Chapter 387 The Orphanage's Lies: The Handsome Flower Boy 87
In the office, Assistant Zhang knocked on the wooden door.
Shen Ci stood by the window, holding a cup of tea in her hand. The sunlight slanted in, giving her dark gray suit jacket a golden edge.
Mr. Lu was sitting on the sofa against the wall, holding a self-study book on mathematics, physics, and chemistry, seemingly studying.
Oh! His mysterious, wealthy, elegant, and generous boss! Since I started working for her, my salary has increased several times!
Assistant Zhang placed the folder on the mahogany desk and began to report on the situation.
"Mr. Shen, it has been delivered."
Zhou Weimin and his parents were at home discussing how to fabricate a story to gain your sympathy.
He paused, glanced at the sofa, and Lu Jinnian looked up, his eyes filled with a calmness that belied his ordinary youth.
Since President Shen didn't say we should avoid talking to President Lu, then it's okay to report it.
"They said they would fabricate a story about encountering danger on the way, the child getting lost, and the child searching for years, and then use your soft heart and kindness to get back on your good side."
Zhou Weimin was already planning how to use the money after he received it.
Shen Ci turned around, gently swirling the teacup in her hand. She didn't look at her son, but asked first.
What was their reaction when they saw the summons?
Assistant Zhang recalled the situation at the time, saying that the whole family was terrified.
"First they were stunned, then they were scared. Zhou's mother sat on the ground and cried, and Zhou's father collapsed."
Zhou Weimin seemed completely drained, staring blankly at the summons.
"good."
Shen Ci only said one word. She walked behind her desk, sat down, and opened the folder to take a look.
"Have all the documents been submitted to the court?"
"All have been delivered."
The written testimony of Director Lu of the welfare home, the joint testimony of seven villagers from Shenjia Village, the falsified marriage record of you and Zhou Weimin that year, and the weather record of the night the child was abandoned.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the temperature was minus nine degrees Celsius, and heavy snow fell.
The legal team assessed that the chain of evidence was complete, and the chances of winning the case were very high.
Assistant Zhang recounted these events with great familiarity, emphasizing that it would be very difficult for a child to accomplish such feats.
For Lu Jinnian to bring down Zhou Weimin on his own would take far too long and be a constant torment for him.
Shen Ci nodded, then turned her gaze to Lu Jinnian, who had remained silent.
"Xiao Nian, you heard everything."
It's not a question, it's a statement.
Lu Jinnian closed the book and gently stroked the cover with his fingers.
He nodded. His mother never hid anything from him; instead, she would tell him, show him, and then teach him.
"I heard you."
"You'll be going to court in a few days, are you scared?"
The boy remained silent for a long time before finally raising his eyes, his gaze deep yet clear.
"I'm not afraid.
I just don't know how to face it.
He paused, as if searching for a suitable adjective to describe his past.
“When I was a child in an orphanage, I would have nightmares every time it snowed.”
In my dreams, it's always that night when he put me on the stone steps at the entrance of the orphanage and turned to leave.
I cried, but he didn't even turn his head.
The snow was so heavy it covered his footprints and almost covered me too.
Shen Ci felt a tug at her heartstrings.
"Later I realized that I wasn't lost, I was thrown away."
Lu Jinnian's voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay ice that had been frozen for over a decade.
A three-foot layer of ice doesn't form in a single day.
"Just like you said, hatred is a nail driven into the root of a sapling."
The tree has grown tall, but the nail is still inside; it can't be pulled out or dissolved.
Now that we're going to pull out the nails, there's actually some space.
Shen Ci thought for a moment about how to melt the ice in his heart, as it is difficult for people to truly empathize.
Even those with strong empathy can only cry for him, but cannot bear his pain for him.
The term "empathy" can sometimes be insincere. True empathy means experiencing what the other person went through and feeling the pain they endured.
“Xiao Nian, you’re not pulling out nails, you’re telling that tree, look, the nails are rusted, they can’t hurt you anymore.”
The tree will continue to grow, taller and stronger than any nail.
Her voice was as gentle yet powerful as ever. Lu Jinnian looked up, a faint light in his eyes.
Shen Ci sat down beside him and looked into his eyes.
"In court, you don't have to speak, you don't have to look at him, you don't have to do anything."
All you have to do is sit there and let everyone see that the child who was abandoned in the snow back then is now alive and well, and has grown up so well.
This is the most compelling testimony.
You are a victim, you are a witness, and you are testimony.
The boy took a deep breath and nodded. It was his first time experiencing this, so he was bound to feel apprehensive and uneasy.
But it's okay. He's not facing this alone. He has many relatives and many people who love him. Love itself is a powerful force.
He's only fifteen years old, just starting high school. Shen Ci thinks it's already remarkable that he's brave enough to live this long.
A few days later, the Dongcheng District People's Court of Beijing.
The courtroom was small, with about twenty people seated in the gallery.
The eldest brother, Shen Guodong, and his mother arrived from the Shen family. They sat in the first row, their backs ramrod straight.
Zhou's parents also came, huddled in the corner of the last row, their faces grim. Several street officials and women's federation members sat in the middle, their expressions serious.
Besides being from the subdistrict office, they are now also Shen's mother's colleagues. Shen's mother can take root wherever she is and has become a formal employee of the subdistrict office.
Moreover, he performed outstandingly and had excellent results. He not only mediated between several families who were arguing, but also brought together several couples and acted as a matchmaker on several occasions.
Shen Ci and Lu Jinnian sat in the plaintiff's seat.
Shen Ci wore a dark blue Lenin suit, while Lu Jinnian wore a white shirt and navy blue trousers, which was the most presentable outfit for middle school students at the time.
He sat very upright, but also a little stiff.
I'm about to see that person, not just stealing a glance, but a real face-to-face meeting.
He is ready to confront his fears and shadows.
When Zhou Weimin was wheeled in by bailiffs, it caused a low commotion.
His clothes looked faded from washing, unlike their usual bright and shiny appearance. His hair was also somewhat disheveled, and he was huddled in his wheelchair like a frightened mouse.
This is not Zhou Weimin's style at all; it's more like he's playing the victim and trying to portray himself as a victim.
Zhou Weimin appeared timid, but his eyes swept across the room like searchlights, finally settling on Shen Ci.
A look of amazement flashed in his eyes. He felt like he had seen this person somewhere before.
Who would have thought that the rustic country girl would grow up to be like this, a complete city person.
Money really does make a difference; she looks completely different now that she's rich, even more beautiful than when she was younger.
If it weren't for his future prospects, he would quite like Shen Ci's appearance.
He doesn't even consider whether he's worthy of it.
Looking to the side, she saw the boy next to her, who must be the child she had abandoned, but she only glanced at him before quickly looking away.
The presiding judge was an elderly judge in his fifties, with a square face and sharp eyes.
He struck the gavel.
"Court is now in session. Plaintiff, please read the complaint."
Shen Ci's lawyer stood up. She was a female lawyer in her forties, surnamed Chen. She spoke crisply and acted decisively.
"Presiding Judge, Honorable Judges."
On behalf of the plaintiff, Lu Jinnian, and her legal guardian, Ms. Shen Ci, I am filing a criminal incidental civil lawsuit against the defendant, Zhou Weimin, for alleged abandonment, marriage fraud, and forgery of documents.
"First, regarding the crime of abandonment."
On the evening of the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month in 1968, the defendant Zhou Weimin abandoned his four-year-old biological son, Lu Jinnian, outside the welfare home.
The temperature that night was minus nine degrees Celsius, and it snowed heavily.
If the orphanage staff hadn't discovered the child in time, he could very likely have frozen to death on the street.
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