Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 472 - 468: When the Parties Betray, There’s No Regret Medicine!

Chapter 472: Chapter 468: When the Parties Betray, There’s No Regret Medicine!

These were Mr. and Mrs. Li’s exact words, spoken out loud in front of everyone in the courtroom.

Even Zhang Wei had not anticipated this turn of events.

He knew Mr. Li had issues, but he had never imagined they would be so serious.

"Mr. Li, what is this...you..."

Zhang Wei forced himself to feign a look of utter shock, trembling as he gazed at the couple.

In his own eyes, his acting was quite poor, but to others, it told a different story.

He panicked, he panicked!

The kid panicked!

"Lawyer Zhang, I, I am also compelled..."

Mr. Li wore a face full of guilt, seeming somewhat powerless over his own actions.

But he had no choice!

"Husband, why say more to him!" His wife, on the other hand, had a different attitude.

"Lawyer Zhang, whatever we do is our own choice. You’d better not meddle in our affairs; we want to withdraw the case!"

Mrs. Li, in a voice audible only to the three of them, whispered sharply to Zhang Wei, her words carrying a veiled warning.

"Wife, how can you be like this? Lawyer Zhang..."

"Just like this, so what!"

Upon hearing her husband say that, Mrs. Li couldn’t help but roar in a low voice, "It was all because of you to begin with. You were the one who said that stock was a guaranteed money maker. But what happened, huh? In the end, that stock lost all of our down payment, and now it’s gotten us involved in lawsuits and court hearings. I..."

"Wife, didn’t we agree not to bring that up? Plus, back then, I did discuss it with you, and you also thought we could make..."

"I don’t care, we’re withdrawing the case this time, and even if the Emperor himself came, it wouldn’t make a difference!"

Even though Mr. Li still felt guilty about withdrawing the case, his wife saw the matter in a completely different light.

"Lawyer Zhang, my wife and I truly want to withdraw the case. Please help us, I’m begging you."

Zhang Wei watched the couple "perform" before him, a surge of helplessness rising in his heart.

Ultimately, it all came down to money.

"Mr. Li, if you hold on, and win the case, you could receive compensation exceeding your original investment. Why won’t you believe me?"

"Believe you, my foot, we just want to withdraw the case!"

Before Mr. Li could even speak, his wife had already lost her patience.

"Husband, don’t listen to him. Withdraw the case, it must be withdrawn today!"

Mrs. Li, holding onto her husband’s hand with a frantic look, cast a wary glance at Zhang Wei.

It was as though, at that moment, Zhang Wei was the bad guy.

Their daughter, being held in her arms, was awoken by Mrs. Li’s agitated words and began to cry right then and there.

Wah—

The cries of the baby, the quarreling couple, all gave Zhang Wei a headache.

But an even bigger headache awaited him.

Because of the scene Mr. and Mrs. Li had caused in court, the entire courtroom had become noisy and tumultuous.

Many people were whispering to each other, murmuring in low voices.

There were also quite a few people pointing at the plaintiff’s bench, looking at them as if they were clowns in a circus.

Thud, thud, thud!

At the bench, Judge Ni Qiuping banged the gavel.

"Silence!"

Under the authority of the judge, the courtroom began to quiet down.

However, those looking at the plaintiff’s bench still hadn’t reined in their gazes, and their eyes even held more mockery and excitement at the unfolding drama.

"Plaintiffs, what is going on with you?"

Judge Ni Qiuping then turned to Mr. and Mrs. Li.

"Your Honor, we wish to withdraw the case!"

"Withdraw the case?"

Judge Ni Qiuping looked puzzled, "If you wanted to withdraw the case, why didn’t you notify your lawyer in advance to make the motion, instead of announcing it during the trial?"

"Do you realize that by acting this way, you are showing contempt for the dignity of the court?"

"Your Honor, we..."

Facing the assertive Judge Ni Qiuping, Mr. Li immediately cowed.

"Your Honor, we just want to withdraw the case. We really don’t want to pursue this case anymore, please help us!"

Instead, it was Mrs. Li who stood up while holding her daughter.

"If I accommodate you, where would the dignity of this court stand!"

Ni Qiuping looked at Mrs. Li, her heart filled with coldness.

Playing the victim?

And holding a child, trying to force me to comply?

If I, Ni Qiuping, were actually to be coerced like this and agreed, where would my dignity be placed, and wouldn’t this set a bad precedent for the court?

From now on, can a plaintiff withdraw a case whenever they wish on the court?

Then what would be left of the court’s dignity, the judge’s authority?

Ni Qiuping clearly wouldn’t compromise.

Seeing this, Mrs. Li came up with a plan.

She, holding her daughter, suddenly pinched the child hard.

Wuah—

The infant in her arms cried out bitterly.

"Your Honor, I beg you, this case has worn us out, we truly don’t want to continue suffering."

Mrs. Li wept bitterly in court, tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes moist with tears.

Ni Qiuping held her forehead with one hand, how could she not see that the woman before her was acting.

She took a deep breath, then made a gesture with her eyes at Zhang Wei and Sun Kongwen.

"Both of you, come up here!"

Zhang Wei and his companion approached the bench.

"Zhang Wei, no offense, but can’t you even control your own client?"

"Old Ni, you’re misconstruing things! Suddenly my client is having a mental lapse, that has little to do with me!"

Zhang Wei quickly explained, then turned toward the person next to him.

"Lawyer Sun, have you or your master done something to make my client change their mind?"

"Lawyer Zhang, could you please not make baseless speculations, my master and I are clean. Besides, weren’t we talking to you all the time during the recess? Which eye of yours saw us contacting your client?"

"That’s true!" Zhang Wei couldn’t help but nod, but the corner of his eye caught Master Tang.

At this moment, Master Tang was all ease, his mouth slightly upturned, almost unable to suppress a smile on his face.

Such a look of triumphant scheming made it hard not to speculate.

"Judge Ni, since the plaintiff is prepared to withdraw the case, why not just grant their wish!"

Sun Kongwen didn’t care about Zhang Wei but instead made a suggestion to Ni Qiuping.

Bang!

But Ni Qiuping slammed the desk and said sternly, "File a lawsuit if you wish, withdraw if you wish, isn’t this treating the court like a joke!"

Sun Kongwen stayed silent, as the plaintiff had already made their stance clear; the case surely wouldn’t continue.

Ni Qiuping glared at Zhang Wei, "What do you have to say, Zhang Wei?"

"I naturally want to continue with the case, but since Mr. Li and his wife want to withdraw it, I respect their decision."

"You little bastard, you’re just going to take this?"

"Old Ni, we’re actually both victims here, and although I’m very angry now, I also understand that Mr. Li might have his own compelling reasons."

Zhang Wei sighed, seemingly resigned to fate.

"In that case, I understand."

Ni Qiuping waved her hand and dismissed the two men.

After Zhang Wei and his companion returned to their respective places, Ni Qiuping struck the gavel again.

"Ahem, this court declares that, since the plaintiff side intends to withdraw the suit, this hearing will now be temporarily suspended!"

"Moreover, given the nature of this case as a collective action, this court grants the defense a 24-hour preparation period to confirm whether the other plaintiffs still wish to pursue litigation!"

"The court is now adjourned!"

As Judge Ni struck the gavel for the last time, there were both joy and sorrow in the courtroom.

"Zhang Wei..." Xia Qianyue couldn’t help herself and was about to say something.

"Simple-minded one, don’t speak, let’s go!"

But Zhang Wei pulled her and beckoned Zhao Xiaoxiao from the witness stand, then quickly left the courtroom with the two of them.

The three of them walked briskly, but their retreating figures conveyed a forlorn sentiment.

On the contrary, it was Mr. Li and his family who were now extremely excited.

The guilt of backstabbing Zhang Wei vanished without a trace once the judge had announced acceptance of the case withdrawal.

"See, I told you, if we just withdrew the case like that, the defense lawyer wouldn’t have much to say!"

Mrs. Li, watching the retreating figures of Zhang Wei and his companions, had a face full of scorn and smugness.

Mr. Li, although somewhat embarrassed, felt a flicker of excitement at the thought of the benefits of withdrawing the case.

They glanced over at the plaintiff’s bench, where a woman stood up and gestured to them with her eyes.

This meant she was telling the couple to go outside to talk.

After all, this was a courtroom, full of people and possibly prying eyes that could see something.

Seeing the woman leave the courtroom, naturally, the couple followed quickly, carrying their child.

They came to a secluded corner.

"Ms. Yang, Lawyer Yang, the thing you promised us just now, we’ve done it. When will the money roughly be transferred to our card?"

"Don’t worry, the transfer has already been initiated, the funds have entered the custody of the banking institution, and will be on your card after 15 days!"

The woman surnamed Yang showed the transfer record to the couple briefly.

"Huh? Lawyer Yang, the amount transferred is not correct, wasn’t it agreed to be 5 million?"

Mrs. Li, with sharp eyes, noticed immediately that the amount was incorrect and became agitated on the spot.

"Yes, we agreed on 5 million, why is there only 1 million!" Mr. Li also immediately questioned the woman in front of him.

"Heh, do you really think that by just saying a few words in court and shedding a few tears, you could get 5 million for nothing?"

The woman let out a cold laugh, looking down on the couple’s response.

"This won’t do, we agreed on 5 million, not a penny less!"

Mrs. Li couldn’t hold back and immediately confronted the woman, her face fierce.

"You say it was agreed, do you have evidence?"

But the woman was prepared and looked at them with a cold smirk.

"When did I agree to give you 5 million? Do you have evidence? A recording? A signed contract endorsed on-site?"

"You..." Mr. Li grabbed the woman’s collar, ready to get physical.

"Go ahead and try, my master is Master Tang from Fierce Tiger Hall. If you dare to touch me, be careful of Fierce Tiger Hall’s retaliation!" The woman remained fearless, her face filled with mockery.

When Mr. Li heard the words "Fierce Tiger Hall," although he wasn’t clear about the kind of power they held, as an ordinary person, he understood there must be danger.

Mr. Li had no choice but to let go of the woman.

"We agreed on 5 million, how can you do this!"

"Hmph, it’s your own stupidity!" The woman said, ready to leave.

But Mrs. Li once again stood in front of the woman with her daughter in her arms.

"Lawyer Yang, please, we really need this money. Just give us the 5 million, we’ve helped you a lot, please be kind..."

Mrs. Li’s face was full of pleading, and her daughter in her arms began to cry again.

However, this tactic might work on the compassionate, but it was useless against the woman in front of them.

"Move aside!" The woman commanded with a cold voice.

"I will not!" Mrs. Li’s face was pleading, but she didn’t retreat.

"I said move aside!"

The woman’s tone grew heavier, with a hint of sharpness.

Mrs. Li still did not move.

"To hell with you!" Finally, the woman grew angry and pushed Mrs. Li away.

Mr. Li quickly reached out to catch his wife, and because of inertia, they both fell towards the corner.

"Last warning, don’t even think about spreading this matter, or you’ll bear the consequences."

"Even if you don’t think about yourselves, consider your daughter in your arms, if you really spread this matter, I believe you wouldn’t want your daughter to be without parents at such a young age!"

Having said that, the woman didn’t care what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Li, she left with a cold laugh.

Threats + warnings, indeed had an effect.

Mrs. Li looked at Mr. Li, "Husband, what do we do now? The 1 million is not nearly enough to pay off our debts, let alone the down payment for the house!"

"Ah, why were we so impulsive just now? If we hadn’t withdrawn the case, we might have gotten a lot more compensation."

"Then let’s go to Lawyer Zhang and ask for help, say we were confused for a moment, and ask him to sue for us again?"

Mr. Li’s eyes flickered several times, pondering the idea.

Yes!

They had been rash just a moment ago, enticed by the defendant’s offer, and had made a decision they now regretted.

So if they showed their "sincerity" again, would Zhang Wei agree?

"At this point, we only have..."

Mr. Li clearly was tempted.

The couple quickly made up their minds and rushed out of the courtroom, looking for Zhang Wei.

The courthouse parking lot.

Zhang Wei was just about to get into the car when Mr. Li and his wife came looking for him again.

"Lawyer Zhang, we..."

"Sorry, the judge has already accepted your withdrawal of the case, and there’s nothing I can do. Moreover, from the moment you expressed your wish to withdraw, you were no longer the plaintiffs in this case. We are not on the same path anymore!"

Facing Mr. Li and his wife, Zhang Wei’s attitude also turned cold.

Mr. Li and his wife exchanged a look and then they both knelt down.

"Lawyer Zhang, we were wrong!"

"Please give us another chance, this time we will definitely not withdraw the case!"

Seeing the couple attempting to play the sympathy card again, Zhang Wei sneered in his heart.

Some tactics work on sympathetic people, but are utterly useless on someone cold-blooded and ruthless.

"Mr. Li, why do today what you could’ve done earlier? You went to such extremes without listening to my advice. Now, you probably didn’t get enough benefit from them and want to come back, don’t you?"

"Do you know?"

Zhang Wei leaned in close to the couple and said word by word, "The thing I hate most in life is people like you who bite the hand that feeds them and try to satisfy their own desires by selling misery. For the sake of profit, you can even discard your dignity. How could I possibly trust you?"

"You only get one chance and you failed to seize it. It’s too late for regrets now!"

"There is no such thing as a pill for regret in this world!"

Zhang Wei stood up and directly pulled open the car door.

"Let’s go, back!"

The vehicle started, and they left without looking back.

Zhang Wei and his party had left, leaving Mr. Li and his wife alone in the chaotic wind.

Their emotions must be filled with regret, rueing why they had listened to the other party and ended up in such a state.

It can only be said that greed is the original sin.

And mindless greed, selfish greed, will ultimately harm oneself.

The couple originally had the chance to receive a higher compensation, but for immediate benefits, they gave it all up themselves.

...

Inside the temporary war room of Zhang’s Martial Arts School.

After Zhang Wei and his team returned, they naturally came here.

"Zhang Wei, why did the plaintiffs want to withdraw the case, and why did they suddenly come looking for you in the end?"

Xia Qianyue was completely puzzled, clearly unable to grasp what had happened in just half a day’s time with her intellect.

"It’s simple!" Zhang Wei raised two fingers: "At the end of the day, it’s just about one thing, interest!"

"It must have been Master Tang’s disciples who slipped into the preparation room when I wasn’t paying attention and promised the Lis a certain benefit."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a number on the blackboard.

"Five million!"

"Mr. Li lost nearly three million in stocks, plus he used leverage, so I guess the debt he owes to banks and loan companies is also close to two million."

"In other words, he urgently needs five million to save himself, and for that sum, he would probably do anything, including selling his dignity."

Xia Qianyue and Zhao Xiaoxiao, Zhang Xinwu beside her, all exchanged glances.

Selling one’s dignity for five million, isn’t that too cheap...

"I know what you’re thinking, but you don’t understand. When a person has fallen into the abyss, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, they won’t bother with so much."

"But why did they come back in the end to beg us?" That’s when Zhao Xiaoxiao raised her hand.

"Obviously, the money offered by the other party fell short!" Zhang Wei scoffed, "Sometimes, when you negotiate with tigers, you have to pay the price."

"Then if they took a bribe from the defendant, wouldn’t that be..."

"This is also where Master Tang is clever. He bets that I wouldn’t dare report him, and he also bets that the Lis wouldn’t dare to disclose this matter!"

"But why not?" Zhao Xiaoxiao and Xia Qianyue looked at each other, both somewhat puzzled.

This is an illegal act, so why can’t it be spoken about?

"It’s simple, the Lis dare not say anything because doing so would expose that they accepted a bribe from the defense, and they could be arrested for obstructing judicial justice, a criminal offense that can mean jail time!"

If Mr. Li and his wife went to prison, what would happen to their child?

They were not alone; they had a daughter, and that was their weak spot.

"As for why I wouldn’t report it, even if I suspected this, I couldn’t say it because I don’t want the trial to be invalidated."

Zhang Wei also sighed, his face showing helplessness.

Proving the existence of bribery would lead to an invalid trial, and of course, he did not wish for this trial to be invalidated.

If it were established that the trial was invalid, it would require starting the lawsuit over, and who knows how long the next hearing would take?

Such delays could stretch for weeks, and by then, with Zhan Qingze’s condition in the hospital improved, he’d be subject to a public trial.

So the biggest reason for Zhang Wei was simply that time wouldn’t wait.