Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 557 - 550: Is the Election Like a Trial? An Apt Metaphor

Chapter 557: Chapter 550: Is the Election Like a Trial? An Apt Metaphor

Looks like it won’t be just the two of us after all.

Because Xia Qianyue deeply sympathized with Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying’s situation.

Zhang Wei, of course, did not agree when he saw this.

"Simple-minded, our ability is limited, and even if we want to help, well..."

"It’s okay, we are here too!"

Just as Zhang Wei was about to make an excuse, he heard the voices of the second daughter and the others from behind.

He didn’t need to look back to know who had come.

He saw the second daughter Zhao Xiaoxiao, Funeral Mourning Mo Yuzhu, and Jessica, three women had also arrived at the scene.

"You must have agreed to come here together, right!"

Seeing so many female friends turn up, Zhang Wei immediately became unhappy.

Now, can we still have a world of just the two of us?

The answer, of course, is no.

"Let’s find a cool place and discuss things!"

The second daughter said, moving closer to Zhang Wei with a chuckle.

"Sorry for interrupting your date."

"It’s fine, you’re not bothering us, I’m doing great."

Zhang Wei almost squeezed out a smile with his facial muscles.

Now, a group of seven people decided to sit down at two tables by the window in a beverage shop by the roadside.

Xiao Baihe, Xia Qianyue, Zhang Wei, and Tan Yingying sat together, while Jessica, Mo Yuzhu, and Zhao Xiaoxiao sat on the side.

When the fruit tea was served at the beverage shop, Tan Yingying couldn’t wait to insert the straw and took a big gulp.

"Wow, that’s refreshing~"

Clearly, she was revived.

"So, what are we supposed to discuss?"

On this side, Zhao Xiaoxiao was also drinking her beverage, her face full of curiosity.

"You agreed to help without knowing anything?"

Zhang Wei’s forehead sported yet another throbbing vein, the annoyance in his heart was palpable.

Fortunately, Xiao Baihe explained, "It’s about the city council election, Zhang Wei said we’ve been busy for nothing!"

"City council elections, it’s about this matter..."

Hearing that it was this sort of thing, Zhao Xiaoxiao immediately lost interest, picked up the drink on the table and started sipping slowly.

After all, who likes politics among the young?

"Ah, it’s such a boring matter!"

Mo Yuzhu also propped her chin with her hand, a faraway look in her gaze.

"Boring politics."

Jessica was also somewhat disinterested, swaying the straw in her hand, showing no enthusiasm.

"This..." Xiao Baihe, seeing such reactions from her friends, looked bewildered.

"See, this is the current state of politics."

Zhang Wei pointed at Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others, and explained, "The young people, no one likes this stuff."

"Xiaoxiao and the rest come from good backgrounds, or they can make a lot of money, so they don’t need to struggle for survival, but even they are not interested in politics."

"Now think about those who aren’t so well off, like people who hustle every day for work like me, do you think we have the mind to talk politics? We might not even feel like voting, right?"

Hearing Zhang Wei praising himself, Xiao Baihe couldn’t help but curl her lip with disdain.

"So what should we do? Do you have any ideas on how we can help Senior Ding get votes?"

Tan Yingying, on the other hand, had recovered and asked with interest.

"Politics isn’t something you can win just by chanting slogans or rallying votes!"

Zhang Wei shook his head and pointed at Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others, then said with a serious face, "Take the example I just mentioned with them, are Xiaoxiao interested in politics, would they remember the voting day?"

Tan Yingying and Xiao Baihe exchanged looks, clearly, they would not.

"So, to convince the current young people to vote for Ding Fengtian, or even for Hawkins, is actually quite difficult. It’s just as hard to convince those who are eligible and willing to vote because no one changes their minds easily."

Zhang Wei pointed to a middle-aged couple passing by the entrance of the coffee shop, noticing that they were holding flyers like those in Xiao Baihe’s hand.

"Look, that couple supports Old Ding."

"Old Ding?"

Although Xiao Baihe knew that Zhang Wei tended to be informal, was it really appropriate to call his senior Old Ding?

And also...

He calls me Old Xiao and calls Ding Fengtian Senior Old Ding, doesn’t that make me old as well?

"Look!"

Zhang Wei pointed toward the door again, where the couple seemed to have encountered two young people holding Hawkins’s flyers in their hands.

Xiao Baihe quickly looked over and saw the middle-aged couple speaking with the young people for a while, but then they waved their hands and refused.

"See, once people are set on something, they rarely change their minds. No matter how much others try to persuade them, it’s meaningless."

The middle-aged couple was a case in point; once they had decided on Old Ding, they wouldn’t vote for Hawkins.

"Isn’t that a good thing?" Tan Yingying hastily interjected.

"Yeah, under normal circumstances, it’s pretty good. Everyone is basically split fifty-fifty!"

Zhang Wei said, suddenly paused, and then added earnestly, "But what if it’s not a normal circumstance?"

"What do you mean?" Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying quickly leaned in.

"Have you dealt with juries much?"

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying exchanged looks, then instinctively replied, "A lot, we deal with them almost every day."

"Right, actually campaigning is a lot like convincing a jury; it’s just a massive difference in numbers. Civil courts only need to convince six people, criminal courts twelve, and for a campaign, you have to persuade a majority of the people in Dongfang Capital who will and want to vote."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he began to gesture, "Dongfang Capital has a total population of 30 million. Deduct those who don’t want to vote and those who aren’t interested in politics, and you’re lucky if you’re left with a third, which means about 10 million people are willing or likely to vote."

"Hawkins and Old Ding just need the support of 5.01 million people to win!"

"5.01 million people!" Hearing this number, Tan Yingying and Xiao Baihe’s eyes widened.

How many flyers would they have to distribute to get the support of 5.01 million people?

Even running legs off on weekends, they’d probably only be able to reach a few hundred people at best.

"That’s why street campaigning is the most useless!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand dismissively, then pointed outside the coffee shop, at an LED billboard across the street.

"Look, they’re using advertisements."

On screen, Hawkins’s advertisement appeared.

Hawkins’s campaign strategy focused on development, expanding investment in the Dongfang Capital’s urban circle, and developing land in the suburbs to achieve city integration.

"Look at them, online pushing, advertising, even street campaigning, using all three methods. It’s far more advanced than your approaches."

"That must cost a lot of money, right?" Xiao Baihe looked at the glaring LED billboard with displeasure.

"Yeah, just one of those billboards, renting it for a week could cost thousands. Even bigger ones in better locations can cost tens of thousands. Not to mention online promotions; a trending search starts at at least a few hundred thousand yuan."

"Compared to that, the cost of street campaigning is actually the least. After all, the ones handing out flyers are all volunteers, and volunteers are free labor."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he looked at Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying with a smile, "So you see, you two got exploited for free!"

"I don’t mind working for free, but did you have to put it so crudely?"

Xiao Baihe felt annoyed by Zhang Wei’s words, yet he also felt that Zhang Wei was right.

"But how is Hawkins so rich?"

"He’s not rich, but he has financial consortiums backing him up!"

Zhang Wei smiled slightly, a point that was not so easy to explain.

After all, Hawkins had Zhang Tianlong behind him, from the Five Great Families.

Zhang Tianlong might not have money, but Lin Xiangtian and Hua Chaofan do. One owns Dongfang Capital’s largest law firm and conglomerate; the other dominates the profitable biotech industry. Both represent immense capital flows.

And what does Old Ding have?

A reputation for once being a chief prosecutor?

Comparing the two, the starting points of the competition weren’t even on the same level.

"However, all these are basic moves and mean nothing."

Zhang Wei said, pausing again.

"Why’s that?" Tan Yingying asked eagerly.

"Remember what I said about juries earlier?"

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying nodded immediately.

"Actually, jurors are also determined people at the start. If they believe you’re guilty, they usually won’t change their minds easily."

"Really?"

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying both showed confusion. Weren’t jurors easily swayed?

"You may have the impression that jurors are easily swayed, right?"

"Yes."

"But for them to turn into flip-floppers, isn’t there a precondition as well?"

"What conditions?"

"It’s that gust of wind that can change their minds."

Zhang Wei gently pushed forward with one palm, casually fanning the air.

The faint current of air, stirred by Zhang Wei’s single hand, brushed against Xiao Baihe’s delicate face, causing her bangs to sway and giving her a hint of coolness.

"Wind?"

"Yes, wind!"

Zhang Wei continued, his expression growing serious, "At the end of the election campaign, it’s always about breaking explosive news. Whichever side reveals more dirt, the jury votes in their favor!"

"This so-called election is like a grand-scale courtroom trial. Hawkins and Old Ding are the prosecution and the defense. Whoever can present evidence of the other’s guilt, that person can become an assembly member!"

"10 million citizens of Dongfang Capital are the jury. Whichever way the evidence of guilt sways them, they will deem that person unworthy of an assembly seat, while the other gains an absolute advantage!"

Hearing this description, Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying suddenly gaped in astonishment.

An election is like a grand courtroom scene, with Elder Ding and Hawkins as the prosecutors and defense, and the 10 million voting citizens of Dongfang Capital serve as the jury.

"Then who are the judge and the lawyers?" Tan Yingying blinked in confusion.

"The judge is the order of the election, something intangible."

Zhang Wei chuckled, spreading his hands, "Of course, that’s inevitable because if the judge were a person, it would be impossible to achieve true fairness and justice."

"As for the so-called lawyers, they are naturally the advisory teams of both election campaigns, like the strategists around Hawkins and the strategists around Old Ding."

Zhang Wei said this, then paused, as there was some information he hadn’t shared with Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying.

That is, by Hawkins’ side, there weren’t just strategists but also people like Zhang Tianlong who stood "behind the judge."

These were individuals with the power to manipulate the "election."

"Zhang Wei, then by what you’re saying, does it mean that in the heated phase of the election, both sides will desperately expose each other’s dark secrets?"

"Isn’t that how elections are always conducted?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands, looking at Xiao Baihe with a face that said, "Why are you so naive?"

Please, that’s the city council of Dongfang Capital. To be able to enter it as a city council member, what an honor that is.

Once you’re in the city council, you possess decision-making power over Dongfang Capital.

If it weren’t for Zhang Wei’s self-awareness about his poor reputation, he might have even considered running for election.

"So what you’re saying is that we should treat the election like a court trial and step by step present evidence to prove Hawkins guilty?"

"Exactly, Old Xiao, you really are teachable!"

"Roll, roll, roll, don’t call me Old Xiao!"

Hearing the words "Old Xiao," Xiao Baihe got angry.

You call Elder Ding "Old Ding," and then you call me "Old Xiao," the more I hear it, the less right it sounds.

"So basically, them having you do ground promotion isn’t really meaningful, because ultimately they need to ’go to court’ and fight it out with tactics, and it will come down to real action!"

"Hearing you put it that way, politics seem so dark!"

Tan Yingying said, her face filled with shock and fear.

"But frightened as you may be, once you get involved in this, you’re already a part of the politics."

Zhang Wei said, then gave Xia Qianyue a meaningful look.

That should be enough talk about the election; anything more would have to be realized by them on their own.

Thus, it was time to slip away.

"Well, you guys keep chatting, Silly and I are going to take off first!"

Zhang Wei said, taking Xia Qianyue by the hand and quickly leaving.

This time, Xiao Baihe didn’t stop them, as after all Zhang Wei was brought over by them to enlighten them about the election.

"Elections are pretty boring, you know~"

Off to the side, Zhao Xiaoxiao even yawned out of boredom.

Mo Yuzhu also rested her head on her arm, starting to doze off nearby.

"What I’m more curious about is where they’re going after they leave?"

Jessica pointed in the direction where Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue had disappeared, her face full of curiosity.

"They went to the hotel at noon, I think they probably won’t go again tonight, right?"

"That’s not necessarily true, if the mood strikes, it’s uncontrollable."

"Really?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s peripheral vision glanced over Jessica’s voluptuous figure.

It seemed Zhang Wei had quite a hard time controlling himself around her.

However, soon the two girls shook their heads, dispelling such romantic thoughts from their minds.

This is something better left unknown.

"Come on, come on, let’s go shopping. It’s rare for us to get out, so we must have some fun!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao said, as she pulled up Jessica, and also woke up the sleeping Mo Yuzhu. Three women setting out was like staging a play in itself.

What was originally a lively group of seven, in an instant only Xia Baihe and Tan Yingying remained.

"Sister Baihe, do you think we should continue handing out flyers?"

Tan Yingying gestured towards a stack of flyers in front of her with a displeased look on her face.

"What’s there to hand out? No more handing out!"

Xia Baihe said, tossing the stack of flyers onto the coffee shop’s counter.

Then she pulled Tan Yingying out of the coffee shop as well.

Afterward, the two of them headed straight for Ding Fengtian’s campaign office.

Ding Fengtian’s campaign office was located inside a city villa belonging to one of his friends.

However, the house was rented to him by the friend, and they even signed a lease agreement.

After all, Ding Fengtian was a former chief prosecutor, and his campaign slogan was also about embracing integrity and discipline, so even the details of his office had to be carefully managed.

At this moment, some prosecutors who used to work under Ding Fengtian’s command had also arrived at the office, to show their support for his campaign.

Among them were Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng from the Procuratorate Headquarters.

"Prosecutor Ding, we owe our careers to your mentoring. Without you, Old Guo and I wouldn’t have reached where we are today!"

"Yes, Prosecutor, if you hadn’t taken us under your wing back then, how could we have learnt so much!"

"Oh please, it’s the least I could do!"

Ding Fengtian appeared to be a kind old man, but those who knew him understood that this was a man who could be fierce and terrifying in the courtroom.

However, aside from dealing with criminals, Ding Fengtian actually had a fairly good reputation.

He was both kind and strict with his subordinates while being very compassionate towards the victims. His many years as a prosecutor had accrued him a considerable amount of good faith.

It is on the strength of this reputation that he was able to run for the city council.

Ding Fengtian was indeed happy to see his former subordinates supporting him at this moment.

However, when he thought about his approval ratings in the polls, his happiness turned into a long sigh.

"Ah, it seems my support rate is much lower than that ’foreign friend’!"

Initial polls showed that his approval rating was actually less than 30%, while Hawkins’ was nearly double his, which put the opponent at a significant advantage.

"Prosecutor, don’t worry, we will keep an eye on that guy for you!"

Zhao Chunming said, thumping his chest in assurance.

"Xiao Zhao, that’s not right, you’re all talents from the Procuratorate Headquarters, busy with your work. If you help me..."

"Don’t worry, Prosecutor, we aren’t specifically targeting him. It’s just that in the process of investigating cases, or when we happen to review some cases related to Hawkins during a sweep, we did a little research—that’s all. It definitely has nothing to do with your campaign!"

Zhao Chunming quickly added an explanation, which left Ding Fengtian unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Even though the excuse was plausible, who would believe it?

Everyone in the industry knew that this touched upon some misuse of power within their duties.

But Zhao Chunming’s explanation left no loose ends for others to pick at.

Anyway, it just so happened that we came across this guy. It’s all a coincidence—do you believe it or not~

"This..." Ding Fengtian didn’t know what to say.

"Supervisor, we’re here!"

Just then, Tan Yingying’s voice rang from the door of the villa.

"Xiao Tan, why are you here? Are the flyers all handed out?"

Zhao Chunming looked at Tan Yingying and Xia Baihe returning with surprise.

"Supervisor, why bother with flyers? Handing out flyers really has no effect!"

Tan Yingying complained as soon as she arrived.

But then, she noticed everyone in the office looking at her, a number of whom were leaders from the Procuratorate Headquarters.

"Oops!"

Tan Yingying let out a yelp and hurriedly ran behind Xia Baihe, looking every bit like a startled little rabbit.

"Supervisor, all the leaders, I just met Zhang Wei and he shared a lot with me. I think the effect of door-to-door canvassing is really not worth the effort!"

Xia Baihe was straightforward and shared everything she had learned from Zhang Wei.

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s "unique insights," everyone, including Ding Fengtian, looked at each other in confusion.

Ding Fengtian grew puzzled, wondering who this Zhang Wei was. The name seemed somewhat familiar to him.