Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 404 - 400: Special Confidentiality Agreement, No Big Deal?

Chapter 404: Chapter 400: Special Confidentiality Agreement, No Big Deal?

"All rise!"

Upon hearing this familiar command, the previously buzzing courtroom fell silent.

All eyes turned to the front.

There was Old Li, dressed in his dark judicial robe, wearing a pair of thick, black-framed glasses, yawning at the corner of his mouth as he briskly entered the courtroom.

From his demeanor, it was evident that Old Li had not slept well the night before.

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but sympathize.

For the sake of preventing a conflict of interest and in the spirit of avoidance, Old Li had not gone home to see his wife and daughter for several days. It must have been tough on him.

Old Li took his seat and scanned the entire room.

"Heh, since both the prosecution and the defense are present, I hereby announce that the first hearing of the spy crime public prosecution case against Zhao Xiaoxiao, Liu Dashun, and Zhu Erdan is now in session!"

The gavel struck down, signaling the start of the first day’s trial.

"Prosecution?"

"Yes, Judge Li!"

Qin Yang, having been called upon, stood up and walked to the front of the courtroom.

"The prosecution calls the first witness, the factory director of Yuanfeng Shipyard, to the stand!"

Zhang Wei was somewhat taken aback by the identity of the first prosecution witness.

He had thought that Qin Yang would have called Liu Xiaotao from the witness bench, but he didn’t expect that the first to take center stage would be this person.

The director of Yuanfeng Shipyard, surnamed Hai, was a white-haired old man around sixty years old, but he still appeared robust. Qin Yang also addressed him as Factory Director Hai.

"Hello, Factory Director Hai!"

"Hello, Prosecutor!"

In the face of the Senior Procuratorate, Factory Director Hai maintained a calm expression, sweeping his clear eyes across the room, neither sad nor happy.

"This old man evidently has a background in the War Department!"

Zhang Wei also sized up the old man as soon as he entered, recognizing signs that he was no ordinary individual.

The old man had calloused hands and scars on his arms; whether it was his stance when entering or his sitting posture now, he exuded a clean and decisive aura, almost exactly like his own uncle-by-marriage, Xia Qianjun.

A man from the War Department!

Or to put it another way, this old man once was a skilled member of the War Department.

Zhang Wei’s gaze refocused on Qin Yang.

He was curious to see what kind of questions he would raise.

"Factory Director Hai, did your company experience a hacker attack in March of last year?"

"Yes, it happened around early March, during which time our factory’s production equipment and instruments were constantly malfunctioning. However, our shipyard has been operating for nearly 30 years, and we conduct regular equipment maintenance and factory inspections every year. Theoretically, our equipment shouldn’t fail!"

"So we deduced that the malfunctioning equipment itself wasn’t faulty; rather, the so-called issues were coming from an external source!"

Hearing the witness’s response, Qin Yang nodded.

"How did you discover the problem?"

"At that time, our shipyard lost order information and production data, which we couldn’t afford to overlook, so we immediately contacted the relevant personnel responsible for this matter to investigate."

"But the first investigation turned up nothing, and even after the second time the related parties sent a professional team for detection, they failed to identify the source of the problem right away."

Factory Director Hai appeared helpless as he explained, "It wasn’t until later when an expert brought a complete set of data monitoring equipment to our factory for inspection that they detected a signal emanating from a metal craft item in my office."

"It was then I learned that inside this craft item, a so-called data collection device had been installed—it was a monitoring instrument."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yang adopted a look of surprise, "Factory Director Hai, the person who gave you this craft item, he...?"

"The giver of the item is not at fault, as a background check by the relevant personnel cleared him. When the craft item left his hands, it was just an ordinary item."

"So, where did the problem occur?"

"The issue arose during the time the craft item was in the postal system and while it was en route to me. It was tampered with during this period!"

Factory Director Hai’s explanation didn’t elicit much confusion in the courtroom.

They were somewhat puzzled as to why this old man, who runs a private shipyard, was testifying in court.

"So you’re saying that someone tampered with the craft item and then used the monitoring device and data stealing equipment installed inside it to illegally collect information and supervise the data of the factory you manage?"

"Yes."

"Then..."

Qin Yang paused for a moment, then clasped his hands together, rubbing them while tentatively asking, "I wonder if Factory Director Hai could tell everyone, where do the real orders for your shipyard come from? After all, many people in the courtroom are curious."

"They are all very curious why a witness like Factory Director Hai would appear in what is clearly a spy crime public prosecution scene?"

Factory Director Hai sighed, "Ever since that incident occurred, our cooperation with Party A had to be forced to a halt, and from the first day our factory started operating until last year, we served only Party A. Since we can no longer receive orders from Party A, we have no choice but to dissolve the factory and send the workers home."

"Regarding the matter that everyone is curious about, I can also choose to tell you that the entity we serviced has always been a certain agency under the War Department, and some of the equipment our factory produced was also directly supplied to that agency for assembly."

He said this with an expression of helplessness, "Who would have thought, such a small gadget could cause nearly 300 employees of my factory to lose their jobs and even force the relevant parties to spend enormous efforts and resources to specifically investigate the data breach!"

"Of course, even if there were updates from above, I wouldn’t see the final report anyway because I’m only responsible for the production at the shipyard, and our factory does not have any operational issues. I originally thought that our factory would continue to operate like this!"

As Factory Director Hai spoke, he glanced at the defense bench, his gaze resting on Zhao Xiaoxiao and the other two.

A look of astonishment appeared on his face because he simply could not imagine that the masterminds behind these events were just a few teenagers barely grown."

"Thank you for your testimony. I didn’t expect that the enterprise managed by Factory Director Hai would be directly supplying the War Department, that must have been quite challenging..."

Qin Yang did not continue, but everyone understood what he meant.

So-called direct supply to the War Department naturally means providing and producing all kinds of equipment solely for the War Department.

This means that Yuanfeng Shipyard, under the guise of a private enterprise, has always had backing from a War Department agency.

The 12-person jury looked at Factory Director Hai with a hint of respect.

"Senior Procuratorate Qin, are you finishing up your questioning?" Old Li saw Qin Yang pause and immediately asked.

"Judge Li, don’t rush, I still have questions for the witness!"

Qin Yang waved his hand, then continued to ask, "Factory Director Hai, to your knowledge, aside from your Yuanfeng Shipyard, have similar enterprises also suffered from hacking attacks?"

"Yes, not just me, but several of my friends and partners have also suffered different degrees of hacking attacks since March last year. Their enterprises’ production data, order information, and other important data have also faced varying degrees of loss."

"As you know, our enterprises may be private, but our orders and production data all come from agencies under the War Department, and absolutely cannot afford any mistakes. As a result of this incident, all our enterprises had to perform internal checks, and then all cooperation with Party A had to be suspended."

"What were your losses?" Qin Yang hastily followed up.

"It’s hard to say the losses because we don’t do the specific accounting, and I can’t see the loss reports that followed, but I can tell you due to those young people’s recklessness in court, our several enterprises have a total of over ten thousand people losing their jobs. Whenever I think about the workers helplessly let go, it pains my heart!"

"What about them now, do you know some of their situations?"

"Some with skills are doing okay, at least they can muddle through. But those without any skills, especially older employees over 40, could only helplessly become delivery drivers, work in food delivery, or even move bricks on construction sites. At their age, they must struggle hard just to support their families. It’s really tough for them, as in the past our factory still provided security, but now every day, they work themselves to the bone just to feed their families, it’s not easy at all."

At these words, many showed sympathy.

Indeed.

Approaching middle age, jobless, without any particular skills, this age is no longer attractive in the job market.

This explanation made many people in the courtroom feel empathy.

At the same time, they felt even more repulsed by the culprit who had caused this situation.

"I need to stoke the fire a bit more!"

Qin Yang, sensing the mood of the courtroom, felt confident in his next move.

"Once again, thank you for your testimony, Factory Director Hai!"

As he spoke, he then gestured with his hand to Judge Li, who was about to stand up, signaling him to remain seated before he continued speaking.

That’s enough!

Isn’t this dragging on forever?

Old Li, feeling helpless, yet had no other choice but to stop the motion of getting up and once again sat down in the judge’s chair.

"Cough cough, dear jurors and everyone in the courtroom, you must be curious as to why I wanted Factory Director Hai to testify and share his own and his employees’ experiences."

"You must be even more curious about who committed these acts, why a little tampered piece of craftsmanship could lead to such serious consequences."

Qin Yang, while speaking, pointed his hand towards the witness seat behind the defense.

"I can tell you that Liu Dashun sitting in the witness seat is the one who tampered with the inside of the craft piece. It was he who planted the surveillance devices inside, it was he who..."

"Objection, unfounded accusation!"

Facing the sudden accusation from Qin Yang, Zhang Wei immediately interrupted.

"The prosecutor is speculating without evidence!"

"Objection sustained!"

Old Li nodded and then cautioned with a warning look, "Senior Procuratorate Qin, the witness you summoned is this one, not someone from the defense witness seat. What exactly do you mean by your accusation?"

"I apologize, Judge, I apologize here!"

Qin Yang, although apologizing, showed no change in his expression.

"At the same time, I want to conclude my questioning of this witness and hand over the floor to the defense!"

Subsequently, he walked straight back to the prosecution’s bench and yielded the stage.

"Defense!"

Old Li nodded toward Zhang Wei, signaling that the cross-examination was finally beginning.

Zhang Wei stood up, and with the gaze of everyone in the courtroom upon him, approached Factory Director Hai.

"Hello, witness!"

"Hello, defense attorney."

Compared to the uncooperative prosecution witnesses of the past, Factory Director Hai’s demeanor was relatively normal.

"I would like to ask you, Factory Director Hai, about specific orders and products manufactured in the shipyard, such as the number of orders and equipment models. Would you be able to tell me that?"

"Sorry, attorney, but I’m bound by a special confidentiality agreement and cannot tell you those things!"

As he spoke, Factory Director Hai turned to the jury and explained: "Please understand, everyone, I’ve signed a confidentiality agreement, and there’s really some information that I can’t divulge!"

"Indeed, the confidentiality agreement Factory Director Hai signed has permanent legal binding, except for some of the client’s background and qualifications that must be clarified in court, other information he cannot conveniently reveal."

"Given the espionage crime in question, it’s a concession negotiated by my prosecution team with the War Department. Aside from these pieces of information, Factory Director Hai absolutely cannot disclose anything else, and I ask the jury and the gallery for their understanding."

After Factory Director Hai spoke, Qin Yang added a couple of remarks, effectively blocking any further questions Zhang Wei might have had.

Because of the special confidentiality agreement, too much information cannot be disclosed.

Many in the jury and the gallery showed expressions of understanding.

After all, it concerned upper-level orders; secrecy was to be expected.

However, this confidentiality agreement also restricted someone’s performance.

"Factory Director Hai, regarding the internal investigation report on the hacker incident, did you see it?"

"Sorry, I don’t have the authority to see the contents of the report."

"Have you inquired about this matter, or has the client provided any feedback?"

"Sorry, bound by the special confidentiality agreement, I can’t tell you the outcome."

"What about the lost data from your factory’s orders, you..."

"Sorry, bound by the special confidentiality agreement, I can’t tell you the outcome."

Several consecutive questions received the same response.

Zhang Wei, of course, had not seen the special confidentiality agreement.

He wasn’t a relevant party and certainly couldn’t obtain the original agreement.

Clearly, Qin Yang had seen part of the agreement, or else he wouldn’t have proceeded with questioning the witness.

"Information discrepancy, huh?"

Zhang glanced at the prosecution’s bench and finally felt the pressure.

Was he already out of options with just the first witness?

At the prosecution’s bench, Qin Yang’s expression was calm, but the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight grin.

Zhang Lang, also seated at the prosecution’s bench, didn’t bother to hide his smugness, his face full of triumph.

Kid, you’re out of options, aren’t you?

You also can’t possibly find a way to turn the tables because those agreements are beyond your reach.

If you can’t even grasp the information, how could you ever win!

Zhang Lang was smug, extremely smug, knowing that Zhang Wei was out of moves.

In the courtroom, Zhang Wei tentatively asked a few more questions, but the responses were all the same.

"Sorry, bound by the special confidentiality agreement, I cannot..."

Zhang Wei’s eyes moved quickly, and he suddenly asked with a smile, "Factory Director Hai, are you married?"

"Sorry, bound by..."

"Hmm?"

Seeing the smile on Zhang Wei’s face, Factory Director Hai realized the question he had just been asked didn’t seem to fall under the scope of the confidentiality agreement.

He had spoken out of habit, subconsciously...

"Well, to my embarrassment, in managing Yuanfeng Shipyard, I have sacrificed a lot."

"Oh, so that means you’re not married, right?"

"Objection, irrelevant questioning, harassing the witness!"

Under Zhang Wei’s teasing, Qin Yang couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Objection sustained!"

Old Li also immediately expressed agreement.

"Sorry, Judge Li, and Senior Procuratorate Qin, I was just noticing that the witness seemed uncomfortable answering questions, and the courtroom felt a bit stifling, so I went ahead to lighten the mood a tad."

"All slick and no substance!" Seeing Zhang Wei’s explanation, Qin Yang snorted coldly but sat down nonetheless.

Qin Yang was deeply dissatisfied with Zhang Wei’s behavior of making jokes in the solemn courtroom.

Zhang Wei ignored Qin Yang and turned his attention back to the witness.

"Factory Director Hai, let’s continue!"

He walked up to the witness stand and immediately asked, "Factory Director Hai, since you’re limited by the confidentiality agreement, I’ll ask something you can answer."

"The handicraft mentioned earlier, is it the one you kept at your factory?"

"Yes."

"Senior Procuratorate Qin mentioned that the item underwent more than two inspections before it was discovered that it hid surveillance equipment, isn’t that right?"

"That’s correct."

"Did those involved explicitly tell you that it was Liu Dashun, who sits in the defense’s witness area, who installed the data-stealing devices?"

"This..."

Factory Director Hai was at a loss for a moment on how to respond.

"Witness, if there is, there is, if there isn’t, there isn’t. I’m asking you, and you need only to tell me the truth, that can’t be hard to answer, can it?"

Zhang Wei pressed on coldly, his demeanor equally composed.

"I don’t have the authority, so naturally, I don’t know the outcome. Once the investigation ended and they found the devices, they just left. I don’t know who put those things there."

"So the answer is you don’t know, correct?"

"Correct!"

"Then, was Senior Procuratorate Qin’s direct accusation that my client was the one who placed the devices a bit too presumptuous?"

"Objection!"

Zhang Wei’s words prompted Qin Yang to stand up and interrupt once again.

"Objection overruled!"

But this time, Old Li didn’t indulge him and directly denied it.

Qin Yang’s expression remained unchanged, but he shot a glance at Old Li and slowly sat down.

"Witness, please answer me, is Senior Procuratorate Qin’s suspicion and inference about my client possibly a little presumptuous?"

"Perhaps..."

"Witness, as a directly involved party in the case back then, is it true that you essentially don’t recognize my client Liu Dashun and have never heard this name from any source?"

Zhang Wei pointed to the defense’s witness area and posed another question.

Factory Director Hai hesitated for a moment but then shook his head: "No."

"Thank you for your answer!"

Zhang Wei nodded in gratitude and then said toward the court clerk, "Please note, the court clerk, that the witness disagrees with the prosecution’s presumptuous speculation about my client Liu Dashun and holds doubts and opposition."

The court clerk naturally recorded as instructed, while Zhang Wei’s statement made Qin Yang involuntarily glance sideways.

"This kid is no simpleton, he’s deftly defused my first line of attack!"

Qin Yang could feel that Zhang Wei indeed had some skill.

"Judge Li, we do not have further questions for this witness!"

The first round of cross-examination was thus concluded.

"Prosecution?" Old Li quickly turned to Qin Yang.

"The prosecution summons the person in charge of Yuanfeng Foundry Machinery to testify in court!"

Upon hearing this witness, Old Li was not surprised.

Even Zhang Wei knew this was yet another witness similar to Factory Director Hai.

But for such witnesses, Zhang Wei already had a strategy in mind.

No problem!