Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

Qin Mu felt a bit embarrassed and explained, "Cough, cough, I work at a nursing home and am quite popular. They heard I was being sued and just came to cheer me on."

Liang Chengbin and the others swallowed hard.

In the end, it was Qin Mu who stepped forward. He asked Old Zhang and the others to give up ten seats. They had to at least save seats for Liang Chengbin's family, as well as Yuan Cui Lian's relatives.

"I've seen people scramble for seats on buses, but this is the first time I've seen it in a courtroom," Bai Xuelan couldn't help but remark, observing the elderly crowd. You really do see new things if you live long enough.

Not long after, Yuan Cui Lian and her daughter, accompanied by a lawyer, also entered the courtroom. Upon seeing Qin Mu and the other three, they immediately glared furiously. It was clear they bore a deep-seated grudge.

"It's all your fault my son died! You won't get away with it today!" Yuan Cui Lian clenched her teeth, her gaze fixed particularly on Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin.

These past few days, she had just finished arranging her son's funeral affairs, and her grief had eased somewhat. But in her heart, her hatred for Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin... was immense. In her view, if Qin Mu and Liang Chengbin hadn't meddled, her son wouldn't have been killed in a car accident.

"The court will deliver a fair judgment as to whether we bear any responsibility," Qin Mu glanced at her and said flatly.

It was true that Yuan Cui Lian was suffering the pain of losing her son. But that couldn't be an excuse for her to disregard right and wrong. Perhaps... it was precisely because she was this kind of mother that her son had strayed onto the path of crime.

「At ten o'clock in the morning.」

The case officially began. Judgment Chief Zhou Quanmin, along with four judges and two jurors, walked into the courtroom.

BANG—

He struck the gavel. Amidst the solemn sound of the gavel, he proclaimed, "Today, I, Zhou Quanmin, as the Judgment Chief of this trial, will preside over this criminal dispute case concerning a death resulting from pursuit, here in the Jin City Court's Second Criminal Court."

"Due to the special nature of this case, this trial will be fully open to the public and broadcast live by the court's online streaming service!"

"Now, the court rules will be read!"

Immediately following this was the reading of the court rules. This was a necessary step, as many people who come to court... are ordinary citizens attending for the first time. If these rules weren't read out, it could very well slow down the trial and obstruct the judicial process. After all... not everyone was like Qin Mu, who practically treated the courthouse as his second home.

Zhou Quanmin couldn't help but glance towards the defendants' table, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. This was the first time... he had seen Qin Mu at the defendants' table. He felt quite unaccustomed to it. In all previous cases, Qin Mu had been the plaintiff.

He had thoroughly familiarized himself with this case before the trial and was very clear about its background and implications. Indeed, this case was of great significance, having already attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society. Following directives from their superiors, they had also enabled live streaming, precisely to provide an explanation to the public.

"Now, will the plaintiff please read the indictment and state the grounds for the case!" Zhou Quanmin took a deep breath and spoke in a solemn voice.

At the plaintiff's table, Yuan Cui Lian, prompted by her lawyer, stood up with a written indictment in hand. She read, "Last month, my son, Xia Yuan, was suspected in a robbery. He was chased and persecuted relentlessly. In his panic, he made a desperate attempt to cross the road and was struck and killed by an oncoming car."

"But afterward, the three people who chased my son, Xia Yuan, are still at large, unpunished."

"These four individuals have shown no remorse, offered no apology, and expressed no contrition. They never contacted me throughout this entire ordeal, showing a complete disregard for life and no reverence whatsoever."

"Here, I implore the Judgment Chief and all the honorable judges to respect a mother's efforts to seek justice for her son. We only want to see justice served and for my son to be able to rest in peace."

"He was twenty-seven this year, in the prime of his life, full of vitality, with so many wonderful years ahead of him..."

As she spoke, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she couldn't help but choke up. A nearby court officer quickly handed her a tissue.

"I only ask the court to grant my son justice, for the perpetrators to receive the punishment they deserve, and for them to provide the due compensation to console my son's spirit in heaven."

Finally, she stated her legal demands: that Qin Mu and the others be convicted of involuntary manslaughter and that the four of them jointly pay compensation totaling 1.58 million.

From the bench at the head of the courtroom, Zhou Quanmin listened to Yuan Cui Lian's plea, then turned to look towards the defendants' table. "Does the defense have any objection to the plaintiff's statements?"

At the defendants' table, Liang Chengbin, Bai Xuelan, and Hua Li were somewhat nervous and instinctively looked towards Qin Mu. They had agreed before the trial that Qin Mu would handle all their statements in court. They were worried they weren't articulate enough and might mess things up.

Qin Mu gave them a reassuring look and stood up.

He retorted loudly, "Regarding the plaintiff's statements, I have six objections."

His voice was clear and strong, echoing through the courtroom.

"First, when you stated the facts, you only mentioned that your son was suspected of robbery. In reality, your son did commit robbery, and the evidence is irrefutable."

"During the prior investigation, the police conducted a thorough inquiry into this matter."

"Your son, Xia Yuan, did indeed rob Ms. Bai Xuelan, who is on our side. Surveillance footage from the intersection, witness testimonies, and fingerprint analysis all confirm this criminal act!"