Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 90 - 89 Qingmu’s Witness, My Witness! (Thanks to the low-key Mr. Gu, the Alliance Hierarch)

Chapter 90: Chapter 89 Qingmu’s Witness, My Witness! (Thanks to the low-key Mr. Gu, the Alliance Hierarch)

Qingmu Law Firm.

Li Qingmu had arrived early in his office, holding a tablet computer and watching intently.

The computer screen flickered with continuous text, the live broadcast of today’s trial.

The courtroom is a place of judicial solemnity; without permission and authorization, participants in the trial are not allowed to record audio or video, take photographs, or use mobile communication devices to disseminate trial activities.

Therefore, he was watching the official text live broadcast. Although there was no picture, some details of the trial were still under control.

"The bar owner has taken the stand, and although his testimony may be vague, I’ve dispatched Lawyer Zhuo to the court. With his questioning skills, we should be able to leave the jurors with the notion of Kong Hang conspiring with his ex-girlfriend to commit robbery!"

Li Qingmu was not present at the scene, but he was strategizing from his office.

He also relished this feeling, like an ancient military strategist who could determine the outcome of a battle thousands of miles away though based in the main camp.

The courtroom is the battlefield for lawyers, and it was Li Qingmu who would determine the outcome of this trial.

Strategizing from afar to win a battle - that was exactly his role!

Qingmu Law Firm absolutely could not afford to be defeated in this last battle before the end of the year—it was a matter of reputation!

Moreover, winning this significant lawsuit before the New Year’s would be perfect publicity for his Qingmu Law Firm.

This case was the annual closing battle for Qingmu Law Firm!

If they won, Qingmu Law Firm would make a name for itself in Chengbei District, and then move into the first tier of law firms in Chengbei District.

Li Qingmu was confident that with the impact of this trial, he could double the size of the firm at the beginning of the year.

By then, Qingmu Law Firm would become a business card of Chengbei District, and within three years, it would definitely join the ranks of the major law firms.

In five years, he could even aspire to a place in the Top Ten Firms.

Great ambitions and endeavors were within sight!

Thinking this, Li Qingmu called for his assistant.

"Contact the editor-in-chief of Chengbei Evening News. I want our name, Qingmu, on the front page of the evening paper right after today’s trial results are out!"

"Alright, Lawyer Li!"

The assistant began to get busy, while Li Qingmu once again concentrated his attention on the tablet in his hands.

"Sister, you and Lawyer Zhuo better not let me down. Fang Wenbin won’t have a chance to get ahead of me!"

"As for that Zhang Wei, it should just be a coincidence of a common name, after all, there are many people named Zhang Wei in Dongfang Capital..."

...

Chengbei District Court.

At the scene of the trial.

The first witness for the defense was Boss You of the New Trend Bar.

Now, Qingmu’s Lawyer Zhuo was interrogating him.

"Ah Hang joined our bar about three months ago. I took the initiative to approach him and his band and invited them to become the resident band at New Trend Bar."

"Boss You, does the defendant have to perform at your bar every day?"

"No, that’s not necessary. The band only needs to come in four days a week. Our bar is all about new concepts, not a forced seven-day work system. We have other acts for the remaining three days."

"So that means, Kong Hang had a relatively flexible schedule. Therefore, compared to other entertainment industries in the vicinity, you must have been paying him less since he was only working four days a week."

The bar owner thought for a while and nodded, "Of course, but because of the scheduling, I pay each member of the band about 20% more than other bar owners on the same street, to prevent them from being poached."

"Hmm," Lawyer Zhuo nodded, "But that wage is actually still low, isn’t it? It could only support Kong Hang alone?"

"I’m not clear on that point, but it’s certainly enough for Kong Hang alone. I’ve also set aside a rest room for them on the second floor of the bar. If they don’t have a place to live, they can stay upstairs."

"But once Kong Hang got a girlfriend, his expenses doubled from one person to two. There must be more places to spend money, so his band’s salary wouldn’t be enough, right?"

"Objection!"

Lawyer Zhuo’s question was met with an objection from Zhang Wei.

"Lawyer Zhang, are you objecting to your own attorney?"

"Indeed!"

Judge Qi looked at Lawyer Zhang, becoming accustomed to his antics.

"What’s your reason?"

"I feel that Lawyer Zhuo’s question implies a certain disgrace. My client has persevered with his performances at the bar, motivated by his dream for music, despite receiving a modest salary. This job might have one or two zeros less in the income compared to Lawyer Zhuo’s, but his dedication for the dream of music shouldn’t be measured in terms of money!"

Zhang Wei said, and pointed to himself, "And me, although I am a public defense lawyer, currently undertaking pro bono cases without any legal fees, no one should question my passion for law either. This sincere sentiment should not be quantified by those with ulterior motives in terms of money and interest!"

Judge Qi glanced at the jury. Zhang Wei’s words had indeed touched many of them.

"You are right, the objection stands!"

He couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Then Judge Qi turned to Lawyer Zhuo and warned, "You had better shift the focus of your questions; I do not want to hear you continue to inquire about the defendant’s salary income."

"Sorry, my mistake!" Lawyer Zhuo quickly admitted fault and looked at Zhang Wei with a hint of malice.

It was rare for anyone to interrupt him like that, especially when the other party was a public defense lawyer who had only handled a few cases, a newcomer.

However, he quickly suppressed the influence of Zhang Wei and continued to look at the witness.

"In that case, let’s skip the earlier questions. I would like to ask the witness, did you see the defendant, Kong Hang, having contact with the previous witness, Qiu Tiantian?"

"Yes, in my bar, Ah Hang met with Qiu Tiantian," the boss naturally wouldn’t deny it and nodded in response.

"When did they start contacting each other?"

The boss thought for a moment, "About a month ago, I suppose; anyway, they met almost every week."

"Even after Kong Hang broke up with his ex-girlfriend and started dating his current girlfriend, they still met?"

"Yes, they still met, and the meeting place was in my bar."

Hearing this response, many women in the jury box had a change of expression.

Jerk!

Their looks towards Kong Hang were now bare.

After breaking up with the ex-girlfriend and starting a new relationship, he still had dealings with the ex.

Previously when Qiu Tiantian testified, some might have thought it was the ex-girlfriend’s revenge, but now with the bar owner’s testimony, it was solid evidence.

In the minds of the jury, Kong Hang had become a jerk.

"Lawyer Zhang, aren’t you going to object?"

Feeling the gazes from all around, Kong Hang felt uncomfortable and eagerly sought Zhang Wei’s help.

"How can I object?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands, "The question was asked correctly. Did you or did you not meet your ex-girlfriend in the bar as appointed? The witness’s answer is not problematic, right?"

To object, you need a reason. The bar owner told the truth; don’t you have a clue in your heart?

Kong Hang, helpless, could only endure the sharp looks coming from all directions and continued to sit.

Lawyer Zhuo’s questioning continued.

"So, did you hear what they were discussing?"

"I am not clear about that, as I don’t pry into other people’s privacy, especially since Ah Hang has a new girlfriend now, I am even less likely to inquire about what he does with his ex-girlfriend," the boss answered righteously, giving Kong Hang some peace of mind.

"Is there a possibility, then, that Kong Hang was discussing with his ex-girlfriend how to rob the jewelry store of his current girlfriend, where she worked?"

But the next question unsettled Kong Hang.

Lawyer Zhuo’s question was indeed shocking and instantly captured everyone’s attention.

"Well asked!"

From the prosecution’s bench, Fang Wenbin remained silent for once and even applauded the defense lawyer inwardly.

It was the very question he wanted to ask, and it had been brought up by the opponent.

"Objection, leading the witness into speculation without factual basis, the lawyer is testifying himself!"

Zhang Wei stood up to object, naturally with a myriad of reasons.

When the previous witness told the truth, naturally there was nothing to be done, but this time it was different.

"Your Honor, the defense withdraws the question posed just now!"

Lawyer Zhuo quickly declared his position but at the same time glanced at the jury.

After he raised that conjecture, several jurors had involuntarily nodded; his purpose had been achieved.

He wanted to raise the issue, the possibility!

"We have no further questions for this witness," said Lawyer Zhuo, concluding his questioning and returning to sit beside Li Qinghe.

"Prosecution?" Judge Qi turned to Fang Wenbin.

"Judge Qi, the prosecution has no further questions for the witness either!"

"Rare indeed, the prosecution actually not undertaking cross-examination," Judge Qi knew what was going on but still joked verbally.

"Then what about you, Lawyer Zhang?" he turned to Zhang Wei.

"For the witness, I have only one question."

Zhang Wei approached the bar owner and asked, "Just now, Lawyer Zhuo questioned whether my client meeting his ex-girlfriend was to conspire. Could there be another possibility that my client simply wanted to retrieve the engagement ring passed down from his grandmother, and that’s why he approached his ex-girlfriend?"

"Objection, hearsay evidence, no factual basis, the lawyer is testifying,"

Lawyer Zhuo immediately stood up and objected for the same reason as Zhang Wei had just done.

Judge Qi looked towards Zhang Wei, but Zhang Wei continued to question the witness, "Can you tell me if such a possibility exists?"

"It should exist, I guess..." The bar owner didn’t know how to answer and could only respond with that.

"Your Honor, I know what you are going to say, so I’ll also end my questioning to avoid causing any trouble for everyone!"

Zhang Wei concluded his cross-examination hurriedly before the judge could speak and returned to the defense bench.

Judge Qi opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately, with some resignation, banged the gavel, "Alright then, the witness may step down!"

The bar owner left the stand, and Lawyer Zhuo rose again, "Your Honor, the defense requests that our client Wang Xi be called to the stand to testify!"

Nearly everyone expected this move.

Wang Xi took the witness stand.

Lawyer Zhuo rose, preparing to question her.

Zhang Wei watched this scene and turned to look towards the back of the court, the public gallery.

His gaze met that of Wang Dayang in the front row of the gallery; their eyes locked for a moment before they nodded at each other.

Between old comrades, a simple gesture was all that was necessary to understand each other’s meaning.

Wang Dayang’s voice-over: Don’t worry, I’ve done what I had to do, and I’ve said what I needed to say!

Zhang Wei’s gaze drifted past Wang Dayang and towards the entrance of the courtroom; then he brought his attention back to the proceedings.

"Miss Wang Xi, please explain to everyone your relationship with the other defendant!"

"I have been dating Kong Hang for nearly half a year; I am his current girlfriend."

"Then, may I ask if you knew that the defendant Kong Hang was still meeting his ex-girlfriend?"

"Had I not heard it here in court, I’d still be in the dark."

Seeing Wang Xi reply thus, the jurors cast sympathetic looks at her.

A woman deceived by a man easily garners sympathy.

"So, Miss Wang, do you know if your boyfriend, Kong Hang, left the house last Thursday, the day of the robbery?"

"I’m not sure because we had just returned from Nandao on Wednesday, and we slept the whole day after. When I woke up, it was already past six in the afternoon. I ate a bit of bread and then lay down playing with my phone, scrolling through web videos, until I fell asleep again."

"So you’re saying you were in your room all day when the crime occurred, but you’re not sure if your boyfriend, Kong Hang, was there?"

"Right, I didn’t find him when I woke up."

"Then why did you tell the investigators that both you and Kong Hang were at home when the robbery happened?"

What followed was a brief silence.

But Lawyer Zhuo had a plan, having already conducted several mock cross-examinations with Wang Xi to ensure her responses would catch the jury’s attention.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xi lowered her head and spoke in a frail tone, "Because he’s my boyfriend, I had to protect him. And in my heart, I don’t believe he is someone capable of doing such a thing!"

"So, you chose to tell the investigators something uncertain because of your faith in your partner?"

"Yes, even though I didn’t know where he had gone, there were several times he went down to chat with the supermarket owner, so I thought he might have gone to the supermarket that day. Also, the owner had asked us about our trip to Nandao before, so I just..."

"Hmm, thank you for your answer!"

Lawyer Zhuo gave a slight smile to Wang Xi and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the jury bench.

He saw the female jurors casting sympathetic looks at Wang Xi, and even the male jurors seemed understanding.

Success!

Lawyer Zhuo was pleased with the effect of the questioning, which had now completely cleared the suspect Wang Xi.

Next, all they needed to do was to demonstrate that Kong Hang had a guilty conscience and suspicion of criminality, which would be sufficient to convict him.

To achieve this, they only needed to wait for the other defense lawyer, Zhang Wei, to have Kong Hang take the stand to testify for himself, and then exploit the cross-examination to poke holes in his testimony!

This time, he could feel that the prosecutor, Fang Wenbin, was also inclined to convict Kong Hang!

The result would be Wang Xi acquitted, Kong Hang convicted of robbery!

Fang Wenbin would get his criminal, and Qingmu would have successfully defended their client’s innocence, a win-win situation!

The case was nearly in the bag.

"As for the witness, we have no further questions!" Lawyer Zhuo nodded at the jury bench and returned to his seat.

"Prosecution?"

"Judge Qi, the prosecution has no questions either!"

Judge Qi was reiterating needlessly, but he had to ask Fang Wenbin, as it was procedure.

Then he turned to Zhang Wei with a smile, "Little Lawyer Zhang, although I don’t take sides during a trial, I must admit, you are under tremendous pressure now!"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Honor, but I do not believe I will lose!"

"Good, young man, you certainly are confident!"

Zhang Wei approached the bench to begin his cross-examination.

"Miss Wang, I will not make any comment on your performance earlier. Now it’s my turn to ask you some questions, and I hope you can answer me honestly, okay?"

Wang Xi lifted her head and looked at Zhang Wei.

"May I ask if you ever mentioned an engagement to my client?"

"Yes, I did."

"And did he ever tell you that he would prepare an engagement ring for you?"

"He did say that, but his job..."

"I know, you doubted whether my client could afford the ring, didn’t you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then are you aware that he didn’t actually need to buy one because his grandmother had left him a ring?"

At this revelation, Wang Xi looked at Kong Hang in surprise.

Clearly, she was unaware of this.

"Actually, my client wasn’t planning to buy a ring; he intended to retrieve it from his ex-girlfriend, Qiu Tiantian, and give it to you!"

Zhang Wei added with a teasing remark, "Although asking for a gift to be returned is somewhat embarrassing, it also shows he’s willing to lose face for you. Doesn’t that prove his love for you?"

"This..."

Wang Xi hadn’t imagined there was such a story behind it.

"So, my client kept you in the dark about contacting his ex-girlfriend because he just wanted to retrieve the ring, nothing more."

"But why didn’t he tell me?"

"Quite simple, he was afraid you would misunderstand. After all, meeting an ex-girlfriend tends to lead to wild thoughts..."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he suddenly shifted tone, "Of course, there’s also a possibility that he wanted to give you a surprise!"

Surprise!

That word struck a chord in Wang Xi’s heart, and her gaze towards Kong Hang held a glimmer of realization.

At that moment, it seemed she understood why Kong Hang would risk seeing his ex-girlfriend to retrieve a ring he had given away—it was all for her.

"I... I didn’t know... it was like this..."

"Objection!"

Seeing Wang Xi becoming somewhat emotional, Lawyer Zhuo stood up.

"Rumors and hearsay evidence cannot be corroborated by a third party!"

Judge Qi looked a bit helpless but still nodded, "Although I hesitate to interrupt, the objection stands!"

"Miss Wang Xi, my client has always cared about you, so please, trust him, will you?"

Zhang Wei nodded to Wang Xi and then returned to his seat.

"Your Honor, I have no further questions for this witness."

Upon hearing Zhang Wei say this, Lawyer Zhuo and Li Qinghe exchanged looks at the defendant’s table.

The two had been worried about something, but seeing that Zhang Wei had "no more moves," they finally smiled.

Next, all they had to do was wait for Zhang Wei to call the last witness to the stand...

"Your Honor, I know what you are about to ask. We have one last witness to call!"

Before Judge Qi could speak, Zhang Wei had already preemptively stood up.

"Proceed, but be careful. Both the prosecution and the counsel next to you are eager to tear into your case. Can your defendant handle it?"

"It appears there’s been a misunderstanding, Your Honor. I didn’t say my witness was my client, did I?"

"Ah?" Judge Qi appeared slightly startled upon hearing this.

It wasn’t just him; Lawyer Zhuo, Li Qinghe, and Fang Wenbin also showed surprised expressions.

If you’re not calling Kong Hang, then who are you calling?

Just then, the courtroom doors opened, and a woman walked in.

Zhang Wei looked at the woman, nodded slightly, and then declared:

"I would like to introduce my witness. This is Xiao Baihe, a senior prosecutor in the Major Crimes Division at Procuratorate Headquarters. The person I am calling to the stand is her, not my client, Kong Hang!"

This scene took everyone by surprise.