Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 489 - 485: Xiao Jiang is Panicked, Just a Minor Case?

Chapter 489: Chapter 485: Xiao Jiang is Panicked, Just a Minor Case?

Thursday, in the afternoon.

Dongfang Capital City Court, Civil Division’s main office.

The courtroom is a solemn place, where seniority matters.

Judges with seniority can all get their own office.

But some newly promoted judges, transferred from local courts to Dongfang Capital Court, work in an open office area, each at a small workstation.

At this moment, from the workstation of a young judge, an argument could be heard.

Although it was called an argument, in reality, it was more of a one-sided critique from someone in the prosecution.

"Judge Jiang, although this case involves harassment and indecency and didn’t cause any substantial harm to the litigant, I still hope you’ll issue a restraining order. Because I’m afraid if the offender gets off without any punishment this time, next time he might go even further and commit more brutal acts, or even hurt her!"

"Prosecutor Xu... Prosecutor Xu Suyun, I can’t approve it because the person you call the perpetrator is the victim’s superior. He has also asked his lawyer to inform me that it was merely normal physical contact, and it’s the girl, or the plaintiff in this case, who’s making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Judge Jiang, are you suggesting we just let it go, allow that sleazy supervisor to continue to harass the plaintiff? Isn’t your action tantamount to condoning such behavior? It’s exactly because of people like you, with such tacit approvals, that workplace harassment is so rampant!"

"I didn’t condone anything, besides..."

At the workstation, a standoff between a young judge and a seasoned prosecutor was taking place, but the young judge was quickly getting overwhelmed in the exchange.

"Yo, Nun Xu, what brings you to the Civil Division today?"

A teasing voice came from the office entrance.

"Xiao Mudfish?" Xu Suyun turned around and, upon seeing who it was, made a strange face.

"Xu Suyun, I’ve told you before, don’t use that nickname. Back in our school days, it was one thing to joke around, but it’s been more than a decade. You still can’t stop, huh?"

Ni Qiuping’s eyes were wide with anger!

Indeed, she, Ni Qiuping, and Xu Suyun were college classmates, alumnae who entered the judicial system of Dongfang together after graduation.

However, one went into the Procuratorate, while the other joined the courts; same school, different paths.

Today, Ni Qiuping had just finished her work on a whim and thought she’d take a stroll through the city court. By chance, she arrived at the main office of the Civil Division, just in time to witness the scene unfolding.

Junior Judge Jiang from the same Civil Division, facing the daunting Nun Xu; this was really something...

"Speaking of which, Xu Suyun, aren’t you with the Procuratorate? Why are you here in the Civil Division?"

"Heh!"

Facing her old classmate, Nun Xu rolled her eyes but nonetheless explained, "For cases of sexual harassment in the workplace without physical harm, they don’t constitute criminal offenses, so the plaintiff has to go through civil litigation!"

"Oh, a case of indecency, huh!"

Ni Qiuping couldn’t help but roll her eyes, her face full of disdain.

This is the workplace for you; women are forever in a weak position, suffering from workplace oppression, enduring harassment from superiors. It’s so chilled to the bone. When will we women finally be able to stand up!

"Junior Jiang, since this case is just about applying for a restraining order, why don’t you do Nun Xu a favor?"

As a senior in the Civil Division, Ni Qiuping also spoke up at the right time.

"Senior, no way, you don’t understand the case, to suggest this to me..."

"Hmm?"

Ni Qiuping furrowed her brow, slightly annoyed.

Her words don’t carry weight anymore, she thought, not even enough to influence her junior?

"Junior Jiang, please consider that the alleged indecent assaulter is the plaintiff’s immediate superior. Think about how much pressure she has to bear every day, that workplace harassment often goes hand in hand with workplace bullying. The plaintiff is a young girl, she..."

"Senior, what are you talking about? The plaintiff is clearly a man!"

Seeing Ni Qiuping about to launch into a lengthy discourse, Judge Jiang immediately interjected an explanation.

"Huh?"

Ni Qiuping was stunned; what had she heard? The victim of indecency was a man?

She then looked at Xu Suyun, who unconsciously nodded in confirmation that it was true.

Ni Qiuping widened her eyes, "The perpetrator is a woman, and the victim is a man?"

"Yes, senior, the victim is Mr. Huang, 25, single, with a long-distance girlfriend. He works as a salesperson in their company’s business department and claims to have been harassed by his supervisor, Madame Liu, for years. Just to note, Madame Liu is a 40-year-old divorcee whose custody of the child is with the ex-husband. So, this is a classic case of a female superior harassing a young male subordinate. But the degree of sexual harassment by a woman towards a man is really hard to judge."

As Judge Jiang spoke, he couldn’t help but sigh.

If it were a male superior using his position to harass a female subordinate, he would have been indignant and considered signing a restraining order.

But when it’s a female superior harassing a male subordinate, it’s much harder to define the behavior and extent of harassment. To rashly sign a restraining order is a difficult decision.

"Heh, Xiao Mudfish, you didn’t consider that if the case wasn’t hard, would I be running back and forth like this?"

Nun Xu retorted with another complaint, feeling somewhat speechless inside.

"Damn, such a waste of my affections!"

Ni Qiuping couldn’t help but let out a curse.

After cursing, she turned around to leave; this place was no fun, plus she had to endure the verbal attacks from Nun Xu.

"Judge Jiang, a new case has been submitted to you!"

Just then, a court assistant, pushing a cart of files, stuffed a document onto Judge Jiang’s desk.

"A new case?"

Judge Jiang hurriedly opened it.

Harassed by Nun Xu today, he had been somewhat scared. A new case would give him an excuse to be busy.

He started to read the complaint seriously after opening it.

But after a while, he couldn’t hide his disappointment.

"And here I thought it was some major case. It’s just a common lawsuit over a breach of contract from a brokerage company against a signed livestreamer."

The young Judge Jiang sighed, spread the complaint out in front of him, his face showing little interest.

"Huh, Zhang Wei?"

Xu Suyun couldn’t help but sneak a peek at the complaint, and that glance caught a name deeply etched in her memory.

"What, Zhang Wei?"

Ni Qiuping, who was just about to skedaddle, was also drawn by the name and couldn’t help but quickly walk over to her junior, grabbing and flipping through the complaint.

"Zhang Wei, is that Zhang Wei? He’s a criminal lawyer, why’s he handling such a routine civil suit?"

"Yeah, is it that Zhang Wei?"

Both Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun found it hard to believe.

After all, there are many people named Zhang Wei. The old Zhang who’s a gatekeeper at the city court is also called by this name. Could it be a case of mistaken identity?

Or has Zhang Wei changed his stripes and started taking on these minor cases?

"Junior Jiang, are you accepting this case?" Ni Qiuping suddenly asked with a smiling face, winking at her junior.

"Yeah, Junior Jiang, once you take this case, hurry up and contact the defendant’s side to see if it’s that Zhang Wei?"

Xu Suyun, also intrigued, smiled at Judge Jiang.

Judge Jiang was panicking.

He was really panicking inside.

After all, he was afraid of these two unpredictable seniors. Judge Ni’s reputation at the city court wasn’t good, and the other could be called Nun Xu, clearly no better.

It’s said that privately, many colleagues referred to them as the "menopausal Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon" of the Dongfang Capital judicial system.

Judge Jiang’s inner voice screamed, why are these two "untouchable big shots" suddenly interested in my new case?

"Err, I’ll ask for you, all right."

After thinking it over, Judge Jiang quickly dialed the desk phone, calling the contact listed for the defendant’s side.

"Hello, is this Jincheng Law Firm? I’m Judge Jiang from the city court. I wanted to ask if your criminal department’s Lawyer Zhang Wei is representing the contract breach damages lawsuit against Take You Flying Network Company?"

"Oh, I see, thank you, I’ve got it."

After receiving an affirmative response from the other end, Judge Jiang hung up and nodded towards Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun.

"Junior Jiang, when is this case going to court? Remember to notify me, I want to be on the sidelines to watch!"

After advising Junior Jiang, Ni Qiuping left with a smile.

"What a coincidence, I also want to attend. When the court date is set, remember to send me a copy when you email it out."

Xu Suyun too, gave her instructions, her interest in her current cases waning as she also prepared to leave.

"Ah, this..."

Seeing the two finally leave, Junior Judge Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, but then, pondering their requests, he felt troubled again.

Isn’t this just an ordinary minor case?

Why are you both interested?

But Judge Jiang was ultimately too young. If Ni Qiuping heard his thoughts, she would surely tell him:

Naïve!

You think it’s a minor case?

But as long as Zhang Wei is involved, this case can’t be small!

You didn’t see the last case he represented, did you? Everyone thought it was a class-action lawsuit, but in the end, it turned into such a big deal.

This case of yours might look small, but who knows if that kid is going to stir up a storm again.

That little bastard, he’s famous for causing a ruckus.

...

On the other side.

Inside the hall of Zhang’s Martial Arts School.

Zhang Wei received a phone call from the city court.

"Oh, I’m aware, thank you for notifying me," he replied.

After hanging up the phone, he said to everyone,

"Radish, Miss Lin, and everyone else, the court has accepted the lawsuit filed by Take You Flying, and the presiding judge’s surname is Jiang; he is a civil court judge. We have a pre-trial conference tomorrow morning, followed by the first formal hearing in the afternoon!"

"Tomorrow? Isn’t that a bit rushed?"

Luo Xiaobu was the first to feel something was amiss—such short notice.

They were the ones being sued; they needed time to gather evidence.

"I think it’s fine, as I’m already fully prepared,"

Zhang Wei waved it off indifferently, having no objections to this timeline.

He guessed that Take You Flying wanted to wage a lightning war, but none of this was too much for Zhang Wei.

Since his first court appearance, most of the cases he’d encountered were under similar circumstances, and this wasn’t his first time dealing with a lightning war.

"Let’s all go prepare then. Lets bring our best for tomorrow’s pre-trial and hearing!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, signaling the others to rest and adjust.

"Radish, come here for a sec," he said at last.

He called Luo Xiaobu over to join him at the entrance.

The two walked out of the martial arts school, one after the other.

"Zhang Wei, why did you call me? I was just thinking about going to cheer Bobo on!"

"Radish, let me ask you, are you really planning to pursue a relationship with Miss Lin?"

At Zhang Wei’s question, Luo Xiaobu nodded solemnly, "Of course, I’m serious!"

"Then I suggest you make your move now, otherwise, when the court session starts, she probably won’t be in the right frame of mind to deal with you."

"How can that be right? If I press for a relationship now, wouldn’t I be taking advantage of someone in a difficult situation?"

Luo Xiaobu shook his head, resisting Zhang Wei’s suggestion.

"But if you don’t make a move now, I think it might give the impression that you’re engaging in selfless devotion."

Zhang Wei looked at Luo Xiaobu with a somewhat disappointed air.

Your relationship with Bobo is also built on a monetary basis.

You’re helping her now simply because you’re after her body, but you’re not making any demands.

What will people think? They’ll assume you’re a good guy, helping sincerely and without any expectation of reward.

You don’t deny it, so people take it for granted.

According to your logic, you plan to make your demands after the case is over?

What will they think of you then? Will they say you’ve finally shown your true colors?

In the past, Zhang Wei would have laid out his conditions to such women at the first meeting.

Typically, it was money, or the development of a physical relationship—anyway, better to state your terms early, so if they agree, great; if not, goodbye. Simple and direct, no time wasted.

But Luo Xiaobu’s actions smacked of wanting to play the saint while secretly courting sainthood.

Zhang Wei could already envision the disappointment Luo Xiaobu was bound to face once the case concluded.

"Alright, Radish, since you’ve made your choice, I’ll not interfere!"

Zhang Wei patted him on the shoulder, conveying a sense of "I respect your decision."

The two returned to the martial arts school to begin preparation for the next day’s pre-trial and trial.

...

The following day.

Friday, the day of the pre-trial and trial.

Dongfang Capital City Court, in the civil courtroom.

Zhang Wei, along with Bobo, Luo Xiaobu, and others, entered, walking into the courtroom.

At the plaintiff’s bench, Zhu Pitte and others were already seated.

Sun Kongwen and Zhu Pitte had been waiting there early on.

In the rows behind, where the witnesses sat, several employees from Take You Flying Network Company were present, including... Sister Li.

"Huh, what’s with Sister Li, why is her face wrapped in gauze, did she get plastic surgery?"

Zhang Wei looked at Sister Li, who appeared injured, with a somewhat strange gaze.

And beside Sister Li were several employees of Take You Flying, presumably all plaintiff witnesses.

On the other hand, aside from the concerned party Bobo, Zhang Wei had not a single witness.

All he had were peers such as Zhang Xinwu, Zhang Xinyan, and Zhao Xiaoxiao, who sat in the audience, there to watch the excitement.

Even Xia Qianyue was absent due to work with the serious crime unit.

"All rise!"

While both parties waited, the court guard announced loudly as the judge entered the courtroom.

What surprised Zhang Wei, however, was that the one to enter first was not Judge Jiang, who was the presiding judge, but...

"Old Ni?"

At the courtroom’s entrance, the first to come in was Ni Qiuping, dressed in formal attire.

"What, Nun Xu?"

Following closely behind Ni Qiuping was Xu Suyun from the Central District Procuratorate’s Office, which was really...

The young Judge Jiang followed behind these two, looking like an underling next to a big brother, cautiously taking his place at the judge’s bench.

Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun then took seats in the first row of the audience.

What’s going on?

Zhang Wei was a bit slow to react.

But Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun were both looking straight at him, their eyes mocking, with a hint of teasing.

"Oh, I get it now, you’re here to enjoy the show, huh?"

Zhang Wei guessed the intention from their eyes: they were here for the spectacle.

Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun had come for the show?

Fortunately, this was a minor case, and there was enough room in the audience area, so there was no crowding.

After Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun were seated and Judge Qi was ready, the preliminary hearing finally began.

"The court declares that the preliminary hearing for the breach of contract compensation case, where Take You Flying Network Live Broadcasting Brokerage Company, henceforth referred to as ’Take You Flying Network’, is suing its contracted streamer Miss Lin, stage name ’Bobo’, is now commencing!"

"First, please allow both the plaintiff and defendant to state their respective arguments in court!"

With the sound of Judge Jiang’s gavel, Sun Kongwen from the plaintiff’s bench stood up first.

"Judge Jiang, esteemed jurors, and friends in the audience, hello, I am Sun Kongwen, the legal representative for the plaintiff."

After a brief smile and self-introduction, Sun Kongwen got straight to the point: "Today, on behalf of Take You Flying Network, I am suing Miss Lin, the internet streamer, for breaching the live broadcasting contract by repeatedly absenting herself from work without justification and ignoring the legally binding contract with our company, causing very adverse effects on the daily operations of our company. Therefore, we sue her for a sum of five million RMB as a breach of contract and also demand that she continues to fulfill the remaining unfulfilled part of the contract!"

"That’s all!" Saying this, Sun Kongwen looked towards Zhang Wei with a hint of mockery.

"The defendant?"

Zhang Wei stood up and spoke directly: "My name is Zhang Wei, and I believe many people here know me. For those who don’t, it doesn’t matter—you can Google my name and you’ll find out."

"I am the legal representative for the defendant, Miss Lin, in this case. I would like to point out that my client, Miss Lin, has been exploited by Take You Flying Network over the past two years. The plaintiff imposed unreasonable terms to oppress her and to extract her labor achievements, which is the fundamental reason my client could not carry out the live broadcasting. In fact, it’s not that she didn’t want to stream; rather, she felt the mental pressure and coercion imposed by Take You Flying Network Company, making it impossible for her to fulfill the contract terms. Therefore, my client is unable to perform the obligation to livestream. The fault lies entirely with Take You Flying Network, and my client refuses to pay the breach of contract sum of five million RMB!"

"Moreover, we do not exclude the possibility of a countersuit against Take You Flying Network to claim compensation for my client’s emotional distress!"

Zhang Wei finished speaking, and Zhu Pitte from the plaintiff’s bench could not hold back anymore, his expression turning fierce and clearly unhappy.

"Director Zhu, hold on, the jury is watching us!"

Sun Kongwen hurriedly reminded him while also glancing towards the jury panel.

Indeed, quite a few people were looking at Zhu Pitte, and if he exhibited any inappropriate behavior at this moment, it could negatively affect the jury.

Zhu Pitte frowned but quickly relaxed his expression.

He looked at Bobo and the others in the defendant’s bench. Although he inwardly resented them, he still managed to put on a smile.

However, that smile had not an iota of sincerity.