Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 565 - 558: Confronting Huang Yunhe, Chen Xiao Enters the Scene

Chapter 565: Chapter 558: Confronting Huang Yunhe, Chen Xiao Enters the Scene

Longdu Lawyers Association.

Inside the internal hearing room, the review had already begun.

Led by Huang Yunhe, five temporary members of the Lawyer’s Association were in charge of deciding whether Tie Ruyun’s actions were guilty.

Once guilt was confirmed, they would strip Tie Ruyun of his license to practice law.

It could be said that although this internal hearing was not a criminal or civil court, it was a matter of life and death for any lawyer.

And what Zhang Wei needed to do was to help Tie Ruyun get through this internal hearing.

However, he noticed a problem: one of the five members presiding over this internal hearing, Huang Yunhe, Tie Ruyun’s former leader, seemed quite hostile towards his former subordinate.

The internal review process required the five representatives to vote separately, and only with all five votes declaring innocence could Tie Ruyun keep his practicing qualifications.

And looking at Huang Yunhe’s demeanor, it was clear he intended to cast a guilty vote.

Of course, he definitely couldn’t overdo it.

Something like "Although I know you’re making sense, I just don’t like you" was not a move he could afford to make; he had to consider saving his own face.

After all, aside from the five members in the hearing room, there were more than a dozen attendees from the Lawyer’s Association; they were also the eyes of the public.

At this moment, Tie Ruyun was sitting on the "judgment seat," scanning the attendees.

"Zhang Wei, that..."

"Has Chen Xiao not come?"

Zhang Wei leaned close to Tie Ruyun, as if knowing what Old Tie wanted to ask, teasingly said by instinct.

"Yes, how come Chen Xiao hasn’t arrived?" Tie Ruyun was also puzzled.

After all, this time’s internal review was about the grudge between himself and Chen Xiao from twelve years ago.

As one of the parties involved and the only eyewitness, Chen Xiao should not be absent.

"Don’t worry, I’ll take a look!"

Zhang Wei reassured Old Tie and then turned his gaze to the five members.

Aside from Huang Yunhe, the other four representatives looked calm, as if preparing for the internal review, with some even flipping through document records.

But Huang Yunhe’s behavior was out of the ordinary; from the beginning, he had not looked at the documents in his hands, nor had he communicated with the other four members beside him.

Although his eyes occasionally swept over Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun, more often, his gaze involuntarily wandered to the entrance of the hearing room.

It was as if the door had some kind of magic.

"Oh, I see..."

After observing for a moment, Zhang Wei seemed to have discovered something.

He moved closer to Tie Ruyun and pointed towards the entrance, "If I’m not mistaken, Chen Xiao should be right at this spot."

"Ah?" Tie Ruyun was confused, "Then why doesn’t she come in?"

"She’s probably aiming to catch us off guard."

Zhang Wei, however, smiled calmly, analyzing with experience: "A key witness naturally needs to appear at a critical moment to have enough deterrent power!"

"I guess Miss Chen Xiao is planning to disrupt our momentum by appearing as the closing act when we present a strong argument, and at the same time, her appearance would have a deterrent effect."

"This tactic is usually used in courtroom debates; I didn’t expect they would actually use it against you!"

"This..." Tie Ruyun had not anticipated Chen Xiao to hide such a scheme.

Was it necessary to be so cautious for just an internal hearing of the Lawyer’s Association?

"No worries, I’ll sabotage their plan!"

Now that Zhang Wei was aware of the opponent’s intentions, he had an idea in mind.

Simultaneously, the five representatives were also ready.

"Lawyer Huang, we can start now!"

"Alright!"

Seeing the other representatives were ready, Huang Yunhe cleared his throat and announced, "Ahem, I, Huang, hereby declare that the internal investigative hearing on the professional conduct of Lawyer Tie Ruyun is now beginning!"

"First..."

"Hold on!"

Huang Yunhe was just about to speak, but Zhang Wei directly interrupted him by raising his hand.

Interrupted by Zhang Wei, Huang Yunhe was slightly displeased, "Lawyer Zhang, what do you mean by this? The internal hearing has already started!"

"Started, what has started?"

Zhang Wei, however, put on a face of surprise and pointed at the seats around the room, "Don’t you all feel like the hearing is missing something?"

Apart from Huang Yunhe, the four representatives all looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Missing what?" Huang Yunhe also asked subconsciously.

"This hearing is about an internal review of misconduct committed by my client Old Tie 12 years ago. Let me ask all of you, did you know my client Old Tie 12 years ago, did you personally witness his misconduct?"

"This..."

Huang Yunhe wanted to say that he was also involved in the incident at the time, but he had not personally witnessed it.

As for the other four representatives, they didn’t even know Tie Ruyun 12 years ago.

So...

"Ladies and gentlemen, are you kidding? Since it is an investigation and collection of evidence for misconduct that took place 12 years ago, shouldn’t Miss Chen Xiao be the first to speak? At least she should clarify what exactly my client Old Tie did 12 years ago, right?"

"This..."

Including Huang Yunhe, the five representatives were all at a loss for words.

In the end, it was Huang Yunhe who spoke up, "Lawyer Chen is busy with work and cannot make an appearance for the time being."

"Cannot make an appearance, busy with work?"

Zhang Wei, as if not understanding, approached Huang Yunhe, "Old Huang, let me ask you, was the notice of the internal review by the Lawyers Association sent out long ago, and was Miss Chen Xiao also notified to appear in court?"

"This... indeed, she was notified, but..."

Huang Yunhe wanted to say, who is Old Huang, you are being disrespectful here.

But considering that Zhang Wei was asking questions and he had to respond, he had to temporarily set aside the matter of disrespect.

"But what? Are you suggesting that in Miss Chen Xiao’s eyes, this investigation is just a joke, that she herself does not take it seriously?"

Zhang Wei seemed to have caught on to something, seizing on it to extrapolate, "Since Miss Chen Xiao is not appearing, does that mean she doesn’t even care about the behavior of my client 12 years ago?"

"Oh, so that’s how it is!"

What exactly does that mean?

Huang Yunhe was almost ready to curse. Chen Xiao’s absence was to guard against all of you, and yet you still want to take advantage of the situation?

"Everyone can see, Miss Chen Xiao herself chose not to appear, indicating she doesn’t care. I think the Lawyers Association is making a mountain out of a molehill. A matter that even the concerned party doesn’t care about, yet you insist on being so formal, right?"

Zhang Wei kept up his barrage, still outputting, and subtly ridiculing the Lawyers Association for overreacting!

"You..."

After hearing this, Huang Yunhe could hardly restrain his anger.

"Who said I wasn’t present!"

But just then, the door to the hearing room was pushed open.

A woman walked in through the door.

Chen Xiao, 12 years ago, was a young graduate, but after 12 years of working in the legal field, she had grown into a quite dominant female lawyer.

Time had left some traces on her face, making her wise, clever, and experienced.

"Is that Chen Xiao?" Zhang Wei leaned toward Old Tie and pointed at the incoming person.

"Yes, it’s been 12 years, and she has grown quite a bit."

What Tie Ruyun referred to as growth might have been her evolution from a naïve girl to a woman with schemes and finally to a mature woman now.

However, Tie Ruyun had never actually seen Chen Xiao during her naïve girl phase.

"Lawyer Chen, you’ve finally arrived!"

Upon seeing Chen Xiao’s appearance, Huang Yunhe immediately stood up to greet her.

"Lawyer Huang, I apologize for being late, I just had a case to deal with," she said.

"No problem, no problem at all!"

Hearing Chen Xiao’s explanation, Huang Yunhe immediately waved his hand, signaling it was okay.

"Old Huang, how can you make decisions on your own like this?"

But the very next moment, Zhang Wei approached Huang Yunhe’s position in front of the desk, leaning on the table with one hand, his face full of mockery.

"What did you say, that I made decisions on my own, and what’s with calling me ’Old Huang’, kid, I’ve tolerated you for a long time!"

"Are you saying it’s wrong for me to accuse you of making decisions on your own?"

Zhang Wei, however, wore a bizarre expression, and pointed at Chen Xiao, "At such a crucial hearing, Ms. Chen Xiao was late, yet you claim it’s not a problem. Is there no importance to rules and regulations in your eyes?"

"Not to mention Ms. Chen Xiao, who was clearly late but didn’t offer an apology. Does she not realize that by being late for her own case, she’s wasting everyone’s time? The audience here and the time of the five representatives you speak for, are their times not as valuable as her own?"

As Zhang Wei spoke, he turned his gaze back to Huang Yunhe, "Old Huang, you just said it’s not a problem and even forgave Ms. Chen Xiao on behalf of everyone. Are you saying you alone can represent the other four representatives and all the lawyers in the gallery?"

"This..." Huang Yunhe never expected that Chen Xiao’s "deliberate tardiness" could be used by the young man in front of him as ammunition to attack.

"Old Huang, looking at your face, you seem to think this is all perfectly fine?"

But Zhang Wei caught the changes in Huang Yunhe’s expression and attacked again, "Then I think, there’s no point in continuing this hearing because you, Old Huang, can apparently make decisions on your own. If you veto by yourself, whatever Old Tie and I say seems pointless, doesn’t it?"

"Furthermore, does the reputation of the Longdu Lawyers Association carry so little weight that a lawyer with a bit of fame can disregard the Association’s face, be late without consequence, or simply not show up at all?"

"We had an agreement that this was an internal review and internal hearing with five representatives. Now some old-timer thinks he can take over completely and turn the hearing into his own monologue?"

"Kid, don’t be insolent!"

Huang Yunhe finally lost his composure, slamming the table and scolding Zhang Wei.

"Old Huang, are you getting anxious? Did I hit a nerve? Do you really want to turn this hearing into your own monologue?"

Zhang Wei just sneered coldly, staring at Huang Yunhe without showing the slightest fear.

"You... you... you..."

Huang Yunhe was of an older generation, no match for a youngster like Zhang Wei, and soon found himself tongue-tied, his face taut, unable to speak.

This effort to maintain dignity yet losing in a verbal battle was akin to the way Wang Lang died of anger after a scolding match with Zhuge Liang.

The atmosphere in the hearing room started to grow tense.

No one expected Zhang Wei to have the audacity to offend Huang Yunhe.

Good heavens.

Huang Yunhe was the most senior member of the five representatives at this hearing, and his decision could significantly impact the outcome.

Such a respected elder should be ingratiated, not offended at first chance. Are you really trying to help your client, or do you want to see him lose his legal license?

But Zhang Wei could tell these people he intended to confront Huang Yunhe, preferably until Huang was out of his wits.

After all, he could tell that Huang Yunhe and Chen Xiao were likely in cahoots, meaning Huang Yunhe would certainly not vote "not guilty."

Since he is the enemy, Zhang Wei would not stoop or curry favor with an enemy. His approach to enemies was always thunderous, if not to nauseate them in return.

Thus, Huang Yunhe was undoubtedly a target.

"Lawyer Huang, please calm down. You are a senior; why stoop to quarrel over such trivial matters with a junior?"

It was at this moment that Chen Xiao suddenly spoke up, comforting Huang Yunhe while providing him with face in every implicit and explicit way.

"Here, I also apologize to everyone. Although our primary duty as lawyers is to provide the best legal services for our clients, even though clients rely on me and that led to my lateness for the hearing, it really wasn’t intentional. So, I hope everyone can accept my apology; I am sorry!"

Chen Xiao bowed her head in a sincere apology, even bowing to the observers and to the representatives.

Yet her implication was telling everyone that her tardiness was due to a client because our duty as lawyers is to serve clients, so you can’t blame me; blame the fact that the client issue arose!

"Heh, overtly apologizing while covertly absolving yourself of responsibility, I’m beginning to get a sense of your style, Chen Xiao!"

Zhang Wei watched Chen Xiao’s apology, understanding the favors she had done for herself and for Huang Yunhe.

"Since Lawyer Chen has apologized, then we accept the apology!"

In the end, it was one of the older female representatives among the five who spoke up.

She was the second most senior lawyer in the room after Huang Yunhe. Once she spoke, the matter was concluded and brushed aside.

"Lawyer Chen, please take a seat. Now let’s begin the review and hearing regarding you and Lawyer Tie!"

Naturally, Chen Xiao nodded in agreement and quickly sat down.

With this, the main characters were all present.

The internal hearing began.

First up, naturally, was the victim’s statement.

Chen Xiao stood up, walked to the center "stage" of the hearing room, and started to speak.

"Twelve years ago, I was a newcomer at Longteng Law Firm, and Tie Ruyun was my group leader. I always treated him like an elder brother, but I never anticipated that he would actually..."

Chen Xiao didn’t cry, but her appearance evoked even more sympathy than if she had.

She pulled out a tissue, wiped the corners of her eyes, her voice slightly choking, but it was disbelief that predominated.

It was as if in a martial arts novel, where the junior martial sister discovers that her senior martial brother, who always took care of and cherished her, was actually a heretic, who had joined her master’s sect merely to steal the sect’s secret manual. His kindness towards her was nothing but an act, a play put on just to obtain that manual.

This image of a fallen idol, hard to accept in an instant, was vividly portrayed by Chen Xiao.

"Wow, another woman who knows how to act!"

Seeing this scene, Zhang Wei winked at Tie Ruyun.

Look, just look; this is the good girl you saw at first. Her acting skills are almost on par with that of a top actress.

Tie Ruyun was somewhat speechless as well.

He had never imagined that after 12 years apart, not only had Chen Xiao’s professional abilities improved, but her acting skills had become so formidable too.

"In the end, the group leader found me and showed me these photos; she even threatened me..."

"I remember her threatening me like this, ’You wouldn’t want your boss to know about your little affairs with the client, right? So, you should know what to do...’"

Such plot development caused everyone to be slightly stunned.

Wow, so thrilling!

If this were brought to some unseemly occasion, it would definitely be an R-rated plot!

"Zhang Wei, I have never said those words," Tie Ruyun immediately shook his head in denial upon hearing Chen Xiao’s statement.

"Old Tie, I understand. If you could say such a thing, you wouldn’t still be single now!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, signaling for Tie Ruyun to stay calm.

But Tie Ruyun couldn’t help feeling, was this guy mocking me?

Doesn’t he see the timing? You’re still joking about me being single. Did the single dog offend you, or did it eat your family’s rice?

Chen Xiao’s statement continued and came to the critical moment.

"Finally, after a fierce struggle within myself, I went to Lawyer Huang, who was the head of the department at the time, and begged for his help."

"With the encouragement of Lawyer Huang and the department head, I finally mustered the courage to talk about how Group Leader Tie threatened me."

"Lawyer Huang and the department head were very angry. In the end, they helped me get justice and even had the group leader dismissed from the law firm. Therefore, I am truly grateful for Lawyer Huang’s and the department head’s help, as it allowed me to escape from a lifetime of shadows!"

Having said this, Chen Xiao nodded towards Huang Yunhe to express her gratitude, also revealing a relieved and joyful expression of someone who had finally laid down a burden.

"Applause!" Just then, applause broke out from the sidelines.

All eyes turned to the source, only to see Zhang Wei clapping!

"Lawyer Chen, you’ve finally finished speaking. I’m so moved, I feel like crying!"

Crying?

Why cry? Judging by your looks, your tear ducts probably haven’t developed at all!

Zhang Wei, pretending to be emotional, finally made everyone internally criticize him.

"Lawyer Zhang, do you think I’m acting?"

"Lawyer Chen, you said it yourself; it has nothing to do with me!"

Seeing Chen Xiao’s "self-exposure," Zhang Wei couldn’t help but be amused.

However, he also knew that joking alone wouldn’t win the case.

So when he saw no one else was laughing, he walked up seriously.

"Lawyer Chen, actually, I just have one small question. You said earlier that Old Tie threatened you, right?"

"Yes." Chen Xiao naturally wouldn’t deny this point.

"So, I’m curious about the photos he used to threaten you, the content of these photos!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei took out many photos from his pocket and displayed them in front of Chen Xiao.

"I’d like to ask, why would a young and beautiful female lawyer not go home in the middle of the night, but instead get into a client’s luxury car? What’s this all about?"

Zhang Wei held the photos in his hands, smiling enigmatically.

And his question made everyone on the spectator seats visibly curious.

Indeed, what is the nature of this threat?

What did Chen Xiao do back then to be threatened by Tie Ruyun?