Chapter 621: Statement of witness Zhongli Wuzhi No. 554
The background of the protagonist in this case had already caught considerable attention.
The daughter of the minister of the National Population Intelligence Department was the plaintiff, and just this fact alone was enough to make anyone worry for the defendant.
But as the trial progressed until now, over the course of this past hour, everyone seated in the spectator’s gallery seemed to realize that the case appeared to be leaning one-sidedly, in favor of the defendant.
Lu Yonghuai’s daughter had always left the impression of being disobedient, headstrong, and reckless.
Her behavior in court today only confirmed this.
Others wouldn’t personally experience Lu Xiaoer’s inner feelings at this moment, even if they knew the details, they wouldn’t understand.
Because they weren’t the ones hurt.
They were merely spectators.
But Lili was different.
Lili should have arrived earlier; she worried about Xiaoer’s emotional state during the trial.
Seeing Song Jing again, that scumbag, might provoke Xiaoer to act impulsively, which would only benefit Song Jing.
Moreover, she only learned this morning that Zhongli Wuzhi would be attending the trial.
This made Song Lili even more uneasy.
Song Lili was not new to entering a courthouse or standing trial...
When she was accused of treason and being a spy, the courthouse was already a place of execution aimed at her. She knew that the so-called courtroom could sometimes be unpredictable and was not something just anyone could control.
She intended to come alone, but Wen Nian insisted on waiting for her and then accompanying her.
On the way there, Song Lili was muttering,
"I’m going to wear a hat and keep a low profile. Maybe even the judge won’t notice me. But if you go... do you think the judge can focus on the case?"
"I’m going with you to make sure he’s not comfortable."
Wen Nian said, holding her hand and smiling gently.
"To make him uncomfortable?"
"All right, Xiaoer is your best friend, and of course, she is to me as well. So, I am coming with you."
"I just feel like you coming with me... might be blowing things out of proportion..."
Song Lili touched her nose.
She was aware of the general situation of the case, but she didn’t know that the person Lu Xiaoer had refused to mention all this time was actually the crux of the case.
At this moment, Song Lili was sitting in the last row, looking at Lu Xiaoer seated in the plaintiff’s area, and her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the time when she was brought to court for examination.
Xiaoer, in the past life, you were the only one... who defended me and believed in me at all costs.
This life, it’s my turn to protect you.
————
Lu Xiaoer took a deep breath, her emotions stabilized, and she became somewhat calmer.
She sat there quietly, her eyes either fixed on Song Jing across from her or on the judges.
The only area she ignored was the witness stand.
"Judge, ladies, and gentlemen in attendance, thank you for your understanding. Now, I would like to ask our witness, Mr. Zhongli Wuzhi, to describe what happened on the day of the incident."
Lawyer Fu spoke.
He looked at Zhongli Wuzhi and nodded slightly as a signal for Zhongli Wuzhi to begin his testimony.
Zhongli Wuzhi let out a shallow breath,
"Your Honor. Lu Xiaoer and I were in a romantic relationship at the time—"
"Mr. Zhongli Wuzhi, please be precise in your statements, we were former romantic partners!"
Lu Xiaoer immediately stood up to correct him.
Zhongli Wuzhi was taken aback and then began again,
"I had a romantic relationship with Lu Xiaoer in the past."
"I would like to ask the witness, Mr. Zhongli Wuzhi, when did your romantic relationship with Lu Xiaoer end?"
"On the day of the incident."
Zhongli Wuzhi replied very succinctly, with hardly any hesitation.
"The night at the Kasi Hotel was actually arranged by me for Lu Xiaoer."
Once Zhongli Wuzhi finished speaking, there was an uproar in the courtroom.
Lu Xiaoer frowned at Zhongli Wuzhi, and even Lawyer Fu was stunned at this moment.
This differed from what Zhongli Wuzhi had told him prior to the trial.
Song Jing also narrowed his eyes.
"Mr. Zhongli Wuzhi, as a witness, you must take responsibility for every word you say, and I hope you understand this," the defense attorney stood up and reminded Zhongli Wuzhi.
"Of course, I understand this."
Zhongli Wuzhi raised his head, looking at the defense attorney.
"You said it was you who initiated the meeting with Miss Lu Xiaoer. Then why was it Lu Xiaoer’s name used for the hotel registration, and why did the hotel manager say the person who booked the room was Miss Lu Xiaoer?"
"It was me who arranged to meet Lu Xiaoer at the Kasi Hotel; we were still in a relationship then. I didn’t have time, so I asked her to check into the room in advance. Is that a problem?"
"So the decorations and arrangements in the room were your demands, not Xiaoer’s?"
"Decorations, arrangements... I don’t know. Xiaoer and I had a fight over some things at the time and were giving each other the cold shoulder. I even dated someone else to anger her..."
Saying it was to anger her...
Xiaoer’s fists clenched tight; he was playing games with her feelings, and now he was already choosing wedding rings with the Seventh Princess, evidently about to get married.
"She was always busy with work and was particularly cold to me during that period, making me feel like I was nothing to her..."
Zhongli Wuzhi looked at Lu Xiaoer, and Lu Xiaoer, with composed eyes, also looked at him...
This was probably the first time in many days that the two of them had such direct eye contact.
"I really like Xiaoer; she’s so individualistic, so extraordinary... pursuing independence, seeking her own worth, her whole being is full of charm, always making me unable to take my eyes off her..."
As Lu Xiaoer listened to Zhongli Wuzhi’s words, her fists under the table clenched even tighter.
She didn’t understand what Zhongli Wuzhi meant by saying these things now.
"When I saw that she hadn’t paid attention to me for several days but was going home after work in Song Jing’s car, I was very angry, angry and jealous."
"..."
"Because of my anger and jealousy, I provoked him, but accidentally hurt his hand, for which Xiaoer was very angry and disappointed with me. Of course, she felt more guilt and pity for Song Jing."
"..."
"But I was foolish, mistaking her guilt and self-blame as defending Song Jing. She was atoning for me, yet I believed she had long been colluding with Song Jing behind my back."
"..." Lu Xiaoer’s gaze was fixed on Zhongli Wuzhi, and it was so hard for her to control her emotions, to keep the tears from falling.
Zhongli Wuzhi was using this opportunity to open up to her about his feelings.
The very feelings he was supposed to have shared with her in that carefully prepared room at the Kasi Hotel...
And now, it was happening in a courtroom.
"I couldn’t let go of my pride, and she was extremely disappointed in me, so our relationship just kept drifting further apart."
Zhongli Wuzhi took a deep breath,
"But I couldn’t accept it, couldn’t bear to let go, I wanted to give myself, to give her a chance. That’s why I asked her to meet me at the Kasi Hotel."
"He’s lying! He’s in cahoots with Lu Xiaoer! They’ve joined together to frame me!"
Song Jing suddenly couldn’t sit still, stood up, and yelled at Zhongli Wuzhi.
"Defendant, please be quiet. It’s time for the witness to make a statement. If you have objections, please raise them after the witness has finished speaking!"
The judge issued a warning to Song Jing.
Song Jing frowned.
"Actually, I had already decided, if I asked her to meet and she was willing to come, no matter what she asked of me, I would do it, just hoping she could forgive my previous rashness, naivety, forgive my immaturity."
"..."
"I didn’t expect that she was also preparing meticulously, also looking to reconcile with me that night, I really hadn’t expected..."
"..."
"That night, when I arrived, Song Jing was assaulting her, she had been drugged by Song Jing, was not in her right mind, unable to properly call for help, even unable to speak a whole sentence clearly..."
"She was in such pain, so scared, but I thought she had purposely called Song Jing to provoke me, to make me give up on her..."
He knew everything...
Lu Xiaoer bit her lip, her teeth trembling.
Her eyes grew warm... Big teardrops had already gathered in the corners of her eyes, her eyelids slightly trembled, and the big teardrops rolled down.
"I was that stupid, so hopelessly stupid, to let the woman I love get hurt."
"The kick that hit Song Jing was also when I dragged him off the bed, how could Xiaoer have had the strength to kick someone into being disabled with one kick?"
"At that time, I didn’t think much, I was just a normal person who lost his mind when he saw his woman being pressed down by another man. But luckily, I lost my reason, otherwise, after I angrily left the scene, Song Jing’s attempted assault might have become... completed."
"That night, I wanted to apologize to Xiaoer, wanted to reconcile with her, but I never imagined Song Jing would take this chance to hurt Lu Xiaoer in retaliation against me."
"Everything above is my statement. I hope the judge and jury can render a fair judgment. Xiaoer... is just a victim. It was I who embarrassed her, allowed her to be hurt by others."
Zhongli Wuzhi...
Lu Xiaoer turned her head away and wiped her tears, finding this whole scenario absurd.
Only now saying sorry...
Was there any point?
All the hurt and disappointment had already been done.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhongli, for your statement. Your Honor, my client has been emotionally wounded during this period, and from the start of the trial until now, she has been reluctant to mention Mr. Zhongli, owing to her emotional fragility."
"And so, she has given the defendant an opportunity to spout nonsense. What Mr. Zhongli said is the truth."
Lawyer Fu spoke bluntly.
The expression on the defendant’s lawyer was deeply displeased as he glanced at Song Jing...
Song Jing’s gaze was evasive.
After a while, the defendant’s lawyer still mustered up the courage to stand up and question,
"Opposing counsel, you claim your witness spoke the truth? On what basis? Words alone are no proof."
Lawyer Fu chuckled,
"Defendant’s counsel, don’t be in a hurry. I say so because I have evidence. Since one of the defendant’s witnesses is the hotel manager, then I suppose the hotel manager should know better than anyone about the surveillance situation at the Kasi Hotel, right?"