Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 544 - 392. Even if I come back, you are no longer here (Part 2, Update 2)

Chapter 544: 392. Even if I come back, you are no longer here (Part 2, Update 2)

Liu Qingtian immediately shifted the topic: "But in this case, both the plaintiff and the defendant belong to the Ford family. They are equally wealthy, aren’t they?"

Jiang was indeed experienced, and An Cheng could only smile awkwardly and let it go.

The trial opened and moved into the cross-examination stage.

An Cheng summoned Rosa to testify in court.

An Cheng displayed photographs of Rosa from her childhood on the large screen. Even at just twelve years old, Rosa already showed dazzling beauty. Her defiant nature added a diamond-like sparkle to her eyes, making it hard for anyone to ignore her presence and leaving a lasting impression on those who saw her.

An Cheng sincerely said, "Such a beautiful girl is truly unforgettable. Not only is she beautiful, but she also excelled in her studies and was highly talented. Judging from these photos, we can roughly infer her future trajectory: a successful career and a sweet love life."

The jury members nodded.

An Cheng shifted his tone and looked at Rosa, "Fifteen years on, the witness’s career has indeed flourished as she is now an investment partner at a law firm, yet her personal relationships have encountered obstacles."

Before revealing Rosa’s personal love life, An Cheng talked with Rosa for a long time. Given Rosa’s own nature, she found it very hard to accept. It was only with Shi Nian’s assistance and after many days of effort that she eventually nodded in agreement.

Nevertheless, when it finally came to discussing this in court, the usually radiant Rosa’s expression changed dramatically, and everyone could see her nervousness.

An Cheng slowly disclosed Rosa’s personal love life and then lowered his head: "A woman so beautiful and outstanding should have had a smooth and wonderful love life. Fact is, the witness’ path to love has been full of difficulties. We all understand that this is the shadow left by her childhood experiences. The defendant thought she was young back then, thought she was asleep at night and knew nothing, believed she was not tangibly harmed... But in reality, the shadow from that time left her with trauma that has not healed for years, impacted her for so many years, and may continue to affect her."

An Cheng stepped in front of the jury: "Isn’t this considered harm? Is the extent of such harm truly much lighter than killing her? To live with trauma, never able to shake off the shadow of childhood, is this life any different from being dead? Or is it perhaps worse than death? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, can’t you see the witness’s sorrow and feel her despair over the years?!"

An Cheng’s questions pierced the heart, even causing Liu Qingtian to slightly raise an eyebrow.

It was Liu Qingtian’s turn to ask questions.

He approached and stood in front of Rosa, first gently saying: "From a personal point of view, I am deeply sorry for everything you have been through. But I also know that the way to protect you is to give you fairness and justice, to let the law punish the person who truly harmed you, not to arbitrarily drag someone into this and forge a charge against them just to comfort you."

As he spoke, he moved away and stood in front of the jury: "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you all know that the one who truly harmed the witness and brought her nightmare memories was the Old Buddha, not my client, Huangfu Huazhang."

"Human nature is compassionate, and we are all outraged by what the witness suffered as a child, as was my client. Back then, the witness was neglected by her parents, living in fear of family breakdowns at such a young age. Surely, you can imagine how hard and disappointing life was for her."

Liu Qingtian then played a video, showing Rosa’s childhood diaries, notebooks, and even various doodles on the corners of newspapers and books, as well as testimonies from her former classmates.

Liu Qingtian said, "You all see it, the witness at that time clearly and determinedly wrote so much about ’I want to leave here’, ’I want to disappear’. And she said such things to her classmates, many of whom can attest to this."

"With this mindset, the witness saw my client dressed as a clown on the night of the clown festival. In a child’s eyes, clowns symbolize happiness and the power to make wishes come true, so she herself asked my client to ’take me away’. My client naturally refused, but the witness tearfully and earnestly begged."

"In such circumstances, my client learned about the witness’s situation. Out of sympathy, my client agreed to her wish. So please note, it was not my client who forcibly took the witness away, but it was out of kindness and at the witness’s request that he took her away."

"Moreover, later experiences prove that my client did not do anything to harm the witness. On the contrary, he gave her the peaceful and beautiful life she wanted. As for the appearance of Old Buddha afterward, his greed, these were not things my client could foresee or control."

"As a defense attorney, I certainly hope the law can give the witness a fair judgment and help erase the shadow in her heart; but at the same time, I must remind the jury of who truly harmed the witness back then." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Because the real evildoer is no longer with us, we can’t force his sins onto another innocent person. That wouldn’t be fair or just, nor would it help to heal the wounds in the witness’s heart. Instead, it would brand the same wounds or even deeper ones into another innocent person’s heart."

A clash ensued, both sides in the prosecution and defense had their gains and losses. Within the jury, opinions and inclinations were forming.

The court adjourned for a midday break, and Shi Nian came to have lunch with An Cheng. An Cheng ate quietly without speaking, and Secretary Jian Bian smiled and said, "My boss is the defense lawyer, and it’s not convenient for him to tell you about the non-public hearings, Mr. Shi. But I’m just a secretary, also not in court with him, so I’ll just guess and let you in on it. Think of it as me talking nonsense."

Shi Nian laughed: "Alright, I’ll treat it as a story."

After listening to Jian describe the court proceedings, Shi Nian also became worried for An Cheng. Liu Qingtian indeed lived up to his reputation, proving to be a formidable opponent.

However, Shi Nian was still somewhat frowning, "But why do I feel like it’s a bit off-topic? Isn’t this case about Huangfu Huazhang murdering the Old Buddha? Why is it getting tangled up about who exactly hurt Rosa?"

Upon hearing this, An Cheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes and said a few words: "It’s truly like crossing a river—it’s entirely different on the other side!"

Jian Bian laughed and explained for An Cheng, "My boss used a roundabout strategy. As long as he convinces the jury that Huangfu Huazhang was already at fault for taking Rosa away, which by itself is a crime, he can then focus on accusing Huangfu Huazhang of killing to silence her, eager to cover up his own guilt after Rosa was harmed by Old Buddha. That way, his motive for the crime is established."

Shi Nian suddenly realized, "This is what you call starting from the shallow, then going deeper."

After lunch, An Cheng and Jian hurried back to prepare for the afternoon. Shi Nian descended the courthouse steps just in time to see Huangfu Huazhang’s black limousine silently glid up in front of him.

Shi Nian stopped.

The surrounding media gathered, and Xia Zuo led people to keep the crowd at a distance.

Only then did Huangfu Huazhang unhurriedly get out of the car, standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up at Shi Nian.

Shi Nian smiled and nodded slightly, "Sir."

He then lifted his foot to climb the steps, his black attire layered against the long silver-gray steps, solemn yet elegant.

He walked to her and stood before her, lowering his head to tidy the cuff of his shirt that was sticking out from his suit, asking softly, "Are you hoping I win, or waiting to see me convicted?"

"Why would you say that, sir," Shi Nian couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable: "I hope all those who experienced these events back then can find peace of mind. As for guilt or innocence, I believe the court will make a fair judgment. Isn’t that right, sir?"

He gazed at her carefully, "I suppose you’re here to see An Cheng, right? She’s the prosecutor, and she’s more likely to become Tang Yanxi’s wife in the future, so even though you say you don’t take a stand, your actions still indicate your position."

He raised his head, his gaze going far, "You stand on the prosecution’s side, while I am the defendant in this case, so you and I are inevitably divergent."

After speaking, he slowly turned his head back, staring closely at her face, "But don’t forget, it’s because of you that I agreed to acknowledge what happened back then. And between you and me, we already have a daughter."

Shi Nian closed her eyes: "I hope you didn’t tell Jieyou about today’s events."

Children’s judgment is limited, and if she finds out Mommy aided the police in accusing Daddy, she would be sad and might develop a wrong understanding about it.

Huangfu Huazhang chuckled softly, "Nian, you’re a reporter, you know better than I do that this is an age of information, pervasive everywhere. Subjectively, I naturally wouldn’t tell Jieyou, but you and I both know how clever and sensitive she is."

"So even I can’t guarantee whether she might see it all on TV or online. Or perhaps even if she doesn’t see it now, she might still see it in a few years. After all, everything that ever happened always leaves traces online, doesn’t it?"

Shi Nian’s heart tightened.

She knew he loved Jieyou, but from his attitude now, she realized he had finally begun to resent her.