Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 430 - 426: Old Tan Proves Himself, Hou Liangliang Launches a Surprise Attack

Chapter 430: Chapter 426: Old Tan Proves Himself, Hou Liangliang Launches a Surprise Attack

Courtroom scene.

As Chef Wang stepped down from the witness stand,

many in the jury box and the public gallery began whispering to each other, engaging in quiet discussions.

Zhang Wei’s gaze was serious as he watched Chef Wang’s retreating figure, a few ideas forming in his mind.

"Prosecution?"

At the bench, Judge Liu continued to urge them on.

"Judge Liu, the prosecution has decided not to present further evidence and to conclude its opening statement!"

Without any strong witnesses left, Hou Liangliang decided it was time to temporarily cede the stage.

But that did not mean he was out of moves. In fact, he still had a trump card up his sleeve.

"Just wait until the defendant takes the stand; I’ll give you a piece to look at!"

Hou Liangliang’s gaze fixed intently on Zhang Wei and the defendant, Old Tan, his expression a mix of viciousness and smugness.

"Lawyer Zhang, it’s now your turn to speak."

With a nod from Judge Liu, Zhang Wei stood up.

He glanced at both the public gallery and the witness stand, finally making his decision.

"The defense calls the accused, Tan Zhiqi, to the stand to testify."

Nobody was surprised by the defendant taking the stand, as this was a common tactic used by the defense.

Under the attentive gaze of the entire courtroom, Old Tan walked step by step up to the witness stand.

"Hello, Mr. Tan Zhiqi."

"Hello, Lawyer Zhang."

"As the defendant in this case, I believe the pressure has been quite heavy on you lately, hasn’t it?"

"Yes, the pressure has been tremendous, and I haven’t been able to sleep well these past nights."

Saying this, Old Tan showed a weathered expression, his face displaying an air of distraction.

"Chef Wang testified earlier that you haven’t been concentrating on the restaurant lately. Is this true?"

"It’s half true..."

"Oh, Mr. Tan, what do you mean by ’half true’?"

Old Tan organized his thoughts before speaking: "My heart has always been in the restaurant. It’s just that life suddenly presented me with a woman, and then a son. It’s been difficult to manage..."

"Are you saying that you haven’t quite figured out how to allocate your full attention among these three, that you haven’t found a balance between them?"

Old Tan was taken aback, looking at Zhang Wei in surprise.

He couldn’t help but nod vigourously in his mind; indeed, lawyers have a way with words, summarizing it so well in such a short time.

"Yes, Lawyer Zhang is right; I indeed haven’t managed that well."

"Mm," Zhang Wei nodded, then asked, "So, regarding the culinary profession and your restaurant, do you still care about them?"

"Of course, I definitely care!"

Old Tan’s demeanor brightened as he immediately responded, "I’m a simple man. I came to the city to learn my craft at age 14 and have cooked for nearly half my life. It’s this job as a chef that got me to where I am today. It got me a wife and a son. How could I possibly abandon my career!"

"Mm, it seems I can genuinely sense your passion for your restaurant and profession."

Zhang Wei nodded theatrically, though he knew not everyone might understand such things.

He also looked toward the public gallery and the jury box, where several people seemed to be developing a favorable impression of Old Tan due to his sincere and straightforward testimony.

Hostility was diminishing!

While it couldn’t be said that they were gaining the upper hand, the situation was nevertheless evolving in a favorable direction.

"Mr. Tan, let’s proceed to the second question. I want to ask about the time when your restaurant had the fire and explosion incidents. It was close to 1 AM last weekend. What were you doing at that time?"

"I was at home!"

Old Tan looked at the jury, his face innocent as he explained, "At that time, I’d already taken my wife and son home. We were definitely resting."

"Indeed, you left early that day, right?"

"Yes, I left around seven or eight because I had to pick up my wife and son. I left quite early. The staff at the restaurant saw me leave."

"After that, you picked up your wife and child, returned home, and didn’t go out again?"

"Yes, I stayed with my wife and son the whole time. In fact, it wasn’t until the Procuratorate Headquarters came to my house the next morning, which was Monday, that I learned something this serious had happened at my restaurant."

"Mm, I think I understand."

Zhang Wei also showed an approving look.

"I would like to point out that one of the previous witnesses, Mr. Qi, testified that my client’s restaurant had been cleaned and passed inspection. The accumulation of grease from just seven weeks, or a month and a half, would not have been sufficient to start a fire."

"This implies that the fire was not an accident but could have been deliberately set. And it was not a result of my client’s negligence, but rather there might have been someone else with the intent to commit arson."

"At the same time, my client also stated that during the time of the incident, he was with his wife and child and had left the restaurant early, eliminating any possibility of his involvement."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he turned toward the prosecution, "I wonder who this potential arsonist could be. Has the prosecution found this person?"

"If you can’t find it and yet demand that I, as a party to the case, take the blame, isn’t that a bit too arbitrary?"

"Objection, inflammatory statement!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s sarcastic tone, Hou Liangliang couldn’t help but stand up abruptly.

"Lawyer Zhang, you..."

"Judge Liu, I have finished!"

Just as Judge Liu was about to warn him, Zhang Wei had already achieved his goal and ended his self-testimony.

The atmosphere in the courtroom indeed began to shift because Zhang Wei had raised a reasonable doubt.

Was there a malicious arsonist in this case?

Since the grease had been cleaned up, and the cleaning company’s boss had said it would take at least five or six months for such accumulation to potentially lead to a fire or explosion,

One and a half months was absolutely impossible.

This ruled out the possibility of a fire caused by negligence.

Thus, the only possibility left was that someone had maliciously set the fire.

And Old Tan, he had an alibi!

Even though the strength of that alibi...

Hou Liangliang stood up from the prosecution’s bench.

His eyes were serious, and he walked briskly.

"Defendant, I’m very pleased that you testified in court, as it gives me the opportunity to expose your crimes!"

"What crimes do I have?"

Old Tan looked confused. What have I done?

"Hmm, it seems you aren’t ready to admit it yet!"

Hou Liangliang sneered, pointing at Old Tan: "Didn’t the defense attorney say it? It’s highly unlikely that this case was an accident; instead, it’s very likely that the explosion and fire were caused by deliberate arson!"

Old Tan was confused again.

Zhang Wei did say that, but what does it have to do with me? I don’t know anything about this.

"Defendant, I ask you, did you buy insurance for your restaurant?"

"I did."

"How much was the coverage?"

"I purchased commercial property insurance; the coverage is about 3 million."

"Is it a basic policy?"

"Yes."

After getting a positive response, Hou Liangliang carefully recollected.

"I remember this insurance, it’s supposed to pay out in case of a fire at the shop, or falling objects from above, or even natural disasters, right?"

"It seems so. That’s what the insurance salesperson told me."

Hearing Old Tan’s response, Hou Liangliang’s expression turned colder, his tone icy: "In other words, isn’t it also possible that you set your own restaurant on fire and then committed insurance fraud?"

"Objection, speculation!" Zhang Wei had been waiting for this moment, immediately standing up to interrupt.

Nevertheless, Hou Liangliang’s words had already made their impact, affecting the jury and the audience.

"Objection sustained!" Judge Liu sided with Zhang Wei and gave Hou Liangliang a warning look.

But the latter, as though he hadn’t seen it at all, sneered: "Lawyer Zhang, why did you react so quickly? Are you afraid I’ll reveal the truth and let everyone in the courtroom see the true face of your client?"

"I just feel that if there is no evidence, it’s better for the prosecution not to make wild guesses!"

"What a joke. How could I possibly make unfounded statements without any evidence?"

Zhang Wei rolled his eyes, his expression incredulous.

How many times have you speculated wildly before and actually presented evidence?

However, this time, Hou Liangliang was ready to face off against Zhang Wei head-on.

"Lawyer Zhang, I am now going to produce evidence to prove it!"

As he spoke, he walked up to the witness stand and asked in a cold voice: "Defendant, you said that at the time of the explosion, which was between the weekend and early Monday morning, you were at home with your family, right?"

"Yes."

Hou Liangliang sneered, addressing the room: "As we all know, in criminal cases, the testimonies of family members, especially wives and children, are the least credible because they might lie to help a family member escape punishment!"

"However, in this case, I won’t be asking them to testify in court to defend themselves. I don’t want to dwell on that. I just want to tell everyone that the defendant’s so-called alibi is very unreliable."

Hou Liangliang quickly walked back to the prosecution’s bench, picked up a document from the table, and started to browse through it.

"Defendant, may I ask what the highest annual revenue for your restaurant has been since it opened?"

"That..." Old Tan was somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to respond.

"Are you unable to answer that?"

Hou Liangliang scoffed, flipping through the records in his hand, "These are the documents from the tax department to the prosecution, which show that the highest annual net profit income of your restaurant is around 150,000 yuan."

"150,000 yuan a year, after deducting labor, operations, utilities, gas, safety inspections, and other expenses, that’s what you earn as the Boss, and this income needs to be reported to the tax authorities, which is how I know about it."

"150,000 yuan a year, that’s a pretty good income, isn’t it? Your monthly income is almost 10,000 yuan, right?"

Old Tan was somewhat embarrassed.

Because that was the highest annual income, in other words, in the over ten years since the restaurant opened, it never made that much in other years.

"But I want to say, that amount of money in Dongfang Capital clearly wouldn’t allow you to live the life you want, right?"

"This..."

Old Tan was helpless, but it was the truth.

"By the way, may I ask, what is your wife Chen Xiaoyu’s annual income?"

"This..."

"You can’t answer, can you? But you should have a rough idea in your mind, right?"

"This..."

Old Tan looked troubled, glancing at Chen Xiaoyu sitting in the front row of the hearing bench with complex eyes.

"I’ll tell you then, in fact, I didn’t expect it either, Chen Xiaoyu actually has such a background; she is the ex-wife of Zhao Qingyan, the Chief Research Officer at Blacksmith Technology!"

As these words came out, many in the courtroom were astonished.

Zhao Qingyan from Blacksmith Technology, he’s a well-known figure in Dongfang Capital, frequently making appearances at technology release events and interviews.

In fact, he could be said to be the face of Blacksmith Technology.

"When Zhao Qingyan and Chen Xiaoyu divorced, he wasn’t a board member of Blacksmith Technology yet, but he did have a small portion of technical shares which he gave to Chen Xiaoyu as part of the divorce settlement."

"It is with these stocks that Chen Xiaoyu receives millions in dividends each year, a consistent income without any breaks."

As Hou Liangliang spoke, he commented, "Defendant, all the hard work you’ve done over the years, is it not even equal to your wife’s annual income?"

At these words, Old Tan’s face changed.

The embarrassment in his heart was being publicly pointed out, and, moreover, in a courtroom.

"Objection, the question is irrelevant to the case!"

At the crucial moment, Zhang Wei stood up to interrupt.

But Hou Liangliang was also prepared and turned his gaze to the bench, "Judge Liu, I think what I’m saying is very relevant to the case. It’s precisely because the defendant doesn’t make enough money, or shall we say, he’s stimulated by the annual dividend income from the stocks his wife holds, that he might harbor the possibility of malicious arson for insurance fraud!"

"This..."

Judge Liu hesitated but after careful thought, what the prosecutor said seemed to make sense.

"Objection overruled; the prosecution may continue," Judge Liu decided, not out of regard for Hou Liangliang’s background, but purely on judicial intuition.

Zhang Wei reluctantly sat down, defeated.

Hou Liangliang’s smile grew more smug, "Defendant, was I wrong in what I said just now?"

"I..."

Old Tan opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to refute.

"Your silence means you agree!"

Hou Liangliang naturally took advantage of the situation and firmly established the matter.

"Alright, let me ask you, have you ever felt discontent, wondering why you work hard all year only to earn so little money?"

"Yet your wife Chen Xiaoyu, who does nothing all year, can earn what you might not make in your entire lifetime?"

Old Tan this time didn’t even speak, just looked at Hou Liangliang with a face full of resentment.

What he resented was naturally the public revelation of this matter.

"Do you feel immense pressure, feeling that if you don’t make money, you could never hold your head high in life?"

"Did you, at that point, conceive the idea of defrauding insurance, deciding to ’earn’ enough money through the insurance payout?"

With Hou Liangliang’s statements, the courtroom atmosphere began to tense up.

In the hearing bench, Chen Xiaoyu, holding Tan Xiaozhi’s hands, unconsciously gripped them much tighter.

Felt in his mother’s arms, Tan Xiaozhi sensed her distress, and looking at the witness stand, he thought his father was about to cry.

In the hearing bench, the jury bench, many looked at Old Tan with strange eyes.

This man indeed had it hard, toiling all year only to earn so little, while his wife, without lifting a finger, earned dozens or even hundreds of times more each year.

Who could feel at peace with that?

What man could accept such a reality?

And if one couldn’t accept it, would conceiving the thought of making money through dishonest means potentially be normal?

The tide in the courtroom was quietly shifting.

Although Hou Liangliang hadn’t produced irrefutable evidence, everyone unconsciously started thinking along these lines.

Because many people put themselves in Old Tan’s shoes and imagine being in his position, they soon realize that they might entertain similar thoughts.

"My wife makes an incredible amount of money, so much so that I begin to question life itself."

At that time, what would I do?

Some people lose their shame, accept their fate, and plan to live off their wives, coasting through life until their days are done.

Such people are, after all, in the minority, as many can’t bring themselves to stoop so low.

So what about the other part, or perhaps the vast majority?

I would think about trying to catch up to my wife through my own efforts, to achieve an equal standing with her.

Having the desire is one thing, but having the capability is quite another.

Reality has proven that while ideals are beautiful, life can be harsh.

Earning millions with ease each year is just too difficult, even if one works oneself to death, it’s still not enough money.

With such thoughts, might staging an insurance fraud not also seem possible?

Many people in the courtroom began harboring such thoughts, looking at Old Tan with eyes of understanding.

But, understanding is one thing; they were also convinced that Old Tan would most likely do such a thing.

Therefore, the arsonist must be him!

"Defendant, I ask again, did you feel a sense of imbalance because of your wife’s income, and therefore chose to maliciously set fire and burn down your own shop to defraud the bank of a substantial insurance payout?"

"I, I didn’t..." Old Tan quickly denied.

"Oh, really, you didn’t?"

But Hou Liangliang let out a cold laugh, his face full of sarcasm, "You didn’t, and you expect me to believe that?"

"Objection, inflammatory statement, Judge Liu, I ask you to uphold justice for my client!"

Zhang Wei couldn’t hold back anymore, directly interrupting Hou Liangliang and calling on Judge Liu.

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Liu also spoke in a timely manner, while giving a warning look to the prosecution.

Unfortunately, both Judge Liu and Zhang Wei knew it was too late.

Because Old Tan on the witness stand already had a look of utter dejection, as if he had resigned to his fate.

This expression seemed to tell everyone that he was guilty.

"This is not good at all!"

Zhang Wei shook his head inwardly at the sight.

"Cough cough, it’s getting late today, let’s continue the trial tomorrow!"

At a critical moment, it was Judge Liu’s statement that broke the tension.

After checking the time, he sounded the gavel and announced a temporary recess.

The courtroom dissolved, and everyone began to leave one after another.

On the prosecution’s side, Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying stood up, looking at Zhang Wei with complex expressions.

Even though they had not spoken in the court, they were clear about one thing: Zhang Wei was going to lose.

The direction of the courtroom wind was extremely unfavorable to the defense.

"Well, well, the prosecutor’s son is going to win?"

On the witness stand, Zhao Chunming was also taken aback, unable to accept the reality.

They had always felt that Zhang Wei was like an insurmountable mountain, blocking the path of their Procuratorate Headquarters.

But unexpectedly, overcoming this mountain turned out not to be so difficult.

"Lawyer Zhang, if I were you, I’d advise your client to confess as soon as possible. If he confesses early, I might be able to get his sentence reduced to 10 years of fixed-term imprisonment!"

Hou Liangliang also approached Zhang Wei at that moment, as if he was the victor.

"Prosecutor, are you confident?"

"Of course!"

Hou Liangliang’s confidence was palpable, his head tilting back as he said, "If I were you, I’d start considering how to make a guilty defense!"

"After all, malicious arson to defraud insurance, and in the process bringing harm to a human life—if I can prove that your defendant had the intent to commit arson, he might have to spend the rest of his life behind bars!"

Triumphant, Hou Liangliang was exceedingly smug at the moment, approaching Zhang Wei as if to taunt him.

After the provocation, naturally, he left with an air of superiority, enough to make one wish to punch him.

"Should we ambush him outside the Procuratorate Headquarters, throw a sack over him, stuff him in the trunk of a car, and then drag him into the woods to give him a good beating?" Zhao Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back anymore, her face deviously gleeful.

It must be said that this girl, playing the role of a villain and voicing dangerous thoughts, did liven up the mood.

"Second daughter, your ideas are very dangerous!"

Zhang Wei hurriedly interrupted, nipping the idea in the bud.

Illegal acts, we must not engage in them.