courtroom was in disarray, the parties from both sides finally entered.

Almost simultaneously, one after the other, Zhang Wei with Xia Qianjun headed to the defendant’s bench, while Chen Baoluo led Ji Guoguo to the plaintiff’s bench.

After scanning the entire room, Zhang Wei took a deep breath.

This was his battlefield, everything was so familiar, it was comforting.

"Big cousin, just sit tight, I doubt you’ll have to testify today!"

Zhang Wei patted the shoulder of Xia Qianjun sitting next to him, eliciting a speechless reaction from the latter.

He had never thought that Zhang Wei, whom he’d always disliked, would become his lawyer.

Last night, when Li Qinghua called, he was already dumbfounded.

And this morning, when Zhang Wei came with the contract, he was still adjusting, but under Li Qinghua’s nagging, he still signed his name.

But thinking about it, if it hadn’t been for following Zhang Wei that day, maybe none of this would have happened?

At the neighboring table, Chen Baoluo also felt something was amiss.

"What’s with Miss Laura, why is she keep winking at me?"

Chen Baoluo observed the reactions of his law firm’s young owner in the center of the spectator’s gallery with a trace of surprise.

"And this name Zhang Wei, where have I heard it before?"

Chen Baoluo, whose main responsibility was international court cases, wasn’t very familiar with the criminal courtroom in Dongfang Capital, so Zhang Wei didn’t ring a bell for him.

But he vaguely remembered having heard the name Zhang Wei, he just couldn’t recall where.

"It must not be someone impressive, looking so young, probably not much level, it has to be the defendant simply scraping together a replacement after Li Qingmu terminated the contract!"

With such thoughts, Chen Baoluo was reassured.

Shortly after both sides were seated, Judge Ni Qiuping arrived on time.

"All rise!"

As the court guard made the announcement, the courtroom suddenly fell silent.

After Judge Ni Qiuping took her seat on the bench, she glanced at the plaintiff before issuing a warning toward the defendant, Zhang Wei.

However, she knew very well that this lad wasn’t someone who played by the rules, and her warning would probably be futile.

"Ahem, before we begin, the court would like to announce a matter. There has been a change in defense counsel. Lawyer Li Qingmu has terminated the representation of the defendant, Xia Qianjun. The defendant is now represented by Lawyer Zhang Wei. I hope everyone present in this court understands this!"

Following Judge Ni’s introduction, Zhang Wei stood up, waved his hand around the court, and in a way, ’showed his face.’

"All right, the court declares that the trial will continue!"

Judge Ni looked toward the plaintiff’s bench, "Witness Ji Guoguo, please come forward!"

As Ji Guoguo took her place at the witness stand again, Judge Ni turned her gaze toward the defendant’s bench.

"Since we did not finish the cross-examination yesterday, the defense counsel may continue their questioning!"

"Thank you, Your Honor. Indeed, our side has many questions to confirm with the witness!"

Zhang Wei smiled, stepping up to the court, and approached the witness stand.

Just as he was about to speak, Ji Guoguo’s eyes reddened, as if she was prepared to start crying.

"Stop!" But Zhang Wei was one step ahead of her, raising his hand to interrupt.

Ji Guoguo’s tears did not come, instead, Zhang Wei leaned closer to her, "Witness, were you about to cry?"

Feeling the sharp gaze from the bench, Ji Guoguo nervously replied, "No... not at all..."

"Then why did you cry yesterday?"

"I, I saw him, and so I..."

Ji Guoguo pointed toward the defendant, Xia Qianjun, her implication was clear.

"Oh, I see, that can be easily dealt with!"

Zhang Wei smiled slightly, making a gesture at Xia Qianjun in the defendant’s bench.

The latter’s expression changed, his head shaking slightly as if refusing something.

But Zhang Wei’s expression grew stern, his eyes filled with warning.

Seeing no way to prevent it, Xia Qianjun could only sigh deeply and took a paper mask out of Zhang Wei’s briefcase.

The paper mask was shaped like a pig’s head, dyed pink with holes cut out for the eyes.

Xia Qianjun then put on the mask in public, but his eyes fixed on Zhang Wei, filled with murderous intent.

Snicker!

In the gallery, many people could not contain their laughter, and chuckled aloud.

Even Xia Qianyue couldn’t resist; she covered her mouth and giggled softly.

"Your Honor, considering the witness’s distress, I have specially prepared a mask for the defendant to wear. Surely Miss Ji won’t cry now that she can’t see his face, right?"

Zhang Wei looked at Ji Guoguo with a smile while explaining his action to Judge Ni.

"Witness, will you still cry?"

"No... I don’t think so..."

Ji Guoguo hesitated for a moment, nodding uncertainly in response.

"Miss Ji, please rest assured, I won’t question you about what happened during the incident as the previous lawyer did yesterday, nor will I ask you to describe things you feel uncomfortable talking about, please relax!"

After making his promise, Zhang Wei’s tone suddenly shifted, "So, Miss Ji, what is your occupation?"

Although relieved to hear that Zhang Wei would not inquire about the details of the incident, Ji Guoguo was caught off guard by this abrupt change.

You said you would not ask about the case, but do you need to ask about these things?

"Objection!"

Naturally, Chen Baoluo couldn’t tolerate it and protested immediately, "Your Honor, Lawyer Zhang’s question is irrelevant to the case."

"Your Honor, I’m merely considering the emotional state of the witness, and I can assure you that this question is related to the case."

"Alright, I expect you to remember your words!"

After pondering for a moment, Judge Ni nodded, "Objection overruled. Lawyer Zhang, you may continue with your questioning."

Chen Baoluo frowned, sensing that there was an issue.

That guy in the court doesn’t seem to be a rookie.

From his preparations and the ease with which he asked questions, it appeared that he was quite experienced.

Zhang Wei looked toward Ji Guoguo, who hesitated before replying, "I am an online streamer."

"Oh, an online streamer. Then, may I ask if you did a live broadcast last night?"

"I did."

"You must have received quite a few gifts last night. Could you tell us how much you earned yesterday?"

"This..."

Ji Guoguo was taken aback by Zhang Wei’s question.

So were Chen Baoluo and everyone on the plaintiff’s bench.

What’s going on?

Why would the defense lawyer ask such a question, and what does it have to do with the case?