Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 372 - 370: Zhang Wei Analyzes, Qin Shaocong Visits

Chapter 372: Chapter 370: Zhang Wei Analyzes, Qin Shaocong Visits

By evening that day.

A piece of news had spread in the legal circle of Dongfang Capital.

"Have you heard? Qin Shaocong is going to confront Zhang Wei."

"The young owner of Long Teng, challenging the Homicide Lawyer from Jincheng?"

"Exactly, that’s right!"

"Goodness, this is a clash of the titans! One is the second-in-command at a Top Ten Firm and the other is the most talked-about figure at the top firm!"

"Exactly, this is going to be quite the show, and it might even be a key battle that affects the ranking of the Top Ten Firms!"

"If Qin Shao wins, his law firm might just surpass Jincheng in fame and snatch the throne of the Top Ten Firms in Dongfang Capital!"

"I’m skeptical about that. Jincheng has quite a strong foundation, and they are the largest law firm rooted in Dongfang Capital. Long Teng is just a branch that came from Longdu. That gap is insurmountable."

"But if Qin Shao wins, it would undoubtedly be a massive blow to Jincheng’s prestige, a fact we cannot deny!"

"That’s true..."

Rumors and speculation were flying high in the air.

Many people were guessing whether there was any grievance between Zhang Wei and Qin Shaocong.

Or maybe Qin Shaocong had just found the right opportunity to challenge Zhang Wei, to boost his own reputation, and to advertise their firm in the process.

Some small websites even launched betting services, wagering on who would ultimately win the lawsuit, Qin Shaocong or Zhang Wei.

However, at the moment, the two men at the center of the storm had not had a formal face-to-face encounter.

Zhang Wei, one of the centres of the storm, had just returned home.

The first thing he did upon returning home was to call his father-in-law, Xia Donghai, to get an update on the case.

"Mhm mhm, thank you, father-in-law, I’ve received the materials."

"I figured out Zhou Sanliang’s tricks a while ago. More than half of those relatives are faking it."

"The rest aren’t closely related at all, the real troublemakers are only him and his mother."

"Yes, yes, yes, I’ve also heard the news. Although I’m not clear on why Qin Shaocong is targeting me, I am not afraid of him."

"So then, father-in-law, goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wei opened his notebook to review the case materials sent by Xia Donghai.

Although the main troublemaker was Zhou Sanliang and his mother, the key figure in the case was the deceased.

The deceased, Zhou Erliang, was Zhou Sanliang’s biological brother and Zhou Mother’s son, and now he was dead.

As for the cause of death, it was internal bleeding leading to hemorrhagic shock. The city hospital had announced his death and performed routine tests on his body.

The reason for the internal bleeding was Zhou Erliang causing trouble while drinking at a bar, essentially going on a drunken spree.

He was beaten at the bar, which led to the internal bleeding and severe injuries.

By the time he was taken to the hospital, no one knew how much blood he had lost.

One might say he was practically at death’s door already.

The person who performed the emergency surgery on him was none other than Dr. Jessica, but naturally, he was not saved, and in the end, he had gone.

At this point, Zhang Wei furrowed his brow.

"Logically, Dr. Jessica should not be responsible for Zhou Erliang’s death; she couldn’t work miracles."

From the information provided, Zhang Wei could not find any issues.

Moreover, by understanding the course of the case, he knew that Zhou Sanliang, because of his brother Zhou Erliang’s death, was targeting the wrong person.

If he sought to hold someone accountable for his brother’s death, he should be looking for those who attacked his brother at the bar that night.

But the problem was.

The street where the bar was located was in the old district of Dongfang Capital City, which had too few surveillance devices to capture the incident.

And in places like bars, with a lot of people and a bustling atmosphere, especially at night, things were bound to get lively.

In such a setting, with men and women drinking together, some might lose their judgement once the alcohol kicked in, and those who got into fights might not even remember it after sobering up.

Finding the person who attacked and beat Zhou Erliang was incredibly difficult.

Even if the investigation team were to start searching now, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and tracking down the assailant would probably be very challenging.

In the vast sea of faces, since they could not find the person who attacked Zhou Erliang that night, Zhou Sanliang could not let his brother’s death be in vain.

Unable to locate the perpetrator, he evidently decided that the hospital was also responsible for "killing" his brother.

This was the trending topic Zhang Wei saw in the morning, concerning the incident at the city hospital.

In the end, the city hospital somehow shifted the blame to Jessica, which led to Zhou Sanliang blocking the entrance of Jessica’s clinic.

As for the rest, Zhang Wei was all too clear about it.

Zhou Erliang had died and couldn’t come back to life.

And his younger brother Zhou Sanliang clearly believed that Jessica was the "murderer" who had caused his brother’s death, openly claiming to pursue justice, but behind the scenes, he was involved in extorting money.

It had to be said that Jessica had suffered an undeserved disaster and gotten into trouble.

"However, I’m curious about something. Jessica was invited by the city hospital to become their consulting doctor. How busy must it have been that day to require Jessica to personally perform such an important surgery!"

Thinking this, Zhang Wei searched the web using the time of Zhou Erliang’s death.

He soon found the reason.

"Major car accident in Dongfang Capital City Area, the scene is horrific!"

"Wedding bus collides with a dump truck, newlyweds separated by life and death!"

"Dump truck in the downtown district becomes a death knell, turning a celebration into a tragedy!"

Quickly skimming through the news, Zhang Wei finally understood the cause.

That night when Zhou Erliang was brought to the hospital, a major car accident had taken place in the city center, injuring dozens or even hundreds of people. The emergency department of the city hospital must have been extremely busy, with too many patients and nearly each doctor attending to 2-3 patients at the same time.

That night, not only was Jessica responsible for treating Zhou Erliang, but she also had to take care of the injured from the wedding bus.

"Hello, is this the city hospital? I’m a representative lawyer for Dr. Jessica, and I would like to inquire about the severe car accident in the city center during the week of the martial arts competition. There was an incident involving a wedding bus being hit by a construction vehicle. Do you have the medical records from that night?"

"I would like to request a copy of the duty diagnosis and treatment records of my client Dr. Jessica, as well as the written records regarding how many patients she diagnosed and treated that day. Please send them to my email, thank you."

"Oh, by the way, I would like to ask, my client participated in your hospital’s medical assistance program. Who is the person in charge of that program?"

"Oh, it’s Director Sheng of the emergency department, I see. Could you please provide me with his contact information?"

The phone call ended quickly, and Zhang Wei received the information sent from the city hospital in his email.

After reviewing it, Zhang Wei understood two things.

That day, the emergency department indeed was very busy, with each doctor attending to at least 4 patients in the evening.

Jessica had attended to 6 wounded and had saved at least 4 lives, one of whom was not seriously injured and was transferred to surgery.

But only Zhou Erliang had died, in the hospital, under Jessica’s care.

After reading the information, Zhang Wei’s brows furrowed slightly: "Strange, why was Jessica so busy that day?"

"And, strictly speaking, she actually saved 5-6 people that day. She should have received gratitude, not condemnation from the family of the deceased, right?"

Thinking this, he immediately dialed the contact number of Director Sheng provided by the hospital.

"Beep beep beep... I’m sorry, the number you are calling is currently unavailable, please try again later..."

The call started with a busy tone but was soon disconnected by someone.

Zhang Wei dialed the number again, and again it was disconnected.

He persisted, calling a third time, a fourth, a fifth...

Until, after 20 minutes of continuous dialing, someone on the other end of the line finally answered impatiently.

"Damn it, who is this?" A roar came through, with a rude tone, clearly indicating the person’s impatience.

"I’m Zhang Wei from Jincheng Law Firm, you must be Director Sheng!"

Zhang Wei’s tone was also cold and vaguely unfriendly.

Hearing the words "Jincheng," Director Sheng seemed to realize the identity of the caller.

"Oh, a lawyer from Jincheng, what do you want?"

Director Sheng, being from the medical system and not familiar with the legal system, remained quite indifferent in his attitude.

Although slightly more amicable than before, his tone was still annoyed and he made no attempt to hide this displeasure.

"Director Sheng, not only am I a lawyer from Jincheng, but I also have another role as the representative lawyer for Dr. Jessica, in charge of handling a medical dispute case!"

"The case in question involves the death of Zhou Erliang, and Zhou Sanliang is his brother. May I ask why this person approached my client? Did your hospital disclose my client’s information to Zhou Sanliang?"

After hearing Zhang Wei’s words, there was a noticeable silence on the other end of the line.

"I’m sorry, but I have nothing to say regarding these matters!"

"If Lawyer Zhang has no other business, then please excuse me!"

Without waiting for Zhang Wei’s response, he hung up the call.

Zhang Wei had little information, but he felt he might have caught a glimpse of something.

Director Sheng, or rather the hospital, definitely leaked Jessica’s information.

"Damn, those bastards, all politeness when they need something, now just passing the buck when trouble comes, huh?"

Recalling the attitude in which Director Sheng had returned his call, Zhang Wei’s eyes turned somewhat icy.

...

Monday, a workday.

The city courthouse, civil division office.

"Ni Qiuping, come to my office, I need to speak with you!"

The senior judge of the civil division had summoned a female judge to her office.

According to some rookie judges passing by, that day as they walked past the office, they overheard faint roaring from inside.

After a full 30 minutes, Ni Qiuping walked out of the senior judge’s office.

According to other judges nearby, Ni Qiuping had a terrifyingly dark look in her eyes when she left the office, as if everyone owed her money and, despite repeated demands, was determined not to pay it back.

That look, as if she wanted to flay someone alive.

Meanwhile.

Jincheng Law Firm, Criminal Department office.

The Criminal Department office was somewhat lively with newcomers today.

Many rookies, while working at their desks, peeked around occasionally, glancing towards a brightly lit office at the southern end.

"How is it, seen anything, heard any movement?"

"Didn’t catch much, but I saw them sitting down, seems like they were talking."

"No kidding, of course they were talking. I want to know what Lawyer Zhang’s relationship is with that blonde beauty."

"I’m curious too. Speaking of which, that woman is really beautiful, her eyes are just like sapphires, skin as white as milk, and those weapons are just... huge..."

The speaking boy, initially gesturing with his hands while looking excited, suddenly felt the temperature around him drop sharply, as if several intense murderous auras had targeted him. Consequently, he choked back the second half of his sentence.

He promptly sat back at his desk, then looked left and right. Only after sensing the murderous auras receding did he let out a sigh of relief.

"These girls, is it necessary? Just because you don’t have what she has, doesn’t mean you need to be so jealous..."

The boys were thrilled, but the girls’ faces were filled with discontent.

Ultimately, it was all because a certain female client who had visited had an exceptionally fine figure, which made them all feel inferior.

"Team Leader Lin, who was that woman just now? She seemed to be on good terms with Lawyer Zhang?"

"Oh, their relationship is indeed good!" Lin Yumeng slightly lifted her head and explained.

Gossip!

There must be an affair!

Instantly, the girls in the Criminal Department all perked up their ears, showing interest.

"Team Leader Lin, who is that woman, and does she have that kind of relationship with Lawyer Zhang?"

"What kind of relationship are you talking about?"

Lin Yumeng blinked, somewhat puzzled.

Please, be clear when you speak, I can’t understand...

"Like that kind of relationship, between a man and a woman..." One of the girls indicated with her thumbs.

Upon this, Lin Yumeng understood.

She hurriedly waved her hands, denying, "No, it’s not like that. My master has a girlfriend, and that Dr. Jessica is a psychological counselor, his psychologist."

"Team Leader Lin, you’re joking right? Are psychologists that pretty? When I was in school, I went to psychologists too, they all started in their forties or fifties, right?"

"Yeah, that woman is like a fairy. Lawyer Zhang can resist such temptation?"

"Just look at those boys; ever since that woman appeared, none of them have been able to keep still."

"That is true, but I believe in Lawyer Zhang’s willpower. He’s not like these young boys."

"But wait, isn’t Lawyer Zhang about our age?"

"Uh, seems like it..."

The girls also began to chatter among themselves, whispering to one another.

The whole Criminal Department was abuzz with chatter.

Unfortunately, this was the atmosphere of gossip, not that of work.

Inside the office, Zhang Wei had just hung up a phone call.

"The city court has notified us; they want us to attend a pre-trial at 4 PM. If things go quickly, we could be in court by tomorrow, if not, then Thursday or Friday. Oh, by the way, the presiding judge is Old Ni, whom we can consider an acquaintance!"

Jessica’s complexion was still poor, her long eyelashes curling, her gem-blue eyes sparkling with sorrow. I saw her distress and pitied her.

At the very least, Zhang Wei couldn’t bear to see Jessica like this.

"Jessica, what are you worried about?"

"Actually, that day, I could have saved Zhou Erliang, but due to the wedding bus accident, I had to make a choice. I ultimately chose to save the severely injured bride first!"

"Did you administer any treatment to Zhou Erliang?"

"Yes, I used a technique taught to me by my father to temporarily buy some time, but then, treating the bride took so much effort that I was a bit too late."

Recalling that day, Jessica’s complexion grew even worse.

Seeing this, Zhang Wei could only stand up, move beside Jessica, and gently place his hands on her shoulders to comfort her, "Jessica, you treated a total of five people that day; you’re actually a heroine."

"The one thing I know is that human ability has its limits. On average, every doctor had to treat at least four patients that night, yet you treated six. Even though one of the treatments was unsuccessful, and the patient died, you still performed better than any other doctor that day!"

"Thank you, Zhang Wei, for comforting me during this time. You are the only one who has, and the only one willing to help me this much."

Jessica was touched, thanked him with her eyes closed, and gently rubbed her fair cheek against the back of Zhang Wei’s hand.

Feeling the touch on the back of his hand, as if it were an electric current, made Zhang Wei inexplicably nervous.

However, thinking of Jessica’s mood at the moment, the nervousness quickly dissipated, replaced only with a desire to comfort her in Zhang Wei’s eyes.

The office gradually quieted down, neither of them spoke, simply enjoying this tranquil moment.

"Master, there’s big trouble~"

Just at that moment, a naive apprentice disrupted this beautiful scene.

"Eh, are you guys...?"

Upon seeing the two people inside the office, Lin Yumeng quickly realized her mistake.

She immediately covered her eyes then turned and made her way back the way she came.

As she walked, she muttered to herself, "I didn’t see anything, I didn’t see anything, really didn’t see a thing!"

"Xiao Meng, come back!"

Zhang Wei called out with a face of speechlessness, while internally he criticized, thinking her attitude could lead others in the office to unnecessary speculation.

Lin Yumeng turned back and re-entered the office.

"What’s the matter?"

"Master, I just came to tell you, the front desk just called, Qin Shaocong from Long Teng is here."

"Qin Shaocong? Isn’t there a pre-trial today? Why did he come over so early in the morning?"

Zhang Wei and Jessica exchanged glances, both realizing this was an unwelcome visitor.

Yet, Zhang Wei wasn’t surprised by Qin Shaocong’s visit.

Even though the pre-trial was scheduled for the afternoon, some things are not convenient to discuss in court.

Or rather, without a judge’s presence, the two could discuss more conditions face-to-face, with greater room for negotiation.

If a judge were sitting next to them, certain issues would be difficult to address openly.

"Understood, you can go out. I’ll go meet this Young Master Qin in a bit!"

After sending off the apprentice who had come to give him a heads up, Zhang Wei looked at his nominal client.

"Qin Shaocong wouldn’t come alone; he’ll definitely bring along Zhou Sanliang. If you don’t want to see him, I can go in your place..."

"No need, I feel fine as long as you’re with me!"

"So it seems, I’m the steadying needle in the ocean then?"

"Zhang Wei, are you calling me Sun Wukong/Monkey King?"

"Not at all, you’re definitely not Monkey King. You must be a princess from the Dragon Palace!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s praise, Jessica covered her mouth with a smile, her mood greatly uplifted.

"Thank you, Zhang Wei. My mood is instantly better."

"Alright then, let’s go!"

Zhang Wei gestured towards the neighboring reception area and walked out of the office with Jessica.