Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Actually, Gu Nianzhi very much wanted to help Huo Shaoheng and the rest of them, but she knew the nature of their jobs was highly confidential, and there were many things they’d never be able to tell her.
Unless they specifically asked for help, she usually didn’t ask any questions. She didn’t want to burden them. It was the same this time, so she knew she wasn’t breaking any rules.
Carrying a tray with three cups of coffee, Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked, “What are you guys talking about? Can I listen in?”
“Sure. You’re one of the parties involved anyway, so it’s fine if you know about it” Yin Shixiong allowed her to sit between Zhao Liangze and himself and told her about Xu Piaohong’s information leaks, how Yamaguchi Aiko had become involved, and the contradicting statements from Miao Yunxiao and Dou Aiyan.
“That’s about it basically. We want to believe Miao Yunxiao, as everyone seems to guess there is something up Dou Aiyan’s sleeve, but-”
Gu Nianzhi continued Zhao Liangze’s unfinished sentence, “But Miao Yunxiao did not have any evidence, so the court couldn’t do anything to Dou Aiyan based on her statement alone, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. That’s the great thing about talking to understanding people— it’s easy,” Zhao Liangze patted her shoulder happily. “It isn’t a good idea to strike now, even for people like us. We just don’t have a valid reason to do so.”
They all knew the law looked at evidence: testimonies from people and material proof. In order for their words to be valid, the person giving testimony could not be related to anyone in the case.
Miao Yunxiao was considered one of the parties involved, so she was unable to provide her testimony as evidence. Even people directly related to her were unable to do so, as, from the eyes of the law, they were still biased.
Gu Nianzhi nodded, “Who reported the incident, and who offered evidence? It wouldn’t be a good idea to do something to Dou Aiyan if Miao Yunxiao’s only evidence is her words.” Moreover, Miao Yunxiao had a history of lying. Her reliability would be way lower in court compared to Dou Aiyan.
“Hell, even you don’t have an answer?” Yin Shixiong shrugged and shook his head bitterly. “I thought our young genius would have the perfect solution for us!”
“Get lost, Yin Shixiong! Don’t stress Nianzhi out.” Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong, but it was difficult as Gu Nianzhi was sitting between them.
Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting opposite of them, said, “Nianzhi, come here. You’re blocking Big Xiong and Little Ze.”
Yin Shixiong flushed and Zhao Liangze looked extremely awkward, but Gu Nianzhi smiled, walked to Huo Shaoheng’s side and sat down. One of them was tall, handsome, and had amazing morals; the other was petite and gorgeous. Even though they had an age gap, they looked compatible together. Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze felt blinded by their beauty and closed their eyes.
Gu Nianzhi smiled and pretended she hadn’t noticed their reaction. “There’s a solution, but we’ll have to look at the possibility that Miao Yunxiao did not lie.”
“So you’re saying Miao Yunxiao has a tendency to lie?” Yin Shixiong was stunned. He did not think of this possibility at all.
“I was only stating a possibility. Without an independent third party witness, anything could be possible.” Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Huo Shaoheng. He did not look at her but sat quietly beside her. His face was calm as usual, and his expression was unreadable.
Gu Nianzhi sighed and looked away. She turned to Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze and continued, “If we remove the possibility that Miao Yunxiao lied, our next step would be to find independent third party evidence supporting her.”
“How can we do that? She couldn’t provide us with any form of evidence herself. She only remembered speaking to Dou Aiyan once.” Zhao Liangze frowned. “She couldn’t even remember when they spoke.”
Gu Nianzhi straightened her back in surprise. “Oh, really? Then most likely Miao Yunxiao isn’t lying, and actually spoke to Dou Aiyan before.” If she really wanted to sabotage Dou Aiyan, her lies would have been well planned. There would be no need to put effort into details if she was telling the truth.
“It’s not much help if we are the only ones who believe her. It’s more important the law believes her,” Huo Shaoheng finally spoke. His looked at Gu Nianzhi briefly and returned his gaze to the coffee table in front of him.
Seeing Huo Shaoheng look at her from the corner of her eyes, Gu Nianzhi cheered up and quickly looked through Miao Yunxiao’s statement which Yin Shixiong provided her with. She said eagerly, “I always feel that, as long as the event took place, there will be traces of evidence left behind. We just need to know how to look for it.”
“How? Do you actually want us to interrogate every single student from B University and check if someone remembers their meet up?” Yin Shixiong snickered. “We already considered that but realized it was pointless and gave up.”
“Besides, Miao Yunxiao has to prove not only that she met up with Dou Aiyan, but also that Dou Aiyan was the one who introduced her to Yamaguchi Aiko. Even if you’re able to prove the first point, what about the second? Even if we are able to arrest Yamaguchi Aiko, we wouldn’t be able to prove anything as long as she denies knowing Dou Aiyan, would we?” Zhao Liangze pointed at the document. “So it’s complicated. Meanwhile, the other party intentionally wanted this setup to happen, so she would definitely put in the effort to ensure there wasn’t be any helpful evidence around.”
“Yes, it was intentionally done to make our lives difficult. We knew what was going on, but the law only accepts accusations based on evidence, so we can’t prove it.” Yin Shixiong hit the table angrily. The three cups of coffee shook and spilled slightly.
Zhao Liangze kicked Yin Shixiong again. “Get some napkins and clean this up.”
Yin Shixiong smiled bashfully and brought some napkins over. Gu Nianzhi helped him clean the table and thought quickly. “I think there are two solutions to solving both problems.”
“Two solutions!” Yin Shixiong stopped cleaning the table to gawk at her. “You came up with two solutions that quickly? You really are a genius! Nianzhi, I take it back. You’re still my idol!”
“Get lost, Big Xiong. You’re getting even more disgusting.” Zhao Liangze pushed him away in revulsion and helped Gu Nianzhi clean the table. He gave her a flirtatious smile and asked, “My dear Nianzhi, quick, tell me your solutions. Ignore that ass of a man.”
Gu Nianzhi smiled happily as Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze bickered. She threw the soiled napkin into the bin and began to speak, “The first solution is this: We’ll look for an immediate third-party witness. I heard Miao Yunxiao say she met Dou Aiyan beside the pond after her Thursday afternoon advanced English lessons.”
“Yes, the famous pond in B University, but so what? It’s famous so that only means there were loads of visitors and students there. How would you even begin to look for evidence?” Yin Shixiong began to panic again. “Jin Wanyi has already told me multiple times that Xu Piaohong was burdened by Miao Yunxiao.”
Gu Nianzhi looked at Yin Shixiong, “Brother Xiong, you seem to be on rather good terms with the lawyer Jin, are you…”
“Enough. Stop making wild guesses. Let’s get back to the point.” Yin Shixiong waved his hand to break her inquisitive gaze and urged her to continue. Gu Nianzhi’s long and slender finger pointed at the document containing the statements.
“If I remember correctly,” she said, “there are cameras installed around the pond. If you can get your hands on the footage of Miao Yunxiao and Dou Aiyan’s meet up, it’ll be easy to prove Miao Yunxiao was telling the truth and Dou Aiyan was lying.”
“You’re sure the cameras cover the span of the entire pond?” Zhao Liangze began to get agitated. “We can indeed give it a try.”
Huo Shaoheng raised his head slightly and nodded, “Yes we can, but-” Huo Shaoheng was already one step ahead of them. “If there really were all these cameras around the B University pond, then why has no one mentioned it to us before?”
Because Miao Yunxiao’s statement could directly impact Prime Minister Dou’s daughter, Gu Nianzhi thought. The army must have sent people down to investigate the situation beforehand, but they didn’t tell us. Gu Nianzhi’s heart sank. “You’ve already sent people to ask?”
“Yes, of course. It’s procedure. What’s the matter?” Huo Shaoheng noticed that Gu Nianzhi wasn’t looking right, and thought of another possibility. “You think there’s a chance the footage has already been deleted?”
“The other party didn’t seem scared so maybe we’re too late.” Gu Nianzhi gave a long sigh. “No matter, we can still work things out with the second solution regardless of how the first one goes on.”
“What do you intend to do?”
