Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!

Chapter 289 - 187. The Outcome is Decided (Second Update)

The atmosphere in the courtroom had reached a fever pitch, with everyone awaiting Huangfu Huazhang’s proclamation of innocence.

Yet, the protagonist Huangfu Huazhang seemed to have forgotten his lines, squinting toward the crowd below at a discordant note.

—Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing had discreetly slipped out, their small interaction starkly conspicuous amidst the orderly crowd.

Huangfu Huazhang’s pale, slender fingers subtly tightened around his cane.

Xiang Yuan, unable to get a response from Huangfu Huazhang, couldn’t help but feel a small thrill, believing he had hit Huangfu Huazhang’s weak spot, leaving him speechless.

Seizing the opportunity, he pressed on, "Mr. Fude? Mr. Fude? Why aren’t you speaking? Is it because you can’t prove your innocence?"

Huangfu Huazhang had to shift his gaze back to him.

As their eyes met, Xiang Yuan vaguely saw Huangfu Huazhang’s expression change dramatically. Gone was his earlier composure; as his gaze crossed, a sharp, blade-like glint flashed in Huangfu Huazhang’s eyes!

Xiang Yuan, caught off guard, felt a chill stir within him.

He was standing with his back to the public seats and did not know what was happening up there, so he couldn’t understand the cause of Huangfu Huazhang’s sudden change.

Glaring at Xiang Yuan, Huangfu Huazhang let out a cold laugh, "You want me to prove my innocence? Fine, listen up: That night, I was in a video call with the defendant from 6 PM, lasting until nearly 10 PM. So when the police asked what I was doing around 7-8 PM, I told them I was in a video call with the defendant. There’s nothing wrong with that; you can verify it from the time records in the video software on my computer."

"However, during the call, the defendant said he had something to do and left for about half an hour. And that time coincides exactly with the time of Sean’s death proposed by the police. After the fact, when I asked the defendant what he did, he only told me he felt unwell and went to the bathroom, so I didn’t suspect anything. But thinking back now, the defendant could have easily used that half hour to go downstairs, commit murder, and then return to continue the call as if nothing happened!"

Xiang Yuan merely laughed exaggeratedly, "So the prosecution’s ’eyewitness’ is just a ’video call witness’! Sorry, that’s not a legally defined eyewitness because you didn’t see my client kill Sean. You can’t even prove my client actually left his dorm suite, much less prove that he went downstairs or met Sean!"

The judge and members of the jury, like Xiang Yuan, shook their heads slightly.

Huangfu Huazhang smiled serenely, "Lawyer Xiang is too rash, drawing conclusions before I’ve finished speaking. That doesn’t seem like a quality a seasoned lawyer should possess."

Xiang Yuan’s smile froze on his face as he squinted, "What does the prosecution’s witness mean by this?"

"I was very clear just now. I called myself an eyewitness based on two identities. I only mentioned one earlier, not the other—my other identity is the chairman of the Board of Directors at Kangchuan University, and I have the authority to question all matters at Kangchuan University."

He lightly raised his gaze, looking at Mark from afar, "There is another point about the defendant’s alibi: the dormitory hallway surveillance equipment malfunctioned on the night of the incident, so there was no footage showing who appeared at the campus police office around the incident."

Xiang Yuan spread his hands with a smile, "This is an internal issue of Kangchuan University, what does it have to do with my client? The heavy thunderstorm night before caused a widespread short circuit at your Kangchuan University, and because the century-old school buildings have many problems with electrical wiring, extensive damage occurred on that stormy night. To protect the old building’s structure, the surveillance equipment you installed on campus is unreasonably located, with many blind spots and even areas not covered by surveillance. So, it’s no wonder there’s no relevant footage from that night. It has nothing to do with my client."

That stormy night... Shi Nian couldn’t help frowning.

On that night, S was strangled to death in Zhou Guanghan’s room by Jack.

Unexpectedly, the blackout caused by that night’s thunderstorm not only led to S’s death but also directly affected the investigation of Sean’s murder case.

One can’t help but wonder whether it was fate playing tricks or heaven’s eyes blinded that fateful night, allowing justice to sleep while evil ran rampant.

.

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Huazhang let out a proud smile, regaining his previous composure.

What caused this change was that his gaze swept across and found that Shi Nian’s attention had once again been drawn to his remarks, staring intently at him with full concentration.

Instantly, his mood improved, strangely beyond his control.

He raised his eyes slightly, looking at Xiang Yuan with more undisguised disdain in his gaze.

"Lawyer Xiang is correct; the surveillance equipment malfunctioning that night can’t be blamed on the defendant but rather the school and even myself. I have a strength, which is admitting my mistakes and rectifying them. So after the murder that night, I personally urged the related campus technical staff to exert every effort to restore the surveillance records from that night. I even invested a huge sum to invite experts in this field to assist."

"This task was not easy and took quite some time, only yielding results recently. As the chairman of the Board of Directors at Kangchuan University, I was naturally the first person entitled to view it. So, I saw the truth of that night, and I earnestly request the court to allow me to present this video footage!"

There’s footage!

There’s footage!!

Everyone was shocked.

Upon consideration, the judge finally agreed to submit the video evidence.

The footage was slightly unstable, but clearly showed it was Mark who entered the campus police office at the time of the incident.

The position of the surveillance camera was somewhat problematic, so it could only capture the entrance of the school police office. Through the window facing the corridor, one could vaguely see a bit of the interior. So, right after Mark entered the school police office, there was a faint view of intense motion inside, as if two people were in a physical altercation.

After more than ten minutes, Mark was seen leaving the school police office. He subconsciously looked up at the position of the surveillance, but perhaps knowing that the camera’s circuit had been damaged by lightning and rainstorms before, he didn’t care at all and arrogantly raised his eyebrows at the camera, then swaggered away.

The image in the footage flickered, showing Mark’s hand growing darker as if it was stained with blood...

Everyone in the courtroom gasped in shock.

Xiang Yuan was thunderstruck, staring at the video, unable to regain his senses for a long time.

Huangfu Huazhang slightly curled his lips: "Lawyer Xiang, do you still doubt that I am an eyewitness in Sean’s case?"

The change on the faces of the jury members was immense, a change that could be decisive. Xiang Yuan knew the game was over.

In the plaintiff’s seat, Mark suddenly stood up, shouting at Huangfu Huazhang: "...Why did you do this?! Why did you betray me, why did you ruin me?!"

The bailiffs quickly moved in to take control of Mark to prevent him from acting rashly.

Yet Huangfu Huazhang, sitting in the witness stand, remained unmoved. He slowly stood up, his gaze piercing through the chaotic crowd, coldly landing on Mark’s face.

"Why? I’ll tell you now—because you dared to hurt her."

"In this world, if anyone dares to hurt her, regardless of their identity or my relationship with them, I will never forgive them!"

.

These powerful words, these almost publicly confessed sentiments, drove everyone in the courtroom, especially the media, almost mad!

Amidst the exclamations, no one cared about the judge pounding the gavel, warning everyone to be quiet, but instead, all eyes and cameras were turned to Shi Nian in the crowd.

Shi Nian, under everyone’s attention, surprisingly raised her gaze towards Huangfu Huazhang.

Huangfu Huazhang remained calm and composed, turning his gaze with a smile to meet hers, nodding confidently.

Finally, the bailiffs moved in to maintain order, and the judge angrily announced fines and sentences for the disorderly media, and only then did everyone quiet down and return to their seats.

The judge wiped the sweat off his forehead, finally able to strike the gavel, announcing a temporary adjournment to await the jury’s deliberation for the final result.

.

During the recess, as Huangfu Huazhang stepped out, he was immediately surrounded by the media.

The journalists bombarded him with questions, all revolving around one theme: "Mr. Fude, what did you mean by what you said to the defendant? Were you confessing to Shi Nian?"

Huangfu Huazhang, unhurried as always, finally let a rare blush appear on his otherwise elegant face.

He smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying, only saying, "...What do you think?"

Much of the media attention was drawn to Huangfu Huazhang, allowing Shi Nian to hide behind the crowd. She stood far back on the stairs looking over.

Huangfu Huazhang sensed her gaze, looked over, and smiled at her.

But just then, Tang Yanqing silently appeared by her side, stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, proudly meeting his gaze.

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[See you tomorrow~]

Thanks to the following:

tickets: zhangrong90

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ticket: 13167589

zhongshan121, 15007275749 for the flowers