CM | Chapter 34

The first trial in the “Tian Fang intentional homicide case” lasted three hours. By noon, Gu Yao walked out of the courthouse with a blank face, found her car, and the first thing she did was call Xu Shuo.

The old phone connected quickly. Xu Shuo said “hello,” then yawned after it.

Gu Yao went straight to the point. “Where are you?”

Xu Shuo didn’t answer, only asked back, “The trial’s over?”

“Cut the crap. One o’clock this afternoon, meet me in the detention center parking lot.”

As soon as Gu Yao finished speaking, she cut the call and drove straight toward the detention center.

On the way there, she kept replaying everything that had happened in court. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that some turning-point event must have happened yesterday between Tian Fang, Xu Shuo, and Wang Chong. Otherwise, Tian Fang’s and Wang Chong’s attitudes could not have shifted so suddenly.

Gu Yao was so absorbed in her thoughts that she drove all the way to the detention center without stopping to eat. There were no commercial buildings around the detention center either, just a barren stretch of nothing. In the end, she had no choice but to sit in the car and wait.

After about twenty minutes, Gu Yao grew impatient. The sunlight had dropped lower, and the temperature inside the car was gradually rising, so she turned off the engine and stood outside, drinking water while checking the time.

Before long, a Range Rover drove over from a distance.

Xu Shuo parked the car, sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, smiling with that sanctimonious face of his, while carrying two food bags in his hands.

He hadn’t even reached her yet, and the smell had already drifted over.

Gu Yao glanced over subconsciously and suddenly felt hungry.

Xu Shuo came to a stop in front of her, grinning. “You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Here, freshly made egg-filled pancakes.”

Gu Yao didn’t stand on ceremony. She took it, opened the bag, and took a bite first, then commented, “Seems like they put in more than one egg.”

Xu Shuo leaned against Gu Yao’s car and said as he ate, “Three.”

Gu Yao froze. “Why put in so many?”

Xu Shuo said, “Don’t blame me. It was the stall owner’s wife who insisted. On the way here, I saw two places selling egg-filled pancakes. If you sat down to eat, you could also get free cornmeal porridge, and oh, there was tiger vegetable salad too. The wives at the two stalls were different, one older and one younger. I originally wanted to buy from the older one, but the younger one suddenly told me that if I bought from her, she’d put in two eggs. I got happy and was about to buy from the younger one, but then the older one got anxious and said, ‘Young man, you’re handsome, buy from me and I’ll give you three!'”

Gu Yao’s expression instantly turned subtle. “…”

It wasn’t until she silently finished half of it that she finally couldn’t help asking, “How much is one pancake? Did those three eggs make it more expensive?”

“Of course not, five yuan each.”

Gu Yao shot him a鄙视, or rather, a disdainful look. “Aren’t you loaded? You’d still take advantage of something this cheap?”

“Why are you talking about me like that? If I hadn’t guessed you hadn’t eaten, I definitely would have stayed to have cornmeal porridge and tiger vegetable salad. You have no idea how thick that cornmeal was, or how crisp the tiger vegetable salad was.”

As he spoke, Xu Shuo paused, as if he suddenly remembered something. Then he took a ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Gu Yao.

Gu Yao lowered her eyes and looked. It was a receipt from a luxury goods store.

“What is this?”

Xu Shuo said, “Last time you stepped on my leather shoe and left a mark. I sent it for maintenance, but it couldn’t be restored, so I had to buy a new pair.”

Gu Yao’s expression went blank. “… You wear three-thousand-euro leather shoes, but you still take advantage of other people over three eggs?”

Xu Shuo blinked, looking quite innocent. “That kick you gave me, my dashcam happened to catch it. If you don’t believe me, I can even mail that pair of shoes to your home and let you inspect the evidence in person.”

Gu Yao drew in a breath and said with a fake smile, “I’m not paying you three thousand euros. If you’re not satisfied, sue me. Anyway, you don’t have any cases on hand right now.”

Xu Shuo immediately looked at her in a new light. “So you’re shameless too. Since when did Miss Gu learn my signature skill?”

Gu Yao ignored him. She stuffed the last bite of the egg-filled pancake into her mouth, took a sip of water, then pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth and hands before stuffing the used tissue back into the bag.

When she looked up again, she just happened to see oil starting to leak from the egg-filled pancake in Xu Shuo’s hand, sliding down his long fingers and about to drip into his sleeve.

Gu Yao didn’t even think about it. Almost instantly, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve, forcing his hand downward.

Under Xu Shuo’s surprised gaze, Gu Yao even handed him a wet tissue with a disgusted look and said, “Wipe your hands.”

After Xu Shuo wiped his hands and mouth, he asked, “How does it taste? You’ve never had a pancake this good before, right?”

Gu Yao looked away. She didn’t want to talk about such an unimportant topic with him.

Xu Shuo took the two garbage bags and threw them into the nearby trash can, then came back and said, “That stall owner promised me that as long as I keep coming back, she’ll give me three eggs for five yuan.”

Gu Yao finally snapped. “What exactly did you say to Tian Fang yesterday?”

Xu Shuo smiled innocently. “Did something happen at today’s trial?”

Gu Yao said, “When the presiding judge was reading out the defendant’s lawful procedural rights, Tian Fang was still very calm at first, with hardly any emotional fluctuation. But when the presiding judge said she could request the collection of new evidence, or ask for a reappraisal or inspection, Tian Fang’s hands suddenly clasped together like this. She seemed to care a lot about that line. Was the evidence Wang Chong submitted not comprehensive enough?”

Xu Shuo gave an “oh” and folded his arms, not picking up the thread.

Gu Yao went on, “The third point said that, besides the defense counsel representing the defendant, the defendant also has the right to defend herself during the trial. At that moment, Tian Fang’s expression changed again. She even shot a side glance at Wang Chong, and it was a very suspicious look.”

“Just two expressions, and you started suspecting me?”

“More than that. When the presiding judge announced the members of the panel, the last one was Tian Fang’s defense lawyer, Wang Chong. Tian Fang had originally been looking down, but then she suddenly lifted her head, and her lips moved a little. It looked like she wanted to say something, but held back.”

Xu Shuo smiled. “According to Article 254 of the Interpretation of the Criminal Procedure Law, if the defendant refuses defense counsel’s representation in court and requests to retain another defense lawyer or have one appointed, the court should allow it.”

“You mean Tian Fang already had the thought of replacing Wang Chong? Then why didn’t she bring it up?”

“Because she knows very well that although she has the right to hire lawyers from two firms to defend her jointly, my defense angle and Wang Chong’s defense angle are completely opposed. So once she decides to use me, she has to kick Wang Chong out first. But that would mean directly offending both Jiangcheng Gene and Zhaoyang Law Firm, and pinning all her bets on me, this little lawyer. Emotionally, she’s already no longer able to accept Wang Chong, but reason stopped her in time from doing something stupid. Also, if Tian Fang really hires me as her defense lawyer, then once she finds my defense unsatisfactory, she still has one chance to refuse counsel again, and the court will still approve it. But after that, she can no longer hire any lawyer and must defend herself. So at this critical point, changing lawyers is extremely difficult for her.”

Gu Yao frowned and said, “After the prosecution read out the indictment, they started questioning Tian Fang in court. But strangely, Tian Fang actually said she didn’t remember the statement she gave at the police station. Then came the cross-examination and debate between both sides. Throughout the whole process, Wang Chong was very passive… There was originally supposed to be a witness present, but because Wang Chong submitted a medical examination report for the witness, the presiding judge allowed the witness not to appear in court. From then on, Wang Chong worked very hard to explain Tian Fang’s statement. For example, Tian Fang said she and Lian Qiyun had special fetishes and that was how the injuries on her body came about. Wang Chong also raised objections, saying that Tian Fang had psychological problems, and when her emotions became too agitated and excited, she could no longer be judged by the standards of a normal person. At that moment, both she and Lian Qiyun were pathological, and she had completely forgotten Lian Qiyun’s heart condition and that such intense sex could have caused Lian Qiyun to die suddenly on the spot.”

When he heard this, Xu Shuo snorted with laughter. “Obviously, Wang Chong had been forced by Tian Fang until she had no move left.”

Gu Yao asked, “How so?”

“If Wang Chong says Tian Fang has psychological problems, then she has to produce medical proof, and there’s no way she could get that in half a day. Even if she submits a later medical exam, the prosecution can still challenge it. For example, the psychologist’s contact time with Tian Fang was too short. Or, if Tian Fang really had psychological problems, why had there been no relevant examination report over the past twenty-plus years? Why wasn’t she taking medication? Why didn’t the police and forensic team discover this after she was arrested? Why would Zhaoyang knowingly hire Tian Fang even though they knew she had mental issues? The prosecution could even bring in another psychologist to refute the accuracy of Tian Fang’s mental examination from a medical standpoint.”

Gu Yao didn’t say anything for a long time.

Xu Shuo continued, “Actually, by this point, Wang Chong’s defense had already collapsed. Everyone could see that she was just ‘arguing against the obvious.’ But if they wanted to convict Tian Fang of ‘intentional homicide,’ the prosecution still had to produce stronger evidence.”

Gu Yao nodded. “Right. They produced a forensic report proving that Lian Qiyun had bruises on part of his body, especially on both cheeks near the corners of his mouth, where there were very clear finger marks. After comparison, those finger marks and the fingerprints on them matched Tian Fang perfectly. In other words, Tian Fang had once covered Lian Qiyun’s mouth, as if afraid he would spit something out. The forensic examiner also found a lot of undigested pills in Lian Qiyun’s stomach and esophagus.”

This was a little unexpected.

Xu Shuo raised his brows. “So Tian Fang forcibly drugged Lian Qiyun?”

“According to the forensic test, the dosage was enough to kill an adult. Even if Lian Qiyun hadn’t had a heart attack, he would have died from an overdose.”

As Gu Yao spoke, she watched Xu Shuo’s expression. Although he was wearing sunglasses, the solemn look on his face was still unmistakable. His thick brows slanted sharply into his temples, and his cheeks were slightly drawn in.

Gu Yao added, “Even as an outsider, I think this case is not optimistic. You could almost say the evidence is conclusive. Even so, you still want to take this case from them?”

Xu Shuo suddenly straightened up and stretched, then, under Gu Yao’s glare, he smiled and asked, “If I say yes, will you help me?”

Gu Yao fell silent.

Xu Shuo asked, “Wang Chong is already at the end of the rope. I’m Tian Fang’s only hope. Don’t you sympathize with what she’s been through?”

Gu Yao didn’t agree, but she didn’t refuse either. “I don’t think I can help you with anything.”

“Like last time, break through Tian Fang’s psychological defenses.”

Gu Yao lowered her head and actually started acting coy.

Seeing that, Xu Shuo found it funny, but he still tactfully lowered his voice and said in a tone like the Big Bad Wolf tempting Little Red Riding Hood, “Maybe after Tian Fang is acquitted, she’ll take the initiative to tell you about her relationship with Zhu Shengxi? Aren’t you curious where that photo of ‘jeane bar’ came from?”

Gu Yao lifted her eyelids. Her gaze was cold and mocking. “Using the same provocation twice is boring. How about this, as long as I help you persuade Tian Fang, that three thousand euros is written off.”

The two of them arrived at the visitation room. When Tian Fang came out, Gu Yao asked a few more questions.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me? I need at least a general understanding first, or if things get exposed later, that won’t be on me.”

Xu Shuo rested both arms behind his head, leaned back in the chair, and crossed his long legs. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Tian Fang’s younger sister is called Tian Tian. She’s not even eighteen yet. Tian Fang is her only guardian, and the two sisters have no father or mother. Their grandparents are all gone too, and those distant aunts and uncles aren’t close to them either.”

Gu Yao paused. “You mean Lian Qiyun sexually assaulted an underage girl?”

“More than that. Tian Tian also has cognitive impairment. Her intelligence is only at the level of a thirteen-year-old.”

What?

Gu Yao’s expression changed immediately.

Xu Shuo raised a brow. “Do you feel like he’s worse than an animal, and that he deserved to die?”

Gu Yao didn’t take the bait and instead asked, “Anything else?”

“In the eyes of Lian Qiyun’s coworkers and family, he was a model man, successful in his career, protective of his wife and daughter, friendly to colleagues, and widely connected. His wife probably didn’t know about that kind of fetish at all. Actually, before Lian Qiyun got involved with Tian Fang, he’d had a mistress before. He hid it very well, and I don’t know why they broke up, but that woman definitely knew about Lian Qiyun’s strange fetish. I’ve already had Xiao Chuan look into it.”

Gu Yao asked, “And after you find her, do you plan to have her testify in court?”

Xu Shuo did not answer that question. Instead, he asked, “By the way, do you know Tian Fang received first-aid training?”

Gu Yao froze. “First-aid training?”

“When Tian Fang was in college, she volunteered with a rescue team. To take care of her younger sister, she learned a lot of medical knowledge. Xiao Chuan also found a short video online that happened to catch Tian Fang performing CPR on a patient while she was with the rescue team, successfully saving the patient’s life.”

Gu Yao fell silent.

If the prosecution found out about this, it would be another piece of evidence unfavorable to Tian Fang.

After a few seconds, Gu Yao asked again, “What else do you know? Just tell me all at once.”

Xu Shuo’s smile faded a little. He lowered both hands, and his dark eyes met Gu Yao’s from a distance. Then he slowly spat out a few words.

“Lian Qiyun had a hidden disease.”

Gu Yao froze again.

“The semen sample I found at the scene yesterday has already been tested. I think when Lian Qiyun had sex with his wife, he should have used protection, but he probably didn’t protect himself with the Tian sisters. In other words, Lian Qiyun was very likely the one who infected them with that hidden disease.”

Gu Yao’s gaze turned cold. “He sexually assaulted an underage girl with cognitive impairment, sexually abused others, had a hidden disease himself and infected other people with it…”

Xu Shuo picked up the thread. “Pretty scum, right?”

“Mm.”

“Feel like he died without a shred of injustice?”

“…”

“Sigh, Tian Fang is clearly ridding the public of harm, but she still has to be charged with ‘intentional homicide.’ Zhaoyang Law Firm could clearly help her clear her name, but they insist on turning it into ‘negligent homicide.'”

Gu Yao didn’t say anything, but she thought of what Du Tong had said in the video the day before, for the sake of the bigger picture, Tian Fang had to pay for the whole thing.

At that moment, a warm breath suddenly brushed past her ear, and then that malicious voice slipped into it. “Your boyfriend, in order to protect his company’s reputation, is actually willing to help Lian Qiyun cover up these filthy, disgraceful crimes, and even sacrifice the two Tian sisters. Tsk, tsk… Your taste in men is pretty unique.”

Gu Yao startled and turned her head quickly.

Xu Shuo didn’t know when he had leaned toward her, one hand resting on the back of her chair, wearing the face of someone about to have a heart-to-heart with her.

Gu Yao said, “What gives you the right to say that?”

Xu Shuo said, “Just because Du Tong moved the video. That was an important tool for threatening Tian Fang.”

Gu Yao: “…”

Xu Shuo said, “You don’t think Zhu Shengxi was completely unaware of this, do you?”

Gu Yao subconsciously clenched her fists. She wanted very much to open her mouth and defend Zhu Shengxi a few words, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn’t say a single one. She could only glare at Xu Shuo with grinding teeth.

After quite a while, Xu Shuo leisurely shifted the distance between them and looked at her with unhurried ease.

Only then did Gu Yao suddenly speak. “I’ll handle the video. I guarantee I won’t let Du Tong use it to threaten Tian Fang.”

Xu Shuo raised his brows and smiled. “Good. It’s a deal.”