Chapter 157 - 102: Sentencing! Court Adjourned

Yang Huan still didn’t speak.

He just watched Liu Jingqi quietly, his expression serious and calm, as she clutched her head and wept, confessing her crimes.

In a daze, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Stop pretending."

"I can see right through you. You’re not confessing. You just don’t want to be sentenced to death."

"This act of yours isn’t for my benefit."

"It’s for the judges."

"You want them to feel sorry for you so they’ll give you a lighter sentence."

The moment these words were spoken...

Suddenly,

The entire courtroom fell silent. Everyone was startled, as if snapped out of a trance, and their eyes instinctively darted toward the defendant’s dock.

And it was in that unguarded moment...

...that they caught the flash of venom hidden in Liu Jingqi’s eyes. It vanished in an instant, but some people still noticed it.

"I refuse!"

Yang Huan suddenly shouted, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

It quickly turned into rage.

"I refuse! I won’t sign the letter of forgiveness!"

Yang Huan’s hands clenched into tight fists. His calm expression twisted into a ferocious snarl, his eyes filled with loathing as he stared death at Liu Jingqi in the defendant’s dock.

"I hate her! I hate her so much I want her to die!!!"

This was a roar—a roar that had been suppressed for two long months.

The sound washed over the entire Second Courtroom. It couldn’t be contained even by the door, surging out through the cracks and startling those outside, whose expressions varied.

At the same time,

the very moment he finished speaking,

"BEEP."

At the bench, the clerk glanced down at the timer in his hand.

He turned his head and nodded at Zhang Bingxin.

"Ten minutes are up."

His voice wasn’t loud,

but everyone in the courtroom heard it clearly.

The ten-minute countdown was over. Time was up.

As requested at the beginning, the defendant had ten minutes to repent. If a letter of forgiveness was not obtained, the trial proceedings would continue. The trial was already in its final stage, which meant now...

In the defendant’s dock,

Zhang Wei closed his eyes, completely drained. His heartbeat was steady, but he couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.

One second...

Two seconds...

One minute... Three minutes...

No one from the three parties—prosecution, defense, or the court—broke the silence. In the defendant’s dock, Jiang Yu and Qiao Wang kept their heads down, trembling uncontrollably.

On the judge’s bench,

after a long moment,

a sound suddenly broke the stillness.

BANG!

Looking up, they saw the presiding judge, Zhang Bingxin, suddenly grip his gavel. He raised it high and brought it down hard on the bench.

Another strike of the gavel.

BANG!

"The court will now pass sentence."

Zhang Bingxin rose to his feet, his expression solemn. He looked down at the documents in his hand, resembling a majestic statue.

Then,

a resonant voice reached the ears of everyone present.

"This court, having conducted a trial in accordance with the law, wherein the prosecution and defense presented evidence, cross-examined, presented arguments, and made final statements, has now concluded its deliberation."

"The court’s investigation has found..."

"The defendants, Zhang Yueyue (also known as Liu Jingqi), Jiang Yu, and Qiao Wang, did willfully and unlawfully harm the victim, Yang Jiale, at Lusen City No. 18 Middle School. Their methods were heinous and cruel..."

"The victim, Zhao Li, as a result of the defendants’ actions, suffered a fatal heart attack, resulting in sudden death..."

"The public prosecution has charged the defendants with ’intentional injury, intentional homicide, negligent homicide, robbery, extortion, and insult...’"

"The verdict is as follows."

"In accordance with Article 232 ’Intentional Homicide,’ Article 233 ’Negligent Homicide,’ and Article 234 ’Intentional Injury’ of the Dongguo People’s Republic Criminal Law..."

"Defendant Jiang Yu is sentenced to 15 years in prison."

"Defendant Qiao Wang is sentenced to 15 years in prison."

"Defendant..."

As he spoke,

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin suddenly paused.

Then, an imposing aura erupted from him, carried by his voice, sweeping through the Second Courtroom and even surging through the cracks in the door to reach everyone outside.

"Defendant Liu Jingqi is sentenced to death!"

"To be carried out immediately!!!"

The moment the words were spoken,

everyone in the Second Courtroom felt their pupils contract and their scalps tingle.

...

...

Also, should I set up some reader benefits, like fan titles and bonus Points?

To unlock the fan titles, we’ve met all the requirements except one. We just need you all to post some comments, and anything works!

You can also post in the review section. If we level up the review section, I can give out some free Points for reading.

If we’re still in the top rankings for monthly tickets by the end of the month (the 30th), I should be able to give out a few hundred more yuan’s worth of free Points to everyone.

If you’re okay with this, leave a comment. Even just posting "111" is enough to count.

And again, please support the novel with your monthly tickets!!!