The dust has settled
Once the gears of law begin turning, their efficiency is far greater than one might imagine. With the full support of attorney Wang Jing, the case was quickly accepted and the trial date was set for the third day after □□'s administrative detention ended.
Just two days before the trial, the man who had just ended his fifteen-day detention returned to this world that he could no longer control, like a beast released from a cage, full of resentment and humiliation.
The first thing he did was not to reflect or repent, but to take revenge.
Through some relatives, he somehow managed to get hold of Shi Guang's mother's new phone number. That afternoon, a text message filled with typos and extreme malice appeared on the small screen.
"You stinking bitch, you dare to sue me! I'm telling you, don't think you're great just because you have a gigolo as your backer. After the court session, you'll see how I break both of your legs! If I don't have a good time, none of you will either! Just wait and see!"
Mother Shi Guang's hand holding the phone was shaking so much that she could hardly hold it.
"He... he's out... Xiaoyu, you see... I knew it was useless... He'll only get worse..."
"Auntie, don't be afraid." Lu Yu's voice was unusually calm. "He gave us a great gift."
Anhe County People’s Court, Family Court.
The courtroom is not big, and one could even say it’s a bit crude, but the national emblem hanging high on the walls and the slogans “Justice, Integrity, and Serving the People” on the walls still give this space an inviolable solemnity.
There was an almost frozen tension in the air.
Lu Yu and Shi Guang, as family members of the plaintiff, sat quietly in the first row of the gallery. Lu Yu held Shi Guang's hand tightly beneath the table, the warmth and strength he felt was his only support at the moment.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the side door of the courtroom was opened with the presiding judge's calm voice, "Bring the defendant in."
□□, wearing a wrinkled, ill-fitting shirt, was escorted to the dock by two bailiffs, one on each side. After just a few days, he seemed drained of energy. His hair hung greasy, and his eye sockets were sunken and bloodshot, but within those cloudy eyes burned a frenzied, malicious flame.
His gaze was like poisoned nails, fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the plaintiff's seat—the woman who had slept with him for twenty years but was now bringing him to court.
The trial officially began.
The whole process was almost a one-sided crushing victory without any suspense.
□□ seemed to have hired an inexperienced young lawyer who was completely powerless in the face of Wang Jing's fierce offensive. He soon began to stutter and sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Presiding Judge, this is the official record issued by the public security bureau showing that the defendant has been reported to the police seven times for domestic violence within the past five years. Please review it for the panel."
"Your Honor, these are photos of some of the injuries sustained by the defendant over the years, along with the medical certificate issued by the hospital."
"Your Honor, this is the defendant's personal letter of guarantee, written many years ago. Upon examination, the handwriting and fingerprints are confirmed to be his."
"Finally," Wang Jing's gaze swept coldly over the man in the dock, whose face had turned from red to blue. "This is the text message the defendant sent to the plaintiff two days ago, the day after his administrative detention ended. It contains explicit threats of life and death. We have reason to believe that the defendant not only has no remorse but also possesses a strong tendency towards violent revenge against society."
The clerk presented evidence piece by piece, each one like a resounding slap in the face of □□, and like a hammer, repeatedly smashing all his sophistry and lies.
Like a mad dog whose tail was stepped on, he suddenly jumped up from the dock, pointed in the direction of the plaintiff's seat, and cursed with all his strength:
"You slut! Whore! How dare you bring this up! I'm going to kill you! I'm telling you, when I get out, I'm going to kill you and your adulterer first!"
His words were filthy and full of the most primitive violence.
"Defendant! Silence! Watch your words!" The presiding judge slammed the gavel and shouted sternly.
But □□ had completely lost control. He even ignored the bailiffs who tried to stop him and frantically rushed towards the plaintiff's seat.
Two bailiffs immediately stepped forward and used all their strength to force the mad-looking man back into his seat.
The presiding judge had to announce a fifteen-minute recess to restore order in the courtroom.
Just as □□ was forcibly taken away by the bailiff and the courtroom temporarily returned to silence, a person no one expected appeared at the door of the courtroom.
She was a middle-aged woman who looked a little nervous. She clutched a cloth bag tightly in her hand, her eyes filled with hesitation and fear, but she eventually mustered the courage to walk up to Lu Yu and Wang Jing.
It's her.
Shi Guang's pupils suddenly shrank. He recognized this person; it was Aunt Li, his downstairs neighbor. The same Aunt Li who had secretly given him a hot steamed bun when he was locked out as a child.
Just a few days ago, when they came to ask for testimony, it was Aunt Li who first waved her hand and refused them.
"Lawyer...that...young man..." Aunt Li's voice trembled with nervousness, but her eyes were remarkably firm. "I...I've thought about it for a long time, and I still feel that I have to come. I...I'm willing to testify."
A hint of unexpected surprise flashed in Wang Jing's eyes.
Aunt Li glanced at Shi Guang, whose face was as pale as a ray in the audience, and took a deep breath, as if to cheer herself up: "My family lives downstairs from his. He's been beating us for years, and we've been listening for that many years. I... I didn't dare to do it a few days ago, fearing his revenge. But when I went home and looked at my own daughter, who is about the same age as Shi Guang, I couldn't sleep the whole night. I couldn't sleep! Every time I closed my eyes, I thought about how desperate my daughter would be if she had a father like this... This person can't bully others like this!"
Fifteen minutes later, the court resumed.
Wang Jing immediately submitted an application to the presiding judge to allow the key witness to appear in court.
When Aunt Li trembled as she walked up to the witness stand and placed her hand on the Constitution to take the oath, the defendant, who had just been brought back from the dock, stared with bloodshot eyes like bells. He had obviously not expected that this neighbor, whom he saw every day, would dare to stand up and testify against him.
"I...I testify." Aunt Li's voice was still shaking, but every word was clear. "Just last month, around the night of the 15th or 16th, I went out to take out the trash and saw with my own eyes him in the hallway, grabbing his wife's hair and slamming her against the wall... His wife was crying and begging him, but he was still cursing at her. The curses were so awful... This kind of thing has happened more than once. Everyone in our building knows it!"
With all the evidence and witnesses, the defendant losing control in court, and a third-party witness testifying, there is no suspense in this case.
After a brief discussion with the panel, the presiding judge decided to pronounce the verdict in court.
When the presiding judge lifted the gavel, symbolizing the majesty of the law, the entire courtroom fell into a breathless silence. Everyone's eyes were focused on him.
“Bang!”
A clear and solemn voice echoed in the courtroom.
That sound seemed like a belated death knell for all the silent cries and endless darkness of the past twenty years.
"After deliberation by the collegial panel, the following judgment is rendered in the divorce case between Plaintiff Shi Meijuan and Defendant □□—"
The presiding judge's voice was steady and resonant, without a trace of emotion, yet filled with unquestionable power.
"1. The divorce between plaintiff Shi Meijuan and defendant □□ is granted. This judgment is effective immediately."
"Second, the couple's marital common property, a property located in Room 502, Building 3, Xingfu Community, Anhe County, is jointly owned by plaintiff Shi Meijuan and her son Shi Guang. Defendant □□ must vacate the residence within ten days of the entry into force of this judgment."
"Third, upon investigation, all debts owed by the defendant □□ were incurred through his personal gambling activities and are therefore deemed to be the defendant's personal debts and have nothing to do with the plaintiff Shi Meijuan."
"Fourth, in accordance with the Anti-Domestic Violence Law of the People's Republic of China, this court supports the plaintiff's application for a personal safety protection order. This personal safety protection order is officially issued, ruling: For two years from the effective date of this judgment, the respondent □□ is prohibited from infringing upon the legal rights and interests of the applicant Shi Meijuan and her immediate family members (specifically her son Shi Guang) through any means, such as assault, threats, harassment, stalking, or contact. The respondent □□ is also prohibited from entering within 100 meters of the applicant's residence, workplace, or other places she frequently visits."
"Any violation of the above prohibitions will be subject to a fine of up to 1,000 yuan or detention of up to 15 days, depending on the severity of the offense. If it constitutes a crime, criminal liability will be pursued in accordance with the law."
"This judgment is final. Court is closed."
“Bang!”
The gavel fell again.
The dust has settled.
The verdict was announced and everything was over.
□□ seemed to have lost all the bones in his body, and he collapsed in the dock like a puddle of mud. He continued to curse repeatedly with the most vicious language, but his voice no longer sounded violent and crazy as before, only a weak wail.
People in the courtroom began to leave.
Aunt Li in the audience breathed a long sigh of relief and smiled in the direction of Shi Guang and his mother, showing a sense of relief.
Shi Guang's mother remained standing there for a long time, motionless, as if she had not yet fully awakened from the nightmare that had lasted for twenty years.
It was not until lawyer Wang Jing solemnly handed the heavy verdict with the bright red national emblem seal to her that she seemed to be awakened and trembled all over.
She stretched out her hands, which were trembling violently with excitement, and took the thin yet heavy pieces of paper in an almost pilgrimage-like manner.
Her eyes greedily brushed over every icy yet powerful piece of lead text.
"Divorce granted..."
"The property belongs to the plaintiff..."
"The debt has nothing to do with the plaintiff..."
"Personal safety protection order..."
Tears fell from her eyes.
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