Gu Nianzhi turned around to look at Jin Wanyi. She smiled frankly and openly. She did not feel embarrassed or embarrassed at all being caught bad-mouthing behind her.
She walked briskly back to her plaintiff’s seat and swiftly turned on her laptop, She smiled and said, “Lawyer Jin, you disappointed me so much. All I said was to let you have your first taste of defeat, and you have wanted me to retire from the legal profession forever. Did you graduate too long ago and have forgotten the general principles of Civil Law?”
Jin Wanyi was slightly taken aback, thinking that this Gu Nianzhi really had some skills. She was thick-skinned enough!
She had always believed that the first quality of a good trial lawyer was to be steady and not be led by others.
In other words, one had to be thick-skinned enough.
She sat down, turned on her laptop with a dark expression, and said calmly, “What’s wrong? You were caught bad-mouthing people behind their back, and now you’re so angry that you’re contradicting yourself?”
Gu Nianzhi scoffed. “Lawyer Jin, I’m afraid you misunderstood ‘bad-mouthing’.”
“How did I misunderstand it?” Jin Wanyi was puzzled. She was well-known in law school for her ability to understand, so how could she not know what ‘bad-mouthing’ meant?
“See, you don’t even know it yourself, so I’ll force myself to explain it to you.” Gu Nianzhi smiled, turned to face Jin Wanyi and said politely, “Bad-mouthing, the explanation in dictionary is to blame someone or something for no reason, or to cause damage if it doesn’t conform to the facts.”
“When I said I would let you have your first taste of defeat, it was just a hypothetical sentence expressing goodwill. It’s neither blaming you for no reason nor conforming to the facts and causing damage. So how can it be bad-mouthing?”
Jin Wanyi smiled and shook her head. “I only want to ask you one thing. Have I ever failed in a trial?” She stared at Gu Nianzhi with an imposing manner.
She had graduated for seven years, appeared in court for five years, and fought seventy-two lawsuits of all kinds. Indeed, she had not lost a single case. Of course, out-of-court settlements were also considered a win for her.
Gu Nianzhi did not know these details, but she would not care even if she knew.
She looked away and chuckled, “There’s something wrong with Lawyer Jin’s ability to understand. What you’re talking about was in the past tense. What I’m talking about is in the present and future tense. Don’t you think it’s illogical to use the past tense to deny the present and future tense?”
Gu Nianzhi’s family and friends behind her burst into laughter.
Zhao Liangze’s laughter was the loudest. His clear baritone echoed in the empty courtroom. One person was enough to stir up the atmosphere. All he needed to do was to whistle.
Lu Yuan turned to look at him, only then he tried his best to hold back his laughter and quieten down.
Jin Wanyi narrowed her eyes and immediately changed the topic. “You really know how to twist logic. But even so, what does it have to do with the general principles of civil law? If you say that I have forgotten the general principles of civil law, does that count as slander on my professional ability? I can sue you for slander.”
“Ha, you still remember the general principles of civil law that I mentioned?” Gu Nianzhi smiled and looked up, her eyes were shining as she looked at Jin Wanyi. “If you still remember the general principles of civil law, then you should know that in civil law, rights and obligations are equal.”
“If you make me lose a case, then I’ll be out of the legal profession forever. In civil law, rights and obligations are absolutely not equal. I can completely ignore it.”
Jin Wanyi was stunned. She had not expected the general principles of civil law to be used in such a way…
Gu Nianzhi saw that she was slightly stunned, she immediately seized the opportunity to pursue the matter. “It’s fine for an average person to say such a sentimental joke, but Lawyer Jin, as a famous senior lawyer at the largest law firm in the capital, also said such a thing without regard for the law. I have reason to doubt your professional ability. What right do you have to say that I’m slandering you?”
Jin Wanyi: “…”
Wen Shouyi, who was beside her, tugged at her lapels and pouted toward the judge’s seat.
The judge had just entered, so Jin Wanyi took the opportunity to shut up and find a way out.
Jin Wanyi was almost completely defeated after a verbal battle with Gu Nianzhi before the trial began.
She was a little impatient and forced herself to look at the analysis of the case on the computer to familiarize herself with the few key facts on the chain of evidence.
She would have to completely defeat her later to appease the hatred in her heart!
…
Lu Jin, who was sitting in the gallery behind the plaintiff’s seat, could not wait to cheer for Gu Nianzhi. His excitement was beyond words, and he almost jumped up from his seat to offer Gu Nianzhi his knee.
Although Lu Yuan did not speak to Lu Jin, he completely understood his feelings.
In fact, Lu Yuan was also very surprised.
He knew that Gu Nianzhi was smart, and could even be called a genius. She was also beautiful, adorable and pitiful, but he did not know that she could be so sharp in court.
It was her first time appearing in court in a strange place, but she did not have stage fright at all.
He turned to look at Lu Jin and nodded approvingly at him.
Lu Jin’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he mouthed, “Isn’t my daughter amazing? She, my daughter! I gave birth to her!”
Lu Yuan: “…”
As expected, when he was given some colours, he would open a dye shop. When he was given a little sunshine, he would glitter. When he was given a broken basket, he would lie down and lay his eggs…
He glared at Lu Jin, warning him not to reveal any clue. Then, he quietly averted his gaze and quickly scanned the courtroom.
Fortunately, not many people noticed them.
It was because everyone had been attracted by Gu Nianzhi and Jin Wanyi’s battle of words.
One was a young lawyer, the plaintiff and the victim, while the other was a young barrister from the biggest law firm in the capital who had never lost. They were both beautiful.
It was supposed to be a one-sided situation, but now there was the possibility of a young lawyer making a comeback.
How could it not be exciting?
After all, everyone loved watching a face-slapping drama.
Lu Jin had no one to share his joy, so he had no choice but to maintain a poker face. He reached out and moved the miniature plastic pinhole camera embedded in his collar button, recording Gu Nianzhi’s every word and action.
This thing was made entirely of high-grade plastic material. The metal detector at the court security check could not detect it at all.
…
The judge was a slightly chubby middle-aged woman in her forties. She looked very proper and serious, and her sharp eyes were very sharp when she looked at people.
She sat in the Chief Judge’s seat, followed by two other judges who sat on her left and right.
This case involved a minor. Although the minor was now an adult, according to the principle of retrial of unsolved cases, it was still a minor case. It was important to protect the privacy of the victim and not to disclose it to the media.
All the people present had signed a special confidentiality agreement and stated that they were friends or colleagues of the plaintiff.
After the judge sat down, she first asked if the plaintiff and defendant were present.
Gu Nianzhi was the plaintiff and had chosen to defend herself, so she was also her own lawyer.
Jin Wanyi, the defendant’s lawyer, stood up and said, “The defendants, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, have been detained by the police and are waiting outside the door. The third defendant, Wen Shouyi, is sitting in the defendant’s seat.”
The judge checked the documents, verified them to the person in question and nodded. “Let the defendants, Wen Dayou and Liang Meili, in.”
Wen Shouyi quickly stood up and watched as her parents were brought in by two bailiffs.
It had only been two or three days since they last saw each other, and she felt that their spirits had collapsed.
Wen Dayou and Liang Meili saw Wen Shouyi, their emotions which they had been holding back for several days, suddenly exploded. They hugged her and cried.
Gu Nianzhi: “…”
Jin Wanyi immediately reprimanded Gu Nianzhi, “Lawyer Gu, for your own personal gain, you accused these poor and honest people. You didn’t even spare their innocent daughter. Don’t you have conscience?”
The whole family hugged their heads and wept as if they were the victims and Gu Nianzhi was the perpetrator.
Gu Nianzhi looked at the scene with extreme disgust. She snorted and said lightly, “The most important thing for a family is to be organized. If you break the law together, of course you’ll be punished together.”
The judge at the head of the court coughed lightly and said, “The defendant, please control your emotions and don’t disturb the order of the court.”
Wen Shouyi immediately wiped away her tears and helped her parents to sit down in the dock. She comforted them in a low voice, “It’s okay. Lawyer Jin is very powerful. She won’t let anything happen to us.”
“Shouyi, why can’t you be our lawyer? Why are you being sued?” Liang Meili didn’t understand. “That has nothing to do with you!”
Wen Shouyi gave them a look. “Mom, stop talking. If you have something to say, the lawyer will say it.”
Wen Dayou reprimanded Liang Meili in a low voice, “Listen to your daughter. You’d better shut up!”
Liang Meili looked nervously at Gu Nianzhi in the plaintiff’s seat across from her. She then lowered her head.
Seeing that they had all quieted down, the judge knocked the gavel and said, “The first trial of Case No. 7856 has begun. The defendant, Wen Dayou, Liang Meili, the plaintiff, Gu Nianzhi, is suing you for violently kidnapping a 12-year-old plaintiff eight years ago and taking her out of the He family’s mansion, causing her severe physical and mental trauma.”
“The defendant, Wen Shouyi, the plaintiff, Gu Nianzhi, is suing you for perjury eight years ago, conspiracy with your parents, and violently kidnapping a 12-year-old plaintiff.”
“Do you plead guilty or not?”
The defendant’s lawyer, Jin Wanyi, immediately said loudly, “Reporting to the judge, my three clients do not plead guilty. I want to plead not guilty for my three clients!”
…
