Ch50 - A grave illness requires a serious dose of medicine 

After the media intervened, Shen Xiao Shi’s mother’s case gathered attention from all sides.

After suffering and enduring long term domestic violence, she had one day killed her husband in response. Was this a legitimate act of self defense, or was it the cause of premeditated murder? 

The whole case was suspenseful, one that tugged at peoples heartstrings, and effectively angered the readers. Online discussion regarding the case remained at an all time high.

The lawyers of Jin Shang Law Firm had meticulously chosen two media outlets to interview Shen Xiao Shi, as he narrated what he had seen and experienced since he was a child, and spoke of the story of his mother.

The two media outlets included one which published their news online whilst the other circulated their news offline. After the news was published, I bought a copy of the newspaper and carefully read through it. I have to admit that articles written by professionals were truly of a different ball game. The flow and structure of the points were clear, the key points were prominent, parts which should be sensationalised were sensationalised, whilst parts which should be kept simple were written in a concise manner. There was never a point where words were added unnecessarily, and similarly there was never a point where any crucial information was omitted.

Upon reading the interview transcript, the image of a woman who was helpless, forced to continuously endure and receive her husband’s verbal and physical assaults surfaced vividly from the article. 

“Regarding such types of cases, the author has previously paid attention to similar events and found that once these cases receive coverage, the female victims are often subject to many ‘accusations’ that divert from the main issue at hand. They are accused of not leaving the perpetrators earlier, of their cowardly character, and that it is because of this cowardice that lets the violence continue.”

“Other victims to these cases are women with successful careers, being well educated as they come from good backgrounds. They treat others well, are capable themselves, and all have different types of personalities. Why then do these women suffer from domestic abuse? Because they are weak, because they’re trapped due to love? No, they suffer from domestic abuse for only one reason and one reason only, because their husbands abused them.”

“The focus here should be on the perpetrator, and the scrutiny should only fall on the perpetrator. This world shouldn’t be so harsh as to demand perfection from the victim, and such an approach is completely meaningless.”

What a way to deliver their idea of the status quo being “meaningless”. I couldn’t help but note down the name of the reporter who wrote this report – Ke Xue Zi.

If it wasn’t for the fact that there was nowhere to hit the like button on a physical copy of the newspaper, I would’ve served the other party with the whole “like, comment, share and subscribe” combination.

In the second hearing, there were a lot more people attending in the public gallery compared to last time, and more than half of the people here were reporters.

Based on Qing Wan’s criminal law system, the case was judged with the presumption of innocence. Given this, the defendant had no obligation to prove their innocence and so naturally they didn’t have to proactively provide evidence to prove said innocence. However, the defendant could choose to testify in court as a witness for the defense and be subject to cross-examination, as well as having the right to remain silent as they witnessed the defense execute the strategy for their own case.

Exercising the right to silence would allow the defendant to avoid the prosecutor’s various challenges in court, however it would also likely cause the jury and the judge to draw unfavorable inferences being that this decision was a manifestation of the defendant’s guilty conscience. 

In the first trial, Yao Jing did not appear in court to testify, however by the second trial, her name appeared on the witness list.

Sheng Min Ou asked her to count and detail the origins of the scars on her body, and he told her to expose her fears, so she could tell the public how hard it was for her to survive to this day.

“I did think about running away from him, but he said that if I dared to file for divorce, he would kill me and my child.”

She covered her face as she wept bitterly, “If I die, then that’s fine, after all I’ve long since given up the will to live. However, what about my children? I already fell short of providing them a good childhood and a normal family. How could I possibly have them live in fear because of me?” 

“What happened on the day of the incident?” Sheng Min Ou didn’t refrain from continuing to ask questions. He was calm to the point that it seemed cold to the onlookers.

Yao Jing’s crying lessened slightly, her voice trembling as she answered, “He was drunk that day, and wanted to hit me again. I had no choice, I really didn’t… he beat me so many times that I was afraid. Last time he beat me to the point that there was blood in my urine, and if he beat me again I would definitely die. I knew that this time it would definitely spell death for me, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed an axe to defend myself. I told him to stay away from me, I just wanted to scare him, however he was utterly unfazed. He lunged towards me… and then I swung down the axe at him twice. I didn’t know where exactly I hit him. He grasped both hands to his neck and crumpled to the ground. The floor was full of blood, full of blood…”

When it was time for the prosecution to ask questions, the prosecutor seemed to also be shocked by Yao Jing’s experience. He approached the witness stand with a solemn and respectful expression, and took a long time before he asked a question.

“When Mr. Tang pounced on you, it wasn’t like you could confirm whether or not he was meaning to hit you or if it was to snatch away your axe, right?” 

Yao Jing raised her head, her eyes bloodshot and swollen, tear streaks marring her face, “No, I could be sure.”

The prosecutor was taken aback, as he saw Yao Jing smiling bitterly: “Whenever he lunged towards me, he had always done so to beat me. I can tell just by the look in his eyes whether or not he intended to beat me again.”

I looked towards Sheng Min Ou and found that a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes, as he seemed very satisfied towards the question the prosecution had raised.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

After the trial was over, the media swarmed family members of the prosecution and defense as they hoped to conduct an interview with them. Sheng Min Ou and Wu Yi covered Shen Xiao Shi as they hurried out of the court. 

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When the liability of a brother wanted to hurl a second egg at Sheng Min Ou again, I lunged at his side from behind as I restrained his hands so that he could no longer move them.

“Help me! He’s trying to kill me!” He screamed like a pig being slaughtered. “A murderer is taking advantage of the situation and bullying me! You guys have the connections, you’re able to get the top tier lawyers to represent you and you bought your way through the media so they portrayed the events in your favour. My family has none of these connections or skills, so we can only resign ourselves to this fate. Yao Jing must pay for her bloody crime!”

He wasn’t aware that the more he continued now, the more repulsed other people would feel towards him.

The reporters focused their cameras on him and recorded him in his current despicable state. Later when this was posted on the internet with an article attached to it, it became another headline that incited much speculation. 

At the present moment, we were still within the confines of the court, and any form of violence, whether verbal or physical, was not tolerated. The liability of a brother was quickly swept away by the bailiffs who rushed over. The Tang family trailed them as they wailed, with some of the media dispersing as they followed. The rest however continued to point their microphones at Shen Xiao Shi and Sheng Min Ou, hoping they would reveal their stance on the incident which had just occurred.

The only response they received was seeing Sheng Min Ou simply take a handkerchief from Wu Yi as he wiped the splattered egg yolk which trailed down his body. His expression was devoid of any irritation, yet Shen Xiao Shi however appeared overtly vexed by what had occurred. Despite this, he managed to keep it in as it wasn’t until he got into the car that he launched into an enraged rant.

“Who the hell does Tang Zhi Cheng think he is! I let him get off without exploding his fucking head and he isn’t already grateful for that, how dare he throw eggs at us? What a family of fucking garbage, Xiao Ye is fucking pissed!!” Shen Xiao Shi cracked his knuckles as the sound of it resonated in the air. His chest rose and fell in violent motions, and it was clear he was infuriated by this incident to no small amount.

I saw that Shen Xiao Shi also didn’t come away unscathed as there was a trace of egg yolk on his neck, so I handed him some tissue that was kept in the car: “Shen Xiao Ye, let’s calm down, it’s not worth getting riled up over those type of people. Here, wipe your neck.”

Shen Xiao Shi snatched the tissue out of my hands as he rubbed his neck vigorously, evidently still angered, “If it wasn’t for you getting to him first and holding him down, then I really would’ve rushed over and decked him.” His movements suddenly stopped, as it appeared that he had suddenly thought of something as he suddenly leaned towards the front seat and asked, “By the way, Lawyer Sheng, are you okay?”

Sheng Min Ou had already taken off his jacket and placed it under his seat, seemingly not wanting to keep it anymore. When Shen Xiao Shi directed the question at him, he replied in a very calm, matter-of-fact tone, ”I’m okay”, as if he didn’t take the incident to heart at all. 

However, a few days later, the media revealed that Tang Zhi Cheng was accused of instigating ‘personal bodily harm’, and was facing a hefty compensation fee, as the Tang family once again found themselves involved in a difficult lawsuit. In this regard, Sheng Min Ou was not really as ‘okay’ as he previously stated. He was very good at masking himself, the calmer he was on the surface, the more terrifying he could be behind the scenes. However, this was something for another time.

After returning from the court to the law firm, Shen Xiao Shi had to attend a debrief with the lawyers, so I didn’t wait for him. Before leaving, I went to use their bathroom, and it didn’t take long before Sheng Min Ou also came in.

I pretended as if I couldn’t see him, as I continued both minding and doing my business. During which, he remained in front of the sink, seemingly having no intention to talk to me either.

After I finished and went to wash my hands, I discovered that he had taken off his tie, and his shirt collar was buttoned down, as he used a wet handkerchief to clean up the egg yolk that had seeped into his clothes. His hair was dripping wet, as he collected all of the strands and slicked it to the back of his head. Only one or two strands fell back rebelliously, as drops of water dripped down from his chin. In conjunction with the large patch of his collar that was soaked by the water, the allure in this scene was comparable to if his whole body was wet. 

I resisted the urge to lick my lips, and after sneaking a glance I didn’t dare to look again, as I washed my hands dutifully and then went to dry them.

Sheng Min Ou left the bathroom while I was drying my hands and from beginning to end we didn’t have any communication. After my hands were dry, I found a familiar silver watch left on the side of the sink, so I quickly grabbed it as I chased after him.

“Ge, you forgot your watch!”

Sheng Min Ou stopped when he heard me call out as he glanced at his wrist, as if only remembering that he owned a watch just now. 

He turned around, extended an open palm as he replied in a slightly detached tone, “Thank you.”

I held the metal strap as I carefully placed the watch in his palm, making sure at the same time  that I did not have any physical contact with him.

“No worries.”

Sheng Min Ou looked at the watch and stopped in his footsteps to put it on again. 

My shoulders grazed against his as I walked past him without any trace of hesitation in my footsteps.

In the past half month, I pretty much had zero direct communication with him, and even if we did talk in some way it was because of Shen Xiao Shi, and because of Yao Jing’s case. The status quo was something I endured very strenuously, and if he still didn’t react some way in response, then this strategy of ‘defense being the best offense’ and ‘taking a step back was to really take steps forward’ would have to be ruled as a failure. I’d have to think of another way for him to reveal his true self.

Romeo getting into a relationship was nothing more than just climbing onto Juliet’s balcony, but right now here I was employing all of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The difficulty of this was no less than fighting a battle without gunpowder. If Sheng Min Ou continues refusing to submit, then I’m afraid that I would have to resort to extraordinary means to get him to obey me.

Little shi jie told me that there were going to be guests of high profile attending the dinner, so I couldn’t have her lose face, and thus I was instructed to buy a more expensive and better looking formal suit. All expenses would be covered by her. 

With such a generous affluent person footing the bill, then I would naturally not hold back. I bought everything that was required from top to bottom, and also chose a luxury branded watch that was in the store. All of this would definitely boost Zheng Mi Mi’s image.

On the day of the dinner, Liu Yue and Shen Xiao Shi saw that I was about to get off work and had changed into a black suit. Seeing that I even had a bow tie on my neck, they were in such a shock that their jaws were almost about to drop off.

“What’s the situation huh Feng ge…” Liu Yue exclaimed, covering her mouth, “Why are you dressed up so handsome today, are you going to go on a blind date?”

I fixed the hairstyle that I had achieved with hair gel with some further hairspray as I smiled, “No no, I’m just heading to a banquet.” 

Shen Xiao Shi circled me as he asked, “Feng ge, I actually already wanted to ask you last time, do you…have a girlfriend?”

I placed one hand in my trouser pocket as I loosened my bow tie and replied, “There really is no girlfriend, I’m just doing a favor to my friend and going as a show of support.”

During the conversation, a horn sounded outside the door, and I waved goodbye to the two of them as I got off work ten minutes before we closed.

Zheng Mi Mi today pretty much confirmed her identity as a rich second generation heir. From the onset, the business vehicle she came in was an ostentatious brand. She even had a whole chauffeur to herself, so you didn’t have to lift a single finger to open or close the door as they’d do it for you. 

When I got into the car, I unintentionally got a peek of Shen Xiao Shi and Liu Yue’s gobsmacked expressions as they looked my way. Their shock spelled out their disbelief as they wondered when I got myself a ‘sugar mummy’, before they quickly averted their gazes and pretended that they hadn’t seen anything.

“Shi di, so it turns out that you work in a pawnshop, what a unique job.” Zheng Mi Mi followed my gaze as she peered outside.

“I’m just working to get food on the table, it doesn’t really matter to me what I do.” I smiled at her and asked her if there was anything else I should pay attention to later.

She touched her chin as she answered, “Why don’t you help me in egging on my cousin-in-law, see if he can be jealous of what happened and become a giant vinegar jar.” 

I looked at her in amazement, and I honestly really wanted to hold her hands and yell out loud, “We really are related!”

Zheng Mi Mi saw how I looked at her and got a little discomposed: “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing much, I actually had this exact thought in mind too.” I replied, “A grave illness requires a serious dose of medicine, and to those who hide their thoughts deeply we must use whatever means possible.”

Zheng Mi Mi was stunned by my words, but she agreed vehemently with my ideals, as she nodded repeatedly, “You’re right, that’s…that’s exactly the way to go!” 

When I arrived at the banquet, I had to admit that it was indeed a charity dinner hosted by a big corporation. Disregarding the fact that they booked out the entire conference centre in it’s full grandeur as a display of their wealth, they also laid out a fifty metre long red carpet leading to the entrance of the hall. Upon walking on it, it was as if one had turned into an A-list actor or actress who was participating in a film festival, as one couldn’t help but raise their head and shoulders high, showing their most flattering smile.

As soon as we entered the banquet hall, there were quite a few people who had cast their eyes over our way.

I obviously didn’t assume that they were looking at me. Zheng Mi Mi today had her hair combed back into a slick long ponytail and wore a fringed silver evening dress with a halter neck. When she walked, the long fishtail trailed and swayed behind her, depicting her as a lively silver mermaid, which attracted a lot of attention.

“They’re all looking at me. I must be as beautiful as an ethereal goddess today.” Zheng Mi Mi said in a volume that only the two of us could hear. 

“Yes, you’re the brightest ethereal creature tonight.” I agreed with her.

Zheng Mi Mi’s smile grew, when suddenly her arm which looped around mine tightened its grip as she pulled me in a certain direction.

“I’ve found our target, prepare yourself.”

I hadn’t realized what I was meant to prepare for when she stopped again and spoke in a more charming and saccharine voice than usual, “Shi xiong, you arrived so early.” 

Sheng Min Ou was holding champagne in his hand and was in the middle of talking to someone else as a frown appeared after hearing her voice, when he caught sight of me all of a sudden.

Though he looked extraordinarily calm, to be honest, such ‘calmness’ in a situation like this was a strange reaction to exhibit. Any normal person would be surprised to some extent, not to mention that his sight stayed fixed on me for two whole seconds before moving away to Zheng Mi Mi. Evidently, how he felt was not as indifferent as he attempted to portray on the surface.

Ai, look at what I have been forced to become. If I had the opportunity I would definitely publish a book titled, ‘How to Decipher What the Person You Like is Feeling –  One Hundred Useful Tips’.

“I have also just arrived.” He replied, introducing us to the woman who he had been conversing with. “This is Ms. Ke Xue Zi, the editor-in-chief of Qing Wan Metropolis Daily.” 

“Ah!” Zheng Mi Mi hadn’t even gotten to say anything yet, when I stepped forward and excitedly held Ms. Ke’s hand, “I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time, your article  ‘The Malevolent Hand’ was superbly written.”

I had previously kept in mind the author’s name who had written that report, but I didn’t expect to see the real person today. What I said was not an act, there was honestly a factor of genuine surprise in meeting her.

It could be seen that Ke Xue Zi was no longer in her youth, however she maintained her appearance very well, so that it was only when she laughed that slight fine lines would appear at the corners of her eyes.

She had a hearty personality, and after seeing that I could accurately drop the name of her article, she then treated me with exceptional enthusiasm as she carried on further conversation with me. 

If Zheng Mi Mi and Sheng Min Ou were able to join in on our talk, then the four of us would be able to engage in a good conversation, however the two of them just had to remain silent as they watched on, making the whole ordeal slightly awkward.

Moreover, most of the time I couldn’t actually find a response for what Ke Xue Zi was saying, as I replied with variations of ‘en’, ‘yes’ and ‘right’, which eventually became tiring to keep up.

“Mi Mi, weren’t you going to take me to meet your cousin?” I couldn’t stand continuing this solo performance anymore, so whilst conversation had faltered for a second as Ke Xue Zi was in the middle of switching topics I suggested this and exchanged glances at her to indicate our exit.

Zheng Mi Mi was stunned momentarily when she heard me call out her actual name, but she quickly sprang into action, “Oh yes yes, I think I saw my cousin just then, let’s head over.” She nodded at the two of them, “Then we’ll be going first, if you’d excuse us.” 

I nodded to Ms. Ke, who seemed like she wasn’t over our conversation yet, and then gently patted Sheng Min Ou’s shoulder as I remarked, “See you later.”

Sheng Min Ou’s gaze ran across my hand, leaving a cold trail in its wake, before tilting his head back to down the champagne he held in his glass without saying a word.

“I feel like my cousin-in-law is angry.” Zheng Mi Mi walked for quite a distance away from them before whispering to me.

“How could you tell?” I took two glasses of champagne from the passing waiter’s tray, one for her and one for myself. 

Zheng Mi Mi accepted it as she purposefully acted mysterious and stretched out an index finger, moving it before my eyes: “You don’t understand, this is a woman’s intuition”

I smiled, originally having thought that she had some trick up her sleeve.

“Then I’m toasting to little shi jie, I hope your intuition comes true.” After that, I clinked my glass with hers.