There were many familiar faces in the audience at the courthouse.
Xue Qiandai arrived accompanied by Huo Meiren. When she saw her father with his full head of white hair, she instantly burst into tears. Her father, once a prodigy, had ascended to the throne of the richest man in his thirties. Yet, less than a year after entering the palace, he had grown old and frail.
Huo Yunchao squeezed the back of her hand.
Xue Jingnian smiled at her, looking quite carefree. However, when his gaze swept across the audience and he saw Su Qianhui and her mother, his brows furrowed.
Su Qianhui and her daughter sat far apart. Their identities as a mistress and an illegitimate child had made them accustomed to secluded corners and discreet behavior.
Qin Shu and Jian Yan also arrived. Jian Yan was worried about Xue Qiandai. Qin Shu's reason was perfectly legitimate: he cared about his junior sister.
Zhao Jiequn also arrived at the scene. He sat in the row behind Xue Qiandai, silently watching her back. Less than two minutes later, he was bumped into, and Rong Xiao, annoyed, said, "Excuse me," before sitting down next to Zhao Jiequn. "Even at the courthouse, I run into you. You're like a persistent ghost."
Zhao Jiequn was infatuated with Consort Dai, so Rong Xiao naturally wouldn't give him a friendly look.
"I was here first, you wouldn't have fallen for me, would you? I'll take you to court and tell you I'm straight," Zhao Jiequn cursed under his breath, leaving no room for negotiation.
Rong Xiao: "..." He pointed at Huo Yunchao's back repeatedly. The gist of it was, "Only someone of this caliber can catch my eye."
Huo Yunchao didn't have eyes in the back of his head, but he turned around. The two of them immediately fell silent. No noise is allowed in the courtroom.
Hua Se was also present; this was the first time she and Yuan Mu had appeared together in public. Yuan Mu glanced at Jian Yan only once before focusing all his attention on Hua Se.
Jian Yan's eyes were unfocused. Qin Shu took her hand; her palms were slightly sweaty. Although their relationship had been short-lived, their feelings for each other had lasted much longer, almost spanning her entire university years.
The time has come, and the judge, jury, and defense lawyers for both sides have all entered the courtroom.
The prosecution lawyer, Gu Fan, will first make his statement.
"Among the numerous charges against the defendant, the first is suspected murder. On the evening of August 8th, between 10:30 PM and 10:40 PM, a car accident occurred at the intersection of Chaoyang, Shunyi, and Tongzhou districts. The victim was Yu Xue, a senior client manager at Huading Fund. The perpetrator was Pan Jilu, a middle-aged man who made a living by illegal gambling and whose vehicle was a Santana with the license plate ending in 49. The police arrested Pan Jilu and took his statement. Pan Jilu admitted that he was instructed by his fellow villager, Feng Zhong, the former manager of Youyue Club, and provided Feng Zhong's transfer information. Feng Zhong confessed to this as well."
As a rising star in the legal profession in the capital, Gu Fan possesses impeccable logical thinking and speaks with conviction and cadence.
“And recently, Feng Zhong provided the latest confession and evidence. Everything he did was at the behest of Hua Yin. Your Honor, I would like to invite witness number 1, Feng Zhong, to the stage.” Gu Fan casually pointed to the defendant’s seat, his eyes sharp and piercing.
The judge slammed his gavel, granting the application.
Feng Zhong was escorted to the witness stand by the police. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with fear and terror.
"Feng Zhong, do you know who the mastermind behind Yu Xue's car accident on the night of August 8th is?" Gu Fan asked.
Feng Zhong nodded, timidly replying, "Yes...it's Mr. Hua Yin."
"Why did Hua Yin kill Yu Xue?" Gu Fan pressed.
“Because,” Feng Zhong met Hua Yin’s gaze, “he said that Yu Xue had witnessed his good deed twice, and that keeping her around would only cause trouble, so he asked me to find someone to get rid of her.”
Gu Fan nodded and turned to Hua Yin, "Mr. Hua, what is your opinion on this?"
Hua Yin lifted his heavy eyelids, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but he did not answer.
His defense lawyer, Attorney Wu, spoke up. "The opposing lawyer and witnesses have no evidence. Feng Zhong is imprisoned, and it is possible that he is trying to frame my client in order to clear his name."
“I have evidence,” Feng Zhong almost shouted. “To prevent the truth from coming out, I kept a backup plan and recorded our conversation.”
Gu Fan turned to the judge and said, "Your Honor, I would like to present the first piece of evidence: a recording of the conversation between Feng Zhong and Hua Yin."
The audio file was quickly presented and played in public, consistent with what Feng Zhong had said.
Attorney Wu smiled gently and politely. "Your Honor, it is still unknown whether the recording is forged. Feng Zhong is deliberately making false accusations; he could have easily found any ventriloquist to record it. It's really not a technically difficult thing to do. My client, Mr. Hua Yin, is indeed a high-level VIP at Youyue Club, but his relationship with Feng Zhong is merely that of a client and service provider. To suggest that he ordered someone to commit murder is absurd. Furthermore, my client does not know Yu Xue and has no motive whatsoever."
Gu Fan smiled and said, "Your Honor, I would like to nominate my second witness, Yu Xue."
Yu Xue quickly walked to the witness stand. This wasn't her first time in court; having died once, she was stronger inside, and she even wore light makeup.
"Yu Xue, what kind of conflict did you have with Hua Yin in the past? Why would he hire someone to kill you?" Gu Fan asked.
Yu Xue looked at Hua Yin, whose hand was on the witness table, his wrist still adorned with his usual amber bracelet. "Because I caught him in the act."
"Could you explain what happened in more detail?"
Yu Xue's eyelids twitched involuntarily, but she calmed down. "That was in the summer of 2009. I overheard a conversation between Gao Ruhai, a director of Huading Group, and Hua Yin on the rooftop of Huading. They said that Xue Jingnian was about to go under, and the Xue Group, which he founded, would also collapse completely. It was time to change the richest man's seat."
Xue Jingnian, the former richest man who had been virtually invisible in the dock, suddenly looked at his former subordinate, Hua Yin.
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