Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 229 - 228: Impure Motives of the Witness? Zhang Wei’s Small Request

Chapter 229: Chapter 228: Impure Motives of the Witness? Zhang Wei’s Small Request

"Witness, did you livestream last night?"

Zhang Wei looked at Ji Guoguo and asked again.

This was already the second time he had asked.

Chen Baoluo wanted to intervene, but he was powerless.

Ni Qiuping was watching him intently, her gaze filled with a warning.

Having previously seen his objections overruled, he could only sit back down obediently.

"I... last night, yes, I did livestream..."

Ji Guoguo lifted her eyes and glanced at Zhang Wei, her tone faltering.

"Oh, you did livestream!"

Zhang Wei smiled slightly and then asked, "So, how many gifts did you receive during your livestream last night?"

"Uh..."

This question stumped Ji Guoguo.

She remembered that her backstage gift list was constantly refreshing last night and she was continuously thanking viewers.

As for exactly how many gifts she had received, she really didn’t know, because the gifts never stopped.

"I believe that a host can see the amount of gifts they received in the backstage, right?"

"That... last night I livestreamed till very late... Before sleeping, because I was too tired, I didn’t have time to check the backstage..."

"No problem, you can check it today!"

Zhang Wei said, smiling as he looked towards the judges’ bench.

"Judge Ni, our side requests that the witness Ji Guoguo use her phone to open the livestreaming app and check the backstage data."

"Objection!"

Although he did not know what Zhang Wei was planning, Chen Baoluo knew that opposing was the right move.

The other party obviously had an agenda, and his job was to stop them.

"Your Honor, my client, Miss Ji, how much money she earned from livestreaming last night really has nothing to do with this case. And making money from livestreaming is taxable income, which is Miss Ji’s personal privacy. I don’t believe the court has the right to ask her to disclose her income, right?"

"That’s true!"

Ni Qiuping also felt it was somewhat inappropriate and couldn’t help looking at Zhang Wei, "Lawyer Zhang, you should be aware that your request involves personal privacy, don’t you think this request is a bit excessive?"

Zhang Wei had anticipated this and explained with a slight smile, "Your Honor, if it were just ordinary livestreaming, it would naturally have nothing to do with this case, and I would not ask her to disclose her income."

Upon hearing Zhang Wei say this, everyone in the court instinctively nodded, but couldn’t help thinking... this guy is about to say "but" isn’t he?

"But..."

Sure enough, I knew this kid was going to say it!

"But if someone exploits the case as a hot topic, leveraging the case’s publicity to increase their follower count and receive gifts during the livestream, then the nature of the matter changes, right?"

"Oh, there is such a thing?" Ni Qiuping raised her eyebrows slightly upon hearing this.

"Your Honor, to allay your concerns, I’ve decided to play a segment of Miss Ji’s livestream from last night!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei gestured towards Xia Qianjun in the defendant’s bench.

What Xia Qianjun’s expression was like couldn’t be seen behind the paper pig’s head mask, but his eyes seemed murderous.

However, for the sake of his own case, Xia Qianjun endured.

He took out a laptop from Zhang Wei’s bag, began connecting it to the projector, then opened a folder prepared by Zhang Wei and selected the clip.

The court’s projector displayed the video, which began playing.

"Thank you, big brother, for the rocket, thank you!"

"Yes, Guoguo is in court today, and I even confronted the pervert who harassed me face to face. I was really brave!"

"Thanks for the rocket from ’Brave Guoguo is Not Afraid of Hardships,’ wishing the boss a booming business and big profits every day!"

"Thanks for the 99 hearts from ’Brave Guoguo Must Confront the Pervert Head-On.’ This brother is right, of course, I must confront the pervert head-on!"

"Thank you..."

In the video, Ji Guoguo was seen livestreaming in pajamas. There wasn’t anything particularly unusual about the footage; she was just chatting to the camera, and the content wasn’t too risqué.

However, the content of the chat and the fans’ renamed IDs were all closely connected to a particular incident.

"That’s right, the brothers in the live stream room are correct, I do need to change my name. From now on, the room will be known as ’Brave Guoguo’, for I am the anchorwoman who bravely fights perverts!"

"Is that pervert handsome? I heard he seems quite handsome... have you got a crush on him, sis? So what if he’s handsome? He’s still a pervert, let me tell you, no matter how handsome a man is, you can’t eat his looks!"

"Exactly, exactly, just because a man is handsome doesn’t mean he’s a good person. Take the defendant, for instance, he looks so righteous but he went ahead and did such a thing."

"If I hadn’t been brave enough in court to speak out about what he did to me, who knows how many girls would have been in danger. I was practically serving justice!"

"To all the viewers and fans in the live stream, since Guoguo has been so brave, I wonder what you would like to reward me with?"

"Can the trial be live streamed... Of course not, you have to hand in your phone when you enter the courtroom. If it wasn’t for that, I would definitely live stream it for you all to see, really, you need to see how brave I was in court."

"Also, let me tell you, the people in court are super fierce. Not to mention their lawyer, just take that female judge, she looks really stern, like a menopausal old school principal, and she kept glaring at me!"

"Thank you to ’Brave Guoguo Defeats Pervert’ for the one Ultimate Universe Invincible Super Rocket, I’m really moved by your support. Maybe I should sing a song for everyone here..."

The video ended.

The room fell silent.

Everyone looked toward the judge’s bench, toward Judge Ni Qiuping.

A menopausal old school principal?

Are you looking for death, you little girl?

Everyone knew about Judge Ni Qiuping’s temper, you’re all docile to her face, but when you get home and start a live stream, you dare to say anything, even joking about Judge Ni Qiuping in the live room.

Tsk tsk tsk, and it was caught red-handed by the defense lawyer!

"Lawyer Zhang, is this the content of the witness’s live stream from last night?"

Judge Ni wore a "smile," but her tone was devoid of the slightest emotion, with an eerie coldness and terror.

"Yes, Judge Ni, the witness started streaming from 8:30 PM until 2:30 AM, totaling 6 hours of live streaming!"

"During this time, she was chatting with her fans, and all the 6 hours of content revolved around what happened in court yesterday."

"Here, I have prepared a chart which lists the things Miss Ji said yesterday. I have identified a few key terms that can give you a clearer picture of the data!"

Zhang Wei said this, and again gestured toward the defendant’s bench, where Xia Qianjun reluctantly opened an electronic spreadsheet next to the video.

The spreadsheet opened, and then the keywords appeared, followed by a numerical count.

"Your Honor, I almost didn’t rest all night, watching Miss Ji’s entire livestream and summarizing the vocabulary she used."

"As you can clearly see in this chart, she referred to my client Xia Qianjun as a pervert 355 times, mentioned ’the case’ 194 times, and ’inappropriateness’ 123 times. Moreover..."

Zhang Wei looked up toward the judge’s bench and somberly said, "...She mentioned ’menopause’ a staggering 17 times!"

"Your Honor, based on this chart and the clips from the livestream, we believe that not only did Miss Ji use this case as a promotional stunt for her live stream room, but she also drew in fans and solicited tips by exploiting the case’s popularity, which constitutes her improper gain!"

"Therefore, we request that Miss Ji’s live stream earnings be made public. I believe this is a completely reasonable and lawful request!"

Seeing Zhang Wei making the request again, Chen Baoluo was about to stand up.

But before he could lift his backside, a sharp gaze locked on him fiercely; it was Ni Qiuping’s stern look.

Chen Baoluo had never seen such murderous intent in someone’s eyes, as though moving slightly might cost him his life.

Gulp~

He swallowed hard, ultimately remaining seated.

"The court deems Lawyer Zhang’s request to be both reasonable and appropriate, and the witness needs to immediately disclose last night’s live stream earnings!"

Judge Ni managed to refrain from cursing, which was already showing great restraint, but her tone was even colder than before.

The way she looked at the witness stand had also become even sharper.

Ji Guoguo felt like a little rabbit running through the fields, with a predator watching her from the sky.

She felt terrified inside~

However, the evidence gathering had to continue. A court guard immediately handed Ji Guoguo a phone, and she reluctantly logged into the live stream system, opening the backend data.

Zhang Wei took a screenshot on the screen and then sent it directly to the computer.

In a few seconds, the figures for the previous night’s live stream earnings came into view of all those in the court.

"397,812.22!"

Zhang Wei pointed to that number on the projector, emphasizing again, "In one evening, an income close to 400,000!"

"And that’s not all; Miss Ji originally had fewer than 500,000 followers on the streaming platform, but now she has exceeded 1.2 million followers. Those extra 700,000 followers were all gained in the past two days!"

"So we have reason to suspect that this so-called case of molestation, this entire act, might have been nothing but a stunt orchestrated by Miss Ji for the benefit of her own live stream revenue, right?"

As soon as this was said, the entire courtroom was in an uproar.

Indeed, with 400,000 yuan earned in just one night, if this happened a few more times, wouldn’t one become wealthy rapidly?

The looks people in the courtroom now gave Ji Guoguo had completely changed.

They became unsympathetic, and instead filled with doubt.

On the jury bench, the faces of many of the six jurors had also shifted.

On the one hand, they were amazed by how profitable live streaming could be; on the other, they began to harbor the same doubts.

Is there something really wrong with this girl? Could she actually be using this incident to gain popularity? If it were me, making 400,000 yuan in one night, I might do the same, right?

I slog my life away every day for just a few coins, and she chats for one night and earns 400,000 yuan—that’s just too...

The sentiment in the courtroom had changed in a mere instant.

"This..."

Upon witnessing this, Chen Baoluo’s expression immediately darkened.

What a move by this youngster, going straight for the jugular by insinuating my client has ulterior motives!

"Objection, this is pure speculation; the defense attorney’s conjecture is utterly unfounded!"

As Chen Baoluo raised his objection, Zhang Wei let out a cold laugh, "Lawyer Chen, that’s 400,000 yuan in one day; don’t you have any thoughts on that?"

"Judge, about Lawyer Zhang—he?"

"Enough, Zhang Wei!"

Judge Ni Qiuping chided him sternly.

"Sorry, Judge Ni, but I just can’t help it. Knowing that some people make so much money by chasing trends, it really makes me envious~"

Zhang Wei quickly apologized, yet his tone maintained his usual sarcasm.

In the courtroom, upon hearing Zhang Wei’s sarcastic remarks, everyone thought: It’s not just you who’s envious, we are too!

"Lawyer Zhang, please be mindful!"

Judge Ni had to remind him again, and only then did Zhang Wei wave his hand in acknowledgment of his mistake.

However, the mood in the courtroom wouldn’t change with the judge’s words.

"Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Of course!"

Seeing Zhang Wei ready to continue, Judge Ni held her tongue.

After all, the stage was his to command.

"Miss Ji, I have another question for you, but simply asking you is not really effective!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei made a request to the bench, "Judge Ni, our side requests the re-summoning of the plaintiff’s witness, Zhou Chengzi, to testify in court!"

This request surprised many, but considering the previous lawyer was not Zhang Wei, they readily understood.

"The court grants the request!"

Although Judge Ni was unclear about what Zhang Wei was plotting, she did not object.

Soon enough, Zhou Chengzi approached the witness stand and stood beside it.

"Ahem, Miss Zhou, hello. I am the new defense attorney. I have some questions to ask both you and Miss Ji; I hope you’ll cooperate."

After greeting the two, Zhang Wei gestured toward the defense bench.

Reluctantly, Xia Qianjun opened his briefcase and took out three pieces of paper and two pens.

After taking them from Xia Qianjun’s hands, Zhang Wei handed the three pieces of paper to Zhou Chengzi, Ji Guoguo, and Judge Ni Qiuping at the bench.

On the papers, a human figure was drawn, along with several labeled body parts.

"If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask you both to mark where my client allegedly started his indecent actions towards Miss Ji?"

"Objection!"

Chen Baoluo immediately stood up, objecting, "What is the meaning of this, defense attorney? Didn’t you promise not to question our witnesses about the incident?"

"I indeed did not ask anything; I’m merely asking them to mark it. Writing down the numbers 1234 on these parts of the body should be allowable, right?"

Zhang Wei had anticipated Chen Baoluo would object, so he pulled out the prepared rhetoric to retort.

"Not asking questions doesn’t mean I have no other way of knowing what happened during the incident."

Zhang Wei then looked towards the judge’s bench, "Judge Ni, given that there were no sufficient eyewitnesses when the incident occurred, and considering Miss Zhou’s close relationship with Miss Ji, I have reason to suspect the possibility of them conspiring to falsely accuse my client. That’s why I wanted to carry out this verification!"

"If they did indeed witness my client harassing Miss Ji, then for them, that scene would be what they saw with their own eyes, the actions taken by my client at the time of the harassment should be imprinted in their minds."

"Conversely, if the incident itself didn’t exist, then naturally Miss Zhou and Miss Ji wouldn’t remember details of the harassment, which is why I thought of this method of verification, hoping that both would cooperate!"

Zhang Wei said this, approached the witness stand, and pulled Zhou Chengzi to one side.

"Miss Zhou, when making the identification, please do not communicate with Miss Ji on the witness stand, otherwise, I will suspect that you are colluding!"

"Judge Ni, could I ask you to arrange for two court guards to watch Miss Ji and Miss Zhou separately, to ensure that they can’t see or communicate with each other throughout the process?"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s request, Chen Baoluo opened his mouth, but Judge Ni Qiuping spoke before he could.

"Alright, the court grants permission!"

Two court guards stood on either side of Ji Guoguo and Zhou Chengzi, preventing them from making eye contact and even obstructing their view.

"Miss Zhou, Miss Ji, now please mark the first part that my client touched when he assaulted Miss Ji, thank you!"

"This..."

Upon hearing this request, Zhou Chengzi looked nervous, while Ji Guoguo’s eyes reddened as if she were about to cry again.

"Stop!"

But Zhang Wei suddenly interrupted, dissipating much of Ji Guoguo’s urge to cry.

He then took out a pack of tissues, a tube of eye cream, and a bottle of water from his briefcase and placed them in front of the witness stand.

"Miss Ji, if you’re going to cry, I’ve prepared tissues for you. In case you cry too hard and hurt your eyes, I’ve got eye cream for you, and since crying too much might also lead to dehydration, I’ve prepared drinking water for you. However, you’ll still need to write the identification, and I can stay here with you all day if need be, whenever you stop crying, we can begin!"

After finishing, Zhang Wei even showed a smile to Ji Guoguo.

But that smile, in her eyes, was so sinister.

Ji Guoguo was cursing inside.

I really appreciate it, thank you for being so considerate, thank you on behalf of your whole family!

On the plaintiff’s bench, Chen Baoluo opened his mouth, but couldn’t find any words to refute in time.

Similarly, on the spectators’ bench, upon seeing Zhang Wei’s manipulative tactics, Li Qinghua and Xia Donghai felt their irritation dissipate, as if they saw hope.

Although Zhang Wei might have a disagreeable personality, his methods were indeed formidable.

You really had it all planned out!

In just one night, he thought of so much, even considering the witnesses’ tears.

Now go ahead and cry, I have prepared tissues and eye cream for you, cry if you must.

I’ve even thoughtfully prepared water for you, to prevent dehydration from crying.

What do you call this?

This is called the ultimate warm man!

Pity that this warm man couldn’t move Ji Guoguo at all.

Now holding the pen, she looked at the paper in her hand, staring at the human figure drawn on it, yet she didn’t know where to begin.

If she were to make a mark, and it didn’t match Zhou Chengzi’s, wouldn’t people notice the discrepancy?

However, attempting to look in Zhou Chengzi’s direction, her view was blocked by the two court guards and Zhang Wei, making it impossible to see anything.

Similarly, on the other side, Zhou Chengzi tried several times to look towards the witness stand but couldn’t catch a glimpse of Ji Guoguo.

She pondered over where to start, but hesitated greatly, unable to mark the paper.

"What’s wrong, why haven’t the two of you marked anything yet? My client’s act of harassment should be fresh in your memories, it’s only been a few days, you couldn’t have forgotten, could you?"

Zhang Wei saw their hesitation and sneered, taunting them.

"Both of you are eyewitnesses and have seen my client harass Miss Ji, so why can’t you mark down my client’s actions?"

"Could it be that you’ve both lied, and my client never harassed Miss Ji at all, and this has all been your slander?"

Zhang Wei’s mockery left everyone in the courtroom with doubts.

Seeing the performances of Ji Guoguo and Zhou Chengzi, could Xia Qianjun really be innocent?