Chapter 820: Calling Out
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Nianzhi? Nianzhi! Wait for me!” Ma Qiqi finally caught up to Gu Nianzhi in a huff. Grabbing her hand, Ma Qiqi’s eyes had already turned red. “Nianzhi, don’t be sad…”
Gu Nianzhi still spied Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi staring at her nearby, so she recalled Huo Shaoheng’s typical aloof and expressionless face. Her sparkling eyes dimmed as she replied calmly, “Qiqi, I’m fine.” She squeezed Ma Qiqi’s hand, then tugged her gently and walked away with her.
As Gu Nianzhi grabbed Ma Qiqi’s hand, she had an idea. However, she didn’t reveal a trace of it in her expression as she got into Yin s.h.i.+xiong’s car while holding hands with Gu Nianzhi. Yin s.h.i.+xiong also stayed quiet and got in the car to start it. He drove towards Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi’s school. On the way, Ma Qiqi saw that they were alone and finally whispered quietly to Gu Nianzhi, “Nianzhi, what happened? You were stunned speechless by their questions in court?” This was unlike the Gu Nianzhi she knew. She had always made herself sound reasonable despite being unreasonable, and don’t even get Ma Qiqi started about how Gu Nianzhi was peerless with her brazen and aggressive arguing in court.
Ma Qiqi’s concern made Gu Nianzhi feel very warm inside. Holding Ma Qiqi’s hand, she gave it a shake. “I’m fine. The more they can gloat and become smug, the better I can determine their true intentions. I know what I’m doing.”
“That’s good.” Ma Qiqi breathed a deep sigh of relief. Leaning back against the seat, she slapped her forehead and said, “But Nianzhi, you really put up a realistic act in court. Even I was fooled. I had thought…”
Gu Nianzhi hugged her arm and rested her head on her shoulder as she played coy. “Qiqi, Qiqi, don’t be mad. I was only acting that way for the lawsuit. I wasn’t trying to fool you…”
Her coy voice was girlish and soft, so Ma Qiqi’s ears were growing hot from listening to it, even as a woman. She quickly giggled. “Fine, fine, I’m not saying that you fooled me. Nianzhi, speak properly. I’m going to turn gay if you keep acting like this.”
At that moment, Yin s.h.i.+xiong finally coughed. “Nianzhi, Qiqi isn’t General Huo. Don’t try to use your coy skills on her.”
Gu Nianzhi snorted at the front of the car and straightened her back. She said seriously, “Brother Xiong, you can’t be speaking nonsense. When did I ever act coy? I was apologizing to Qiqi.”
Yin s.h.i.+xiong chuckled in reply. Gu Nianzhi saw that Yin s.h.i.+xiong didn’t believe her, so she didn’t bother explaining further but rolled her eyes 180 times internally. However, she still needed him to pa.s.s a message along to Huo Shaoheng, so after some thought she finally said, “For the third day of the trial next week, I’ll be cross examining the doctor and police officers. Ye Xuan’s incident will also be on the agenda.”
Ye Xuan’s case in the United States had been a key focus for Gu Nianzhi as of late, and she was even more concerned about it than her own estate dispute. In fact, the two cases were actually one because it was Gu Nianzhi’s estate dispute that resulted in Ye Xuan’s case in the United States. Yin s.h.i.+xiong understood what Gu Nianzhi meant and nodded slightly. Gu Nianzhi turned to look out the window as she pondered what questions to ask during Monday’s court session.
After Yin s.h.i.+xiong dropped Gu Nianzhi and Ma Qiqi off at school, he returned to the Special Operations Forces headquarters base. Huo Shaoheng was waiting for him in the office. Yin s.h.i.+xiong went inside and closed the door before saluting to Huo Shaoheng. “Chief.”
“Sit.” Huo Shaoheng pointed to the chair across from the desk. “Nianzhi has a message for me?”
Yin s.h.i.+xiong stiffened. “Chief, how did you know that? I see that you two are living examples of reading each other’s minds!”
Huo Shaoheng was unperturbed at Yin s.h.i.+xiong’s attempt at flattery. He calmly stared at him. “Go on.”
Yin s.h.i.+xiong also grew stern. “Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi prepared well this time around. They want to put an end to Ye Xuan.” Yin s.h.i.+xiong had already used his phone to livestream the trial to Huo Shaoheng, but he needed to personally relay the message that Gu Nianzhi had told him in the car. Although he didn’t know what it meant, he still repeated it back to Huo Shaoheng exactly. “Nianzhi said that for the third day of the trial next week, she’ll be cross examining the doctor and police officers. Ye Xuan’s incident will also be on the agenda.”
Propping his chin up with one hand, Huo Shaoheng held the mouse with his other and opened a few web pages to read on his computer. After a while, he nodded. “I understand. You can go now.”
“Oh? You understand it?” Yin s.h.i.+xiong scratched his head. “You really understand it?”
“Yeah.” Huo Shaoheng didn’t say anything more. Setting his hands down on the keyboard, he began to type.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong left the room quietly but still didn’t understand what Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi were planning to do. But by the afternoon he understood a bit, because Huo Shaoheng asked him to contact the police headquarters to have them follow the progress of Ye Xuan’s case in the United States.
…
Time always seemed to pa.s.s by quickly for people in a good mood. Gu Yanran thought Monday had already arrived in the blink of an eye. It was time for another day in court. This time, she wore a black and white houndstooth-patterned dress suit from Chanel’s latest autumn collection. Her soft black hair was curled and arranged in a bun at the back of her head. Her milky white skin was left bare except for the lightest touch of soft pink lip balm. Looking in the mirror, she somehow resembled Gu Nianzhi a bit. However, she didn’t have Gu Nianzhi’s large eyes.
Gu Yanran looked in the mirror for a while longer and seemed to recall something. The blue hole in the Caribbean Sea continuously appeared in her head, and she felt a bit dizzy. Gripping the edge of the vanity, she sat down in front of it. Propping up her cheek with her hand, she sat like that for a few minutes more in front of the vanity before seeing that her face had suddenly blanched and was left devoid of any color. Quickly grabbing a blush compact, she patted color onto her cheeks. By the time Jin Wanyi came over to pick her up, she had already composed herself. The two women quickly arrived at the Imperial Capital High People’s Court to await the third day of the trial.
Gu Nianzhi wore a gray, lightweight wool business pantsuit. The suit jacket even came with its own little belt to accentuate her tiny waist. Her legs were long and slender, while her hair was casually pulled up in a ponytail at the back of her head. Gu Nianzhi’s eyes were sparkling and deep set, and although she looked like a teenaged high school student, she immediately dispelled certain people’s wayward fantasies as soon as she spoke. Walking into the the first courtroom, she saw that Yin s.h.i.+xiong was still the attending audience from her own side. However, Ma Qiqi hadn’t come this time because she had cla.s.ses on Monday. Gu Nianzhi didn’t want her to skip cla.s.ses to attend, so Ma Qiqi made sure to remind Yin s.h.i.+xiong to take of Gu Nianzhi properly. Gu Nianzhi hadn’t known what to say to that.
Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi walk in, Gu Yanran and Jin Wanyi both walked over to greet her. Gu Nianzhi completely ignored them and sat down alone at the plaintiff’s stand. Soon after, the judge banged his gavel to announce that court was now in session. As per Gu Nianzhi’s request, this time the judge had summoned the doctor and nurses who had examined Gu Yanran a few days ago, as well as the two female police officers who had urged her to report the incident at the time.
“Plaintiff, you may cross examine the witnesses.” The judge folded his hands together and looked at Gu Nianzhi solemnly. The third day of the trial would be directly streamed to the military elite, Speaker Long, and his senators using the camera inside the courtroom.They didn’t go to the Special Operations Forces but instead sat in the conference room in the military headquarters complex.
Gu Nianzhi got up to bow slightly to the judge, then greeted the court staff and attending audience politely. She then looked at the four people sitting in the witness stand. There was one man and four women—a doctor, nurses, and police officers. Gu Nianzhi walked over and first said in Gu Yanran’s direction, “Defendant, can you please confirm if the people present here are the doctor and nurses who attended to you that day? Also, are these two female police officers the two people who had once urged you to report the incident?”
Gu Yanran looked over and studied them carefully. Her gaze drifted from right to left, then left to right as it slid over those people’s faces. Finally, she nodded. “Yes, they are the kind-hearted doctor and nurses, as well as the two female police officers.” As she spoke, she stood up and walked in front of them to bow deeply. “Thank you for saving me.” Her humble and delicate appearance, coupled with her very beautiful and demure appearance suited her much more than her previous strong businesswoman image. It also made others pity her more.
The male doctor stumbled up from his seat and said quickly, “Miss Gu is too polite. That was just part of our job.” As he spoke, he looked at Gu Nianzhi without mincing his words. “Miss Gu had been abused so horribly and yet you still want to sue her. I really don’t understand how you can be so cruel!”
Gu Nianzhi smiled, not deigning to acknowledge that person’s simple-mindedness. However, Gu Yanran’s eyes turned red with grat.i.tude as she choked out, “Thank you, doctor.” She then bowed to him again.
Finally, Gu Nianzhi said nonchalantly, “Defendant, since you are so grateful to the doctor who saved your life, may I ask if you know what his last name is?”
Gu Yanran stiffened. She quickly glanced at Jin Wanyi and bit her lip. “Of course I know.”
“What’s his last name then?”
Jin Wanyi suddenly shouted from the defendant’s dock, “Dr. Liu, thank you for saving my client.”
Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Jin Wanyi. “Lawyer Jin, you sure saved the situation in the nick of time.”
Obviously, Gu Yanran didn’t remember the doctor’s last name, and Gu Nianzhi had intentionally provoked her just now. Jin Wanyi also noticed it, so she immediately called out Gu Nianzhi’s intentions by saying the doctor’s last name. However, Gu Yanran’s hesitation and Jin Wanyi’s calling out made everyone understand that Gu Yanran didn’t remember this doctor at all. When Dr. Liu thought about how he had just been filled with righteous indignation, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarra.s.sed.