Chapter 147 - 98: Huang Shi: How Do You Still Have Evidence!?

A voice came from the speakerphone.

"On this matter... I personally defer to the representative’s stance on the case."

"Sor—"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei snatched the phone and said urgently,

"Ms. He, this is Zhang Wei!"

"Our client is very sincere about reaching a settlement. They’re willing to pay an extremely high compensation amount!"

"As you know, you can’t let emotions rule in a criminal case. The family can’t be blinded by hatred!"

"Yang Huan is still young—he’s only fourteen. If he lets his anger blind him and chooses revenge over compensation, what will become of him?"

"Please, think about it. Yang Huan will have no one to support him in the future. School, work, marriage... all of that costs money!"

He wasn’t just making baseless arguments.

In fact, this was the very reason He Miao had initially leaned toward a settlement.

With no family and no compensation, Yang Huan’s life would be many times harder than the average person’s. He’d be no different from any other orphan—in fact, he might even have it worse.

That’s why the compensation money would give him a much-needed safety net.

But alas...

"I’m sorry."

"Lawyer Zhang, ten minutes ago, our civil litigation attorney and the victim’s family came to an agreement."

He Miao replied,

"They..."

"...will not accept any form of settlement before the trial begins."

With that,

He Miao said no more and hung up the phone.

A dial tone was the only sound echoing through the vast conference room.

For a moment,

It was as if time had stopped in the conference room. No one moved; they were like statues.

Ten minutes ago, the plaintiff’s lawyer and Yang Huan had reached a consensus...

’Before the trial, they won’t accept any form of settlement...’

Those words echoed in their minds, sharp as needles.

Clearly, that shyster had anticipated the defense’s move, knowing they would try to get a settlement now...

Just as he knew the defendant would plead guilty during this afternoon’s hearing.

In an instant,

Zhang Wei’s eyes became bloodshot.

His expression turned ugly. He gritted his teeth, his features contorting with rage as he violently swept the items on the table to the floor.

"Bastard! You bastard!!!"

...

...

"Director, are you sure this won’t push them to do something desperate?"

"Heh. Let them try. They’d have to be able to make the jump."

5:15 PM.

Lusen City, Torch Street, inside the Houde Law Firm.

Dusk was falling.

Golden light shone into the law firm.

In the quiet reception area,

Xu De, having just finished his call with the state-appointed guardian, He Miao, sat on the sofa with a faint smile on his face.

That’s right.

He had anticipated Zhang Wei’s next move.

It wasn’t hard to guess.

First, the defendant had already pleaded guilty, which was now an established fact in the eyes of the law. It would be useless even if she stubbornly recanted her plea later, not unless they could produce irrefutable, objective evidence—which, clearly, didn’t exist in this case.

With that off the table, they only had one option left.

A reduced sentence.

Sentence reduction depended on two things: a settlement and the law itself.

Legally, their entire strategy revolved around the Juvenile Protection Law. But after Sun Miaohua dismantled that argument, it was clear they’d lost any chance of a reduction on those grounds.

After all, sentence reduction based on legal statutes boils down to "special circumstances" and "age."

Liu Jingqi’s crime was a case of purely malicious, premeditated murder. There were no special circumstances, and the age argument had been rejected. That avenue for a reduced sentence was closed.

’All that’s left...’

"Is a settlement agreement!"

"As long as they have a settlement agreement, Liu Jingqi is guaranteed to avoid immediate execution. The worst she’d get is a suspended death sentence!" Xu De explained slowly.

A suspended death sentence and immediate execution—the difference might seem small.

But in reality, it was night and day. A suspended sentence was practically on par with a life sentence.

In theory, a suspended death sentence amounts to a fixed-term sentence, provided you don’t cause any trouble. Liu Jingqi was young; the prison system would be lenient with reductions.

Her sentence would be reduced from suspended death to life, then from life to a fixed term. In the end, she could probably get out in about twenty years.

She would get to live. But what about Yang Jiale and Zhao Li?

Two vibrant lives. Just two months ago, they were fighting to build a life for themselves, and now... they were gone.

And what’s more...

After Liu Jingqi got out of prison, she wouldn’t have to worry about work or making a living.

The law wouldn’t completely strip her of her right to inherit from Liu Yong and Cai Fei. Since the couple couldn’t have children of their own, their estate would eventually go to Liu Jingqi.

"I don’t know what Fate was thinking,"

"...always giving beasts like her a safety net."

Xu De sat on the sofa in the firm’s reception hall, sighing to himself.

Liu Jingqi was lucky.

In Lianshan County, she had caused a three-year-old boy to disappear—and most likely die—yet she managed to escape.

After escaping, human traffickers surprisingly sold her to an orphanage rather than to beggars, thieves, or perverts.

Then, the orphanage gave her up for adoption to Liu Yong and Cai Fei, a wealthy, infertile couple!

Even if she got a suspended death sentence, she wouldn’t have to worry about the hardest part of post-prison life: reintegrating into modern society and finding a job. Liu Yong would leave her a huge sum of money.

All in all, the woman was like a favorite of Heaven.

Born with good fortune!

But...

"I don’t believe in fate."

Xu De smiled, looking at the various pieces of evidence he had prepared long in advance.

He didn’t believe in fate. He only believed in himself.

"Alright, you can all head home for the day."

"After the stunt we pulled in court... they’ll probably push the judicial authorities to expedite the test and jump the queue."

"If all goes to plan, the case will be back in court within three days."

Getting a paternity test report ordinarily takes about six days.

But if the court is in enough of a hurry... a judicially expedited test can be ready in a single day!