Chapter 1352: Where Did You Go
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Cai Shengnan looked around and thought that it was a good thing that the trial wasn’t open to the public or the media. Otherwise, if the new media caught what had just happened and posted it on the Internet, they would lose in terms of momentum…
“Jialan, don’t shout ” Cai Shengnan lowered her voice and pulled Luo Jialan’s arm. “What if there are people secretly taking pictures around…”
Luo Jialan was shocked. She quickly adjusted her expression and whispered, “I just can’t take it anymore… ”
“I know. ” Cai Shengnan’s eyes darkened as she watched Gu Nianzhi’s back figure disappear, and she said airily, “Legally, the defendant enjoys the benefit of doubt. You are innocent until proven guilty. She is the one making the claim so she needs to prove it. You’re innocent until proven guilty. Don’t worry, it won’t be easy for her to win this case.”
Luo Jialan mulled over Cai Shengnan’s words but still felt a little uneasy.
With a sullen expression on her face, she said softly, “Didn’t you say that I would definitely be fine? How did it become, ‘it’s not easy for her to win’ again? Could it be that she still has a chance of winning?!”
Cai Shengnan: ” … ”
She tugged the corners of her mouth helplessly. “Jialan, be reasonable. I am speaking from the probability perspective. There is no absolute right or wrong, and there is no absolute certainty of losing or winning. You have to be more open-minded.”
“You want me to be open-minded now?!” Luo Jialan was furious. Her fingers were almost poking Cai Shengnan’s chest. “You’re a lawyer. Your duty is to get me released without charge and protect my a.s.sets!”
“I’ll do my best, but you also have to know that they’re very powerful. Previously, in order to get Gu Nianzhi to be the prosecution’s lawyer, they were even willing to take down a prosecutor,” Cai Shengnan said meaningfully, “Therefore, you have to restrain yourself and not give them any chances.”
Luo Jialan quickly promised, “I will.”
“Don’t say anything like that again.” Cai Shengnan turned and walked forward. “Gu Nianzhi is a cunning and cautious person. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall into her trap.”
Luo Jialan nodded in understanding. “I understand, Lawyer Cai. You must bring her down! ”
Cai Shengnan narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She was also looking forward to defeating Gu Nianzhi…
As far as she knew, Gu Nianzhi had never lost a case ever since she had first appeared in court.
Her father was impressive but even he had lost a few cases in the past.
Needless to say, Cai Shengnan had an 80% chance of winning the case and a 20% chance of losing.
However, overseas, her odds of winning were already heaven-defying. That was why she had become a partner of the second largest law firm in the United States before she was even 30.
Her father had played a part, but she herself was also a capable person. The law firm wasn’t a charity that specialized in helping the poor.
In short, if she could defeat Gu Nianzhi this time, she would end Gu Nianzhi’s “undefeated” record!
…
Gu Nianzhi entered the court and found court no. 1 for their trial.
Because it was a closed trial and wasn’t open to the public or the media, the Imperial City Intermediate People’s Court used court no. 1, which had the best confidentiality measures.
The door to the court was open, and the staff inside were already adjusting the equipment.
There was a long table at the door, and behind the table were staff carrying equipment for security checks.
No cell phones, cameras, or cameras were allowed in the courtroom.
The laptop had to be checked by a specialist from the court before it could be brought in.
It was similar to the security check before boarding a plane.
Gu Nianzhi arrived early and patiently took out everything in front of the door.
Her phone was placed in a transparent plastic bag and locked in the small safe behind that staff member’s back. She gave Gu Nianzhi a number to use as a verification to retrieve her phone.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t bring a camera or a video camera with her. The staff member also returned the laptop to her after checking it.
She smiled at the security guard at the door and carried her belongings into court no. 1.
After about ten minutes, Cai Shengnan and Luo Jialan entered as well.
The two of them looked at each other calmly and occasionally whispered to each other like best friends.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t even look up as she focused on her own preparations.
Luo Jialan and Cai Shengnan sat at the side of the dock and chatted for a while. Their nervousness had been alleviated, and they couldn’t help but look at Gu Nianzhi.
Upon seeing that she was the only one at the plaintiff’s table and there were no witnesses, Luo Jialan couldn’t help but laugh.
She looked down and thought about it for a while, then stood up from her seat and said to Cai Shengnan, “I’ll go talk to her.”
Cai Shengnan stopped her and said with displeasure, “Don’t cause any more trouble. We’re already on opposite sides. What’s the point of you saying anything? Don’t tell me you think she’ll give up on suing you right away?!”
The corners of Luo Jialan’s eyes raised and she smiled. “How do you know it won’t work if you haven’t tried? Besides, even if I don’t diss her, will she let us go? At this moment, it’ll be a waste if I don’t diss her. If she’s unhappy, I’ll be happy. ”
Cai Shengnan was speechless at her insistence.
She raised her hand. “It’s up to you. You can scold her, you can mock her, but don’t say a word about the most important things.”
“I know.” Luo Jialan got Cai Shengnan’s permission and walked up to Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi looked up at her. “Miss Luo, what can I do for you?”
“I’m fine. I’m just here to see how stubborn you can be.” Luo Jialan crossed her arms and looked down at Gu Nianzhi. “If you want to stop, I can give you a chance at any time. To tell you the truth, this case of yours is really hard to win. Why do you have to fight to the death? We can settle this out of court.”
Settling out of court was a professional term that Luo Jialan had heard from Cai Shengnan. It didn’t refer to her case, but she felt that she could give it a try.
If Gu Nianzhi agreed to settle out of court, Luo Jialan was willing to pay half of the trust fund as compensation.
Gu Nianzhi curled her lips. “Settle out of court? Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as settling out of court in criminal cases. Only civil cases can be settled out of court. If you’ve heard this professional term from Cai Shengnan, I can tell you that you’ve been misled.”
Luo Jialan blushed. Cai Shengnan had said that an out-of-court settlement didn’t apply to her case. She hadn’t understood it at the time, but she hadn’t asked any more questions. She simply subconsciously thought that, why not give it a try anyway?
She had never thought that an out-of-court settlement wasn’t applicable to a criminal case.
Feeling extremely humiliated, she returned to her seat dejectedly.
Cai Shengnan looked at Luo Jialan and knew that she had suffered at Gu Nianzhi’s hands, but she didn’t mind. She had already done her duty to warn her, so there was nothing she could do if she didn’t listen.
Cai Shengnan was also focused on her preparations.
Five minutes before the start of the trial, Song Jinning finally walked in.
Her ex-husband, General Huo Guanchen, also followed.
The two witnesses Cai Shengnan had called, Auntie You and Auntie Xing, also walked in.
They timidly stole a glance at Song Jinning and Huo Guanchen before sitting down at Luo Jialan’s side.
Gu Nianzhi saw that Song Jinning had arrived, so she quickly stood up to greet her.
“Ms. Song, please sit here.”
Song Jinning would sit with her.
Huo Guanchen was one of the witnesses. Facing Auntie Xing and Auntie You from afar, he sat in the gallery behind the plaintiff’s gallery.
Gu Nianzhi secretly gave Song Jinning a thumbs up.
She had never thought that Huo Guanchen would be willing to be Song Jinning’s witness, but Song Jinning had told her that it was a different matter altogether. Huo Guanchen had to be her witness in this matter, so she called Huo Guanchen.
Not long after, the judge, prosecutor, and clerk came in and sat down in their respective seats.
At the same time, the military also sent people to observe the proceedings.
The defendant in this case was Luo Jialan, and her father, Huo Guanyuan, was a military hero. Although she wasn’t Huo Guanyuan’s biological son, her mother, Luo xinxue, was married to Huo Guanyuan, so she had the right to enjoy the legacy of Huo Guanyuan’s ident.i.ty.
This was Cai Shengnan’s idea.
She said that her family background couldn’t be compared to Huo Shaoheng’s, and since she was an orphan, she’d suffer a huge loss in a lawsuit against them, so she advised her to make an official report to the military and ask them to attend the trial in order to intimidate Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi wasn’t the only one with a military background. Luo Jialan raised her head and thought arrogantly that she had a military background too.
The military usually didn’t care about such things, but Luo Jialan had specially requested it, and had even tagged their official blog. In addition, there was a group of trolls making a ruckus below. If they ignored her, they would come across as unsympathetic and stuck up.
After weighing the pros and cons, the military sent people to listen in nonetheless, but specifically stated that the military wanted to be impartial, fair, and impartial, and to restore the truth as soon as possible.
Luo Jialan looked at the four tall and burly soldiers sitting in the seat behind her in standard posture. She pursed her lips and thought to herself, why did they appear at this time? Where were they before?
If they had come to protect her earlier, she wouldn’t have been bullied so badly by the Huo family and Gu Nianzhi…