Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 267 - 265 Xiao Baihe is Fully Prepared, It’s All Tricks! (8500 more added)

Chapter 267: Chapter 265 Xiao Baihe is Fully Prepared, It’s All Tricks! (8500 more added)

(The debt has been paid off! The current count for monthly tickets is over 8,700. If we reach 9,000 by tonight, I’ll make it up tomorrow. If not, then Author Germ has fulfilled the promise to the dear readers!

Author Germ pledged an extra update for every 500 monthly tickets, watching as the count climbed to 4,000, then 5,000, and now over 8,000. All I can say is that it’s been a painful pleasure, and if it weren’t for the outbreak hitting our area on the last day, Author Germ would have been thrilled to compete for a higher ranking with the expectations of our dear readers...)

...

Friday, the day of the trial.

At the city courthouse, the grand courtroom on the first floor is the scene.

Today is the day for the retrial of a major case from ten years ago, and the courtroom is already packed to the rafters.

In the witness stands, there were quite a number of media reporters and legal professionals present, and even some early-arriving spectators.

Similarly, a considerable number of spectators had gathered at the entrance of the courthouse, eager to catch a glimpse of Yang Chuanfang, one of the parties involved.

Fortunately, this time field agents arrived on the scene ahead of time to manage the crowd, steering them away from causing another incident like the one during Zhu Tianying’s case.

Equally unexpected to the throng of spectators was that Yang Chuanfang, one of the parties involved, had actually already blended into the courthouse crowd.

"Young Master Yang, this is the back door I often use. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this emergency exit is usually closed; it’s actually unlocked. I’m well acquainted with the court guard who watches it. Look, there he is up ahead. Let’s go over and say hello!"

"Hey, Lao Lu!"

"Yo, isn’t this Zhang Wei? You have a trial today, right?"

"Yes, this is my client, Young Master Yang."

"Oh, it’s this young man, eh? Such a shame about the girl!"

Court Guard Old Lu’s expression changed when he saw Yang Chuanfang standing next to Zhang Wei.

Obviously, he too was aware of the case from ten years ago.

"Ah, don’t mention it. Wen Xiaoyun’s loss is indeed a pity, but my client is innocent!"

Zhang Wei quickly smoothed things over and then led Yang Chuanfang into the preparation room.

The preparation room was quiet and empty.

While the two were preparing, Tie Ruyun arrived with his team from the criminal division.

"Master, the court session is starting. Good luck! The success of our criminal division taking off all hinges on your performance this time~"

The first one to rush in and cheer Zhang Wei on was his apprentice.

But when she saw Yang Chuanfang next to Zhang Wei, her face fell immediately, and she quickly hid behind her leader, Tie Ruyun.

It wasn’t just the apprentice; Xiao Li also showed a strange look on her face upon seeing Yang Chuanfang.

Clearly, they had all watched the drama series and linked Yang Chuanfang with the "murderous killer."

"Look, Young Master Yang, this is why I’m suing Cheng Lisha on your behalf. All the girls who have seen that drama will associate you with the killer. If we don’t resolve the issue with Cheng Lisha once and for all this time, this impression will follow you for a lifetime!"

"Lawyer Zhang is right. Although I’m used to it by now, I don’t want to carry such a reputation for the rest of my life!"

Yang Chuanfang nodded solemnly.

If he had to live like this for the rest of his life, it’s likely that his descendants would also face tremendous pressure.

This feeling was terribly painful to endure himself, and he didn’t wish for his future children to suffer as well.

Zhang Wei also reassured him, "Young Master Yang, rest assured, I’m confident this time!"

"Oh, right, today is the first day of the trial. I hope you can maintain enough composure. In a previous case I handled, I defended a woman named Lin Xiangwan."

"Isn’t that my aunt?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, the apprentice was the first to react, "Master, you defended my aunt in court? What happened to her?"

"Xiao Meng, it seems you’re not aware of the incident in Nandao, huh?"

Zhang Wei didn’t hide anything and spoke frankly, "Your aunt killed your uncle by her own hand, and her fingerprints were on the murder weapon. At the crime scene, only the two of them were present; the evidence against her was overwhelming!"

Lin Yumeng: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a!

The apprentice immediately stood up in alarm: "Is my aunt going to prison!"

"Not at all, your aunt was acquitted!" Zhang Wei waved off the concern with composure.

"No way, Master, you’re not tricking me, are you? She was acquitted with that kind of evidence?"

"That’s why I say, as long as the truth hidden underneath the surface is unearthed, you can stand invincible!"

Zhang Wei said and patted Yang Chuanfang on the shoulder as a gesture of encouragement, "At that time, that’s what I said to Ms. Lin Xiangwan. Even when facing murder charges, it’s essential to remain calm and composed, as that will convince the jury of your cool-headedness!"

"Lawyer Zhang speaks the truth!"

Yang Chuanfang also nodded earnestly. Since his attorney was confident, he must not show any weakness.

"Time is about right, let’s go to the courtroom!"

Zhang Wei glanced at the wall clock and led the way out of the preparation room.

"Brother!"

As they turned the corner of the corridor, they bumped right into Yang Chuannan, who was coming from the opposite direction.

As the brother of Yang Chuanfang, he had clearly come to the scene to support his elder brother.

The two brothers, Yang Chuanfang and Yang Chuannan, naturally gathered together, whispering to each other in low voices.

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, pushed open the doors to the courtroom.

...

In the courtroom.

With Zhang Wei pushing open the door, the entire place fell silent.

All eyes were on the party for the defense, and this time, there were even more people in the audience seats than there were at the last pre-trial hearing.

Under the watch of cold stares, Yang Chuanfang followed Zhang Wei in, appearing relatively calm.

In contrast, his brother Yang Chuannan seemed somewhat uncomfortable, his steps disordered as he walked.

Perhaps, he was not used to being stared at by so many people.

"What an odd pair of brothers,"

Zhang Wei had noticed this too, but with the trial about to start, there was no time to think too much about it.

The party for the defense split up, with Old Tie leading his junior apprentice and Xiao Li to the audience seats.

Zhang Wei took Yang Chuanfang to sit at the defense bench, while the latter’s brother sat behind them in the family seats.

Zhang Wei scanned the room and saw Chief Editor Pei and Guan Zhubian in the front row of the audience seats.

Although Chief Editor Pei was a character witness arranged by Zhang Wei, he was not needed today as it was the prosecution’s turn to present evidence.

Zhang Wei nodded to the two editors as a greeting.

On the audience seats, apart from Zhang Wei’s supporters, there were many adversaries.

Hu Yaode!

Cheng Lisha, citing mild depression and with a medical certificate from a psychologist, had excused herself from appearing as a witness for the defense and consequently was not suitable to show up in court.

Otherwise, it would be a slap in the face of the court if you were still attending court hearings every day while claiming to be depressed.

So, as Cheng Lisha’s employed lawyer, Hu Yaode became the eyes and ears of the opposition, attending the trial as well.

Zhang Wei took in the situation in the audience seats and then turned to the table next to him.

"Zhang Wei, let’s be clear before the court session begins!"

Xiao Baihe also approached with big strides as Zhang Wei was observing the scene.

"Clear about what?"

"If your client can confess quickly and tell us the location of Wen Xiaoyun’s body, then we can discuss the matter of reducing the sentence!"

Zhang Wei raised his eyebrows, looking at her in feigned shock.

"Old Xiao, are you thinking I’m a fool?"

"What did you say? Who are you calling Old Xiao? Am I that familiar with you?"

Xiao Baihe snorted coldly, her arms crossed over her chest, her aura almost indistinguishably close to an ice sculpture.

"Old Xiao, don’t get caught up on that; let’s not beat around the bush. My client is truly innocent, why won’t you believe it?"

Zhang Wei said, placing his hand on Xiao Baihe’s shoulder as if they were really quite acquainted with one another.

"Take your hand off!"

But just a few seconds later, Xiao Baihe slapped away Zhang Wei’s "salty pork hand."

People will think we have something going on if they see this!

"Hmm, you’ll regret not listening to my advice soon!"

She snorted again and turned her head to walk back to the prosecutor’s bench.

"This woman, why won’t she listen to me? My client is really innocent!"

Zhang Wei sighed in exasperation, his honest words not trusted, despite their familiarity.

No deal was struck before the trial because Yang Chuanfang himself did not know where Wen Xiaoyun was.

And as the time drew near, it was time to begin the session.

"All rise, please welcome the honorable Judge Wang!"

At the reminder of the court guard, Old Wang walked to the judge’s bench with steady steps.

First, he adjusted his somewhat thinning hair, then straightened his robe; only afterward did his gaze sweep over the courtroom.

Seeing that both the prosecution and the defense were in place, he brought down the gavel, "Then, I hereby declare the retrial of the Wen Xiaoyun disappearance case open!"

"The prosecution?"

Xiao Baihe straightened her collar and glanced at the draft of her opening statement before immediately rising to her feet.

"Ahem, I thank Judge Wang and also appreciate the support from the jury and the gallery. I am Prosecutor Xiao Baihe from the Procuratorate Headquarters, and I feel greatly honored to be involved in the retrial of a case from ten years ago!"

As Xiao Baihe said this, she bowed deeply toward the jury box and the courtroom audience.

Already blessed with a pleasant appearance, her display of humility now earned approving nods from the 12 jurors, as well as many in the public gallery.

"Impressive, the ace indeed knows how to use her feminine advantage to her benefit!"

Zhang Wei knew trouble was coming the moment he saw Xiao Baihe’s first move.

Using her feminine charm, Xiao Baihe exuded warmth and modesty, thereby altering the public’s usual perception of prosecutors as aloof.

One could say she earned a significant amount of impression points.

In the subsequent trial, even if she truly made a mistake, perhaps just admitting it would be enough to let it slide.

Zhang Wei had taught this tactic to his young apprentice when they first appeared in court.

However, Lin Yumeng’s approach involved a "cute" strategy and the natural advantage of being a novice, which could only be said to be similar to Xiao Baihe’s maneuvers.

Nevertheless, Xiao Baihe’s use of this tactic also indicated that she took the confrontation with Zhang Wei extremely seriously.

Otherwise, why would such an "experienced" prosecutor need to lower her stance to win over the jury, if the opponent were only of mediocre skill?

After a sincere bow, Xiao Baihe continued, "Do you all remember something I mentioned during the pretrial?"

"That is the concept of family. I believe that in your hearts, there is a place for family members, who can be your children, your loved ones, or even your parents!"

"Please imagine for a moment, that person in your family, whom you want to protect and care for, suddenly disappears. Please believe the depth of sorrow that would bring."

At that point, Xiao Baihe suddenly raised her hand to point at the main entrance of the courtroom and added, with emphasis, "And such sorrow has truly and thoroughly befallen that pair of parents!"

No sooner had her voice faded than the court guard, as if on cue and with impeccable timing, opened the large doors of the courtroom.

Following that, an elderly couple, both graying, supported each other as they walked into the courtroom.

The couple appeared deeply sorrowful, and particularly the woman, with red-rimmed eyes, evidently having cried not long ago. Her steps faltered, and had it not been for the support of her husband, she would have found it difficult to walk.

This couple, many could guess without being told, were undoubtedly Wen Xiaoyun’s parents.

"Well played, the scheme is linked together seamlessly!"

Seeing this, Zhang Wei could hardly find the words to express himself.

Good one, Xiao Baihe. Is this really necessary?

We are friends after all, do you have to scheme against me like this?

First, you rake in impression points with your opening statement, then you conjure up sympathy using family members, and you have to do it right at the opening of the trial, all prearranged with the court guard, am I right?

It must be said that the timing of Wen Xiaoyun’s parents’ appearance, neither earlier nor later, but precisely during Xiao Baihe’s opening statement, effectively maximized the impact and rendered the court atmosphere incredibly somber and stifling.

After all, seeing such a pitiful elderly couple in the courtroom would evoke sympathy in anybody.

"It’s him, he is the one who harmed my daughter!"

Suddenly, the female half of the elderly couple pointed at Yang Chuanfang, crying out in heart-wrenching anguish.

"Your Honor!"

Zhang Wei sighed in resignation but had no choice but to stand and protest.

Even though he knew doing so might draw the ire of the jury, if he let the couple continue to emanate their "negative energy," it would inflict even more damage on their side.

"Witness for the prosecution, please be aware that you are only supposed to speak when it is your turn!"

Old Wang sighed as well, resigned to play the bad guy.

Although the couple indeed commanded sympathy, the courtroom was a place for seriousness; no matter how tragic their story, rules had to be followed.

"My poor girl... What misery you’ve suffered..."

The couple restrained themselves a bit but still let out some sobs.

Old Wang, somewhat at a loss, saw the sympathetic looks from the public gallery and the jury stand. He chose not to speak again but simply glanced at Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei, I’m not failing to support you. It’s just that I have to act according to the mood.

I can’t be the only villain here. They’ve toned it down a bit; you’ll just have to bear with it.

Similarly, Zhang Wei returned the look with a helpless expression.

"Alright, this move may be ruthless, but I’ll just have to tough it out!"

He then patted the shoulder of Yang Chuanfang beside him, giving him a look that said to stay calm.

The latter nodded, forcing himself to avoid looking at Wen Xiaoyun’s parents.

But even if they refrained from looking, the elderly couple still played up their misery from the seats reserved for the prosecution’s family, attracting the gaze of both the jury and the public gallery.

Even Xiao Baihe was somewhat surprised by the effectiveness of this tactic; she had thought of it, but had not anticipated such a good outcome.

Since it was going so well, it was time to press the advantage!

"Ladies and gentlemen, have you seen? It’s such an honest, hardworking couple who have struggled for half their lives, yet they have to bear the most painful wound in the world—their hearts are constantly tormented!"

"And the perpetrator of such a tragedy sits on the defense bench; his expression hasn’t changed one bit from beginning to end. Just coldly watching us—that’s just too cold-blooded!"

"Objection, leading statement!"

Zhang Wei couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up again.

You’re relentless, Xiao Baihe.

I ask my client to remain calm, and you attack them for being cold-blooded.

If I had my client appear pitiful, would you accuse them of having a guilty conscience?

If I had my client appear optimistic, would you imply that my client is mentally disturbed?

In fact, Zhang Wei guessed right.

On Xiao Baihe’s notebook, there were notes on how to attack the defendant during the trial, with the first being to question the defendant’s character based on their expression.

Every single thing Zhang Wei mentioned was recorded in Xiao Baihe’s notebook.

"Ahem, prosecutor, please restrain yourself. Don’t speculate about the defendant’s thoughts!"

"Sorry, Your Honor, I retract my last statement!"

Xiao Baihe immediately apologized and threw a glance at Zhang Wei, her eyes filled with contempt.

Zhang Wei also squinted back in kind, his eyes likewise showing contempt.

"Your Honor, the prosecution requests to call the first witness to the stand!"

Following Xiao Baihe’s summon, an elderly man walked into the courtroom.

"Oh, isn’t that Old Cui?"

Seeing the elderly man, Old Wang muttered to himself, though not surprised.

Because this Mr. Cui was the head of the major crime unit in the criminal investigation department ten years ago, and it was he who was in charge of investigating the Wen Xiaoyun disappearance case.

Old Cui took his seat at the witness stand calmly.

"Hello, Chief Cui!"

"Ah, what chief? I’ve been retired for over eight years, just call me Old Cui!"

"I can’t do that; you are a predecessor of the major crime unit. I’d rather address you as Old Cui."

Xiao Baihe politely exchanged a few words then asked, "Old Cui, as the investigating officer of this disappearance case, could you please recount for us the events of that year?"

"Oh, of course!"

Old Cui glanced at the prosecution’s bench, fixing his gaze on Yang Chuanfang for a moment, his eyes flashing an odd light.

"Although I’ve been retired for eight years and handed over the position of head to that kid Lei Hu, I remember this case quite clearly."

"Of course, I see that Wen Xiaoyun’s parents have also come to the court. In fact, I owe them an apology because after all these years, we still haven’t found their daughter."

"As for the details of the case, I remember it was during the summer vacation. Early one morning, we received a report that a girl had gone missing and had not come home all night..."

"...so, naturally, we had to investigate. We first visited the girl’s family, her friends, and even her school, but we found no trace of her. Later, we even requested the assistance of search dogs, but to no avail. This case became an infamous unsolved mystery back then, and it was well-known throughout the city!"

Old Cui, concluding his speech, let out a deep sigh.

A missing person case had caused such an uproar, bringing shame both to him and the investigation team.

"Thank you, Old Cui, for your testimony. One more question, if I may: when you initially considered Yang Chuanfang a suspect, why was he later released?"

"Because we couldn’t find a body. If the girl was indeed murdered, we definitely needed to confirm a body!"

"So, was your investigation at that time interfered with in any way?"

Old Cui was taken aback, "Interference?"

"As far as I know, during your investigation, apparently your superior ordered you to stop looking into Yang Chuanfang’s case, didn’t he?"

"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case!"

Old Cui suddenly slapped his forehead, as if he had an epiphany, and said, "I remember that the defendant’s father actually came to see our leader!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtroom erupted.

Clearly, there was something fishy about this!

The defendant’s father is Yang Changqing, a well-known wealthy man in Dongfang Capital.

Could it be that there was something underhanded going on between this wealthy man and Old Cui’s leader...

"Shit, now they’re slinging mud!"

Zhang Wei was also surprised and increasingly found Xiao Baihe’s tactics exasperating.

You really have no limits, Xiao Baihe, to bring out such matters!

Ruthless!