Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 462 - 198: Fallback Crime: The Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits_3

Chapter 462: Chapter 198: Fallback Crime: The Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits_3

In the plaintiff’s seat, Ma Ming glanced at the public gallery, only to find it completely empty. Not a single person was in sight. Meng Lei’s beautiful wife hadn’t even shown up.

...

「Meanwhile.」

「Jin City.」

「A nursing home.」

Qin Mu had just finished setting up a projection screen in the courtyard, casting the live broadcast of the trial. He then saw Wan Zhongyuan very deliberately... carry over a small stool, sit right in the middle of the courtyard, and secure a prime viewing spot.

"COUGH, COUGH, I’ve pretty much finished my tasks for today. Since I’m free, I might as well learn some law," Wan Zhongyuan explained, his old face flushing red.

Qin Mu’s mouth twitched slightly. ...

It wasn’t even ten o’clock in the morning, yet Wan Zhongyuan claimed he had finished all his work... He was clearly skipping his duties to watch the live broadcast.

Before long, Zhang Qingyuan and others also arrived one after another, taking their places in front of the projection screen and waiting quietly for the trial to begin.

Gradually, watching the trial broadcast had become a regular entertainment activity at the nursing home, second only to attending in person.

"It’s starting, it’s starting! It’s about to begin!" Suddenly, a wave of excitement rippled through the elderly crowd.

Qin Mu, sitting beside Wan Zhongyuan, also looked up at the projection screen. He saw the black screen vanish and the courtroom scene appear.

In the solemn courtroom, the plaintiff, the defendant, and the lawyers for both sides were all seated and ready.

"Something’s not right. Why is the public gallery so empty this time? Not even one person?" Zhang Qingyuan furrowed his brow, his face full of confusion.

In the public gallery... there wasn’t a single relative or friend present.

It was somewhat understandable for Ma Ming not to have any relatives present, as he had traveled from out of town. However, it was strange that even Meng Lei’s relatives hadn’t appeared.

Upon seeing this, Qin Mu also frowned slightly, equally surprised. If I remember correctly... Meng Lei’s wife even came to observe the last trial.

At this moment, the trial footage showed the Judgment Chief entering the courtroom with the collegial panel. Everyone stood up to greet them as they took their seats.

BANG— The gavel sounded.

The Judgment Chief surveyed the people below and began in a grave voice, "Today, Yangcheng Court will openly try Meng Lei on charges of fraud. I will serve as the Judgment Chief, forming the collegial panel according to the law..."

After the routine declarations and the reading of court discipline, the trial proceeded directly to the phase where the plaintiff would read out the complaint and state the grounds for the case.

In the plaintiff’s seat, Ma Ming seemed much more composed than last time and immediately stood up. He accused, "The defendant, Meng Lei, during our four years of university, borrowed money from me and thirty-three other classmates—a total of thirty-four people—an amount of 43,621 yuan, which he has not repaid to this day.

"Therefore, we accuse Meng Lei of using borrowing as a pretext to illegally possess our property, refusing to return it, and thus committing fraud.

"Over these years, we have repeatedly asked him for the money owed, but each time he would dodge the issue..."

During this statement, Ma Ming listed incidents brought up by other classmates, exposing all of Meng Lei’s "misdeeds" to the public.

In the defendant’s seat, Meng Lei listened to Ma Ming’s accusations, his expression growing dark, his face turning increasingly unpleasant.

In these past four days, he had experienced far too much. It felt like he had lived through the most extreme vicissitudes of life.

Right now, I’m filled with regret. Not regret over not returning the borrowed money, but regret for trusting the wrong person. After I transferred my assets... Tian Shulan’s attitude towards me grew increasingly cold and harsh; she stopped coming home. She frequently went out shopping with her friends. When she heard I was being sued and might go to prison... she turned completely heartless, unwilling to give me a single penny. That’s why I couldn’t afford a lawyer. I became so desperate I had no choice but to apply to the relevant department for a legal aid lawyer. After all... those lawyers are free; they don’t cost anything. But the defense lawyer they assigned me... I heard he just finished his internship.

BANG— After Ma Ming finished his statement, the gavel sounded again.

The Judgment Chief asked in a deep voice, "Considering the plaintiff’s accusations, does the defendant have any defense to offer?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Lei couldn’t help but swallow nervously and turned to look at his defense lawyer.

But his lawyer... he seemed even more nervous than Meng Lei, looking around distractedly. He didn’t even notice Meng Lei’s pleading gaze.

Meng Lei inwardly cursed, What a useless hack!

He had no choice but to brace himself and argue, "I... I did borrow money, but definitely not from that many people. And I just borrowed it, planning to return it later. It’s definitely not fraud! If I wanted to commit fraud, why would I do it by borrowing? Why target classmates? I was in trouble before, and those funds... I... I will return them all in a few days!"

Facing the Judgment Chief’s piercing gaze, Meng Lei no longer dared to use his previous shameless defense tactics.

This trial is different from the last one. Losing the previous lawsuit wouldn’t have been a big deal; at worst, I’d just have to pay some money. But this lawsuit... if I lose, I’m really going to jail! With my legal aid lawyer being such a huge liability, I have to do everything in my power to save myself.

In the courtroom, the Judgment Chief pondered briefly and summed up, "Based on both sides’ statements, there are two focal points in this case. First, whether the act of borrowing constitutes fraud. Second, whether the failure to repay the borrowed money is deliberate or unintentional."

After he finished summarizing, the core dispute of the case emerged: if the act of borrowing was indeed fraudulent, then Meng Lei’s actions would undoubtedly constitute fraud.