0020 Cold-blooded Animals
Qu Zhong didn't care about the online comments about her, but Lin Qianqian and Feng Jing couldn't stand it. They each used a separate account to retaliate against every single negative comment.
However, outnumbered by the enemy, Lin Qianqian immediately thought of the ancient five-rite system and proposed: "Why don't I just let all the 'One Ground of Paulownia Flowers,' 'Flowing Clouds and Water,' 'Green Grass,' 'Magnificent Waves,' 'Peaceful Life,' and 'Supreme Goodness Like Water' join us?"
These four-character idioms are all WeChat names of Lin Qianqian's relatives. Because they are so similar, the three of them often use these names to refer to their identities.
She appreciated their kindness, but remained rational: "No need. Whatever they say, as long as I don't look, they can't hurt me."
She told Feng Jing and Lin Qianqian not to bother with these netizens anymore, and the two of them gave up.
Feng Jing asked her, "How do you plan to defend yourself?"
Qu Zhong's line of reasoning was clear: "As long as it can be proven that Bai Qing had sexual intercourse with Chen Xi voluntarily, it is not rape."
Because a key element of the crime of rape is that it is committed against the woman's will.
Lin Qianqian: "Is that possible?"
"Based on what Chen Xi has told me so far, it's not impossible."
Qu Zhong didn't go into the details of the case in the group chat. A lawyer's first professional ethic is confidentiality, so Feng Jing and Lin Qianqian didn't ask any further questions.
Of course, everything will have to wait until she sees the grading records.
Before Qu Zhong could find the updated information about the prosecutor in charge on the official website of the litigation service, she received a WeChat message from Zhai Shi.
She's usually the one to initiate contact regarding work-related matters. She knows his eight-digit landline number by heart. They never discuss work on WeChat.
Qu Zhong found it somewhat strange, but didn't ask any further questions.
Of course, Zhai didn't say anything more and just told her to go to the Third Department to get the already burned CDs for reviewing the papers.
Qu Zhong quickly passed. But after meeting him and getting the CD, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she asked to meet Bai Qing to find out more about the situation.
Generally, anyone with a vested interest in the defendant is not allowed to approach the victim. However, Qu Zhong indicated that she could meet Bai Qing at the prosecutor's office, and that he could be present and guarantee he wouldn't cause any trouble.
Zhai agreed. He chose the reception room as the meeting place, rather than the interrogation room, because he wanted to downplay Bai Qing's status as a victim and minimize any negative impact on her.
Qu Zhong arrived later than the agreed time.
Every minute that Qu Zhong was late, Bai Qing, who was sitting in the reception room waiting for her as instructed by Zhai Shi, was restless. Staying in such a confined space for so long was too much of a torment for her.
Zhai noticed her unusual behavior and comforted her, "Relax, just tell her the truth about what you answered me."
Bai Qing nodded and began to take long breaths to regulate her heartbeat.
After a long while, Qu Zhong finally pushed the door open and came in. She was dressed as formally as if she were going to court today, which surprised Zhai.
Before he could react, Qu Zhong sat down opposite them and introduced himself to Bai Qing: "Ms. Bai, I am Chen Xi's defense lawyer. I am here to see you today to confirm some things. Please forgive me for taking up your time."
Upon hearing the name Chen Xi, Bai Qing's heart skipped a beat, and a look of resistance spread from the depths of her heart to the corners of her eyes. Coupled with Qu Zhong's serious words, she subconsciously looked to Zhai Shi for help.
Zhai understood her mindset and immediately advised Qu Zhong: "If you have any questions, please keep it brief."
"Okay, then I'll just ask."
"Miss Bai, you took Chen Xi's Modern Literature Appreciation course. You always sat in the front row in his class, and you would often go to his office after class to discuss problems with him, right?"
Zhai told her to keep it short, but instead she launched into a long-winded explanation, asking a question that was incredibly vivid in her mind.
Bai Qing's eyelids fluttered several times as images of memories flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. She lowered her head slightly and uttered a single word as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Yes."
Qu Zhong asked directly: "You like Chen Xi?"
How could she not like him? Professor Chen was exceptionally talented and erudite, shining like the sun on the podium. Bai Qing felt that he himself was a literary work worth reading for a lifetime. But she never expected…
Bai Qing stared blankly at Qu Zhong, offering no reply. Her eyes were devoid of warmth, content, and even emptiness.
Qu Zhong ignored him and continued to ask, "Later, you went to the hospital for a checkup immediately. I've seen the injury assessment report, which mentions that your chest has marks from being squeezed by a hard object..."
Zhai sensed something was wrong and interrupted her, saying, "Attorney Qu, you should be mindful of your words."
He wanted her to stop, but Qu Zhong didn't back down at all: "I think the most likely scenario is that you were in a doggy-style position, and he pinned you against the wall..."
These calm and collected statements were like the most agonizing torture Bai Qing could endure. Each word was like a knife wound; she felt her limbs were already a bloody mess, yet the executioner just wouldn't stop.
Bai Qing bit her lip, her entire upper body trembling, as fragile as a cloud about to wither. Tears welled in her eyes; she feared that if she asked another question, the dam would burst.
So Zhai spoke up to stop him: "Qu Zhong, that's enough."
He lost all patience and practically yelled at her.
The reception room fell into a deathly silence, the air pressure as high as the deepest part of the sea.
Qu Zhong was forced to look up at him; his handsome features were filled with an oppressive aura.
Zhai regained some of his normal voice and said to Bai Qing, "Go to the outer hall and wait for me."
Only after confirming that Bai Qing had completely left did he look intently at Qu Zhong.
In that one glance, everything he hadn't understood before became clear. The reason she was late and dressed like that was all a deliberate act to force Bai Qing to speak.
But it was he who agreed to let her meet Bai Qing, making him her one-sided accomplice. How ridiculous!
Zhai stared at her, his tone chilling: "You said you wouldn't do anything reckless."
Qu Zhong was already upset because she couldn't get the questions she wanted to ask. His questioning manner only added to her displeasure: "How am I being reckless? I'm asking about important facts related to the case."
"Fine." She showed no remorse, and Zhai's anger surged: "So you insist on taking this case, is that it?"
Qu Zhong didn't understand what he meant: "What, you're not going to take the lawyer's fees that are offered to you?"
Lawyer fees. If she had said anything else, Zhai wouldn't have gotten so agitated: "Lawyer fees, lawyer fees, is this little bit of money really that important?"
His absurd remarks infuriated Qu Zhong, whose voice turned sharp: "Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? Money isn't important, what is? You're not going to talk to me about fairness and justice, are you?"
Zhai stared at her incredulously, as if he had never met her before.
Qu Zhong, who told him that crimes and punishments are based on law, who was neither humble nor arrogant in court, who would look at him with a smile, and who would act coquettishly and beg for mercy under him, should not have said these things.
But she did say it, and she went even further: "As long as there are lawyer fees, I can write lawsuits for loan sharks, draw up agreements for embezzlers and bribe-takers, and of course I can defend rapists."
Qu Zhong remained calm throughout, showing no sign of joy or sorrow, as if stating a well-known, unverifiable fact.
"Zhai, you think you're so great and amazing just because you're wearing this uniform? Then go and uphold the so-called fairness and justice of this society. I don't have your abilities. From the moment I chose to become a criminal defense lawyer, I, Qu Zhong, was destined not to be accepted by the majority of society because I stand on the opposite side of people's basic sense of justice. I speak for the wicked, and according to those who criticize me online, I am even more despicable than the criminals themselves."
In the minds of those netizens, what kind of criminal defense lawyer is Qu Zhong? He's a dog that wags its tail and fawns over money, a rat that everyone wants to kill once it comes out of its hole, he's not even human.
Qu Zhong could ignore those vicious curses and insults, but at this moment she wanted to hear Zhai Shi admit it himself: "This lawyer is only interested in profit and aids and abets evil. Do you think so of me too?"
Lawyers are usually eloquent, and this one in front of me is especially sharp-tongued. She's on the defense, so speaking up for the defendant is her duty. But he's on the prosecution; he has people he needs to protect.
Zhai didn't intend to answer her last question. He sat up straight and said solemnly, "You don't need to flatter me or make your profession sound so heroic. I can understand that you're doing your job by exhausting all means to defend Chen Xi. But in a criminal case, besides the defendant, there is also a victim. You keep talking about protecting the defendant's legal rights, but does that mean the suffering of the victim is completely unimportant?"
Before Qu Zhong could answer, he continued, interrogating her as if she were Chen Xi's accomplice: "Qu Zhong, in the past, no matter how much you argued with me, I always countered your moves. But in this case, I cannot condone your approach. Besides being a lawyer, you are also a woman. Just now, you asked Bai Qing those questions so coldly. Didn't you have a shred of compassion?"
Cold-blooded...
Qu Zhong never expected to hear this word used to describe her from Zhai Shi's mouth.
The moment she saw Zhai Shi in the reception room, she felt that he was different from any of the judicial and prosecutorial personnel she had encountered before.
He was neither arrogant nor aggressive. Qu Zhong saw absolutely none of that quality in him—what's that word called? Official arrogance. Yes, official arrogance. He would meet her gaze with equal eyes, as if he were attentively listening to every word she said.
So Qu Zhong had him figured out, and dared to act tough and domineering in front of him time and time again. In front of this man, she seemed to be the strong and assertive one.
Yet this same Zhai Shi, just now, was called cold-blooded. Even though the words used online were far more offensive, she still got really angry because of those two words.
She gritted her teeth and raised her voice: "Yes, I am such a cold-blooded person. Is this the first day you've met me? You should have seen through me a long time ago."
Her gaze sharpened, her eyes filled with a desperate, oppressive intensity: "Even if you can't agree with what I'm doing, even if you hate me right now and think I'm unreasonable, you'll still sleep with me tonight, won't you?"
"Zhai Shi, aren't you a slut?"
The reception room fell silent again because of her last words.
She had never lost her composure like this before, leaving Zhai speechless.
They stared at each other in silence, neither willing to give in.
After a long silence, Zhai finally spoke up: "Don't go off on a tangent. You know that's not what I meant."
Qu Zhong stood up, slammed the door shut without looking back, and left.
She didn't know if she was going in the right direction; she only felt a stinging and soreness in her nose, her vision blurred, and her breathing became difficult.
Soon, a tear slid down her cheek. She raised the back of her hand to gently wipe it away, but it was no use; more and more warm liquid welled up and spilled out, making her look terrible and disheveled.
She walked away crying, but then she suddenly laughed, thinking to herself: Thank goodness, thank goodness that person didn't see her looking like this.
So, she hasn't lost yet. As long as the defense hasn't lost, Chen Xi hasn't.
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