Court verdict
The courtroom was quiet, save for the hum of the fans. In the plaintiff's seat, Xu Yanchi sat next to Song Shi, her fingertips clenched so tightly they were white—this was her first time in court. The red national emblem hung prominently in front, its solemnity almost suffocating. She wore a bright white blouse with tiny star patterns at the hem, which shimmered softly in the somber atmosphere; her dark trousers were sharply tailored, making her legs appear exceptionally long, but her slightly hunched knees betrayed a hint of nervousness.
In the witness stand, Xiao Fuzhou and Wang Zhitao sat side by side. Xiao Fuzhou wore a black trench coat with the collar turned up, the clean lines of the hem hanging down to his legs, making him appear tall and straight. His face was paler than usual, yet he looked strikingly handsome, strangely fitting the serious atmosphere of the courtroom. Wang Zhitao wore a light gray casual suit with jeans, looking clean and refreshing. Compared to his usual appearance, he seemed more composed, though his fingers still couldn't help but tap lightly on the table as he sat there.
In the dock, three blue-haired thugs sat crookedly, their dyed hair standing out starkly in the serious courtroom. They didn't look at the judge, but instead glanced at the plaintiff's seat from time to time, their eyes filled with a defiant smile, just as arrogant as they had been at the police station.
After the court session began, both lawyers presented their cases. The top lawyer hired by Xiao Fuzhou's father, surnamed Zhou, was dressed in a suit and spoke calmly, flipping through the evidence files in his hands: "...The surveillance footage clearly shows that the defendant intentionally intercepted and assaulted the victim, Xu Yanchi, three times, and then fabricated lies to frame him. His actions constitute the crimes of affray and false accusation. Furthermore, the police's supplementary investigation revealed that the defendant participated in a robbery two years ago; the victim was a fruit vendor over sixty years old. The evidence is conclusive."
The defense attorney immediately retorted, his voice sharp: "Your Honor, while my client may have engaged in inappropriate behavior, the plaintiff, Xu Yanchi, needs to explain why the defendant targeted only her. According to the investigation, the defendant has no prior record of harassing others. Is it possible that the plaintiff intentionally provoked her?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yanchi looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with astonishment—why was "seduction" mentioned again? She clutched the hem of her white top, the star pattern crumpled under her fingers, her lips pressed into a thin line, momentarily at a loss for words.
Attorney Zhou remained calm, adjusting his glasses and speaking in a composed tone: "First, 'not harassing others' does not mean the defendant is innocent; it only means it wasn't discovered beforehand. Second, the surveillance footage confirms that Xu Yanchi did not make any eye contact or exchange words with the defendant throughout the entire incident, and even deliberately avoided him. How could there be any 'enticement'? The defendant's choice of whom to harass depends on his subjective malice, not the victim's behavior." He paused, then took out a document. "This is the defendant's criminal record. Although it doesn't meet the criminal standard, he has already been administratively punished twice for harassing others three years ago, showing that his bad habits have been long-standing."
The defense lawyer's face paled, and he still tried to struggle, but suddenly raised his voice and shouted sarcastically, "Your Honor, don't forget that it was your witness, Xiao Fuzhou, who struck my client a second time! He attacked three people by himself, you must know that! Doesn't that count as intentional assault? Why are you only holding my client accountable!"
The courtroom fell silent for a moment, even the thugs in the defendant's dock looked up, glancing smugly at Xiao Fuzhou. Xu Yanchi also clenched his fists, looking towards the witness stand—Xiao Fuzhou remained seated upright, his black trench coat making his expression even colder, yet showing no sign of panic.
Attorney Zhou remained calm, even smiling slightly: "Defense attorney, please note the premise of 'taking the initiative'." He raised his hand to signal the bailiffs to play the surveillance footage from the vocational high school woods. "As you can see, when Xiao Fuzhou passed by, the defendants were gathered together. Judging from their lip movements and body language, they were making insulting descriptions of Xu Yanchi and threatening to 'ambush her again next time' and 'get her.' Considering that the defendants had previously intercepted and assaulted Xu Yanchi twice, Xiao Fuzhou's actions constituted an act of stopping someone after anticipating that he and others might suffer unlawful harm."
He paused, then pointed to the surveillance footage of Xiao Fuzhou before he took action: "In the footage, Xiao Fuzhou stood still for three seconds, clearly having heard the threat. His action was to prevent the defendant from carrying out any possible retaliatory behavior, not to provoke trouble without cause. Furthermore, the forensic examination showed that the defendant's injuries were only minor, far from meeting the criminal standard for 'intentional injury.' On the contrary, their previous beating of Xu Yanchi caused multiple soft tissue contusions, which constitutes intentional injury."
The defense lawyer's face flushed crimson. He opened his mouth, but uttered no further rebuttal—the surveillance footage and the injury assessment were right before him; his questioning felt like a punch landing on cotton. The judge frowned and tapped his gavel: "Defense attorney, there's no need to dwell on irrelevant points of contention. Continue presenting evidence."
When it was Xiao Fuzhou and Wang Zhitao's turn to testify, both clearly recounted what had happened. Xiao Fuzhou, wearing a black trench coat, stood up, the hem of his coat fluttering slightly. He calmly described the details of his first warning to the thugs and his subsequent action after hearing their insults. His tone was even, yet every sentence was clear. Wang Zhitao, blushing, clearly described how he rescued Xu Yanchi on his bicycle, even repeating the swear words the thugs used. The cuffs of his casual clothes were slightly deformed from his grip.
With the case becoming clearer, the judge cleared his throat, picked up the verdict, and spoke in a tone as heavy as iron: "The defendant has repeatedly committed illegal and criminal acts, refused to mend his ways despite repeated warnings, showed no remorse during the trial, and displayed a despicable attitude. His actions have seriously disrupted social order. Considering all the evidence in the case, and with multiple crimes combined, the court decides to impose a sentence of fourteen years imprisonment!"
"Fourteen?!" The tall thug jumped up from his chair, his blue hair standing on end, as if he hadn't heard clearly. "How many years did you say? Fourteen years? What makes you think that?! Damn it, and what kind of defense did you give me, you lousy lawyer? I paid you so much money to come here for free?!" He cursed as he looked at the pale-faced lawyer beside him. The blond-haired thug and another thug joined in the commotion. The blond-haired thug kicked over the chair next to him with a loud crash, while the skinny thug slammed his fist on the defendant's table, spitting everywhere. "I don't accept this! You're biased! You're blind to whoever seduced him!" The three thugs instantly became like mad dogs, wreaking havoc in the courtroom, cursing at the judge, the plaintiff's seat, and even the audience. Their foul language filled the entire courtroom, turning the once solemn space into a chaotic mess.
Seeing this, the three mothers of the thugs beside them suddenly raised their mournful cries to a crescendo, like sharp whistles piercing the air. One of the women, wearing a floral shirt, rushed to the defendant's dock, hugging the tall man's legs and crying, "Son! You can't go in! My life has been so hard. Your father is away from home all year round, and I raised you all by myself. Your Aunt Zhang, Aunt Li, and I helped each other out. The three of us sisters gave birth to you three boys, and you grew up together like brothers. How can you go to jail!" Another woman, wearing a headscarf, also cried, grabbing the judge's sleeve and kneeling down, "Your Honor, they are not yet adults! Please have mercy and give them a chance! We will definitely keep a close eye on them and never let them make a mistake again!" The third woman sat on the ground, slapping her thigh, sobbing uncontrollably, "Why is my life so miserable! My husband doesn't care about the family, and my son is going to jail. What's the point of me living?"
The judge was bewildered by the commotion, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly, and he repeatedly banged his gavel: "Silence! Silence! Please maintain order, defendant and family!" But the three women ignored him, their cries drowning out the sound of the gavel. Suddenly, the woman in the floral shirt looked up sharply, her eyes flashing with hatred. She glared at Xu Yanchi and Xiao Fuzhou, struggled to her feet, and lunged at the plaintiff's seat, yelling, "You vixen! You little vixen! You're so young and already seducing people, just like that mistress who destroyed my family! You ruined my home, and now you're ruining my son!" The woman in the headscarf also rushed over, pointing at Xiao Fuzhou and yelling, "You bastard! You're just ruining our family! If you hadn't interfered, would my son be like this?" The two tried to lunge forward, but were quickly restrained by the police officers, their arms twisted behind their backs. They continued to writhe and curse, "And you, lawyer! How much money did you get to speak for them! That damned woman (Song Shi), that big vixen gave birth to a little vixen, you'll both die a horrible death!"
Seeing this, the three thugs in the defendant's dock stopped causing trouble, leaning back in their chairs and staring at Xiao Fuzhou and Xu Yanchi with provocative smiles, as if watching a good show. Xu Yanchi, pale from the insults, shrank into Song Shi's arms. Song Shi trembled with anger, but didn't know how to retort. Attorney Zhou frowned, about to speak, when Xiao Fuzhou suddenly stood up from the witness stand, the hem of his black trench coat sweeping the floor with a slight sound. He strode over to the woman being stopped by the police, his eyes as cold as ice, his voice not loud, but carrying a chilling edge, clearly echoing throughout the courtroom: "Watch your mouth."
The woman in the floral shirt was still struggling: "I'll curse her! She's a vixen!"
“Say another word.” Xiao Fuzhou took a step forward, his aura so oppressive that no one dared to utter a sound. “If you don’t want your mouth, I don’t mind having it sewn shut.” His eyes were devoid of warmth; his powerful stance instantly released immense pressure, making it hard to breathe. He coldly stared at the several crazed women before him, his gaze like a chilling, venomous tongue tightly coiling around their necks. He spoke as if it were a trivial matter. Yet, the woman froze instantly, her crying abruptly ceasing, even her struggling movements halting. Xu Yanchi, who was also nearby, witnessed this scene, somewhat incredulous. The woman wearing a headscarf beside her also shut her mouth in fear, staring blankly at Xiao Fuzhou, her eyes filled with terror.
The courtroom fell silent instantly, save for the hum of the fans. The judge, realizing what was happening, quickly banged his gavel: "The defendant's family members have seriously disrupted court order! Bailiffs, remove them from the courtroom!" Police officers immediately dragged the three women out. They didn't dare utter another curse, only turning back to look at their son in the dock, their eyes filled with despair.
Seeing this, the three thugs lost their smugness. The taller one wanted to shout more, but a warning glare from the bailiff silenced him. The judge cleared his throat and announced again, "The verdict is in effect! Court adjourned!"
The bailiffs stepped forward and took the three thugs into custody, handcuffing them with a cold "click" sound. Just as they were being led to the courtroom entrance, the taller man suddenly broke free from the bailiff's grasp, turned, and glared at Wang Zhitao, his eyes blazing with rage. He cursed, "Wang Zhitao! You son of a bitch! Were you already hooking up with that girl? Now you've gotten away with it, making us go to jail for you! You're a fucking animal!"
The blond-haired guy joined in the cursing, spitting everywhere: "That's right! What the hell are you pretending for?! You acted all high and mighty before, but now you're watching us go in while you're having fun with that brat! I hope you get hit by a car when you get out of here!" The skinny thug jumped up and down, cursing with one vulgar word after another: "You wait! I won't let you have a good time in there! When I get out, the first thing I'll do is break your arm, and then I'll deal with that damn brat!"
Wang Zhitao stood there, his face instantly darkening. His light gray casual clothes made his face look pale, and his clenched fists turned white at the knuckles. Just as he was about to walk forward, Xiao Fuzhou reached out and stopped him, his eyes coldly fixed on the three thugs: "You're being stubborn now, but you'll have plenty of time to regret it once you're in there."
Seeing this, the bailiffs immediately increased their strength and dragged the three thugs out. The tall one was still cursing back: "Wang Zhitao! You just wait! I'm not human if I don't kill you!" The cursing only gradually faded away after their figures disappeared outside the courthouse.
Xu Yanchi watched this scene with a blank expression. The stars on his white shirt shone in the light, but the coldness in his eyes slowly dissipated—not relief, nor satisfaction, but a sense of calm as if the dust had settled.
As they walked out of the courthouse, Song Shi breathed a sigh of relief and took Xu Yanchi's hand, saying, "It's finally over, Yanchi. Let's live a good life together from now on."
Xu Yanchi nodded, then turned to look at Xiao Fuzhou and Wang Zhitao, and said softly, "Thank you, and thank you, Attorney Zhou." Xiao Fuzhou's black trench coat fluttered in the wind, and he shook his head, "It's nothing." Wang Zhitao also forced a smile, the collar of his casual clothes fluttering in the wind. The gloom from being scolded earlier hadn't dissipated, and his eyes held a complex expression.
Sunlight shone on them, making Xu Yanchi's white shirt glow warmly, while Xiao Fuzhou's black trench coat and Wang Zhitao's casual wear stood out vividly in the sunlight. Xu Yanchi looked at the distant sky and thought: Fourteen years—a long time, yet also a short one. Those unpleasant memories of the past, I can finally try to let them go.
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