Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 308 - 306: The Story of the Rabbit, Yan Dayuan Innocent

Chapter 308: Chapter 306: The Story of the Rabbit, Yan Dayuan Innocent

After lunch, a good rest was had.

The courtroom buzzed with activity once again.

Everyone trickled back into the courtroom, awaiting the resumption of the trial.

Soon, the judge made his entrance.

"All right, let’s begin with the closing arguments for both sides!"

With the judge’s announcement, the final part of the afternoon session in the courtroom finally commenced.

The first to take the floor, of course, was Chai Ping.

He stood up straight, a serious look flashed through his eyes, and then he walked to the center of the courtroom.

"This is a blatant act of crime!"

The very first statement, Chai Ping pointed at Yan Dayuan from the defense bench and started lambasting, his decibels soaring high.

With his raised voice, the attention of the entire room naturally converged on him.

"Why are you yelling so loudly?!?!"

From the defense bench, the young apprentice Lin Yumeng commented with a somewhat scared expression on her face.

"Stay calm, this is also a tactic of the prosecution!"

Zhang Wei then patted his young apprentice on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

Closing arguments often determine the final outcome of a case. If the case facts are not crystal clear, then this move can be decisive in the outcome.

Therefore, both prosecution and defense aim to capture the court’s attention during closing arguments, preferably drawing in all of the jury’s focus.

Chai Ping had clearly managed to do this with his loud voice.

But aside from using a booming voice to gain everyone’s attention, he needed to achieve something else.

That was to tell a compelling story, which is key in the closing arguments.

An excellent lawyer may not excel in trial but must be adept at persuading the jury.

And the most crucial step in persuading the jury is to tell a good story, one that all jurors can understand and even relate to.

So, while Zhang Wei comforted his apprentice, he turned his gaze to the center of the courtroom.

Chai Ping was finalizing his closing argument.

"Please imagine, if today’s case doesn’t reach a positive outcome, if the defendant Yan Dayuan is not tried, what impact will this case have on society?"

"Imagine walking down the street and suddenly a man rushes out, steals your wallet right in front of you. And for what reason does he claim your wallet? He says it’s his because he owns the same model?"

Chai Ping spread his hands, a look of incomprehension on his face, "Can such a reason be acceptable?"

"Absolutely not!"

He questioned and answered himself, his tone growing even more forceful.

"In my view, this is simply a crime. The defendant Chai Ping has used the excuse of a lost wallet to carry out an opportunistic robbery!"

"I believe no one here would condone such an act; otherwise, if he were to escape legal sanction, then would we still dare to walk on the streets in the future?"

"I plead with everyone here, for the safety of yourselves and your families in the future, to make a judgment that is legal, proper, and makes common sense!"

With these words, Chai Ping bowed deeply to the jury bench.

"Oh, trying to sway the jury with a bit of theatrics, are we?"

Seeing Chai Ping’s actions, Zhang Wei let out a sneer.

Low-end!

Way too low-end!

Is this the Central District Procuratorate’s Office’s idea of a closing argument?

These tactics are entirely those of a rookie just out of Beginner’s Village, the kind I stopped using decades ago.

A formidable lawyer possesses the ability to persuade, not the need to plead.

One of Zhang Wei’s personal credos is never to beg.

Because you’re a lawyer, an excellent lawyer, and your relationships with clients and everyone else should only ever be collaborative.

The moment you beg, you position yourself below others, inviting their disdain!

An excellent lawyer never begs but convinces, persuades, and moves people.

"Thank you all for listening!"

Chai Ping concluded his closing argument and returned to the prosecution bench.

Once seated, he looked towards the defense bench with a murderous gaze, fixing his eyes on Lin Yumeng.

Clearly, he was attempting to intimidate the other party with murderous glances from across the room, creating pressure.

Feeling the gaze from the prosecution’s side, Lin Yumeng immediately felt an immense pressure.

"Master, I’m really scared~"

"Xiao Meng, don’t be afraid. Just go up there and tell a story, a story about a rabbit, got it?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, right, since Chai Ping just emphasized a point, you’ve got to hit back at me like this... you understand?"

Zhang Wei whispered a few instructions into his apprentice’s ear, and the latter nodded repeatedly, indicating that she had taken note.

"Don’t worry. After emphasizing these points, you can go on with your story. Don’t be scared. The courtroom is your home, so just be yourself as you would be at home. After all, everyone sitting below us is one of our own. When you go up there, just perform freely, without any psychological burden!"

"But..."

"Xiao Meng, rest assured, our client is Mr. Yan Dayuan. Even if he really has to go to prison, it’s probably just like going home for him. The people there speak so nicely, he would definitely find it super interesting!"

Yan Dayuan: ???

Yan Dayuan thought, I must have messed up, getting stuck with such lawyers.

We haven’t even started the closing arguments, and you’re already considering my imprisonment?

Can I change my lawyer?

Yan Dayuan was speechless inside but dared not say much.

Now that his lawyers were about to go on trial, he didn’t dare to keep talking.

"Got it, Master. Just watch me!"

Eventually, the little apprentice finally adjusted her mood and walked up to the courtroom with small steps.

All eyes in the room immediately focused on her.

In the witness stand, the newbies from the criminal department all took out their notebooks, ready to take vigorous notes.

On the prosecution’s side, Chai Ping continued to exert pressure, his gaze as if it could kill.

The jury, the judge’s bench, and all the court guards around were all looking at Lin Yumeng.

They knew that once this girl finished speaking, the case would be over.

After the jury deliberates once more, the case can be closed, and they are all eager to get off work.

Finally, under everyone’s watchful eye, the little apprentice slowly began to speak.

"Well... I want to clarify something first..."

Raising a small finger, Lin Yumeng emphasized, "Actually, the public safety in Dongfang Capital is second to none. It’s not like what Prosecutor Fang described, that people get robbed the moment they step outside. That’s sheer scaremongering and creating anxiety~"

The apprentice’s voice wasn’t loud, but what she said made everyone nod in agreement.

The only one on the prosecution’s side, Chai Ping, was startled for a moment.

Well, well, she’s using my own words against me.

When did I ever say that people get robbed the moment they step outside?

I only said it’s possible to get robbed or have your wallet stolen when you go out!

The defense is pulling a bait-and-switch here; it’s a smear against me!

Unfortunately, he couldn’t speak up, because his closing argument was over, and the court didn’t give him the chance to speak again.

"I trust the Martial Association, I trust the investigation division, I trust the public safety of Dongfang Capital because I grew up here. I’m aware of how the city’s safety has protected the life and property of every resident."

"Even in places where the security forces can’t keep an eye on, there are concerned citizens from the case, who will still step forward and uphold justice. Therefore, everyone needs not worry, Dongfang Capital is truly, truly... very safe~"

Repeating "truly" several times served as an emphasis, making many in the jury nod their heads.

"I’ve done what Master asked me to in terms of counterattacking, and now it’s time to tell a story..."

At this moment, the little apprentice thought of Zhang Wei’s reminder and began to feel apprehensive.

Countering the prosecution’s claims and tweaking the meaning in their words was the first step.

The next and most critical step was to tell a story.

A story about a rabbit?

Suppressing her inner anxiety, Lin Yumeng took a deep breath and finally shared the story she had thought up during her lunch break.

"Well, my family actually lived in the countryside when I was little... the kind of old house in the countryside, surrounded by a fence, with a piece of vegetable garden... My childhood was spent in such a place."

The little apprentice muttered to herself, wondering if that countryside villa and the piece of land that must have a century of history, wasn’t that the definition of an old and big house? But why did Master tell me not to use the word "villa"? I really don’t understand.

"I’m not telling you this to get you to understand me, but as a child in the countryside, I happened to encounter something. I’ll share it with you."

Lin Yumeng pretended to reminisce and said, "When I was little, we had a puppy at home. A very cute puppy, and I loved it a lot."

"But one day, I let my little dog out to play, and it brought back a rabbit to me, a rabbit covered in blood, a rabbit that was already dead,"

"I was very afraid at the time, because the rabbit was one my grandfather raised. Just a couple of days ago, I saw it hopping around lively, and never expected it to be dead today, let alone killed by my dog."

"I knew my grandfather really liked his pet rabbit, and if he found out his rabbit was killed by the dog, he would definitely be extremely angry, maybe even to the point of killing the dog."

"At the same time, I also knew about responsibility, it was me who let the dog out to play. If the dog did something wrong, then that means I was also at fault."

"In the end, I made a decision. I picked up the rabbit, forcing down my fear and disgust, and washed it several times in the sink, even using laundry detergent and soap to make sure there was not a drop of blood left on the rabbit’s fur. Then I combed the rabbit’s fur straight, dried it with a towel, and put the clean rabbit back into my grandfather’s cage."

"Back then, I was still young and naively thought that by doing this, no one would know the rabbit was killed by my dog, even thinking that perhaps my grandfather wouldn’t notice."

Lin Yumeng paused here, her little cheeks looking somewhat embarrassed and guilty.

"But who would have thought that at dinner that evening, my grandfather suddenly said this in front of the whole family..."

The apprentice put on a stern tone and roughened her throat, saying, "Which bastard, lunatic, dug up the dead rabbit from the ground, washed it clean, and put it back in the cage? Looking for trouble for no reason!"

"Pfft!"

In the spectator’s gallery, Su Xiaoqian was the first who couldn’t help it and covered her mouth to laugh.

Laughter is contagious, particularly once the first person can’t hold it in, others naturally find it hard to restrain themselves too.

So...

Pfft!

Pfft!

Many newcomers laughed, unable to help letting out a chuckle.

The story sounded far-fetched, but upon closer thought, it did seem like there was such a possibility.

It wasn’t just the spectator’s gallery, some people in the jury box laughed as well.

One, two, three, four...

Almost all of the jurors had heard the story and after giving it some thought, found a sense of strangeness to it.

If such an absurd thing could happen, then could the defendant Yan Dayuan’s act of snatching a wallet, as he described, be just as far-fetched?

It seemed, perhaps, maybe, probably, there really was such a possibility...

"The story was well told!"

At the prosecution’s table, Zhang Wei suppressed the urge to stand up and applaud, but still showed a smile.

The story perfectly illustrated the case at hand.

Even the most far-fetched things could be coincidental.

The apprentice’s dog killed the rabbit, but the rabbit was already dead; the dog was innocent.

Yan Dayuan intended to grab the wallet, but his actual intention wasn’t to snatch it; he suddenly had a crazy thought that he had lost his own wallet.

Coincidence!

Through a lively and interesting story, Lin Yumeng had ingrained the word "coincidence" into the jurors.

An excellent lawyer could influence the jury by telling a story!

Clearly, Lin Yumeng had succeeded.

"However, to achieve a perfect ending, one needs to do this..."

Zhang Wei watched his little apprentice and began to think about how she would wrap things up in the end.

In the courtroom.

"Cough cough, do you all find that funny? My dog is actually innocent; it didn’t kill the little rabbit, it just dug up a dead little rabbit from the ground."

"But I think, this dog and Mr. Yan Dayuan in this case are very similar; they were just following their subconscious instincts, doing something that made others think it was a crime!"

"Mr. Yan Dayuan’s real intention was to protect his wallet, even if the wallet mysteriously ended up in someone else’s hands, but his real intent was just to get his own wallet back."

"He had no subjective intention to commit a crime, and objectively, he did not cause any criminal harm; in his mind, he was just focused on getting his own wallet back and took action for it."

"Even upon realizing that it wasn’t his wallet, he ran after Ms. Zong just to return the wallet; so, this is completely a misunderstanding, a situation like the one with my dog and the rabbit."

"So I want to tell you all, when Mr. Yan Dayuan had no criminal intent and did not cause any harm, he is actually innocent!"

"Here, I hope that all the members of the jury will fully consider the entire context, to see that my client really came here because of a coincidence and misunderstanding; he did not commit any crime!"

"Thank you, everyone~"

Last, Lin Yumeng ended her closing argument with a graceful bow.

As she returned to the defense table, Zhang Wei smiled.

"Apprentice, your story was well told; did it really happen?"

"Not at all; it’s all made up. In our country villa back home, there’s only a golf course nearby, no vegetable fields. Besides, my grandfather doesn’t allow dogs, nor would he keep rabbits. But I always wanted a little dog, and I did not expect to make it come true in a story first."

"Wow, the story you just made up is so exciting, I almost believed it myself."

Watching his apprentice’s response, Zhang Wei was crazily approving in his heart.

Although his apprentice could sometimes be quite muddled, in critical moments, she often managed to pull off a stroke of genius.

Excellent!

She’s a promising seedling!

If only she wouldn’t act so lazy during normal times, she could definitely grow into a great barrister!

Then Zhang Wei could walk out the door and say, my apprentice has the makings of a top lawyer!

With this, the closing statements from both sides came to an end.

"Cough cough, the court is adjourned for now; the jury will follow me to the deliberation room to decide the verdict. The court will wait for the notification!"

As the judge made the announcement, the courtroom dispersed again.

Chai Ping glared fiercely at Zhang Wei before striding swiftly out of the court.

Meanwhile, the newcomers flocked around at the witness stand.

"Team Leader Lin, your final story was amazing. I think there’s a chance for a turnaround this time!"

"What do you mean ’a chance’? After hearing that story, I feel like we’ve definitely won this time!"

"Don’t jinx it, don’t jinx it. We can’t say that about these things. It’s only right to say we’ve got a good chance, but never seal the deal with words, or else it’s like the kiss of death!"

Some were joyous, others anxious, but most of the newcomers were filled with confidence.

"Alright then, let’s just wait here. Make yourselves comfortable, okay?"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, indicating for the newcomers to relax.

Since the court had adjourned, it would probably take some time to deliberate and come up with a result.

When the verdict was ready, the court guard would notify both parties.

This time, Zhang Wei believed that the deliberation would not be short because determining whether Yan Dayuan had criminal intent would take time.

As expected, the jury and the judge deliberated for a full 30 minutes before they came up with a result.

When the court guard came with the notification, Zhang Wei wasn’t surprised, but Lin Yumeng grew nervous again.

This time it wasn’t just a face-off with Mo Mingchuan as before, it was a real verdict that needed to be decided by the jury.

As everyone anxiously anticipated, the jury, led by the judge, returned to the courtroom.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"Your Honor, we have reached a verdict!"

"Very well, please announce it!"

"Yes, Your Honor!"

The foreperson of the jury stood up and then, under the watchful eyes of the parties, the witness stand, and the judge’s bench, declared loudly:

"After deliberation, regarding the prosecution’s charge against the defendant Yan Dayuan for robbery, we find him..."

At the defense table, Lin Yumeng suddenly grabbed Zhang Wei’s hand, her fingers gradually tightening.

It was a sign of her nervousness, but Zhang Wei just smiled. This little girl was still too easily swayed by her emotions.

Actually, the result was quite clear this time, but she was still anxious and afraid, all due to her lack of experience.

A seasoned courtroom veteran would have already reached a state of composure, even if they knew their client was facing prison, they could remain expressionless.

In the midst of Lin Yumeng’s nervousness and Zhang Wei’s calmness, the foreperson of the jury finally delivered the verdict.

"...we find him... not guilty!"

The last words "not guilty" were a relief for many in the courtroom.

Yan Dayuan slumped down as if all the strength had left his body.

"That scared me to death, I was so frightened~" Lin Yumeng finally let go of Zhang Wei’s hand, patted her chest, and looked relieved.

"Yes!"

At the witness stand, the newcomers cheered and jumped for joy.

Only on the prosecution’s side, when the verdict of not guilty was heard, Chai Ping’s expression changed dramatically.

In his eyes, a deep resentment flickered.

He knew he had lost!

To say nothing of Zhang Wei, he hadn’t even won against his opponent’s apprentice!

Dammit!