0003 Legality of Crimes and Punishments (Part 2)
"Teacher Zhai, are you alright?" Seeing that Zhai hadn't taken any further action, the intern couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Zhai then regained his composure, shook his head, and led the intern to sit opposite Qu Zhong.
But he was still reeling from the shock. She was a lawyer. Why was she a lawyer?
Zhai didn't understand; just minutes before, he had mistakenly thought she was a "technician" in this organized prostitution ring.
During the years he worked as a prosecutor's assistant, he often accompanied prosecutors to court, and he had never seen a lawyer act like her. It didn't matter what she wore on the subway, but she didn't even change for here.
Her white breasts and thighs were exposed to him without any restraint.
The area below her face is undoubtedly considered indecent to look at by any normal man. Not to mention Zhai, who even masturbated in the prosecutor's office bathroom this morning because of her.
So he tried to keep his gaze fixed on her face, constantly reminding himself that they were working, that the prosecution and defense were conducting serious communication on a criminal case.
Fortunately, skipping all pleasantries and roundabout talk, Qu Zhen got straight to the point: "Prosecutor Zhai, regarding the charges against my client, my opinion differs from that of the police. I believe Xue Bo's actions did not constitute organizing prostitution, but rather assisting in organizing prostitution. I hope you can consider this."
Her face was covered with a light layer of makeup, like an uncolored sketch, simple and serene with just a few strokes. But her lips were like the most bold and vibrant stroke in an oil painting, a striking bright red, alluring and magnificent.
Zhai remembered that when she took the subway that morning, her lipstick wasn't this dark. Now, it looked like a carefully prepared base color for sitting here and talking to him.
Zhai Shi's gaze was immediately drawn to her red lips as they opened and closed; how could they be so moist and beautiful?
Looks very friendly...
At times like this, even desire can override reason. Zhai mentally slapped himself.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, clearing his mind of the inappropriate lewd thoughts, and said calmly, "No need. I believe the evidence against Xue Bo for organizing prostitution is already sufficient. I suggest Attorney Qu not waste time on such trivial matters..."
His words displeased Qu Zhong, and she immediately interrupted him, singled out the most offensive word: "Irrelevant?"
“Yes,” Zhai met her gaze, his voice becoming unusually calm, “What matters to your client is how many years of imprisonment they will serve.”
Oh, it's just another Xu Yanru. Qu Zhong scoffed inwardly.
Then she curled her lips, but not in a smile, and changed the subject: "What I wanted to talk to you about today is no less important than these things."
She knew Zhai was watching her, but she remained calm and continued, "As far as I know, the only evidence you have is the statements of your accomplices and the prostitutes."
Zhai finally understood; this wasn't communication at all. Her arrogant attitude was practically an insult, accusing him of being incompetent and ignorant of the law.
Zhai pursed her lips but did not refute her: "This is enough."
A flicker of excitement flashed across Qu Zhong's face, as if she had been waiting for him to say this. She interlaced her fingers on the table and raised her voice to continue his words: "Then you should know very well what the relationship is between Zhang Honglin and Xue Bo. He introduced Xue Bo to work at the teahouse, and he also pulled Xue Bo into the so-called 'shareholder group,' even though Xue Bo did not actually hold any shares."
Whether Xue Bo is an organized criminal depends, according to current judicial practice, on the crucial point of determining whether he holds shares.
The current situation is that Xue Bo is indeed in the "Xiangwei Xiaochu" shareholder group, and other accomplices have identified everyone in the group as a shareholder. However, Xue Bo insists that he has never invested any money, let alone received any dividends.
In this reception room, Qu Zhong directly threw the focus of the case's controversy in his face, and Zhai really felt like he was participating in a mock trial during his student days.
His long-dormant competitive spirit was reignited, and Zhai's eyes sharpened, turning as dark as the deep night, but his tone remained calm: "Zhang Honglin and Xue Bo are related by marriage, so his testimony against Xue Bo is more convincing."
Upon hearing this, Qu Zhong remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was in turmoil. She thought to herself that this person must be doing this on purpose; she was stating the facts to him, but he was insisting on bringing up the issue of evidence, and this conversation was going to end badly.
After a few seconds of silence, Qu Zhong brought up the topic at the right moment. She pursed her lips and said, "How about this, you burn the case file materials onto a disc and bring it back to me. I'll study it carefully and then we'll talk again later."
This is against the rules, was Zhai's first reaction.
"You need to submit an application on the litigation service website first. After the case management staff receives the application, someone will schedule an appointment with you."
He was about to say that, but then he thought: We're already here, is it really necessary to go through all this trouble?
Seeing that he neither agreed nor disagreed, Qu Zhong patiently crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
Being watched closely, scrutinized, and analyzed left Zhai somewhat dazed. It was the first time he had experienced what it was like to be a defendant, and it wasn't a good feeling.
To make matters worse, he found he couldn't say no to her.
Oh no, who is the prosecution and who is the defense?
Although he was seething inside, Zhai decided to handle things officially. He then spoke to the intern next to him, saying, "Go to room 402 and find Teacher Zhang, the case manager. Tell her that Zhai from Department Three has a case about organized prostitution and ask her to burn a disc for me. It's urgent."
The intern stood up in response, and he added:
"Wait there for a moment, it'll be quick."
The intern nodded and said he understood.
Now only he and Qu Zhong were left in the reception room, and the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. Zhai felt a slight restlessness in his heart, and unconsciously his gaze shifted to her ample figure.
But the next second, Qu Zhong raised an eyebrow and spoke in a way that was astonishing:
"Prosecutor Zhai, have you seen enough?"
Zhai looked up at her in surprise, only to be met with a pair of eyes brimming with a wicked smile. Her lips curled into an equally triumphant grin: "You like me that much there?"
Qu Zhong recognized him at first glance.
She takes the same subway to and from work every day. In the cramped and crowded carriages, her attire attracts a lot of stares, which she's long been used to. When she's in a good mood, she ignores them; when she's in a bad mood, she'll glare back with all her might.
But today, she met a strange person on the subway. Qu Zhong swears by the Criminal Code that he is the best-looking person she has ever seen in a white shirt. There's no artifice, no pretense, just perfect weariness.
One stood, one sat; one was tall, one was short. Face to face, inches apart, his meticulously styled hair, the Adam's apple escaping from behind the last button of his collar, and the flowing lines of his waist faintly visible... any one of these things was alluring enough.
Qu Zhong sensed that he was looking at her, but he was too dishonest. Half of his face showed restraint, and the other half showed desire; he had dragged himself into an irreconcilable contradiction.
I want to control myself, but I can't help but restrain myself.
That's really interesting.
Out of teasing and curiosity, after a few stops, Qu Zhong deliberately used her coat to cover up her exposed body parts with a "whoosh," just to see if the person would still show a shy expression on their face.
Unfortunately, his final destination has arrived.
She never expected to see him here again.
Hilarious! This guy actually changed into a uniform just to greet her.
"You... I don't understand what you're saying." Zhai Shi's expression was stiff. Even now, he was still trying to deny it. His clumsy attempt at composure only made him look more ridiculous to Qu Zhong.
Qu Zhong's smile deepened, but her words left no room for argument. She looked down at him and asked, "Prosecutor Zhai, how many times did you do it after you got off the subway?"
He even deliberately used a respectful title, so Zhai could no longer pretend to be indifferent. His eyes were as cold as ice, and his words were: "Attorney Qu, please have some self-respect."
He tried to stop her, ordering her not to say anything more.
Qu Zhong was the type who wouldn't listen to force but would respond to gentleness. The more aggressive he became, the more arrogant she grew. She raised her head and sneered, "Huh? Did I hear that right? From the moment you walked in until now, the words 'want' have been welded to your face. And now you're telling me to have some self-respect?"
Her eyes were bright and clear, but her words were aggressive, as if an invisible hand was forcing Zhai to accept the fact that the woman on the subway and Xue Bo's defense lawyer were the same person.
Zhai has fair skin, and when she heard these increasingly outrageous words, her face and neck almost instantly turned red, and her eyes blazed with fury.
If the intern hadn't walked in with the burned CDs, he doesn't know what outrageous things he might have done.
The intern wasn't stupid. Seeing that the two were silent and the atmosphere was strange, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. But she could only muster up her courage and take the initiative to hand over the CD: "Teacher Zhai, it's done."
Zhai didn't even want to look at it, and simply said, "Give it to her."
That's terrifying! The intern was so scared she almost cried.
Qu Zhong laughed easily instead. She stood up, her high heels clicking crisply on the floor, and slowly walked to Zhai Shi's side, taking the CD from his hand.
As she left, she held onto the back of his chair, leaning very close, completely ignoring the pale-faced intern standing behind her. She breathed into his ear, which was flushed red, and said, word by word:
"Thank you, Prosecutor Zhai."
Without waiting for his response, she turned around briskly after speaking and then slowly walked out of the reception room.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
