CM | Chapter 38

Gu Yao came to Mingshuo Law Office once again. As the saying went, the first time you meet a stranger, the second time you get familiar, and this was already her third visit. She treated it like her own home, and before Xiao Chuan even had a chance to greet her at the door, she went straight for Xu Shuo’s office.

Before long, she could already hear the two of them talking from inside the office.

Gu Yao had already plopped down onto the sofa and quickly played a video from her laptop, all while glancing at Xu Shuo, who was lazily brewing tea at the water bar.

Gu Yao had no choice but to hit pause first. “I got the videos from Tian Fang and Tian Tian. Not just theirs, but also the one from Lian Qiyun’s former lover… I said, can you hurry up?”

Xu Shuo came back carrying the teapot, looking as unhappy as could be. “I knew you were coming, so I specially brewed a pot of Dongding Oolong. And you’re still rushing me. Do you even know men can’t take that word?”

Gu Yao shot him a glare. “Why do you have so much useless nonsense in you?”

Xu Shuo immediately fell silent, set the teapot on the table, and dropped into the seat beside Gu Yao.

Gu Yao pressed play again, and a stream of faint moans and gasps poured out from the video. The woman’s face could barely be made out, but it was clearly the woman from the photo Xu Shuo had sent. Her name was Zhang Lichun. She had once worked at “Jiangcheng Gene,” under Lian Qiyun’s department, and usually handled some administrative work. Half a year ago, after rumors spread through the company that she and Lian Qiyun were having an unclear extramarital affair, she abruptly resigned. No colleague knew where she had gone.

Halfway through the video, Xu Shuo suddenly raised a hand and even used his elbow to nudge Gu Yao’s hand aside, taking over the playback himself.

He hit pause twice in a row, then picked up Zhang Lichun’s personnel file beside him to compare her appearance. No one knew whether his eyes were bad or whether he had face blindness, but he had practically shoved his face into the screen before finally admitting it was the same person.

Gu Yao asked, “How is it? It’s definitely Zhang Lichun, right?”

Xu Shuo nodded, as if pondering something. Just as he was about to rewind the video, Gu Yao moved at the same time.

The backs of their hands brushed against each other, one cold, one hot. Both of them frowned at once, but neither looked at the other. They only felt a little itchy.

Xu Shuo froze for a moment, then saw Gu Yao drag the video to the middle portion and turn the volume all the way up. The background noise was chaotic and the footage was terrible, but Lian Qiyun seemed to have said something at the most excited moment.

“…Shall we try the butter churner? How about that?”

Zhang Lichun stammered, “N… no… I can’t do that… I’ll die…”

Clearly, she had refused.

At this point, Gu Yao paused the video again and turned to Xu Shuo.

At the same time, Xiao Chuan, who had just made a cup of coffee from the pantry, happened to wobble to the doorway. He was about to bring it in for Gu Yao. He didn’t need her to say thank you, as long as she could at least give him a decent look next time.

Who would have thought that before Xiao Chuan even stepped through the doorway, he would hear a series of indescribable sounds from inside, a man and a woman making noises that were impossible to describe. He was a shut-in straight guy who had never even touched a girl’s hand, and who had painstakingly trained himself to build revolutionary camaraderie with his own left and right hands. How could he possibly withstand this kind of stimulation?

With a boom, Xiao Chuan’s mental world was split to pieces by that string of sounds.

His gaze fixed straight on the pair sitting on the sofa inside, the man and woman communicating in words, and his brain immediately spun out a whole string of melodramatic plotlines.

Why were they sitting so close?

Could it be…

No, that couldn’t be right. Gu Yao had a boyfriend…

Tch, so what if she had a boyfriend? These days even married people can cheat. Otherwise, where would extramarital affairs come from?!

O, could the two of them really…

But weren’t they at each other’s throats just a few days ago? How had they gone from that to watching little films together in just a few days…

Listen, they’re still discussing the details!

But, but, this kind of private matter, why don’t they know to close the door, ahhh!

For a moment, Xiao Chuan, who was engaged in a battle between heaven and man, could only stand blushing at the doorway. He couldn’t go in, but he couldn’t not go in either. His eyes kept sneaking toward that pair of man and woman, then toward the doorknob.

And on the office sofa, Xu Shuo happened to be facing the doorway. While thinking about the conversation in the video, he also noticed Xiao Chuan’s movements. He was just finding it strange when Gu Yao turned to him and spoke with an extremely serious expression.

“Do you know what butter churner means?”

Xu Shuo answered absentmindedly, “Butter mixer?”

“That’s the literal translation, yes, but when Lian Qiyun brought up butter churner at that moment, how could he possibly be talking about a butter mixer?”

“Oh? Then what is it?”

“I thought you knew.”

The two of them exchanged a few rounds of riddles. After a two-second silence, Xu Shuo suddenly looked at Gu Yao with a subtle expression and blinked twice. “Could it be I’m being too sensitive, but why do I feel like what you’re asking sounds a lot like you’re questioning my character?”

Gu Yao was very direct. “I’m not hinting. I’m making a reasonable deduction based on what I know about your character. This is the information I found online about butter churner.”

As she spoke, she handed her phone to Xu Shuo.

Xu Shuo took it and looked. In an instant, his face went completely blank.

Not only did the phone contain a paragraph of annotations, it also had a drawing of a man and woman in a sexually suggestive position.

While Xu Shuo was reading the material, Gu Yao picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea. Taking a sip, she said, “If one side is riding on the other’s chest and abdomen during a sexual act, it requires a lot of strength and technique. If it’s just loose, and you don’t fully press your body weight and force onto the other person, that’s not too bad. But if you sit down too hard, it’s very easy to crush the other person to death in the process.”

Gu Yao pointed at the image on the screen and continued, “Look at Lian Qiyun’s build. I estimate he weighs at least one hundred and sixty or seventy catties, but look at Zhang Lichun. At most she’d be just over ninety catties, right? With such a huge difference in weight, if Lian Qiyun really used butter churner and didn’t control his force, Zhang Lichun could very likely develop acute pulmonary edema and hypoxia, eventually leading to acute cardiopulmonary failure and death.”

Hearing this, Xu Shuo finally found his voice again. “You mean Lian Qiyun not only had a violent tendency, but would also use this kind of extreme position?”

“This position can satisfy a pervert like Lian Qiyun’s need for control and let him dominate. But look, the moment Lian Qiyun mentioned ‘butter churner,’ Zhang Lichun looked terrified. The tremor in her voice was absolutely not caused by arousal, but by fear. Clearly, she knew how dangerous it was. But Lian Qiyun isn’t the type to let it go after being refused once. So would he turn to the next target instead, like Tian Fang, or Tian Tian?”

As soon as Gu Yao finished speaking, she opened the video of Lian Qiyun and Tian Fang, and quickly dragged it to the final segment.

In the video, Lian Qiyun seemed to be preparing to adjust his position, but Tian Fang was resisting. Lian Qiyun also seemed somewhat tired, and after trying twice, he finally gave up.

Gu Yao pressed pause and analyzed, “See? Luckily Tian Fang refused in this part of the video. If Lian Qiyun had really succeeded, the dead person now might not have been Lian Qiyun.”

To prove her deduction, Gu Yao also took out a case file and a forensic analysis report she had found last night. Using red pen, she marked several key points. In this case, the deceased had in fact been treated by the killer in exactly the same way before death, and died of heart failure.

After Xu Shuo carefully read Gu Yao’s annotations, he said, “If it can be confirmed that on the night of the incident, while Tian Fang was being sexually abused, she had also suffered the same life threat, and at that time Lian Qiyun was still verbally provoking her, for example saying that if she didn’t comply, he would let Tian Tian try instead, then under that double threat, Tian Fang killing Lian Qiyun by mistake would make ‘self-defense’ hold up.”

When he finished, Xu Shuo raised his eyes and looked directly at Gu Yao, who was sitting beside him.

After a few seconds, Xu Shuo spoke again. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand.”

Gu Yao raised an eyebrow.

Xu Shuo said, “Why did you just say, ‘I thought you knew’?”

A nearly imperceptible smile flashed in Gu Yao’s eyes. “Because Lawyer Xu is not only widely experienced, his eye for choosing cases and his methods are also exceptionally sharp. I thought there was nothing you didn’t know.”

Xu Shuo nodded, as if in agreement, but his words were reluctant to admit it. “If we’re talking about being well-informed, I really fall short.”

As soon as he said that, Xu Shuo’s gaze drifted once more toward Xiao Chuan at the doorway.

Xiao Chuan had been petrified there for a good while already.

Following Xu Shuo’s gaze, Gu Yao also looked over and asked, “What are you standing there for?”

Xu Shuo said, “Is there something you need?”

Xiao Chuan jolted awake at once, and the color on his face shot red at a speed visible to the naked eye. “Uh, no… nothing… I just, just… made coffee… sis… you, you, you… want some…”

Gu Yao lifted her teacup. “No need, I’m drinking tea.”

Xiao Chuan said, “Oh, oh, oh… then… you guys… carry on…”

The moment Xiao Chuan turned around, his mental world had already collapsed into rubble, but the pair sitting in the room had completely failed to catch it. They were still both immersed in the case, unable to pull themselves out.

Xu Shuo spoke first. “Actually, the biggest problem now is how to overturn Tian Fang’s previous testimony. I’m still waiting for the people from Zhaoyang to send me the case materials. I’ll make time to go to the police station this afternoon to verify the statements and testimony. As for the court side, we need to reapply to submit new evidence.”

He then changed the subject. “But since you brought the video over, that means Du Tong has already given in. Then what about Wang Chong?”

Gu Yao said, “I came to find you for this very thing. Wang Chong won’t withdraw from the case, but she also won’t cause trouble for you. As long as Zhaoyang doesn’t withdraw, those media reporters won’t seize on this matter and make a scene again. At most, they’ll just wonder why another lawyer got involved. From here on, you just need to sort out your own defense strategy. Wang Chong is just a background board.”

Xu Shuo slowly arched a brow and smiled. “These are all requests from Zhu Shengxi?”

“This is the biggest concession ‘Jiangcheng Gene’ can make.”

Xu Shuo shrugged and stood up with a subtle expression, picking up a stack of documents from the desk and flipping through them in a perfunctory way.

Gu Yao couldn’t help asking, “What kind of expression is that? If you want to say something, just say it.”

Only then did Xu Shuo shake his head and sigh. “Your boyfriend’s methods are really something.”

Gu Yao frowned. She hated that kind of yin-yang tone the most.

But she couldn’t be bothered to argue, so she changed the subject and asked, “You just said the biggest problem is overturning Tian Fang’s testimony. Why?”

Xu Shuo didn’t even lift his eyelids. “This morning I went to see Tian Fang. She told me roughly what happened on the day of the incident, and she also mentioned the testimony issue. She was very worried that if she told the truth, the video of her and her younger sister would be leaked. So when the police took Tian Fang’s statement, Tian Fang actively ‘admitted’ that all her injuries were the result of special preferences and consensual acts. In other words, trying to overturn the testimony on the basis of ‘coerced confession’ is impossible.”

Gu Yao asked, “Then did Tian Fang mention butter churner?”

“No. The visitation time was limited. She only had time to explain the whole process, from the moment she met Lian Qiyun all the way to after the incident, and also how she had momentarily lost her judgment and first went to the people at Likun Law Office for help… There are a lot of suspicious points in that. I plan to go over the details with her again tomorrow.”

Following Xu Shuo’s line of thought, Gu Yao began thinking too. Then she asked, “So as long as the matter of the testimony is settled, things will be easier after that?”

Xu Shuo paused, then looked up with a light smile. “Although the testimony can’t be changed, recanting during trial happens all the time. A statement is only one of the seven types of evidence stipulated by the Criminal Procedure Law. It’s important, but not decisive. If Tian Fang changes her testimony once, then all the supplemental new evidence must revolve around the revised ‘facts’ to make that testimony hold up. If there’s even a slight omission and the prosecution catches a single point, they’ll have a chance to overturn everything. So every step after this will be even harder.”

Gu Yao was a little stunned and didn’t respond.

Xu Shuo continued, “Next, I’ll apply to the court to keep the trial closed to the public on the grounds of ‘protecting personal privacy,’ then submit the new evidence in advance and list the witnesses and expert evaluators who will appear in court. Of course, because I’m the new defense attorney and I have objections to the facts and charges alleged in the indictment, the court will very likely hold a pretrial conference first. Both the prosecution and defense must be present to negotiate and communicate. So at the pretrial conference, we’ll already have a round of argument over which evidence must be excluded and which witnesses and experts don’t need to appear. At this stage, the more rights I can secure, the more advantageous it will be for Tian Fang.”

Gu Yao said, “The new evidence you submit is to prove that Tian Fang was being forced throughout this relationship, and that her life was once threatened. If these new pieces of evidence are rejected at the pretrial conference, it will be very unfavorable for her.”

“Don’t worry, the chance of rejection isn’t that high.” Xu Shuo set down the documents in his hand and tapped the edge of the table with his fingers. “Actually, the trickiest part is that Tian Fang objects to Tian Tian appearing in court. Tian Tian can be said to be her biggest sympathy card. But it’s also thanks to you bringing the video. Butter churner, this is indeed an interesting entry point.”

Gu Yao raised an objection. “It’s useless to just have this point. The video that mentions this word is Zhang Lichun’s segment, not Tian Fang’s.”

Xu Shuo smiled faintly. “Then it depends on when Xiao Chuan can find Zhang Lichun.”

As soon as he said that, Xiao Chuan’s weak voice came from the doorway.

Xu Shuo and Gu Yao looked over in unison. Xiao Chuan stuck out half his head like a thief and said somewhat ingratiatingly, “Sorry to disturb you both. Hehe, I found Zhang Lichun…”

Once there was news of Zhang Lichun, Xu Shuo and Gu Yao left the office without another word.

But before setting off, the two of them had a small quarrel over the car, mainly because when Xu Shuo went downstairs, he found that the tire on his Range Rover had been punctured. There wasn’t a spare in the car, so Gu Yao told him to get in her car.

Who knew Xu Shuo said he wanted to be the driver, and Gu Yao decisively refused, telling him to take a cab himself.

After a round of argument, the matter finally ended with Xu Shuo “gritting his teeth and swallowing his anger” while sitting in the front passenger seat, and with Gu Yao strictly forbidding him from spouting nonsense or shooting off his mouth on the way, or she would dump him by the roadside anytime.

Xu Shuo felt wronged and carried some resentment. Only after getting in the car did he ask, “Speaking of which, were you this bad-tempered before you lost your memory, or did you only become like this after?”

Gu Yao glanced at him, her tone cold. “I heard my temper was even worse before I lost my memory.”

Xu Shuo looked a little surprised. “Tsk tsk…”

Gu Yao’s brows instantly knitted together. “Don’t keep making that sound. It’s really annoying!”

Xu Shuo asked again, “This ‘I heard,’ that came from your boyfriend, right?”

“So what if it did?”

“Nothing. I’m just very curious about his taste and preferences in choosing a partner. Usually, men who are henpecked are… I don’t know how you would classify that in psychology?”

Gu Yao was somewhat resistant to this topic and directly threw out four words. “None of your business.”

But Xu Shuo was relentless, shamelessly persistent. “Before him, had you dated anyone else?”

Gu Yao didn’t answer and focused on the road.

Xu Shuo asked, “One?”

Gu Yao: “…”

Xu Shuo: “Two?”

Gu Yao: “…”

Xu Shuo muttered to himself, “Oh, seems like there wasn’t any.”

Gu Yao: “…”

Xu Shuo: “Then what about him?”

Gu Yao: “…”

Xu Shuo: “Huh, if neither of you had any before, then you two are each other’s first loves. Why are you both so innocent?”

Gu Yao finally couldn’t take it anymore and shot back, “Excuse me, how many exes does it take before someone stops being innocent? How many have you had?”

Xu Shuo grinned. “Me? I have my left hand and my right hand. Good brothers, walking through life together.”

Gu Yao: “…………”

After a long silence, Gu Yao said, “Fair enough. Someone like you, with a narcissistic personality, really would have a hard time finding a partner.”

Xu Shuo let out a soft sigh and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, “Actually, there are quite a few excellent women pursuing me. Conservatively speaking, no fewer than eight.”

Gu Yao shot him a contemptuous look. “Is that your own imagination, or did they really show interest?”

“Even the shy little words ‘I like you’ were said. What do you think, was it real or not?”

Gu Yao fell silent. “You just weren’t interested in them?”

“Not exactly, I just don’t really like proactive women.”

Gu Yao: “…”

Forget it. This was Xu the psycho’s own business. Why was she gossiping so much?

But just as Gu Yao stopped asking, Xu Shuo suddenly developed a desire to share, and even turned sideways, crossing one leg over the other as he faced her. “This is a lot like investigating a case and building a defense. If the prosecution and defense are uneven in strength, if the gap is too big, then what’s the point of fighting the case? The technique doesn’t get trained either, right? The best situation is when the other side is unwilling, but through my efforts, I finally make them half-willing, half-resisting, shy and hesitant. Their mouth says no, but their body is very honest. That’s what makes it interesting.”

Gu Yao’s face had already fallen. “…………”

Pervert!

Xu Shuo gave her a sidelong glance and continued, “Hey, I’m telling you, a relationship like yours and Zhu Shengxi’s, where both sides are willing and it all clicks at once, can very easily not last. Love comes in many forms, sure, but only tragic love leaves a deep mark and becomes unforgettable. Humans have cruelty in their bones. The more they can’t get something, the more classic it is. Otherwise, why would Romeo and Juliet kill themselves for love?”

It was only when Gu Yao slammed on the brakes that Xu Shuo jumped in shock.

She pulled the car over by the roadside, unbuckled her seat belt, and shot him a cold look. “We’re here.”