Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 291 - 289: Newcomer Su Xiaoqian, The Little Apprentice Bets

Chapter 291: Chapter 289: Newcomer Su Xiaoqian, The Little Apprentice Bets

Jinying City court entrance.

Zhang Wei said goodbye to Gao Xiaoping.

As a party to the case, Gao Xiaoping didn’t return to Bei Chong Island but stayed at a friend’s place in Dongfang Capital.

As for Zhang Wei, he naturally headed back to his law firm.

Ding!

The sudden alert tone of a text message from the court.

"To have the trial next Monday, the timeline is really tight, they aren’t putting pressure behind the scenes to take me down early, are they?"

Zhang Wei felt that the Procuratorate Headquarters were rather impatient to get even with him.

But he wasn’t planning on being stubbornly defensive.

In fact, during the pre-trial conference he had just been to, he had already explained the defense’s stance.

We and the party involved are willing to cooperate, but the condition for pleading guilty is 3 years, with a 2-year probation and the possibility of parole in the final year, those are the defense’s terms.

Whereas the prosecution’s condition is 10 years, which is simply unacceptable.

And since both sides couldn’t agree, there was no choice but to clash in court.

The failure to agree was anticipated.

The Procuratorate Headquarters were dead set on defeating Zhang Wei, so much so that even though Zhang Wei was planning on a guilty defense, they remained unmerciful.

There was no helping it; faced with Zhang Wei, the Procuratorate Headquarters had already lost their nerve and were desperate for a victory.

And Gao Xiaoping’s case was just the start of that victory.

This case was unwinnable from the start, and Zhang Wei also knew that Gao Xiaoping couldn’t possibly be found innocent.

So the Procuratorate Headquarters would definitely not agree to Zhang Wei’s settlement terms; otherwise, a win would be as good as no win at all.

They needed a victory, and not just any victory, but a decisive one!

Realizing this, Zhang Wei had no other options left.

He could only return to the law firm, back to the criminal department.

...

Meanwhile, in the office of the criminal department.

While Zhang Wei was attending the motion hearing at the court, the newcomers had already become eager.

Although they couldn’t accompany Zhang Wei to the hearing, it didn’t mean they weren’t following the case.

On the contrary, they had gathered in the main hall early in the morning, not only with writing pads ready but also with all of Zhang Wei’s case information documented on them.

"What do you think, how should Lawyer Zhang handle this?"

"What else can he do when there’s no case to be had?"

"Yeah, yeah, even if it’s Lawyer Zhang, he can’t possibly win, right?"

"There’s a saying that even a clever woman can’t cook without rice; this case is a sure conviction. No matter how good Lawyer Zhang is, he can’t possibly get any advantage from the Procuratorate Headquarters—that’s the Procuratorate Headquarters we’re talking about!"

More than twenty newcomers didn’t really need to take sides, as they all knew there was no case to be made.

"Although the Procuratorate Headquarters are formidable, that’s Lawyer Zhang Wei we’re talking about. Hasn’t he always been able to turn dire situations around?"

A girl who supported Zhang Wei suddenly stood up with stars in her eyes.

"Indeed, I used to not believe anyone could defeat the Procuratorate Headquarters, but Lawyer Zhang did it, and he has won several times!"

"I’ve looked through Lawyer Zhang’s cases, and I can only say that his tactics are truly unexpected. I think this time, he is just as confident!"

The girl’s words immediately drew out a few supporters of Zhang Wei.

Though the case was tough, it also mattered who was taking charge of it.

If it was Zhang Wei, known as the "Homicide Lawyer" and "Nemesis of the Procuratorate Headquarters," perhaps it wouldn’t be such a difficult task.

"I think, even for Lawyer Zhang Wei, it must be quite difficult this time?"

"Exactly, I heard this time the prosecutor isn’t just any ordinary prosecutor but the head of the Office of Minor Crimes, which is a tough nut to crack!"

"Lawyer Zhang is indeed amazing, but facing such an experienced prosecutor, even he might break his teeth on it?"

Among the newcomers, there were also some with a pessimistic view, not very optimistic about Zhang Wei’s case.

"How can you say that, we definitely have to support Lawyer Zhang!"

"He is our criminal department’s ace lawyer, and we are all part of the criminal department too!"

"Although we are all still interns, in my heart, I already consider myself part of Jincheng, so I’m on Lawyer Zhang’s side!"

Another group of newcomers firmly backed Zhang Wei, showing a sense of united identity with the Jincheng Criminal Department.

Ding dong!

The elevator door opened, and Zhang Wei was back.

In an instant, the previously bustling office quieted down.

"Yo-ho, everyone’s gathered here chatting?"

Zhang Wei, seeing so many people gathered in the main hall, seemed quite composed.

After all, the Criminal Department isn’t a small division anymore; there will be more and more people joining.

"Lawyer Zhang, may I ask, what do you plan to do with this case?" a female student asked curiously, blinking her eyes.

Zhang Wei looked at the rather proactive girl, slightly taken aback for a moment.

However, lively girls generally tend to integrate into the office environment earliest and might also become official employees sooner.

Curious about this future colleague, Zhang Wei naturally asked, "What is your name?"

"I am Su Xiaoqian from Jinying City, graduated from Jinnan University School of Law!" The girl answered immediately upon Zhang Wei’s inquiry.

"Oh, Xiao Su, regarding your question, it’s indeed a bit difficult for me to answer!"

Zhang Wei smiled, looking at the girl and the other newcomers, "Theoretically, this case is actually unwinnable, and the only thing I can do is negotiate terms with the prosecution, haggling over the years of confinement."

"We already know that!"

Su Xiaoqian, perhaps sensing that Zhang Wei was approachable, got more excited.

"Lawyer Zhang, could you share something we don’t know about?"

"Well..."

Seeing the girl’s eager eyes and the attention of the other newbies as well, Zhang Wei felt that as an ace lawyer, he indeed needed to show off a bit.

He decided not to go back to the office and instead walked into the main hall.

"Actually, there are strategies you can follow for these seemingly unwinnable cases!"

"What kind of strategies?" All the newcomers were excited, their faces full of anticipation.

"That would be to make the prosecution drop the case or to force them to compromise!"

The newcomers looked at each other, somewhat confused.

If you’re already at a disadvantage, how can you force the prosecution to compromise, let alone make them drop the case?

Surely the prosecution, confident of winning, wouldn’t drop the case—that would just be making trouble for themselves, right?

"Actually, the prosecution is inflexible, but people are adaptable!"

Zhang Wei chuckled and wrote the name "Guo Wufeng" on the display board.

"In a courtroom battle, especially in criminal defense, who are your opponents? Is it the prosecutorial authorities?"

"Wrong, your opponent is the prosecutor. Although they exercise public prosecutorial powers and represent institutions like Procuratorate Headquarters, they are still individuals, and every individual has weaknesses, has vulnerabilities!"

As he spoke, he tapped on the name "Guo Wufeng" on the display board.

Seeing this, Su Xiaoqian promptly raised her hand and said, "I get it, Lawyer Zhang means we need to deal with the prosecutor, right?"

"Girl, don’t talk nonsense, I’m only saying the opponent is human, not that we should deal with them!"

A bead of sweat rolled down Zhang Wei’s forehead; this girl’s way of thinking was indeed unusual.

"Besides, everyone knows my relationship with Old Guo... we’re all acquaintances..."

"Then, Lawyer Zhang, did this acquaintance provide you with any settlement terms?" the girl continued to inquire.

"Well..."

Thinking of Old Guo’s settlement terms, Zhang Wei felt he couldn’t continue this conversation.

"Old Guo is a little impulsive in handling matters, but he is a good person. I especially like Old Guo and am very much looking forward to battling it out with him in court."

Zhang Wei felt that he needed to present a good image in front of the new hires, not wanting to tarnish the reputation of the Criminal Department.

Suppressing the urge to curse Guo Wufeng, he even heaped praise on his opponent.

"Alright, that’s all I can say for now. As for the specific strategies, I need to think them over. You all continue discussing, okay?"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, said goodbye to the new group, and went straight back to his office.

The newcomers looked at each other.

"Do you think Lawyer Zhang is just bluffing?"

"It looks likely. I bet 50 bucks he’s bluffing!"

"You can bet on this? Well then, I’ll also bet 50 bucks that Lawyer Zhang actually has a strategy!"

"How about I act as the bookmaker? Although this case is tough, I believe Lawyer Zhang must be confident. Odds of 5 to 1 if Lawyer Zhang wins, 2.5 to 1 if he loses, how about that?"

"Sure, I’ll take that. I’m betting Lawyer Zhang won’t win!"

"Me too, me too!"

In no time, the newcomers were all eagerly participating in the betting pool, but most of them believed Zhang Wei wouldn’t win.

"What are you guys doing?"

Suddenly, a cute voice rang out.

There stood Lin Yumeng, hands on her hips, her somewhat chubby face filled with anger.

"How can you demean my master like that? He is really amazing!"

The cute girl said as she walked up to the newcomer organizing the betting pool.

The latter’s heart sank, internally cursing their luck.

They knew that this girl wasn’t just a team leader in the Criminal Department; rumors said she also had significant connections higher up.

Seeing Lin Yumeng’s rage, everyone bowed their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Lin Yumeng frowned, suddenly reaching into her pocket, "Here, this is 1000 bucks, I bet on the master to win!"

"Ah, this..."

The newcomer stared at the stack of money Lin Yumeng handed over, standing there stunned.

However, after seeing the serious expression on the face of this "Team Leader Lin," they still smiled and accepted the money.

After all, in a big law firm, people in the same office betting before a trial is also a form of entertainment.

The betting pool was opened, and the wagers were collected.

Now, everyone’s attention was also focused on Zhang Wei.

As for Zhang Wei, he was sitting in the office, deep in thought about strategies.

...

Monday.

Pre-trial and court day.

The weekend passed quickly, and Monday arrived as expected.

Over the entire weekend, Zhang Wei had only done a few things.

One of which was to personally go to Bei Chong Island, trying to find character witnesses for his client.

Unfortunately, when they heard they had to trek to the Dongfang Capital Inner Ring, many people on Bei Chong Island refused.

Zhang Wei hadn’t expected that Gao Xiaoping’s network on Bei Chong Island would be less effective than the inconvenience of a remote trip.

The second thing was to have Gao Xiaoping come to the firm for a mock trial.

But overall, the results were not very promising.

Gao Xiaoping was a woman with not the best temper, otherwise she wouldn’t have scolded Guo Wufeng to his face during the motion.

To say ’not the best temper’ was actually a compliment to her.

Her mentality must have been affected by the case.

Originally working well on Bei Chong Island, she faced not only the loss of her job due to the acquisition by Dongfang Capital but also judicial prosecution, which was really an undeserved disaster.

No wonder her temper was bad.

And this was also troublesome for Zhang Wei, as while simulating the prosecutor’s questions, it only took a few queries before Gao Xiaoping’s mentality would explode, and she would angrily retort on the spot.

This performance was very problematic.

If the jury came to believe that Gao Xiaoping was not a qualified midwife, or that she was hot-tempered and easily influenced by her emotions, it could lead them to think that she might endanger the lives of infants and mothers during childbirth.

So overall, Zhang Wei felt that this case was going to be tough.

Jincheng Court, Criminal Division.

When Zhang Wei arrived in court with his client, Gao Xiaoping, the entire auditorium was already quite filled.

Especially the first row, which was entirely occupied by colleagues from the criminal department.

Except for Tie Ruyun, who was busy with departmental work and couldn’t attend, Xiao Li and the apprentice, along with more than twenty newcomers, were all present.

This group of newcomers all held notepads, studiously taking notes like humble and eager students.

Of course, as a case personally handled by Guo Wufeng, a few people from the Procuratorate Headquarters also came to watch.

Among them, Zhao Chunming sat in the middle with a stern face, clearly there to cheer on his old teammate.

Seeing Zhao Chunming, Zhang Wei mumbled to himself, wondering if Old Zhao really needed to personally supervise the case given the prosecutor’s already strong advantage.

In the neighboring prosecutor’s bench, Guo Wufeng also glanced at the spectator seats.

"Lawyer Zhang, there are quite a few people from your department, but the level is a bit low, probably all newbies, right?"

"But you’re bound to lose today’s case; these newbies might only witness your defeat. Are you going to ask them to write a report, so you can study every day how you lost?"

Before the battle, there was always the tradition of exchanging taunts.

Guo Wufeng was provoking Zhang Wei at this moment.

With a big advantage, he wanted to show off a bit.

"Old Guo, it’s just a pre-trial in the morning, and the hearing isn’t until the afternoon. There’s no need to gloat so much, is there?"

"Heh heh, in any case, the winner will be decided today. You should think about how to make your defeat less embarrassing!"

Guo Wufeng sneered and, seeing that Zhang Wei was not taking the bait, withdrew his taunting intentions.

Zhang Wei, however, glanced at Gao Xiaoping, who was sitting next to him, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

A few minutes later, the time came.

"All rise!"

Following the Court Guard’s announcement, the young Judge Liu entered the courtroom.

He briefly surveyed the auditorium and was taken aback.

Good heavens, so many people had come, and both the prosecution and defense had supporters.

This young judge suddenly felt the pressure.

Especially after seeing the stern face of Zhao Chunming in the middle of the seats, he grew even more apprehensive.

He was just a new judge who had transferred from a lower court not long ago.

He had thought this would be a minor case, but it turned out to be tricky, especially with the pressure from both the defense and the prosecution being quite overwhelming.

"Ahem, well, I must clarify, considering the influence of the case and the consumption of judicial resources, the court has decided after a meeting to adopt an expedited trial for this case."

"So, this morning, we will select the jury, and after lunch, we will begin the trial, with the prosecution presenting their case. I hope both parties take note!"

Although this message had already been communicated to both sides via text over the weekend, it was still necessary to follow the proper procedures.

"Regarding the pretrial motions, I am already aware of the litigation assertions of both parties. The prosecution advocates for sentencing Ms. Gao Xiaoping on charges of illegal medical practice leading to the death of a newborn, as well as knowingly violating the law. In contrast, the defense will argue for a guilty plea, hoping the court will consider a lighter sentence."

"May I ask both parties, do you need to amend your litigation assertions?"

"Your Honor, the prosecution does not need to make any changes!"

"Your Honor, the defense does not need changes either!"

Seeing that neither side had any issues, Judge Liu nodded.

"Then, let’s bring in the jury candidates!"

At the judge’s signal, the Court Guard immediately arranged for the jury candidates to enter the courtroom.

"Eh, why are there so few people?"

Zhang Wei glanced around and realized that there were only 15 jury candidates.

"Judge Liu, why are there so few jury candidates..."

"Ahem, defense attorney, today is Monday, and many people are busy with work, so only so many prospective jurors are present. But no worries, we only need 12 people, so you can still eliminate 3!"

Hearing Judge Liu’s explanation, Zhang Wei was speechless.

What do you mean, ’no worries’? This is very concerning, extremely concerning.

Eliminating 3 people from the 15 would mean that the remaining 12 cannot be changed.

This limited his ability to select a jury to his advantage.

It seems that the new judge didn’t have the capacity even to ensure a larger pool of jury candidates.

"What’s wrong, Lawyer Zhang? Are you scared now, unable to use your boundless questioning to filter the desired jurors?"

Guo Wufeng, seizing the opportunity, sneered at him, as if to vent previous humiliations and fully exact his revenge on someone through this one case.

Zhang Wei, naturally, couldn’t be bothered with him, calmly walking to the front of the jury box.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am going to ask a buzzer question. Please raise your hands eagerly to respond, okay?"

Of the 15 jury candidates, quite a few nodded.

"Very well, may I ask, what brand of maternity and baby products do you or your partner prefer?"

"I like ’Baby Brand’!"

"I prefer ’Good Mother Brand’!"

"My wife likes ’Golden Sun Brand’!"

Two women and one man immediately raised their hands, answering very quickly.

Satisfied with the speed of these three, Zhang Wei nodded and smiled at them.

He then turned to look at the judge’s bench, his smile rapidly disappearing:

"Your Honor, we thank the three individuals for their responses, and we requests that these three jurors be excused!"

"This..."

Watching Zhang Wei’s quick change of demeanor, Judge Liu was astonished.

Was this a typical case of turning on someone after getting what he wanted?

And was this selection process too quick? Just one question and it’s done?

"Alright, the three of you are excused!"

Though surprised at the quick selection of the jury, Judge Liu did not object. After asking the three to leave the jury box, he declared the end of the pretrial with a bang of his gavel.

"Ahem, at one o’clock in the afternoon, after lunch, we will start the trial on time. Everyone, please go and rest for a bit!"

The courtroom gradually began to adjourn.

And on the observers’ bench, the newcomers also gathered near the defense’s side.

"Lawyer Zhang, why did you ask that question just now? Why did you bring up maternity and baby products?"

Among the new faces, the most active, Su Xiaoqian, immediately blinked and inquired.

"Can’t you all see?"

"See what?"

Zhang Wei chuckled, then explained: "If I’m not mistaken, the prosecution will surely focus on the death of the infant, and of course, I had to eliminate those who value family and children. However, I didn’t ask directly because I thought the jury might be anticipating it. So, I inquired about their preferred brands of maternity and baby products, which achieves the same goal and lowers the jurors’ guard."

Hearing Zhang Wei’s explanation, the newcomers had expressions of sudden realization, with several of them furiously taking notes.

"Let’s go have lunch, there’s a tough battle awaiting us after the meal!"

Zhang Wei then gestured for them to follow and, with his client, left the courtroom.