Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 264 - 262 Old Wang’s Bitter Heart, Just Preliminary Hearing?

Chapter 264: Chapter 262 Old Wang’s Bitter Heart, Just Preliminary Hearing?

8:30 AM.

Dongfang Capital City Court.

Judge Chen adjusted his appearance and stepped out of his office.

Outside, his clerk Li Qinghua had been waiting for some time.

"Judge Chen, here is the law robe you asked me to prepare!"

The latter handed over a freshly-ironed, new law robe, which Judge Chen promptly took.

"Just in time, there are 30 minutes left before the court session starts, right?"

"Yes!"

Li Qinghua, ever loyal and diligent, reported on the time.

Judge Chen nodded, and a smile appeared on his usually stern face.

Because today... he had no cases to preside over!

Judge Chen, smiling, knocked on the door of the office next door.

"Old Wang, I had Qing Hua wash and iron the robe for you, you’ve got 30 minutes till the court session starts. Hurry up!"

The door to the neighboring office opened, and Judge Old Wang, with dark circles under his eyes and moving lethargically, came out.

He took the robe from his colleague Old Chen and sighed as he put it on: "Ah, how did this case end up on my plate? It’s too damn headache-inducing!"

After hearing this, Judge Chen couldn’t help but nod in agreement: "Exactly, this case itself is an old one. We judges all know that old cases are the hardest to preside over because a lot of the evidence has passed its period of validity, and witness testimonies are likely to be problematic."

Old Wang sighed again: "The key issue is still the opponents in the courtroom this time; they are the real troublemakers~"

"Xiao Baihe from the Procuratorate Headquarters, and that kid from Jincheng Law Firm, I heard that the kid has even become a top lawyer, truly amazing. To be a top lawyer during his internship is a first for the lawyer circles of Dongfang Capital, isn’t it?"

Old Wang and Old Chen exchanged glances, and casually flipped through their pockets to pull out a business card.

The name card boldly displayed two characters, Zhang Wei!

This young man is indeed diligent, having just become a top lawyer, as if he couldn’t wait for the whole world to know about it, and actually distributed his business cards all around the courthouse.

Ostentation!

That’s blatantly showing off!

Would this young man also distribute his business cards around the Procuratorate’s Office if he were to negotiate there one day?

"Old Wang, don’t take it to heart. It’s just two youngsters; I believe you can handle them!"

Judge Chen said as he patted Old Wang on the shoulder, offering encouragement.

Judge Wang gave his old colleague a glance, "You can forget it, the case was originally assigned to you!"

"What can you do when my clerk has a good daughter? To avoid any conflict of interest, the higher-ups won’t even risk that little bit, so it falls to you now!"

Judge Chen glanced at Li Qinghua, a sense of relief appearing on his aged face.

It was fortunate that Li Qinghua’s daughter was the girlfriend of a defense attorney. Considering the potential "indirect impact," the court really did change the judge.

"And there’s Old Li as well, his girl studied criminal law, but instead of working at the Procuratorate’s Office, she insists on being a criminal defense lawyer. The key point is she happens to be at Jincheng and is a colleague of that young man!"

Old Wang continued his tirade about another old colleague, Calm Bro Old Li.

Old Li’s daughter was Li Yueqin, and she shared an office with Zhang Wei.

For the sake of avoiding conflict of interest, it also wouldn’t be possible for Judge Li to preside over the case.

There were three old criminal judges with seniority at the city court: Old Chen, Old Wang, and Old Li.

This case was high-profile, and although there were also younger judges in the criminal division, considering they wouldn’t be able to command the courtroom, it ended up being Old Wang, who was qualified to preside and had no connections to either side, to step forward.

Thus, the unlucky Old Wang became the presiding judge for the clash between Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe.

"Ah, I don’t know what today’s preliminary hearing will be like. I hope there will be no friction!"

"If today’s preliminary hearing is full of commotion, who knows to what extent the upcoming trial will escalate. Are we going to see the Monkey King wreak havoc in Heaven?"

Old Wang said and then looked towards the direction of the courtroom.

...

At the same time.

In the preparatory room.

"It’s strange to say, whenever I’ve come to Dongfang Capital, there’s always someone who leaks my whereabouts, so every hotel I stay at gets besieged by reporters."

"But this time, for some reason, I wasn’t caught by those paparazzi, and even these past few nights, I’ve actually managed to get some good sleep, which has never happened before!"

Yang Chuanfang reminisced about his experiences over the past few days, somewhat surprised but also very pleased.

Could it be that time really does dilute everything, and the people of Dongfang Capital have forgotten about him?

"Actually, all this is thanks to my friend... Oh right, my friend asked me to get an autograph from you..."

Zhang Wei said as he passed a book to Yang Chuanfang.

The book cover displayed "Hotel by the Seaside".

Cheng Lisha not only turned the case into a series, but even published related books, which were also hugely popular.

It could be said that wherever she could exchange the case for fame and profit, she didn’t miss it.

Cheng Lisha, ten years ago, had squeezed almost all the benefits from this case.

When Yang Chuanfang saw the cover of the book, he hesitated for a moment but still generously left his autograph on the title page.

"Lawyer Zhang, your friend must be a woman, right?"

"How did you guess?"

"Because almost all the women watch this drama. Just like you, have you ever watched this series?"

"Now that you mention it, it seems I really haven’t..."

Zhang Wei recalled that he had never watched the series.

Neither had Old Tie.

On the contrary, the three women in the office, Tie Cuilan, Li Yueqin, and Lin Yumeng, had all seen it.

Tie Cuilan and Lin Yumeng watched it on their own, while Li Yueqin watched it with her mother.

Hearing Zhang Wei’s response, Yang Chuanfang’s mouth curved into a bitter smile.

Can you imagine, when he used to go out, wherever he went, he was surrounded and blocked by a group of women, even cursed at to his face?

You can’t imagine it; it was too horrific.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Yang, I will go all out this time and will certainly put a perfect full stop to this matter!"

"Then I’ll take your auspicious words, Lawyer Zhang!" Yang Chuanfang nodded seriously, expressing his gratitude.

"Let’s go; the preliminary hearing is about to start!"

After checking the time, Zhang Wei and the two naturally did not delay and directly walked out of the waiting room.

Courtroom scene.

As Zhang Wei and Yang Chuanfang entered the scene, the entire courtroom fell into silence.

"That’s the perpetrator from back then, he really does look handsome!"

"Nonsense, that Yang Chuanfang was a famously dashing playboy in Dongfang Capital. His father, Yang Changqing, is a hotel business magnate, and Changqing Hotel is the first five-star hotel in our Dongfang Capital City. He’s not only handsome but also rich."

"What a shame, such a background, and yet he turned out like this. The girl was so young, still a college student, it was utterly heartless and cruel!"

"Yeah, if I were that rich, I’d definitely be good, marry a good wife, maybe even have three or four or five or six mistresses on the side. But for sure, I’d treat my wife well!"

"You can dream on. Get back to writing your report and stop daydreaming here. Three or four or five mistresses? As field reporters always on the run, we can barely manage a relationship, let alone a wife!"

"That hit home, Old Tie!"

Whispers filled the back rows of the observer’s seats.

Meanwhile, in the front row of the observer’s seats, all of Zhang Wei’s friends had already taken their places.

"Come on!"

Old Tie gave him an encouraging look.

"Come on, Master~"

"Come on, Zhang Wei!"

The apprentices and Xiao Li acted as cheerleaders, chanting 666 to cheer on Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei, with the client, entered the courtroom and eventually arrived at the defense bench.

At the same time, he glanced at the prosecution bench, seeing Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying looking right back at him.

Tan Yingying, feeling Zhang Wei’s gaze, shuddered and recoiled her head like a little hamster.

Xiao Baihe, in contrast, also shot Zhang Wei a look, glowering fiercely.

Zhang Wei didn’t indulge the other party, glowering fiercely in return.

For a moment, the two exchanged fierce stares in the courtroom, with an air of electric tension and sparks flying.

Even the air began to feel chargingly tense.

Fortunately, the courtroom doors opened again, and the appearance of a heavyweight figure broke up their confrontation.

"Cheng Lisha is here!"

"Isn’t that obvious? The case got so much attention back then thanks to this woman’s efforts!"

"Without her stirring things up behind the scenes and then cashing in on the attention later on, could she have gained her current fame?"

"Damn it, why didn’t I see the potential in this case back then? She’s pocketed all the fame."

The arrival of Cheng Lisha immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the many reporters and colleagues in the observation seats.

"But you know, this woman has recently gotten into trouble, with her scandals plastered all over the internet’s top headlines."

"Yeah, I never expected that. She had her face redone, and even changed her name later on. Her real name is so... down to earth."

"The name is not a big deal, after all, it’s given by parents, and you can always change it later, but getting plastic surgery... Also, have you guys seen the latest scandalous news about her? I heard there’s quite a lot that’s been leaked?"

"I’ve seen it too. Could this woman really be into other women? I heard she changes her female assistants two or three times a year, all of them media major graduates and pretty striking-looking?"

"Ahem, you’re talking about that? The scandal I saw was about this woman becoming a mistress to some big shot. How else can you explain her smooth sailing to the top?"

"That’s true, just ten years. She went from an unknown little reporter to the top sister in our Dongfang Capital media circle. If there weren’t someone behind her, it would indeed be pretty unlikely."

As Cheng Lisha walked past the hearing seats, the whispered discussions around her only served to deepen her frown.

When she arrived at the front row, two people consciously vacated their seats, offering them up to her.

This was arranged by Cheng Lisha; she was determined to keep an eye on this case and wouldn’t be left without a seat.

In the row behind her, Hu Yaode also edged closer.

"Ms. Cheng!"

"Lawyer Hu, later on, I want you to warn those people in the back row to watch their mouths!"

"Understood, I’ll use Blackfoot’s connections to warn them!"

The two whispered for a bit and then turned their full attention to the courtroom proceedings.

In court.

With the arrival of Cheng Lisha, Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe finally ceased their hostilities.

Moreover, with almost 30 minutes passing by, it was time for the judge to enter the courtroom.

Both the prosecution and the defense began to organize their files.

"All rise!"

As the court guard announced, the unfortunate Judge Wang finally made his entrance.

Clad in a brand-new robe, he lacked his usual composure.

Even seated on the bench, he continued to mutter under his breath.

"It’s just a preliminary hearing, just a preliminary hearing..."

All eyes in the courtroom were focused on the bench.

"Ahem, the court now announces that, due to new evidence coming to light, the re-trial of the Wen Xiaoyun disappearance case from ten years ago will now commence!"

As Judge Wang spoke, his gaze swept across the audience in the hearing seats.

Good grief!

A glance revealed that the place was packed to the brim.

"The prosecution may start first!"

"Yes, Your Honor!"

Xiao Baihe stood up and said coldly, "According to the latest eyewitness testimony, after Wen Xiaoyun left the birthday party scene, the witness saw the suspect and defendant Yang Chuanfang appear, and the two of them left together."

"Therefore, the prosecution has reason to suspect that Yang Chuanfang was the last person Wen Xiaoyun contacted before her disappearance and that such a person is highly suspicious. The prosecution even asserts that Wen Xiaoyun’s disappearance is the doing of Yang Chuanfang!"

As these words were spoken, all eyes in the courtroom turned toward the defense bench.

Zhang Wei remained calm and composed, and although Yang Chuanfang was initially surprised, his expression quickly returned to normal.

Clearly, both men had strong resilience and were not affected by the onlookers’ gazes.

"So what is the prosecution’s aim?" Judge Wang asked again.

Xiao Baihe looked straight at the bench and declared solemnly, word by word, "Your Honor, the prosecution’s reopening of the investigation and re-trial of this case is to give justice to the victim’s family and also to provide an answer to the public who followed the case back then!"

"The court understands!"

Judge Wang nodded solemnly as well but was inwardly drumming his fingers nervously.

Good reasons you’ve found there, dragging out not just the victim’s family but the whole Dongfang Capital as well.

Back then, this case was almost a city-wide sensation, and he, Judge Wang, also followed the case as an onlooker from within the court.

Unfortunately, the presiding judge at the time wasn’t him, but...

"Ahem, if the prosecution has made their statement, what’s the defense’s position?"

Judge Wang then looked towards Zhang Wei.

"Judge Wang, I declare that my client, Mr. Yang, is innocent. He has nothing to do with the disappearance of Wen Xiaoyun."

"The reason?"

"He was drunk that day, went back to his room, and fell asleep. He had no contact with Wen Xiaoyun at all. He didn’t wake up until the next day in his room at his own hotel, meaning my client had no time to commit the crime!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s explanation, Judge Wang was momentarily taken aback.

"So?"

"Our stance is a plea of not guilty, my client is innocent!"

Upon hearing this assertion, many in the hearing gallery let out a laugh.

This explanation was as good as none at all; nearly all murder suspects would resort to this kind of unconvincing response to confront the investigative department, and everyone was tired of it.

"Humph, is that it?"

Sitting in the front row, Cheng Lisha also couldn’t help laughing, her look toward Zhang Wei carrying a hint of mockery, "I thought you, Zhang Wei, would be capable of something, but it turns out to be just this kind of clichéd excuse!"

"Well then..."

Old Wang nodded, indicating he understood.

"The court is now aware of the trial arguments from both the prosecution and defense; please let the prospective jurors take their seats!"

The court guard immediately began the arrangement, as the prospective jury members walked one by one into the jury box.

The prospective jurors, with somber expressions, took their seats and swept their gazes over both the prosecution and defense.

The majority of them rested their eyes on the defense’s side, namely, the suspect Yang Chuanfang.

This Yang, known ten years ago as Young Master Yang and now the prime suspect, it was unknown what the outcome would be as he faced this trial.

"You can start now, whoever wants to question first may do so," Old Wang waved his hand, allowing Zhang Wei and Xiao Baihe to proceed at will.

"Ladies first!"

Zhang Wei also made a ’please’ gesture.

Xiao Baihe, unhesitatingly and with an assertive stride, walked up to the jury box.

"Members of the jury, please imagine, a girl in the prime of her youth was harmed by someone to such an extent that she lost her life, she..."

"Objection!"

As soon as Xiao Baihe began speaking, Zhang Wei forcefully interrupted.

On the judges’ bench, Old Wang was just about to catch his breath when he heard Zhang Wei’s interruption, and his expression changed.

This is just a preliminary hearing, isn’t it?

"Defense attorney, what do you mean by this? This is the preliminary stage; you can’t object..."

"Your Honor, if the prosecutor was properly questioning, I naturally wouldn’t object, but there is a doubt in this case that remains to this day, concerning the missing girl Wen Xiaoyun herself."

Zhang Wei said this and glanced at Xiao Baihe with a taunting tone, "Assuming Wen Xiaoyun is indeed deceased and was murdered, it would be necessary to find her body. Yet, to my knowledge, neither the surveillance nor the investigative department seems to have found this key piece of evidence, the body, right?"

"You..."

Xiao Baihe couldn’t help herself upon hearing this.

But Zhang Wei did not care about her reaction, turning his gaze back to the judges’ bench, "Judge Wang, since the investigative department hasn’t found the body, the prosecution’s opening statement about a girl in the prime of her youth being harmed and losing her life seems a bit inappropriate, doesn’t it?"

"The defense believes that such an opening by the prosecution has a substantial misleading effect and could affect the subjective judgment of the jury. Therefore, I earnestly request the prosecution to speak and act with caution, taking into account the evidence at hand before continuing their questioning!"

Although Zhang Wei addressed this to the judge, the last part of his comment was a warning to Xiao Baihe.

You can speak and ask questions, but don’t try to present questions beyond the scope.

I am keeping an eye on you.

"This..."

Realizing that Zhang Wei had gone full force within five minutes of the session, Old Wang was speechless.

Today is really just a preliminary hearing, do you need to go so far?

Oh, wrong.

Advocating for a client’s interest is indeed the duty of a defense attorney.

Thinking this way, what Zhang Wei did didn’t seem excessive.

But if it was this intense at the start, what would happen next?

Old Wang already felt that he might need some fast-acting heart relief pills for the trial in a couple of days.

"Prosecutor, could you please be a bit more mindful in your statements? Some matters are not yet concluded, and you shouldn’t make careless assertions," Old Wang had no choice but to verbally warn Xiao Baihe.

Although Xiao Baihe was furious, she knew she had no way to tackle Zhang Wei and could only grit her teeth and curse Zhang Wei a thousand times in her mind.

"Sss—huh—"

After taking a deep breath, she finally adjusted her mindset.

"Very well, members of the jury, I would like to ask..."

Xiao Baihe put on a smile and once again began her inquiry, "Do you all have family members, a loved one who needs your care or protection in your hearts?"

"Oh, would you look at that, she’s using that tactic!"

Hearing Xiao Baihe’s question, Zhang Wei felt both surprised and as if it was within reason.

This move was about garnering the jury’s sympathy for Wen Xiaoyun’s family.