The police immediately found several calculators for the members of the legal team.
The electronic sounds of adding one, adding zero, multiplying by two, and multiplying by three immediately rang out in the mediation room.
Zhuang Li, however, closed his eyes and recited the items on the bill one by one: "I've supported Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui for fourteen years. Fourteen years ago, I was a senior in high school, preparing for the college entrance exam. I'm an orphan, without a parent, and I relied entirely on part-time jobs to pay for my tuition and living expenses. Before I got together with Zhu Miaomiao, my monthly living expenses were 400 yuan, and I could cover my expenses completely by tutoring every weekend."
"After being with Zhu Miaomiao, I reduced my living expenses to 200 yuan per month. However, in order to ensure the nutrition of Zhu Miaomiao and the unborn baby, I gave her 2,200 yuan per month for living expenses. Because of this, I quit my relatively easy tutoring job and went to a late-night snack stall every night to serve dishes, wash vegetables, and skewer skewers for people. I could earn 2,400 yuan a month."
"In my senior year of high school, I earned 28,800 yuan. I got 2,400 yuan and Zhu Miaomiao got 26,400 yuan. She could spend all my annual expenses in just one month."
"After that, I was so busy working that my grades dropped significantly. I lost my place in Q University and ended up getting into a third-tier university. During my four years at university, I worked three jobs, earning 4,800 yuan a month. My monthly expenses were 400 yuan, and the rest was given to Zhu Miaomiao because our newborn needed milk powder and diapers."
"In four years, I earned 230,400 yuan. After deducting the 6,000 yuan annual tuition and my 19,200 yuan living expenses, Zhu Miaomiao received 187,200 yuan."
"In the first year after graduating from university, I still worked three jobs every day, earning about 5,000 yuan a month, but my living expenses were reduced to 300 yuan a month because Zhu Jianrui was going to kindergarten that year and I had to pay his tuition."
"I earned about 60,000 yuan this year, and Zhu Miaomiao took 56,400 yuan."
"After that, I started working at MIK. During my first year of internship, my salary was not high, only 7,000 yuan per month, and my living expenses were still 300 yuan. In other words, Zhu Miaomiao took 80,400 yuan from me."
"For the next seven years, I continued to work at MIK. My salary was adjusted to 12,000 yuan per month, and my living expenses were 600 yuan per month. The rest was all given to Zhu Miaomiao. In other words, in those seven years, she took 957,600 yuan from me."
"After that, I took out a loan of 20 million yuan and bought Zhu Miaomiao a house worth 2389600 yuan. I was responsible for repaying the loan every month, and she didn't have to pay a penny."
"These are all my official income. To make Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui's lives better, I took on a lot of private work almost every month during the eight years I worked at MIK. On average, I could earn an extra 40,000 yuan per month. After deducting the 10,000 yuan mortgage, I used the rest to help Zhu Miaomiao pay off her various credit card debts. In other words, she spent 2,880,000 yuan in those eight years."
Zhuang Li opened his eyes and smiled playfully, "Now let's do the math. Zhu Miaomiao has taken a total of 6,577,600 yuan in cash and real estate from me."
Gong Xuanlin's face had darkened at first, but after coming to his conclusion, he curled his lips and said with disdain, "I'm sorry, 5 million was indeed too little. Lawyer Feng, give him the extra 1 million."
The word "leftovers" perfectly expresses his contempt and disdain.
However, from his high position, he did not notice the disapproving expressions of several lawyers, nor did he notice the increasingly disgusted looks of several police officers.
Although Zhuang Li didn't describe the hardships he'd endured over the years, or the difficulty of raising a child, everyone could clearly see the struggles of a small individual from this bill. What did a monthly expense of two hundred yuan mean to a high school senior? It meant not having enough to eat or wear, and certainly not being able to study well.
What does a 600 yuan monthly expense mean to a working adult? It means that after paying for basic expenses like food, water, cigarettes, and transportation, he has nothing left for socializing or entertainment. He will be ostracized by all his colleagues.
He devoted his entire life to Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui!
And how did these two people repay him? One betrayed their marriage, and the other invaded Zhuang Li's company to destroy his job. How could they have the nerve to do such a thing, and even call it revenge! Where did their hatred come from? Did they blame Zhuang Li for being too good to them?
I have such thoughts. Are these mother and son still human? They are simply beasts!
Thinking of this, the expressions of several lawyers and police officers became subtle.
Zhuang Li tapped the table with his fingertips and said sarcastically, "Gong Xuanlin, haven't you heard of the law on mental compensation? Besides the economic loss, how are you going to compensate me for my mental loss?"
He picked up a few documents from the bottom of the bills. "This is my transcript from my senior year of high school. I got almost perfect scores in every subject, and I've already secured a place at Q University. This is my transcript after working part-time every day to take care of Zhu Miaomiao. I barely got into a third-tier university. If I'd gotten into Q University, how much do you think I'd have earned per year?"
He closed his eyes and thought for a while, then gave a number, "Based on an annual salary of 40 million, for Zhu Miaomiao, I have lost at least 320 million in the past eight years." This number was the result he came up with after repeated cuts.
"Three hundred and twenty million? Why don't you rob a bank?" Gong Xuanlin finally lost the arrogance of a superior and became extremely angry.
Just then, Zhuang Li's phone rang, and a message popped up on the screen. He glanced down, then, with a smile on his face, handed the phone to Gong Xuanlin.
Gong Xuanlin took a closer look, and his already ashen face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
One of Q University's most prestigious professors of information engineering sent Zhuang a private message on Weibo, saying, "Mr. Zhuang, I'm Wang Xuemin, Zhong Kai's teacher. Zhong Kai sent me the video of you chasing down hackers. I'm impressed by your skills. I'd like to ask if you'd be interested in working in my lab. I can offer you an annual salary of 10 million. My team is helping the government build a brand new secure network, and they're lacking the multi-firewall technology you used in the video. I'm willing to invest 80 million to acquire this technology. If you're interested in collaborating, please call me at XXXXXXXXXXX. I look forward to hearing from you."
Gong Xuanlin, who had just angrily rebuked Zhuang Li for his wishful thinking, said: "..."
The lawyer and police who secretly read the private message: "..."
This single piece of information alone is enough to demonstrate the heights Zhuang Li could have achieved had he not been held back by Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui. A graduate of a junior college, he struggles daily, yet he still possesses the skills he has today. If he had received a better education and reached a higher level, how far could he have gone?
Forty million a year salary is not an exaggeration for someone with such strong professional skills as him.
Several lawyers looked at each other and agreed with the claim for mental illness.
Several policemen also showed admiration.
Gong Xuanlin breathed in and out repeatedly, finally calming his anger. If he insisted that Zhuang Li didn't have the ability to earn 40 million yuan a year, it would seem unreasonable, as if he was reluctant to give up the 320 million yuan.
But the story wasn't over yet. Zhuang Li pointed to another document and said slowly, "Here are my annual physical examination reports. I've marked the timeline. You can see that before my senior year of high school, I was in good health. In the second half of my senior year, I developed chronic gastritis due to prolonged hunger. After that, due to years of overwork, I developed insomnia, cervical spondylosis, and heart disease. Health is priceless. Based on this, I'm only claiming two million from Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui. Is that reasonable?"
Selling a person's health for two million is too low a price! Several lawyers nodded unconsciously.
What else could Gong Xuanlin say? He had already publicly stated that over a million was just a small amount, so he wouldn't bargain over even two million now.
Zhuang Li sorted out the scattered bills slightly and said with a smile, "I was originally thinking about including Zhu Miaomiao's contribution to me and then deducting the claim. But after looking through the bills carefully, I can't find any contribution she has made to this family."
"I am very frugal in food, clothing and other expenses. I am reluctant to spend a penny on myself. However, the mother and son are dressed in branded clothes and spend money without restraint. Zhu Jianrui said that I was mean to him. Now I really want to ask, in what exactly am I mean to him?" In the end, Zhuang Li helped the original owner ask this embarrassing question.
In the past, Zhu Miaomiao could easily point out Zhuang Li's many shortcomings, such as his lack of romance, poor communication skills, and dull personality. However, faced with these thick bills, she was speechless, afraid, and ashamed, so she didn't dare to say a word.
After all, she is still a normal person with a normal sense of right and wrong. She knows that her spending means a disaster for a small family with only a medium income.
Looking at the contemptuous looks of the lawyers and the disgusted eyes of the police, her reputation seemed to have been tarnished.
Zhu Jianrui also keenly sensed that the attitudes of those around him had changed. They didn't say it, but the disgust in their eyes was so strong.
He himself knew that his hatred for Zhuang Li was irrational. Zhuang Li had painstakingly raised him for fourteen years, and the two of them had no blood relationship. He had no reason to seek revenge.
But reality is cruel. Even if Zhuang Li did nothing, it has become a mistake that must be corrected for both mother and son.
In order to help his mother marry into the Gong family smoothly, Zhu Jianrui must destroy Zhuang Li, and even make this person disappear from the world forever, and then erase all traces of him.
Such thoughts are vicious and violate the law and morality, so he dare not speak them out loud and can only remain silent.
Zhuang Li nodded and sneered in a rather ambiguous manner. He had long known that a heartless person couldn't give an answer to this question.
The mediation room was completely silent. Everyone was reconsidering this minor hacking case, but each had their own opinions. Several lawyers quickly settled their bills, shocked by Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui's extravagant spending.
Even though they lived at the bottom of society, Zhuang Li never let them suffer. Zhu Miaomiao's food, clothing, and accessories were all, if not all, the finest brands, but certainly the best on the market. Zhu Jianrui had received an aristocratic education since kindergarten, spending a fortune each year just on learning various specialties.
In order to give the mother and son the best life, Zhuang Li constantly compressed his own living space, and all of this was clearly reflected in the expenses that could not be saved any further.
Although they form a family together, Zhuang Li and Zhu Miaomiao, mother and son, live in two completely different worlds: one world is full of hardships and suffering, while the other world is full of sunshine and happiness.
This man is so pitiful! The lawyer and the police kept shaking their heads.
Zhu Miaomiao and Zhu Jianrui felt as if they were being publicly executed under their contemptuous gazes, and every cell in their bodies was filled with shame.
Gong Xuanlin glared at the mother and son, then looked at Zhuang Li and said pointedly, "Some flowers may look beautiful and attractive, but because they are too precious, they are simply not suitable for growing in the barren wild. They can only be carefully cared for in a greenhouse."
Zhuang Li smiled and asked, "You mean, I'm unqualified to take care of them because I'm a barren wasteland? Then guess what would have become of them if I hadn't been there? If Zhu Miaomiao had a strong character, she might have taken odd jobs while giving birth to the child and then raised him. Without a degree, she wouldn't be able to find a good job, and Zhu Jianrui's aristocratic education would have been for nothing."
"He would live with Zhu Miaomiao in the cramped rental apartment, eat the cheapest food, receive the most mediocre education, and be ostracized by his peers. Even though I provided him with such a good living environment, he still turned to crime. In such a dire situation, do you think he would become a labor camp inmate?"
Zhu Jianrui, who has an antisocial personality: "..."
Gong Xuanlin didn't know how to refute: "..."
Zhu Miaomiao screamed, "You're the prisoner! I won't let Ruirui suffer!"
Zhuang Li glanced at her, his smile growing more amused. "All my previous speculations were based on the premise that Ms. Zhu possessed a resolute character. But please take a good look at this Ms. Zhu. Does she even remotely resemble the word 'resolute'? As Mr. Gong said, she's a precious flower, fit only for growth in a greenhouse, unable to withstand even the slightest exposure to wind and rain."
"So, the above speculation can be completely discarded. Without my care, her and Zhu Jianrui's fate would have been this: Zhu Miaomiao, without a degree and unable to find a job, would have been constantly wandering around, and then due to malnutrition or some accident, she would have aborted the child; or she would have given birth to the child in a public toilet and then thrown it into the trash can, leaving it to fend for itself. She can't even support herself, do you think she would support a child?"
Everyone looked at Zhu Miaomiao, then looked at the numerous bills that only involved luxury enjoyment, and nodded in agreement.
Even Gong Xuanlin and Zhu Jianrui looked at Zhu Miaomiao with suspicion.
"No, it's not like that! You're talking nonsense! Zhuang Li, that's enough. It's just a divorce. Why do you have to say these unfounded words to hurt me? Are you still a man? Can't you be more generous?"
"I can't be generous to a piece of trash like you." Zhuang Li stood up and walked straight to the door, waving his hand without looking back. "After the bill is settled, please deposit the compensation into my account. Don't forget the 322 million for mental damages. I will sign the divorce agreement immediately after receiving the money. If you default on the debt, I don't mind sending this bill to the whole country to admire. Zhu Jianrui, you know I have the ability to do this."
He left without looking back, leaving Zhu Miaomiao roaring in shock and anger.
When this man completely stopped loving her, there was actually such a sharp blade beneath the torn warmth.
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