Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 307 - 305: Yan Dayuan Proves Himself, The Case and The Rabbit?

Chapter 307: Chapter 305: Yan Dayuan Proves Himself, The Case and The Rabbit?

Zhang Wei had said that the jury was like the grass on top of the wall.

They swayed towards the direction the wind blew in court.

The truth proved that he was not wrong.

Now, a simple question had changed the situation already.

Lin Yumeng asked the witness a question, and the latter’s response met the defense’s expectations.

Whether the defendant Yan Dayuan was capable of reforming and making a fresh start.

The answer was of course yes!

After all, you should always look on the bright side, shouldn’t you? You can’t completely deny people a chance, right?

So whether Yan Dayuan snatched Ms. Zong’s purse just because of the purse issue, no one knows the real situation.

Lin Yumeng hastily finished her cross-examination, also following Lawyer Zhang’s instruction.

Because speaking more would only lead to mistakes.

This witness obviously looked like a difficult person to deal with; asking more questions might lead to answers unfavorable to the defendant.

So it was best to just get what was needed, and dragging things out was unsafe.

Having received the desired answer, she immediately wrapped up her questioning, not giving the witness or the prosecution a chance to retort.

Lin Yumeng completed this task well and now returned to the defense bench.

The cross-examination of the second witness had ended.

"Prosecution?"

The judge looked at Chai Ping, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.

The latter slowly stood up, but his face showed a touch of perplexity.

He was pondering, weighing.

Just how much impact did the defense’s questions have on the case?

Now, the first witness, who was the victim, had finished speaking.

The second witness, the officer from the investigation department, had also finished speaking.

Whether he needed to call a third witness to testify was under consideration.

If he did call one, what would the impact be on the case?

Chai Ping believed that even if he called a third witness, the help to the trial was limited.

Because the two most important speakers had almost crushed the defense, but the defense always managed to regain a little advantage from desperate situations.

If a new witness was called, it was very likely that the advantages built by the previous two witnesses would dissipate, giving the defense more opportunities.

After a moment of thought, Chai Ping made his decision.

"Your Honor, the prosecution concludes its case presentation and will not call any more witnesses thereafter!"

Chai Ping ended the evidence presentation, thinking that the earlier advantage was already big enough and no third witness was needed to assist.

"Very well, the prosecution has ended its presentation of evidence, now it’s the defense’s turn to call their witness!"

Following the judge’s announcement, the right to speak finally came to the defense side.

"Mr. Yan, it’s your turn!"

Zhang Wei whispered a reminder, signaling the defendant to take the stand and testify for himself.

Lin Yumeng, with her notebook in hand, approached the bench.

"Your Honor, the defense calls the defendant Yan Dayuan to testify!"

Yan Dayuan rose simultaneously and walked to the witness stand.

All eyes in the courtroom converged on them, whether from the jury bench or the gallery, all were focused on the two in the court.

Everyone held their breath, awaiting the defense’s first question.

"Ahem, Mr. Yan, hello, are you single?"

Amid the gaze of all, Lin Yumeng asked her first question.

As soon as the question came out, Yan Dayuan, who had just taken his seat on the witness stand, was immediately startled.

What? I didn’t hear you clearly, could you please repeat the question?

Not only him, but also the jury and the gallery were all astonished.

Even the judge and Chai Ping from the prosecution wore looks of astonishment.

Who asks questions like that, inquiring right off the bat if someone is single?

Is this even a question?

"What’s the matter, why are you looking at me with those eyes?"

Without waiting for her answer, Lin Yumeng looked innocently at Yan Dayuan.

"Well... I am single, but I have someone I like already..."

Yan Dayuan replied to the question, suppressing the awkwardness in his heart.

"Did you buy a Hello Kitty wallet for fans because of that reason then?"

"How did you know?"

This time, it was Yan Dayuan’s turn to be surprised.

He actually bought that wallet because of the woman he liked.

The other party liked cute things like that, so to share a common interest with her, he specifically bought a wallet of that style.

But he hadn’t discussed this much with the defense; how did they guess?

Zhang Wei said it was very easy to guess.

How could a tough guy, especially one with a string of bad records, suddenly change his ways and buy such a girly wallet? There’s only one explanation!

That’s because of a woman!

A person like Yan Dayuan, to change his past and start anew, unless he met a woman he liked, nothing else could make a tough guy change his life and value systems except for major events like his parents passing away.

Zhang Wei had investigated and found that Yan Dayuan’s parents had divorced long ago and had a poor relationship with Yan Dayuan, so that possibility could be excluded.

No wonder he could use such a pink wallet, all because of the influence of a woman.

Therefore, when Yan Dayuan showed an astonished expression, everyone was somewhat taken aback.

But after thinking it over, many understood.

"Mr. Yan, please answer my question accurately, did you buy a wallet of the same style because you had a woman you liked?"

"Since you’ve already said it, of course, I’ll be frank!"

Yan Dayuan was helpless; he was just harboring a crush, and he didn’t want to expose it in court.

But his own lawyer had publicly pierced that layer of paper.

He just liked the girl he liked; she didn’t know that he was being tried in court, and in the future, she wouldn’t go searching for court records either.

This affection, he ultimately wanted to keep in his heart.

That thought process was that of an old bootlicker.

Noticing the change in the jury, Lawyer Zhang at the defense bench finally smiled.

"Good, the effect is showing!"

Yan Dayuan’s testament elicited a hint of sympathy from the jury.

Initially, they thought of Yan Dayuan as someone "steeped in evil."

But now, they found Yan Dayuan to have a bit of cuteness, a bit of down-to-earth charm.

As long as this was maintained, and the jury gained some understanding of Yan Dayuan, the case naturally had hope of being overturned.

Thus, what Lin Yumeng needed to do next was...

"May I ask, Mr. Yan, when you saw Ms. Zong holding a wallet in her hand, what was your first reaction?"

"I was very panicked and uneasy. I was afraid I had lost my wallet, so I checked my pockets, and indeed, the wallet was gone."

Yan Dayuan said, showing a panicked and uneasy expression: "Although a wallet isn’t worth much money, it represents a piece of beauty in my heart. I was afraid of losing that beauty, so I..."

"I got excited in the moment and acted irrationally. I..."

Towards the end, he showed a face full of regret.

"If Ms. Zong hadn’t left, I would like to apologize to her here. I shouldn’t have behaved so irrationally; I should have approached her and expressed my concern, asking if I could see the contents of the wallet to check if they were the same as mine!"

"So, you feel a great deal of guilt?"

"Of course, I’m very sorry to Ms. Zong, and I’m sorry to myself. Why did I act so irrationally? I had many other options and could have completely proven that the wallet wasn’t mine in a much friendlier way!"

"Hmm, I understand now!"

Seeing Yan Dayuan’s public apology, Lin Yumeng nodded with satisfaction.

In the jury box, many pondered thoughtfully.

In the observer’s gallery, the newcomers also wondered if this was really a misunderstanding, as Yan Dayuan claimed?

Even the judge began to have some doubts in his mind.

Although the case seemed to be a robbery,

could there really be a slight possibility that it was a fairly comical misunderstanding?

"Your honor, regarding my client, I have no more questions!"

Seeing the questioning had been effective, Lin Yumeng immediately concluded her defense and returned to her seat.

Upon this, Chai Ping immediately stood up.

His face showed some annoyance and dissatisfaction.

I worked so hard to present evidence, spent so much time, and called two witnesses.

And your few questions managed to pull the jury back?

Although the courtroom’s leanings were still towards the prosecution, who could guarantee the jury wouldn’t change with the wind or be fence-sitters?

This being a criminal case, a unanimous decision was necessary. Once there was a single dissenting vote, an acquittal could occur.

And this outcome was unacceptable to the prosecution.

So now Chai Ping had to go all out, using his barrage of cross-examination tactics to pull the jury back.

"Defendant, are you trying to say that your criminal act was entirely a comical misunderstanding?"

"Yes."

Yan Dayuan nodded immediately and scratched his head: "Although it sounds far-fetched, I want to say that is exactly what happened; it’s all a misunderstanding!"

"That really is an old excuse, do you think anyone would believe such a claim?"

Chai Ping strode up to the witness stand with a cold expression and said, "You clearly see us all as fools. Do you think your excuse can deceive me?"

At the defense’s table, Zhang Wei nudged the person next to him.

"Objection!" Lin Yumeng immediately stood up.

"Objection sustained!"

The judge didn’t even ask for the reason but looked at Chai Ping, "Prosecutor, please ask questions, not state observations!"

"My apologies, Your Honor!"

Chai Ping immediately apologized, but his face showed no sincerity.

His expression instantly turned stern again as he began questioning.

"Witness, you claim you have a pink wallet, but none of us has seen this wallet. Who knows if it’s just an excuse you concocted!"

"No, it’s not!"

Yan Dayuan immediately denied and reached into his pocket.

"Look, isn’t this my wallet?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a pink wallet adorned with a Hello Kitty pattern from his pocket.

And really, the wallet looked rather delicate, clearly a girl’s wallet!

"This..."

Astonishment filled the courtroom.

You said your wallet was lost, so how did you get it?

You’ve been detained for so many days; was the wallet also in detention?

After producing the wallet, Yan Dayuan scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "That day I was drunk and fuzzy-headed, and I left my wallet in the apartment. It just so happened my place was a bit messy, and the wallet ended up in a spot out of sight."

"The next day when I left home, I was still a bit groggy. I had no idea I left my wallet there."

"When I got to the street, I happened to see Ms. Zong carrying a wallet just like mine, and I subconsciously reached into my pocket, only to find it was not there!"

"Then I got a bit carried away, thinking she had stolen my wallet, so I..."

There was no need for him to continue the story.

Ms. Zong had already informed the court of everything that happened.

What ensued was a farcical scene.

Yan Dayuan snatched Ms. Zong’s wallet, realized after checking that it wasn’t his, and then thought to return it.

But Ms. Zong was scared and started to run away, shouting "Murder!" as she did.

Yan Dayuan was actually chasing after her, yelling "I’m returning your wallet," but unfortunately, Ms. Zong didn’t hear.

In the end, several burly men suddenly intervened, pouncing on Yan Dayuan and giving him a taste of philosophical air.

And now, seeing the wallet in Yan Dayuan’s hand, Chai Ping was caught off guard.

He had never imagined Yan Dayuan would actually have a wallet identical to Ms. Zong’s.

Damn it!

You, a grown man, carry such a "cute" wallet; are you some kind of pervert?

Fuck!

Fuck!

What the fuck!

Chai Ping was speechless.

And his changing expressions were noticed by many spectators.

In the observers’ seats.

"I get it now. This is what Lawyer Zhang referred to as ’catching them off guard’!"

The newcomers scrambled for pen and paper, frenziedly taking notes, particularly noting Zhang Wei’s last move of pulling out the wallet, which impressed all of the newbies.

If anyone was best at catching the prosecution off guard, it had to be Zhang Wei. He was the professional.

At the defense’s table.

Lin Yumeng finally smiled, revealing her sharp little tiger teeth, and the anxiety in her heart dissipated significantly.

"Not bad!" Zhang Wei commented on the side; the maneuver had been quite effective.

This wallet was naturally found by him in Chai Ping’s apartment, and then Lawyer Lin Yumeng had handed it over to the other side before the hearing began.

The purpose was to have everyone in the courtroom witness the moment when Chai Ping pulled out the wallet.

Now everyone knew the truth; he really wasn’t lying, he really had a pink cartoon-styled wallet.

This surprise move was very effective.

"This... this wallet..."

Chai Ping, clearly caught off guard, was at a loss.

"Prosecution, prosecution?"

The judge couldn’t hold back and repeated the call twice before finally bringing Chai Ping back to reality.

"My apologies, I was just too shocked. I apologize for my lack of composure..."

Chai Ping admitted his lapse right away.

But immediately after, he glared fiercely at the defense’s table.

It must have been Zhang Wei who deliberately stuffed the wallet to the defendant, intentionally causing such a scene in court.

How infuriating, he calculated everything!

After taking a few deep breaths, Chai Ping finally adjusted his mentality.

"Prosecution, who can prove that this wallet is yours?"

"I can prove it myself, look inside, there’s my ID card, my work badge, and my photo."

Yan Dayuan immediately took out these items from the wallet and displayed them one by one in front of the jury.

"This..."

Chai Ping suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

It seemed that the wallet really was the other party’s and not something brought out at the last minute to make up the numbers.

"Then you... you..."

He raised his finger for quite some time but, unfortunately, couldn’t utter a word.

Clearly, Zhang Wei’s trick had disrupted his questioning rhythm.

At this point, Chai Ping was completely out of options.

"Prosecution, do you have any more questions?"

The judge quickly urged him, as standing there stupefied for so long didn’t look good.

The court’s time is precious, isn’t it?

"Your Honor, I... I have no more questions!"

With no other choice, Chai Ping had to hastily conclude his questioning.

The judge nodded in understanding and then glanced at the defense bench.

Lin Yumeng shook her head, the defense only had one witness and no other testimonies.

The judge acknowledged this.

Chai Ping was also aware of this, the defense only had the defendant’s testimony, no other witnesses.

Unfortunately, he had failed to dismantle the defendant; instead, the defendant had narrowly escaped his cross-examination.

But he wouldn’t give up just like that, because the closing arguments were still to come.

With this in mind, Chai Ping once again glared fiercely at the defense bench.

He swore that during the closing arguments, he would make Zhang Wei suffer.

No, it should be his female apprentice who would suffer; this time his opponent was Zhang Wei’s apprentice.

I know you, Zhang Wei, are skilled, but your apprentice can’t possibly be as capable.

She looks like a newbie, probably can’t even get through her closing argument.

I will use my closing speech to crush you!

With these thoughts, Chai Ping returned to the prosecutor’s bench.

The judge looked at the time and immediately hit the gavel.

"Ahem, the court will now adjourn for 1 hour for lunch, everyone please go have lunch, and after lunch, both sides will begin their closing arguments!"

Following the judge’s announcement, the courtroom adjourned.

Everyone dispersed to have lunch.

Zhang Wei also took the defendant Yan Dayuan and his young apprentice to the courtroom preparation room.

minutes later.

"Hello, your takeaway has arrived!"

With the delivery man’s service, the food for Zhang and his group arrived.

"Finally here!"

"I’m starving!"

"Sitting in the witness stand for so long, my stomach has been growling!"

"Thank you, Lawyer Zhang, for the lunch. Even though it’s just takeaway, we really appreciate it!"

In the preparation room, it wasn’t just the three of them from Zhang Wei’s group; all the newcomers from the Criminal Department were there.

Zhang Wei, in a rare generous act, treated everyone to the takeaway meal.

However, during the meal, the young apprentice seemed to have lost her appetite.

"Xiao Meng, what’s wrong, are you worried about your closing argument?"

"Yes, Master, how should I present the closing argument?"

Hearing his young apprentice’s dispirited voice, Zhang Wei laughed.

"Hahaha, I thought it was something serious, but it turns out you’re just worried about this; it’s a small issue."

Zhang Wei said, leaning in close to his young apprentice and whispering, "What you need is a story, a story that will make the jury believe you, a true story."

"A story?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Wei nodded and then, by way of analogy, said, "You’ve seen magicians, right? One of their signature tricks is to pull a rabbit out of a hat!"

"I think what you need now is that rabbit!"

Lin Yumeng tilted her head as if wondering, what does a case have to do with a rabbit?