Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 534 - 529: When the Walls Fall, Everyone Pushes, Avalanche?

Chapter 534: Chapter 529: When the Walls Fall, Everyone Pushes, Avalanche?

Zhou Er, morning.

"The internet was rather turbulent yesterday!"

Zhang Wei flipped through the newspaper in his hand while eating breakfast.

In front of him was Zhao Xiaoxiao, with her head lowered, drinking porridge.

"Second sister!"

"You... you’re calling me... what for?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao, being named by Zhang Wei, immediately raised her little head like a startled bird on reflex.

"What’s wrong, why do you look like a thief with a guilty conscience?"

"Wha... What do you mean? Not at all!"

Second sister naturally denied it, but her reaction, as if a nerve had been struck, made Zhang Wei narrow his eyes.

And Zhao Xiaoxiao, witnessing this, lowered her head once more, becoming like a little ostrich.

Damn, damn, I followed netizens and posted against him yesterday, could it have been discovered!

Zhang Wei naturally did not know that Zhao Xiaoxiao found it amusing yesterday and joined the crowd in rushing against Zhang Wei.

After she rushed, she regretted it. What was she thinking at that time to have been so foolish?

The key point was, with the online public opinion being so intense yesterday, what if this guy in front of her asked for the instigator tomorrow?

What if I end up being the one gawked at? Wouldn’t that be the end of me?

"Second sister, last night, were a lot of people rushing against me?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao buried her head even lower, her expression becoming increasingly tense.

"Those people must all be paid trolls, or just bandwagoners, I believe no one would be so idle as to find rushing people enjoyable and suddenly join in, right?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao always felt that Zhang Wei’s words had a deeper meaning, and they seemed to be pointed directly at her.

Indeed, did I get too excited last night and let something slip, and this guy happened to hear something?

What did I say last night?

Is Zhang Wei a big fool?

Serves him right to be rushed at!

Should I also join in, I love rushing people the most, shall I show you the ferocity of cyberbullying?

"Second sister, do you think I need to prepare a list and then retaliate against these people?"

"Ah, retaliate, why would you retaliate against them, they’re just spectators after all..."

Zhao Xiaoxiao quickly raised her head and then started making excuses for "herself".

"But what they did was a bit too much!"

Zhang Wei said, spreading open the newspaper, "Look at this headline!"

"Shocking, a well-known lawyer from Dongfang Capital has multiple lovers, maintaining improper relations with numerous women!"

"Isn’t that normal?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao, seeing this title, immediately curled her lips.

Aren’t there a lot of women around you with unclear relations to you? Dare you say there’s nothing going on between you and them?

"Then take a look at the picture!"

Zhang Wei said, unfolding the first page of the newspaper.

Zhao Xiaoxiao got to see the headline’s accompanying picture.

"That’s me!"

Her anger was then ignited in an instant.

Because the picture in the newspaper was actually taken when Zhang Wei was defending Zhao Xiaoxiao.

At that time, Zhao Xiaoxiao, dressed like a gangster girl and sitting beside Zhang Wei as a court witness, had been coincidentally captured in the photo.

Originally, there was nothing significant about the photo, but in conjunction with the headline, it led to wild imaginations.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was furious, her cute face turning into a ruddy apple.

"Just you wait, I’m going to trace their IPs. Those bastards who slandered you online, I won’t let a single one off. As long as they are in Dongfang Capital, none shall escape!"

Second sister, with a face full of anger, rushed upstairs, then hurried down with her laptop, nibbling on breakfast while starting to get busy.

After breakfast, the two naturally went to the neighboring Zhang’s Martial Arts School.

Director Gao had been staying in the martial arts school these past few days. Although his personal safety was secure, he had no power over the attacks from the internet.

"Lawyer Zhang, last night several friends called me, they said..."

"Director Gao, you should be aware of what happened yesterday, right?"

"I know!"

Gao Tianri nodded solemnly.

As an insider, how could he not know about the events that happened last night?

"Lisa’s Interview" was the fuse, and then public opinion detonated, instantly igniting the entire entertainment circle of Dongfang Capital and even Dragon Country.

Many of Gao Tianri’s friends in the industry had called him to find out what was going on, and their words more or less conveyed the message not to contact them for a few days.

The purpose of their calls was simple, this case is your own business, please don’t drag us into it, we still want to continue in the entertainment industry.

Even a good friend who called him a brother had said to him:

"Old Gao, I understand your situation, and I’m definitely on your side, please be clear about that!"

"However, as you know in our entertainment industry, we need to be extremely cautious in everything we do, so I might be publishing some statements in support of Gu Shimang in the next few days, please understand, okay?"

"Oh, right, don’t contact me for the next few days, I might be busy with work. If you really need something, remember to contact my secretary. If I have time, I’ll definitely respond to you."

"You and I, who are we to each other, we are good brothers, I’ll definitely support you. But now, so many people are going against you, I can’t afford to provoke public anger, right? You must understand this point, okay?"

No sooner had this good friend finished speaking than, during an interview that evening, they spilled a lot of secrets.

"Shocking, famous director Gao Tianri has such an unknown side, a close friend personally reveals all!"

"Abandoned by everyone, even the once best friends choose to take the other side, should the famous director reap what he’s sown?"

"A friend reveals that Gao Tianri is not only guilty of infidelity and domestic violence but also once did such a thing in public!"

Gao Tianri was holding his phone at that moment, looking at the top news headlines in the entertainment section, and he couldn’t help but scoff.

Is this his good brother?

Calling to say he supports him, only to turn around and drop bombshells.

It would be one thing if you were just leaking information, but what kind of information are you leaking?

Creating rumors for the sake of trending issues aside, you’ve also dug up some old childhood pranks from when I was in elementary school, quite impressive indeed.

It turns out, there’s no such thing as true friendship in the entertainment industry.

One second they’re swearing brotherhood and sharing secrets with you.

The next, they won’t hesitate to betray you.

"Lawyer Zhang, all of this is just a distraction from outside the courtroom, right?"

Gao Tianri thought, even though I’m being slandered across the entire internet now, it should have no effect on the court trial, right?

After all, courts are supposed to be about fairness and justice.

But Zhang Wei suggested that he was being naive.

Courts may be a place for fairness and justice, but those sitting in a courtroom are all living, breathing people.

As long as they are people, they have emotions and desires, they can be influenced by public opinion.

Do you know why the plaintiff is making such a big fuss, even going so far as to have Wang Lisha smear your name?

Their goal is to defame you, to make you lose in the court of public opinion first!

Zhang Wei could imagine that when they entered the courtroom that day, they would definitely encounter...

...

That morning, it was time for the court session to begin.

When Zhang Wei arrived at the court with Gao Tianri, he felt the burning stares all around them.

Over 90% of the people in the courtroom were looking at Zhang Wei and Gao Tianri with eyes filled with hostility.

Even many were whispering to each other.

But all of them were pointing at Zhang Wei and Gao Tianri, obviously influenced by the media.

"We were too careless. We should have mentioned to Old Ni about the ’celebrity effect’ and asked her to sequester the jury in a hotel to prevent them from being influenced by the outside world!"

Zhang Wei expressed regret that he hadn’t been more decisive and immediately isolated the jury from external influences.

Sequestering the jury is indeed a legitimate strategy.

But whoever proposes this in court will face the jury’s resentment.

Nobody likes the idea of being locked away, possibly without seeing their family for a week, let alone without television or internet access.

Zhang Wei had regrets.

Now, after all, they had become public enemies.

What difference would it make if the jury were to eye them with more hostility?

Are they going to come up and bite us?

Amidst the hostility of the whole court, Zhang Wei and Gao Tianri took their seats in the defendant’s dock.

Xia Qianyue and Zhao Xiaoxiao sat in the witness stand, while Zhang Xinwu and Zhang Xinyan occupied the front row of the observer seats.

Bang!

The courtroom doors were pushed open once again.

This time, it was a delegation from William International, surrounded by a host of bodyguards—the plaintiff’s representatives.

Laura and Gu Shimang walked side by side, followed by the former’s "Color Squad," and then a group of black-clad bodyguards clustering around them.

The party marched in magnificently, aiming for the plaintiff’s bench.

"Is all this really necessary?"

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but purse his lips in speechlessness at the spectacle.

Does William International have so much money that they have to make such a grand entrance every time they go out?

Compared to you, I always feel like my side looks shabby.

My bodyguards are just the brother-sister duo from Zhang’s Martial Arts School; the bodyguard for the defendant, Gao Tianri, is just Xia Qianyue, and even she’s a temp.

As the representative lawyer on my side, it’s just me.

You, Laura, besides yourself, you also bring the entire Divorce Litigation Department, headed by the grey-haired man Grey.

Strong and numerous, that’s William International for you.

Are we preparing for a gang fight or what?

After Laura took her seat beside Gu Shimang, she flashed a cold smile at Zhang Wei.

But it was all deliberate.

In fact, for the sake of her plan, she’d intentionally brought twice as many bodyguards as normal.

The goal was quite simple.

She wanted to create the impression for outsiders that Gu Shimang had to travel with extra caution, as if she was under threat at any time.

What would the jury and observers think upon seeing this scene?

Why did Gu Shimang need protection from bodyguards, why did she need so many people guarding her?

Clearly, because she was under threat!

And where could the threat possibly come from?

It could only be from her husband, the well-known director from Dongfang Capital’s entertainment industry—Gao Tianri!

It seemed that this famous director, in order not to pay out compensation, intended to use unsavory tactics, threatening his wife to force her into submission.

Who knows, he might even resort to something drastic, like making his wife "disappear off the face of the Earth"!

After all, the masses don’t mind assuming the worst in a person.

This was also Laura’s objective; she wanted to foster this atmosphere and lead the spectators to think in this direction.

Clearly, she had achieved her goal.

As the delegation from William International made their imposing entrance, the onlookers thought exactly what she intended, so their glances towards Gao Tianri turned even more unsympathetic.

Subsequently, the jury took their seats, and it was almost time for the trial to commence.

"All rise!"

At the command of the Court Guard, everyone stood up.

"Please welcome the honorable Judge Ni!"

Ni Qiuping, clad in a black robe and wearing a stern expression, entered the courtroom.

Once she had taken her seat on the bench, her piercing gaze swept across the room.

She took in the well-poised plaintiff’s side, the serious observer’s bench, the unsmiling jury, and then, on the defendant’s side, there was one individual—the only one with a cunning smile, even winking at her—Zhang Wei.

Fuck!

Can’t you be a little more serious, kid?

Ni Qiuping thought, do you really think I’m a pushover?

You’re laughing, you’re still laughing...

Do you even know my nickname at the city court?

Zhang Wei actually knew Ni Qiuping’s nickname at the city court.

Apart from being referred to as the "Menopausal Crouching Tiger, Hidden Phoenix" along with Xu Suyun, she had another nickname: "The Gloomy Judge of Civil Court."

But Zhang Wei was like, so what if I laugh.

What are you gonna do, bite me?

Besides, my main focus is criminal court; I’m just making occasional appearances in civil court.

Zhang Wei didn’t care, and Ni Qiuping was powerless to do anything about it.

"Everyone, please be seated," she could only wave her hand resignedly, motioning for everyone to take their seats.

"The court now declares, the plaintiff Gu Shimang’s divorce lawsuit against the defendant Gao Tianri is now in session. Today marks the first official hearing!"

After the gavel struck, Ni Qiuping looked towards the plaintiff’s bench.

"Judge Ni, before we formally begin our opening statement, our side has a new piece of evidence to submit!"

"What evidence?" Ni Qiuping asked with curiosity.

Laura stood up with two sheets of paper in her hands, her expression serious.

"Judge Ni, what I hold in my hand is a joint statement from many directors and artists in Dongfang Capital’s entertainment industry, who represent only themselves and accuse Director Gao Tianri of many misconducts during his work, speaking as practitioners in the entertainment industry of Dongfang Capital!"

"This is the statement which we request to be made public. And this is the list of signatories; as you can see, there are over 50 directors and artists who have issued this joint statement!"

As Laura spoke, she looked towards the defendant’s bench with a smile, "Of course, these 50 do not represent everyone!"

"In fact, even at this moment, many more stars and artists have begun to publicly release videos and statements supporting my client, Ms. Gu Shimang. If we were to add their names to the list, the number might exceed 200!"

At these words, the entire courtroom stirred.

Over 200 entertainment industry professionals condemning Gao Tianri and explicitly siding with Gu Shimang?

Doesn’t this indicate that Gao Tianri’s reputation has become utterly ruined within the entire entertainment industry?

"This..."

Even Gao Tianri himself was stunned.

Though he was aware he might face denigration and assault from his peers, he never anticipated it would be to such an extent.

He stood too far away to see the specific names on the list, but he knew for sure that there must be stars he had worked with included.

Because he was a top director, almost everyone with a bit of fame in the entertainment industry knew him, and he knew many top artists, stars, and agents too.

Yet it was these people, who would usually fawn over him, pay him compliments, and call him brother during social interactions, that were now unhesitatingly lying through their teeth, slandering him.

Indeed, the entertainment industry is nothing but a stage, and each one is a master actor.

The human heart is truly unfathomable!

"Director Gao, stay calm, this is nothing but a normal tactic."

Zhang Wei hurriedly consoled when he saw this, "Asking this bunch to help the needy is impossible, but if you ask them to opportunistically attack someone when they’re down, they’ll all run faster than anyone!"

"So, about this list..."

Gao Tianri pointed at the list.

"I’ll handle it!"

Zhang Wei said, standing up and expressing dissatisfaction, "Our side objects!"

"Judge Ni, the list is clearly hearsay evidence. As for the many accusations against my client by fellow industry artists in the statement, we were completely unaware. Moreover, we’d like to inform the court that a joint statement launched overnight doesn’t prove anything."

"I wouldn’t think even the Criminal Investigation Department would treat a suspect as an actual criminal before the case is solved. They would at least give the person a chance to prove their innocence."

"Yet this ’crime-ridden’ statement and the corresponding signature list haven’t even been public for more than 12 hours, right?"

Having said this, Zhang Wei looked at Ni Qiuping, "Isn’t it a bit too arbitrary to include this hastily published temporary statement, which hasn’t been verified at all, as court evidence, as a basis to judge my client’s character?"

With these words, he was prompting Ni Qiuping to take a stand.

The latter looked at Zhang Wei, then at Laura, who was holding up the list and the statement, and could only facepalm.

We haven’t even started the opening statements, and you’re giving me a tough nut to crack, huh?

"Hmm, after consideration, the court also agrees with Defendant’s counsel Mr. Zhang Wei."

"Although the joint statement from the entertainment circle received the signature support of many artists and industry insiders, it was too hastily published, and the court hasn’t had the time to arrange for officers to verify the claims. Therefore, for the sake of fairness and justice in the court, and to protect the rights of Defendant Mr. Gao Tianri, this document will not be accepted as evidence in this case!"

In the end, Ni Qiuping made a choice, excluding the list.

Although Laura appeared regretful, she had anticipated this outcome.

The list, even if not considered as evidence, had already sufficiently swayed the direction of the court merely by being presented.

Look, so many stars and artists are supporting Gu Shimang, speaking out against Gao Tianri.

Even if you aren’t insiders, you should understand by now, what kind of person Gao Tianri is in the industry, right?

Whether the list is admitted as evidence or not, that doesn’t affect the impact of the list on the court, or its direct influence on the jury.

This was Laura’s intention.

After all, this trial is just beginning.

On Zhang Wei’s side, he also realized the opponent’s intention.

"All I can say is, when an avalanche occurs, not a single snowflake is innocent!"

These people are using defamatory evidence to fool the jury and the audience, who believe it all.

They have no idea they are being used by others, that they are stepping stones for others to achieve their goals.

All they know is to support Gu Shimang, and that Gao Tianri is the bad guy!