Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 340 - 338 OK? Is Zhang Wei not normal?

Chapter 340: Chapter 338 OK? Is Zhang Wei not normal?

Monday, court day.

At the city courthouse, inside a preparation room.

"Mhm, I got it, Silly!"

"I had already anticipated this, just didn’t expect them to go this far!"

"Don’t worry, it’s just a small issue, it won’t get in the way, nor will it affect today’s trial!"

"Exactly, exactly, I’ve been confident about this for a while. If you’re not too busy, you can come watch my trial later!"

"That’s it then, gotta hang up now, mua~"

After ending the pleasant call with Xia Qianyue, Zhang Wei hung up the phone and turned to Qian Zhisui in the preparation room.

"Doctor Qian, I have to tell you some not so great news, but I can assure you, it’s not a big deal. It’s just like what I said about the key witness, she can’t make it today!"

"Huh?"

Qian Zhisui looked completely baffled.

Is that supposed to be a small issue?

Didn’t you just say you found a key witness who could prove Chen Xianfeng and others’ malicious intent?

I was so thrilled, thinking that I could finally prove my innocence.

Now with the person gone, you’re telling me it’s not a big deal?

I#%￥&%...

Forget it, the trial is about to start, I won’t curse anymore.

Qian Zhisui said that if it weren’t for the special forces team standing guard outside, he really would have cursed.

Are you freaking kidding me?

"Doctor Qian, are you thinking about cursing me out or hitting me?"

Zhang Wei seemed to have read someone’s mind, and casually said with a smile.

"Lawyer Zhang, didn’t expect you to have some clue, huh?"

Qian Zhisui couldn’t be bothered to retort, and went straight to mocking.

"Haha, Doctor Qian, don’t worry, I’ve told you it’s a small issue. Just like I said over the phone to my Silly at home, Ms. Huang not being able to make it is actually within my expectations!"

Zhang Wei patted Qian Zhisui’s shoulder to comfort him.

"Right, the trial is about to start. Today is all our time, rest assured, I guarantee to help you reveal the disgraceful face of the ZB Family!"

Zhang Wei gave his assurance.

"Fine, I do hope everything you say is true..."

Qian Zhisui’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t lash out.

He knew if he cursed at Zhang Wei now, Xia Qianjun standing outside the door would probably burst in.

Then he wouldn’t even be able to go to trial, let alone prove his innocence.

He also knew that the Xia Qianjun outside was the uncle of Lawyer Zhang inside – they were family!

So, Qian Zhisui decided to hold back, at least until he was in court.

He was going to expose Chen Xianfeng’s disgraceful face!

"Hmm, it’s about time, let’s go to court!"

Zhang Wei checked the time, as it was now the scheduled start time for the trial.

He left the preparation room with Qian Zhisui and met up with the three-person team including Xia Qianjun outside.

Not far away, Zhou Xiaoli sat on a bench in the courtroom corridor, engrossed in a book.

When she saw Zhang Wei and the others emerge, Zhou Xiaoli slowly got up and joined them.

"Guider Zhou, you’ve resumed work after your testimony?"

"Of course, although I was the prosecution’s witness, since I’ve finished testifying, even if I make contact with you, it won’t affect the validity of the testimony I gave previously!"

Zhou Xiaoli was clear about the rules, now that she had completed her duty as a witness, she could return to her normal work routine.

And her job was to watch over Qian Zhisui.

"By the way, Lawyer Zhang, what are you planning to do today? The prosecution might still have some tricks waiting for you!"

"Thanks for your concern, Guider Zhou, but sorry, I’m afraid you’re on the other side, so I can’t share too much with you!"

Zhou Xiaoli was taken aback, what did he mean by she’s on the other side.

But remembering her previous role as a witness for the prosecution, she found it difficult to voice her objections.

"Guider Zhou, let me just tell you this, someone is going to be in trouble today!"

Zhang Wei grinned and already pushed open the large doors of the courtroom.

Inside the grand courtroom, it was nearly full.

The previously bustling courtroom fell completely silent the moment the doors swung open.

From the spectator seats, countless gazes descended, fixating on Zhang Wei and Qian Zhisui.

Everyone knew they were the defense lawyer and the accused, charged with the crime of treason.

Moreover, during last Thursday’s trial, the accused had become agitated and roared in court at the last minute.

This left everyone with a rather unfavorable impression.

So now, everyone was curious how the defense would turn the situation around?

Of course, that’s what the average person was thinking, the thoughts of the onlookers.

But in the spectator seats, most were not average people.

"Today, we’ll see how this brat will meet his end!"

Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng came with a crowd of newbies from the Procuratorate Headquarters to cheer on their own people.

At the same time, they secretly hoped for Zhang Wei’s quick demise!

Zhao Chunming could hold back, but Guo Wufeng’s gaze towards Zhang Wei was nakedly hostile.

And next to the newbies from the Procuratorate Headquarters were the newcomers from the Criminal Department, here to show their support.

Of course, leading them were Xiao Li and his apprentice, along with Old Tie...

"Go Lawyer Zhang, we’re watching your performance today!"

"Go master, beat down those prosecutors!"

The encouraging shouts also reached Zhang Wei’s ears.

"Yo, Old Zhao, Old Guo, here to support me again?"

Zhang Wei walked up to Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng, greeted them with a shamelessly thick skin, and smiled.

F*ck!

Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

How the hell can you tell that we came to the courthouse to support you?

If your eyes are that crooked, why don’t you go perform surgery?

"Kid, you can only strut around now!"

"That’s not necessarily true, I might strut around later too!"

In the face of their provocation, Zhang Wei chuckled and waved to his apprentices and others, then proceeded towards the courtroom.

After taking his seat at the defense table, Zhang Wei cast a glance over at the prosecution.

Lan Zhengye returned the look with a smile, but within it there was little warmth, only the arrogance of a victor and a hint of pity for the soon-to-be loser.

Lu Wenwen also smiled, but it was more about following her senior brother’s lead, mimicking whatever he did.

Tan Yingying kept her head down, not daring to look at Zhang Wei, and naturally, Zhang Wei couldn’t see her expression either.

Only Xiao Baihe had a complicated look on her face.

Clearly, she had also heard from some simple-minded person that Ms. Huang couldn’t testify in court.

Thinking that Zhang Wei’s only possible reversal was gone, her feelings were genuinely mixed.

On one hand, as a member of the Procuratorate Headquarters, she naturally hoped for Zhang Wei’s failure.

However, having worked with Zhang Wei the day before, she knew some dark truths beneath the surface of the case.

As a member of the law enforcement agency, she also hoped for justice to prevail.

With these conflicting thoughts, her heart was in extreme turmoil.

So much so, that her gaze toward Zhang Wei was filled with mixed meanings.

On the contrary, Zhang Wei’s look toward Xiao Baihe had only one meaning.

"Good that you’ve come!"

Zhang Wei nodded in satisfaction, then leaned towards Qian Zhisui and whispered, "Doctor Qian, rest assured, we’re okay today!"

"Okay what okay, going to jail and that’s okay?"

Qian Zhisui retorted, then turned to look at the family section, where Wang Yali, accompanied by Jessica, was also giving Qian Zhisui an ’okay’ gesture.

Okay?

Qian Zhisui’s mouth twitched; why were his defense lawyer and assistant giving him that same look today?

Today is really not okay!

Qian Zhisui then turned to look at Zhang Wei again, ready to ask for more details.

But as he turned his head, he saw Zhang Wei interacting with Jessica in the family section.

The two were exchanging glances and waving at each other with smiles.

This infuriated Qian Zhisui, and the words at the tip of his tongue were forcefully swallowed back.

Better not to ask!

Time, too, passes as we wait.

The time for court finally arrived.

"All rise!"

As declared by the Court Guard, Old Chen entered the courtroom, accompanied by the clerk Li Qinghua.

Li Qinghua walked to the corner, while Old Chen took his seat on the bench.

He surveyed the room, checking that no one was missing from the prosecution’s bench, the defense’s bench, or the jury’s area. Once satisfied, he pounded the gavel and announced, "Since none of you are absent, the trial shall continue!"

"Prosecution, did your questioning conclude last Thursday?"

"Your Honor, our questioning has not yet ended. My junior sister still has questions for Mr. Chen!"

Lan Zhengye stood up and, straightening his collar, responded calmly.

"Ah, is Chen Xianfeng here today?"

"Your Honor, I am here!"

The court’s doors were pushed open by two Court Guards, and followed by Chen Xianfeng, who walked in.

Behind him were his son-in-law and the Director of Legal Affairs, the trio striding in confidently, as if they were the victors.

Chen Xianfeng’s gaze swept across the prosecution’s bench, nodding to Lan Zhengye, who naturally responded in kind.

He then let his gaze drift over the prosecution’s side, pausing on Zhang Wei for a moment.

"That was close yesterday, thankfully I was prepared and sent that assistant abroad for a ’vacation’ overnight!"

Chen Xianfeng sneered inwardly, his eyes brimming with mockery as he looked at Zhang Wei and Qian Zhisui.

The key witness has disappeared, you must be panicking!

"Quite the lavish expenditure, a guaranteed half-month trip abroad, with all expenses paid by the company, all to prevent Lawyer Huang from testifying in court?"

Zhang Wei returned Chen Xianfeng’s mocking gaze as a response to his challenge.

That morning, Xia Qianyue had told Zhang Wei that Ms. Huang and her husband had left the country overnight.

Reportedly, it was a sudden vacation abroad for at least half a month; the couple left in such a hurry they had virtually no luggage with them.

By the time Zhang Wei was ready to call Ms. Huang, she and her husband were already on a plane out of the country.

Chen Xianfeng had reacted swiftly, sending people away almost immediately after Zhang Wei had found them.

Now that the witness was gone, of course, he would be smug.

The son-in-law and Director of Legal Affairs had no choice but to stay in the prosecution’s witness area.

Chen Xianfeng once again took his place on the witness stand in the courtroom.

Lan Zhengye slowly sat back down, while Lu Wenwen stood up and walked to the center of the court to continue Thursday’s questioning.

There was silence all around, for the trial had begun.

"Good day, Mr. Chen. Last week’s questioning was rather abrupt due to someone’s interruption, so you don’t mind us continuing to summon you today, do you?"

"Of course not, I even look forward to it. After all, the opportunity to prove my innocence and that of my company in a public setting is not one I come by often!"

Chen Xianfeng displayed considerable magnanimity.

It was as if her appearance in court, as a billionaire business executive, was a favor to both the prosecution and the court.

"Let’s continue with last week’s topic then!"

Lu Wenwen smiled faintly, recollecting, "I know everyone’s focus has been on the Parkinson’s Disease research project that the defendant, Qian Zhisui, was involved in. Could you tell us what this project was all about?"

"Certainly!"

Chen Xianfeng didn’t hesitate and looked towards the courtroom audience: "Parkinson’s disease has always been a medical challenge, posing a difficulty for the medical technology sector in any country in the world!"

"Only our company, Pioneer Medical Technology, has the manpower, material resources, and the means to support an independent laboratory tasked with researching such a project, to take on such a challenge!"

"For this, we hired the defendant Qian Zhisui at a high salary, an expert in this field, and we also employed other outstanding individuals from the medical and scientific community, like Wang Yali on the defendant’s bench, to assist him!"

"But in the end, we found that this project Qian Zhisui was involved in was a money pit, with huge investments each year, but the returns..."

Here, Chen Xianfeng made a show of difficulty.

Of course, many in the courtroom could tell that this expression of difficulty was feigned.

"What about the returns?" Lu Wenwen pressed on eagerly.

Chen Xianfeng sighed and continued, "Scanty at best!"

"Scanty at best... Am I to understand that the defendant received hundreds of millions in research funding every year but failed to produce any viable outcome for your company?"

"Yes!"

As Chen Xianfeng spoke, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, "I’m not here to attack Dr. Qian, but for 6 years, a full 6 years, we gave him at least 100 million in research funding annually, with the highest one-year figure reaching 137 million. If he had made professional progress, we wouldn’t have made the decision to dismiss him in the end!"

"Are you saying that Dr. Qian took more than 600 million in funding over these years but didn’t produce any results for you?"

Lu Wenwen feigned surprise, then immediately expressed doubt, "So where did all this funding of over 600 million go?"

Upon hearing this, many in the courtroom seemed to understand.

With so much funding and nothing to show, Qian Zhisui was the project leader, and he was the one in charge in the lab.

Could he have pocketed the money for himself?

Suddenly, the mood in the courtroom changed drastically.

Countless eyes turned toward the defense bench, toward Qian Zhisui, and of course, the gazes were not friendly.

Naked suspicion, even disdain, as if he really were a con artist.

"I object!" Zhang Wei immediately stood up, expressing dissatisfaction.

"Objection sustained!"

Old Chen also banged the gavel in agreement, looking towards the jury, "Please disregard the last statement made by the prosecutor and do not use it as a basis for your decision when making the final verdict!"

After warning the jury, Old Chen glared at Lu Wenwen.

Damn it, even though you’re new here, you dare to pull tricks in my courtroom, watch your step, girl!

However, Lu Wenwen, who had been with the Nandao City Procuratorate, was not intimidated by Old Chen and even gave Zhang Wei a provocative look.

Because she had achieved her objective.

The seed of suspicion had been planted!

"Prosecution?" Old Chen asked again with an unfriendly expression.

Do you have any more questions, spit it out quickly, don’t you see it’s getting awkward here?

Feeling the hostility in Old Chen’s gaze, Lu Wenwen replied immediately: "Judge Chen, I have one last question!"

With that, she walked up to the witness stand, "Mr. Chen, you just used the word ’involved’ regarding the projects that Dr. Qian Zhisui participated in, why choose that particular word? I am very interested in what you have said."

"That’s quite understandable, as I was the funder of the project and moreover, we signed a patent contract before the project started. I believe that a good project’s outputs should belong to the person who is able to fund it!"

"Oh, I see..." Lu Wenwen nodded, indicating her understanding.

Because this is typically the old trick of the ZB Family.

Find a good project, fund it, and sign a patent contract.

If the project develops well and becomes a success, leading to big profits later on,

then during profit-sharing, the investor clearly takes the lion’s share, while the developers get a smaller cut.

This isn’t making a fortune without any effort since the investors do put up the funds; it’s not without any contribution.

If the investors are conscientious, they may give you a bigger share of the profits, even allowing you to have your name attached to the project.

If they’re unscrupulous, they may give you just a pittance and not even credit you, the researcher, with the acknowledgment.

Lu Wenwen noticed that this line of questioning seemed to have a negative impact on the jury and immediately signaled Chen Xianfeng with her eyes.

Better explain yourself, your answer was too much in favor of the ZB Family, and the jury doesn’t like that.

Chen Xianfeng, of course, saw Lu Wenwen’s concern and immediately coughed and explained, "Ahem, I think, it’s like taking your car to a repair shop. I bring in the car and pay the money, and the mechanic fixes it up for me, even doing a complete makeover from start to finish."

"In the end, he thinks the car is his just because he knows it better than me. So he wants to drive it away. Isn’t that somewhat inappropriate?"

Lu Wenwen looked at the jury, and upon seeing many jurors showing signs of understanding, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Mr. Chen, now that you explain it that way, I understand, and I also thank you for your response!"

"Your Honor, the prosecution has no further questions!"

Lu Wenwen concluded her questioning and stepped back.

Zhang Wei immediately stood up and approached the stand.

Now, it was his turn for cross-examination.

"Hello, Mr. Chen!"

"Hmm, Lawyer Zhang!"

Facing Zhang Wei, Chen Xianfeng sneered, his eyes filled with mockery.

"By the way, I have to thank you!"

"Oh, thank me for what?"

"Thank you for the trip abroad you gave Ms. Huang. Frankly, I thought you might silence her permanently. I didn’t expect you would actually spend the money to send them on a half-month trip abroad. Moreover, you sent them away overnight, leaving me no time to request a court summons!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei spread his hands and even laughed.

Chen Xianfeng’s brows furrowed. He had a feeling that something was off with Zhang Wei today.

With a key witness gone, shouldn’t you be panicking?

And yet you’re thanking me? What’s going on?

"I have no idea what you’re talking about!" But on the surface, he had to deny it.

How could he admit to sending away a key witness?

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it, you’re doomed to lose today anyway!"

As Zhang Wei spoke, a mysterious smile played across his lips.

Seeing this expression, Chen Xianfeng couldn’t shake off the feeling that this young man in front of him was behaving rather oddly today!