Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Judge, I want to file another defamation charge!
In the days while waiting for the court session, he pondered back and forth, feeling more and more that he was being targeted. Qin Mu had first approached him, pretending to want to sell a house, then turned around and sued him in court, which led to the prosecutor’s office conducting an evidence investigation. If it had been someone else who discovered he was a shady middleman, they would have likely caused him some trouble. But Qin Mu remained courteous throughout; he had no intention of arguing with him. This was simply too unusual.
"Sneaky?" Qin Mu frowned at Lin Zhen, who had approached him. He was just about to retort when the voice of the system suddenly echoed in his mind.
"DING! Mockery of the host detected. The ’Perfect Bait’ skill can be triggered. Do you wish to trigger it?"
Qin Mu was startled for a moment. This was the first time he received a passive trigger prompt since acquiring the ’Perfect Bait’ skill. Indeed. This skill wasn’t about real fishing at all, and yet the system had the nerve to label it as a master angler’s skill.
After a brief moment of consideration, Qin Mu mentally consented, Trigger it!
Then, Lin Zhen, on the opposite side, grew increasingly angry as he saw Qin Mu remaining silent and flew off the handle. Showing his true colors, he continued, "What, you dare not speak now? It’s one thing for you to sue me alone, but did you have to drag these two old farts into it as well? I worked like a dog every day, taking clients in the middle of the night to promote your property, and I never imagined you could be so sneaky and ruthless, suing me just like that! I must have been blind, you..."
Lin Zhen glared fiercely at Qin Mu. The frustrations of the past few days suddenly surged in his heart, making him lose control of himself. He began to curse vehemently at Qin Mu and Uncle Yang and his wife, his voice growing louder and louder, extremely arrogant.
Uncle Yang and his wife, startled by Lin Zhen’s sudden outburst, shrank behind Qin Mu. As for Qin Mu, he remained extremely calm, allowing Lin Zhen to rant and rave. He turned to look at the judge in the center of the courtroom, raising his hand. "Judge, he’s threatening me, defaming me, and verbally abusing me in court. I’d like to add a charge, suing him for defamation."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Zhen, who was in a fit of rage, suddenly paused, not expecting Qin Mu to pull such a move. With his mouth slightly agape, the words he was about to spout were stifled.
"Sorry, sorry, my client is overly emotional, that’s why he reacted this way..." At the counsel table, Zhang Wei, the defense attorney for the accused, had a drastic change in his expression. He quickly stepped forward to explain to the judge while simultaneously pulling Lin Zhen back to his seat. Giving Lin Zhen a stern glare, his face lined with frustration, he hissed through clenched teeth, "What on earth are you doing? This is a court of law, do you think this is your own shop?!"
Reprimanded in such a manner, Lin Zhen saw the judge and the jurors at the front of the courtroom looking at him expressionlessly, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard. He had only intended to intimidate Qin Mu before the session began, not expecting that the more he thought, the angrier he got, until he lost his composure completely.
Zhang Wei rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Well now, the judge has seen it firsthand, and it has become an established fact. You can’t escape the charge of defamation. Fortunately, no substantial damage was caused—just maybe an extra ten-odd days of detention. It’s no big deal; with all the charges you’re racking up, a few more days won’t make much difference."
In the courtroom, the judge has absolute authority. Although all sentences must be passed in accordance with the law, in modern society, judges hold the power to adjudicate and determine sentences. Those who openly defy the court never meet a good end.
It was only after hearing this that Lin Zhen realized the severity of the consequences. The curse he had just hurled had actually extended his sentence by more than ten days. Thinking of this, his face turned somewhat pale. He looked at Zhang Wei and, gripping his arm, said, "Lawyer Zhang, you must help me. Try to get my sentence reduced as much as possible, and the fines as low as possible. I will definitely not shortchange you on your fees!"
Yesterday, after weighing his options with Wu Zhenglin, he had ultimately decided to have Zhang Wei act as their legal representative, valuing Zhang Wei’s "talent" in this area.
Zhang Wei snorted coldly, then said, "In the upcoming court session, follow my instructions to the letter. Don’t pull any more stunts, or not even a god could save you."
Lin Zhen quickly nodded in agreement.
THUD—
At the same time, directly above in the courtroom, the judge struck the gavel.
"Order!"
"Today, Jin City Court’s First Tribunal will publicly try the case of contractual dispute between the plaintiffs Qin Mu, Yang Siyan, Lan Dahu, and the defendant Lin Zhen." A solemn and serious voice sounded. "Court is now in session!"
"The court discipline will now be read out. Parties have the right and obligation to request recusal, to call witnesses to testify, and to make a final statement..."
Shortly thereafter, three minutes later, the judge finished reading the court discipline. "Now, the plaintiff will read the complaint."
Subsequently, from the plaintiff’s side, Qin Mu stood up and read out his written complaint in front of all the jurors.
"I accuse the shady broker Lin Zhen of inventing fake listings, malicious buying and selling, skirting the edges of contracts, and unregulated lending during the home sale period. I accuse Lin Zhen of fraud, illegal trading, illegal lending, and defamation. Additionally, I demand that the defendant compensate double the original loss of 1,600,000 from the home sale, as well as 2,000,000 in relative losses suffered by Uncle Yang and his wife. We will not accept any mediation."
Qin Mu’s voice clearly echoed throughout the courtroom.
On the defendant’s side, Lin Zhen listened with an ashen face, his body trembling. Three point six million! This was simply robbery, even more profitable than his own brokerage business! If not for Zhang Wei glaring at him, he would have longed to retort.
In front of the courtroom, having heard the complaint, the judge continued to look towards Lin Zhen. "Next, please let the defendant offer a defense."
Lin Zhen’s expression brightened. He quickly stood up and indignantly said, "Your Honor, I am wronged! Although I am a shady broker, I’ve only made a bit of extra from price spreads, and I haven’t caused them any losses—they still own their houses! How can that be considered fraud? They can hardly speak of losses, yet demand so much compensation. I want to countersue them for extortion! Yes, and additionally, I want to sue them for defamation, for damaging my reputation..."
In his self-defense, the more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice growing louder and louder. As for Zhang Wei’s earlier instructions, they had long since vanished from his mind. In the days leading up to the trial, he had also taken the time to understand the court proceedings, learning that one of the steps was the defendant’s statement. He thought that with his skills as a broker, he had every chance to turn the tables during the statement and defense segment. He could utterly refute the opposition!
Meanwhile, Zhang Wei watched Lin Zhen, who was completely letting himself go and improvising. His face turned progressively more livid, his body shaking with anger. Countersue them? What in God’s name is he thinking? This is a court! This isn’t the place for verbal sparring; evidence is essential in all matters.