Xiang Wanbin would not be considered to have committed a crime in this matter.

"So it's useless?"

Xiang Wanbin's wife lowered her head, her expression dimming.

After a moment, she seemed to recall something and asked again, "Then... then, Lawyer Zhang, if you were to defend him, could you get him a few more years?"

Zhang Wei: "..."

Regarding such a request... He had been a lawyer for so many years but had never heard any relative make such a suggestion.

"After the court recommended you, I carefully studied the cases you've defended—the donation case, the shady intermediary case, the high-altitude object-throwing case, the food delivery poisoning case... all of which resulted in sentences exceeding the original penalties."

Xiang Wanbin's wife, unwilling to give up, continued to plead, "As long as you want to, this case can definitely exceed the original sentence..."

After hearing her, several dark lines appeared on Zhang Wei's forehead.

Those cases... were his dark history. He had defended with all his might, yet he had still failed to secure lighter sentences; instead, the penalties had kept increasing.

"AHEM, those cases were accidents." He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Rest assured, for your husband's case... I will defend him with all my might and will absolutely not do anything that violates my professional ethics."

Xiang Wanbin's wife swallowed, looking Zhang Wei up and down from head to toe.

Considering Zhang Wei's past record of famously 'successful' defenses... She simply thought Zhang Wei was being too modest to state it directly. He was just choosing this humble way to express his intentions. 'With all his might'... Yes, that clearly meant he had agreed to her request.

"Since Lawyer Zhang has agreed, I can rest assured."

Finally, she left the law firm with a mixture of joy and excitement.

Zhang Wei: "???"

In the law firm, Zhang Wei was suddenly bewildered.

He had clearly agreed to do his best to help reduce the sentence. But the other party seemed... to have taken it as sarcasm?

...

「The next day.」

At the detention center, in the visitation room.

With the court's assigned defense attorney certification, Zhang Wei successfully met Niu Huan, who was being held there.

"I'm here this time to get a detailed understanding of your case," Zhang Wei said, taking out the indictment materials from the procurator's office, which he had obtained from the court. He handed them to Niu Huan.

Clearly listed were his past instances of illegally stealing and replacing parts, as well as the information of the vehicle owners whose parts were replaced, provided by the 4S dealership. The value of the parts listed totaled 280,000 yuan.

"Please review these details carefully and confirm if they are accurate."

Niu Huan lowered his head, leafing through the litigation materials before him and confirming each item.

After several days of investigation, the public security bureau had obtained sufficient evidence of his crimes. The procuratorate had also initiated prosecution proceedings against him. The court hearing was scheduled for seven days later.

"These things... they are all true." Niu Huan nodded after reading through them.

"Fortunately, the amount in this case hasn't exceeded 300,000 yuan, so it doesn't fall into the 'particularly severe circumstances' category," Zhang Wei said, also breathing a sigh of relief.

The sentencing for theft is determined by the amount involved. An amount between one hundred thousand yuan and three hundred thousand yuan is considered relatively large. In terms of sentencing, the penalty is typically three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment. And 280,000 yuan was very close to that 300,000 yuan threshold.

If he were convicted of theft... even if it wasn't ten years, it wouldn't be much less.

"Now, let me outline the defense strategy. The penalties for theft are very severe, so I plan to argue for a conviction of misappropriation instead."

Subsequently, Zhang Wei detailed his prepared defense strategy. "During the trial, as the defendant, you'll need to cooperate with me. We need to steer the subjective and objective legal elements towards a charge of misappropriation..."

A defense arguing for misappropriation requires the defendant's full cooperation. The crime of misappropriation involves illegally taking possession of property that was entrusted to one's care by another. Both the subjective and objective elements rely heavily on the defendant's testimony.

"If it's judged as misappropriation... how many years will I have to serve?" Niu Huan, having listened intently the whole time, asked the question that concerned him most.

By now, he was no longer hoping for an acquittal. He just wanted to serve fewer years in prison.

"If the defense is successful, it should be the maximum sentence for misappropriation: five years!" Zhang Wei took a deep breath and said gravely, "The prerequisite is your unconditional cooperation. You absolutely must not cause any trouble or speak recklessly in court."

Subsequently, he meticulously went over the things Niu Huan should avoid doing or saying in court.

"Don't worry, Lawyer Zhang. I understand that much," Niu Huan nodded, assuring his cooperation.

Zhang Wei smiled and asked, "Do you have any more questions now? Or is there anything you'd like me to convey to your family?"

As his lawyer, at this stage, Zhang Wei was the only one who could see the defendant. Even family members were prohibited from meeting the defendant. Therefore, much of the communication between defendants and their families was relayed through him.

Niu Huan looked up, thought earnestly for a moment, and said, "My child will be born in three months. I've been thinking about names these past few days. If it's a boy, call him..."

As he spoke these words, Niu Huan's face was filled with happiness. Even though he was imprisoned, a smile still touched his lips.

And Zhang Wei, upon hearing the message Niu Huan wanted to convey, couldn't help but swallow hard.

It seemed... Niu Huan truly didn't know the truth of the situation.

"Oh, right. What about my brother? How many years will he get?" When Zhang Wei didn't immediately respond, Niu Huan couldn't help but ask again.

His wife and his brother—these were the two things that concerned him most right now. During the interrogation at the police station, he had learned that Xiang Wanbin might also be sentenced along with him.

"He... probably about a year and a half." Zhang Wei's mouth twitched, his expression turning a little odd.

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