Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 564 - 557: Human No More? Internal Hearing Begins

Chapter 564: Chapter 557: Human No More? Internal Hearing Begins

Monday night.

Inside the third ring of Longdu, a certain hotel.

Zhang Wei finally met up with Tie Ruyun, and the two were talking in the hotel room.

By the way, Zhang Wei had booked two rooms, as he had no intention of staying together with Old Tie, the big guy.

Tie Ruyun felt it was unnecessary to spend extra, but Zhang Wei didn’t care, since he wasn’t short of money.

Moreover, cramming into a room with a big guy was something he found uncomfortable.

But for communication, there was no helping it.

"This is all the intel I’ve gathered so far!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei wrote down information on a writing pad.

Tie Ruyun took the writing pad and began to read.

"Twelve years ago, the person involved in the case, Guan Yuhong, ran a grocery store in a mall, while the deceased, Sun Mou, was an unemployed vagrant who occasionally passed by the convenience store where the grocery was located. Logically, aside from the store, the two should have had no intersection."

"Of course, this brings us to the real hitman, Lin Berte, a contracted killer for a gang, who did the dirty and tiring jobs. Based on the intel I currently have, both Sun Mou and his son likely met their end at the hands of Lin Berte."

"Lin Berte, huh..."

Tie Ruyun picked up a photo and scrutinized it carefully.

It was a photo from the crime scene twelve years ago; Sun Mou was lying dead on the ground with a bloody hole in his chest.

At that time, the investigative unit only found that Sun Mou was stabbed in the chest with a sharp object, and the child in his arms was also killed. This case had a significant impact back then, as an innocent child involved in the cradle was affected.

Neither Tie Ruyun nor the investigative unit of the time had imagined that the murder weapon would turn out to be an umbrella.

"Twelve years ago in Longdu, surveillance equipment wasn’t widespread, so there is no surveillance footage of the scene; however, the investigative unit later found the umbrella, and Guan Yuhong’s fingerprints were confirmed on it."

Tie Ruyun spread out a set of photographs, the murder weapon umbrella, and the fingerprint verification results found on it.

"It’s unavoidable; our client ran a grocery store, and the real murderer, Lin Berte, bought many components for the murder weapon there, hence Guan Yuhong’s fingerprints are a normal occurrence."

Zhang Wei tapped the photos with his finger, stating a frustrating yet undeniable fact.

The investigative unit had based their case on the only fingerprint found on the murder weapon, pointing to Guan Yuhong, and thus identified him as the murderer of Sun Mou and his child.

Beyond the physical evidence, the case also had witness accounts.

According to employees of the mall and other shops at that time, the deceased Sun Mou had once had a verbal altercation with Guan Yuhong, and the two almost came to blows.

"Almost came to blows, which indicates that the two had grievances and the possibility of murder existed!"

Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun exchanged glances, both sensing the difficulty in each other’s eyes.

These were the details of the case where Guan Yuhong was accused of murdering Sun Mou twelve years ago.

Or rather, these were the details currently held by the investigative unit.

Zhang Wei knew there had to be unknown information hidden within the case. Otherwise, why would a gang hitman target an unemployed vagrant?

"Let’s put aside the case from twelve years ago for now. Next, we have the current case of Guan Ping and the murder of Lin Berte!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei wrote new information on the writing pad.

Lin Berte was murdered, and the investigative unit’s prime suspect was Guan Yuhong’s son, Guan Ping.

Both Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun knew why Guan Ping was around Lin Berte’s residence—it was because he was surveilling the latter.

With the case from twelve years ago, the real murderer being Lin Berte, Guan Ping watched Lin Berte, naturally, to find evidence and exonerate his father.

But now that Lin Berte was dead, the timing was very cunning.

"Lin Berte’s death is of no benefit to us. With him dead, the case from twelve years ago loses a strong witness. And because he is dead, an unfounded murder case now clings onto Guan Ping."

Zhang Wei muttered to himself, then sneered, "I’m not only appealing for my father, but I also have to defend my son against wrongful accusations—what have I done to deserve this."

My conscience be my witness, my primary purpose in coming to Longdu was solely to fish out you, Tie Ruyun.

The case of Guan Yuhong at most counts as an added task, yet now it has entangled with the case of Guan Ping.

What is this?

A buy one, get two free deal?

The key issue is that both cases are murder cases, which are not supposed to be given away.

"I’ll deal with Lin Berte’s case later, Old Tie, you don’t have to worry about it."

Zhang Wei waved his hand at Tie Ruyun, then brought up the most critical issue.

"The most crucial thing is the incident in which you followed and attempted to molest Chen Xiao years ago!"

Upon hearing this, Tie Ruyun’s face froze, and then he let out a long sigh.

The incident from years ago was indeed a thorn in his heart, a thorn that had pricked him for a full twelve years.

Even now, this thorn continued to torment him.

"The Lawyer’s Association seems to be organizing a ’symposium’ regarding you!"

Zhang Wei said with a chuckle.

This so-called "symposium" was actually similar to an internal hearing, except that it was organized by the Lawyer’s Association, which invited 5 "guests" to serve on a jury panel to vote on Tie Ruyun’s fate.

During the review, both prosecution and defense had the opportunity to present evidence to sway the 5 guests to cast a vote in their favor.

"This review determines whether you get to keep your professional license, so it’s a matter of life and death for you as well. By that logic, that means I have three murder cases to handle, right?"

Zhang Wei looked at Tie Ruyun with a face full of teasing.

"Can you not make fun of me, kid?"

Tie Ruyun heaved a long sigh, feeling helpless.

At the same time, he was also quite displeased with Zhang Wei.

Back when I started courting a girl, I fell into such a hopeless situation.

You, on the other hand, have been rumored to court more than one girl, so how come you’re always so lucky, never having any mishaps?

"Old Tie, are you curious why I never have any mishaps?"

Zhang Wei seemed to have guessed what was on Tie Ruyun’s mind and laughed, "It’s simple, I have good taste. I can tell at a glance whether a woman is cunning or not."

"I may not have met that Chen Xiao, but I have the wisdom to judge people!"

"Are you saying that I’m blind, then?"

"No, what I’m saying is, love is blind. You approached your first love with sincerity, yet you had no idea she was a female Casanova!"

Zhang Wei deeply sympathized with Tie Ruyun’s plight.

Being involved with a calculating woman is inherently risky.

Chen Xiao was such a woman.

She not only hooked up with him but also hooked up with clients, engaged in multi-threaded schemes, and managed to do all this without leaving any evidence, which was simply...

"Wait, did she leave no evidence?"

Zhang Wei’s brow furrowed slightly, and then he looked at Tie Ruyun.

"Old Tie, the photos you took while following Chen Xiao all those years ago—are you still keeping them?"

"Oh, I’ve still got them!"

Tie Ruyun groped in his jacket pocket and produced an old flip phone.

"I’ve had this phone for 12 years, and it can still turn on, so I guess that’s good quality!"

"This phone model is really outdated."

Zhang Wei took the flip phone, opened it immediately, and scrolled to the photos from back then.

"The photo quality is a bit blurry, but I can send them to Xiao Xiao to enhance the resolution. Even then, these photos don’t prove much."

After giving it some thought, Zhang Wei looked at Tie Ruyun, "Old Tie, when you followed and secretly photographed Chen Xiao, what were you thinking?"

"This..."

Tie Ruyun scratched his head, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Following Chen Xiao back then was probably just a young man’s impulsive act.

"I don’t really know what to say, I guess I just did it on a whim..."

"NONONO, can I just say weirdly good? That impulsive act of yours—it’s exactly what we need!"

Zhang Wei started wagging his finger excitedly, because he had a defense strategy in mind.

Ding-a-ling-ling!

It was at that moment Zhang Wei’s phone suddenly rang.

"Unknown number?" He was puzzled upon seeing the number.

Still, he pressed the answer button.

"Hello, is this Lawyer Zhang? This is Zhu Yuansi from the Longdu District Procuratorate Office."

"Oh, Prosecutor Zhu, hello."

"It seems like Lawyer Zhang has done his homework, to recognize me so quickly."

On the other end of the phone, Zhu Yuansi’s voice was calm, consistent with her usual demeanor.

"Prosecutor Zhu, why are you calling me?"

"I wanted to inform you, the prosecutor who was in charge of investigating Guan Yuhong’s murder of Sun Mou has retired, and the case has now been transferred to me. If you are considering an appeal, then it will be me contending with Lawyer Zhang."

"Oh, have you come to talk tough to me?"

"Not at all, I heard that Lawyer Zhang defeated Senior Procuratorate Qin at Dongfang Capital?"

"Old Qin, well, I was just lucky. Old Qin’s capabilities are certainly no joke. As a newcomer, I still have a lot to learn."

"Lawyer Zhang, let’s skip the pleasantries. I just want to remind you that you seem to be very busy lately. After all, one person’s energy is limited. Are you sure you can handle multiple cases simultaneously and still have enough energy to be responsible for your client Guan Yuhong?"

"Indeed, Prosecutor Zhu is right, human abilities are ultimately limited..."

Zhu Yuansi seemed to sense Zhang Wei’s submission in his words, silently waiting for what was to come next.

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and then suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "So, Prosecutor Zhu, I’m no longer human!"

"Lawyer Zhang, what do you mean by that? What do you mean, you’re not human, you..." beep beep beep...

On the other end of the phone, Zhu Yuansi looked at the hung-up call, lost in thought.

Inside the hotel.

"Zhang Wei, why did you hang up on Prosecutor Zhu?"

"She’s just here to make threats. I’m really tired and can’t be bothered to listen."

Zhang Wei waved his hand dismissively.

It was only Monday, and he was already so busy. He was exhausted, wasn’t he?

"Old Tie, I need to rest. You should go to sleep early, too. Tomorrow I still have to deal with your internal review!"

After saying this, Zhang Wei, dragging his weary body, went directly into the next room, took a quick shower, and then went straight to sleep.

Tie Ruyun was equally exhausted. After seeing Zhang Wei leave to sleep, he too walked to the window, let out a long sigh, and then likewise went to bed.

A busy Monday passed under the weight of hard work and fatigue.

...

Tuesday, morning.

"The task for today is to first go to the Lawyer’s Association and get through the first round of your internal review, then assist my client Guan Ping with his murder charge. As for your client Guan Yuhong’s case, the appeal isn’t urgent, so it’s last on the schedule!"

In the hotel, Zhang Wei was explaining the plan of action for the day to Tie Ruyun.

Naturally, Tie Ruyun had no objections.

The two quickly took the subway to the imposing Lawyer’s Association.

The receptionist recognized Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun and invited them into a lounge to wait.

Soon, the "hearing" for the morning was about to begin.

"Gentlemen, please follow me. The staff is ready in Hearing Room No. 1."

Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun entered the immensely spacious hearing room and sat down in the middle spot as directed by the receptionist.

This position was also colloquially known as the "accused seat," where those called up were effectively on trial.

Soon, the other lawyers participating in the internal hearing arrived; they were akin to the jury in a courtroom.

Many people arrived, a considerable crowd, with more than a dozen lawyers of different ages and genders.

"Do you think any high-profile individuals might come to this hearing?"

Zhang Wei whispered to Tie Ruyun, poking him on the arm as an aside.

"This is an internal hearing; how could there be any high-profile people? It would already be quite something if any standing member shows up!"

"Really, I thought we might see Lawyer Qin Lu."

"You mean Qin Lu Head Shopkeeper?"

Tie Ruyun clicked his tongue and then fervently shook his head, "How could that be possible? Qin Dalu oversees so much, he wouldn’t have the time for this sort of thing."

"Right, it seems I’m going to be disappointed today. I don’t expect to encounter any significant figures!"

Zhang Wei mumbled to himself and then looked toward the entrance of the hearing room.

He heard a sequence of orderly footsteps. This time, many people were coming, and it seemed that five or six people were leading.

"Have they arrived?"

He knew that the representatives dispatched by the Lawyer’s Association for this internal hearing had come.

Five people, dressed in formal suits, walked in through the entrance.

What caught Zhang Wei’s interest was the leading person, sporting a white beard, appearing to be about sixty years old.

The reason he caught Zhang Wei’s attention was that as soon as he entered the room, the man’s gaze fixed on Tie Ruyun, and his eyes flashed with a subtle, sinister intensity.

"Old Tie, an acquaintance of yours?"

"He is... Old Huang!"

Seeing the old man, Tie Ruyun became somewhat nervous for a moment.

"Old Tie, what’s the situation with this person? He seems rather unfriendly toward you!"

"Do you remember what I told you before, about when I was a team leader at Longteng International, I was once called into the manager’s office, and found a senior partner from a law firm sitting inside?"

"This is the one?"

Zhang Wei pointed to the elderly lawyer, looking surprised.

"Yes, it’s Huang Yunhe, Old Huang. Before I left, he was already a senior partner at Long Teng and a vice executive at the Lawyer’s Association. It seems that in the past 12 years, he has been promoted to an executive, so he should be the overall responsible person for this internal hearing!"

"The same senior partner who expelled you from Longteng International is now in charge of presiding over the internal hearing against you. Isn’t he just out to get you?"

"He shouldn’t be, because Old Huang was known within the firm for being impartial and incorruptible!"

"Who knows if that’s true!"

In response to what Tie Ruyun had said, Zhang Wei could only scoff.

In this world, no one can truly be impartial and incorruptible, except for robots.

The Lawyer’s Association had Huang Yunhe step forward, making it clear that they were targeting Tie Ruyun.

The Association couldn’t possibly be unaware that it was Huang Yunhe who had expunged Tie Ruyun from Long Teng 12 years ago, and now it was his turn to control Tie Ruyun’s fate. This was definitely no coincidence.

In the internal review, Tie Ruyun needed votes of innocence from all five committee members to be able to clear the allegations.

If even one committee member voted against him, Tie Ruyun wouldn’t be able to shake off the accusations. That was the dilemma of the internal review.

In other words, as Tie Ruyun’s spokesperson, Zhang Wei had to convince all five committee members to support Tie Ruyun in the internal review.

Frankly, Zhang Wei had some confidence at first.

But seeing the way Huang Yunhe treated Tie Ruyun, he felt the situation had become tricky.

He felt like he couldn’t solve this problem.

"Tie Ruyun, I never thought I’d still be cleaning up the mess you made twelve years ago!"

As one of the five committee members of the internal hearing, Huang Yunhe sat down and immediately began to vent his dissatisfaction towards Tie Ruyun.

"Old Huang!" Tie Ruyun quickly stood up to greet his former leader.

"Forget it, after I expelled you from Long Teng, you and I were no longer colleagues. From now on, you may call me Lawyer Huang!"

"This..."

For a moment, Tie Ruyun didn’t know what to say.

"Alright, Old Huang, we got it!" But suddenly Zhang Wei chuckled and approached Huang Yunhe.

"Old Huang?"

Huang Yunhe looked astonished, gazing at Zhang Wei in surprise.

Who is this kid calling me Old Huang? Is he looking for trouble?

Such a young kid without manners, who does he think he is?

"Kid, do you know where you are? The Lawyer’s Association is about seniority too. Calling me Old Huang, are you trying to be defiant?"

"Is that so? I always thought a title was just a handle. To facilitate the upcoming hearing, I’ll call you whatever I like!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, completely disregarding Huang Yunhe’s warning.

His actions left the lawyers around him exchanging glances, totally unaware of the identity of this audacious youngster who dared to be so presumptuous.

"Lawyer Huang, he is Tie Ruyun’s spokesperson lawyer for this hearing, named Zhang Wei, from Dongfang Capital!"

"Hmph, Tie Ruyun, you really are regressing as you age, hiring an outsider to defend you in your own internal hearing!"

Huang Yunhe was naturally full of disdain for Tie Ruyun’s actions.

As a lawyer, if you can’t even defend yourself, what good are you?

"Zhang Wei, is it that Zhang Wei? The ’Homicide Lawyer’ from Dongfang Capital who beat Qin Yang from the Qin Yangqin Procuratorate!"

Just then, another committee member suddenly reacted, exclaiming aloud.

"Ah, indeed, news does travel fast. I beat Old Qin just because I was lucky~"

As Zhang Wei waved his hand in acknowledgment, the room at the hearing finally erupted into commotion.

"What, you are that Zhang Wei!"

Huang Yunhe couldn’t believe that the young man who looked like a fresh graduate, possibly still an intern, was that Zhang Wei.

The one who defeated Old Huang’s boss Qin Lu’s brother, Qin Yang, the "Homicide Lawyer" from Dongfang Capital.

At this moment, the expressions of the five committee members began to change, especially Huang Yunhe, whose look of contempt was gone, replaced by the caution of facing a formidable opponent.

It seemed he truly regarded Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun as his enemies now.