Chapter 55: Verdict
The filing, investigation and prosecution of economic crimes often take a long time. However, in Zhong Wenchu's case, evidence was collected quickly due to insider reporting.
After the trial, he finally received a request for a meeting other than with a lawyer.
His mother.
When he saw the person coming, he felt a little disappointed and sad for a moment. After so many years, times have changed, and when everything has settled, she is the only one who stays by his side.
He put on a sarcastic smile and sat down opposite the glass. "Don't worry," he said, "your secret is safe with me."
His mother frowned, seeming dissatisfied with his speculation. "You didn't say anything during the interrogation, so I know I'm safe," she said. "I just wanted to ask you if you have any wishes after this."
He raised an eyebrow. His mother really did care about him, even though that concern came only after the evidence collection phase was over and she confirmed that he had kept his mouth shut, but it was still care after all.
He would stay in jail for a long time, so long that when he came out, she might no longer be in this world, so she asked him to make a wish, just like on his birthday as a child, to make up for the daily neglect and alienation with a big gift.
Zhong Wenchu leaned back in his chair, and the handcuffs made a metallic clanking sound. "Don't let him be happy."
His mother looked at him, as if waiting for him to clarify what he meant. They hate too many people.
“I don’t care what happens to his career,” he said, “but I don’t want him to marry anyone.”
His mother looked at him and sighed. It was ridiculous to watch an adult decide who to get married with, but she agreed. "Okay," she said, "take care of yourself."
"You'd better take care of yourself," he said, "You have more enemies around you than I do."
Even if the other party didn't tell him, he could imagine that his parents must have been fighting. It would have been an exciting battle, but it was a pity that he couldn't see it.
On the day of the verdict, Zhong Wenchu sat in the dock and looked toward the back of the courtroom.
As expected, he saw Fu Guanshan and his partner.
That person didn't come.
Zhong Wenchu frowned.
His case brought out a lot of new evidence, and Meng Jining's case should have been retried. Meng Jining was about to get rid of his criminal record, but he was about to be thrown into jail.
Even if the other party would not come to visit him in prison, why wouldn't he come to watch such an important day when he was announced to have lost his freedom?
Could it be that... at this point, you're not even willing to go through the trouble of adding insult to injury?
His eyes wandered around the audience, and he vaguely heard the presiding judge say, "Now let's pronounce the verdict on this case."
Everybody stood up.
When the verdict was read out, Zhong Wenchu glanced at Fu Guanshan, but the other party did not look at him. He just stared at the word "justice" in the slogan on the wall with a solemn expression.
His eyes slowly swept across the crowd behind him, and suddenly, he saw him.
Meng Jining stood there, his eyes met his across the gallery.
Then he saw the other person's lips move.
If you look carefully, you will see that they are two very short words.
lion. hunter.
He frowned at first, then he suddenly understood and had a sudden urge to laugh.
So this is what the sentence meant.
No wonder Meng Jining never told him that this sentence was not romantic at all and had nothing to do with love. It is about hunting and being hunted, power and oppression, dominance and the right to speak. This is a famous African proverb.
——Until lions learn to write, history will always belong to hunters.
After the trial, Meng Jining met Qi Liang outside the court.
He was wearing a formal suit. It was the first time Meng Jining saw him wearing clothes with a certain cut and style. He was almost unrecognizable.
He had no intention of coming in and just hesitated outside.
They haven't seen each other since he confessed his feelings last time, and he is not sure whether Qi Liang came to see him.
He was still hesitating when Qi Liang walked up to him.
Meng Jining still didn't look up, Qi Liang stretched out his hands and held his face. The moment their eyes met, he held his breath as if he was scalded.
"I'm here to say goodbye," Qi Liang said, "and then I'm going to school."
Meng Jining looked at him, with a look in his eyes that flashed with either comfort or regret. He was going to continue his studies, but the tone made it seem like they were embarking on their own journeys rather than heading towards tomorrow together.
However, after his output of "ivy leaves", it was understandable that he thought so.
"Congratulations," Meng Jining said, "I hope everything goes well for you."
"Thanks."
"I also hope..." Meng Jining said hesitantly, "You don't hate me."
"What nonsense," Qi Liang said, "I love you."
Meng Jining looked at him in shock. This was the first time he expressed his feelings so openly.
Qi Liang was also surprised that he could suppress his emotion for so long before speaking it out.
He raised his hand and picked off a petal that had fallen into Meng Jining's hair. "While I'm at school," he asked, "can I come back to see you from time to time?"
Meng Jining smiled: "What's the question? Do you think I don't want to see you?"
"But you don't need me anymore."
After a few seconds, Meng Jining finally understood the meaning of this sentence, his eyes full of disbelief: "What did you say?"
"Your threat has been lifted. You have family, a diploma, and talent. You will live a good life," Qi Liang said. "You don't need to watch me survive."
Meng Jining stared at him for a while and said angrily: "I really dug a hole for myself... What I said that day..."
"I'm not angry."
"What do you mean by angry or not?" Meng Jining said, "Part of what I said that day was true, but I approached you not simply because I wanted to rely on you to live. I liked you. I said I didn't like you because you were about to do something stupid at that time..."
"Oh," Qi Liang said, "You finally admitted it."
Meng Jining stopped talking immediately.
"You've never said that to me before."
Meng Jining frowned. "You've become evil now," he said.
"So..." Qi Liang asked hesitantly, "Are we together now?"
Meng Jining sighed: "Of course, you fool."
Qi Liang suddenly lowered his head and kissed him hard. Qi Liang's kissing skills were clumsy, completely animalistic, and driven by primitive desires. He felt his mouth numb and he was having trouble breathing, so he tried to induce the other party to make the kiss more affectionate and gentle. However, the other party seemed to be even more ferocious, and his arms tightly strangled him, almost making him suffocate.
When he finally broke free, his lips were almost bitten and his brain was dizzy.
"Thank you." Qi Liang said.
Meng Jining touched his hot cheek and almost laughed out of anger: "How can you say thank you after forcefully kissing someone?"
Qi Liang looked at him, and after a while, he said, "I will save up points cards now."
Meng Jining was stunned.
"When I think about tomorrow, I'm not so scared anymore," Qi Liang said, "It's as if... as if the light can reach farther, and I can see farther." After a pause, he said, "I'm fine."
Meng Jining looked at him steadily. Perhaps only the two of them knew what these four words meant, and how many twists and turns and displacements they had gone through before they were finally spoken out.
Qi Liang took out a piece of paper from his pocket, lowered his head and stared at it, revealing his first smile of the day. “This fake marriage certificate,” he said, “is the most beautiful love letter I have ever seen.”
This person is sometimes stupid and straightforward, and sometimes he says things that make people cry.
"But... I probably can't realize it now. Can you wait for me for a few more years?"
Meng Jining frowned. This person first said he loved him, and then asked him to wait for him.
"It's not your problem, it's my problem," Qi Liang said, "I have low self-esteem. I have always felt low in front of you."
Meng Jining wanted to say something, but Qi Liang interrupted him.
"Although you asked me to be your agent, I don't know anything and you can find someone better," Qi Liang said, "I think... I should at least have something so that you don't have to make concessions for me out of pity or friendship. If I finish my studies, if I have seen a wider world, then I might have the confidence to stand by your side..."
Meng Jining felt angry and sad. He wanted to say that this idea was stupid, he was not with him because he needed him, and feelings were not calculated by giving benefits to the other party, but the person opposite him stood so persistently and sincerely that he couldn't help but think from the other person's perspective.
"You'd better not keep me waiting too long," he said. "I'm several years older than you, you know that?"
Qi Liang nodded, looking at him as if to imprint him into his mind, then he turned around and walked towards the vast and prosperous city.
Qi Liang's back disappeared at the end of the road, but Meng Jining was still standing there for a long time until someone patted him on the shoulder.
He turned around and saw Meng Chu.
During the retrial of the case, he did not want to disturb his brother Goff's world of two, so he found another house nearby and moved out. He does some online tutoring work and has no problem making a living. After Meng Chu and Chang Wei started their cooperation project, they had some savings. He would give his brother some advice on investment and financial management, and the two met often.
Meng Chu asked him: "What are you going to do next?"
Now that the truth of the bribery case has been clarified, he can return to the financial world.
After many twists and turns, a beautiful and bright future finally came to light. However, Meng Jining was slow to take the first step.
Meng Chu asked what he had always wanted to ask: "Are you a singer-songwriter because you can't make it in the financial industry, or do you really like it?"
"I like music," Meng Jining said, "but being a singer is so difficult, and working in finance makes more money. If it weren't for that case, I wouldn't have made up my mind to quit."
Meng Chu thought for a moment and said, "If you don't like singing that much, you can go back to private equity or do anything else. But if you don't want to sing just because of financial pressure, but you really want to do it, I will support you."
Meng Jining opened his eyes wide, filled with indescribable emotions.
Meng Chu pondered for a long time, and finally looked at him and said seriously: "I have found a career that I am willing to fight for my whole life, and I hope you can do the same."
Meng Jining suddenly hugged him. This person always talks to himself and creates physical contact, but fortunately Meng Chu is used to it now.
He patted his brother on the back twice, let him go, and looked into the distance.
Fu Guanshan was walking towards here, the shadow of the court eaves slowly moved backwards, and the sunlight slowly shone on him.
His expression was very calm, almost blank. After years of searching, he came to an end and felt a little dazed for a moment.
Meng Chu held his hand. The warm touch brought him back to his senses. He looked at his lover, as if he had returned to the real world, and held her tightly.
"I don't know if he's watching it," Fu Guanshan opened his other hand. The children's watch lay in his palm, looking so small. "Can he be at peace with this ending?"
This is a question that has no answer. The dead are gone, and perhaps everything is meaningless to them.
But... Meng Chu looked at his lover.
The living may finally be able to walk out from the river bank.
"When it just came out, I saw the trending searches," Meng Chu said, "Remember the actor who accused you of workplace bullying? His studio employees came out to criticize him, and it seemed that he often insulted his assistants, and even the recordings were posted. Now the public is trying to overturn your verdict."
Fu Guanshan shrugged and said in a tone full of vicissitudes of life: "Twists and turns again, nothing new is happening anymore."
The tone of his voice sounded as if he was not the person involved, but just a rational spectator.
"It's time for dinner," he said. "Let's go home and I'll make you a new dish."
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