Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 586 - 579: The Key Juror, Zhu Yuansi Makes His Court Statement

Chapter 586: Chapter 579: The Key Juror, Zhu Yuansi Makes His Court Statement

"Is it true that familiarity breeds fondness? I think that makes sense, yeah!"

The man nodded subconsciously, his eyes seemingly sparkling with a certain brilliance.

Many in the audience looked at him, thinking to themselves, "Kid, don’t get the wrong idea, that’s not what familiarity breeds fondness means!"

"Hmm, thank you for your answer!"

Zhang Wei was very satisfied with the person’s response and then looked towards the judge’s bench. "Judge Bao, my side accepts this juror."

Judge Bao shook his head helplessly and, somewhat reluctantly, made a note on his notebook to record it.

At the same time, he thought to himself, "What on earth do you mean by asking about familiarity breeding fondness? Is it even a serious question?"

Zhang Wei had no idea about everyone’s thoughts in the room; he just continued to ask about love at first sight and familiarity breeding fondness.

He also selected several jurors in the process.

"Thank you for your answer, my side rejects!"

"Thank you for your answer, my side accepts!"

"Thank you..."

Following this process, more than half of the jury had been confirmed.

"Prosecutor Zhu, do you wish to continue questioning?"

"Lawyer Zhang, if you like, you can continue!"

Zhu Yuansi waved her hand at Zhang Wei, then, with one hand on her forehead, she bowed her head.

Her expression seemed to say, "Go ahead and continue if you want to, I’m not coming up there to embarrass myself."

"No way, is my intention that obvious, and you can’t see through it?"

Zhang Wei looked at Zhu Yuansi, who seemed to be suffering from a severe case of embarrassment, and internally critiqued her.

He had asked the jury whether they believed in "love at first sight" and then inquired about "familiarity breeds fondness." Essentially, his goal was to find people who could reasonably accept other options.

Because this was a 12-year-old case, if the jurors were the type to not accept change, who held fixed ideas and wouldn’t alter their thoughts once they learned the verdict from 12 years ago was ’guilty,’ they would naturally assume that Guan Yuhong was the murderer and wouldn’t care whether the defense had found new evidence over the last 12 years.

Such people were not the jurors Zhang Wei needed.

That was the purpose behind Zhang Wei’s questions.

Now, with Zhu Yuansi having passed on the opportunity to question, it was time for Zhang Wei to make the most critical move.

He needed a key juror!

Therefore, what he needed to do was to continue questioning, and the questions had to be...

"Ahem, dear jurors, I would like to ask, when you shop for electronic appliances, do you read the instruction manual carefully?"

"Huh?"

Zhang Wei’s question once again led to a collective speechlessness in the jury.

Judge Bao on the bench, Prosecutor Zhu from the prosecution’s side, and even Lawyer Chen Xiao from the observer’s seat widened their eyes, completely puzzled.

What the hell kind of questions are these?

As if the previous ones about love at first sight and familiarity breeds fondness weren’t bizarre enough, now he asked about reading instruction manuals for purchases.

Were these outlandish questions a specialty of Dongfang Capital?

Or was it that lawyers from Dongfang Capital always liked to pull out some unheard-of stunts?

Whether Zhang Wei was fooling around, perhaps even Zhao Xiaoxiao and Jessica, who were familiar with him, were unsure, but the questions still needed to be asked.

"Everyone, do you read the instruction manuals?"

The jury exchanged glances, and quite a few nodded.

"Oh, those who read manuals, please raise your hand."

Close to half the people raised their hands.

So, apparently, the majority did not read instruction manuals, and many ignored them.

"Then, how about warranty cards?"

"After you purchase electronic devices, furniture, or digital products, do you carefully read through the terms on the warranty card?"

Upon hearing this question, the jury was collectively speechless.

Who even reads that thing?

At most, they would simply ask for the duration of the warranty, whether it was full coverage or partial, and how much the insurance fee would be, and so on.

"Who actually reads the fine print on a warranty card, eh? Are those tiny letters not as small as ants? Who has the time for that?"

"Can I ask, how many of you actually read the warranty instructions? Please raise your hands and show me."

Among the jury, no one raised their hand.

Zhang Wei frowned, then looked toward the reserve jurists sitting in the front row of the gallery.

"How about you guys? Everyone is welcome to answer this question!"

Many among the reserves shook their heads as well; they weren’t that bored.

"Well... I do read them!"

Suddenly, a man wearing glasses, who looked every bit the stereotypical engineer, raised his hand.

"Young man, you read the warranty cards?"

"Yes, I not only read warranty cards, but I also review electronic files, spec sheets, the service terms of the other company, customer information brochures, and so on. That way, I truly know what’s what!"

The engineer pushed his glasses up and answered with a serious face.

Everyone around turned to look at him with an "Are you really that bored?" expression on their faces.

"If I may ask, what is your profession, young man?"

"I’m a programmer!"

Zhang Wei thought to himself, as expected.

Only programmers would be this bored, doing these abnormal things.

Just look at his outfit: a plaid shirt with jeans. Isn’t this the standard programmer uniform?

This glasses-wearing man was the key juror he was looking for.

"Judge Bao, my team accepts this juror!"

Upon hearing this, many looked at Zhang Wei with disbelief.

Why do you want this weirdo programmer? Can he help you fix computers?

But, in fact, programmers don’t fix computers— that’s a job for the hardware guys.

Programmers focus more on software. To put it plainly, they generally don’t dabble in fixing computers.

Thus, when a programmer is asked by relatives during the New Year if they can fix computers, they always sport an awkward expression.

It’s something quite unrelated to their job after all.

Despite that, Zhang Wei still accepted this juror and even gave him a nickname: "Engineer Man!"

This was the key juror Zhang Wei needed for the trial, the assistant he needed the most.

"Very well, we now have 12 jurors. We are now dismissed. After lunch, we will continue with the first hearing!"

Judge Bao struck the gavel, and the courtroom began to disperse.

The courtroom crowd bustled out, but Zhao Xiaoxiao and her group approached Zhang Wei.

"Zhang Wei, why do you want a programmer?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao could not understand the last step of choosing Engineer Man.

What’s so great about programmers? My dad’s company is full of them wearing plaid shirts and jeans, all with stoic faces, greeting each other with things like, "Have you fixed that bug?", "Heard the requirements are changing again?", "Working this weekend?" No charm at all.

Especially after turning thirty, they walk with a hollow gait, appearing dispirited, losing hair, and gradually their cervical and lumbar spine problems start to show.

And this is the juror you want?

"Girl, you just don’t get it. What I’m looking for isn’t a programmer, but his thorough and meticulous attitude!"

Zhang Wei affectionately ruffled Zhao Xiaoxiao’s forehead, smiling as he explained, "Think about it, this case is 12 years old. How many people do you think would bother to read a 12-year-old case summary?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao wriggled free from Zhang Wei’s "clutches," smoothing her hair as she grumbled, "Wouldn’t everyone read it?"

"Wrong, they won’t read it!"

Zhang Wei chuckled, as if he had anticipated this response all along.

Over 99% of jurors won’t bother reading case summaries or even take the effort to search for related case information.

They think that during the trial, both sides will present evidence and make themselves clear, that there will be opening statements and closing arguments; all they need to do is listen.

So, they don’t waste their energy on a dry and dull case summary when there are prosecutors and lawyers to take care of things— why should they bother frying their brain cells?

But now, to suddenly find someone who meticulously reads even the user manual and warranty card, Zhang Wei was more than just a little excited.

Such a person would not only read the case summary but might even go through the public trial video frame by frame.

This was the reason Zhang Wei chose Engineer Man.

"What I value isn’t his identity as a programmer, but that almost obsessive-compulsive professional habit of seeking the root and delving deep into matters."

Zhang Wei pointed in the direction where the jury had left and analyzed to Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others, "This is a case from 12 years ago; I need someone who can remain sufficiently curious about an old case and is willing to devote the time to explore the truth, and he is the one who fits my expectations!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others listened, each of them looking stunned, and in the end, they could only nod subconsciously.

Although they didn’t understand, it seemed quite impressive.

"Alright, let’s go have lunch, take a rest after eating, we still have court this afternoon!"

"Woohoo~, off to eat!"

Upon hearing there would be a meal, Zhao Xiaoxiao excitedly jumped up.

The pre-trial in the morning was mostly boring, and she had already become restless, planning to have a good feast at Zhang Wei’s expense at noon.

Zhang Wei naturally didn’t mind, leading his companions, they all left the courthouse.

...

PM.

After the lunch break, it was time for the first official hearing of the retrial.

Everyone had arrived in the criminal court.

On the prosecution’s side, Zhu Yuansi and his assistant sat upright and proper.

On the defense’s side, Zhang Wei and Tie Ruyun looked serious, and beside them, Guan Yuhong was also tense, seeming a bit nervous.

In the gallery, there were many more people than during the pre-trial, and even several prosecutors from the Longdu District Procuratorate Office were present, including Senior Procuratorate Qin Yangqin among them.

Zhang Wei, seeing the other party, nodded to him across the distance as a form of greeting.

In the middle of the gallery, there were also Lawyer Chen Xiao and new attorneys from Longteng International, but You Dalei from Longxiang Construction was not among them.

Zhang Wei had thought that the other party would attend to observe the case, but to his surprise, the other party seemed to have no plans to appear.

However, it didn’t matter. He could employ some tactics, compelling Zhu Yuansi or his side to summon the other party, making it impossible for them not to appear in court.

Of course, this was all to be dealt with later; for now, he needed to focus on the matter at hand.

"Before we begin the hearing, this court would like to clarify that this case is a retrial of a criminal case from 12 years ago, so a lot of the evidence and records are from 12 years ago. Please understand if some related eyewitnesses cannot make it due to the 12 years that have passed. Now, the prosecution may begin their opening statement."

Under Judge Bao’s reminder, Zhu Yuansi was the first to stand up.

He made a subtle gesture to his assistant, who immediately opened the laptop and began to operate.

"12 years ago, the defendant Guan Yuhong was charged with the crime of murder, with two targets of the attack: the deceased Sun Mou and his infant son, who at the time of the incident was still in swaddling clothes, not even six months old!"

Along with Zhu Yuansi’s opening statement, photos from 12 years ago appeared on the projection screen.

A man lying on the ground with lifeless eyes spread wide, and in his arms, an infant who was also in swaddling clothes, similarly lifeless.

Of course, the screen was blurred with many mosaics, but the scene’s horror was still palpable!

Upon seeing this set of photos, everyone became unsettled.

What kind of monstrous person could attack an infant?

"Wuu wuu wuu, my son..."

In the front row of the gallery, a woman cried. It was Sun Mou’s ex-wife.

However, this time, there was a man by her side, comforting her.

"Again?"

Seeing Zhu Yuansi’s tactic, Zhang Wei was speechless.

Fortunately, he had invited Sun Mou’s ex-wife’s current husband to come along. The jury, seeing this mother mourning her lost son, did not experience too much of an emotional impact.

They sympathized with the dead child but not with this woman who had since remarried.

"We have reason to believe that the defendant Guan Yuhong killed the deceased Sun Mou and also caused the direct death of Sun Mou’s son during the attack!"

On the projection screen, the images switched again, this time showing a photo of the murder weapon, a black umbrella.

"This was the murder weapon at the time, a black umbrella modified with specific alterations. Its internal mechanisms were precision-engineered; by pressing a button on the handle and opening the umbrella, a sharp steel needle would be thrust out from the tip."

Zhu Yuansi, while speaking, looked towards Zhang Wei and Guan Yuhong, "This umbrella was found near the attack site. After DNA comparison, we found traces of blood from the deceased Sun Mou and his son on the umbrella, proving it’s the murder weapon!"

"Similarly, on the umbrella’s precision-engineered internal components, we found the fingerprints of the defendant Guan Yuhong, indicating that the person who modified this umbrella was none other than Guan Yuhong himself!"

Zhu Yuansi paused, took a deep breath, and then spoke with a grave tone, "Not only that, but we have also visited and investigated the shops near the crime scene, and from them, we learned that the deceased Sun Mou and defendant Guan Yuhong had a verbal altercation on the day of the incident over some trivial matter!"

"In fact, they heard the two parties threatening each other, and within those threats, there was this phrase: ’I’m going to stab you!’"

"Therefore, we have every reason to suspect that the person who killed the deceased Sun Mou is the defendant Guan Yuhong!"

With this, Zhu Yuansi looked towards the jury.

"Whether it’s the motive, the murder weapon, or eyewitness testimonies, everything points to one person, who is also the only suspect in this courtroom. I believe even after 12 years, everyone should be clear, there’s only one murderer in this case, and that person is sitting at the defendant’s bench!"

Following Zhu Yuansi’s words, the entire jury turned their attention to the defense bench, to Guan Yuhong.

This caused the latter to show a hint of displeasure; he did not appreciate Zhu Yuansi’s remarks.

"Mr. Guan, stay calm, this is the prosecution’s standard tactic. During the opening statement phase, it’s all their home turf!"

Zhang Wei quickly reminded him, while also signaling with his eyes to Tie Ruyun to keep an eye on one thing—don’t let Guan Yuhong do anything irrational.

"Rest assured, Lawyer Zhang, I understand!"

Guan Yuhong took a deep breath and then his expression became composed.

In the 12 years he spent in prison, he had changed; he was no longer the impulsive man he once was. He wouldn’t engage in an argument over a few words, let alone lose his sanity.

After waiting 12 years, he wouldn’t let everything he had strived for go up in smoke over a few minutes of verbal attack.

Zhang Wei was not surprised by Guan Yuhong’s reaction.

The wrongful imprisonment of 12 years had forged this man, made him more composed.

This was very good.

Facing the doubting looks of the jury, Guan Yuhong showed no anomaly either, apart from a little annoyance at the beginning, he remained calm and collected throughout.

This scene left many jurors surprised; how could this guy be so composed?

"Oh, my opening statement didn’t work?"

Seeing Guan Yuhong’s demeanor, Zhu Yuansi was also somewhat astonished.

It was rare for a defendant to remain calm under such accusations, yet the other party had managed to do so.

Of course, this also had to do with the fact that this hearing was a retrial, not a first instance.

A criminal who had just committed a crime compared with a man who had suffered wrongs and had time to reflect for 12 years—the difference in heart and mind was naturally huge.

"Although your state of mind is good, I must say it’s useless, because the jury will stand with me!"

Zhu Yuansi glanced over the jury.

She had just provided evidence of Guan Yuhong’s motive for murder; he and Sun Mou had had an argument, and the two even reached a very unpleasant state of affairs.

There were eyewitnesses who saw the argument and both parties issued threats, uttering words of wanting to kill each other.

Similarly, the most favorable evidence for the case—the fingerprints inside the black umbrella, the murder weapon.

Only the murderer could have left fingerprints on the black umbrella, and besides Guan Yuhong’s fingerprints, there were no other fingerprints left on it.

This indicated that only Guan Yuhong could possibly be the murderer!

This evidence was enough to convince the jury that the murderer was none other than the defendant himself, leaving no other possibilities.

"Come on, Zhang Wei, let’s see how you’re going to reverse the verdict!"

As Zhu Yuansi thought this, she looked towards the bench, "Judge Bao, the prosecution requests to summon the first witness, the ex-wife of the victim Sun Mou, to testify!"

Hearing that this witness would take the stand, Zhang Wei was speechless.

Does the prosecution always like to play the same trick?

Whether it’s in Dongfang Capital or in Longdu, your favorite ploy is to bring relatives to the stand to stir up pity, right?

But this tactic indeed worked like a charm every time, especially if the family members had a more miserable experience, it could evoke more sympathy from the jury.

The jury, indeed, ate this up.

So, following Zhu Yuansi’s summons, Sun Mou’s ex-wife took the witness stand.

"Ms. Dou, hello."

"Hello, prosecutor!"

"I want to ask, what kind of person was Sun Mou, the deceased in this case, 12 years ago?"

"He..."

The ex-wife was about to blurt out that Sun Mou was a good man and that she missed him.

But considering her current husband was also in court, she had to take his feelings into account.

"He was once very kind to me, but he left me and my child forever, he..."

The ex-wife said, her face full of sorrow, struggling to hold back tears.

"Pfft..."

Zhang Wei, seeing this scene, was almost unable to restrain a laugh.

Just this, this?

Your acting skills are really bad, aren’t they?