Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 614 - 607: Can This Even Be Argued? The Mentality of Envying the Rich

Chapter 614: Chapter 607: Can This Even Be Argued? The Mentality of Envying the Rich

"Unexpectedly, my tactic worked out incredibly smoothly,"

Zhang Wei had never expected that a casual bit of lip-reading and a random look would really divide his opposition.

Seeing Bai Meiqi being distrusted by the other four members of the defense team made him laugh.

Wasn’t this internal conflict within the enemy ranks right before battle simply handing him an opportunity on a plate?

However, Zhang Wei was also aware that this was not a real battlefield and that both Ren Xingzhou and the trio had some skills.

Even if Bai Meiqi was ostracized, he could not expect to easily handle the situation.

Therefore, he remained focused, preparing for the task at hand.

This so-called task at hand was naturally the pre-trial.

Thinking of the pre-trial, Zhang Wei looked towards the entrance of the courtroom.

At that moment, in addition to some onlookers who had come upon hearing the news, the prospective jury members had also arrived.

The jury this time comprised a diverse set of members.

Half were local jurors from Dongfang Capital, representing various trades and professions.

The other half were international jurors from around the world, representing different countries.

The audience in the hearing seats and even the local jurors were surprised – why had so many foreigners come to observe today’s case?

Clearly, they were not yet aware of the request made by the defense.

"Ah, isn’t that Cui Xi?"

Zhang Wei, with his sharp eyes, spotted a familiar figure among the jury.

Jessica’s clinic assistant, Cui Xi, was unexpectedly also a prospective juror for the day.

Zhang Wei quickly turned around and began to communicate with Jessica using mouth shapes.

"Cui Xi is on the jury today?"

"Mm-hmm, she messaged me this morning saying she had been summoned, and I thought it was for something else. I didn’t expect it to be this."

Zhang Wei understood and then turned back around to sit properly, all the while contemplating his strategy for today’s pre-trial.

Time stealthily passed in these moments.

"All rise!" the Court Guard called out, signaling the judge’s arrival.

"Please welcome the honorable Judge Ni to the courtroom!"

As announced by the Court Guard, Ni Qiuping, donned in a brand-new black robe, marched into the courtroom with a serious expression.

After she sat down without a trace of a smile, her sharp gaze swept over the audience.

Once she confirmed that both the plaintiff and defendant were seated, Ni Qiuping nodded, "Good, no one is late!"

"Before we begin, the court needs to clarify that, per the reasonable request of the defense in this case, the original six-person civil jury has been expanded to a twelve-person jury, and six of those will be foreign jurors. The court wishes everyone to be aware of this!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a stir in the courtroom.

Many journalists sitting at the back of the hearing seats were surprised; this type of case was unprecedented.

In an instant, they started jotting down notes, pens moving rapidly.

The hearing had not even begun yet, and the material for news had already arrived; this was indeed a promising start.

"Please rest assured that the foreign jurors invited today have all been background-checked by the court," Judge Ni continued, her gaze surveying the room. "Not only do they have no record of illegal activity in Dragon Country, but they also have no direct connection to either side of the case. Their backgrounds are clean, and their reputations are solid!"

After speaking these words and seeing that no one objected, Judge Ni continued, "Now, would both parties please state their claims!"

Before her words had finished echoing, Ren Xingzhou had already stood up first.

Taking the lead, he declared loudly, "I represent the defendant as the attorney Ren Xingzhou from Jincheng Law Firm. This time, I am representing the defendant Wu Renjie, as well as Mr. Xiao Mo Moji."

"At the same time, I wish to state that the accusations proposed by Lawyer Zhang are completely slanderous and tantamount to extortion. My client Wu Renjie is also a victim in this case. He has no abusive relationship with Ms. Lu, the injured party. Although we sympathize with Ms. Lu’s injuries to some extent, the cause of her injuries lies with Mr. Xiao Mo Moji beside me."

As Ren Xingzhou spoke, he gestured for everyone to look at Xiao Mo Moji.

"Mr. Xiao Mo Moji has admitted his guilt and has expressed his apologies for the injuries Ms. Lu suffered. Although he is not required to take responsibility for her injuries due to diplomatic immunity, he has nonetheless offered to fully cover Ms. Lu’s medical expenses and provide the victim’s family with compensation."

After a brief pause, Ren Xingzhou then pointed at Zhang Wei, "I believe that any professional attorney would know the best outcome for their client!"

"But this time, the plaintiff’s attorney is Lawyer Zhang Wei. We have reason to believe that Lawyer Zhang’s presence in court is not for the benefit of his client, but for his own!"

Once again, the courtroom erupted into a buzz.

"Oh, so it’s that move!"

Seeing Ren Xingzhou’s agitated expression and recalling his tone and comments, Zhang Wei instantly understood his intentions.

He intended to sling mud at him.

Zhang Wei looked at Ren Xingzhou in the courtroom, who by now had clenched his fists and was showing an expression of outrage.

"We have reason to believe that Lawyer Zhang took on this case as retaliation against our Jincheng Law Firm, as well as to boost his own fame and provide leverage for his future career!"

"So, even if we offered the plaintiff’s family a settlement amount, providing them with significant assistance, they likely won’t accept it, right? After all, Lawyer Zhang plans to crush us in court. He definitely wouldn’t agree to the parties resolving the case privately, wouldn’t you agree?"

Having said that, Ren Xingzhou looked at Zhang Wei with a malicious smile; he had been mulling over this move for some time.

Similarly, this was a tactic Zhang Wei had used before when he managed to disrupt the relationship between Xu Zhifeng and his client, achieving his goal.

He didn’t expect that today would be his turn to face such a tactic.

"The plaintiff’s side, it’s your turn!"

Since the defense had finished its statement, it was the plaintiff’s turn. Ni Qiuping issued a timely reminder.

Ren Xingzhou returned to the defense bench, and Zhang Wei rose from the prosecutors’ seat.

He straightened his collar and approached the bench, then shook his head and lamented, "Who would’ve thought, I, Zhang Someone, would one day be attacked? I can only say to the opposite few, you..."

"Sure know how to ’judge’ a person!"

He suddenly laughed as he delivered these last four words.

His remark caused another uproar in the courtroom.

"Huh?"

Even Ren Xingzhou himself became unnerved.

What the hell, what do you mean ’we sure know how to judge’, Zhang Wei?

Damn it!

He had seen plenty of self-sabotage, but never like this. Did Zhang Wei think the case was too easy and decided to spice things up?

We all know that your goal is to take revenge on Jincheng Law Firm and to ride this for a bit of fame, but how can such things be admitted in court?

Ren Xingzhou had never seen anyone like Zhang Wei, a lawyer who self-destructed so readily.

He even exchanged long looks with his three teammates, both sides in shock, struggling to regain their composure.

"Has this guy lost his mind?"

"Yes, Boss Ren, with my years of courtroom experience, this guy must be out of his mind," said Lawyer Shen, pushing up his glasses and speaking calmly.

Neither Lawyer Han nor Lawyer Yang interrupted, because they felt what Lawyer Shen said was true.

Zhang Wei has lost it!

"Does everyone think I’m done for, that this case is already closed and can be put to bed?" Zhang Wei suddenly asked smilingly, as if guessing everyone’s thoughts?

Yes, that’s what we’re all thinking!

Not just Ren Xingzhou’s group, but even the spectators and prospective jurors thought the same at this moment.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO..." Zhang Wei, however, shook his finger and laughed, "Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve got it all wrong!"

Huh?

Everyone became unsettled. Weren’t you admitting it? How did we get it wrong?

"Ladies and gentlemen, please consider who the defendant is— the son of a diplomat from Ancient Elephant Country. Flaunting his diplomatic immunity, he has caused trouble in Dragon Country, even nearly killing someone. And because of that diplomatic immunity, we can’t hold him accountable. Isn’t that outrageous?"

With these words, many nodded in agreement.

"Taking part in this case, I not only sought to secure justice for my client, Ms. Zhang Xinwu, and to advocate for Ms. Lu, who was a victim, but yes, I admit, I did have ulterior motives. I also wanted to elevate my own fame!"

Zhang Wei didn’t deny it but boldly admitted to it in court, admitting to what Ren Xingzhou had "slandered" him for!

"However, my actions are meant to help more people, to help more victims like Ms. Zhang Xinwu and Ms. Lu!"

"They have been coerced by the powerful, suffered unfair treatment, but when they have no means to seek redress, what can they do? They can come to me. My aim in building a reputation is to help more people, to support vulnerable groups like Ms. Zhang Xinwu, so they will think of me immediately, seek out Zhang Wei to fight for their justice, to help them claim more of their rights!"

"So yes, I took this case with personal interests in mind, but my interests are in serving you better, in serving more vulnerable groups like Ms. Zhang Xinwu, and for their sake, I am willing to endure this misunderstanding!"

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, the entire courtroom fell silent.

Realization, understanding, and even apology flashed through the eyes of many in the crowd.

They finally understood that Zhang Wei actually had such "good intentions with a bitter pill," and their own misunderstandings just now seemed even more despicable in front of the other party’s "noble" sentiments.

"Lawyer Zhang Wei, we were wrong..."

And upon witnessing this scene, the defense bench suddenly became unsettled.

F*ck!

F*ck!

F*ck!

Ren Xingzhou was innerly screaming f*ck three times!

He had never imagined that not only did Zhang Wei take his move, but he also used the momentum to strike back with an even harsher blow.

If it weren’t for his good breeding, he would have even wanted to jump up and confront Zhang Wei, "Can you damn be any more fake?"

Zhang Wei’s response truly shattered Ren Xingzhou’s values; he had never met someone as shameless as Zhang Wei.

Lawyer Shen, Lawyer Han, and Lawyer Yang beside him also widened their eyes with an astonished look that read "we’ve never seen such tactics before."

Only Bai Meiqi, with her arms crossed, adopted the attitude of someone watching a drama unfold.

Anyway, she knew that Ren Xingzhou didn’t trust her, so she couldn’t be bothered to worry about the case anymore; wasn’t it better just to watch the drama?

"Judge Ni, the plaintiff is declaring their position here; this is clearly advertising!"

Seeing his tactic countered, Ren Xingzhou had no choice but to ask Ni Qiuping for justice.

"Ahem, indeed it is!"

Ni Qiuping cooperated and looked at Zhang Wei, "Lawyer Zhang, are you treating the court as a place for your advertisements?"

"Oh, my apologies, Judge Ni, I got a bit too excited. But this is also thanks to the great cooperation from Lawyer Ren, sorry about that!"

Zhang Wei quickly apologized, while also taking a jab at Ren Xingzhou, causing the latter’s face to twitch.

Little bastard, still taking a hit at me even when apologizing, huh?

After a moment of silence on Zhang Wei’s side, he calmly stated, "The plaintiff claims that the responsible party for the car accident is Wu Renjie, and Mr. Xiao Mo Moji exploited diplomatic immunity to facilitate Mr. Wu Renjie’s crime, which also counts as complicity, and therefore they should compensate us adequately!"

"Then, is there a specific amount for this compensation?" Ni Qiuping quickly asked.

"Yes, we would like to ask both parties to compensate my client, Ms. Zhang, approximately a total of 5 million, as well as all of Ms. Lu’s future medical treatment and rehabilitation costs!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s compensation amount, Momoji and Wu Yuanzong, seated in the front row of the audience bench, were only surprised for a brief moment.

Although 5 million was not a small sum, to them it was merely a number with six zeros after all.

Zhang Wei, when defending himself, spoke very passionately, but when declaring his position, he glossed over it quickly.

And now, the positions of both parties had been clearly stated.

"Court Guard, please bring in the jury candidates!"

Following Ni Qiuping’s signal, this time there were quite a number of jury candidates entering the court.

A total of 40 candidates, with 20 local and 20 foreign jurors respectively.

On the defense bench, Ren Xingzhou and the trio gathered to discuss questioning strategies.

Bai Meiqi was naturally excluded, but she didn’t mind, simply adopting the attitude of watching a play, observing Ren Xingzhou and the others.

"This time our goal is very clear, that is to eliminate as many people with resentment of the wealthy as possible. We chose foreign jurors for this reason, so the next step in our questioning strategy is..."

After the discussion, Ren Xingzhou stood up and walked to the front of the courtroom.

"May I ask the jury candidates, have any of you traveled abroad? Those with international travel experience, please raise your hands."

Following Ren Xingzhou’s question, more than half of the local jury candidates raised their hands, while the foreign jurors looked at each other.

We came from our home countries to Dongfang Capital, does that count as going abroad?

The place where we’ve lived since childhood, for you in Dongfang Capital, does that count as going abroad?

Ren Xingzhou, of course, would not sift through the foreign jurors, even wishing that all 12 jurors were foreigners in his heart.

After seeing who raised their hands, Ren Xingzhou had a count in his mind.

"Judge Ni, we accept jurors number 1, number 5, and number 13!"

Then, his gaze swept over those who hadn’t raised their hands, and he continued to question.

"May I ask everyone, what are your thoughts on international travel versus domestic travel?"

"Sir, what are your views on the two types of travel?"

"There are so many great places to visit in our country, why go abroad? Do you think you have too much money?"

Ren Xingzhou had a clear understanding of this and even looked back at the group of three, who were all shaking their heads.

"Judge Ni, we request to dismiss this juror!"

Ni Qiuping nodded, and the man who had been questioned could only stand up and leave in indignation.

"Ma’am, what do you think, which type of tourism is better?"

"Definitely domestic. I’ve been to many places, like Jingui City, Jinying City, and Jinnan City, but I’ve never been abroad," she replied.

"Ma’am, the three places you mentioned are all cities close to Dongfang Capital. May I ask if you’ve traveled to more distant places?"

"Somewhere further away? I don’t have any friends there, why would I go? Are you paying for the expenses?"she retorted

Ren Xingzhou smacked his lips, instantly understanding why this woman had visited those three cities.

She was freeloading off friends, even when traveling she was considering how to save money for herself, this was really...

"Judge Ni, we request the dismissal of this lady!"

Ni Qiuping waved her hand, and the woman also rose from her seat in a huff and left.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please look at the big screen!"

At this moment, Ren Xingzhou raised his hand toward the projection screen.

A photo appeared on the screen showing a trendy and fashionable blonde, striking a pose with a dozen shopping bags from various brands at her feet, all of them luxury goods at a cursory glance.

"Looking at this photo, many of you probably have a lot of thoughts. So, I’d like to ask, those who think this beautiful lady in the picture is just sharing her lifestyle, please raise your hand."

Following Ren Xingzhou’s question, many of the foreign jurors raised their hands, while the locals looked at the photo with unfriendly eyes.

Showing off wealth!

The woman in the photo was showing off her wealth!

"It seems that quite a few people have different thoughts!"

Ren Xingzhou just glanced and immediately saw the issue.

"May I ask what you think, young man?"

This time, he picked a black-skinned foreign juror to ask, to avoid doing too much.

"Hey, bro, I reckon this babe is just showing off her wealth!" the young man pointed at the photo, his face full of scorn.

"Thank you for your answer," Ren Xingzhou said with gratitude on the surface, but when he turned his head, his eyes went slightly cold.

The trio shook their heads in unison, clearly dissatisfied with the young man’s response.

"Judge Ni, we reject this juror!"

The black-skinned young man was thus dismissed.

"Ma’am, why didn’t you raise your hand?"

"It’s too ostentatious. It’s on the street, surrounded by so many luxury brand shopping bags. Those things must be worth at least several hundred thousand, that girl has quite the nerve!" she reasoned.

"Thank you for your answer!"

Ren Xingzhou looked at the woman, then turned to communicate with the trio for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"Judge Ni, we request dismissal of this juror!"

Ni Qiuping nodded, jotting it down.

Soon it was over for Ren Xingzhou’s side to question, and it was Zhang Wei’s turn.

Everyone looked at Zhang Wei as he stood up and walked to the front of the courtroom.

"May I ask, who is Cui Xi?"

In the group of foreign jurors, Cui Xi raised her hand in astonishment.

Sure enough, she had seen questioning, but had never witnessed someone calling out a name directly.

"This morning, I went to a fortune teller, who told me that a person with this name would bring me good luck!"

Zhang Wei muttered, then looked at Ni Qiuping, "Judge Ni, our side accepts this juror!"

"Holy shit!" Ni Qiuping’s eyes widened, inwardly cursing up a storm.

Could you be any more fake?