"You want me to go? What can I do? " Chen Lie hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth and took a sip of water. He glared at Huo Shaoheng. "Aren't you going yourself?"
Huo Shaoheng shook his head. "I can't go. It's not the right time yet. I can't let anyone know that I'm her guardian. You know, if they find out now, Nianzhi might not be able to come back. "
Chen Lie put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked up at the ceiling and murmured, "It's been six years, and no one has looked for her. We can't find out where she came from either. Do you think … we're overthinking it? That she's actually an orphan with dead parents and no living relatives? "
Huo Shaoheng's gaze was deep and meaningful. He propped his head up with one hand and played with a round gold coin with the other. He didn't speak.
Before he had concrete evidence to prove Gu Nianzhi's origin, he wouldn't prejudge any conclusions.
Anything was possible.
He had to maintain a clear mind.
"Hello? Did you hear me? Isn't Little Ze in the United States? Isn't he enough? "Chen Lie pushed Huo Shaoheng's arm." Is there really something wrong with Nianzhi's case? "
Huo Shaoheng looked down and gripped the round gold coin in his palm. "With He Zhichu's abilities, it shouldn't be a problem. But I don't want to have too much contact with him. "
"Huh? Why is that? " Chen Lie's eyebrows shot up. It looked comical on his round face. "He Zhichu is Nianzhi's professor. He treats her so well … Oh, I think I heard Big Xiong say that Professor He has outstanding abilities and high status at such a young age. He's also very good looking …"
Huo Shaoheng looked at him coldly. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that girls usually can't resist a man like that. Tsk tsk, he's not a man. He's a Prince Charming." Chen Lie looked at Huo Shaoheng. "Prince Charming, do you understand? Oh, oh, oh. You never go online, so you probably don't know what Prince Charming means, right? "
Huo Shaoheng looked at Chen Lie like he was looking at an idiot. He remained silent.
Chen Lie chuckled and shook his finger. "There's no use looking at me. I'm not a Prince Charming! I'm just talking about a social phenomenon. Huo Shao, to be honest, you're really not worried about Nianzhi going to the United States for half a year and staying with He Zhichu? "
"What should I be worried about?" Huo Shaoheng's expression was calm and steady. Chen Lie was so familiar with him, but he didn't seem to have changed at all.
"Are you really not worried? You win … "Chen Lie turned his head away resentfully. He took the canned beer and opened it with a bang. He poured a mouthful into his mouth and gulped it down." Fine, tell me, what do you want me to do? "
Huo Shaoheng only ignored him when they got down to business. He got up and walked into the study.
Chen Lie followed him in and sat across from his desk.
"Take a look at this information." Huo Shaoheng threw him a document. "You're not going alone. I'll ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cooperate and send a few people with you. Go to the United States as a medical expert hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When the time comes, listen to Little Ze's instructions. "
Chen Lie became serious. He took the information and looked at it. He snorted and saluted Huo Shaoheng. "I'm impressed! I surrender to you! It really is Huo Shao! "
Huo Shaoheng smiled carelessly. He waved his hand and shooed Chen Lie out of his house like he was shooing a fly or a mosquito.
…
Gu Nianzhi's mood improved again after she received Huo Shaoheng's call that day.
Mei Xiawen called every day when she was about to sleep. It was probably lunchtime when he returned to the Huaxia Empire.
He was concerned about her mood every day, concerned about her daily life and diet.
It had only been a week, but he had already sent her two packages.
One was an air-shipped Dutch rose. There were 99 roses in total. They were placed in a vase in Gu Nianzhi's bedroom.
The other was a VCA five-flower necklace. On the small collarbone necklace were five exquisitely crafted diamond-studded flowers arranged asymmetrically. It had an extremely low-key luxury to it.
Gu Nianzhi loved these two gifts. She put on the collarbone necklace and placed the roses on her desk. She video-called Mei Xiawen.
"Does it look good?" Her eyes were curved when she smiled in the video. Her crystal clear skin was so delicate that Mei Xiawen couldn't help caressing the screen of his laptop.
"It looks good. It looks very good. I knew this necklace belonged to you as soon as I saw it. " Mei Xiawen pressed a finger to his mouth, then pressed it to Gu Nianzhi's face in the video. He blew her a kiss through the camera.
Gu Nianzhi saw it through the camera and blushed. She quickly turned off the camera and only spoke to him through the audio. She laughed. "Xiawen, it's not the six-month deadline yet. You can't do this yet."
Mei Xiawen's laptop video disappeared, leaving only the audio.
Jiang Hongcha had been hiding on the sofa in the study, out of view of the camera. She crept over and hugged Mei Xiawen's neck from behind. She whispered in his ear, "… See, I have good taste, don't I? Roses and VCA collarbone necklace. I've never met a girl who can resist them. "
Her voice was so low, and so close to Mei Xiawen's ear, that the warmth of her breath entered his earlobe. It was warm and fuzzy.
A wave of heat rose from his lower abdomen. He turned off the phone and turned to pick Jiang Hongcha up. He pressed her down on the sofa in the study.
Soon, long and short moans rang out in the study, and the atmosphere was overflowing with spring.
…
The trial for Xin Xinggao's assault case against Gu Nianzhi was scheduled to begin in a week on Monday.
He Zhichu and his team had been working tirelessly over the past week. They had gone through all the videotapes in an attempt to find loopholes.
Unfortunately, there was nothing suspicious about the videotapes.
All the timings matched, and there was nothing illegal about their conversations.
The only thing they could find fault with was the few conversations between Lieutenant Colonel Peter and Xin Xinggao.
They had spoken in very low voices, and even when the videotapes were played at maximum volume, it was barely audible.
However, after several cross-examinations by language experts, they all said that Xin Xinggao had borrowed books from Lieutenant Colonel Peter, and that he had brought some books for her.
No one could say that giving books to Xin Xinggao would cause fatal injury.
Therefore, although there was some doubt about this, it could not be used to refute the other party's testimony.
"Mr. He, do you really have to fight this lawsuit?" He Zhichu's subordinate kindly reminded him. "The military seems to have received help from the CIA. They think they have a good chance of winning, and are already going all out."
The relationship between the US military and the CIA was extremely complicated.
The two sides were often hostile to each other, but were able to cooperate sincerely when it came to national interests.
This time, even the CIA was involved. He Zhichu had no choice but to agree with Gu Nianzhi's opinion.
Xin Xinggao must have something more to hide, but they just didn't know about it yet.
Thinking of this, He Zhichu had a brainwave and suddenly had an idea.
"Find medical experts, especially world-renowned neurologists." He Zhichu knocked on the table and assigned a new task to his subordinates. "The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has the world's best neurologists and neurosurgeons. Remember to hire two of them as expert witnesses at a high price."
"Mr. He wants to …?" His subordinates looked at each other and looked up from the pile of videotapes. They looked at He Zhichu with confusion. "Challenge the other party's injuries?"
"Of course." He Zhichu turned around and put his things into his briefcase. "As lawyers, we have to make bold assumptions and carefully verify them. But we're not scientists, so our arguments don't need to be rigorous. We only need to find evidence that proves our point of view, and eliminate all evidence that doesn't. "
He Zhichu had already had an in-depth discussion with the two neurologists and neurosurgeons by the time the trial began on Monday.
Xin Xinggao's brain CT scans and X-rays were passed to He Zhichu, and he and the two experts carefully studied them for several days.
Although the two experts thought the scans and X-rays were strange, they couldn't pinpoint any flaws due to the complexity of the human brain.
Whether or not Xin Xinggao's intelligence had been irreversibly damaged was a very subjective judgment.
"Mr. He, this is as far as we can help you." The two neurologists politely extended their hands to He Zhichu.
He Zhichu smiled and shook hands with them. "That's fine, we'll do our best."
…
It was time for the trial again. Gu Nianzhi was dressed even more plainly this time. She wore a pure white silk bubble sleeve top with the hem tucked into straight black trousers. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail that swayed beside her ears. She looked very youthful.
Judge Judy banged her gavel and asked He Zhichu, "Lawyer He, do you have anything else to say?"
He Zhichu stood up. "We've invited two neurologists. Please summon them to the stand as witnesses."
"Agreed." Judge Judy nodded and gestured for the two experts to be brought in.
The two experts placed their hands on the Bible and swore not to perjure themselves. They stood in the witness stand.
The neurologists took out Xin Xinggao's brain CT scans and explained to the judge, "Your Honor, based on my 20 years of medical experience, Miss Xin's injuries shouldn't have worsened to an irreversible degree. Look at the injuries in her brain. The images from the beginning to the third week show that her condition is in the process of recovery. However, at the fourth week, her injuries suddenly worsened. The CT scans from the fourth week are very different from the previous three weeks. It's debatable what happened. "
"Dr. Carson, do you mean that Xin Xinggao suffered a second injury between the third and fourth weeks of her hospitalization?" He Zhichu stood up and began cross-examining his expert witness.
"Based on the brain scans, that's a very high possibility." Dr. Carson's answer was also very tactful.
They were all successful medical experts and didn't want to ruin their reputations for a favor.
Moreover, perjury and obstruction of justice were felonies.
"So you're saying that Dr. Carson can't be sure that a second injury occurred between the third and fourth weeks, right?" The prosecutor for the plaintiff had changed to a smart and capable person. He was much more capable than the previous prosecutor.
The two expert witnesses He Zhichu had found could only insist that there was a missing link in the changes before and after the injury, so they couldn't determine when the injury had caused the serious consequences.
Under normal circumstances, when the plaintiff's evidence couldn't prove the defendant's guilt 100%, the defendant would be considered innocent.
If there was a jury, they would definitely not convict the defendant under such ambiguous circumstances.
In juvenile court, where there were no juries, the judge placed great importance on the directness and logical integrity of the evidence.
Therefore, if Gu Nianzhi hadn't provoked Xin Xinggao and the power behind her, she would have been acquitted.
Unfortunately, her enemies were none other than the US military and the CIA, who were trying to use the judicial system to make an example out of the Huaxia Imperial citizens.
Gu Nianzhi's heart sank, and she clenched her fists tightly at her sides.
He Zhichu didn't mind. If they really wanted to convict Gu Nianzhi, then he would have no choice but to use his ultimate weapon …
"Don't be afraid." He Zhichu held Gu Nianzhi's hand and pried her fingers open, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Gu Nianzhi smiled bitterly at him and shook her head, "Professor He, I can't trouble you anymore. When we get back, give me the bill and I'll think of a solution. I won't default on your legal fees. " “
He Zhichu's expression changed as he pushed Gu Nianzhi's hand away and said coldly, "You're talking about legal fees at a time like this?! Can you even afford it?! "
Gu Nianzhi bit her lip, "I'll try my best. If it's not enough, I can pay in installments. "
He Zhichu was so angry he didn't want to say another word. He turned around and sat down heavily, his face livid. He bit his lip tightly and glared at Gu Nianzhi. He wanted nothing more than to bite off a piece of her flesh to vent the hatred in his heart.
Just let her go to jail …
A stubborn child who wouldn't turn back until he hit the southern wall. He really hadn't changed at all.
He Zhichu's handsome face was cold as he looked at Gu Nianzhi in a daze. His attention was completely focused on her and he couldn't care less about what the people in the courtroom were saying.
Judge Judy had already received secret orders from the military and the CIA to convict Gu Nianzhi.
After both sides finished their arguments, she chuckled and raised her gavel high, about to knock it down as she said, "Since the plaintiff's evidence is conclusive, the defendant …"
Before she could say "guilty," the courtroom doors were suddenly pushed open and a group of Huaxia Imperial diplomats in suits walked in.
"Who are you? Trespassing in a courtroom is a felony, don't you know that? " Judge Judy's hand froze in mid-air as she looked at the bailiffs, "Aren't you going to kick them out?!"
Gu Nianzhi looked up and was shocked to see the rotund Chen Lie among the group of people in suits!
He was also in a dark black suit and his expression was serious as could be, but his eyes danced with amusement when he saw Gu Nianzhi standing in the dock.
Gu Nianzhi immediately calmed down.
They must have been sent by Uncle Huo.
He wouldn't give up on her, he was here to save her.
The diplomat at the front took out his credentials, "Judge Judy, we are Huaxia Imperial diplomats and have diplomatic immunity."
Therefore, she couldn't kick them out for contempt of court.
"What do you want? Even diplomats have to abide by our laws. "Judge Judy's expression was dark and she didn't dare to knock her gavel down.
"Our country is very concerned about Xin Xinggao's case against Gu Nianzhi. Since both of them are Huaxia citizens, we believe they must be brought back to our country for trial. This is the extradition document jointly signed by the Huaxia Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. Please have a look, Your Honor. "
※ ※ ※
This is the second installment of 4,200 words, two installments in one, including 3,800 monthly votes.
A reminder for everyone: monthly votes and recommendation votes.
o(n_n)o~。
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
