Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Could Xiao Qin also like someone who is 70 years old?
"Moreover, I’ve interacted with the plaintiff, Qin Mu, many times before and know him very well. As the saying goes, ’Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be undefeated in a hundred battles...’"
After these several cases, Zhang Wei discovered he had an extraordinary talent for defense and sentence reduction. His previous career plan, he now realized, had been a complete mistake. Winning a case as a lawyer wasn’t always necessary. Losing... sometimes, that too demonstrated professional competence. Having been in the profession for eight years and handling over a hundred cases, he had an abundance of experience in losing. He was well aware of how to minimize the sentence and punishment for his clients in the event of a loss.
Moreover, after meeting Qin Mu, he found that Qin Mu was too serious about everything, never letting any grievance go unanswered. Every now and then, he would send a batch of people to prison. Therefore, after Lin Zhen’s case concluded, Zhang Wei managed to collect his attorney fees before Lin Zhen was incarcerated. He then began to secretly monitor Qin Mu and the court’s trial schedule.
As expected, just a few days later, the residents of another building were sued by Qin Mu!
When he first heard the news, he too had been startled by Qin Mu’s ruthless tactics. Later, after thoroughly understanding the situation, he had found the real defendant—the man now before him, Gao Feng.
Listening to Zhang Wei’s self-introduction, Gao Feng couldn’t help but swallow hard before asking, "You... know Qin Mu?"
Zhang Wei nodded. "Of course. I handled several of the cases he previously filed."
He then recounted to Gao Feng the people Qin Mu had previously sued, one by one. Gao Feng’s expression turned even more unsightly as he listened.
Regret flooded his heart. If only I had known about the plaintiff’s impressive track record... he lamented inwardly. I would never have dared to conceal the truth and would have come forward to admit my mistake much earlier.
"Don’t worry too much," Zhang Wei said, seeing Gao Feng’s unsightly expression. "You’re probably just dealing with him for the first time, which is why you were so arrogant. Just be more careful after you get out in a few years."
His attempt at consolation, however, backfired.
As soon as he offered solace, Gao Feng turned pale with fear. He quickly grabbed Zhang Wei’s hand as if clutching a lifeline.
"Lawyer Zhang, save me! You must save me!"
Hearing these familiar words, Zhang Wei’s mouth twitched. Those words... so familiar. Several previous defendants had said the same thing.
He straightened up and said firmly, "Rest assured, since I’ve taken your case, I will see it through to the end. Now, tell me everything from beginning to end, and remember, don’t hide anything!"
Gao Feng nodded repeatedly.
Not daring to hide anything, he recounted how he had thrown the object from a high altitude and then tried to evade responsibility by concealing the truth. After finishing, he looked at Zhang Wei nervously and asked cautiously, "Lawyer Zhang, I didn’t cause any actual harm. Is it possible... to be acquitted?"
Even now, he still clung to a final shred of hope. In my traditional view, he thought, throwing something from a high place, especially if it didn’t hit anyone, shouldn’t result in a prison sentence.
"Acquitted?" Zhang Wei’s mouth twitched again. He spoke seriously, "The crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means is a major offense. You fully meet all its constituent elements, so there’s no escaping this charge."
"Most importantly, the criminal law regarding high-altitude throwing offenses specifically states that if such actions also constitute another crime, the punishment for the more serious offense shall apply."
This is also one of the few crimes in criminal law that mandates a more severe punishment. Thus, in the eyes of many ordinary people, if the thrown object didn’t hit anyone, it wasn’t a big deal.
However, in reality, casually throwing something from a high place, if many people were below at the time, regardless of the actual outcome, meant a sentence of three to less than ten years!
If someone was seriously injured... that meant more than ten years!
If someone died... the sentence could even be death!
When Gao Feng heard a sentence was inevitable, the hopeful look on his face vanished.
He lowered his head dejectedly, his heart filled with regret.
"But rest assured," Zhang Wei’s next words made him look up again. "At the trial, as long as you do as I say, your sentence will definitely not exceed this number!"
Seeing the five fingers Zhang Wei held up, Gao Feng’s eyes brightened. "Not more than five months?"
A dark expression crossed Zhang Wei’s face. He gave him a deadpan look and said flatly, "Five years."
When Gao Feng heard this number, his vision swam with darkness, as if the sky itself had collapsed.
Five months, I could wait that out, he thought desperately. But if it’s really five years, where will Yanzi find me when she returns? If she finds out I’m in prison, Yanzi will be heartbroken...
「The nursing home.」
Qin Mu also received a call from Shen Dao, informing him that the culprit, Gao Feng, had been caught.
As for the full story behind it... it was quite convoluted.
Finding someone who threw objects from high altitudes was truly difficult. If he hadn’t sued an entire building, the other owners wouldn’t have cooperated so easily. Nor would Gao Feng have surfaced so quickly.
Actually, even if the owners hadn’t cooperated and the culprit wasn’t found, it wouldn’t have been a major issue. This case involves the crime of throwing objects from a height and the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means, both posing a great hazard. Criminal law stipulates that if the culprit can’t be found, all those who could potentially have inflicted the damage must bear strict liability. That means all owners in Building 10 from the fourth floor up will face legal sanctions and be liable for corresponding civil compensation. I believe that once these owners feel the heat, they’ll be even more desperate to find the culprit than I am!
"Alright, now we just wait for the trial to start."
This good news significantly improved Qin Mu’s mood.
The only regret is... Qin Mu thought, this case didn’t trigger a system mission. So, even if I send Gao Feng to prison, I won’t get any reward.
"They’ve started urging for updates again."
He then took out his phone and opened his account on a certain popular video-sharing site. His account’s follower count stood at two million.
Many fans had already started sending private messages urging for updates, some even threatening to sue him for "the crime of delayed updates." Seeing these messages, he felt both amused and exasperated.
He had the material and content for the sixth video but planned to produce and release the complete video only after the trial concluded and the verdict was delivered.
"Xiao Qin, come quick! Time for mahjong, we’re one short!"
Just then, Zhang Qingyuan from the nursing home came running towards him again, startling Qin Mu.
He turned and fled.
In a flash, he vanished from Zhang Qingyuan’s sight.
Zhang Qingyuan stood there panting, his face a mask of confusion.
Last time I introduced Qin Mu to a girl under eighteen, he showed no interest, he recalled. This time, I introduced him to the granddaughter of our nursing home’s ’belle’—nearly forty, but very well-preserved. Yet Qin Mu seemed to shy away as if I were a tiger.
"He doesn’t like them at forty... Could it be Xiao Qin likes them at seventy?" Zhang Qingyuan muttered to himself, watching Qin Mu’s retreating figure.