Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 250 - 248: The Secretary Goes to Court, Zhang Wei Counter-Killed? (Extra for 3000 monthly votes)

Chapter 250: Chapter 248: The Secretary Goes to Court, Zhang Wei Counter-Killed? (Extra for 3000 monthly votes)

(Dear readers, you are truly powerful. Author Germ risked being discovered by the leadership to code this out during slacking-off time!)

...

Friday, the next court session.

Thursday’s trial session, judging from the result, was actually favorable to Lin Xiangwan.

But the prosecution’s statement was not yet finished.

Therefore, in today’s trial session, the defense still needed to face the prosecutor’s moves.

In the preparation room.

"In today’s trial, we need to face the second round of attack from the prosecution..."

Zhang Wei was discussing something with Lin Xiangwan and reminding her of matters to pay attention to in court.

Knock knock knock!

From outside the preparation room, a knock on the door sounded.

"Are you Prosecutor Wei Min from the Bright Moon District Procuratorate’s Main Office?"

When Zhang Wei opened the door, he saw Lu Wenwen’s assistant.

"This is what Prosecutor Lu Gao asked me to give you!"

Wei Min was not very polite with Zhang Wei, handed over a list, and turned away without linger.

"A new witness list?"

Zhang Wei took the list and went back into the preparation room.

He opened the list and began to check it carefully.

"Huh, Wang Li?"

Zhang Wei was surprised to see a name on the list.

"Wang Li?"

Lin Xiangwan, hearing this name, was also stunned.

Because Wang Li was her personal assistant.

She had become a witness for the prosecution.

"How many years has Wang Li been with you?"

"Wang Li isn’t from Jincheng Group. After I came to Nandao, I found her through a headhunting company. I wanted to hire a local assistant to make things more convenient," Lin explained.

"Does she know any of your secrets that shouldn’t be made public, like vague business dealings, or any negative news within the company?"

Lin Xiangwan rubbed her forehead, "I believe that I haven’t done anything improper within the company..."

"Really?"

Zhang Wei looked at Lin Xiangwan with surprise. Are there still good bosses around these days?

"Although I may be strict with the employees, have high demands, call frequent meetings, sometimes raise my voice when angry, and use intense words when scolding them, I consider myself to be like an old superior, and the employees are like my family..."

"This..."

Zhang Wei’s mouth twitched. Lin Xiangwan’s words seemed to bear little persuasive power.

"Although it sounds like you are indeed a ’good boss’, I have a feeling that the prosecution is holding back a big move!"

Zhang Wei leaned in close to Lin Xiangwan and said with grave emphasis, "You know, if the prosecution calls a witness, that person will surely testify something very unfavorable to you!"

"Yesterday’s witness list from the prosecution did not include Wang Li’s name, but today it suddenly appeared, indicating they have leveraged something from Wang Li to potentially change the direction of the trial—and it might be key evidence!"

Lin Xiangwan was originally not very concerned, but hearing Zhang Wei’s emphasis, she realized the severity of the problem.

However, she couldn’t understand, what could Wang Li know?

"Let’s wait and see in the courtroom later, but I think the situation shouldn’t deteriorate to the worst-case scenario!"

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and reassured her, "As long as the prosecution can’t prove you have a motive for murder, everything else will be manageable!"

"The time for the court session is nearly upon us, let’s go!"

The two left the preparation room and entered the courtroom together.

Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was tense.

Since yesterday’s session, everyone smelled a hint of gunpowder.

On the visitors’ bench, there were many new faces, but all of them seemed eager, as if there to watch a drama unfold.

With just a glance, Zhang Wei knew these were "insiders", mostly attorneys.

It seemed they were looking forward to the face-off between him and Prosecutor Lu Gao.

"Have you heard? Yesterday the defense attorney used the prosecution’s witness to slap the prosecution’s face!"

"Yeah, I heard that too. The defense attorney seems to be from Dongfang Capital, quite skilled, and suppressed Prosecutor Lu Gao!"

"The craziest part is, the presiding judge is Judge Lu Zhengting, Prosecutor Lu’s father. With the father and daughter both in the courtroom, the defense still gained the upper hand. It’s something else!"

"You can’t say that. Judge Lu was quite fair yesterday. It’s just that the prosecution shot themselves in the foot, insisting on bringing that woman as a witness, and the defense discovered she had an affair with the deceased."

"Do you think the deceased, Jia Shiqing, really had a murderous intention towards the defendant Lin Xiangwan? After all, he had an affair. If it were to be exposed, wouldn’t that be..."

"You mustn’t say it, you mustn’t say..."

In the hearing gallery, there was much discussion.

As Zhang Wei and Lin Xiangwan walked by, the volume of discussion in the hearing gallery noticeably decreased.

However, many glances towards Zhang Wei carried a hint of depth, a touch of curiosity, and an indescribable significance.

Zhang Wei led Lin Xiangwan to their seats at the defendant’s bench.

He glanced over at the prosecutor’s bench and the expected scenario did not occur.

Lu Wenwen and Wei Min’s expressions were quite normal; they didn’t even seem perturbed by the discussions in the hearing gallery.

Something was not right!

Very not right!

Logically, after yesterday’s clash, the prosecution should have been aware that the courtroom climate was somewhat prickly.

Yet, there was not the slightest hint of anxiety in their demeanor.

What was the difference between yesterday and today?

The only difference was in the witness list...

Wang Li!

The name surfaced in Zhang Wei’s mind.

"Madam Lin, let me ask you once more, are you sure there is no problem with Wang Li?"

"Lawyer Zhang, I’ve already told you, in over a year in Nandao, I believe I’ve not made a single mistake!"

Seeing Lin Xiangwan’s assurance, Zhang Wei’s hanging heart did not relax.

Lin Xiangwan may not have any issues, but what about her company’s employees? Could they all be equally blameless?

And was Lin Xiangwan really without problems?

She was a member of the Lin Family; was the Lin Family in Dongfang Capital clean?

Zhang Wei’s brow unconsciously furrowed.

Because if truth be told, no one in this world is spotless.

Of course, a certain simple-minded person is the exception!

While he was worried, the time for the afternoon session finally arrived.

3:30 PM

"Please stand!"

With the court guard’s announcement, Judge Lu Zhengting took to the bench.

He surveyed the room, ensured that both the prosecution and defense were in place, and that no jurors were missing, then nodded his head, declaring the court back in session.

"Prosecution, do you have any more witnesses to summon?"

"Your Honor, the prosecution has updated the witness list."

"I know, my office received the updated witness list at noon. Now, please summon your witness!"

"The prosecution summons witness Wang Li to testify!"

Under Lu Wenwen’s summons, the secretary Wang Li stepped onto the witness stand.

With golden wavy curls and an impressive figure, the female secretary caught the attention of many as she walked into the courtroom.

"Miss Wang, hello!"

"Hello."

Lu Wenwen greeted the secretary, who replied briefly.

"Miss Wang, I’ve noticed that the investigation department seems to have uncovered a lot concerning your boss recently, haven’t they?"

"No... no that I... I’m not sure what you’re talking about..."

Upon hearing Lu Wenwen’s remarks, Wang Li glanced at Lin Xiangwan, her face visibly changing.

This over-the-top denial was, indeed, somewhat suspicious.

After all, all eyes in the room were focused on the witness stand, especially a number of men whose glances were concentrated on her...

There’s a problem!

A big, big problem...

"Miss Wang, how does your boss treat you?"

"I... President Lin treats me very well..."

"And the company’s employees?"

"They’re also treated quite well, I guess..."

"Really?"

"This..."

What followed seemed to testify to the previous speculation.

There was a problem!

A big problem indeed!

Even Zhang Wei could no longer bear to watch.

"Your Honor, what is the prosecutor trying to ask? Can we not beat around the bush and get straight to the point?"

"Is the defense counsel in a hurry?"

Lu Wenwen sneered coldly, as if to mock Zhang Wei.

"Your Honor, look at your daughter, treating the courtroom as what kind of place?"

Zhang Wei looked at Lu Zhengting, who had a helpless expression, silently thinking that this young man really dared to say anything.

"Ahem, what the defense is trying to say is, please ask the prosecution to stick to the crux of the problem and stop probing!"

Lu Zhengting had no choice but to "kindly" remind his daughter.

She understood the hint and knew she needed to ask something substantial now.

"Why bother? I intended to draw blood later, but since you can’t wait, doing it earlier is just as well!"

Lu Wenwen sneered inwardly and approached the witness stand.

"Wang Li, you are the personal assistant of the defendant Lin Xiangwan, correct?"

"Yes, I am President Lin’s assistant, on call 24 hours a day!"

"Then you must know a lot about her, right?"

"No, no, President Lin and I just have an ordinary superior-subordinate relationship."

"Is that so?"

Lu Wenwen walked back to the prosecution’s bench and took a document from Wei Min.

"Defendant Lin Xiangwan has been in Nandao City for a year and has made quite a few contributions to this city. She has not only built bridges and roads but also held numerous charity fundraisers and established a charity fund. In just one year, she has elevated her reputation to that of a celebrity!"

"However, according to the information we received, there are serious quality issues with the urban construction and civil projects she presided over. The contractors for the bridges and roads she built have also been continuously exposed for commercial bribery. As the defendant’s personal assistant, you should be aware of these issues, right?"

Upon hearing what Lu Wenwen said, Wang Li quickly shook her head: "President Lin didn’t know about these things; she really didn’t know..."

"Are these things true?" Zhang Wei turned his head to look at Lin Xiangwan.

"It seems that there have been these problems. It’s said that to secure the projects, contractors bribed our company’s project managers before the bidding. But after the incident, I fired that manager and sued both him and the contractor. There should also be public records of this, right?"

"Aren’t you responsible for the projects?"

"Lawyer Zhang, you must be joking. Nandao is not a small place. The old man sent me here to expand the market; do you think I can handle such a big city alone? I’m only responsible for overall coordination. There are dozens, even hundreds of projects in a year; I can’t possibly supervise each one, can I?"

"So now that there is a problem with your subordinates, you, the overall person in charge, have to take the blame?"

"I don’t know, but there indeed were many problems in the company at that time, after all, I’ve only been in Nandao for a year. In other words, the total project department in Nandao has only been established for a year. Isn’t it normal for a newly established department to experience some problems?"

"A year, indeed a bit short."

Zhang Wei nodded, believing most of what Lin Xiangwan explained.

In the courtroom, Lu Wenwen’s questioning continued.

"You dare to say that the defendant really knows nothing? She needs to sign off on every project, meaning for any project she has signed, she has to take responsibility!"

"I, I’m just an employee, I don’t know anything!" Wang Li, pressed by Lu Wenwen’s questioning, her eyes reddening, seemed about to cry.

"Witness, the seat you are in is the sacred witness stand. Every word and action of yours must be subject to judiciary supervision. Are you aware of the consequences of lying in court?"

"I..."

"Let me ask you again, does your superior really have no knowledge at all about the commercial bribery and corruption problems that erupted in the company?"

"I..."

"It seems the witness won’t shed tears until she sees the coffin!"

Lu Wenwen sneered coldly, but the comment was directed at the defense bench.

She then walked back to the prosecution bench and took a second file from Wei Min.

"According to the investigation by the Business Investigation Department, the charity fund under Lin Xiangwan’s name received a large number of anonymous donations when the company was exposed for commercial bribery and illegal competitive bidding last year. The funds came from offshore accounts and could not be traced."

"But the Business Investigation Department discovered an interesting coincidence. The amount of donations received by the charity fund under the defendant’s name was exactly the same as the amount of money withdrawn from the accounts of the bribing contractors at the same time!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire courtroom was abuzz.

Lu Wenwen nodded to Wei Min, who immediately opened a PPT presentation.

Several documents were revealed.

"Last August 15th, the bridge contractor Nandao Bridge Construction Industry transferred an amount of 15 million from their company accounts. This money was donated to an obscure foreign charity organization. Then, the next day, the defendant’s charity fund received the exact same amount of anonymous donations, which was also precisely 15 million!"

"In early September of the same year, the road contractor Nandao Road Paving Industry did the same. They withdrew 24 million from their accounts, and the following day, the defendant’s charity fund also received an anonymous donation of the same amount, 24 million!"

"And such donations, just last year alone, amounted to 12 instances, totaling up to 234.56 million. Now tell me, how do you explain this money?"

At this moment, the courtroom was more than just abuzz.

My goodness!

This really was something!

It turned out that Lin Xiangwan accepted bribes in such a way, she funded bridge and road construction, thinking it was truly for the service of Nandao City, not realizing that there was so much corruption involved!

Using the company’s money to buy herself a reputation, and to think there were underhanded dealings involved, she even profited from the contractors’ money.

All of a sudden, the direction of the wind in the courtroom had completely changed.

No one likes a heartless businessperson, especially when they realize they’ve been deceived—that’s even more the case.

You, Lin Xiangwan, proclaim yourself a businesswoman, a philanthropist, but behind the scenes, you’re full of schemes and have done so much wrong.

The projects you signed off on after taking bribes, the bridges and roads that were constructed, how can people feel safe about them?

If a safety incident were to occur, that would be a major issue hitting the headlines.

"Objection, irrelevant to the case!"

Zhang Wei knew he couldn’t let this continue, and immediately stood up.

As all eyes focused on him, he said with a calm face, "Today’s trial is concerning whether the deceased Jia Shiqing had any murder suspicions with my client, not about whether my client accepted bribes!"

"Prosecutor, you should be aware that the bribery issue you mentioned, even if it truly exists, falls under the jurisdiction of the Financial Bureau, not your role as a senior prosecutor in the General Procuratorate’s Office’s criminal division for serious crimes!"

Although Zhang Wei’s remarks were somewhat beside the point and did not dispel the doubts of everyone present.

But he was right, the bribery issue did not have much to do with this case.

Even if Lin Xiangwan had economic issues, it would be the Financial Bureau’s task to investigate, not the responsibility of Lu Wenwen from the General Procuratorate’s Office.

Lu Wenwen knew Zhang Wei would say this, and immediately smiled, "Indeed, the defense attorney is correct. Under these circumstances, I certainly wouldn’t investigate these matters...but!"

She said ’but,’ signaling that the climax was coming!

"...But what if the deceased Jia Shiqing had been planning to report Lin Xiangwan’s economic issues?"

As these words fell, the whole courtroom was astonished.

Jia Shiqing was going to report his own wife, Lin Xiangwan?

No, to be precise, Jia Shiqing intended to report Lin Xiangwan before he died—but then he was killed!

In that case, the question arises!

Did Lin Xiangwan know Jia Shiqing was going to report her?

If she did know, doesn’t that mean Lin Xiangwan had a motive for murder?

"Your husband was going to report you?"

Zhang Wei was also flabbergasted and quickly asked Lin Xiangwan.

"Impossible, he’s at home writing novels every day, and he refused even when I offered him a nominal position at my company. And Lawyer Zhang, I didn’t accept any bribes. A broker is in charge of the charity fund, and if there are any anonymous large donations, the head of the fund will notify me!"

"This document is the report letter from Jia Shiqing, unfortunately, he never got the chance to send it to the Financial Bureau!"

In court, Lu Wenwen pulled out an evidence bag containing a letter written on draft paper.

"This document, after handwriting comparisons with the waste drafts from Jia Shiqing’s novels, has been confirmed to be the report he wrote, and it clearly records the litany of crimes committed by the defendant Lin Xiangwan!"

As Lu Wenwen spoke, she raised her hand, pointing toward the defense bench, toward Lin Xiangwan, "I believe that this is the motive for the defendant to kill Jia Shiqing!"

"This..."

Lin Xiangwan stared at the document inside the evidence bag, her face full of astonishment.

She felt her head spinning, her body swaying, and her vision blurring.

She couldn’t believe she was being accused of such a thing.

And as Lu Wenwen presented the "key" evidence, the corners of her mouth finally couldn’t help but curl up.

Today’s witness may not have provided any help, but she was the bait for us to produce the key evidence.

No need for the witness to testify, just these pieces of evidence were enough.

This evidence was enough to prove Lin Xiangwan’s motive for murdering Jia Shiqing, and it was a very significant motive!

What is this called? This is called a checkmate!

"Your Honor, our side... Madam Lin, what’s wrong with you!"

Zhang Wei was about to stand up, but suddenly noticing the unusual condition of the person next to him, he cried out in alarm.

Lin Xiangwan’s body suddenly seemed to lose its balance and collapsed towards the floor.

Zhang Wei quickly reached out and caught her.

But from Lin Xiangwan’s nostrils, two trails of fresh blood flowed out, and she appeared to have passed out.

"Your Honor, my client is ill, I request a recess!"

Zhang Wei was helpless, not expecting that at this critical moment, Lin Xiangwan would suddenly fall ill.

"The court grants a recess!"

Although Judge Lu Zhengting knew that the defendant was very likely guilty, with the other party having a nosebleed and fainting, he couldn’t be too harsh.

"Quick, take her to the emergency room, call a doctor immediately!"

Among the chorus of exclamations, the courtroom descended into chaos.

But at this moment, unnoticed by everyone at the witness stand, Secretary Wang Li’s lips curled slightly, revealing a cold sneer.