Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 253 - 251: High-definition Uncensored, Can the Court Broadcast This? (Added - for 4500 monthly votes)

Chapter 253: Chapter 251: High-definition Uncensored, Can the Court Broadcast This? (Added Chapter for 4500 monthly votes)

In court.

The cross-examination by the defense began.

This time, it was Zhang Wei’s turn to come face-to-face with Wang Li.

Since Wang Li had chosen to "stick to her mistake," Zhang Wei understood as well.

This time, it was a matter of life and death!

"Alright, the first question!"

Zhang Wei raised one finger and said with a smile, "Secretary Wang, I’d like to ask about last Friday’s court session, where you adopted an attitude in support of my client. Why then, after just a weekend, have you changed sides?"

Although Zhang Wei knew Wang Li’s purpose, some pleasantries still had to be exchanged.

"Because I chose to stand on the side of justice!"

As Wang Li spoke, she glanced at the prosecution, giving the impression that she had been moved by the righteousness of the prosecution and had thus "seen the error of her ways."

Zhang Wei also had to admit that among the women he’d encountered, this one had quite impressive acting skills.

Certainly much better than the one named Zhu Tianying he had met in a previous criminal court.

"Chose to stand on the side of justice?"

Eventually, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but laugh.

"Ha ha ha, well said, choosing to stand on the side of justice!"

He paced back and forth twice and then slapped his hand on the wooden railing in front of the witness stand, "Could it be because you’ve made a deal with the prosecution?"

"Objection!" Lu Wenwen suddenly stood up, interrupting Zhang Wei.

"Grounds for objection?"

Zhang Wei raised his eyebrows, still looking at her with a smile.

"The defense lawyer is indulging in baseless speculation and harassing the witness..."

"Your Honor, if the witness has reached some kind of deal with the prosecution, the defense actually has the right to inquire about this, because any deal reached between the prosecution and the witness could be detrimental to my client. Therefore, I need to establish whether such a deal might affect the fairness and impartiality of the witness’s testimony... As for harassing the witness, is asking legitimate questions also considered harassment?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands and looked towards the judge’s bench.

Lu Zhengting hesitated for a moment and then shook his head at Lu Wenwen.

"Objection overruled. The defense may continue with the questioning."

Lu Wenwen’s face fell, and she sat down.

However, her expression quickly returned to normal, and she smiled again after sitting down.

"Keep struggling, you can only struggle now. When your client is sentenced to life imprisonment, you won’t be able to laugh anymore."

In Lu Wenwen’s eyes, Zhang Wei’s current actions were merely those of a desperate clown on the brink of death!

As such, she was quite "generous" deciding to let someone keep struggling a little while longer.

With Lu Wenwen’s interference now absent, Zhang Wei finally got the chance to ask again.

"Secretary Wang, did you reach some sort of agreement with the prosecution?"

Wang Li glanced at the prosecution, and with Lu Wenwen offering no response, she could only reluctantly answer: "Yes!"

"Does the agreement involve you testifying against my client in exchange for the prosecution dropping charges against you?"

"Yes!"

"To what extent, specifically? Is it complete immunity for the crimes you committed, or immunity for not reporting on my client’s alleged bribery? Is it the former or the latter?"

Wang Li looked again at Lu Wenwen, who nodded slightly, indicating that it was alright to answer the question.

"It’s... the latter!"

Wang Li, with no choice left, revealed the deal she and the prosecution had reached over the weekend.

"Oh, so it’s the latter... "

Zhang Wei wasn’t surprised by the deal, instead, he said with a smile:

"So you’re testifying against my client because it benefits you? In other words, your testimony in court is interest-related, and your words can’t be trusted at all!"

"Objection!"

Seeing Zhang Wei ready to attack Wang Li’s testimony and credibility, Lu Wenwen stood up once more.

"The defense attorney is conjecturing completely unfounded scenarios!"

"Your Honor, if the witness has made a deal with the prosecution, and the deal involves sacrificing the interests of my client for her own benefit, then her testimony is very likely to be false because it is related to her own personal interests!"

Zhang Wei, of course, wasn’t one to be easily subdued, and quickly countered as the prosecution objected.

Lu Zhengting looked at Zhang Wei and glanced at his own daughter.

The witness in the witness stand was crucial and had a significant impact on the case, so Lu Zhengting only hesitated for a moment...

"Lawyer Zhang, while you make some points, you cannot disregard the concept of ’tainted witnesses.’ In my view, Wang Li qualifies as a tainted witness in this case, and the courtroom’s acceptance of such witnesses isn’t without reason!"

Lu Zhengting continued, looking at the jury box, relieved to see that no one had any objections.

"A tainted witness?"

Zhang Wei muttered to himself, scoffing in his heart.

Well played, Lu Zhengting. A tainted witness should be presented by the prosecution and then identified by you, not something for you, the judge, to actively bring up.

You’re still claiming no bias towards your daughter?

However, Lu Zhengting’s actions, aside from doing some of the prosecution’s work, were also reasonable and according to the rules; Zhang Wei couldn’t protest based on this matter.

Even if Lu Zhengting wanted to favor his own daughter, he was doing so within the bounds the law allowed. In balancing kinship and duty, he still seemed to have grasped the measure.

"Fine, then I won’t dwell on this issue anymore!"

Zhang Wei said and glanced at Wang Li again, a flash of relief in his eyes.

"But I have finally breathed a sigh of relief because the deal you reached with the prosecution, Secretary Wang, is not a full exemption!"

"You... What do you mean?" Wang Li was somewhat puzzled.

"It’s simple, as long as it’s not a full exemption, if I prove you guilty in this case, you’re still going to prison!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Li’s heart skipped a beat.

Could it be, they found some evidence?

No!

Impossible, the only two people in the know had either left or died; there was no way anyone could accuse her now.

I bet you’re just bluffing!

With this thought, Wang Li managed to remain calm inside.

"Alright then, let’s get down to business!"

Zhang Wei smiled, raised three fingers on his right hand, and then put down two of them. "Let’s take this step by step. We’ll start with the first point, which is also the most important for my client."

"The murder motive!"

At that word, Lu Wenwen’s gaze sharpened.

Because it was key to convicting Lin Xiangwan, and Zhang Wei was actually going to start refuting from this point?

The attention of the entire courtroom was focused on Zhang Wei after he mentioned "the murder motive".

"Prosecutor Lu Gao said that the reason my client would want to kill her husband, Jia Shiqing, was because of a whistleblowing letter, right? The letter exposed my client’s crimes; thus, she would want to kill to silence him. Am I correct?"

Lu Wenwen said nothing, nor did Wang Li, but what Zhang Wei said was true.

"Since you’re not speaking, I’ll take it as you all agree with this matter."

Zhang Wei spoke and returned to his seat, taking a USB drive from his briefcase, then walked with a smile toward the prosecution’s bench.

"Prosecutor Wei Min, could you do me a favor, please? Thanks!"

"Huh?"

Wei Min was utterly baffled. What’s going on with you, the defense attorney, asking for help from the prosecution?

"Prosecutor Wei, your computer is connected to the projector, and I still need to speak in court, so please, play this for me."

"This seems a bit inappropriate, doesn’t it?"

"Prosecutor Wei, there are only two of us on the defense bench. If you don’t do it, shall I have my client do it?"

Wei Min looked back at the defense bench. Lin Xiangwan was still in a wheelchair, pale and looking very frail.

"Don’t worry, there’s nothing indecent on this USB drive, just some videos and documents, all well within decency limits!"

With Zhang Wei insisting, Wei Min glanced at Lu Wenwen, who nodded slightly.

Helpless, Wei Min took the USB drive and inserted it into her laptop.

Upon opening the storage on the USB, several folders appeared.

"This, HD uncensored..." Seeing the names of the folders, Wei Min’s face turned a slight shade of red.

Is this something that can be played in court?

Not only her, but Lu Wenwen beside her, Lu Zhengting on the judge’s bench, including the jurors and those in the audience, were all stunned.

Well done!

Did you mix up the USB drives? The one with crucial evidence and the one with "study materials" got confused, are you sure the contents here can be played in court?

Of course, if you want to play it, we’re not exactly averse to watching...

In the audience and on the juror’s bench, many people were getting restless, their expressions lewd, itching to see more.

Their inner thoughts unified into one sentence: Please, by all means, play it!

"Prosecutor Wei, please open the first folder labeled ’HD uncensored’. Thank you!"

At Zhang Wei’s request, Wei Min opened the folder, and inside there were many video files.

And the names of these video files were even more indecent.

For instance, "Married Husband and Financial Female Clerk," "Married Husband and Busty Female Secretary," "Financial Female Clerk Alone and Unseen," and so on.

The names of these video files all look very suspicious!

On the hearing bench, some people even reached unconsciously toward their lower bodies, truly beginning to feel fidgety.

"Prosecutor Wei, could you please open the video file titled ’Married Husband and Financial Female Clerk,’ thank you!"

"This..." Wei Min hesitated, knowing from the file name that it wasn’t going to be entirely proper.

She feared that opening it would reveal something R-rated and that would be utterly embarrassing.

Although as a prosecutor, she had dealt with cases involving the sale of obscene materials and even seen quite a few related exhibits,

that was always done in private, while here was the solemn courtroom, in front of the jury bench, the audience, and even the judge, to publicly play this, wasn’t it somewhat inappropriate?

"Prosecutor Wei, please don’t think too much into it, these are all proper videos!"

Zhang Wei, seeing someone hesitate, promptly urged them on.

What are you thinking, they really are all proper videos.

Wei Min, left with no choice, could only click open the file.

On the projection screen, the video started to play.

"Hello, Mr. Jia, may I ask why you are here?"

"I need to withdraw a sum of money from the charity fund, here is my wife’s signed document, along with the official seal and her handwritten signature."

"Alright, please wait a moment!"

In the video, there was an exchange between Jia Shiqing and a female client manager from the financial institution, involving various procedures and documents.

The video was indeed proper, both parties behaved very correctly, and there was nothing inappropriate at all.

But the majority of those who saw the video felt disappointed, a strange sense of loss surfacing in their hearts.

This feeling was akin to enduring slow internet speed, queuing up a seed file for download for a day and a night, finally finishing tens of gigabytes of download, only to find it contained nothing but "Gourd Brothers" animations...

"Prosecutor Wei, please fast forward a bit, to the second part, I’ve divided this video into 15 segments, please keep an eye on the progress bar, where the segments are marked!"

Directed by Zhang Wei, though inwardly frustrated, Wei Min could only continue to operate.

"Mr. Jia, you are here again?"

"Yes, it’s about the charity fund account again, I need to withdraw some money."

"Is this requested by your wife?"

"Of course, here is her signed document, with the official seal and signature, please be quick about it!"

"No problem, all good!"

...

"Mr. Jia, your business?"

"Same as usual, withdrawing some money, these are the required documents!"

"Alright!"

...

"Withdraw the money!"

"Alright!"

...

More than a dozen segments of video, all showing scenes of Jia Shiqing meeting with the financial female staff.

After the video ended, Zhang Wei immediately spoke up: "Ladies and gentlemen, having watched the video, do you find it odd that the person always coming to withdraw money is the deceased Jia Shiqing, instead of my client Lin Xiangwan?"

"What’s strange about that? It’s certainly normal for Lin Xiangwan not to come herself, having her husband do it instead,"

Lu Wenwen scoffed coldly. Lin Xiangwan not coming herself was naturally to avoid suspicion.

"Is that so?" Zhang Wei replied with a faint smile, then approached Wei Min again.

"Prosecutor Wei, please open the third video file, ’Married Husband and Busty Female Secretary.’"

"This..."

Truth be told, Wei Min was resistant upon seeing the name of the video.

But the jury and the audience had become excited again.

Was it finally happening?

Proper study material!

What’s the name of the female lead, which lecturer is it?

Unfortunately, the content of this video was destined to disappoint them.

When Wei Min clicked on the file, the video that played still didn’t contain what they had been hoping for.

The video first showed an office, and then Wang Li appeared; she walked to the desk, took out the official seal, and stamped it on a document.

Then, Wang Li left the office.

The video cut, and she appeared in a park below the office building, sitting on a bench.

Before long, a man wearing a hat and with his collar turned up also sat on the other end of the bench.

Wang Li placed a document bag down, then stood up and left, the man picked up the document bag and stuffed it directly into his pocket.

In the last part of the video, the man walked to a street corner, took off his hat, and revealed his face.

Not only that, he entered a coffee shop and, after sitting down, took out the documents from the bag, produced a pen, and started signing the documents.

"This is the deceased Jia Shiqing, what is he signing?"

Lu Wenwen’s face was filled with surprise. What documents were the deceased Jia Shiqing signing that he had to be so sneaky about it?

Could it be that those previous videos...

"I believe everyone here is curious, what was the deceased doing, and why did he have to do it secretly with Wang Li?"

Zhang Wei said this and paused for a moment.

Feeling a multitude of gazes converging on him, he directly announced the answer.

"Actually, many of you here have probably guessed it already!"

Zhang Wei pointed at Wang Li and said loudly, "Wang Li and Jia Shiqing were in collusion; they secretly funneled money from the charity fund into their personal accounts. They were also the ones sending covert messages to contractors, instructing them to pay ’public relations fees’!"

"My client did not take bribes, and she wasn’t even aware of this matter. All she knew was that the charity fund was operated by a financial institution - she had no idea that the account had become the ’secret purse’ for Jia Shiqing and Wang Li’s bribery and embezzlement. And these videos are the evidence!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar.

Well, I’ll be damned! Truly, I’ll be damned!

Lin Xiangwan was actually not the one who took bribes, but her secretary and husband had taken the money?

"I object, these accusations are all conjectures made by the defense lawyer!"

"Wrong, Prosecutor Lu Gao, I’m just expressing reasonable suspicion about the actions seen in the video!"

Lu Wenwen immediately took a stance, but Zhang Wei was already well prepared.

"This..." Lu Zhengting opened his mouth, preparing to say something, but Zhang Wei wasn’t about to give him the chance.

Who knew what Lu Zhengting would say; he might take his side, or he might side with Lu Wenwen.

Zhang Wei didn’t want to take the gamble, so he said directly, "Your Honor, my accusations are not unfounded speculation. On the contrary, I have witnesses who can prove it!"

"You have witnesses?"

Lu Zhengting was indeed hesitant at first, but upon hearing Zhang Wei’s statement, he was momentarily speechless.

You have witnesses, why didn’t you say so earlier, making me waver? Are you looking for trouble?

"Then, please have your witness take the stand."

"The witness can’t appear in court just yet, but I do have her confession video on this USB drive!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei nodded at Wei Min.

In the "HD Uncensored" folder, only one video file remained.

Wei Min sighed, but still opened the video file named "Finance Clerk Alone in Private."

The setting of the video was an interrogation room, and the main figure was a casually dressed woman with an exceedingly haggard face.

When this woman appeared, Wang Li on the witness stand changed color dramatically.

"How is this possible, she’s supposed to have left the country, right?"

Her heart was utterly dejected; this woman should not have been caught.

"Secretary Wang, what’s wrong? You’re looking quite pale," Zhang Wei suddenly appeared at the side of the witness stand and timely teased.

"No, nothing, I just feel a bit uncomfortable sitting..." Wang Li explained awkwardly, but her explanation was virtually useless.

"Is that so, you feel uncomfortable? I wonder if you might feel so unwell that you might vomit blood later. I’m quite looking forward to it," Zhang Wei said, and then made a gesture toward the prosecution’s bench.

Wei Min was speechless. When did I become your subordinate, and a tool user at that?

However, with Lu Wenwen not objecting, Wei Min could only press the play button for the video.

"Miss Ye, we from the major case squad had a hard time finding you. It’s surprising that you publicly bought a ticket overseas, but secretly returned to your hometown village,"

"But that’s not the point. We want to inform you that you’re implicated in the illegal transfer of client funds and are suspected of fraud. Given the substantial amount involved, you’ve committed a criminal offense. Your sentence starts at three years and can go up to seven years or more!"

"Now you only have two options in front of you: refuse to cooperate or confess; but let me tell you, we have already obtained evidence of you misappropriating client funds. Whether or not you confess, you cannot avoid jail time. However, if you do choose to confess..."

A voice appeared in the video, relentlessly pressing the woman.

Finally, the woman couldn’t bear the pressure any longer and instantly her face fell.

"I admit it, I’ll confess, it was all Wang Li’s doing, she’s the mastermind..."