Chapter 107: Chapter 107: You Are the Most Badass Defendant I’ve Ever Seen
This was truly the ideal attitude for admitting guilt.
However, he felt that Qin Mu had caused all of this. He would rather add another year to his sentence than apologize to Qin Mu!
Just as he finished speaking, Liu Qiang in defendant seat number 2, trembling all over with anger and his face ashen, burst out, extremely dissatisfied, "You realize your mistake now? You’re only doing this to reduce your sentence and escape punishment! You haven’t even apologized to Qin Mu. What kind of remorse is that?"
The other instigators also stood up and expressed their dissatisfaction.
"If you hadn’t deceptively edited the video, how could we have been deceived by you? You’re so hypocritical!"
"I used to watch your videos often. Now, it seems I was truly blind back then!"
"You’re so shameless! Doesn’t your conscience bother you at all?"
"It’s true that not just anyone can be called human. Someone like you deserves to get nothing but bad reviews every day!"
"..."
The instigators in defendant seat number 2, their faces filled with sorrow and anger, glared at Liang Shuqi.
They too had understood the courtroom situation. This case... it was very likely they, the group of instigators, would be judged as the principal offenders. In that case, Liang Shuqi’s responsibility... would be much lighter in comparison.
Provoked by the group’s attacks, Liang Shuqi also lost his cool and began to trade insults with them fiercely in the courtroom again.
"You trolls! If you didn’t make those comments, then who did?"
"I foolishly believed your words and did what I did! Don’t you think you bear any responsibility?"
"With fans like you, I must have had the worst luck for eight lifetimes!"
"Other UPs’ fans support them with donations and tips, but you? You advised me to commit a crime!"
As his temper flared, his voice grew louder, showing no courtesy to the eight of them as he furiously lashed back.
But, facing eight opponents alone, he was ultimately overwhelmed in the verbal assault. He was instantly bombarded with all sorts of swear words, his ancestors cursed back eighteen generations. Vile curses filled the courtroom, which once again descended into the chaos of a marketplace.
"Order!" Zhou Quanmin’s face was ashen; he hadn’t expected these people to disregard court decorum yet again.
However, Liang Shuqi, caught up in his fury, sharply turned his head and snapped, "Who the hell do you think you are? It’s none of your damn business that I’m cursing them!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire courtroom fell deathly silent. This abrupt remark... even Zhang Wei was so taken aback that his face paled. He suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Liu Qiang and the others, who had been verbally sparring with Liang Shuqi, instinctively covered their mouths, fearing they too might lose their tempers and say something similar to the judge.
Meanwhile, on the plaintiff’s bench, Qin Mu’s eyes also widened as he stared at Liang Shuqi in defendant seat number 1. He’d been involved in quite a few lawsuits, but this was the first time he’d ever seen such a ’warrior’—someone daring enough to curse at a judge in court, asking them who the hell they thought they were.
"Damn! This guy is done for!" Wang Dachui swallowed hard and murmured.
He had been a lawyer for several years and had seen many disruptive incidents in court. It was quite common for plaintiffs and defendants to have conflicts; they often lost control, even resorting to insults and physical violence. But a situation like this, where someone actually insulted the judge? That was a first for him.
"Th-this... Judge, I didn’t mean it! I... I was cursing them..." Liang Shuqi, in the defendant’s dock, stammered. He also realized the disaster his words had caused, his face turning pale with fright as he hurriedly tried to explain.
But Zhou Quanmin’s face was ashen. He gave Liang Shuqi a long, hard look. He had been a judge for so many years, and this was the first time a defendant had openly cursed at him. Moreover, this was a public trial; the scene of him being cursed would be witnessed by the general public, his colleagues, and other members of the judiciary. He still had his reputation to consider.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then shifted his gaze towards Liu Qiang and the others in defendant seat number 2. "Now, Defendant Number 2, please make your final statement."
Liu Qiang and the others exchanged glances. They too calmed down, knowing they couldn’t openly provoke the judge and the tribunal. Hurriedly, following the statement prepared by Bo Xingxian, Liu Qiang began, "Your Honor, we admit that we did indeed incite others to commit a crime.
"However, when we incited the spitting, we were unaware that Liang Shuqi had a cold, nor did we know that this act would lead to the spread of infectious pathogens.
"Furthermore, Liang Shuqi exploited our sympathy by posting false videos online. He failed to mention that the takeout order was over an hour late, thus deceiving the public’s goodwill and leading us to be misled by him.
"We deeply regret our actions.
"We are also deeply sorry for the negative online public opinion and the harm caused to the victim, Qin Mu."
At this point, Liu Qiang, Lin Lan, and the other six defendants turned towards Qin Mu with sincere expressions. They bowed deeply in apology, their faces filled with regret. This remorse was genuinely from the heart.
During their days in custody, they had gradually come to understand the full context of the situation. They regretted even more their reckless online comments, made without knowing the truth. In this incident, Qin Mu had done nothing wrong from start to finish. On the contrary, it was Liang Shuqi and they themselves who had consistently engaged in harmful behavior. Of course, in their view, Liang Shuqi was still the most detestable one! If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t have been deceived into so easily making those statements online, leading to such unforeseeable consequences.
BANG!
After the eight individuals had concluded their statements, the solemn sound of the gavel echoed in the courtroom.
Zhou Quanmin nodded and announced, "The trial for the poisoning case and the incitement case is now concluded. The verdict will be announced together with that of the libel case after its hearing!
"The court will now recess for two hours. We will reconvene at one o’clock this afternoon to proceed with the libel case!"
After speaking, he stood up and left the courtroom with the other members of the judicial panel. The bailiffs also stepped forward, leading Liang Shuqi, Liu Qiang, and the others to the detention room.
Just before leaving, Liang Shuqi clutched Zhang Wei’s hand tightly, anxiously asking, "Lawyer Zhang, I... I should still get three years, right?" His face was filled with anxiety and fear. He wished he could slap himself a few times.
Zhang Wei glared at him fiercely and said irritably, "I’ve represented so many defendants, and you’re the most audacious one I’ve ever seen!"
Liang Shuqi: "..."
"And another thing! I told you to apologize to Qin Mu. Why didn’t you apologize in court?
"You claim to plead guilty, but you didn’t even show the slightest attitude or gesture of apology! Look at how the others did it!
"Does this look like you’re pleading guilty?
"Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d been wrongly accused!"
Zhang Wei spoke in a lowered voice, his face a mask of pure exasperation.
Before the final statement, everything had been proceeding perfectly, just as he had anticipated. He had exerted enormous effort, and it was highly probable that he would have succeeded in getting a reduced sentence. But he had never, ever expected Liang Shuqi to start an argument in court and even talk back to the judge!