Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 268 - 266 Xiao Baihe Launches a Fierce Attack, Blocks the First Round?

Chapter 268: Chapter 266 Xiao Baihe Launches a Fierce Attack, Blocks the First Round?

(There might only be one update today, since the last moment’s 9000 monthly ticket bonus yesterday. I’ll check the time and strive to code for everyone tonight!)

...

The tide inside the courtroom had shifted.

Although it had already leaned toward the prosecution due to the tragic "performance" of Wen Xiaoyun’s parents,

with the answers of witness Old Cui, the direction of the wind was now firmly set.

According to her, her superior had met with Yang Chuanfang’s father ten years ago during the investigation of the case—the owner of Changqing Hotel, Yang Changqing.

This was a big deal!

Was there something fishy going on?

Was there a problem between Old Cui’s superior and Yang Changqing?

The very thought of what might be uncovered was profoundly disturbing...

After all, it wasn’t a good look when higher-ups in the Investigation Department were in cahoots with a businessman.

"Objection, hearsay evidence!"

Zhang Wei, noticing the change in courtroom sentiment, promptly stood up to interrupt Xiao Baihe.

He knew that the other party’s goal was to sling mud at his client’s father and tarnish the latter’s reputation.

After all, Old Cui had retired, her leader was probably no longer in office at the Investigation Department, and Yang Changqing had long been dead.

Blaming those who were no longer present was a tactic Zhang Wei was all too familiar with.

"Defense attorney, how is this hearsay evidence?"

Xiao Baihe saw Zhang Wei stand up, her eyes turned cold, and she retorted sarcastically.

"Because there is no third party to corroborate this point, the witness’s statements are also unfounded speculation!"

Zhang Wei finished speaking and looked towards Judge Wang on the bench.

Perceiving Zhang Wei’s look, he could only sigh.

"The objection is sustained."

Xiao Baihe scoffed and moved her gaze away from Zhang Wei, looking again at the witness stand where Old Cui sat.

"Since Lawyer Zhang has said so, Captain Cui, do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

"Uh..." Old Cui hesitated for a moment, then finally said with a look of helplessness, "Although it’s not good to speak ill of my direct superior, we have been retired for many years, and he is said to have settled abroad, so I think it shouldn’t matter..."

"Actually, I was just suspicious at the time that my boss might have made some sort of deal with Boss Yang because I saw Boss Yang visiting my superior, and they seemed to have a secret conversation in the office for over an hour."

"During the investigation of that case, I only interrogated Young Master Yang once, because when I wanted to speak to the Yang Family members for the second time, my boss warned me."

"I remember another time, in the winter of that year, my boss rarely took two weeks off to visit Nandao City for tourism, and he happened to stay at Changqing Hotel, and it was even a VIP room!"

With Old Cui’s testimony, a vague concept had begun to take shape in the minds of everyone present.

Back then, Yang Changqing, the owner of Changqing Hotel, had offered some form of discreet "goodwill" to Captain Cui’s superior in order to protect his son.

This "goodwill" might have been a sum of money, an opportunity for a free vacation, or even both.

In any case, it painted a picture of collusion between officials and businessmen, accepting bribes privately, and money-for-power dealings, perhaps involving all three.

On the jury bench, the 12 jurors looked at Yang Chuanfang with changed eyes.

It was as if they had inscribed "I knew you were no good!" on their faces.

"Objection, inflammatory statements!"

Zhang Wei stood up again, "Your Honor, the testimony provided by the witness is, in a strict sense, unrelated to the current case."

"The current trial is about the disappearance of Wen Xiaoyun ten years ago, and the close relationship between the deceased father of my client and the witness’s superior has no relevance to this case!"

"Conversely, the testimony of the witness is highly inflammatory for the court, and we respectfully request the prosecution to change its line of questioning, asking the public prosecutor to stop attacking a deceased elder!"

Judge Wang thought about it and seemed to agree with Zhang Wei to an extent.

He looked at Xiao Baihe and warned her with a negotiative tone after contemplating for a while, "Prosecutor, I understand your intent, but please consider the main purpose of this court and stop fixating on someone’s deceased father!"

"Of course, Your Honor, I understand!" Xiao Baihe naturally nodded in agreement.

However, her look towards Zhang Wei carried a hint of provocation, a hint of triumph.

Similarly,

At the scene of the courtroom, it was evident to everyone that Xiao Baihe had gained the upper hand this round.

"Goodness, Zhang Wei that kid is being suppressed by the prosecutor!"

Tie Ruyun, as Zhang Wei’s "former superior," could clearly see that Zhang Wei was at a disadvantage.

But there was no helping it because what Xiao Baihe pointed out was exactly what the public hated to see and hear.

When Xiao Baihe pointed it out in court, the jury would definitely be influenced.

The apprentice and Xiao Li also sensed that something was amiss.

"He’s panicking, he’s panicking!"

"This kid is finally losing his cool; I can feel it—he’s lost the composure he had before!"

Similarly, sitting on the auditorium bench, Hu Yaode was also brimming with excitement.

Good for you, Zhang Wei, you’re finally panicking!

Indeed, it should be said that Xiao Baihe, the ace of Procuratorate Headquarters, actually managed to push Zhang Wei to such a state.

Hu Yaode was very excited, a smile that had long been absent appeared on his face.

At this rate, the case was in the bag!

Hu Yaode made a choice against his professional duties. Although he was a lawyer, he decided to silently cheer on the prosecutor from Procuratorate Headquarters.

Xiao Baihe, come on!

You’re doing great, take down Zhang Wei, give it to him hard!

Let’s not mention the fact that Hu Yaode, although a defense attorney for Blackfoot, was cheering for the prosecution.

At the moment, the atmosphere in the court was, as he said, overwhelmingly unfavorable for the defense.

"Your Honor, we have no further questions for Chief Cui!"

Xiao Baihe finally concluded her questioning and yielded the stage.

Zhang Wei immediately stood up and strode to the witness stand.

He took a deep breath, feeling the pressure as well.

This was only the first witness, and they were nearly doomed.

Old Xiao was really ruthless!

"Hello, Old Cui!"

"Huh, what did you call me?"

Old Cui was momentarily startled upon hearing Zhang Wei’s opening words.

"Didn’t you ask us to call you Old Cui? I did, what are you zoning out for?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands, I’m just following your wish, so why are you making that face?

Old Cui felt frustrated, I was just being polite, why did you take it seriously?

You young man, have no manners, don’t you know how to respect your elders and care for the young.

Is it appropriate for you to call me Old Cui?

If you want to be polite, just call me Old Cui, or like that prosecutor girl, call me Officer Cui.

You young man, calling me Old Cui, is that appropriate?

Unfortunately, Zhang Wei was unaware of what went on in Old Cui’s mind and continued to call him by that name.

"Old Cui, now I am asking you, did you just accuse my client’s father of having some kind of irregular transactions with your direct superior, is that right?"

"I... I just stated what I saw," Old Cui hesitated, then replied.

"Then I ask you, did you see them conduct any irregular transactions, like my client’s father giving money or gifts to your leader?"

"No, I didn’t."

"After your leader retired, was he ever investigated by the Internal Affairs Investigation Department?"

"No, that never happened."

"To your knowledge, has anyone in your office ever written a report against your direct leader?"

"Of course not."

"Nothing at all, so isn’t that to say, these are all baseless suspicions of yours?"

"This..."

Old Cui thought for a moment, then quickly said, "But I saw many things, like in the second year, my leader switched to a new car, and his salary alone couldn’t afford a luxury car worth several hundred thousand."

"Maybe he took out a loan, or perhaps his son made some money and treated his dad, did you ever ask him about this?"

"How could I dare to ask..."

"There you have it then," Zhang Wei snorted coldly, looking at the witness. "Old Cui, you are an experienced officer, can you please not make baseless speculations when testifying? It could cause great difficulty for my client!"

Old Cui was taken aback, what do you mean my baseless speculations, isn’t this the truth?

And it’s not like I wanted to say these things, it was the prosecutor who asked, and I just answered, right?

"Ahem, since the witness has answered this way, I can summarize that there was no evidence at the time that the witness’s direct superior was involved in any transaction with my client’s father."

"As for the allegations mentioned by the witness, there is no evidence to support them either. If his immediate superior engaged in misconduct, the Internal Affairs Investigation Department would certainly not tolerate such serious dereliction of duty,"

"Of course, Old Cui also mentioned the matter of Mr. Yang meeting with the leader for an hour... but please, everyone, think about it. If your son was arrested, wouldn’t you as parents have some reaction?"

"Wouldn’t you also hope to find the leader of the investigation department, then cling to them for an hour, tirelessly pleading for your son? I believe you would do the same,"

"Mr. Yang did only what a father should do, nothing more!"

Following Zhang Wei’s summary, the scrutiny in the eyes of the jurors towards Yang Chuanfang lessened somewhat, with a few of them showing a thoughtful expression.

Clearly, they were also considering the possibility that Zhang Wei mentioned.

This possibility, although slim, cannot be said to be non-existent.

The wind in the court finally swayed a tiny bit in favor of the defense.

Though it was a small shift compared to the overall momentum favoring the prosecution, it was at least a good start.

In the spectator seats, the group led by Tie Ruyun finally showed a glimmer of hope.

"Worthy of Zhang Wei, just a few sentences helped recover some of the downturn!"

Tie Ruyun sighed with emotion, thinking that if it were him, he might not be able to remain as calm and collected as Zhang Wei.

The little apprentice and Xiao Li beside him were even praising internally with thoughts like "Master is awesome" and "Zhang Wei is so impressive."

"Damn, that kid managed to catch that?"

In the next seat, Hu Yaode looked displeased.

He had thought this combination of punches would have knocked Zhang Wei out, or at least severely weakened him, if not completely.

Unexpectedly, the kid got up on stage and spoke a few words, dissipating this whole line of attack.

Hu Yaode felt that he shouldn’t have changed his stance so early.

Procuratorate Headquarters, unreliable!

"Ahem, may I ask if Lawyer Zhang still wishes to cross-examine?"

Seeing that the courtroom had become somewhat quiet, Old Wang quickly prompted.

"Of course, Judge Wang, I still have many questions regarding the case!"

Zhang Wei again approached the witness stand and asked, "Old Cui, since you were responsible for investigating this case back then and were also the former head of the Major Crimes Unit, I want to ask you, did you perform a reasonable exclusion of suspects at that time?"

"Of course, we not only compiled all the witness testimonies but also visited many residents near the Changqing Hotel to ask if there were any eyewitnesses on the night of the incident."

"And the result?"

Hearing Zhang Wei ask this, Old Cui looked embarrassed: "In the end, we found out that Wen Xiaoyun had simply disappeared, and even the search dogs couldn’t pick up her trail!"

"So according to the department’s procedure, after how many years of disappearance is someone declared dead?"

"According to procedure, if a person has been missing for four years and the interested parties apply, they can be declared dead!"

"So was Wen Xiaoyun applied to be declared dead?"

"Yes."

Hearing Old Cui say this, Zhang Wei smiled.

"So, it means Wen Xiaoyun was ’made to be dead’, right?"

"Objection!"

Xiao Baihe stood up decisively to interrupt: "Your Honor, the term ’made to be dead’ doesn’t exist in judicial practice!"

"Lawyer Zhang, you..."

"Your Honor, I retract my previous statement!"

Zhang Wei’s apology came quicker than Old Wang could speak.

But then, he turned again towards the witness, "Old Cui, up to now, no body has been found, correct?"

"Yes!"

"Then according to your department’s process, if there is no body and no evidence to indicate the cause, you cannot determine if the victim was murdered or committed suicide, let alone who might be responsible for the victim’s death."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he pointed to the defense bench, "Even if Wen Xiaoyun was indeed murdered, can you claim that my client is the murderer?"

"This, certainly not, the accusation of murder is very serious, without solid evidence, no one can allege others of committing murder; such an act would constitute slander and defamation!"

"So now I would like you to tell everyone in court, is my client the murderer?"

"Objection!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s request, Xiao Baihe immediately objected.

"On what grounds?" Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow and looked towards the bench.

"Prosecutor, your grounds for objection?" Old Wang also looked at Xiao Baihe.

She immediately explained, "The defense lawyer is leading the witness to speculate!"

"Your Honor, I was merely asking the witness to state the established facts. He is a retired investigator from the research division, so he should be familiar with our procedures. Moreover, I believe that my questions were neither overstepping nor inappropriate in any way, were they?"

"This..."

Seeing Xiao Baihe and Zhang Wei arguing again, Old Wang felt his headache intensifying.

"Objection overruled, the witness needs to answer this question!"

Seeing Old Wang side with Zhang Wei, a stern look flashed in Xiao Baihe’s eyes, but she could only sit down resentfully.

Old Cui sighed upon seeing this and said helplessly, "In our research division, we emphasize evidence. Without strong evidence to prove this point, we would not call someone a murderer!"

"Likewise, until we find Wen Xiaoyun’s body, although we can consider the defendant a suspect, he is just that—a suspect, not the murderer!"

As this response was given, the atmosphere in the courtroom shifted slightly.

On the jury bench, the hostility towards Yang Chuanfang had lessened considerably, and even a few jurors showed looks of understanding.

"Very good, thank you for your answer. The defense has no further questions!"

Zhang Wei was quite pleased with the effect and promptly concluded the cross-examination.

Returning to the defense bench, Yang Chuanfang couldn’t help but give Zhang Wei a thumbs-up.

"Lawyer Zhang, your speech was brilliant. You truly are a top-notch lawyer, far better than any other lawyers I’ve dealt with over the years!"

Zhang Wei shook his head at the compliment, but his expression remained somber.

"Young Master Yang, that was just the first witness, and I’ve already had to respond like this. The prosecution’s offensive has only just begun, and moreover..."

As he spoke, he looked towards the victim’s family section where the elderly couple still regarded Yang Chuanfang with animosity.

"The prosecution has yet to play its trump card. We absolutely cannot take this lightly!"

The so-called trump card was, of course, the victim’s family.

This has always been a "nuclear weapon" in the courtroom.

"Old Cui, you may step down now!"

Old Wang also urged, and Old Cui glanced at Zhang Wei and Yang Chuanfang, nodded respectfully to Xiao Baihe and Old Wang, and then left the courtroom.

"Prosecutor?"

"Your Honor, I would like to call the second witness to testify now!"

Xiao Baihe promptly stood up and announced the arrival of the second witness.

A somewhat overweight man dressed in a suit and tie walked into the courtroom.

"Ali?"

Upon seeing the man, Yang Chuanfang on the prosecution’s side was slightly taken aback.

"I know who she is; in fact, I’ve done some digging on him. He’s one of your old drinking buddies and also your high school and college classmate. His father is in the decoration business and used to work for your dad. Both father and son can be considered your family’s lackeys, right?"

Zhang Wei’s eyes held no mockery as he spoke the last words.

Because from the current situation, it seemed this "lackey" might be about to "betray" him.

After all, this person had agreed to be a witness for the prosecution, which was definitely not a good sign.

"Hello, witness, please introduce yourself."

"Sure."

The man glanced at Yang Chuanfang and introduced himself, "My surname is Han, my name is Han Julì. My family is in the decoration business. My father used to work for Boss Yang, and I’ve been classmates with Young Master Yang through high school and college. We were friends until Young Master Yang left Dongfang Capital."

"So you would say that you know Young Master Yang quite well?"

"Pretty well, at least before he used to include me in whatever activities he had."

"And what about Wen Xiaoyun? Are you familiar with her?"

"I’ve met her a few times. She is a very pretty girl. Later on, she got together with Young Master Yang, but unfortunately, after that day, she..."

As Han Julì spoke, he glanced at the victim’s family bench and soon bowed his head.

"Mr. Han, although I know you and the defendant are friends, I asked you to testify to reveal your knowledge related to the defendant. Will this be difficult for you?"

"Not at all, I’ll tell everything I know on the stand!"

"Good. Could you tell us, Mr. Han, what kind of person is the defendant, in your opinion?"

"Young Master Yang is someone impulsive and quick-tempered. Sometimes he can..."

"Can do what?" Xiao Baihe quickly pressed on.

Han Julì looked up at Yang Chuanfang, his eyes flickering with evasion.

"Sometimes he does things without considering the consequences, even hurting those around him!"

This statement caused an uproar in the courtroom.

Because the witness’s accusation was telling everyone that the defendant might have harmed Wen Xiaoyun!