"Alright," the presiding judge banged his gavel and said, "According to procedure, the defendant's lawyer will now speak."
Gao Huai's defense attorney, Lawyer Zhang, spoke first: "Based on the client's statement, I would like to add a few points. Although Gao Huai had a subjective motive for fraud, he once applied to the plaintiff to modify the payment method in the contract to make up the 5.02 million yuan payment for the goods, plus one year's interest. I think this method is feasible. It can not only reduce the plaintiff's losses, but also is a way for the defendant to actively plead guilty. Unfortunately, the defendant did not accept this plan, which made the consequences of this case increasingly serious. I don't think the responsibility lies entirely with the defendant. The plaintiff clearly has the intention of seeking revenge. The plaintiff, Si Mingda, has said several times that no matter what the cost, he must send the defendant to jail. I hope the court can conduct a fair investigation and cannot convict the defendant based solely on the plaintiff's statement. Both parties are at fault. We must recognize the root cause of the case."
The presiding judge remained silent and said, "The plaintiff's lawyer will now present his opinion."
Si Mingda's defense attorney, Lawyer Wang, continued, "The defendant has been convicted of intentional fraud. The evidence is sufficient, and he has personally admitted it. His motive for fraud is quite clear. As for his proposal to amend the contract in exchange for a reduced sentence, it is a contempt for the law and a serious trampling on the rights and interests of Mingdan Company. We will never accept an out-of-court settlement. In the two years since the incident, the plaintiff's company's daily operations have been severely affected. The losses caused cannot be compensated by their amendment of the contract. The law does not allow for such arbitrary sentence reductions. Our client will never accept this and strongly demands severe punishment for the defendant."
The presiding judge glanced at Si Mingda and asked, "Does the plaintiff have anything else to say?"
Wang Mudan quickly said, "Let me tell you."
The presiding judge nodded and agreed: "Okay."
Wang Mudan glanced at Gao Huai with resentment, and asked word by word, "Gao Huai, we are old acquaintances. Today I want to ask you a few questions, and I hope you can answer truthfully."
Gao Huai repeatedly expressed intense remorse in front of Xiaomei, but in front of Simingda and Wang Mudan, he refused to admit defeat. He once again put on a feigned toughness and said indifferently, "Wang Mudan, I'm already a bird in a cage, a lamb for you to slaughter at will. Don't be so hypocritical. Ask whatever you want to ask. I'll accompany you to the end."
Wang Mudan said seriously: "Gao Huai, we are old classmates. Even if our friendship is not deep, we can't be considered enemies, right?
When we were in school, we were young and naive, and your emotional entanglement with Luo Yingtao and Simingda was like a child's play.
If you hold a grudge against him for that slap, and you've already reported us to the tax authorities for tax evasion, and he's already been severely punished, why won't you give up? Are you determined to push us to our deaths? Don't you understand the principle of forgiving others when you can, and always leaving yourself a way out? Anyway, I've never offended you, have I? Why have you become so vicious? I can't believe this is the Gao Huai of the past."
Wang Mudan's harsh questioning made Gao Huai feel deeply touched. Although he took revenge on Si Mingda and won a brief psychological balance, he also paid a heavy price. From then on, he would lose his personal freedom and would never be able to be with his wife and children again. Compared with the happy life of Si Mingda and Wang Mudan's family reunion, his efforts were completely not worth it.
Even though he was filled with remorse, in front of Wang Mudan, the man's false pride made him unwilling to admit defeat. He feigned toughness and sneered, "Wang Mudan, I've already answered this question before. I reported you for tax evasion just to get back at Simingda. It's not entirely my fault. As the saying goes, flies don't bite cracked eggs. You're the only ones to blame for your uncleanness. If you had strictly followed the laws and regulations and paid taxes, you wouldn't have suffered any losses even if I wrote a letter of complaint. How dare you still hold a grudge about this? Simingda's six months in jail were entirely his own fault. He reaps what he sows. I just helped him along."
Gao Huai's sarcastic sarcasm was like a loud slap in Wang Mudan's face. She felt a sudden pain on her face. She had a very strong personality. Even though Gao Huai was too proud to admit defeat, she would not give in, especially not to a sinister villain like Gao Huai.
Wang Mudan suppressed the rage that was raging within her and said, "Alright, I admit there were indeed loopholes in our accounts. We deserved the consequences of writing the letter of complaint. Then, you used the letter of credit to defraud us of payment for goods. You can't just use Simingda slapping you in the face as an excuse, right? What was your motive?"
"For the money," Gao Huai said bluntly, "I was cheated out of my money, and I feel unbalanced, but you guys are so proud of being the boss. I can't bear to see two million go away like that. I want revenge, I want to make up for what I lost. Who made you so tactless to offend Luo Yingtao at that time? I want to help her vent her anger and make some money myself at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, why not? This is my true feeling, are you satisfied?"
Gao Huai glared at Wang Mudan with bloodshot eyes and shouted at her. His sarcastic provocation made Wang Mudan feel embarrassed and angry. She asked harshly, "You are so careless about transferring your suffering to others for money. Have you ever considered that you are not just framing Si Mingda, but also implicating more than 800 people in Mingdan Company. They are all innocent workers who were almost made unemployed and homeless because of you. You are also a migrant worker. Why are you so cruel and unjust? Aren't you afraid of divine punishment? Why did you kill your old classmate?"
"Haha, Wang Mudan, don't act like a saint. You and Si Mingda are not as noble as the legend says. Don't think that just because I haven't been in touch with you over the years, I don't understand you."
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