Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 445 - 441: The Second Daughter’s Rebellious Phase? We’ve Got to Cover for Her

Chapter 445: Chapter 441: The Second Daughter’s Rebellious Phase? We’ve Got to Cover for Her

That evening, at Lin Mansion.

In the kitchen, Zhang Wei and Zhao Xiaoxiao were eating dinner.

"Second daughter, I felt something was off today,"

he murmured. Zhao Xiaoxiao’s movements halted suddenly at his words, a tense expression spreading across her young face.

After a brief silence, Zhang Wei suddenly frowned, "I’ve never seen a lawyer as laid-back as Old Hu and his team today, not asking a single question? That’s unheard of."

Zhao Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly swallowed her food, "Jeez, you scared me. What do I know about court trials?"

"Yes, you don’t understand, but I do,"

Zhang Wei said, shoveling another couple of bites of rice into his mouth, his brow furrowed in worry, "If they’re acting like this, it’s either because they think they can’t win and don’t want to waste their energy, what’s commonly referred to as ’lying flat’."

"Or, they have some surefire strategy, or they’ve gotten hold of something completely unknown to me."

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s movements paused once more, and she cautiously lifted her eyes, sneaking a glance at Zhang Wei.

When she sensed that he might notice her, she quickly lowered her head and started shoveling rice into her mouth again.

"I don’t know anything..."

"I’m not asking you to speculate. Could you do me a favor and investigate this Li Meijia?"

"Sure thing~"

With her mission received, Zhao Xiaoxiao hurried to finish her meal and was about to go upstairs, but she stopped in her tracks.

"That thing... about the online signature..."

"Alright, alright, I’ll send Old Xiao another message. Don’t worry, we definitely won’t wrong a good person!"

Seeing Zhang Wei flash an "OK" sign, Zhao Xiaoxiao finally nodded and returned to her room.

"This second daughter of mine, I always feel that she’s been preoccupied lately,"

Zhang Wei looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao’s retreating back as she walked upstairs, but the doubts in his heart did not subside.

In fact, he felt that she was hiding something in her heart.

"Could it be..."

Zhang Wei’s brow furrowed, his face filled with concern, "Has the second daughter also developed a rebellious attitude toward me?"

"Sigh, now that I think about it, is it because I’ve spent too much time looking after her, sometimes being too strict, that she also harbors some dissatisfaction towards me?"

The thought of his second daughter’s rebellious attitude filled Zhang Wei with fresh worry.

The cautionary tale of Zhao Qingyan, next door, was still fresh in his mind.

He didn’t want to make the same mistakes in his upbringing and end up resented by his daughter, like Uncle Zhao.

Indeed, figuring out how to be a good parent is truly a universal challenge.

No matter where or in which world, it remains an elusive art that stumps everyone.

...

At the same time, at Procuratorate Headquarters.

Unlike Zhang Wei and Zhao Xiaoxiao, who had dispersed after the court adjourned, Xiao Baihe, the prosecutor on the case, was still working overtime.

At her desk in the Serious Crime Division Office, Xiao Baihe remained absorbed in her work.

She looked through files and organized her notes, preparing for the next day’s trial.

An hour later, she rubbed her forehead and stretched her slightly sore arms.

"I almost forgot about that thing Xiao Xiao mentioned!"

As she finally took a breather, Xiao Baihe remembered the matter concerning the online signature.

She hesitated for a moment but then dialed the number for the special operations team.

"Hello, is this Guider Zhou? I’m Xiao Baihe from Procuratorate Headquarters."

"I’m currently handling the case of Cui Yibin. I recall that the special operations team and the Cyber Security Investigation Department have preserved the attacked server of the airline company, and I have a somewhat difficult request!"

"Yes, I understand that the Cyber Security Investigation Department has already collected evidence, but they haven’t decoded the real online signature of the attacker. Please bear with me on this."

"After all, this is my work. We can’t wrongly accuse any innocent person, nor can we let a wrongdoer off the hook. That’s the creed of us prosecutors, and I hope you, Guider Zhou, can appreciate that!"

"Thank you very much, Guider Zhou. I’ll wait for your response!"

After ending the call, Xiao Baihe let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Xiaoli on the other end had said she could help contact their superiors to relay the issue.

Xiao Baihe felt hopeful about the prospect.

"Although I don’t like complicating matters or clashing with the Cyber Security Investigation Department, work is work, and duty is duty!"

A flicker of determination crossed her features.

This case demanded her full commitment, and she had to pursue the truth tirelessly; any clue related to the truth had to be taken seriously.

Just as she had told Zhou Xiaoli, they could not wrongfully accuse any good person.

Thus, the busy Tuesday passed.

...

Wednesday, the day of the trial.

Xiao Baihe arrived at the Procuratorate Headquarters early in the morning to prepare materials with Tan Yingying for today’s first hearing.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

The incoming call displayed the special task force’s dedicated number.

Seeing this number, Xiao Baihe had an idea.

"Guider Zhou, what’s the situation?"

"Hmm, okay, I understand. I’ll tell her in a bit!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility if anything happens!"

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Baihe thought carefully and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this situation, yet she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

"Forget it, I’ll talk to Zhang Wei and the others at the court later."

More than an hour later, in the courthouse preparation room.

"Guider Zhou has agreed. Right after this afternoon’s trial ends, you’ll be allowed to inspect the evidence room of the special task force!"

"Thanks, Old Xiao."

Xiao Baihe rolled her eyes. Who’s Old Xiao? I have a name; I’m called Xiao Baihe.

Forget it, she didn’t have the energy to argue with Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Xiao, I need to confirm one more time, are you really okay on your end?"

Xiao Baihe looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao with an exceptionally serious gaze.

"That...," Zhao Xiaoxiao began, clearly nervous, her eyes flickering.

"Xiao Xiao, don’t be nervous, just answer the question properly."

Zhang Wei also patted her shoulder, offering words of comfort.

"There’s no problem. What problem could I have?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao hurriedly explained, but her tone lacked her usual confidence.

"That’s good then!" Seeing her response, Xiao Baihe nodded her head.

"The trial is about to start; Ying Ying and I are going to get ready at the prosecution’s bench."

Xiao Baihe nodded to Tan Yingying, and they both left the preparation room first.

In the room, Zhao Xiaoxiao and Zhang Wei were left alone.

"That..."

Zhao Xiaoxiao started to speak but hesitated.

Zhang Wei looked puzzled, "Little sister, is there something on your mind? If not, we should head over too."

"That is, I mean, if Chai Jingjing comes looking for me again, what should I do?"

"Just act as if you haven’t seen her, and definitely do not contact her, or the defense could pull some tricks!" Zhang Wei warned earnestly with a stern expression.

"But what if, I mean just if, I already had contact with her?"

"Then you have to be ready to be summoned by the defense. Of course, you must firmly deny any private contact with Chai Jingjing and make sure everyone knows that you have warned her, stating clearly that you are a witness for the prosecution and should not have any contact with the defense."

"Oh..." Zhao Xiaoxiao responded, looking down.

After a moment, she began to gather her belongings, ready to enter the courtroom.

"Little sister, are you sure there isn’t anything you’re hiding from me?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s progress halted, but she quickly replied, "What are you rambling about? If your girl has any issues, I’d come to you first!"

"Alright, go ahead then," Zhang Wei waved his hand, signaling for her to leave.

But just after Zhao Xiaoxiao left the preparation room, Zhang Wei’s brow furrowed deeply.

"Little sister has been acting off lately, has she really hit her rebellious phase?"

After some thought, Zhang Wei decided to make a call.

Once the call went through, he immediately switched to a smiling demeanor.

"Hello, Cui Xi, is Jessica available to talk right now?"

"Mhm, alright, please put her through to me."

On the other end of the phone, Cui Xi handed the phone to Jessica in the office.

"Hello, Zhang, how do you have time to call me? I remember you were supposed to be in a trial for a case today."

"Yes, I’m involved in a case, but I’m an advisor, not the main person in charge."

"So you’re stealing a moment from your busy schedule to call me?"

"That’s one reason, but mainly I wanted to hear your voice amidst the work."

Sitting in the office, Jessica smiled at his words, crossing her slender legs clad in black stockings.

"Zhang, just say what it is you want to tell me, I’m listening."

"Indeed, I can’t hide anything from you, but the reason I called isn’t about myself..."

After a moment of silence, Zhang Wei whispered, "It’s about Xiao Xiao; she’s been acting a bit abnormally recently."

"What happened?" Jessica became more grave upon hearing it was about Zhao Xiaoxiao.

"It’s like this: She’s encountered some issues recently and even joked about..."

Zhang Wei immediately told Jessica everything that had happened recently, including his conversations with Zhao Xiaoxiao.

As a psychologist, Jessica opened her notebook to jot down notes while carefully analyzing the information.

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on both ends of the phone.

"So, Jessica, I want to ask, is my second daughter just going through a rebellious phase, or is she really hiding something from me? You know, young girls’ thoughts are hard to guess; they can sometimes be too emotional, and rational girls like you are rare."

Jessica, pleased by Zhang Wei’s compliment, smiled.

She adjusted her sitting position again, swinging her legs gently like a little girl being praised by an elder.

"Zhang, I’m glad you think I’m rational, but in fact, anyone can show characteristics from their childhood; no one can completely erase their inner child. So it’s common for people to act impulsively, showing immaturity that doesn’t match their age."

"So you mean my second daughter is going through a rebellious phase, and her childish side is acting up?"

"No, I’m talking about you and me; Xiao Xiao is a different case!"

As Jessica spoke, her tone suddenly turned solemn, "Do you feel she’s deceiving you?"

"Deceiving me?" Zhang Wei’s brow furrowed, but deep down he didn’t want to entertain that thought.

"Do you think Xiao Xiao might be hiding something from you, like you also mentioned, that she might really have been in touch with that defense witness in private?"

Jessica paused for a moment before continuing, "Has she displayed any unusual behavior lately that has caught your attention?"

"Yes, there’s been plenty of that."

"If her recent behavior is much more irregular than usual, then you need to be careful. She definitely has a secret she doesn’t want you to know about."

"Is that so..."

Now, Zhang Wei was unsettled.

"Yes, so I suggest you prepare yourself soon, or even you, Lawyer Zhang, might face a setback~"

"Alright, thank you, Jessica. Now I know what to do next!"

"You’re welcome, goodbye~"

The call with Jessica ended.

The smile on Zhang Wei’s face dissipated quickly.

"If Xiao Xiao has been in touch with Chai Jingjing in private, then all these behaviors make sense. Her oddness is because of her childish nature, believing she has everything under control, and not daring to admit her mistakes..."

Zhang Wei felt the need to take out insurance on this matter.

He didn’t put away his phone, but instead redialed another number.

"Hello, Uncle Zhao?"

"Xiao Zhang, I remember you and Xiao Xiao are involved in a case. What’s so important you needed to call me?"

"Uncle Zhao, it’s like this: Xiao Xiao might have run into some trouble recently, and as her parents, we need to back her up!"

"What is it? Tell me the details..."

Zhang Wei promptly shared the information he had told Jessica with Zhao Qingyan on the other end of the phone.

The latter fell silent for a moment after hearing it.

"It’s hard to say about this matter. After all, I can’t cover everything within the special operations team, but we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"Yes, Uncle Zhao, that’s why I can only tell you about this."

"Right, what’s that girl’s name you mentioned?"

"It’s Chai Jingjing."

"Got it, I understand. I’ll have someone watch her. If she contacts Xiao Xiao again, we’ll be able to know about it!"

On the other end, Zhao Qingyan’s voice suddenly became stern, "Zhang Wei, if Xiao Xiao really is in trouble, please don’t give up on her!"

"Of course, how could I possibly give up on Xiao Xiao!"

Zhang Wei added in his heart, What kind of father would give up on his own daughter?

...

The courtroom, criminal court.

When Zhang Wei returned to the court, the hearing had already begun.

He took his seat on the prosecution’s side; unexpectedly, Tan Yingying next to him looked at him, and so did Zhao Xiaoxiao, both with strange expressions on their faces.

In the courtroom, Xiao Baihe had begun to summon witnesses, this time the witness being a technical staff member from the cybercrime unit.

Zhang Wei looked towards the defense bench, and his face turned bizarre.

Because Chai Jingjing, who was supposed to appear at the defense witness bench, had not attended today.

Despite losing a witness favorable to the defendant, Li Meijia and Hu Yaode on the defense bench seemed not to worry at all, still appearing very composed.

"Did Chai Jingjing fail to come, or..."

Zhang Wei frowned and noted this point.

Then, he looked back at the courtroom, watching Xiao Baihe begin to perform.

"We extracted a delayed-action virus from the airline’s server; it has very strong concealment properties, a long incubation period, and is difficult to be detected by conventional antivirus programs. We managed to extract a small part of the virus program from the server after the attack."

"Furthermore, through reverse tracing of the intrusion program and investigating the origins of the virus, we discovered a suspicious IP address. Following the IP investigation and through multiple layers of filtering and searching, we finally locked down the intruder’s computer."

Upon hearing this response, Xiao Baihe nodded, "May I ask the witness, after you locked down the intruder’s computer, whose computer was it?"

"It’s his, right here in the courtroom, sitting at the defendant’s bench!"

The witness directly accused the defendant, Cui Yibin, who briefly lifted his head but then lowered it again quickly.

"Hmm, thank you for your testimony, the prosecution has no further questions!"

Xiao Baihe finished her questioning.

From the defense bench, Li Meijia stood up.

"May I ask the witness, you said you went through layer upon layer of selection to find my client’s IP. Now I would like to know, could this IP possibly be a decoy for someone else?"

As she spoke, Li Meijia gave Zhang Wei a meaningful look.

This idea of a decoy was something Zhang Wei had once suggested, and now the opponent had taken it and used it directly.

"When you refer to a decoy, are you talking about ’botnets’?" the witness asked, somewhat surprised.

"Witness, could you please explain what a botnet is?" Li Meijia took advantage of the moment and pressed on with her request.

After organizing his thoughts, the witness explained, "Botnets, also known as zombie computers within the industry, refer to computers that can be remotely controlled by hackers. Typically, hackers use illicitly modified apps to entice ordinary users to click. Once an unsuspecting individual clicks on these apps, hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in their computer and implant Trojan viruses. In this way, hackers can manipulate it to do anything they want without the computer owners even knowing."

"Botnets are often used for DDOS attacks, and computers that become part of a botnet usually experience unexplained slowdowns. Despite not running many programs, the memory is constantly insufficient, and they might even suffer from unexplained crashes and freezes."

"Thank you for the explanation, witness. Now, may I ask you to answer my question: is it possible that my client’s computer has been used as someone else’s ’botnet’?"

"That should be impossible..."

"Should?"

"Because your client is a top-tier hacker. Normally, if a hacker’s own computer had issues or unexplained lags, the hacker would definitely know what’s going on."

"But what if my client was unwell during those days, or was distracted by something else and didn’t notice?"

"This..."

The witness, pressed by Li Meijia’s speculation, seemed to be at a loss for words.

"So, witness, despite my client’s impressive hacking skills, there’s no necessary correlation with his computer being invulnerable to intrusion, is there?"

"What you’re saying, it’s not impossible..."

"Thank you for your answer, the defense has no further questions."

After speaking, Li Meijia looked provocatively at Xiao Baihe.

However, from the corner of her eye, she glanced at Zhang Wei, with a subtle glint of malice flashing in her eyes.

Xiao Baihe also turned her head, glaring at Zhang Wei.

"All following your tricks, aren’t they?"

"Old Xiao, this is a misunderstanding, who was it that was so aggressive back then, I was just..."

Zhang Wei began to explain, but Xiao Baihe obviously didn’t want to listen.

However, a name suddenly flashed through Zhang Wei’s mind.

Zhang Lang!

Yes, that old fellow has been in Iron Island Prison lately due to his downfall.

But that doesn’t mean he will behave himself!