Chapter 121 - 85: Ironclad Proof in Hand: The Hukou Book

December 22nd.

Morning. 9:30 AM.

Inside the detention center in Lusen City, Qingwu Province.

A figure in a suit walked slowly into the detention center, passing by several police officers in uniform.

Whispers filled the air around him.

"Why are the police stretched so thin lately? They’re arresting people left and right. I heard the station’s holding cells are almost full, and they’re about to start moving people to the detention center..."

"They’re not just ’about to’—they’ve already started!"

"Where are all these criminals coming from?"

"I’ll tell you what I heard. It seems to be because of the top-to-bottom investigation into Lusen City’s welfare homes these past couple of days..."

"Welfare homes?"

"Yeah. They’re saying the welfare homes are involved in human trafficking, and that it’s even connected to the big welfare home in the provincial capital of Qingwu."

"The higher-ups are furious now. They’ve given strict orders to investigate everyone involved. Every single welfare home in Lusen City is being investigated, whether they’re implicated or not. They’re even sending police to question kids who were adopted through normal channels..."

"..."

Listening to the rambling chatter around him, the lawyer, Zhang Wei, quickened his pace and headed toward a specific room.

Before long, he rounded a corner and entered the attorney-client meeting room.

Inside the meeting room, Liu Jingqi, dressed in a prison uniform, was sitting behind the barrier, waiting for him in silence.

"THUMP!"

Zhang Wei sat down across from Liu Jingqi and let out a heavy sigh. He looked up at her and said slowly,

"Ms. Liu."

"The court has issued a notice. Your case... the second hearing will be in six days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jingqi’s brow furrowed. A menacing aura emanated from her relatively young face.

’Another trial...’

"Why can’t they just finish it in one go!?"

Liu Jingqi’s expression was grim as she muttered through gritted teeth, "That phone call... what do Lv Guangjun’s phone records have to do with me!?"

"On what grounds did they adjourn the court just for some recording that has nothing to do with me?"

Her voice was thick with anger as she spoke.

Zhang Wei didn’t know what she was so angry about.

He, on the other hand, didn’t feel any particular emotion.

Zhang Wei knew full well what kind of person his client was, so he paid her outburst no mind. After a moment of consideration, he began,

"Ms. Liu, please rest assured."

"This is actually good news for us..."

"From the looks of it, the prosecution and the plaintiff’s counsel haven’t added any more unfavorable evidence. The officials have also clarified the matter with Lv Guangjun, so the judge should have already decided whether to accept it or not..."

"Barring any surprises, the second hearing should be the last."

’Over the past two days, Zhang Wei had used his connections to get some information.’

’Namely... that Lusen City had arrested a huge number of welfare home administrators!’

’The reason was simple: they were involved in human trafficking and subsidy fraud. There were so many people involved that it would even affect the courts. It was highly likely that the system, in a rush to process the traffickers, would accelerate the end of the No. 18 Middle School case.’

’This was good news.’

’The prosecution had no other evidence to present!’

’That meant the defendant would only be sentenced based on the things connected to Lv Guangjun.’

"As things stand, a conviction is unavoidable."

A calm light flickered in Zhang Wei’s eyes.

"But in reality, there’s no major loss."

’The evidence Xu De produced was very effective and could lead directly to a conviction, but... its real function was simply to rebut the defense’s arguments and secure that conviction.’

’It couldn’t actually be used to ’increase the sentence’!’

’The Juvenile Protection Law would firmly block the ’guillotine’ Xu De had provided. No matter how hard the other side tried, they couldn’t make the blade fall completely.’

’All it could cut down were my own so-called ’excessive self-defense’ arguments.’

’So...’

"We need to change our approach now."

Zhang Wei spoke, revealing his true purpose.

He placed his hands on the table, interlaced his fingers, and said in a low voice,

"Ms. Liu, you... should consider pleading guilty."

’Plead guilty!?’

The two words had barely left his lips when Liu Jingqi had a visceral reaction, blurting out,

"Impossible!"

"Why should I plead guilty!?"

"That bitch had it coming! She deserved to die! Besides, I didn’t even kill her, so why the hell should I plead guilty!?"

Liu Jingqi’s reaction was violent, her expression turning somewhat savage. She seethed,

"And that Zhao Li."

"She died of a heart attack! What does that have to do with me!?"

"I never even touched her, so how can they pin her death on me!?"

"That judge should take a good look in the mirror! Did he see how fat she was? Her legs were thicker than my waist! Eating herself into that state, she deserved to have a heart attack!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei took a deep breath and spoke again in a low, firm voice,

"Ms. Liu, calm down and listen to me."

"A conviction is inevitable. You will be found guilty no matter what."

"Since that’s the case, if we show a better attitude, the judge will reduce your sentence accordingly."

Zhang Wei paused for a moment, then added,

"In the justice system,"

"whether a person pleads guilty and whether they have a good attitude can greatly influence the final sentence, especially when minors are involved."

’In a criminal homicide case, how is the sentence determined...’

’First, the judge looks at the evidence. After the evidence, he looks at your attitude!’

’Zhang Wei’s logic was simple.’

’Since a conviction was unavoidable, they might as well admit wrongdoing. After all, admitting you’re wrong doesn’t cost you anything, but it can earn you tangible benefits.’

"If you really can’t..."

"We can just put on a show. Just pretend for a few hours during the trial."

Zhang Wei said.

"Impossible!"

But Liu Jingqi was still adamant. She was incredibly stubborn and refused to budge, no matter what he said.

Pleading guilty was out of the question.

She wouldn’t even apologize!

Liu Jingqi finally just said, "You go out and tell my parents."

"Just have them give that Yang Huan a hundred thousand."

"A hundred thousand to make him go away. Then, whatever sentence I get, I get. The difference between pleading guilty or not is only two or three years anyway."