Was there a reason she had to sue Luo Jialan for intentional murder?
Of course there was.
But how could she tell He Zhichu that reason?
He was her tutor for her master’s degree in law, and a very serious person who took his profession seriously.
Would he despise her if he knew her deep-seated reasons? Would he be very disappointed in her?
Gu Nianzhi dared not spill it.
He Zhichu’s gleaming almond-shaped eyes were devoid of any emotion. He calmly watched Gu Nianzhi’s expression change, and he felt his heart sink a little.
It seemed that this girl didn’t want to tell him the truth..
He Zhichu actually didn’t have any special requirements for Gu Nianzhi. She didn’t have to love or even respect him, but she couldn’t lie to him.
This was his bottom line.
He Zhichu hated being lied to the most.
But like a small clam shell, Gu Nianzhi kept her mouth shut at this moment.
Her eyes flickered, and she wished she could sew her mouth shut with a needle.
He Zhichu lowered his eyes, crossed his legs, and lifted his teacup. He lifted the lid of the teacup and took a sip of the Golden Dragon tea.
The aroma of the tea flowed between his lips and his teeth, and He Zhichu’s mood completely calmed down.
He Zhichu was actually very familiar with Gu Nianzhi’s personality. It hadn’t changed since she was young.
This young girl was sympathetic but not a pushover. She could tamed by gentleness but not by provocation. Of course, one couldn’t bruise her pride by belittling her.
That would only provoke her rebellious mentality and make her completely uncooperative.
He Zhichu’s eyes darted around, and he had an idea.
He put down the ice jade porcelain teacup that depicted the landscape and found a breakthrough point. He asked nonchalantly, “… By the way, wasn’t her name Huo Jialan? Why is it Luo Jialan now?”
Gu Nianzhi composed herself. She could tell him this reason.
“…Because her mother’s surname was Luo, and she wasn’t the biological daughter of the Huo family’s first uncle. She moved out of the Huo family’s household registration and changed her surname.”
He Zhichu immediately grasped the key point. “Since she changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family’s household register, legally speaking, she has nothing to do with the Huo family anymore. Even if you marry Huo Shaoheng in the future and become the Huo family’s young Madam, Luo Jialan won’t affect you in any way. “——Why are you still suing her? ”
Gu Nianzhi’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
She hadn’t expected that He Zhichu would start to get to the bottom of the matter with just a few words from her.
Gu Nianzhi was a little flustered and quickly said, “She simply changed her surname. Even though she moved out of the Huo family’s household registration, she herself didn’t move out. She’s still staying with the Huo family and taking care of Grandfather Huo.”
He Zhichu stared at her fixedly. “You mean to say that she changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family’s household registration on the surface, just for show, right?”
Gu Nianzhi: ” … ”
It was over. The more she said the more she revealed. Was it too late to shut up now?
Gu Nianzhi’s big eyes blinked, and her long eyelashes fluttered like two rows of small fans.
To He Zhichu, she was obviously up to no good.
He Zhichu averted his gaze and looked out the window at the beautiful scenery of the western hills in the early summer. He calmly continued his deductions.
“Why did Luo Jialan change her surname and change her household registration, but still continue to live with the Huo family? If she’s not trying to do it simply for show, then she must have ulterior motives.”
Gu Nianzhi’s pupils immediately dilated. The light in her eyes converged into an astonishingly bright spot.
He Zhichu happened to turn his head, and his gaze swept across Gu Nianzhi’s face. He didn’t ignore the change of expression in her eyes.
He Zhichu thought about it for a moment, and felt that he might have grasped the situation. ” … Then she must have some ulterior motive. She changed her surname and moved out of the household registration in order to reap more benefits.”
He Zhichu didn’t think that Luo Jialan had suddenly found her conscience and was too ashamed to continue being a member of the Huo family.
So what was the benefit? Was it better than the fact that her surname was Huo and that she was the only daughter of the Huo family’s first uncle?
All the smoke and mirrors didn’t work anymore.
He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly and understood why she had insisted on charging Luo Jialan with the felony of “intentional murder” instead of the misdemeanor of “domestic violence” or “mental abuse”.
Luo Jialan had touched Gu Nianzhi’s sore spot, and everyone around her probably knew that Gu Nianzhi’s sore spot was Huo Shaoheng.
He Zhichu’s voice grew even colder, “… She wanted to marry Huo Shaoheng? She changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family’s household registration, and was retreating in order to advance, right?”
Gu Nianzhi clenched her fists and became emotional, “Yes, everything you said is right! Luo Jialan changed her surname and moved out of the Huo family’s household registration just to use grandfather Huo’s status as an elder to forcibly marry Major General Huo!”
As she said this, the grievance in her heart also rose.
Her eyes reddened. Gu Nianzhi held back her tears and turned her head away, “I’ve worked so hard, done so many things, and achieved so much, but in grandfather Huo and General Huo’s hearts, I’m still not as good as Luo Jialan, who has lived with them for many years! They would rather Luo Jialan marry Major General than accept me! Why do they still look down on me?!”
The inferiority complex hidden deep in her heart was only able to be vented without any scruples in front of He Zhichu.
In front of Huo Shaoheng, in front of Song Jinning, in front of Yin Shixiong, and even in front of Ma Qiqi, Gu Nianzhi acted as if she didn’t care at all.
Although she knew very well that this inferiority complex was completely unreasonable, she was only 19 years old. She was very sensitive to the opinions of outsiders but pretended not to care at the same time, so it was only natural that she would be in emotional turmoil.
He Zhichu looked at her fixedly. After a while, he stood up and walked to the opposite sofa. He sat down beside Gu Nianzhi and put one hand on her shoulder hesitantly. His other hand took a tissue from the coffee table to wipe away Gu Nianzhi’s tears.
He Zhichu didn’t try to persuade her. He just sat next to her and waited for her to cry enough before he said coldly, “Then do you still want to marry Huo Shaoheng? If not, I can propose to you right away.”
Gu Nianzhi: ” ! ! ! ”
She raised her head and stared at He Zhichu in shock. She whispered, “Professor He! Now is not the time to joke around like this!”
If he said something like that again, Gu Nianzhi promised to leave immediately.
He Zhichu’s lips curled into a faint smile. “… Are you feeling better? What’s the saying? If you choose a man, you’ll have to marry him even if you cry. Just like you are now.”
Gu Nianzhi was finally amused. There were still tears in her eyes, but her smile had already widened
“Professor He, you read this kind of stuff on the Internet too?” Gu Nianzhi wiped her tears with a tissue. She still felt uneasy. “Professor He, can I use your bathroom to wash my face?”
He Zhichu nodded and said nonchalantly, “There are two bathrooms on the first floor. There’s a bathroom in every guest room and master bedroom on the second floor. There’s a bathroom in the game room on the third floor. Which one do you want to use?”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless.
This guy was addicted to flaunting his wealth!
Gu Nianzhi stood up with a blank expression. “I’ll go to the nearest bathroom.”
She went to the bathroom on the first floor near the living room.
She pushed the door open and entered. The place was elegantly decorated. There was a long and slim peacock blue vase on the white marble washstand, and an orchid on the side.
There was a small mahogany bracket on the wall with facial cleansers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face cream, and hand cream on it.
Gu Nianzhi immediately noticed that the facial cleansers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face cream, and hand cream were the brands she was used to using…
The unfamiliar feeling from before disappeared in an instant.
This place made her feel warm and at ease, as if she had returned to her own home.
Gu Nianzhi calmed down and carefully washed her face. She put on a simple layer of face cream and came out.
She was still young after all. Her rosy cheeks, which were full of youthful collagen, didn’t need any makeup to adorn them. They had a natural attractive color.
He Zhichu was still sitting in his previous position. He hadn’t even changed his posture.
He supported his head with one hand and rested the other on the back of the sofa.
He waved at Gu Nianzhi. “Come and sit.”
Gu Nianzhi sat down on the other side of the sofa.
“It’s not a big deal, but it’s worth crying over.” He zhichu reproached her lightly. “If you want to cry in the future, come and cry here. If you cry in front of outsiders, you’ll embarrass me. I’ll break your legs.”
Although he had spoken harshly, his tone was affectionate and tender, just like how a big brother would speak to his little sister.
Gu Nianzhi really liked the feeling of being like family.
She quietly sat closer to He Zhichu and muttered, “Professor He, I won’t cry anymore. I won’t cry anymore.”
“Do you believe that yoursel?” He Zhichu scoffed and pointed at the half-used box of tissues on the coffee table.
“I don’t believe it myself.” Gu Nianzhi’s tears turned into a smile. She cocked her head and said, “But why don’t you believe it, Professor He?”
“A leopard can’t change its spots. You’ve always been a crybaby since you were a kid. How could I not know you?” He Zhichu said nonchalantly and then shut his mouth.
Gu Nianzhi quickly took another step and sat next to He Zhichu. She quietly tugged at the corner of his shirt. “Professor He, you know what happened to me when I was a kid, right? Can you tell me about it?”
He Zhichu looked away uneasily and pushed Gu Nianzhi’s hand away firmly. He changed the subject indifferently. “I forgot all about it. ——Let’s talk about Luo Jialan’s case. I don’t object to you charging her with ‘intentional homicide’, but do you have any concrete evidence?”
Intentional homicide was a criminal felony. It required a detailed chain of evidence, sufficient subjective conditions, and rigorous logical reasoning.
All of the three aspects were indispensable.
The chain of evidence included witnesses and material evidence. This was also the most important condition for successfully building a case against the crime of intentional homicide.
Gu Nianzhi forcibly pulled her thoughts back from her lost childhood and focused on Luo Jialan’s case.
She no longer had a cheeky smile on her face, nor was she sad anymore. Her entire aura suddenly changed.
She was sharp, shrewd, magnanimous, steady, composed, and intelligent. She was like a gleaming sword that was being sharpened.
The three-foot-long frost covered the edge of the sword, waiting for the moment when the sword was unsheathed and shone in the sky!
