Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 502 - 498: Spirit of the Contract, Who Breached the Contract?

Chapter 502: Chapter 498: Spirit of the Contract, Who Breached the Contract?

Director Wang left.

He was carried out on a stretcher by the Court Guard.

After venting his anger, he had vomited so much blood that he was almost about to faint from weakness, naturally, he needed to be sent for medical treatment.

Although Director Wang had left, the information he provided to the court was still very explosive.

Especially at the end, when he pointed at his brother-in-law, Zhu Pitte, full of grief and indignation, his accusations truly shattered the views of many people.

Fortunately, now Vice President Wang had left.

Everyone in the courtroom was worried that if he didn’t leave, he might actually vomit blood to death.

After all, the skill Zhang Wei had to surprise and overwhelm people, was really not to be underestimated.

If something had gone wrong, it might have been another life lost.

Judge Jiang on the judges’ bench also found it hard to calm down for quite some time.

He had watched step by step as Zhang Wei broke down the witness, eventually driving the latter to spit blood.

Was this the power of the Homicide Lawyer?

He almost had a fatality in his own courtroom!

Terrifying!

This guy is truly terrifying~

He couldn’t help but look towards the senior bench, only to see that Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun’s expressions were relatively calm in comparison.

The latter two had both seen Zhang Wei’s capabilities firsthand and were naturally not surprised.

Judge Jiang understood now.

No wonder the two of them had looked at him with that expression, knowing that he had taken Zhang Wei’s case, their faces full of mockery and teasing.

He had originally thought that it was just an ordinary minor case.

As it turned out, he was still too naïve.

Judge Jiang asked with a relatively polite tone, which carried a hint of inquiry, "Lawyer Zhang, do you need to summon any more witnesses?"

Zhang Wei’s gaze subconsciously swept across the first row of the hearing bench, landing on the employees of Tiger Fish platform.

These people were startled, each one not daring to lift their heads.

There was no helping it, the fate of Vice President Wang served as a warning to them.

They were scared, scared to death, afraid that Zhang Wei, dissatisfied for some reason, might make them fall apart on the witness stand too.

Being disgraced and spitting blood, such consequences were not something an ordinary person could endure.

The tragic state of their boss was vivid in their minds.

Fortunately, Zhang Wei simply glanced over them and did not continue to call names.

"Judge Jiang, our side has decided to conclude with the evidence and will not summon any new witnesses."

"Oh, you’re concluding with the evidence?"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s words, the employees of Tiger Fish in the front row of the hearing bench all breathed a sigh of relief, some still frightened.

Meanwhile, Judge Jiang on the judges’ bench nodded his head.

It seemed that Zhang Wei was quite confident, feeling that he had a very good chance at winning.

"Alright, since the defense has concluded with the evidence, both parties shall prepare for five minutes to begin their final arguments!"

With Judge Jiang’s gavel strike, Sun Kongwen flipped open his notebook and began writing something with his head down.

He planned to find a chance to win in the final arguments.

"Waste of time!"

Zhang Wei looked at the former, wearing a mocking sneer.

This time, the outcome was truly decided, and all your efforts are but futile struggles.

The five minutes passed quickly.

Both sides began their final arguments.

Desiring to gain an advantage, Sun Kongwen was the first to rise and move to the center of the courtroom.

"Although the defense has said a lot and presented quite a few pieces of evidence, I want to ask, are these evidences really related to this case?"

Sun Kongwen put on a puzzled expression and raised his hand toward the defendant’s dock, "Look!"

"Look at that woman in the defendant’s dock. She’s a contracted anchor who had signed a contract. Isn’t her behavior a breach of contract?"

"Don’t be misled by the defendant’s lawyer’s testimony. Please ponder carefully, even if Vice President Wang from Tiger Fish platform has done many things that are not good, these are the unspoken rules within the industry, unrelated to the case at hand, right?"

"Besides, looking after one’s own nephew is a natural human emotion, right? I believe if you were in a high position at Tiger Fish platform and a family member asked for help, you would also give them a little boost, just like Vice President Wang did."

"Although Vice President Wang and our client have made mistakes, their mistakes are nothing more than so-called human feelings, which have nothing to do with this case directly."

"The defendant, Miss Lin, what about her behavior? She not only wants to terminate her contract with Director Zhu unilaterally but also wants to leave the company, the very company that brought her into the industry and taught her many things about the ’Teach You to Fly’ network. Her actions are truly immoral!"

"Therefore, I earnestly request you all not to be misled by the defendant’s lawyer and focus too much attention on my client and Vice President Wang. Instead, you should focus on the person who truly needs your judgment, which is the defendant Miss Lin, and her breach of contract!"

With that, Sun Kongwen sighed, "If everyone acted like Miss Lin, signing a contract for 3 years but breaking it after 2 years or even 1.5 years, then what’s left of the spirit of contracts in this world?"

Sun Kongwen had finished his closing statement, and he had certainly said a lot, attempting to guide the jury back to the "correct" direction.

And his words indeed made the jury fall into a brief contemplation.

Next, it was the defendant’s turn.

Zhang Wei stood up, calmly making his entrance.

"In fact, I’m delighted that Lawyer Sun mentioned the spirit of the contract, so let’s focus on this so-called spirit of the contract."

Zhang Wei gave Sun Kongwen a slight smile, giving the latter a terrifying feeling that everything he had just concluded in his statement was expected by the opponent.

"Please note that the so-called spirit of contracts is not a one-way commitment but a mutual responsibility of both parties."

"Lawyer Sun put it well, he believes that my client as a party to the contract and an employee, should abide by the contract, and complete the 3-year streaming period, diligently broadcasting for the ’Teach You to Fly’ network."

"But please consider, did the ’Teach You to Fly’ network also fulfill the spirit of the contract? Did all their actions meet the requirements of the spirit of the contract?"

Zhang Wei held up two fingers, stressing, "I don’t believe so!"

"First, their so-called contract is just unilaterally exploiting their female anchors. This exploitation is most directly reflected in financial terms. I really cannot imagine how an income of one million ends up leaving the biggest contributor with only 7.5%. This figure is truly..."

Zhang Wei shook his head, finding it hard to believe. It was simply more ruthless than landlords of the olden days.

"Second, there’s the constant oppression of power. I believe everyone has seen the videos. You’ve seen the photos and videos I’ve shown, seen the female anchors who were accompanying Vice President Wang and some other live streaming company bosses. What did you see on their faces?"

The jury exchanged puzzled looks, while whispers began to spread through the hearing seats.

"Regardless, all I saw were perfunctory smiles, sacrifices made to avoid losing so-called resources, and the bitterness of forcing a cheerful facade in the company of so-called big shots; this is what female hosts endure in the company."

"Of course, that’s just one aspect. Their experiences during live broadcasts are even more pitiable. As my client mentioned, apart from the necessary live streaming hours, they are also required to shoot short videos for Tiger Fish Network, learn dances, and even attend social networking events organized by Director Zhu."

"They were forced to drink at parties, subjected to various kinds of improprieties, and even the plaintiff’s Zhu Pitte would berate and beat them if anything went slightly amiss. Despite this, the next morning, their agent Sister Li would still use violence to ensure they live streamed on schedule, over and over again."

"That’s why you would see Sister Li in the video, berating the female hosts, calling them whores, breaking their spirit and body, because they were just so exhausted, they just wanted to rest, but even that was a luxury far beyond their reach."

"I believe, you too have felt suppressed at your job, haven’t you?"

Zhang Wei looked toward the jury, with an expression that said we are all in the same boat.

"On Fridays, right before leaving work, the boss suddenly storms into the office and tells you that you must work overtime on Saturday; anyone who doesn’t show up can get lost. I believe in this situation, all of you would bow your heads, daring not to speak up, or harboring complaints in your heart, but you would still show up for work the next day, right?"

"You’re the newcomer, pondering whether to ask about overtime pay, but a veteran employee informs you, ’Overtime is voluntary; we haven’t finished our work, so it’s obligatory overtime.’

"You counter, ’Our work can’t be finished in a single day, so isn’t overtime simply an inescapable ordeal?’ Yet the department leader warns you instead that this workplace pressure is the very thing that will make you better, the hard work today will lead to success tomorrow, trust me, in 10 years you will be grateful to your current self and so on..."

"I know these words are actually worthless, nothing but empty consolation. You work overtime today, you’ll do the same tomorrow, and in the end, it results in a host of ailments, then at 35, you’re optimized out of structure, laid off, without making much money, and ultimately lose your job, becoming unwanted, deprived of an income source; that’s the real picture for most."

"And at that time, have you ever wondered if your bosses abide by the spirit of the contract?"

As soon as these words were said, they resonated with many people in the room.

Indeed.

Within the company, it was all their one-sided efforts, but what about their bosses? Did they adhere to any spirit of the contract?

They emphasized relentless effort, overtime, but what was the ultimate reward?

A body full of occupational diseases, lumbar strain, cervical spine disorders, muscle sprains and strains, kidney and liver diseases from sitting for prolonged periods; basically, a host of health issues.

They toiled, while the bosses grew rich.

The boss’s Ferrari gets replaced every year, but what do they get?

Just like the defendants in this case, out of 1 million, Tiger Fish takes half, Zhu Pitte takes 350,000, the remaining 150,000 is split with the agent.

But even if it’s 75,000, they might only end up with 10 or 20 thousand in hand, while the rest is taken by Zhu Pitte for high-interest loans, or to inflate the popularity of other hosts in the company with gifts.

It’s a blatant attitude of treating your money as mine, and not allowing you to even protest."

The plaintiff’s lawyer talked about the spirit of the contract.

But the defendant’s lawyer made even more sense.

When employees wanted to resist, bosses started talking about the spirit of the contract, but did you ever honor the spirit of the contract yourselves?

Shared enmity!

Everyone looked on furiously, and the gaze directed at the plaintiff’s bench was filled with sorrow and indignation.

"I believe everyone understands now what this so-called ’spirit of the contract’ means in the eyes of the plaintiffs."

"I trust that you can stand in the shoes of us laborers and cast the decisive vote, thank you all!"

Zhang Wei’s closing statement also came to an end.

Judge Jiang banged the gavel and announced, "Both parties have concluded their closing statements, jury please follow me."

Judge Jiang, accompanied by the six-person jury, entered the deliberation room.

All those in the courtroom watched them go inside, with many speculating about the final outcome of the case.

Inside the deliberation room.

Judge Jiang sat in the center, with three jurors on each side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you think the defendant Miss Lin should pay the 5 million in damages to Fly-With-You Network?"

"What do you think? If she doesn’t have to pay, that means support for the defendant, and if she does, that means support for the plaintiff."

"If you support the plaintiff’s action, then the amount of the 5 million in damages can also be adjusted. Now, please express your opinions."

No sooner had Judge Jiang finished speaking than the most hot-tempered woman in the jury, Fiery Mom, couldn’t sit still.

"Your Honor, the plaintiffs are just inhumane; they are nothing but scum, just like Zhou Bapi. How can they have the face to sit in the courtroom and accuse that girl? It’s as if Heaven is blind, not taking these beasts away!"

"Miss, you needn’t be so worked up. I understand what you mean, you intend to support the defendant, right?"

The young Judge Jiang thought, you scared me to death. Although I haven’t presided over many trials, this is my first time seeing such an impassioned juror.

"Nonsense, I believe anyone with a shred of humanity wouldn’t support that Fly-With-You Network, right?"

Fiery Mom’s gaze swept over the other five jurors, and upon seeing everyone nodding, she turned her attention directly to Judge Jiang.

"Your Honor, we’ve reached a consensus, with no objections!"

"Understood!"

Shortly after, Judge Jiang returned to the courtroom with the jury, the entire process having taken no more than five minutes.

"Foreperson, please announce the decision."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Fiery Mom stood up.

"Oh, Fiery Mom?"

Zhang Wei, upon seeing this, felt confident.

The selection of the jury had indeed played a role.

"Ahem, as the foreperson, I now announce that regarding Fly-With-You Network’s lawsuit against the defendant Miss Lin for breach of contract damages, we support the defendant Miss Lin!"

With these words, the atmosphere in the courtroom was no longer oppressive.

Many in the crowd revealed expressions of ’as expected,’ because this result was not surprising to them.

Indeed, after experiencing the trial, those who still supported the plaintiffs must be outright capitalist lackeys.

And among those present, no one wanted to be labeled as a capitalist lackey; they all had their own thoughts and spirit.

"That’s fantastic, Zhang Wei, you are truly impressive!"

At the defendant’s bench, Luo Xiaobu was the first to get excited.

He gave Zhang Wei a thumbs up and then looked toward Bobo.

"Bobo, didn’t I tell you? Zhang Wei is my good brother; he’s a very impressive lawyer."

"Yes, Lawyer Zhang is very impressive!"

Bobo looked at Zhang Wei with eyes filled with admiration, and his smile was very brilliant.

"Miss Lin, you should keep your cool. Although you won’t have to pay the 5 million for breach of contract, this matter isn’t exactly over yet!"

Zhang Wei spoke and turned to look at the plaintiff’s bench.

At the plaintiff’s bench, Zhu Pitte’s face was grim. Upon hearing the verdict, his fingers clenched into fists, and the muscles around his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

On the side, Sun Kongwen and Zhu Pitte were nearly identical in their reactions, their fingers nearly crumpling into chicken claws, their faces twisted in madness due to their inability to accept defeat.

He truly hadn’t anticipated that, in the final moment, Zhang Wei would turn the tables with the help of Vice President Wang from the Tiger Fish platform.

Another miraculous comeback!

Zhang Wei had bested him once again.

Zhang Wei had defeated him, thwarted his plan for a successful rise to power, and made all his efforts over this period go down the drain.

How infuriating!

The plaintiffs left the courtroom one after the other, their complexions as distasteful as if they had encountered half a cockroach in their breakfast.

In the spectator’s gallery, quite a few people also got up and left the courtroom in succession.

Among them, Ni Qiuping and Xu Suyun from the senior’s gallery were also in the queue.

However, the expressions on their faces were each a mix of emotions.

Ultimately, it was Ni Qiuping who extended her hand to Xu Suyun.

"A deal’s a deal, 200 bucks!"

"Hmph, just smug, aren’t you?"

Xu Suyun reluctantly took out 200 bucks from her wallet and slapped it into Ni Qiuping’s hand.

She accepted the bet graciously, conceding the loss.

"Didn’t you see who that kid is? He’s Zhang Wei!"

Ni Qiuping lifted her head, truly a picture of smugness.

Xu Suyun was speechless. So what if he’s Zhang Wei? What’s that got to do with your smugness?

But the two were longtime rivals, neither willing to concede to the other, and today’s court session was just a minor episode for them.

In the defendant’s area.

"Lawyer Zhang, what should I do next? You said this isn’t over yet, what do you mean by that?"

Bobo came to Zhang Wei’s side and asked cautiously.

"It’s simple, I have to help you get your salary back."

Zhang Wei pointed to the plaintiff’s bench where Zhu Pitte had been sitting and laughed coldly.

"And besides, Tiger Fish platform has exploited you for so long, I think they also need to pay a price!"

Hearing Zhang Wei’s words, surprise surfaced on Bobo’s face.

She had never expected that Zhang Wei would not only help her but was also planning to get even on her behalf.

And the target he was venting at was none other than Tiger Fish platform and the Lead You to Fly network.

"Lawyer Zhang, actually, there’s no need to go so far..."

"Miss Lin, do you still want to be involved in the livestreaming circle in the future?"

"I..."

Zhang Wei’s question left Bobo at a loss for words.

"Since you’ve already made your decision, it’s not inappropriate for me to seek revenge on your behalf, right?"

"Besides, there’s also something I need your help with."

Zhang Wei gestured for Bobo to come closer with a hook of his finger.

After whispering to each other for a moment, Bobo looked stunned and then turned to Luo Xiaobu, nodding solemnly.

"Zhang Wei, Bobo, what are you two talking about?"

Luo Xiaobu also approached with a smile, his gaze at Bobo and Zhang Wei peculiar.

However, he trusted Zhang Wei, knowing that his good brother had no interest in Bobo, after all, he already had Xia Qianyue.

"Radish, we’re discussing the issue of compensation."

"Zhang Wei, you’re really a stand-up guy, not only did you help Bobo win the lawsuit, but you’re also planning to help her get compensation?"

"Exactly, by seeking compensation for someone, I can earn another sum in attorney’s fees!"

Zhang Wei chuckled and pulled Luo Xiaobu out of the courtroom.

But as Zhang Wei left the courtroom, his eyes remained fixed on Luo Xiaobu, without glancing even once at the party concerned, Bobo.