Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 429 - 425: Human Relationships and Social Conventions, Chef Wang Appears in Court

Chapter 429: Chapter 425: Human Relationships and Social Conventions, Chef Wang Appears in Court

The prosecution’s first round of accusations and evidence presented a huge difficulty for Zhang Wei.

At this moment, many of the 12 jurors were looking at Old Tan with hostility in their eyes.

They believed that it was Old Tan who kept pulling the cleaning company manager away to smoke, preventing him from supervising the cleaning work properly, leading to ineffective cleaning, which caused the fire.

Guilty!

Old Tan was directly linked to the fire.

At the defense’s table.

Old Tan panicked.

"Lawyer Zhang, when I urged people to smoke, it was all about social niceties. Besides, how long does smoking a cigarette take? They’d still continue working after finishing, right?"

Old Tan quickly defended himself; he felt wronged.

Isn’t it a basic operation for businesspeople nowadays to hand out cigarettes to everyone they meet?

Zhang Wei didn’t smoke, but he understood the custom.

So he asked, "Let’s set aside the smoking issue for now. My question to you is, are you certain that the oil stains were cleaned up?"

"Of course, I’m certain. The last cleaning took place one and a half months ago. I personally checked, and all the places where oil stains typically accumulate were clean."

Old Tan continued, with an innocent expression, "Lawyer Zhang, as you can see, I actually care a great deal about my shop. How could I possibly neglect safety hazards?"

"That’s true, but why did a fire happen in your store then?"

Zhang Wei muttered to himself but did not pursue the question further.

"The prosecution concludes its questioning of Mr. Qi!"

In the courtroom, Hou Liangliang finished questioning the witness and gave Zhang Wei a challenging glance.

I’ve handed the person over to you, but I’m betting you can’t do much.

Probably... that’s what he meant.

Zhang Wei stood up and walked to the stand under the scrutiny of the entire court.

Similarly, Zhao Xiaoxiao, who was sitting next to Zhang Wei, also took the chance when no one was paying attention to quietly leave the courtroom.

"Mr. Qi, you’re the manager of the cleaning company, right?"

"Yes."

"I heard you’re acquainted with the fire department personnel, and that’s how you got the cleaning contracts for the Wan Jiahui mall’s restaurants?"

"That’s... well, it’s complicated..."

Mr. Qi smiled but did not elaborate.

One can’t just admit to such things, can they? Please don’t ask anymore; this is all about personal relationships...

"Alright, let’s not dwell on that,"

Zhang Wei seemed to read his mind and quickly changed the subject, "Mr. Qi, could you tell us, how many restaurants in Wan Jiahui does your company clean the oil stains for?"

"About over 140 stores, I guess."

"Do you know all the owners of these stores?"

"I’ve met them all, but whether we’re familiar is another matter."

"So let me ask you this, aside from my client Old Tan, do the other store owners also invite you for a cigarette and a chat during the cleaning?"

"Yes."

"Another question, how long does it typically take to smoke a cigarette?"

"Just a few minutes."

"Even if one cigarette isn’t enough, and they smoke two or three, would that take about ten minutes at most?"

"It should be around that much time."

"Let’s round up to be safe, say 15 minutes,"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, then asked, "Can you tell us how much time does your cleaning company need to remove oil stains?"

"That depends on the size of the store. For some small stores, sweeping and washing could take just an hour or two, while larger stores take longer."

"How about my client’s shop?" Zhang Wei pointed to Old Tan, who was seated.

Mr. Qi also glanced at him and recalled, "Old Tan’s pickled fish restaurant... it would take at least three or four hours to get started!"

"Oh, it requires that long,"

Zhang Wei said before going to face the jury, asking, "Smoking takes at most 15 minutes. Even after smoking a few cigarettes, only the beginning of the cleaning work would have been completed. The witness or his staff could have continued to supervise the cleaning, couldn’t they?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many in the jury instinctively realized the point.

Yes, of course!

They had assumed the cleaning was completed quickly, not realizing that cleaning oil stains was such a hassle and took so long.

And how long does it take to smoke a cigarette? After finishing the cigarette and then supervising again, there was plenty of time.

"So," Lawyer Zhang said, "the prosecution’s accusation is nothing but making trouble out of nothing. They have miscalculated the time my client and the witness left the scene, and have completely shifted the responsibility for the fire onto my client. I believe this is truly an oversight!"

"You!"

Hou Liangliang never expected that Zhang Wei would dare to point at him and scold him directly, and he couldn’t help but lose his temper.

He almost couldn’t resist slamming the table and standing up to retort.

But in the end, he held back.

After all, this was a courtroom, and so many people were watching, not to mention the two young ladies by his side; he had to consider the impact.

"Mr. Qi," Lawyer Zhang continued, "I have to ask you once more on behalf of my client—every time you finish a job, there’s an inspection report, right?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time your team cleaned my client’s restaurant, and do you remember it?"

"Of course I remember. Because of this case, I was summoned as a witness, and I specifically checked the cleaning inspection report. It was 7 weeks ago that we cleaned the grease from his restaurant."

"Oh, 7 weeks ago, huh?"

Zhang Wei muttered and immediately asked, "Based on your professional experience, is it possible that grease accumulated over 7 weeks could cause such a violent explosion?"

"Impossible. Like I said, it would take at least 5-6 months of grease buildup to possibly cause a fire and explosion. 7 weeks, that’s just a month and a half, is totally insufficient!"

The witness’s response finally changed the direction of the courtroom.

Now the wind was blowing slightly toward the defense’s side.

Seeing he had gained an advantage, Zhang Wei felt it was enough.

"The defense has no further questions for this witness," he stated.

The witness stood up and left the stand calmly.

Zhang Wei returned to the defense bench, about to offer some consolation to Old Tan, when, out of nowhere, Zhao Xiaoxiao appeared.

Seeing the second daughter sit down, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but comment, "Second daughter, how do you always pop up so unexpectedly?"

"Your mother-in-law helped us find out," she replied.

"Oh, what happened?" Zhang Wei inquired, his gaze sharpening now that they were discussing serious matters.

"Just now, Judge Liu received a call from the Procuratorate Headquarters. It came from the switchboard."

"And then?"

"Your mother-in-law and I called back, and they connected us to the office of the Chief Prosecutor."

"The Chief Prosecutor!"

Upon hearing his second daughter’s report, Zhang Wei instantly understood.

It turned out that the Chief Prosecutor from the Procuratorate Headquarters had spoken with Judge Liu just a moment ago.

Xiao Liu should be fine; after all, he was still inexperienced and unlikely to do anything unethical.

But in any industry, one must understand personal relationships and etiquette.

The Judge and the Procuratorate work closely together, and Xiao Liu surely considered a lot after receiving a call from the Chief Prosecutor.

Xiao Liu must have also realized that the Chief Prosecutor was Hou Liangliang’s father.

So, before the case began, if the Chief Prosecutor suddenly called to ask a few questions, would Xiao Liu think twice?

Even if the Chief Prosecutor merely inquired about work, he could have "unintentionally" mentioned that his son was at your court, dealing with a case under your jurisdiction, Judge Liu, and you must adjudicate it well, striving for fairness and justice.

What was Judge Liu to do at that point?

Zhang Wei could see that Judge Liu had already made his choice.

Xiao Liu’s behavior so far was also quite telling.

Within the bounds of the rules and without affecting the fairness and impartiality of the court, he tried as much as possible to give Hou Liangliang an advantage. This was Judge Liu’s way of handling personal relationships.

"Well, Xiao Liu truly is... too unfair to our side!"

Zhang Wei understood, yet felt somewhat dissatisfied.

He thought carefully and chose to bide his time.

"Prosecution?"

From the bench, Judge Liu also reminded the prosecution.

The first witness had left; did they want to continue presenting evidence?

"Judge Liu, we would like to summon the head chef of the defendant’s restaurant, Mr. Wang, to testify!"

This witness was no surprise to Zhang Wei.

He had already contacted him in advance and even thought about having him as a character witness for the defendant.

Unfortunately, the prosecution also had the opportunity to subpoena the other party as a witness, and it was clear that they had done so.

Chef Wang, dressed in formal attire, walked up to the stand and took his seat as a witness.

"Mr. Wang, hello."

"Just call me Chef Wang, I’ve been a chef for a long time and I still prefer that title."

"Very well, Chef Wang, I would like to ask, what is your relationship with the defendant?"

"I’ve known Old Tan for more than ten years, we started out together as chefs in a hotel, learning our craft. Later, when he decided to strike out on his own, I joined his restaurant as the head chef, and I’ve been there for over eight years."

"You’ve known each other for over ten years, and you’ve been his head chef for eight years, it seems your relationship must be quite special, right?"

"Yes, Old Tan and I are good brothers."

Chef Wang glanced at the defendant’s bench and nodded towards Old Tan.

"Good brothers?"

Zhang Wei looked at Chef Wang, but he always felt that his gaze was slightly different from the day before; there seemed to be a subtle change.

"Let’s wait and see what happens next, to see how the prosecution will make their move."

Zhang Wei composed himself and started to observe the courtroom.

Hou Liangliang organized his thoughts and then asked, "So, Chef Wang, in your opinion, what is the defendant Old Tan’s attitude towards the restaurant, is he a dedicated and good boss?"

"Yes, he is a good boss!"

Chef Wang answered with certainty, "Both of us being chefs by trade, we care about the restaurant more than the average owner. We pay particular attention to the quality of the cooking and understand the hard work of the employees. The salaries we offer are quite high within the industry, and we consider our compensation packages to be very competitive."

"Hmm, good compensation, high salaries, meaning that the labor costs are high."

Hou Liangliang nodded and quickly followed up, "When labor costs go up, does the quality of the dishes decrease?"

"Of course not, what we chefs value most is the food, and we strive to make every dish the best!"

"Really?"

Hou Liangliang expressed his doubt, "Then I want to ask, has the defendant always pursued such high standards rigorously, in terms of employee compensation and the quality of cooking, without ever compromising?"

"He has always been this way, never slackening from the beginning, even now. Although he spends less time at the restaurant, he still..."

"You mentioned the defendant spends less time at the restaurant. What is the reason for this?"

"Probably because he has a wife and children now. He has to take care of his family, so he’s around the restaurant a lot less."

"How much less frequently does he visit?"

Chef Wang reminisced for a moment, "Initially, he was at the restaurant every day. After he met his wife, the frequency of his visits dropped. After his son was born, it decreased even more."

"He used to be at the restaurant all day, the last to leave after closing. Since meeting his wife Chen Xiaoyu, the time he spent at the restaurant was cut to half, and it was halved again after the birth of his son."

Hou Liangliang immediately interjected, "Are you saying that in recent years, the defendant’s time in the restaurant has been less than a quarter of what it was originally?"

"Yes." Chef Wang nodded affirmatively again.

"I would like to ask Chef Wang, have you ever discussed this issue with the defendant?"

"Yes, I have talked with Old Tan."

"What did the defendant say?"

"He said, although he is happy running the restaurant and the customer base is not bad, he just can’t make much money. He wanted to invest in other businesses, ones that could turn a profit, so he was thinking of selling the restaurant."

"Oh, selling the restaurant?"

Hou Liangliang glanced over at the defense bench and then to the jury, "So, can we assume that the defendant has actually lost interest in the restaurant and, over these years, has neglected his management duties, indulging in dereliction of duty?"

"Objection, hearsay evidence! The prosecution is speculating on the behavior of my client!"

Zhang Wei immediately stood up to refute Hou Liangliang’s point.

"Objection..." On the judge’s bench, Judge Liu showed a hint of hesitation.

"Judge Liu, I hope you will carefully consider the fact that what the prosecution just stated is definitely hearsay evidence."

Zhang Wei noticed Judge Liu’s uncertainty and immediately emphasized his point.

"Furthermore, I believe that merely one phone call wouldn’t particularly concern Judge Liu, right?"

With his following statement, Judge Liu’s complexion changed.

Well done!

You’ve even investigated me, and you know about that phone call?

Judge Liu hurriedly adjusted his glasses as sweat began to bead on his forehead.

But Zhang Wei thought to himself, who asked me to have connections in the courthouse!

"Ahem, after consideration, the court believes that the prosecution’s arguments should indeed not be adopted. Objection sustained!"

The judge finally made a decision, which pleased Zhang Wei.

Xiao Liu did well, someone you can work with!

Hou Liangliang hadn’t expected that Judge Liu, who had been biased towards him just now, would suddenly change his attitude.

"Sorry, I take back my last sentence!" His gaze grew cold, but he still apologized in court.

At least his attitude was still good.

"Chef Wang, I know the defense has approached you, wanting you to be a character witness for the defendant. Is that true?"

"Yes, the defense lawyer came to me last night and talked to me about this matter."

"Alright, then could you please tell the court how, over the past few years, the defendant’s attention to the restaurant’s operations and management has either remained as diligent as before?"

"This..."

Chef Wang looked troubled, glanced at Old Tan, and still spoke frankly: "Old Tan used to be a very good person, but since he met Chen Xiaoyu, he felt a lot of pressure, always thinking about making money. Even the restaurant we ran together... he seemed to care less about it..."

As Chef Wang spoke, the mood in the courtroom shifted slightly.

His testimony was not favorable for Old Tan and even led the jury to believe that Old Tan no longer cared much for the restaurant.

"Run it together?"

Zhang Wei, however, caught a crucial point in Chef Wang’s testimony.

"Old Tan, why did Chef Wang say that you both ran it together, do both of you hold shares in the restaurant?"

"Yes, Old Tan’s Pickled Fish was a joint venture. I put in all my savings for the majority share, while he contributed less."

"You bought insurance, didn’t you?"

"Yes."

"Does Chef Wang have coverage as well?"

"I think...he does..."

"Oh, I see."

Zhang Wei nodded, indicating he understood, but a strange idea had taken root in his mind.

However, the idea seemed a bit far-fetched, and he thought he’d better wait and see.

"In recent years, to be honest, Old Tan hasn’t been a good boss at all and hasn’t cared much about the restaurant. So it’s been me in charge of running it, recruiting nighttime workers, procuring ingredients, and handling expenses," said Chef Wang, turning to the jury box. "I’m here to express my condolences for the night shift cleaner’s plight."

"Thank you, Chef Wang, for your apology. I believe everyone present understands Chef Wang’s thoughts as well as the defendant’s character," Hou Liangliang remarked, then looked at the defense team.

"We have no further questions for this witness," he almost looked straight at Zhang Wei as he said this without emotion.

Zhang Wei straightened his tie and proceeded to the stand.

"Chef Wang, I just want to ask a simple question. Since you say that you have been in charge of the restaurant’s operations recently, then..."

"Defense lawyer, I know what you’re trying to say. Are you trying to pin the responsibility for this accident on me?" Chef Wang interrupted Zhang Wei before he could finish.

As soon as Chef Wang finished speaking, many in the courtroom turned their gaze to Zhang Wei, their expressions somewhat hostile.

"Well played, getting ahead of me with a countermove?" Zhang Wei was taken aback internally. What was Chef Wang doing, I hadn’t even asked my question yet.

True, he had entertained the thought, but he hadn’t yet taken action.

Why was Chef Wang so on guard against me?

"Cough cough, Chef Wang, you misunderstood. I just wanted to ask if, before you left that day, you made sure to turn off the gas valve properly, to put the kitchen utensils in their place, and to remind the night shift cleaner to be careful in their work."

"Oh, is that all?" Chef Wang also let out a breath of relief, smiling as he said, "Of course, I have always strictly adhered to the management protocols. We, who have been chefs for over a decade, are extremely familiar with these regulations, and we also require all staff to comply strictly to ensure the proper processing of food and safety."

"Then I’d like to ask one more question out of curiosity. If the kitchen has been strictly following safety regulations, how could an explosion possibly have occurred? Could it be due to an operational error, or might someone have deliberately started a fire?"

At these words, Chef Wang’s expression changed slightly.

"Objection, the defense is asking the witness to speculate!"

But Hou Liangliang, already poised on the prosecution’s bench, stood up and interrupted.

"Objection sustained!" Judge Liu didn’t give Zhang Wei a chance.

"Thank you, Chef Wang, for your answers. I have no further questions," Zhang Wei was cut off, but he did not pursue further, ending the cross-examination then and there.

As for having Chef Wang continue as a character witness, that was now pointless, as his previous statements had been plentiful.

Those remarks were enough to give the jury a predetermined notion about Old Tan.