However, the next second, when Zhang Lan saw the witness slowly walking in with the staff, he was dumbfounded.
“It’s… it’s you…”
Her lips trembled violently, as if she was very afraid of the person in front of her.
Song Qingyu followed Zhang Lan's gaze but did not recognize the person's identity.
She couldn't help but glance at Ji Yunli.
Ji Yunli spoke slowly, "Uncle Liu worked as a housekeeper in my client's home for several years. He started working there when my client was in elementary school, so he can prove that the defendant was negligent in her duties as a mother."
Listening to what Ji Yunli said, Song Qingyu finally remembered.
After her father passed away, Zhang Lan dismissed all the servants and housekeepers in the house.
A new housekeeper and servants were hired.
Although the servants and housekeepers didn't know the situation at home, after they saw that Zhang Lan treated her and Xu Jiaojiao differently, they also treated her and Xu Jiaojiao differently.
In front of Xu Jiaojiao, they are down-to-earth and capable employees, and good servants who protect their master.
But in front of her, those people were completely different.
Whenever he got the chance, he would taunt her.
Once, she was so hungry that she secretly got up in the middle of the night to eat. As a result, she was caught by a maid who got up at night. The maid secretly woke up the others, caught her, and pushed her head into the bathtub.
Zhang Lan was at home that day.
But no matter how loud she called, Zhang Lan never showed up.
Later, it was the appearance of a man who stopped their crazy behavior.
Song Qingyu only remembered that the man's surname was Liu.
The blurry images in my memory merged with the old face in front of me.
Misty eyes gradually gathered in Song Qingyu's eyes.
The man called Liu Bo, after standing still, bowed slightly in the direction of Song Qingyu and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Song."
Song Qingyu looked at the old man in confusion.
The old man said with shame: "In order to keep my job, even though I knew it was wrong for those servants to bully you, I couldn't say anything. I have been very uneasy all these years. This time, Lawyer Ji found me, so I came! Although I know... so many years have passed... but, I still hope that I can... do something..."
The old man's words made Song Qingyu unable to hold back her tears any longer.
An outsider would feel guilty for not standing up for her many years ago.
But what about Zhang Lan?
What was going through her mind when she found out that she was being bullied by the servants?
I'm afraid you don't have any ideas?
She slowly looked at Zhang Lan, and saw Zhang Lan looking at Uncle Liu in surprise: "Uncle Liu, what nonsense are you talking about? When have the servants in your family ever bullied Song Qingyu?"
When Uncle Liu saw his former employer, his cloudy eyes trembled slightly. "Madam, don't you know? Young lady always has so many injuries on her body for no apparent reason. Are you really unaware?"
Zhang Lan felt a little guilty under the old man's questioning: "I... I haven't seen it!"
Liu Bo's pupils widened: "You... haven't seen it?"
He couldn't believe that Zhang Lan would actually say such a thing.
At that time, Song Qingyu's arms were often covered with bruises and red spots. It was so obvious, how could he not have seen it?
And once...
"On Miss Song's ninth birthday, you saw with your own eyes those servants throwing cakes at her. Have you forgotten that?"
Song Qingyu didn’t know whether Zhang Lan had forgotten or not, but she remembered it clearly.
That day was her ninth birthday.
Zhang Lan actually bought her a cake for the first time.
Although it is only the size of a palm.
But that was the first cake she received after her father left.
She treasured it very much and carefully carried the cake back to her bedroom.
I want to savor the delicious food that I haven’t had for a long time.
But as soon as she went upstairs, she was stopped by two servants.
The two servants looked at the cake in her hand and smiled wickedly: "Miss, your cake looks so delicious, can you give me a little bit?"
Song Qingyu is a very generous person.
Before my father died.
But after her father died, everything that belonged to her was taken away.
She has nothing.
What's more, the cake was given to her by Zhang Lan.
She held the cake tightly behind her, pursed her lips and shook her head.
When the two servants saw this, they looked at each other, and then, taking advantage of their height, they knocked the cake out of Song Qingyu's hand.
Song Qingyu was confused.
The next second, two servants picked up the cake on the ground and smeared it on her face like pasting it on a wall. The sticky cake blocked her nose and made it difficult for her to breathe.
Just when she thought she was about to die, Song Qingyu suddenly heard a loud shout: "What are you doing?"
That was the first time she felt that Zhang Lan's voice could be so beautiful.
The two servants were also frightened by Zhang Lan and quickly let go of Song Qingyu.
But he said, "The eldest lady threw the cake on the ground. We are teaching her to cherish food."
Zhang Lan recognized at a glance that the cake on Song Qingyu's face was the one she bought.
Seeing that there was indeed a puddle of cake stain on the ground, she flew into a rage: "Do you know how long it took me to buy this cake? You don't like it, do you? Fine, I will never buy you a cake again in my life."
Zhang Lan does what he says.
In the following years, Song Qingyu never received a cake on her birthday again.
Thinking of this, she looked up at Zhang Lan across from her. Zhang Lan had obviously remembered it too. A hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she said stubbornly, "I know about the birthday cake you mentioned. Those servants really shouldn't have smeared the cake on her face, but... that was because she wasted food..."
"How could the young lady possibly waste food?" Uncle Liu shook his head, his eyes filled with pain. "At that time, she couldn't even get enough to eat at school. Even if she wanted to waste food, she would have had the conditions to do so."
Zhang Lan was stunned.
She looked at Song Qingyu, but quickly looked away.
"Then...then why didn't she explain it then?"
The court fell silent in an instant.
Uncle Liu looked at Song Qingyu for a moment before he sighed silently, "Madam, if I'm not mistaken, it's because even if the young lady explained... you wouldn't believe it. After all, this isn't the first time something like this has happened."
Zhang Lan instantly raised his voice, roaring angrily, "What do you mean by that? Old Liu, I'm your employer after all. I once gave you a respectable job. You can't just talk nonsense for a little money."
"Madam, you should know better than me how many times you have wronged Miss Song since she was a child!"
Zhang Lan's whole body trembled, and in an instant, she seemed to be back to that night in that private room, when Song Qingyu asked her how she bullied Xu Jiaojiao!
Those red eyes...
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