Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 341 - 339: Chen Xianfeng Plays Dumb, Wang Yali Testifies

Chapter 341: Chapter 339: Chen Xianfeng Plays Dumb, Wang Yali Testifies

In the courtroom.

"Mr. Chen Xianfeng, please, a month ago, I remember it was on a Monday, your company’s group of executives held a meeting, do you remember it?"

"Our company is so big, we have meetings every day, especially on Mondays. Besides, how could I possibly remember a meeting from a month ago?"

Faced with Zhang Wei’s question, Chen Xianfeng narrowed his eyes, but he quickly denied it.

"You don’t remember? But that was big news that day!"

"If you put it that way, every day is big news!"

"Still pretending? The day before that meeting, my client had urgently notified you that he had made a breakthrough in the PD project!"

"I really don’t remember!"

"Chairman Chen really has the luxury of a poor memory. You and your son-in-law, along with a few old subordinates, weren’t you cheering in the meeting room? Have you forgotten all about that?"

"I know what you want to ask, but I really don’t remember!"

Zhang Wei’s successive questions were all met with ’I don’t remember’ as the answer from Chen Xianfeng.

He wasn’t young anymore, and the affairs of the company were so busy, it was normal not to remember some things.

You surely can’t expect to prove that my memory is fine, right?

Such a thing, the defense can’t prove.

This was also the coping strategy Chen Xianfeng got after consulting with the legal director.

"You’re sure? But I found an email he sent to you in the files you gave to me, and you even replied!"

Zhang Wei said, walking back to his seat and pulling out a silver "lighter" from his briefcase.

"Cough, cough!"

Judge Chen immediately coughed, reminding Zhang Wei, "This is a solemn court, please pay attention, defense attorney!"

"Old Chen, you misunderstood, this isn’t a lighter, it’s a USB drive!"

Zhang Wei immediately flipped open the lighter’s lid, revealing the USB port inside.

In an instant, all eyes in the courtroom turned to the prosecution’s bench, looking at Tan Yingying, who had been silent, head down.

She shivered again.

Well then, what’s inevitable can’t be avoided.

I won’t struggle anymore, come on, do it yourself...

Tan Yingying sighed, resigned to her fate.

She adeptly pulled out her laptop from her bag, booted it up, connected it to the projector, and executed the actions smoothly.

Although she wasn’t professional in questioning on the stand,

as a tool person, playing video files and PPTs, Tan Yingying was definitely professional.

Zhang Wei handed the lighter USB drive to her, and she promptly plugged it into her laptop and started playing the files it contained.

"Now, everyone, please see, this email is what my client sent to Chairman Chen, and Chairman Chen replied!"

A series of email exchanges appeared on the projector.

"Chairman Chen, please look at the date of the emails and their content, can these help you remember?"

Looking at the projection screen behind him, with the emails displayed there, a look of surprise appeared on Chen Xianfeng’s face.

Because he remembered, he had given Zhang Wei so very many documents, could this young man have really read all these documents in just the weekend?

That shouldn’t be, as he seemed to have gone out on Sunday afternoon.

Doesn’t that mean he only spent a day and a half?

A day and a half, 36 hours, to finish reading so many documents, that’s unreasonable!

"Chairman Chen, I would like to ask, the email clearly mentions that my client had made a significant breakthrough in the PD project, and you replied, but why does your reply express skepticism about this matter?"

Zhang Wei pointed to the content of the email on the projector screen, particularly Chairman Chen’s reply, and asked directly.

Now you’ve seen the emails, and they’re your own replies, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all about them.

Chen Xianfeng obviously understood that with the evidence slapped on his face, he couldn’t continue to play dumb and deny it.

"Well, this is actually easy to understand!"

After adjusting himself, Chen Xianfeng responded, "PD has always been a tough problem for the whole world, and the defendant’s claim to a significant breakthrough appeared to me to be just a minor progression!"

"A minor progression?"

Zhang Wei repeated, and immediately retorted, "This minor progression has troubled scientists and researchers around the world for many years. Doctor Qian’s progression, in my view, is surely historic, isn’t it?"

"No, you’re not a professional researcher, so you don’t understand!"

"Are you?"

Facing Chen Xianfeng’s continuous denials, Zhang Wei immediately responded with cold sarcasm.

"We’re not scientists here, so let’s not pretend."

"I am a lawyer who studies law, but you, Chen Xianfeng, are not much better. You’re an entrepreneur who deals in capital."

Pointing at Qian Zhisui in the defendant’s bench, Zhang Wei challenged, "In my view, Doctor Qian is a professional, and he’s a expert in this field. He has said it’s a major breakthrough, so why won’t you believe this professional?"

"Because behind me, there is also a professional team with scientists and researchers in the field!"

Chen Xianfeng retorted, "They told me that the progress mentioned by the defendant is just a small part of a much bigger system!"

"In their view, such progress does not play a decisive role in the overall project. On the contrary, feeling smug about such a minor advancement is totally unnecessary!"

"Oh, well done, Chairman Chen, with a few light words, you’ve rendered my client’s six years of hard work into a tiny, insignificant milestone, into something worthless?"

Zhang Wei chuckled with a mocking expression on his face.

"If you want to understand it that way, be my guest, but I will stick to my viewpoint—it’s just a minor progress in research!"

Chen Xianfeng said, glancing at Qian Zhisui on the prosecution’s bench, whose face was filled with indignation and discontent.

But Chen Xianfeng didn’t care about that. His only goal was to crush the opposition.

"Well then, Chairman Chen, after you responded to my client’s email over the weekend, you had another high-level meeting on Monday. Do you remember the contents?"

"Why not spell it out for me, Lawyer Zhang?"

"Surely, Chairman Chen’s memory can’t be that bad?"

"You know, as one gets older and deals with the company’s affairs daily, it’s natural for the memory to falter..."

As he spoke, Chen Xianfeng put on a look as if to say he was old and his mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be.

"Is that so? Well, I’m just curious, because it seems that the record of that day’s meeting is missing page 111!"

As Zhang Wei spoke, he gestured to Tan Yingying, who immediately understood and started playing the PowerPoint presentation.

Page by page of the meeting records appeared on the projection screen, but a significant chunk was missing.

The first page was there, but the second page was already missing, and the last page number was 136, yet there were only 25 pages in total.

"I’m sure, Chairman Chen, you must still remember what you yourself said at that meeting, right?"

"Sorry, but I really don’t remember!"

Seeing that Zhang Wei had brought out the incomplete meeting records, Chen Xianfeng naturally denied it.

"Chairman Chen, didn’t you say the following at the meeting, like the PD research project needs to be cut, it can’t succeed, because that would hinder the company’s profits and so on?"

"I did not say that!"

Facing Zhang Wei’s relentless pressure, Chen Xianfeng denied it once again.

"Really? Then you surely didn’t issue orders to deliberately cut off the funding for the PD project, nor did you instruct the security department to lower the safety level of the lab on the day Qian Zhisui was acting, in order to frame him?"

"These... I..."

"Objection!"

Before Chen Xianfeng could respond, Lu Wenwen could not help but stand up.

"The defense is asking the witness to confess to a crime. The defense’s questions have no basis in fact. Judge Chen, our side believes that the defense is harassing the witness!"

"The objection is sustained!"

Old Chen nodded, then looked at Zhang Wei, "Lawyer Zhang, please be mindful of your questioning style!"

"Since you’ve mentioned it, Old Chen, then I will just..."

"Cough cough, please give me an opportunity to clarify this in court!"

Just when Zhang Wei was about to "admit his error," Chen Xianfeng spoke up.

He appeared sincere, glanced at the jury, and continued, "I would like to answer the defense attorney’s question, please grant me the opportunity, Your Honor!"

"Are you sure?"

"I’m sure!"

"Well alright then; you want to answer, I won’t stop you!" Old Chen thought about it and agreed.

If the witness himself was asking to speak, why should he stop it?

"Here I can clearly tell the court, I have definitely not done what the defense attorney has mentioned. We, Xianfeng Medical Technology, have always been considering our clients, the patients, and those around the world afflicted by illness. We..."

Chen Xianfeng’s defense, or rather series of statements, sounded as if they had been rehearsed in advance, like an impassioned speech.

Of course, to some insiders, this speech was rather nauseating.

Qian Zhisui on the defense bench turned her face away, not wanting to look at the witness bench.

A twitch formed on the corner of Zhang Wei’s mouth as he resisted the urge to retort, allowing Chen Xianfeng to continue.

On the prosecution’s bench, Lan Zhengye and Lu Wenwen nodded from time to time, but Xiao Baihe couldn’t help feeling nauseous, as she knew Chen Xianfeng’s true colors.

One can only say that the ZB Family really has no shame when it comes to lying confidently in court.

minutes later, the "speech" finally came to an end.

"Chairman Chen, have you finished testifying?"

"Of course!" Chen Xianfeng sneered at Zhang Wei, "I should also thank Lawyer Zhang for giving me the opportunity to showcase myself in court!"

"Oh, it’s no problem, that’s what I’m here for!"

Zhang Wei smiled and then looked towards the bench, "Judge Chen, we have no questions for the witness either!"

Old Chen was speechless inside, you’ve got to be kidding me.

What’s this called, shooting oneself in the foot?

He thought about cross-examining the witness, striking the opponent a heavy blow.

And what happened?

The result was allowing the opposition to play his hand freely and even giving his own company a round of free advertising.

Didn’t he see the shift in the jury box? Among the 12 jurors, he estimated that 8-9 of them were now firmly behind Chen Xianfeng.

As for Zhang Wei, he was naturally not worried.

Let Chen Xianfeng gloat for a while, he didn’t mind.

After all, the real trump card was still to come!

"Does the prosecution have any questions?" Old Chen looked again towards the prosecution’s side.

At this moment, Lan Zhengye was discussing with Lu Wenwen, exchanging words for a brief moment.

They believed that the prosecution had a huge advantage and there was no need to present further evidence.

"Judge Chen, the prosecution has decided to conclude the presentation of evidence and will not submit further testimony or exhibits to the court!"

"Then, I understand!"

Old Chen understood; with such a significant advantage, it was indeed normal not to push their luck.

If they played it safe, the prosecution had this in the bag!

Next up was Qian Zhisui’s own testimony, but just because the prosecution wasn’t presenting evidence didn’t mean they weren’t prepared.

On the contrary, Old Chen knew that the prosecution would be ready with various strategies to deal with him when Qian Zhisui took the stand.

"Defense, you may begin!"

"The defense calls Dr. Wang Yali to the witness stand!"

Zhang Wei didn’t hesitate and immediately summoned his character witness to the stand.

Wang Yali walked to the stand, ready to testify.

"Hello, Dr. Wang!"

"Hello, Lawyer Zhang."

"Dr. Wang, may I ask how long you have known my client?"

"The PD lab was established 6 years ago, and I was one of the first researchers to join. I was part of the lab until one month ago."

"So, you’ve known each other for a full six years?"

"Yes."

Hearing Zhang Wei emphasize this, everyone present understood.

Wang Yali was Zhang Wei’s character witness.

"Alright, Dr. Wang, please tell everybody in the court what kind of person my client, Doctor Qian, is!"

"Doctor Qian is a dedicated scientist and my elder. He can concentrate on his projects without thinking about anything else. He is also an expert on PD genetic disorders, and I’ve heard that his grandfather, even his father and brothers, suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and that some of them passed away quite early."

"To find a cure for Parkinson’s disease and treatment protocols, Doctor Qian has been working tirelessly, often to the point of exhaustion. I can say that nobody I’ve seen in the research community has the perseverance that Doctor Qian has!"

Zhang Wei nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "That’s inevitable, as he himself suffers from these difficulties, so he can understand the pain of those with Parkinson’s disease!"

"What he’s doing is for himself and for the thousands of patients worldwide!"

With that, he turned his gaze to Chen Xianfeng seated in the witness area of the prosecution, "Yet, certain individuals have impeded his work for their own profit!"

"Objection!" This time, both Lan Zhengye and Lu Wenwen from the prosecution stood up, speaking out simultaneously.

"Ahem, one of you objecting is enough!" Old Chen couldn’t help but interject sarcastically.

Do you all think this is mixed doubles tennis, standing up together like that? Quite a team, aren’t you?

"Lawyer Zhang, are you serious about that last remark?"

"Oh, Judge Chen, sorry, I retract that last statement!"

Zhang Wei immediately indicated that he "realized" his mistake.

But in his heart, he insisted on one thing: I acknowledge my mistake, but I won’t change it!

"Dr. Wang, in your opinion, is my client the kind of person who would commit treason?"

This was the critical question, because what a character witness says can guide the jury and the court to a certain extent.

A person who has spent 6 years together with someone can definitely vouch for that person’s character.

"Doctor Qian would never do such a thing!" Dr. Wang Yali did not disappoint Zhang Wei’s expectations and responded accordingly.

"Thank you, Dr. Wang, for your testimony. The defense has no further questions!"

Zhang Wei immediately stepped down from the courtroom and returned to the defense’s bench.

"Prosecution!" Old Chen raised his eyebrows at the prosecution bench, signaling it was their turn for cross-examination.

As for the connotation behind the eyebrow-raising gesture, it meant, "Which one of you will take it?"

Lan Zhengye and Lu Wenwen exchanged looks, and eventually, Lan Zhengye stood up and approached the courtroom.

"Hello, witness!"

"Hello, prosecutor."

Wang Yali was somewhat uncomfortable facing Lan Zhengye.

"Witness, you said you were also in the PD project lab for 6 years, right?"

"Yes."

"How are the lab’s benefits and compensations?"

"The terms offered by Pioneer Medical Technology were very good."

"So, can I understand it this way, one month ago, when Pioneer Medical Technology disbanded the lab and even fired all the PD project members, including the project leaders, you may all have harbored resentment towards Pioneer Medical Technology?"

"Objection!"

As Lan Zhengye made his conjecture, Zhang Wei immediately stood up to protest.

"Your Honor, my question is intended to determine whether the testimony of the defense witness, Dr. Wang Yali, is credible!"

Lan Zhengye had already prepared his argument and immediately explained, "If she harbored a grudge against Pioneer Medical Technology after being fired, then her testimony would definitely favor the defense and therefore, be unreliable!"

Old Chen glanced at Zhang Wei and then nodded, "The court agrees with the prosecution’s position, Lawyer Zhang, please sit down."

A smile played on Lan Zhengye’s lips.

Lu Wenwen at the prosecution bench also smiled, thinking admiringly that her senior was impressive, putting Zhang Wei in a difficult position with his first question.

Zhang Wei slowly sat down, his face calm.

But it was not clear to others whether this calmness was genuine or feigned.

"Witness, please answer the question, after being fired by Pioneer Medical Technology, did you feel disgruntled with their actions?"

"I..."

"Don’t think about denying it. You even consulted a psychologist, and that psychologist is right here in the courtroom. If you deny it, I can summon her!"

Lan Zhengye pointed to the defense witness seat, where Jessica was sitting behind Zhang Wei.

This tactic was something he had learned from Zhang Wei: dare to deny it, and I’ll summon a rebuttal witness.

Since the witness is also in the courtroom, I can summon her on short notice, and the judge is very likely to agree.

Now that I’ve laid it out for you, if you dare utter a "no," don’t blame me.

Dr. Wang Yali glanced at Jessica, who nodded slightly at her.

"I admit, I did feel some dissatisfaction with the decisions made by the company executives..."

"Very good, I appreciate the witness’s honesty!"

Lan Zhengye got the result he wanted and then loudly addressed the jury, "Now the witness has told us that she is discontent with Pioneer Medical Technology, so under these circumstances, how credible can her testimony be?"

"Might she say things against her will to help the defendant and to strike at Pioneer Medical Technology? This is for all of you to judge!"

After finishing his speech, Lan Zhengye decided not to ask any more questions, as his words were damaging enough.

"Judge Chen, the prosecution has concluded its cross-examination!"

Lan Zhengye returned to the prosecution bench with an air of ease, receiving Lu Wenwen’s admiring gaze, his demeanor calm and composed.

Dr. Wang Yali could only stand up in a daze; her testimony had obviously had no effect.

In the jury box, many people were filled with distrust concerning Dr. Wang Yali’s testimony.

Clearly, they were influenced by Lan Zhengye’s closing remarks.

At this point, the defense could be said to be at a distinct disadvantage.

And the only chance left for Zhang Wei was for the defendant to speak in their own defense!