lawsuit
On the morning of the day Su Wanwan and her father faced off in court.
Su Wanwan changed her usual Lolita style and put on a well-tailored black women's suit, which made her look particularly dignified and capable. The only thing that seemed a bit out of place was the pink tie she was wearing.
Qu Shiyao was also wearing the same formal suit that Su Wanwan had prepared for her, except that the tie had been changed to a mysterious purple.
Standing beside Su Wanwan, she didn't seem like a subordinate, but rather like a guardian with a unique aura.
Qu Shiyao's seat was reserved using her own ID card and was in the audience section.
Su Wanwan originally wanted to bring her along as an escort, but the court stipulated that an escort must have a clear legal or medical necessity.
Qu Shiyao clearly did not meet the requirements and was ultimately assigned to sit in the audience.
After all, Su Wanwan was in high spirits and in great health, and didn't seem to need any special care.
Before the trial began, the plaintiff and defendant entered the courtroom in turn.
As soon as Su's father sat down, he tried to adopt a fatherly demeanor, looking at Su Wanwan with affectionate eyes and moving his lips, as if trying to appeal to her familial feelings.
However, Su Wanwan kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, completely ignoring his silent performance.
She sat down in her seat, her back ramrod straight, and calmly stared at her biological father, who looked like a clown across from her.
Before the trial, her legal team repeatedly emphasized the following:
No matter what the other party says or does, do not react emotionally, lest they seize upon this as leverage to influence the final judgment.
The judge entered the courtroom, and the trial officially began.
At first, Qu Shiyao was able to stay focused as the prosecutor and lawyer listed Su's father's crimes one by one.
But soon, the lengthy legal clauses and financial terms became like a lullaby, making her eyelids feel heavy.
[Host! Wake up! Don't fall asleep!] The system screamed loudly in her mind, trying to rouse Qu Shiyao.
[You're sitting in the center of the audience! There are tons of reporters and live cameras in front of you! You came in with Su Wanwan, so many eyes are watching! If you fall asleep, you might be on the front page of tomorrow's news section!]
[Shocking! Su family heiress's close friend was found fast asleep in court – is this disregard for the law or a moral lament?]
"Don't worry... I can't sleep..." Qu Shiyao struggled to open her eyes, forcing herself to stay awake, while complaining to the system:
"How can a place like this not even allow you to bring a bag of snacks? That's so inhumane! At least give us a bottle of energy drink to keep us alert!"
【Host, do you think this is a movie theater?! Snacks too!】The system was so shocked by her bizarre thought process that its jaw almost dropped.
"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. I just can't get very interested in these kinds of routine things." Qu Shiyao rested her chin on her hand, trying to stay awake.
Whenever Su Wanwan glanced in her direction, she would return a firm and encouraging smile.
Seeing that her forced composure wasn't working, the system had a sudden inspiration and decided to start sifting through the vast data stream to find interesting anecdotes from the main space and various mission worlds recently.
[Got it! Host, have you heard? The operation to eliminate that thing in the main space is progressing very smoothly lately!] The system said in a tone of sharing a secret:
[Furthermore, all the high-ranking members who participated in this operation are reportedly safe and sound, with no casualties!]
Qu Shiyao's eyes flickered slightly, and she perked up a bit: "Nothing major has happened in that world, has it?"
[This is confidential internal information, and I don't know the details.] The system paused, then lowered its voice.
However, I have a rumor that that world seems to have been forcibly restarted several times.
"You call this smooth sailing?!" Qu Shiyao almost shouted out loud.
"They've restarted it several times already, how could there be no casualties?"
[Maybe that rumor is false? The main space announcement only says everything is going smoothly!] It was trying to salvage some credibility of its own announcement.
Qu Shiyao silently gave it a look.
[Ahem! There's no concrete evidence for this one, let's move on to the next one!] The system quickly switched channels:
[Breaking news! The main system has issued an SSS-level wanted notice! A full-scale manhunt is underway for a defector and her system!]
Its tone was somewhat excited.
[Host, you must have heard of that mission taker! He's the one I mentioned before, the big shot who failed in his sabotage mission!]
The wanted notice states that she tampered with the core program of her bound system, severed the connection between the system and the main space, and colluded with that thing!
[It was precisely because of her inside and outside cooperation that it was able to hide right under the nose of the main space for so long and continue to grow stronger!]
"Did the warrant state the reason for her defection?" Qu Shiyao knew very little about this big shot and couldn't judge his character.
The official explanation given above is that she was bewitched by that thing and fell into depravity, so she needs to be taken back for purification...
"Next." Qu Shiyao interrupted the topic before the system could finish speaking.
She keenly sensed that things were very complicated here, with many illogical points.
But she was just an ordinary person who wanted to finish her mission and go home. She didn't want to get involved in this kind of vortex. She would just listen and not delve into it.
【Alright!】The system immediately understood; it also knew that this was not something they could get involved in.
[Let's tell you something funny! I heard that a mission participant and his partner got into a huge argument on the internal public communication channel! It escalated to the point that it even reached the area administrators!]
Sure enough, this kind of gossip attracted Qu Shiyao's attention even more, and she lifted her half-closed eyelids a little more.
[I heard it's because that task participant complained that his partner was communicating with other task participants' systems too frequently, and he felt neglected.]
[But his system resolutely refused to admit it, instead believing that the tasker had been under too much work pressure lately and had lost his mind... Then it exploded, and they started arguing in the public chat!]
Qu Shiyao sensed something was off: "Why is this tasker so concerned about his system communicating with others...?"
[Oh! I forgot to mention the most crucial point!] The system suddenly realized.
They're a couple! They're bound by a soul contract!
Qu Shiyao's pupils dilated in shock: "???"
It took her a few seconds to process the information: "Platonic systemic love?"
"Um... that's roughly the idea!" The system pondered for a moment and felt that the word was quite fitting.
"So, that system really did have an emotional breakdown?" Qu Shiyao finally said the somewhat awkward word.
"Probably not?" The system's tone was also uncertain.
[Because they seemed to make up shortly after their argument, and were even more affectionate than before. Maybe this is what they mean by young couples arguing, but the more they fight, the stronger their relationship becomes?]
Qu Shiyao disagreed with the system's twisted logic, but the gossip did completely dispel her sleepiness.
There's another one, I heard...
Thus, despite the constant barrage of gossip from the system, some true and some false, Qu Shiyao miraculously remained fully conscious and even listened with great interest.
It wasn't until the judge's gavel fell and the court adjourned for deliberation that she snapped out of her reverie and began to focus on the final outcome.
Without a doubt, the evidence is conclusive and the legal reasoning is clear.
Su Wanwan won a great victory, successfully sending her greedy father to where he belonged to live out his old age in peace.
As for the complex property division dispute between her and her illegitimate children, it needs to be clarified in a separate court hearing.
Almost immediately after the court verdict was announced, related topics on the internet surged to the top of the trending search list.
Thanks to Qu Shiyao's meticulously planned public opinion guidance some time ago, the trend of netizens' comments has now been completely reversed.
Su Wanwan's image transforms from a spoiled and willful rich girl into a pitiful girl who is betrayed by her closest relatives but remains resilient, and then successfully rises to become a representative of the new generation of businesswomen who dare to put righteousness above family ties and have courage and responsibility.
As soon as I stepped out of the courthouse, the media reporters who had been waiting for a long time surged forward like a tide, and their long lenses and microphones instantly surrounded the exit.
Fortunately, Su Wanwan was prepared. Her bodyguard team was well-trained and quickly formed a human wall, creating a passage and helping Su Wanwan and Qu Shiyao get into the waiting vehicle.
Su Wanwan's professional public relations team leader remained behind, calmly facing the media and providing official responses and guiding public opinion.
To celebrate this milestone victory, Su Wanwan took Qu Shiyao to an extremely luxurious restaurant for a lavish celebratory feast.
After the meal, the two returned in a luxury car driven by Su Wanwan's personal bodyguard.
The vehicle travels on a wide, brightly lit main road with heavy traffic, and outside the window is a bustling cityscape at night.
"How do you think of my performance in court today?" Su Wanwan leaned back in her comfortable leather seat, a relaxed smile on her lips, clearly in a very good mood.
"Fantastic!" Qu Shiyao immediately turned her head, gave her two thumbs up, and began to lie through her teeth without even blinking.
"Your presence in court was commanding! Calm and composed, with crystal-clear logic, you were like a queen descending upon the courtroom! I was so excited watching you from below, I almost wanted to stand up and applaud you right there and then!"
Su Wanwan slightly raised her chin, clearly happy, but still trying to maintain a boss-like expression: "Hmph, it was just so-so."
"So what are your specific plans next?" Qu Shiyao asked with a smile, beginning to plan her next move.
"First, we need to deal with those illegitimate children..." Su Wanwan was about to elaborate on her solution.
Sudden!
A blindingly bright light shot out from directly in front of us without warning!
A huge heavy truck was seen driving against traffic at an astonishing speed, hurtling straight toward their lane!
We were so close we could see the driver's twisted and crazed face!
"Watch out!!!" Qu Shiyao's pupils suddenly contracted, and all the nerves in her body tensed up instantly!
Almost instinctively, she grabbed Su Wanwan's nape with her left hand and forcefully pressed her down, firmly protecting her in the small space formed by the seat and her own body!
At the same time, Tan Zhendong, in the driver's seat, widened his eyes. His survival instinct and professionalism left him with almost no time to think. His arm muscles bulged, and he used all his strength to turn the steering wheel sharply to the right in an attempt to avoid the obstacle!
"Bang--!!!!!"
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted!
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