Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 537 - 532: Director Gao is my benefactor, what a joke!

Chapter 537: Chapter 532: Director Gao is my benefactor, what a joke!

Who is at fault in a marriage is actually quite difficult to determine.

But if one party cheats without the other’s knowledge, then the cheater is definitely the one responsible.

And as it happens, all three of Gao Tianri’s wives cheated on him during the marriage.

Of those, two cheated with men, and one with a woman.

Of course, this was also the fundamental reason why he divorced them.

As for Gao Tianri’s infidelity,

I’m sorry, but I had already informed you all beforehand; even if there truly was infidelity on his part, you were all aware, which can be classified as the woman being fully informed.

That’s different in nature from cheating on me without my knowledge.

The jurors and those in the hearing gallery were forced to admit that Gao Tianri seemed to be the one in the right after all.

His three ex-wives, on the other hand, were the ones at fault.

This was indeed quite unexpected.

Now, the direction of the wind in the courtroom had completely changed.

The jurors looked towards the witness stand, where Gao Tianri’s three wives sat, with rather unfriendly eyes.

You say you married a potential director, yet still went behind his back to cheat.

Cheating is one thing, but finding another man is another, and there’s even one who found a woman.

Boy oh boy, the director with countless acquaintances even missed the mark at times.

But all in all, to sum it up,

because Zhang Wei exposed the "underwear" of the three ex-wives, he earned quite a few impression points for Gao Tianri.

After all, as long as the fault is not with you, we will show you some sympathy.

Because a man who has been cuckolded three times indeed deserves some pity.

Wait a minute...

The jury and those at the hearing suddenly thought of something.

They looked puzzled at the plaintiff’s seat, at Gu Shimang.

Right, Gao Tianri divorced because of the wife’s infidelity.

So this time...

Could it be for the same reason?

Laura and Gu Shimang, sensing this scrutinizing gaze, both started to look a bit pale.

"The fact proves, you guessed it right!"

And Zhang Wei didn’t stop these thoughts but sneered inwardly, marveling at the jury’s accurate intuition.

Gu Shimang did, indeed, cheat, and he could almost be certain of the person she cheated with.

Zhang Wei also had to admit, Gao Tianri was indeed quite miserable.

Four wives, all f***ing cheated!

"Lawyer Zhang, are your questions coming to an end?"

Just then, Judge Ni Qiuping could no longer sit still and rushed to interject a reminder.

Your client’s three ex-wives have all been questioned already; it’s about time to wrap it up, right?

"Sorry, Judge Ni, there is one final question from our side!"

But Zhang Wei shook his head, indicating that he hadn’t finished his questions.

This caused the three ex-wives, who had been ready to stand up, to be surprised—why do you still have questions?

We just want to leave here quickly because the jurors and the hearing gallery are giving us strange looks.

"Ahem, ladies, I have one last question!"

Zhang Wei held up a finger, emphasizing, "Has my client Gao Tianri ever subjected you to domestic violence, psychological coercion, or even cold violence, after marrying you?"

"No!"

The three ex-wives all shook their heads in denial almost subconsciously.

And as soon as they spoke, the jurors and attendees were taken aback.

No?

Really?

"Thank you for your answers, ladies. You may leave now!"

Zhang Wei thanked them and signaled the three women to get up.

But as the three witnesses left the witness stand, Zhang Wei suddenly muttered, "Strange, isn’t it? All three ex-wives said my client did not abuse them, no psychological coercion, no cold violence. How come when it got to the fourth wife, my client changed his habits of several decades?"

Although his voice was low, everyone in the courtroom heard him clearly and understood perfectly.

At these words, many people in the courtroom frowned.

Yes!

The previous three wives hadn’t suffered any abuse, so why had there been abuse with Gu Shimang?

The lawyer also said that Gao Tianri had been married to his first three wives for decades and had never been violent.

Can decades of habit change overnight?

No!

Was this a real change, or was someone lying?

At this, the entire courtroom’s gaze turned toward the plaintiff’s bench, suspicion seeming to deepen.

And that offhand remark was exactly Zhang Wei’s intention.

In fact, he had known from the start that Gu Shimang was lying, or rather, that Gu Shimang had been acting from the beginning.

They thought that by bringing in Gao Tianri’s three ex-wives, they could accuse him of his numerous crimes.

Unexpectedly, these three ex-wives had become Zhang Wei’s "helpers," their testimonies even greatly helped Zhang Wei and Gao Tianri.

On the plaintiff’s bench, Laura finally caught on.

"Damn, we’ve actually been used by the opposition to exploit our own witnesses!"

She had never imagined that her side’s three witnesses would end up "helping" Zhang Wei at the last moment.

Now, the plaintiff’s side was essentially hitting their own foot with a rock, "ambushed" by their own witnesses.

On the defendant’s bench, Gao Tianri finally smiled.

"Lawyer Zhang really lives up to his reputation, impressive indeed!"

"It’s nothing, it’s just that your three wives couldn’t lie in court, which gave me a lot of room to maneuver!"

Zhang Wei simply waved his hand, calmly responding.

Keep it real, don’t panic!

Now, the problem was handed over to the plaintiff’s side.

"Judge Ni, we need to summon a witness again!" Laura rose to announce.

Ni Qiuping nodded, naturally agreeing.

The plaintiff’s first round of witnesses thought by summoning three people at the same time, they could exert tremendous pressure on the defendant’s side in one fell swoop.

Little did they know, they were actually outmaneuvered by Zhang Wei, the plaintiff’s side was indeed under great pressure.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, a rather handsome man with loose hair walked into the courtroom.

"Ah Jun?"

Seeing the handsome man, Gao Tianri was startled for a moment.

"This Ah Jun, he’s the one you made famous, isn’t he?"

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, showed no surprise at the man’s arrival.

Since he was on the plaintiff’s list of witnesses, Zhang Wei had naturally done his homework in advance.

"Yes, I saw that he was young and smart. When the crew needed an extra, I gave him a chance!"

"Then this Ah Jun, relying on that extra role, became famous, and his career took a major turn for the better. Eventually, he soared to the position of a top star."

Zhang Wei followed up on Gao Tianri’s words, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the man in the witness stand.

Ah Jun could be said to have been brought up by Gao Tianri.

However, now having been in the industry for over a decade, I heard he had gone solo, opened his own studio, released albums, and even written an autobiography.

Once Ah Jun took his seat in the witness stand, Laura gave Grey a meaningful look, and he immediately nodded, then stood up to approach the bench.

"Hello, witness!"

"Hello, lawyer."

After exchanging greetings, Grey pointed to the man in the defendant’s bench and asked, "You know the man sitting there, right?"

Ah Jun gave Gao Tianri a slight smile and nodded, "Of course, Director Gao is the benefactor of my life!"

As soon as he said this, many in the courtroom were taken aback.

The witness seemed to be advocating for the defendant. Are you sure this is your plaintiff’s witness?

If you hadn’t said it, I would have thought that he was brought in by the defense.

"Witness, your gratitude toward the defendant stems from the opportunity he gave you back then, right?"

"Yes, Director Gao chose me from among a crowd of extras, gave me an opportunity to show myself, and I didn’t disappoint him. After that, we worked closely together for nearly 10 years!"

Ah Jun said, nodding earnestly toward Gao Tianri, "Without Director Gao’s discerning eye, I might still be an extra in a film city today, without the fame and position I have now!"

"Indeed, you’re right. So, can we assume that you know the defendant Gao Tianri very well?"

"You could say that..."

Ah Jun hesitated, but still nodded, "After all, in the first 10 years of my acting career, Director Gao gave me a lot of help and I’ve always followed him!"

Grey listened to this answer, merely smiled slightly, and immediately turned to walk back to his place.

"Since you’ve said that you’ve always followed the defendant, been with him for 10 years, and know him inside out, there’s something I find rather strange."

"Strange about what?"

Grey then took out the previous joint statement and asked, "If you regard the defendant as your benefactor, as the one who discovered a raw talent like you, then why is your signature on this joint statement?"

"This..." Upon seeing that list, Ah Jun fell silent.

Many in the courtroom were also surprised.

You’re fucking impressive!

After getting on the stand, you kept talking up how great Gao Tianri was, and then, you fucking actually signed that joint statement.

What’s this supposed to mean?

On the surface, you’re all chummy with someone, but then you stab them in the back?

"Witness, right here, this is your name, isn’t it?"

Grey, holding the list, pointed to one of the names and approached Ah Jun.

"Yes... Yes, this is my signature!"

Ah Jun looked somewhat apologetically at the defendant’s bench, then admitted to the signature’s ownership. There was no way around it; you can’t deny your own signature.

"This..."

Even Gao Tianri, sitting in the defendant’s seat, was rendered silent by Ah Jun’s duplicitous behavior.

How could a young man he had brought up pull something like this on him?

"Stay cool, this is all standard procedure!"

But Zhang Wei just smiled slightly, pointed to the plaintiff’s bench next door and counseled, "Don’t rush it, they’re just about to start the show!"

Indeed, as Zhang Wei had said, Laura and the others were just getting ready to make their move.

In front of the witness stand, Grey began to take action.

"Witness, may I ask you, why did you sign this joint statement when you should be grateful to the defendant?"

"This..."

"You were the defendant’s lackey for nearly 10 years; you must know him very well. I suppose you’re also familiar with his style of doing things. What I want to know is, what forced you to sign this declaration?"

"I..."

"Objection, leading the witness!"

Just as Ah Jun was about to speak, Zhang Wei calmly stood up, interrupting them before they could continue.

"Objection sustained!" Judge Ni nodded.

"My apologies, then I’ll rephrase!"

Grey hastily apologized, but then his face became firm and serious, "Witness, what were you thinking when you were signing your name?"

"I thought that sometimes Director Gao does do some excessive things, so I just..."

"Oh, excessive things?"

Grey seemed to have caught onto something important and quickly pressed on, "What exactly were these excessive things that made you think he could pose a threat to Gu Shimang?"

"Director Gao, he..."

Ah Jun looked at Gao Tianri, his face full of apologies, "Director Gao sometimes loses control of his emotions and does dangerous things!"

"Can you give an example?"

"For instance, he would verbally abuse an actor who performed very poorly, yelling at them with very sharp and excessive words!"

"Is it just verbal abuse, or did he also get physical?"

"A few times, I saw Director Gao cursing and even beating and kicking newcomers, and even throwing equipment at them!"

"So, in your view, was such behavior dangerous?"

"Extremely dangerous. If something hits their head, it could be fatal!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtroom was in an uproar.

Life-threatening!

Very dangerous!

Everyone looked at Gao Tianri on the defendant’s bench with suspicion.

It seems, this director isn’t such a gentleman after all.

When someone’s performance dissatisfies you, do you get angry?

And when you’re angry, do you engage in dangerous behavior?

Viewed in this light, domestic violence against Gu Shimang doesn’t seem impossible.

And Gu Shimang, having to live under the same roof every day with such a dangerous person, is indeed very dangerous.

The court’s sentiment shifted once more.

But this time, it completely leaned towards the plaintiff.

All eyes on Gu Shimang were filled with sympathy, while those on Gao Tianri were filled with contempt.

Don’t think you can just yell at people because you’re a big-shot director; what we hate most is being yelled at!

It’s one thing to be yelled at by the boss at work, but to empathize with you in court?

On the plaintiff’s bench, Laura sensed the change in the jury and the audience, and signaled Grey again.

The latter immediately got the hint—it was time to turn up the heat!

"Witness, did the defendant develop this kind of personality right from the start?"

"No, at first, Director Gao was really a very good person, but as he directed more and more films and his fame grew, his temper became increasingly worse."

"Oh, is this what they call acting like a big shot, right?"

"I guess."

After getting the answer he expected, Grey naturally didn’t forget Laura’s signal and hurriedly walked in front of the jury.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you heard clearly, people can change. Maybe Gao Tianri was once a good director, a good husband. But as his fame grew and his reputation increased, his temper became worse. The way he treated his three ex-wives and how he now treats my client can certainly change!"

As these words were uttered, many people nodded in agreement.

Yes!

The previous three ex-wives all said that he had never abused them.

But as Gao Tianri’s status rose, wouldn’t it be reasonable for his temper to change too?

Maybe he recently started to like using violence?

Just like the witness said, Gao Tianri was initially a good director, but as his subordinates increased, the crew started to flatter him.

Could he have gotten carried away, acting like a big shot, and then started abusing his wife?

Possible!

And the probability is quite significant!

At this moment, many people in the courtroom fell into contemplation.

Seeing this, Laura nodded at Grey.

Her subordinate’s performance greatly satisfied her.

"Zhang Wei, although you had previously made use of my witness, this witness’s response can directly destroy your efforts. You’re out of options now, aren’t you?"

Laura said, looking towards the defendant’s bench nearby.

At this moment, Zhang Wei was communicating with Gao Tianri.

Or rather, he was listening to Gao Tianri’s explanation.

"Lawyer Zhang, I really didn’t hit my wife, and it’s even less likely that I would hit anyone."

"What Ah Jun said, I actually remember it. It’s mainly because some people with investments were coming into the crew who themselves had no acting skills, and the scenes they shot always fell short of the standard. Others were afraid to scold them, but I didn’t mince my words, so I was a bit harsh when I spoke to them."

"As for throwing the equipment, it was because these people made me so frustrated, plus the pressure of filming and anxiety was high in those days, that’s why I momentarily lost control. I swear, it was the only time I lost control, and afterwards, I even hired a psychological counselor and several health experts to help me adjust my mindset."

Hearing Gao Tianri’s explanation, Zhang Wei nodded.

"Director Gao, I understand, but it was that very loss of control that has become the plaintiff’s weapon against you. You’re really wronged!"

Zhang Wei said calmly, then raised his hand pointing towards the witness stand.

"This Ah Jun, after going solo, he rose faster than when he was under you, right?"

"Yes, Ah Jun followed me for nearly 10 years and only then did he rise to an upper mid-tier celebrity, almost reaching the second tier. But after leaving me, in just a few years, he shot up to first-tier and almost top-tier..."

Gao Tianri looked at the person on the witness stand, feeling a sense of strangeness in his eyes.

"Director Gao, don’t worry, I’ll tell you the tricks behind it later!"

Zhang Wei smiled slightly, an inscrutable expression on his face.

In the courtroom.

"Your Honor, as for this witness, our side has no more questions for now!"

At this moment, Grey finished his questioning.

"Lawyer Zhang!" Ni Qiuping quickly gestured to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei strolled leisurely to the courtroom, approaching the witness stand.

"Ah Jun, hello."

"Hello, lawyer."

The two greeted each other, but Ah Jun was somewhat speechless.

Others calling me Ah Jun is one thing, but you, a young lawyer, also calling me Ah Jun, isn’t that disrespectful?

I’m a top-tier celebrity who has starred in many works, not someone a junior lawyer like you can compare to. Please recognize your status, OK?

If you weren’t Gao Tianri’s lawyer, I might have lost it on the spot.

"Ah Jun, did you just resolutely say that my client, Director Gao, is your benefactor?"

"Yes."

Hearing Ah Jun’s response, Zhang Wei’s face broke into a smile.

But in the next moment, the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by an angry look.

"Benefactor, benefactor, is this how you treat your benefactor?"

"This..."

"Benefactor my ass!"

As everyone in the court watched, Zhang Wei directly blurted out a curse!

This scene left the whole courtroom stunned.

How could you dare!

This is... the courtroom where even ghosts would dread to tread!