111: Chapter 111 Court Opening

At nine in the morning, Officer Li Feng saw Lin Ning appear before him as punctually as an office worker again, and he almost drew his gun.

"What on earth do you want?!"

Lin Ning sat down with a half-dead expression and spoke: "When are you paying me back?"

Officer Li Feng: "..."

The colleagues nearby were all ears, waiting for the show. Noticing this, Officer Li Feng could only suppress his temper, gritting his teeth as he whispered, "How many times do I have to say it? If you want to push for the reward money, go find the Chief! Go find the Bureau!"

"I'm just a commoner waiting for money to buy rice for the pot; I don't dare to see officials."

Officer Li Feng laughed out of anger, "Then aren't you afraid of me, a commoner?!"

Lin Ning curled his lip in disdain, "You're just a minor police officer."

Jin Er and the others had become busy, leaving early and returning late every day.

Yang Weifeng had a wife and child to look after, and Wang Qiao had been busy to the point of madness lately, so Lin Ning didn't dare provoke him.

Consequently, being in a bad mood and unable to find an outlet to vent, Lin Ning could only come to torment Officer Li Feng.

After all, there was plenty of excitement here.

Well, Officer Li Feng himself was a source of excitement.

After bickering for a few moments, Lin Ning didn't truly pester Officer Li Feng; he went to find an inconspicuous spot to curl up and watch the curiosities.

Sigh, friends who are idle and bored can find a nearby large Police Station to watch the drama; it's all real-life anecdotes and incredibly interesting.

He'd scrounge a lunch at noon, a dinner in the evening, and then "get off work."

Patting his round, full belly, Lin Ning casually waved at Officer Li Feng, "Off work now, see you tomorrow!"

Officer Li Feng: "..."

In fact, they wouldn't see each other tomorrow.

Because tomorrow was the court hearing.

9:10 AM, District Court.

Lin Ning arrived twenty minutes early with Lawyer Zhang Qi.

He was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, but his long legs, broad shoulders, and that face full of melancholy and worldly experience caused young ladies, older ladies, and even elderly ladies to look back at him frequently along the way.

Lawyer Zhang Qi wrinkled his face as if he had a toothache, "Which act are you playing? Lingering affection? Don't freaking reconcile in court later; I can't afford to lose face like that."

Lin Ning gave him a lazy glance, "Speak properly and stop swearing."

Just as time was nearly up, Liu Qingbei and that fat man from before arrived in a hurry.

She had clearly dressed up with care, wearing an elegant dress and subtle makeup, with a faint blush applied around her eyes and the tip of her nose, making it look as though she had been crying.

Looking at her, Lin Ning was even in the mood to critique: Hmm, she's got that weak and pure 'White Lotus' vibe down.

Liu Qingbei walked in with her arm hooked through the fat man's, her chin slightly raised, preparing to cast a condescending and disdainful look at Lin Ning. The moment their eyes met, however, she seemed to have been hit by a pause button.

That man standing tall with clear, bright features across from her... was that Lin Ning?

How long had it been? That air of poverty and cowering was gone, replaced by a spirit that she couldn't quite describe but found inexplicably eye-catching.

She subconsciously glanced at the arm she was clutching tightly—an arm radiating an oily stench of tobacco and alcohol. A strong wave of nausea and loss surged up her throat, turning her face pale, and she hurriedly looked away.

The fat man, on the other hand, had a haughty expression. After shooting a sidelong glance at Lin Ning, he went directly to the gallery in the back.

The trial process was very dull, starting with the statements from both lawyers.

In the middle stage, revolving around the nature and return scope of the "marriage fund" during the dating period, the two lawyers finally had a bit of a passionate exchange... two sentences, really, just two sentences.

Lin Ning almost wanted to yawn; he suddenly missed watching the Hong Kong drama 'The File of Justice.'

When the judge questioned her, letting Liu Qingbei answer, she indeed began her performance.

With her head bowed and a sob in her voice, she recounted how she had given her all for this relationship, and even claimed that Lin Ning had subjected her to "cold violence" and "economic control."

Liu Qingbei finally said through tears, "He said he would give all his salary to me for our living expenses."

"I was foolish and wanted to live a good life with him, so I didn't keep things separate. He put the money in that card, and I thought it was too much trouble to withdraw, so all our living expenses were paid from my salary and money I asked from my parents. This sum of money doesn't just include the living expenses I advanced and my parents' money; it also includes my youth and innocence."

Lin Ning's eyelids twitched as he listened, his stomach churning until he almost vomited. Sister, you're so retro; you're actually playing the Qiong Yao card.

Liu Qingbei continued, "Later, he owed a lot of money outside, and even... tried to force me to go and do bad things to earn money. I was scared, so I broke up with him, and only then did he threaten me to return the money."

Lawyer Zhang listened with eyes full of strangeness and looked at the opposing lawyer: Is your license fake?

The opposing lawyer's face turned green, and he kept pulling at Liu Qingbei's arm. He had already received the evidence from the other side before the trial. Don't freaking lie through your teeth!

Lin Ning almost felt like laughing.

The presiding judge impatiently interrupted Liu Qingbei and asked the opposing lawyer directly, "Do you have any new evidence to prove her statement?"

The lawyer hesitated for a few breaths before saying, "No."

The presiding judge's expression also turned sour.

At this point, Lawyer Zhang raised his hand: "Your Honor, our side requests to present the evidence we have provided in court to clarify the facts."

"Granted."

The court's projector lit up.

The first piece of evidence was a video.

The time was an evening two months ago, and the location was the hallway of the old residential area where Lin Ning lived. In the footage, Liu Qingbei was intimately clutching a fat man's arm, directing workers to move her things out of Lin Ning's room. Her voice came through clearly: "Hurry up! Don't let that useless loser run into us. Poor people are very troublesome..." The fat man said dismissively: "Baby, tonight let's try some new tricks that can extend the time..."

When that line "new tricks that can extend the time" from the video echoed clearly through the courtroom, a low "buzz" of murmurs instantly erupted from the gallery.

Countless gazes hit Liu Qingbei and the fat man like searchlights.

The fat man's face turned red from his neck to his ears at a visible speed, and he wished he could shrink his head into his collar.

Liu Qingbei, meanwhile, was like a plaster statue that had suddenly had its bones removed, stiffly frozen in the defendant's seat. Only her pupils were trembling violently, and even the thick foundation couldn't hide the deathly gray color underneath.

She could even feel that even the gaze from her own lawyer carried disdain.

Lin Ning just watched the projection screen calmly, as if watching a clumsy performance that had nothing to do with him.

The second was an audio recording from when Liu Qingbei first learned Lin Ning wanted the money; she had been baited by Lin Ning over the phone into stating the true situation of the marriage fund.

The third piece of evidence was a mediation document from the Police Station and several screenshots of WeChat conversations. It was about the stalking incident; the WeChat screenshots were conversations between Liu Qingbei and the stalker, where she had fabricated rumors that Lin Ning had "private videos" of her and was using them for blackmail, inciting the other party to "teach Lin Ning a lesson." Following that was a handwritten apology letter where Liu Qingbei admitted to her slander.

"Your Honor, Evidence One proves that the plaintiff had already established an intimate relationship with another person and publicly insulted my client before the two parties had officially broken up; the so-called 'deep affection' is pure fiction. Evidence Two proves the plaintiff was well aware of the nature of the 'marriage fund' and admitted that major consumption during the relationship was borne by my client; her claim for a massive 'youth loss fee' has no basis. Evidence Three proves the plaintiff is suspected of fabricating facts and instigating others to illegally harass my client." Lawyer Zhang stated clearly in a calm tone.

Liu Qingbei had long since lowered her head, no longer displaying her "pure and innocent" act.

Her lawyer gave up with an expressionless face. He had originally informed her that the chances of winning were extremely slim and suggested mediation to return the money, but Liu Qingbei wouldn't do it and even lied in court.

Whatever, let it be.

The opposing lawyer's surrender made the trial proceed at lightning speed.

When the verdict was announced in court in favor of Lin Ning, the presiding judge's gavel struck with great enthusiasm.

But Lin Ning didn't actually feel much joy; he just felt it was incredibly pointless.

Just as he walked out into the corridor, the fat man saw Lin Ning. His embarrassment quickly transformed into shame-induced rage, and he directly pushed away Liu Qingbei, who was clutching him and crying, and blocked the way aggressively.

Lin Ning's originally somewhat unfocused eyes instantly sharpened. The bored expression in the depths of his eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a near-joyful, sharp brightness.

He stopped in his tracks, the corners of his mouth curling up almost imperceptibly.

Oh, are we going to fight?