Chapter 90 - 73: Iron-Clad Evidence

In other words, as long as your evidence was damning enough, even if it was a surprise sprung on the court...

And no matter how much it displeased everyone.

The judge would have to hold their nose and accept it!

What if they refused?

Then the other party would just use that evidence to appeal and let a higher court teach you a harsh lesson!

So...

"Present the evidence!"

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin boomed.

He was a calm man, but this was the second case in a row where the opposing counsel had managed to rattle him. He was being led by the nose, and his mood was souring as a result...

But no matter how foul his mood, it wouldn’t affect the proceedings.

Xu De smiled faintly.

He was a man of great magnanimity, and in his heart, he had already forgiven Zhang Bingxin for his discourtesy.

"Please play it for the court."

He handed the videotape to the clerk. After inspecting it, the clerk went to operate the equipment.

In 2002, the procedure for presenting video evidence in court was quite simple.

The video was simply played for everyone to see—not on a computer, but on a projection screen set up in front of the bench so all three parties could view it simultaneously.

A moment later...

WHIRR~!

As the projector powered on, everyone’s attention was captured. They frowned, lost in thought.

’Something they’ve been treating like their ace in the hole...’

’What kind of evidence could it possibly be?!’

Lv Guangjun’s breath hitched in his throat. He wracked his brain, but he couldn’t figure out what slip of the tongue he might have made.

Just as everyone was staring, transfixed, at the screen...

SNAP!

An image flickered to life on the screen, and a voice sounded out.

"Hello, Teacher Lv. We finally meet."

It was a gentle male voice.

Judging by the timbre, it belonged to Xu De.

The scene was the faculty office at Lusen City No. 18 Middle School. The camera was aimed directly at Lv Guangjun.

The camera angle was... a little low, as if positioned at hip-level.

But no one had time to ponder this detail; instead, they watched with rapt attention.

After a moment, the image jostled, and Xu De’s face appeared in the frame. He reached out, pointed toward the camera’s location, and his voice sounded.

"Mr. Lv, please don’t be nervous. Our recording equipment is right here..."

’He’s pointing out the recording equipment and its location...’ Zhang Bingxin concluded to himself.

The voice continued.

"This conversation... in any way... in any form... is legal... it’s related to the case... we’ve signed a communication agreement..."

"Teacher Lv... the eruption of conflict between the two parties was a bit strange. We suspect..."

In the video, Lv Guangjun shook his head. "I don’t really know."

Xu De asked, "Before the incident, the deceased had also been harmed on multiple occasions..."

Lv Guangjun replied again, "I don’t really recall..."

"Then you..."

Inside Courtroom Two, the scene was utterly silent. No one spoke up to interrupt; everyone just watched quietly.

But as they watched...

Everyone’s brows began to furrow.

This video...

It was far too normal!

True, Xu De was asking questions relevant to the trial, but... Lv Guangjun’s responses showed none of the detailed knowledge he had just claimed to possess.

On the contrary, his answers were cursory, a constant refrain of "I don’t really know" and "I’m not aware."

’So... why did he submit this as evidence?’

Everyone watched with furrowed brows as the footage from the afternoon of the 2nd continued to play, yet no one spoke up to stop it.

Until...

RING RING RING~

A shrill ringing phone echoed from the projection. A sound from the afternoon of the 2nd, now filling Courtroom Two on the 17th.

On the screen, the Xu De in the recording answered the phone, exchanged a few words, then turned to Lv Guangjun with an apologetic look.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Lv. Something urgent has come up at work."

After he said this, Xu De slowly stood up.

At that moment, a single thought subconsciously surfaced in everyone’s mind...

’Is he leaving?’

A phone call, urgent work—it certainly looked like he was about to leave.

Even the clerk operating the playback subconsciously prepared to stop the video, but when he glanced down, he froze.

The videotape...

There was still at least half of it left to play!

The clerk’s head snapped up, his eyes flying back to the screen.

And as Xu De stood up, everyone in Courtroom Two—all three parties—made an astonishing discovery...

The camera hadn’t moved!

That’s right.

The camera clearly captured Xu De and Wang Chao leaving the office, but... the perspective remained fixed, still aimed at the spot where the two had been talking!

This was...

A secret recording?!

In an instant,

On the bench, the three judges stared in disbelief at the perfectly composed Xu De.

At the defense table, the seven lawyers looked panicked, their heads swiveling in unison toward the witness stand.

As for the witness stand...

’It didn’t move... The camera’s still here...’

Lv Guangjun stared at the still-recording screen, frozen in place, his mind feeling as though it had been smashed with a sledgehammer.

His face went deathly pale, and his lips began to tremble.

’If... if that camera was in the office the whole time, then what I did...’

Lv Guangjun felt the world start to spin. His breathing grew rapid, yet he still felt starved for air.

The clerk continued to play the video.

Just as Lv Guangjun had feared.

Before long, on the projected image...

The Lv Guangjun in the recording suddenly wore a look of visible panic. Even through the screen, you could feel the immense pressure he was under.

And in this state, Lv Guangjun suddenly did something completely unexpected.

He walked to the doorway, looked around to see if anyone was there, then glanced pointedly back at the security camera in the corner of the office.

Finally, he deliberately turned his back to the security camera and anxiously took out his cell phone to make a call.

But in turning his back to that security camera, Lv Guangjun failed to realize...

...that he was now facing the hidden camera head-on. Even the movements of his lips were perfectly clear!