novelraw Chapter 284 - 182. He is here~ (First Update)
Chapter 284 - 182. He is here~ (First Update)
Chapter 284: 182. He is here~ (First Update)
In the courtroom, there is no room for jest; once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.
The judge sternly looked at Huo Danru: "Defense witness, is what you said true?"
Huo Danru nodded: "True."
An Cheng glared angrily: "You’re lying! You haven’t broken up with my dad. You two went out to see a show together the night before last!"
Another wave of low exclamations swept through the courtroom.
Huo Danru turned her head indifferently towards An Cheng, the warmth in her eyes receding: "Prosecutor, I came to testify today solely because of my professional background, having been hired as an expert witness. I originally thought I was just here to testify, to help the people who hired me say what is necessary under my expertise, and then leave. In ordinary cases, I am just a passerby, a supporting character, never expecting that I might accidentally become the protagonist in the courtroom."
"It’s somewhat ironic and beyond my expectations. To me, personal feelings are private matters and should not affect the proceedings of today’s case. But now that the situation leaves me no choice, I can only apologize to the court and everyone present."
Huo Danru finished speaking and turned to An Cheng again, her gaze cool.
"Chengcheng, although you are your dad’s daughter, you have your own work. Adult children and parents are, after all, relatively independent individuals, so the issue between your dad and me, as the people involved, naturally I am more aware of than you are as an onlooker."
"So when I say we have broken up, then we have indeed broken up; this is a matter between your father and me, and it seems it’s not your place to question it."
"As for your mention that the night before last I went to see a show with your dad... well, you’re not wrong. But Chengcheng don’t forget, before your dad and I developed into a romantic relationship, we were friends for many years. So even if we broke up, we simply reverted to being friends, and as friends, going to see a show together isn’t excessive, is it?"
...
No one present expected that the main focus of today’s courtroom would not be the lawyers, nor the defendant and the injured Shi Nian, but rather the relationship between these two women.
The judge also seemed quite troubled and could only tap his gavel: "Both of you are of Chinese descent, and the current situation reminds me of a Chinese saying: ’Clean officials find it hard to decide family affairs.’ How about this, both of you calm down for a bit, and the court will temporarily adjourn while I personally call the prosecutor’s father to clarify the facts."
The judge announced a temporary adjournment which allowed An Cheng to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
May this hard-won time be enough for Shi Nian to persuade Huangfu Huazhang and for Huangfu Huazhang to arrive quickly.
.
Outside the courtroom, Shi Nian anxiously dialed Huangfu Huazhang’s phone number, but was unable to connect for a while.
The courtroom was in chaos, with media constantly arriving. Shi Nian’s mind was more anxious than ever, understanding that An Cheng was sacrificing her personal affairs to try to buy her more time.
Shi Nian kept dialing, and finally a signal indicated the call was connected, but Huangfu Huazhang didn’t answer.
Shi Nian was frantic, holding the phone and praying: "Please, answer the phone, please."
Still no movement from the other side...
Is disappointment inevitable after all?
Turns out, this phone number is useless at critical moments even if you have it.
Shi Nian couldn’t help but murmur softly: "What kind of phone is this? Who said this phone would be available 24 hours for me? Turns out words don’t count."
In her anxiety, Shi Nian instinctively turned to look towards the courtroom.
Unaware that a tall figure had quietly appeared by her side, like a shadow covering her head and face painted in ink.
"Who said I won’t keep my word?"
.
The sudden voice startled Shi Nian, and she turned sharply to look, her gaze falling into a pair of narrow, sharp eyes.
The man in front of her had a slight sheen of sweat, and the phone in his pocket kept buzzing incessantly.
"President?! Why are you here?" Shi Nian was so surprised she couldn’t quite believe the reality before her.
She was prepared to persuade him over the phone, believing that if she could convince him today, just having him added to the list of prosecution witnesses would be a victory. She never expected that he would appear like this, unexpectedly, as if he had fallen from the sky, right before her!
He raised an eyebrow at her: "Stop being stunned. Go quickly and inform Prosecutor An to apply to the court to add a new witness."
Shi Nian’s mouth hung open in surprise: "Are you really willing?"
He shook his head with a smile: "Yes. Now, hurry up."
Shi Nian was overjoyed, cheering as she turned to run back, even forgetting that she hadn’t hung up the phone.
Huangfu Huazhang squinted at her joyful figure running away, feeling his pocket vibrate with his phone’s constant buzzing, unable to help but raise his eyebrows with a smile.
She forgot to hang up, but he couldn’t bear to do so.
The two are so far apart, yet the invisible signal’s vibrations and connections make him feel happy.
.
At this moment, court is temporarily adjourned, and An Cheng and others have walked out of the courtroom doors, standing in the corridor.
An Cheng saw Tang Yanxi approaching Huo Danru, the mother and son speaking intensely, and their four eyes inadvertently passing through the crowd, looking over at her. She frowned and looked down, avoiding them.
She anxiously paced the corridor, waiting for news from Shi Nian.
"Hey, girlfriend, regretting it?"
Upon hearing this annoying voice, An Cheng knew who it was. She lifted her gaze from the marble floor at her toes, meeting Tang Yanqing’s mischievous smile.
"Are you here to gloat?" An Cheng retaliated unceremoniously: "Don’t forget, in this courtroom there’s also the triangle of you, Xiang Yuan, and Shi Nian; tomorrow’s media won’t spare you three either."
"Mr. Tang, I’m considering your interests, so I didn’t list you as a prosecution witness, nor demanded you testify in court. This is me being as kind as possible to you, but if you mock me, I’ll make requests to your police supervisors. The police cooperating with the prosecution is an obligation; you can’t refuse."
Tang Yanqing laughed, knowing An Cheng wasn’t making threats. The buzz from Xiong Jie’s article still lingered, and although aliases were used in the text, any media person with a bit of insight could find connections from today’s court session.
Tang Yanqing leaned against the wall, tapping his shoe tips: "Well, thank you."
"Uh-huh," An Cheng leaned next to him, turning to stare at him: "Regardless, you’re here with me right now, so our acquaintance wasn’t for nothing."
At this time, with Tang Yanxi together with his mother, An Cheng had to face so many peculiar glances alone, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Perhaps after today’s trial ends, her reputation on Black Spider will have more notches, like being willing to sacrifice anything to win the case.
With Tang Yanqing by her side, An Cheng indeed felt much calmer. She spoke to him in a low voice: "I really want to smoke with you right now."
Tang Yanqing laughed: "Hold on. You’re dressed almost like a high school uniform now; it’d be weird to smoke like this."
An Cheng made a face at him: "Oh please, you were smoking already in high school."
Tang Yanqing laughed softly, tilting his head to look at her after a while: "Really, don’t you regret saying those things in court today?"
"No." An Cheng shook her head: "As a prosecutor, when I’m in court, it’s not for myself. I’m ready to sacrifice anything to bring the suspect to justice and provide closure for the victim."
She turned to Tang Yanqing: "You and I both know well that Mark is guilty. I absolutely cannot watch a guilty suspect escape legal sanctions by taking advantage of any witness’s testimony, even if she’s Huo Danru. As long as she’s perjuring for the suspect, I won’t relent. Moreover, she’s outright lying, claiming she’s estranged from my dad just to insist on testifying falsely for Mark, so I regret it even less."
"I support you." Tang Yanqing extended his fist to An Cheng: "In the face of justice, there’s no personal sentiment. Should any Tang Family members commit a crime someday, I’d personally put them behind bars as well."
An Cheng was slightly stunned, finally smiling as she extended her fist to bump his: "Same here. Hey kid, thanks."
As they were talking, a sharp sound of high heels hitting the floor came from afar.
The two looked toward the sound, seeing Shi Nian running over with a blushing face, grabbing An Cheng’s arm, and shouted softly with bright eyes: "Prosecutor An, Huangfu Huazhang came; not only came, but he didn’t take any persuasion from me, and he voluntarily asked to testify in court!"
"Really?" An Cheng was equally overjoyed.
Shi Nian nodded vigorously: "Prosecutor An, hurry up and request the judge to add a witness to the list."
The two women were excited with flushed faces, while Tang Yanqing, who was ignored, squinted his eyes, glaring at Shi Nian.
Damn woman, she’s so excited about Huangfu Huazhang’s arrival!
She’s so engrossed in sharing the good news of Huangfu Huazhang’s arrival that she didn’t even glance at him standing nearby!
It’s maddening!
.
In the courtroom, on the other end of the phone, Du Songlin was also experiencing an internal struggle.
Left hand, Huo Danru; right hand, daughter, how should he respond?
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[Second update of the morning~]