"Remember when I told you I'd represent you in court?"
Hao Junli lifted a slender brow and reached out to receive the steaming cup of coffee from Feng Mian's hand. "Yes?"
"Well, I lied. I can't do that, you need a license to be an attorney. Heck, first years don't even get to have a mock trial in court yet. I don't want to underestimate my abilities, but I'll be screwing us over if I sit on that counsel table."
Hao Junli took a sip of his coffee leisurely. "So?"
"So we'll need to find some damn good lawyers, but we're going to need to think on how to answer in court."
"I found us one." Hao Junli flipped over the laptop in his hand so that Feng Mian would be able to see email exchange closely.
"Zhou Zimo. The top lawyer from A City's top firm. He had also previously represented LXT in their international cases, so he should know the ins and outs of our workings very well."
A peek into the correspondent's name made Feng Mian let out a sour frown. "Attorney Zhou? His name is ominous, let's look for another one."
Hao Junli glanced at his whimsical housemate, a bit perplexed. "You're rejecting one of the best lawyers because you don't like his name?"
Feng Mian spun the cup in her hand restlessly. "It's not that I don't like him… it's just… Never mind, I was being unreasonable. Let's go with him."
"Are you sure? If you have bad feelings about him, we could find another one."
She shook her head. "No, it's important that we win this trial."
She placed her cup down. "What I'm worried about is what they'll ask when they put me on the stand."
"What do you think they'll ask?"
"They'll ask about our relationship, for sure. This is the gap they ought to attack from." She clicked her tongue. "Li Xiaocheng, that flimsy cheater."
She tapped Hao Junli's knee with the back of her hand. "Should I make a run for it? Buy a ticket to Madagascar to stall for time? If they subpoenaed me, it means that they also subpoenaed that Chun Hua. What was I supposed to answer ah, that I coincidentally invited her to the company to discuss lipstick colours?"
Hao Junli was amused into a chuckle. "In that case, just answer honestly."
"You do know that we're under oath, right? I have a lawyer's ethics, asking me to lie in court is like asking me to lie to my own mother. I don't dare to do it."
"Well, you wouldn't be lying. Because technically you're Feng Mian, not Li Xiaocheng. And between you and Chun Hua, nothing classified as cheating had happened."
Feng Mian looked back at Hao Junli who was browsing through his laptop and grinned back approvingly. "You're right, I'm not Li Xiaocheng. And you're not Wan Junli."
***
Outside of City A's federal court, swarming reporters pushed and nudged as they cut their way to the front. Only a few weeks ago LXT had sued Zhang Wei for corporate espionage and defamation, now, the tables have turned and one of LXT's executives is saying that the wife of LXT Enterprise's CEO is the inside spy. This is a fifty episode melodrama all happening in six weeks ba! Such a big scoop, whichever reporter misses it is should use their eyes for breathing instead!
Inside the courtroom, a middle-aged female judge pounded her gavel and called for attention. "Prosecution, are you ready to begin?"
Hao Junli who was sitting next to Attorney Zhou at the defendant's table reverted his gaze towards the first row of the public bench. Feng Mian met his eyes and gave an encouraging smile.
Her gaze then lifted to Zhang Wei from across the room. Zhang Wei who happened to turn his head at this time, saw Feng Mian giving a particularly ugly stink eye in his direction. Feng Mian was not ashamed of being caught and further antagonised him by flipping a birdie under the pretence of brushing her hair back.
[SYSTEM PROMPT: OOC level is 22%. Cautioning host to be more prudent.]
Feng Mian clicked her teeth. "Yeah, whatever." The offended look on Zhang Wei's face was worth ten points alone.
Much like Hao Junli and Feng Mian anticipated, the plaintiff's attorney had called on for Hao Junli to go up first. Hao Junli stood on the stand calmly without ripples.
Feng Mian had no doubt that the balding attorney on the opposing side was an old hand at dealing with shoddy businesses. Because no law-abiding lawyer would take on this case that had no Smithereen of proof and had to rely on false testimonies and forged evidence to go through.
"Mrs Wan, is it true that you often visit your husband's office in this last few months?" he questioned.
"It's true."
"Is it true that prior to the LXT Company's auction on May 16th, you have never been seen with your husband in public?
"I decline to answer." Both Hao Junli's tone and body language was languor, and the attorney found it difficult to see a crack through his expression.
"You and your husband had no history of dating before directly tying the knot. Why is that?"
"I refuse to answer." Old man Li had wrapped up the drunken incident like an airtight balloon and it wasn't possible for anyone to get wind of what happened. Hao Junli didn't let Attorney Hao's bluff run.
The attorney's voice raised as he exerted more force to his words. "Okay then, let me ask you this. Do you know a person named Chun Hua?"
"I do." Hao Junli had known that this question was coming and where he was baiting him. Too bad that he wasn't the original Wan Junli and wasn't so easily provoked.
"Well, while the number of times you can be seen with your husband in public could be counted with one hand, Ms Chun Hua on the other hand could be said to be stuck at Mr Li's hips all the time. What do you reckon their relationship is?"
Attorney Zhou stood up from his seat immediately. "Your Honor! This is irrelevant and has nothing to do with the case!"
The opposition countered back. "Your Honor, CEO Li's character determines if there is possible hostility between the couple. If their relationship is more than meets the eye, it would cement Mrs Wan's position in this case."
The judge nodded her head, finding the argument reasonable. "I'll allow it."
Attorney Zhou was forced to sit back in his seat and watch.
Hao Junli was not as agitated as his defending lawyer. "I know that they're friends," he said casually.
"Friends who can walk into each other's workplace at any time of the day unobstructed?" he bit back.
"If I think you're accusing my husband of what I think you are, you better get your facts right. I, too, walk freely into his office whenever I want. If Chun Hua is the fungus at his hips, then I'm the Siamese twin. We as husband and wife, clearly have a much closer relationship."
This Wan Junli was tougher to crack than he had thought. The old attorney cleared his throat. "Can you tell me honestly, in front of the judge and for the jury to see, that you have never - ever - had bitter feelings about your husband's affair?"
Hao Junli frowned. "Who said anything about an affair? You jumped to conclusions on your own. I know for a fact, that the person sitting in front of that seat, is one of the most loyal, steadfast people I've met."
Feng Mian who sat at the first bench line patted her chest, feeling touched at the approbation. Her housemate had good eyes, she really was a person of character!
Hao Junli's disgruntled face turned towards the judge. "Your Honor, he's driving between me and my husband. Is this legal?"
The judge was a bit speechless after being directly addressed, but after deciding that Hao Junli had a valid point, ruled, "Please refrain from making premature conclusions, Attorney Han. Your next questions better be relevant to the case."
Attorney Han, after seeing that Hao Junli's defence was as solid as a rock, changes tactics. "Mrs Wan, you've recently had a miscarriage, correct?"
"Correct."
"The cause of your miscarriage is due to a fall on Mr Li Xiaochebg's office stairs. But what the jury did not know... is that Mrs Wan was actually pushed by an intern who works at LXT. The intern was a woman named Yu Yan. Mrs Wan, is this true?"
Hao Junli hands clenched but he maintained a calm demeanour in front of the judge. "It's true."
"What is your relationship with Ms Yu Yan? Wait! You don't need to answer that. Yu Yan, the intern your husband hired, had feelings for her own employer, Mr Li Xiaocheng. Is that right Mrs Wan? Now you can decline to answer, but it's hard to believe that Mr Li Xiaocheng is as loyal as you say he is when one out of the two women who were involved, and dare I say smitten with him would dare to even think about murdering his legal wife."
Attorney Zhou saw that his opponent had veered away and was now prosecuting Li Xiaocheng. "Objection Your Honor! Improper characterization of a witness!"
"No, not improper. Your Honor, this is a signed testimony from Ms Yu Yan saying that she had overheard Li Xiaocheng's intimate affairs with his so-called childhood friend, Ms Yu Yan."
Attorney Han walked up to the platform and passed the judge a written statement from Yu Yan. Feng Mian didn't know what the deal between Zhang Wei and Yu Yan was, but it was no coincidence that Yu Yan had happened to be away when their lawyer looked for her to testify.
The juries on the seat felt as if they were watching a live drama going on. From Wan Junli being accused of spying on her husband's company, it now became a melodramatic soap opera of love and revenge between the cheating husband, his pregnant wife, the mistress, and the admirer. It was hard to keep track.
"Might I remind you, Attorney Han, that you're prosecuting my client under the charge of corporate espionage? And until now, you have not shown one concrete evidence. Instead, you're here defaming her husband's character," Attorney Zhou spoke.
The judge called both the attorneys up to where she sat with a serious face. She spoke in a voice that only the two of them would be able to hear. "Attorney Han, you better not be playing a wild goose chase in my court. I don't have much time to waste, so you better show me some evidence if you're about to charge a man's wife with tearing down his own business."
"Mr Li Xiaocheng's character concerns Mrs Wan's possible alibi, Your Honor. I think it is very much relevant," Attorney Han defendant.
"That's a bullshit conjecture and we all know it!"
"Attorney Zhou, watch your language," the judge reprimanded. She considered deeply and conceded with a sigh, "All right, Attorney Han, I'll allow it. But I'll warn you, this is your last chance.
Attorney Han straightened his paisley suit and said confidently, "In that case, I'd like to call Mr Li Xiaocheng up to the stand."