Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 300 - 298: Call Dad Again? Reaching a Settlement Agreement

Chapter 300: Chapter 298: Call Dad Again? Reaching a Settlement Agreement

In the courtroom.

Old Man Guo continued his outburst!

Despite his name being Guo Laoshi, which means "honest Guo," he was far from honest when he started cursing someone out, one wave after another.

His momentum was like a rainbow, torrential and unceasing!

His energy pierced through like a rainbow, continuous and unbroken!

Besides, when a father teaches his son a lesson, he dares to say anything.

"You ungrateful son, you cur! When your mother carried you for ten months and during the laborious month, Mother Wang was running around, staying by your mother’s side the whole time. Have you forgotten all that, you heartless thing!"

"And when your grandma gave birth to me, your grandpa said that it was the midwives who tended day in and day out, and it was them who saved our lives. Otherwise, the Guo line would have ended long ago. Yet you dare to look down on midwives, has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"

"You ingrate, you ungrateful little bastard..."

After being bombarded with several rounds of "storm-like output," Guo Wufeng kept his head down, not even daring to glance at the witness stand.

His face turned red, beet red, yet he was unable to make a scene.

He also knew that after today, he, Guo Wufeng, would have no face to show in public again.

To be scolded in public, right in the courtroom in front of so many observers at the hearing, without daring to talk back—what could be more embarrassing than that?

Oh—

The one cussing you out is your dad. Then it’s not a problem.

Isn’t that even more embarrassing?

To be berated by your own father in a courtroom, in front of the judge, that’s just too damn embarrassing.

The one-sided verbal onslaught in the courtroom lasted a full five minutes.

Heaven knows how Guo Wufeng managed to endure it, but under the "passionate and eloquent" scolding, he simply couldn’t speak anymore.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

After the onslaught ended, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but clap his hands and applaud.

"Thank you for the witness’s splendid speech. What never occurred to me was that Old Guo was once delivered by a midwife too... so your actions are indeed a bit ungrateful..."

Although Zhang Wei was being reflective, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

And the man sitting opposite, Guo Wufeng, at that moment, didn’t dare make a peep.

He bowed his head, his expression unknown.

Anyway, it must have been terrible.

After all, he had just been admonished by his own father in court for five whole minutes.

Heaven only knows whether Old Man Guo had intended to say everything he’d ever wanted to scold his son about in his lifetime.

Anyway, it’s over.

"Ahem, I believe that after the witness’s statement, everyone in the courtroom also understands that professionals like me are indeed necessary."

"I know you may think that according to regulations, all midwives are practicing medicine without a license, but in that era, it was difficult for everyone to get medical care. Having a midwife in the village to look after women about to give birth, that was actually a good deed."

"I believe that if it weren’t for the midwife, Mother Wang, and the older generation of midwives, Old Guo sitting in the plaintiff’s seat as well as his father, and even other people’s parents, probably wouldn’t have been born into this world, would they?"

"And all I’m asking for is a little bit of empathy when you’re ready to strictly adhere to the letter of the law. Just like the witness’s words today, they’ve given me a lot to think about."

Zhang Wei spoke, looking again towards the witness stand.

"Old Man Guo, your words were powerful and thought-provoking. I thank you once again for your speech!"

And as he expressed his thanks, his gaze also turned to those around him.

And there, in the jury box and the audience stands, quite a few people seemed to change their minds.

They might not fully understand Gao Xiaoping’s situation, but they now certainly grasped the hard work of midwives.

So this is what midwives endured to help deliver children into the world.

Seeing hesitation in many faces among the jury, Zhang Wei smiled again.

His gaze towards the witness stand was filled with goodwill.

This Old Man Guo was truly a good elder.

Though he didn’t understand these nuances, he knew his words had helped Zhang Wei.

So, he too cracked a smile.

"No problem, I was just teaching my own son a lesson, it’s nothing!"

As Old Man Guo spoke, he made to get up.

"The witness, please wait!"

But as he was about to move, Judge Liu hurriedly interrupted.

"Um, witness, the prosecution hasn’t cross-examined yet!"

"What’s that?"

Old Man Guo blinked and looked at Zhang Wei.

"Oh, it means your son is going to cross-examine you, he’s got questions for you!"

"Huh? He’s got questions for me?" Old Man Guo pointed at himself, then glared fiercely at the prosecution’s seat, "Hmph, let him dare!"

Alright, Guo Wufeng definitely didn’t dare.

"As for this witness... I have nothing to ask..."

He could only lower his head, sitting at the prosecutor’s bench, uttering in a faint voice.

What a joke!

As a son, would I dare to confront my own father in court?

Do you want me to be struck by lightning from the heavens?

"Since the prosecution does not wish to cross-examine, the witness may step down..."

Judge Liu too knew his intervention was superfluous, but he had to go through the necessary procedures, there was no helping it.

Old Man Guo stood up, and with the help of the court guard, slowly made his way out of the courtroom.

As he passed by the prosecutor’s bench, he huffed coldly, causing Guo Wufeng to bury his head even lower.

It wasn’t until the witness had finally left that Guo Wufeng dared to raise his head again.

All eyes in the courtroom instantly focused on him, on his face.

What they saw was a face flushed red, a face twisted with excitement, shame, and anger.

At this moment, Guo Wufeng felt like his world was crashing down, even harboring thoughts of murder.

If the chair beneath him could be used as a weapon, he would have loved nothing more than to smash Zhang Wei’s head with it.

How dare this little brat treat me this way!

Guo Wufeng roared internally, barely able to contain himself.

"Old Guo, what’s the matter, are you very angry?"

Zhang Wei glanced at Guo Wufeng, taunted him with a statement, then looked towards the judge’s bench.

"Your Honor, the defense requests a 20-minute recess so the prosecution can adjust their emotions!"

"The court... approves!"

Judge Liu once again struck the gavel, announcing a recess.

He unconditionally supported Zhang Wei’s request.

If it were him, having been scolded by his own father for so long, if he could still maintain his composure, that would be the real oddity.

The courtroom adjourned.

...

Outside the courtroom, the hallway.

Zhang Wei walked calmly to the door of a preparation room, his ear pressed against the door.

"Hahaha, I never expected the father of the Minor Crimes Department Director Guo Wufeng would be you, managing to raise your son to be the director is no easy feat!"

"It’s nothing, nothing. Our family has been farmers for generations, so I didn’t want my son to toil in the fields all his life, I forced him to study books. But this son of mine, he wasn’t very promising when he was young, I had to coax him along with the stick!"

"Absolutely, my own son too, now he’s always out and about running errands, even busier than me, a court guard... Oh right, this is some tea that little Zhang gave us, let me pour you a cup!"

"Ah, that’s very kind!"

Inside the door, two people were chatting and having a conversation.

After hearing the commotion inside, Zhang Wei was pleased.

Court Guard Old Lu was arranged by Zhang Wei to entertain Old Man Guo, as for the tea and such, they were just complimentary gifts from him.

After hearing that the old man was doing fine, Zhang Wei nonchalantly walked to the door of the next preparation room and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door opened, and a rookie prosecutor answered it.

"It’s Zhang Wei!"

After recognizing the person knocking, he exclaimed and hurriedly ran back into the preparation room, forgetting to close the door.

Zhang Wei thus pushed the door open and casually stepped inside, then was met with several sharp glares.

"You little scoundrel, you dare to show up here!"

Upon seeing Zhang Wei in the preparation room, Guo Wufeng couldn’t hold back and was about to grab a chair to swing.

"Old Guo, hold back!"

Zhao Chunming quickly raised a hand to stop him, as several colleagues promptly restrained Guo.

"I can’t hold back, how can I hold back, this kid is too despicable!" Guo Wufeng struggled, his demeanor agitated.

"This is a courthouse; if you really dared to make a move, that would be a criminal case. Don’t fall for that kid’s trap!"

Zhao Chunming urgently spoke out, having guessed Zhang Wei’s intentions.

This kid showing up here now, then making Guo Wufeng lose control, even to the point of starting a fight.

If a prosecutor commits assault in a courthouse, it’s definitely a criminal case, and Zhang Wei promises to use that as leverage.

In such a case, forget about the case itself, Guo Wufeng might end up in jail.

Fortunately, Zhao Chunming and others were there. They were afraid Guo would lose control, so they came in advance to stand guard.

Zhao Chunming silently expressed relief that they were there watching; if Guo Wufeng had encountered Zhang Wei alone, who knows what might have happened.

He immediately turned to Zhang Wei and scolded, "What are you doing here, boy?"

"I’m here to talk terms!"

"Conditions?"

Zhao Chunming and the others were astonished.

You’ve actually done that kind of thing and still thinking of negotiating terms?

"Nothing much, I just know one thing, that is the jury is no longer on your side now!"

Zhang Wei, however, cracked a slight smile, seemingly having Guo Wufeng all figured out.

"Old Guo, no offense, but if we each deliver our closing arguments now, and I have your dad take a seat in the witness area, do you think you could handle it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Guo Wufeng’s eyes widened sharply.

"Fuck, don’t hold me back, let go of me, I need to teach this bastard a lesson!"

Guo Wufeng struggled, but it was in vain as several people were holding him, and he couldn’t break free.

"Old Guo, don’t get excited, your dad is right next door, if you’re too loud and startle him, that wouldn’t be good either, right?"

"Oh, right, I actually also plan to summon a new witness, coincidentally, his old man has a son, who was also delivered by a midwife."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he turned his gaze towards Zhao Chunming, his eyes carrying a hint of a deep smile.

Dinglingling!

A cell phone ringtone sounded, it was Zhao Chunming’s phone.

"Cousin, why are you calling me?"

"What, my dad also received a court summons, and you’re on your way over?"

Zhao Chunming was astonished, then glared at Zhang Wei, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Fuck!"

He had never expected, not in a million years, that Zhang Wei would dare to summon not only Guo Wufeng’s dad but also his own.

"You, how dare you do this!"

"You forced my hand, I’m just returning the favor!"

"The judge won’t accept this!"

"Not necessarily, I’m just inviting a few families who received help from midwives to come to court and share their thoughts, I believe if the court and the jury are in the mood, they might want to hear their stories."

Zhao Chunming felt Zhang Wei was just an inch away from getting beaten up.

"You little shit, you really going through with this, remember to leave a way out, so you have a chance to see tomorrow..."

"So Director Zhao, are you planning to leave a way out for me?"

Hearing Zhao Chunming say this, Zhang Wei immediately laughed, revealing his true intentions.

The choice was now in Zhao Chunming’s hands.

Zhang Wei believed, if Zhao Chunming gave the word, Guo Wufeng would surely listen.

"Director Zhao, let me be straightforward, my client is willing to plead guilty but not go to jail. You preserve the integrity of justice and fairness, and my client voluntarily admits the error, everyone gets a somewhat decent outcome, how does that sound?"

"You motherfucker, daring to threaten us!"

"It’s not a threat, I just want to invite a few elders to the court to chat and share some insights, it just so happens that it’s your family elders who are coming up!"

As Zhang Wei spoke, he looked at Zhao Chunming with a beaming smile, "Director Zhao, I wonder what your dad will say when he testifies in court, I’m quite looking forward to it actually!"

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Chunming’s complexion changed immediately.

He looked at his phone; the call was still ongoing.

"You motherfucker..."

He was grinding his teeth, nearly wearing them down.

A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally, Zhao Chunming made a decision.

"Alright, you little shit, you’re ruthless. Today, I will... I will... just consider it your win!"

Zhao Chunming ultimately decided, it’s better not to bother his old man making the trip.

That would be too humiliating, if his own dad also scolded him in front of everyone in the courtroom, where would his authority as Minor Crimes Department Director stand?

Embarrassment, let Guo Wufeng be the only one to experience it.

Zhao Chunming sighed and approached Guo Wufeng.

"Old Guo, I’m sorry, but I, Zhao Chunming, cannot afford to lose this face!"

"Old Zhao, you..."

"Let’s settle this, otherwise this kid might do something even more insane!"

"But..."

"I know, you’re upset, but consider this a personal request, my dad is still on his way!"

Zhao Chunming, saying this, had a change in his eyes, filled with reluctance and helplessness.

"But, he, sigh..."

After an intense internal struggle, Guo Wufeng could only opt for compromise, his profound grief and indignation turning into a deep sigh.

It seemed, today, he was the only one who would lose face.

minutes later.

Zhang Wei left the prosecution’s preparation room, and found Judge Liu.

...

Twenty minutes later.

The recess ended and the court was back in session.

Everyone took their seats, but this time, Judge Liu’s expression was indescribably helpless.

"Before we resume, the court would like to announce that both the prosecution and the defense have reached some kind of settlement, so there’s no need to continue the trial!"

"The court thanks the jury and all those in the public gallery for their participation; you may now leave!"

With the final strike of the gavel, the trial was finally over.

There were no closing arguments, no jury deliberation, and no final verdict.

Everyone in the courtroom was extremely astonished.

Is it over just like that?

What on Earth had happened during those 20 minutes of recess?

Why had the prosecution compromised on everything?

Unfortunately, the details of the deal between the prosecution and the defense would never be made public.

As Judge Liu declared the end of the trial, the prosecutor’s team left in its entirety, their faces grim and darker than ever.

Among them, Guo Wufeng’s expression was the most terrifying, his face turned as dark as charcoal.

On the other hand, Zhang Wei revealed a smile laden with deep meaning.

Pocket Gao Xiaoping was still in shock beside him.

Indeed, a few minutes earlier, when Zhang Wei told her the prosecution had agreed to their settlement terms, she was still bewildered.

She couldn’t believe that the aggressive prosecution would actually agree to let her walk free without serving jail time; it was simply...

"Lawyer Zhang, am I really not going to jail?"

"Of course, I’ve told you the terms of the settlement already. You need to pay a fine of 5000 yuan and then participate in 2000 hours of community service—that’s your punishment. Plus, you’ll be convicted and sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment, but with 3 years on probation and the possibility of parole in the final year, so you don’t have to serve any time; you just need to go through the motions!"

Gao Xiaoping nodded again, her expression still one of astonishment.

Sentenced to 4 years, but with 3 years on probation and the final year eligible for parole.

Although she had pleaded guilty, she wouldn’t have to go to prison; she just needed to complete 2000 hours of community service.

"Let’s go. We need to head to the Procuratorate Headquarters to see Old Man Guo and the others; though we’ve settled, we still need to go through the process of signing the plea agreement!"

Zhang Wei, pointing outside the courtroom, continued speaking.

"Uh, Lawyer Zhang, I want to apologize to you here. I got too emotional earlier and raised my voice at you..."

"It’s fine, it’s fine; after all, I didn’t have many expectations for you..."

"Thank you for your understanding, Lawyer Zhang... wait, what did you just say?"

"It’s not important; we’ve got serious business to take care of. Let’s hurry up!"

Zhang Wei didn’t want to quibble any longer and hastily left the courtroom with Gao Xiaoping.

One hour later.

Procuratorate Headquarters, at the front gate.

This time, Gao Xiaoping genuinely took a deep breath of relief.

Just a few minutes ago, she had signed her name on the plea agreement, having read each clause thoroughly.

She really wouldn’t have to go to jail, didn’t need to go to prison.

"Madam Gao, what are you planning to do now?"

"What else can I do but go back, pack up, and then return to my hometown? After all, there are 2000 hours of community service waiting for me!"

Gao Xiaoping said, then something else occurred to her.

"Right, Lawyer Zhang, if I’m leaving, can you help me list my house on Bei Chong Island for sale? I can give you a cut of the agent’s fee from the sale of the house."

"No need, just sell the house at market value; I can buy it in my own name!"

"But that’s a house on Bei Chong Island, what do you want it for?"

"To remodel, of course. It’s a seaside house; I can turn it into a little villa, maybe run a country B&B during the summer holidays; it’ll be good for my in-laws to retire in the future!"

Zhang Wei chuckled; after all, such a property wasn’t worth much.

He, Lawyer Zhang, could easily afford it.

"Then I thank you here, Lawyer Zhang; you’ve really done me a great favor!"

After expressing her thanks to Zhang Wei, Gao Xiaoping looked up at the sky.

What a pity for the sky over Dongfang Capital.

She might never see it again.

After struggling for most of her life, she almost ended up in jail; if it hadn’t been for Zhang Wei’s help...

This experience had made her see clearly that after operating on Bei Chong Island for so long, what she got in return was nothing but indifference.

Even without this incident, she didn’t plan on staying in Bei Chong Island any longer.

Leaving might be for the best.