Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 83 - 82: Three Sons-in-law, Fang Wenbin Makes a Move

Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Three Sons-in-law, Fang Wenbin Makes a Move

Friday, court day.

Zhang Wei got up early, prepared breakfast for his two daughters upstairs, and then got ready to head to an early court session.

As he left the house, he happened to run into Zhang Xinwu who was out for her morning training.

"Sister Xiao Wu, good morning~"

Yawning, Zhang Wei greeted her.

As the year-end approached, people like the bespectacled Huang Mao had gone back to their hometowns one after another.

So Zhang’s Martial Arts School was very quiet, with only Zhang Xinwu and Lu Ma left inside.

Zhang Xinyan, Zhang Xinwu’s brother, would occasionally come to the gym, but always ended up being lectured by Zhang Xinwu, leading to chaos.

Because of this, Zhang Wei would see Zhang Xinwu training alone every morning.

"Zhang Wei, what’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well last night?"

Zhang Xinwu noticed Zhang Wei, especially the dark circles under his eyes, and her concern was evident in her tone.

"Don’t even mention it, I spent all day watching surveillance footage and scanning documents..."

Zhang Wei had no choice; he only received the evidence list on Wednesday and needed to go through every item on it and investigate the background of each witness.

He had even asked Zhao Xiaoxiao to pull surveillance videos from several streets near Fugui Jewelry Store for several hours around the time of the incident, and he had stayed up all night to watch them all.

The continuous overtime, even at the cost of using the "Golden Finger," was what drained his energy.

And today was the day of the trial, and he still had to rush there early in the morning.

This reminded Zhang Wei of his past life when he wasn’t yet a prominent lawyer, working hard for a client, running around exhausted every day.

Although those days were tough, winning a case would give him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

He hadn’t felt that way since he started his own law firm and gathered a bunch of subordinates.

"Sister Xiao Wu, I have to rush to the court, so I’ll be heading off now, bye..."

Zhang Wei glanced at the time and hurriedly said goodbye to Zhang Xinwu.

"Mm-hmm, take care of yourself, Zhang Wei, don’t overwork yourself..."

Watching Zhang Wei jog away, Zhang Xinwu kept her gaze on him for a long time, not turning away until he disappeared around the eastern gate.

...

Chengbei District Court.

When Zhang Wei arrived, he encountered an unexpected person.

Prosecutor Xiao Baihe from Procuratorate Headquarters.

Today, Xiao Baihe was wearing a formal business suit, hands crossed in front of her chest, exuding a strong presence.

Her dark and shiny hair sparkled under the morning sun, attracting the gazes of nearby office workers.

"Prosecutor Xiao, are you here at the entrance waiting just for me?"

Zhang Wei almost walked straight into Xiao Baihe’s gaze to approach her.

"Of course, I want to see how you get slapped in the face today!" Xiao Baihe replied, much colder.

You’re just hoping for my downfall, aren’t you?

Zhang Wei thought about whether to retort, but Xiao Baihe suddenly changed her sharp tone.

"Let me give you a heads-up, that Fang Wenbin is not easy to deal with. He and our boss, Zhao Chunming, were contemporaries, a very capable man!"

"Are you worried about me?"

Zhang Wei briefly paused, surprised that this woman would kindly remind him, which seemed out of character.

"Hmph, don’t flatter yourself. Do you think I would care about a scumbag like you?"

Xiao Baihe sneered, "I just don’t want you to lose to Chengbei District. The only one who can defeat you is me, Xiao Baihe. Until then, you better perform well!"

She didn’t wait for Zhang Wei to respond and went straight into the district court, obviously planning to find a good seat in the auditor’s gallery early to watch the show.

Zhang Wei pursed his lips and proceeded to wait outside the court entrance.

Fortunately, this case was not as influential as Wang Yuqing’s case, so not many media reporters were at the entrance of the Chengbei District Court.

Even those who came were mostly headed straight to the courtroom, with no plans to interview Zhang Wei, the lawyer of the party involved.

Kong Hang soon arrived, greeted Zhang Wei in the company of Martial Association staff, and then went to the meeting room to prepare.

After a while, Li Feifei arrived in her car, bringing along Li Qinghe and others.

On the car, Wang Dahai and Wang Dayang, two brothers, sat to the left and right of Wang Xi, while Li Feifei and Li Qinghe got out from the driver and passenger seats, respectively.

"Xiao Zhang, you arrived quite early!"

"Auntie, so did you, let’s..."

"Let’s talk inside!"

Zhang Wei wanted to say something, but Li Qinghe left a commanding remark behind and led her people straight to the conference room.

Zhang Wei pursed his lips, feeling slightly annoyed inside.

It seemed that Li Qinghe still treated him as a rookie, an inept lawyer, and a junior.

"I hope your attitude won’t affect the upcoming trial,"

he muttered, having no choice but to follow along.

When he entered the conference room, he found the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

Li Qinghe sat at the head of the table with a poker face, silently reading a document.

Wang Xi was talking to her father, Wang Dahai, in a low voice, Wang Dayang stood to the side, and Li Feifei was playing with her phone, showing no interest in the matters at hand.

Kong Hang sat opposite Wang Xi, wanting to say something on several occasions, but under the pressure of Li Qinghe, he didn’t dare to speak.

"This atmosphere is a bit off. How can we discuss strategies if we don’t communicate before the trial?"

"And Auntie, you’re actually looking at the evidence list now. It seems you didn’t do much homework yesterday, did you?"

Zhang Wei frowned, dissatisfied with Li Qinghe’s attitude.

Li Qinghe indeed hadn’t reviewed the list, but she had her subordinates look at it and report to her.

This is the advantage of being a leader, having subordinates to order around.

After briefly looking over the list, Li Qinghe finally raised her head to address Kong Hang.

"I’ve looked at the list. Let’s discuss the strategy now!"

Zhang Wei quickly sat down, waiting for Li Qinghe’s directions.

Li Qinghe glanced around and then said, "Currently, the prosecution’s evidence can’t directly prove that the two of you are the robbers. The credibility of the witness testimony will be crucial next!"

"Do you have any thoughts about the witnesses provided by the prosecution?"

Wang Xi raised his head, looking at Li Qinghe, but shook his head.

Kong Hang opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

He only wanted to talk to Wang Xi alone, and it was clear that Li Qinghe wasn’t giving them the opportunity.

"Since no one has anything to say, let’s go to court and see what move the prosecution will make in the first round!"

Li Qinghe was the first to leave the preparation room and headed for the court.

Kong Hang deliberately walked at the back of the group, trying to get close to Wang Xi.

"Kid, keep your distance from my daughter. You’re not my son-in-law yet!"

But his subtle action was stopped by Wang Xi’s father, Wang Dahai, in a very unfriendly manner.

Seeing this, Wang Dayang by the side opened his mouth but regretfully held back.

Moreover, the word "son-in-law" mentioned by the elder brother clearly brought up his own painful memories.

"Son-in-law, huh?" Zhang Wei murmured, suddenly thinking about Li Qinghua’s attitude toward himself.

Being a son-in-law is hard these days...

Wang Dahai led Wang Xi to enter the court first.

Zhang Wei and the other two were left outside.

"Uncle, what’s this about?" he looked at Wang Dayang with confusion.

But at that moment, the uncle simply patted Kong Hang on the shoulder, "Young man, I understand you. They might not appreciate you, but I get it..."

Zhang Wei instantly understood and also patted the other shoulder of Kong Hang, "What can we do? All three of us are sons-in-law or prospective sons-in-law who are not fondly regarded..."

"I understand you too!"

At that moment, Kong Hang, Wang Dayang, and Zhang Wei—the three sons-in-law—inexplicably developed a mutual understanding.

Wang Dayang was not appreciated by the Li family, Zhang Wei was not looked upon kindly by his mother-in-law from the Xia family, and Kong Hang was not accepted by the Wang family.

Only they could truly comprehend each other’s inner suffering.

A strong bond of camaraderie was born at that moment.

All was understood without words...

"Alright, I’ve got it!"

Kong Hang nodded solemnly, the original frustration in his heart completely vanishing upon seeing Wang Dayang and Zhang Wei.

It’s a great fortune in life to meet people who understand you!

The three men entered the court one after another, heading to their respective seats.

Wang Dayang took a seat in the spectator section, while Kong Hang and Zhang Wei went to the defendant’s bench.

The prosecution also entered the courtroom soon after, with Fang Wenbin still accompanied by his new female assistant, taking their seats on the prosecution’s side.

Zhang Wei saw the smile that lingered at the corners of Fang’s mouth and was sure that the prosecutor had found clues decisive for a conviction.

That was the smile of someone holding a winning ticket!

Zhang Wei’s heart "thumped," because he had reviewed all the public witness lists and found no key evidence.

If it wasn’t evidence, then it had to be witness testimony!

Wang Fugui, Qiu Tiantian!

These two names filled Zhang Wei with immense dread!

It was likely that both would give testimony that was unfavorable to the parties concerned.

Zhang Wei’s worst-case scenario assumed that both of them would point the finger at Kong Hang, which would make his situation very difficult.

Fortunately, even if Zhang Wei was internally frantic, he maintained a composed exterior, at least Kong Hang didn’t notice anything unusual.

An excellent lawyer must possess strong psychological qualities, so even if the client panics, you must stay calm to stabilize the situation.

With this in mind, Zhang Wei calmly sat down and waited for the trial to start.

Gradually, people filled the spectators’ gallery.

The newbie lawyers from Qingmu Law Firm also arrived, and under Lawyer Zhuo’s leadership, they began their "education."

Xiao Baihe, watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel amused by this scene.

This group of newbies probably hadn’t seen Zhang Wei’s court performance before. You’re not going to learn that easily~

Soon, it was time for the trial to begin.

As the jurors and court guards entered, the judge donning a black robe, walked into the courtroom.

"Please welcome the honorable Judge Qi!"

The seasoned judge seemed in good spirits today, his pace much quicker than it had been on Wednesday.

After taking his seat, he smiled at everyone and said, "Let’s try to make good progress today, I’m looking forward to going home and playing with my grandson..."

The jurors chuckled, and Fang Wenbin also burst into laughter, obviously finding Judge Qi’s joke amusing.

Li Qinghe remained silent, while Zhang Wei’s expression stayed calm, refraining from joining in with Fang Wenbin’s laughter at the old judge’s joke.

"Alright, then let’s begin..."

Judge Qi said, gesturing to the defense’s side and then explaining to the jurors, "Today’s trial is a bit unusual, although it’s one trial, there are two defendants. Moreover, the prosecution doesn’t have direct evidence to prove that the two are part of the same criminal entity, and they are not legally married, so they cannot be tried together. Therefore, you need to make separate judgments for the two defendants, Wang Xi and Kong Hang. Everyone understands, right?"

The jurors nodded subconsciously, some evidently understanding.

"Okay, then. The prosecution will proceed with the presentation of the case. Prosecutor Fang, it’s in your hands now."

"Alright, Judge Qi!"

Fang Wenbin was the first to take the floor, summoning the first witness.

For criminal cases, the first witness is generally an official from the Martial Association Investigation Department.

This officer, surnamed Zhao, was in charge of investigating the case and is a group leader of the Chengbei District Investigation Department.

"Group Leader Zhao, please describe for us what you saw at the scene."

"Of course." Group Leader Zhao nodded and began:

"Last Thursday night at 10:30 PM, we received an urgent notification from the coordination center that a robbery had occurred on Fuyu Road, where the alarm in the store was triggered, so we rushed to the scene. When we arrived at Fugui Jewelry Store at 10:45 PM, the culprit had already left, the scene was a mess, and the store owner, Wang Fugui, was unconscious on the floor, having been struck hard on the forehead, and his head was bleeding. We immediately rushed him to the hospital for emergency treatment and simultaneously began to inspect the crime scene..."

"According to the surveillance footage, the robbery lasted only 11 minutes, during which the culprit looted most of the valuable jewelry in the store and managed to open the internal safe. After punching in the password, they took away all the cash inside..."

Zhang Wei started taking notes, recording the testimony provided by the Martial Association Investigation Department meticulously in his notebook.

Meanwhile, Li Qinghe listened silently without taking notes.

But in the rear spectators’ gallery, including Lawyer Zhuo and the new lawyers, they were scribbling away just like Zhang Wei.

Obviously, she was once again having her subordinates do the work for her.

While Zhang Wei was busy taking notes, Group Leader Zhao’s statement finally came to an end, and Fang Wenbin nodded in satisfaction.

"So, Group Leader Zhao, in your over twenty years of criminal investigation experience, do you think the culprit acted on a whim, or was it premeditated?"

"It was clearly premeditated, because their actions were too swift. Whether selecting the jewelry or entering the safe’s password, their movements were almost seamlessly executed, without any mistakes, which is something that regular robbers would find difficult to achieve. Personally, I lean towards premeditated crime, and it could possibly be the work of habitual criminals, or perhaps someone very familiar with the jewelry store layout."

Upon hearing Group Leader Zhao’s testimony, the jurors looked at the two defendants with suspicion.

Inside job, who could that be?

Naturally, it would be Wang Xi, the store employee, and her boyfriend, Kong Hang.

"Auntie?" Zhang Wei muttered softly, giving Li Qinghe a reminder.

Li Qinghe also looked at Zhang Wei, giving no indication of anything.

The former still contemplated, What are you calling me for, kid? Didn’t you see the witness is still giving a statement?

Zhang Wei felt somewhat speechless in his heart.

"Everyone’s already saying that," almost to the point of outright decalring, "Your client is the criminal"—why don’t you object just for the sake of it?

Isn’t this a classic case of leading the witness to speculate?

Although Group Leader Zhao is a veteran investigator from the Martial Association Investigation Department of Chengbei District and qualifies as an expert witness, you should at least interrupt, shouldn’t you, to break the opposition’s rhythm?

Li Qinghe, unfamiliar with Zhang Wei’s tactics, did not interrupt Group Leader Zhao’s testimony.

The testimony of the witness continued.

"Group Leader Zhao, you just mentioned the safe. May I ask if the colleagues from the scene investigation department found anything?"

Group Leader Zhao thought for a moment, looking towards the jury box, "The safe uses an eight-digit code system, and Wang Fugui had set the safe to change its password every week to a randomly generated sequence of eight digits. The thief opened the safe very smoothly; I saw on the surveillance that they succeeded after entering the password just once."

"Oh, as far as I know, the only people who knew the safe’s password, besides the attacked shop owner Wang Fugui, are now only the defendant sitting over there, right?"

"Based on the evidence we currently hold, what you say is correct!"

"Auntie, object now!"

Seeing Fang Wenbin leading the jury, Zhang Wei hastily whispered a reminder.

"Objection, the prosecutor is leading the witness!"

Li Qinghe finally reacted and quickly stood up.

"Sorry, I retract my former statement!" Fang Wenbin smiled at Li Qinghe and promptly apologized.

However, he sneered to himself, thinking, Li Qinghe really doesn’t cut it. If your elder brother Li Qingmu were here, he should have interrupted me after my very first question.

"Group Leader Zhao, what else does the surveillance footage tell us?"

"The surveillance footage doesn’t offer much information because both robbers were wearing black clothes and gloves, leaving no clues at the scene. However, by comparing their body shapes and sizes, we still found some information about the two individuals," Group Leader Zhao replied.

"So, the information you’ve gathered is..."

"The two robbers are a man and a woman. By comparing the height of the male robber to the door frame when he broke in, we determined his height to be between 174-178 cm. The female robber, on the other hand, seems very knowledgeable about the jewelry because once she entered the display area, she only targeted the valuable jewelry and was indifferent to some of the less valuable pieces. Clearly, the robbers had a strong sense of purpose and were very familiar with the jewelry store!"

This time, the suspicions of the jurors toward Wang Xi and Kong Hang were almost undisguised.

Zhang Wei checked Kong Hang’s record; his height was 176 cm, matching the male robber’s height range perfectly.

And Wang Xi, a female employee at the jewelry store, was certainly well-versed in the value of the store’s jewelry.

In other words, Group Leader Zhao alone had almost corroborated the possibility that Wang Xi and Kong Hang were the criminals.

"Thank you for your answers, Group Leader Zhao. I have no further questions!"

Fang Wenbin revealed a confident smile, nodding at Judge Qi, as well as at Zhang Wei and Li Qinghe.

Zhang Wei instinctively wanted to stand up, but Li Qinghe was quicker than he was.

Zhang Wei had no choice but to sit back down, having just left his chair.

"Witness, you said earlier that the robbers finished the heist in 11 minutes and also injured the store manager Wang Fugui, is that correct?"

"Yes!"

"And you mentioned that the criminals are very likely to be serial offenders, right?"

"Yes!" Group Leader Zhao nodded, adding, "But it’s also possible they were acquaintances."

"I’d like to ask you, is it possible for an ordinary person to carry out this robbery in 11 minutes as you mentioned—to clean out the store’s valuable jewelry and immediately flee, even eluding the traces of your investigation department?"

"If the robber had prearranged the escape route, it’s entirely possible!" Group Leader Zhao answered.

Li Qinghe was not surprised by Group Leader Zhao’s response.

She pointed at her niece and stated, "My client, Wang Xi, is just an ordinary employee; she has no criminal record, and she was on vacation in Nandao the week before, not returning to Dongfang Capital until last Wednesday night. Do you think such a person could carry out this professional robbery?"

Group Leader Zhao glanced at the defendant Wang Xi and felt unsure within his heart.

"Perhaps it’s possible if she rehearsed a few times beforehand; the timing should be about right..."

"So, you mean you’re not sure if it was her, and this is all based on your own judgment, with no direct evidence?"

"You could say that, but I trust my judgment," Group Leader Zhao replied.

Seeing the jury’s confused reaction to her questions, Li Qinghe nodded in satisfaction.

"The defense has no more questions for this witness!"

She spoke and returned to her seat.

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, opened his mouth, his face filled with frustration.

I’m also part of the defense, and I still have some questions!

Auntie, what are you doing, forgetting about me?

And to be honest, your questioning lacked any real quality!