Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 292 - 290: Hua Chaofan Watches the Battle, Old Guo Goes Full Throttle!

Chapter 292: Chapter 290: Hua Chaofan Watches the Battle, Old Guo Goes Full Throttle!

In the afternoon, the trial continued.

After lunch, the crowd in the courtroom hurried back in without any rest.

"Eh, he is..."

However, just as he was entering the courtroom, Zhang Wei caught a glimpse of an eerie gaze.

Seated in the farthest corner of the observer’s seats, was a figure lounging comfortably.

This person was none other than Hua Chaofan.

Zhang Wei was particularly attentive to this man.

After all, he was a threat to Zhang Xinwu’s family and his background was also very mysterious.

"Madam Gao, go take your seat, I have something to say to an acquaintance in the observer’s section!"

After sending Gao Xiaoping to her seat, Zhang Wei approached the corner.

Today, Hua Chaofan was alone; the burly, bald Hua Chaoli did not accompany him.

When Hua Chaofan saw Zhang Wei coming closer, he smiled.

But the smile did not contain a trace of friendliness.

"Mr. Hua, how come you’re interested in attending such a minor trial?" With his first sentence, Zhang Wei made a slight probe.

"Lawyer Zhang, I’ve heard that you’re the most formidable lawyer in Dongfang Capital. Coincidentally, I also heard that there’s a hearing of yours today, so I came to watch," replied Hua Chaofan, not hiding his intentions while scrutinizing Zhang Wei.

"Who told you that?"

Zhang Wei suddenly smiled and asked a question that seemed somewhat baffling.

Hua Chaofan’s expression was calm, but the question took him aback.

Are you kidding me? You don’t understand human speech? I was merely complimenting you and being polite, and you’re digging for the roots?

However, the awkwardness lasted only a moment, as Hua Chaofan quickly changed the subject: "Lawyer Zhang, I think instead of worrying about me, you should be more concerned about yourself!"

"In this case, it seems you have no chance of winning. Although I’m not a professional, I’m aware that your client has clearly committed a crime. So, I’d like to see how the most formidable lawyer in Dongfang Capital handles this case!"

"Mr. Hua, I’m just a lawyer. Defending my clients is my job. As for being the most formidable lawyer in Dongfang Capital, that’s a title I really can’t claim," Zhang Wei said, gesturing dismissively and then glancing at Hua Chaofan once more.

After triple checking and seeing no flaws on Hua Chaofan, Zhang Wei couldn’t be bothered to respond further.

Making an excuse, Zhang Wei turned and walked away, returning to his seat in the defendant’s area.

On the contrary, Hua Chaofan kept his eyes on Zhang Wei, muttering to himself, "Hmph, with this case, I’ll be able to tell whether you truly possess talent or just rely on good luck!"

"However, I’ve dealt with many tough litigation lawyers abroad, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a young defense attorney who isn’t daunted by the courtroom!"

Clearly, Zhang Wei’s youth was something that made Hua Chaofan slightly doubtful.

He was aware that for lawyers, experience and seniority are key, and given Zhang Wei’s young age, he actually lacked these two critical attributes.

But Lin Xiangtian had boasted to him that Zhang Wei was very capable, which was quite perplexing.

The reason Hua Chaofan came to observe the trial was to evaluate Zhang Wei’s caliber as a lawyer.

Now, he was looking forward to the rest of the court proceedings.

Bang!

The doors of the courtroom were suddenly flung open, and Guo Wufeng, along with other representatives of the prosecution, swarmed in.

This time, accompanying Guo Wufeng was another of Zhang Wei’s acquaintances.

Zhao Chunming!

Clearly, after Xiao Baihe’s defeat last time, Zhao Chunming also came to realize something.

That was whether Zhang Wei won a case or not had nothing to do with whether he was present.

After all, if their side was going to lose, his vigilance would not affect the outcome.

So, it’s foolish to be superstitious.

But today’s hearing was completely different.

Zhao Chunming came here just to see Zhang Wei defeated.

"Old Guo, it all depends on you this time!"

As he spoke, he patted Guo Wufeng’s shoulder heavily, his eyes filled with trust.

"Don’t worry, leave it to me!"

Guo Wufeng accepted the command on the spot, his face was serious yet solemn.

At this moment, the two men resembled old comrades in arms, with Zhao Chunming seeing off Guo Wufeng who was about to depart for the battlefield.

This atmosphere was enough to move the newcomers from the Procuratorate Headquarters standing beside Zhao Chunming.

"Well, I’ll be, Old Guo and Old Zhao really want me dead!"

On the contrary, it was Zhang Wei who, upon seeing this scene and the two grown men hugging and patting each other’s back, felt somewhat speechless.

Zhao Chunming noticed Zhang Wei’s gaze, and immediately gave him a smirk full of guile.

That smile contained three parts contempt, three parts mockery, three parts arrogance, and a touch of sympathy.

It was as if Zhao Chunming was saying: You’re going to lose this time, I, Zhao Chunming, guarantee it!

Zhao Chunming took a seat with the newcomers from the Procuratorate Headquarters, while Guo Wufeng led Xiao Chen to take a seat in the prosecutor’s bench.

Consequently, the auditory became distinctly divided into two opposing camps.

One side supported Zhang Wei, the newcomers from the criminal department of Jincheng Law Firm; the other supported Guo Wufeng, the newcomers from the Procuratorate Headquarters.

The two groups sat on separate sides of the auditory, clearly in a stand-off.

The prosecution and defence did not communicate with each other, they were all whispering amongst themselves, waiting for time to pass.

As time slowly ticked by, the afternoon session arrived.

"All rise!"

Judge Liu entered the courtroom as announced by the court guard.

His eyes swept across the courtroom, checking that both parties and the jury were present, with no one absent.

When his gaze passed over the auditory and saw the two silently confronting groups, and Zhao Chunming sitting right in the center, he felt an immense pressure.

"My goodness, this is just a minor case, why are so many people here, and why has Old Zhao from the Procuratorate Headquarters come too!"

Judge Liu took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

For some reason, his hands were a bit shaky,

"Ahem... Well, since no one is missing, this court hereby declares that the public prosecution case of Gao Xiaoping’s unlicensed medical practice, brought by the Procuratorate Headquarters, is now officially in session!"

After hitting the gavel, Judge Liu looked toward the prosecutor’s bench.

In a public prosecution case, the prosecutor must speak first.

Guo Wufeng straightened his collar and walked to the stand with a smile on his face.

"Ahem, I am Guo Wufeng from the Procuratorate Headquarters, and today, on behalf of the prosecution and the citizens of Dongfang Capital, I bring public accusation against that woman sitting at the defence’s bench!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Gao Xiaoping and said in a grave tone: "Her name is Gao Xiaoping, and you may have some understanding of this case. She claims to be a midwife, also known as a birthing assistant or labor coach – an occupation that should have been eliminated in old times."

"But what I want to say is, Gao Xiaoping is not the good-hearted person you might think of, selflessly providing medical assistance to the public. On the contrary, she uses it as a way to make a living, taking a substantial amount of money from families expecting a child, thereby achieving the purpose of illegal profiteering!"

"Objection!"

Just as Guo Wufeng was speaking, an objection interrupted him.

Everyone looked towards the defence’s bench because the person who spoke was not Zhang Wei, but Gao Xiaoping, who was sitting next to him!

Zhang Wei was also stunned. Had his client learned to interrupt?

The problem was, he hadn’t planned on objecting at all, so he immediately turned to look at his client.

"Madam Gao, what are you doing?"

"He’s slandering me, and you’re not going to say anything?" Gao Xiaoping pointed at Guo Wufeng and challenged Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei internally rolled his eyes; because what Guo Wufeng said wasn’t wrong,

Though he also didn’t appreciate it, unlicensed medical practice was something known to everyone, wasn’t it?

Since she didn’t hold a legitimate license, under the laws of Dongfang Capital, weren’t the profits obtained through a fake license considered as illegal profiteering?

Guo Wufeng’s words, although aggressive, were not incorrect. How could he object?

"Defense, may I ask why your client wishes to speak?"

Judge Liu hardened his face and also decided to call for an account.

"Ahem, Your Honor, my client believes that the prosecution’s accusation is slightly biased, which is why she interrupted. But I have communicated with her, and she has expressed apologies for her impulsiveness. We hope the court will understand!"

Judge Liu glanced at Gao Xiaoping and saw that her face was still tense with anger.

Is that supposed to mean she feels sorry?

Are you kidding me?

This is clearly a face full of defiance, isn’t it?

"Well, since the defendant admits her mistake, let’s not set a precedent, no precedent!"

Judge Liu didn’t dwell on this too much; he just signaled both parties and then downplayed the issue, dealing with it lightly.

Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief; after all, Judge Liu was a young judge without much experience, which made him easier to deal with.

If it had been someone with the experience of Old Chen or Old Li or an uncompromising judge like Ni Qiuping, it wouldn’t have been so easy to get through.

Guo Wufeng just watched all this with a cold eye.

Seeing the judge nod towards him, of course, he continued his statement.

Gao Xiaoping violated Dongfang Capital’s medical act, leading to the deaths of many newborns, and these newborns and their mothers—if delivered at Dongfang Capital’s Children’s Hospital—had a great chance of surviving..."

In court, Guo Wufeng was on full attack, speaking eloquently.

"That’s not true!"

From the defense bench, Gao Xiaoping almost couldn’t hold back again.

She glared angrily at Guo Wufeng, her face brimming with indignation.

"Madam Gao, it’s not for me to say, but why are you so angry? Can you try to stay calm?"

"How do you expect me to stay calm when these people are slandering me? And those jurors, they look at me as if they were looking at a murderer!"

Gao Xiaoping pointed at Guo Wufeng and then at the jury bench.

"I understand how you feel, but my goal is to keep you out of jail, and your current behavior is only taking you further and further away from that goal!"

Zhang Wei immediately warned her and placed his hand on Gao Xiaoping’s shoulder.

He feared she would lose control again and stand up to confront Old Guo, which would throw the entire courtroom into chaos.

After all, if Gao Xiaoping were to do that, how would the jury see her?

They wouldn’t see a compassionate midwife but an impulsive and irritable murderer.

"Remember, if you don’t want to go to jail, you need to stay calm; otherwise, not even a god could help you!"

Zhang Wei could only temporarily suppress Gao Xiaoping’s anger, urging her to calm down.

Unfortunately, Gao Xiaoping’s complexion remained poor, and her calmness was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Wei, helpless, could only gingerly attend to his client while redirecting his attention back to the court.

"...I would like to inform you all about two statistics, namely the maternal mortality rate and the newborn mortality rate!"

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do you know? The maternal mortality rate around the world is so high, it’s almost unbelievable. Every day, around 1,000 women die due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. Ten years ago, over the course of a year, there were 358,000 women who died during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum, nearly all of which occurred in areas with poor medical conditions, and most of these cases had symptoms that could have been detected and prevented."

"Thanks to the development of modern technology and improved medical conditions, the global maternal mortality rate has decreased by 34% compared to ten years ago, and the newborn mortality rate has also decreased from an initial risk rate of over 30% to the current rate of 6.1%."

"Among the cases causing deaths of mothers and newborns, we can identify three high-risk complications: postpartum hemorrhage, high-risk infections usually post-birth, and pregnancy-induced hypertension, including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia."

After citing the examples, Guo Wufeng once again looked towards the defense, "Now, let’s get back to the main point!"

He continued to point at Gao Xiaoping, his tone intensifying: "We already know that the defendant has not received medical training or studied obstetrics knowledge offered by Dongfang Capital; she even lacks a proper medical practice license. So, how can we ensure that when she was assisting in childbirth, she followed compliant medical procedures?"

"I mentioned three high-risk complications just now, and I can tell everyone that Ms. Gao Xiaoping did not have the means to prevent or treat these risk issues. Once a woman in childbirth experienced major bleeding or infection, the result would be—"

Guo Wufeng suddenly stopped talking and walked to the front of the jury bench.

After making sure all 12 jurors were looking at him, he stressed the words: "Death!"

Death!

In other words, death, the mother would die!

This word reverberated in the ears of the jury, and it made the courtroom incredibly solemn.

The atmosphere in the entire courtroom began to tense up.

Just because of those two words, the oppressive force was immense.

In the defense’s seat, Zhang Wei felt the pressure on his hands intensify as Gao Xiaoping tried to stand up.

"Madam Gao, I’ve told you, please stay calm, otherwise if you stand up and speak now, the jury will directly convict you!"

"Once the jury is prejudiced into thinking you’re guilty, we are beyond defense; do you understand?"

Zhang Wei’s words somewhat restored calm to Gao Xiaoping.

"Are you just going to watch them slander me like this? You’re supposed to be the best lawyer in Dongfang Capital, the very best one!"

"I’ve never claimed to be the best..."

Zhang Wei touched his nose, somewhat at a loss for words.

For some reason, people had recently been proclaiming him to be the best lawyer in Dongfang Capital.

Was he?

Clearly he wasn’t!

Don’t just make things up, be careful or I’ll sue you for defamation!

Just because he inadvertently caused Cheng Lisha to jump from a building, how did he become the greatest? And there’s even the nickname "Homicide Lawyer."

In Zhang Wei’s view, these were not good reputations at all.

However, thanks to Zhang Wei’s warning, Gao Xiaoping finally quieted down, and he sighed with relief.

On the other side, seeing his objective met and the jury fully aware of the gravity of the situation, Guo Wufeng began to summon witnesses.

"Your Honor, the prosecution requests to call the first witness, the retired prosecutor Yi from Bei Chong Island, to testify in court!"

Following Guo Wufeng’s call, an elderly man dressed neatly walked onto the stand.

The appearance of the elderly man wasn’t surprising to anyone in attendance, especially not to Zhang Wei.

Because he knew, the prosecution intended to prove that Prosecutor Yi had informed Gao Xiaoping beforehand, and that Gao Xiaoping, despite knowing the law, had broken the law, which added severity to her crime.

After the witness took the stand, Old Guo went straight to questioning.

"Hello, Prosecutor Yi, can you tell us how long you served as a prosecutor in Bei Chong Island town?"

After hearing the question, the elderly man smiled, saying: "Around 30 years; people in the town and countryside all call me Old Yi, I’m very familiar with them!"

Hearing the spirited response of the elderly man, Guo Wufeng’s face remained serious.

"Prosecutor Yi, as the seasoned prosecutor on Bei Chong Island and a senior to those of us on the prosecution’s side, may I ask if you have had extensive contact with the defendant?"

"Of course. Ever since Gao Xiaoping came to Bei Chong Island, I hadn’t been the regional prosecutor there for many years. We lived in the same town and were neighbors for over twenty years; how could we not be familiar?"

"Are you aware of the defendant’s profession?"

"Of course I’m aware, she did the midwifery work for some rural families. It was difficult at that time because the island’s transportation was inconvenient, and there wasn’t a decent hospital in the town. When I first arrived, the whole town had just one small clinic with two old doctors nearing retirement. They could manage minor colds but were helpless with childbirth."

"So, the midwifery work within the ten-mile radius was done by the defendant?"

"Yes, with the limited conditions and her being the only midwife in that area, who else could it have been but her?"

Guo Wufeng nodded, then inquired further: "Then please tell me, after Bei Chong Island was incorporated into Dongfang Capital, did you inform the defendant that she needed to acquire a license recognized by Dongfang Capital before she could continue her work as a midwife?"

"I did inform her, right in the first year the regulations were issued, I personally went to her house to explain the situation, but..."

The elder scratched his head awkwardly, "Even though Bei Chong Island later developed, the island’s transportation remained inconvenient. The hospital was at one end of the island, and many families lived on the other end, which required a lot of effort to travel back and forth. For convenience, many families still asked her to handle the births."

"So you’re saying, despite knowing she didn’t have a legal practice certificate, the defendant continued to work as a midwife?"

"Yes!"

The elderly man nodded, his face showing a trace of embarrassment.

After all, the defendant’s actions were somewhat related to his turning a blind eye.

Had it not been for his tacit approval, Gao Xiaoping might have gone to Dongfang Capital to take her qualification exams long ago.

Seeing everybody had heard the elderly man’s answer, Guo Wufeng immediately summed up: "So, despite being aware that her actions could pose a danger to both the mother and the newborn, the defendant continued to choose profit over the safety of both mother and child!"

"She would do anything for money; can we trust our children with someone like that?"

In the end, he even pointed at Gao Xiaoping and uttered each word as though he was condemning her.

"Bullshit!"

As soon as Guo Wufeng finished speaking, Zhang Wei felt his hand suddenly lose control, and a roar echoed in his ear.

Unfortunately, the one who roared wasn’t the Tiger King, but his own client!