’How to kill...’
Xu De thought for a moment, then spoke.
"My practicing certificate. What’s the fastest it can be processed?"
Lin Yue gave him a rough timeline. "About eight days."
’Eight days, huh...’
"That’s enough."
"We’ll wait for the police to hand the case over to the procuratorate."
"Then, as the victim’s litigation agent, I’ll meet with Liu Jingqi and feel out her attitude. If her attitude is wrong, then I’ll seize that opportunity..."
"...to go after Lv Guangjun immediately!"
...
「November 20th」
The police investigation into the No. 18 Middle School case was gradually concluding.
It was determined that Yang Jiale’s death was closely connected to Liu Jingqi, Qiao Wang, and Jiang Yu.
After a discussion, the criminal investigation team decided to transfer the case to the Lusen City People’s Procuratorate.
...
「November 21st」
The court accepted the case.
The case was officially designated the No. 18 Middle School Case.
The procuratorate filed a public prosecution with the Intermediate People’s Court, and the presiding judge assigned to the prosecution was named Huang Shi.
Huang Shi formally took over the case and began corroborating the evidence provided by the police.
At the same time, prosecutors began to appear frequently at No. 18 Middle School, interviewing some of Yang Jiale’s schoolmates as part of the investigation.
Until...
...
「December 5th」
Xu De’s practicing certificate, which should have taken one to three months to process, was approved in just over ten days!
That day, witnessed by the state-appointed guardian, Xu De signed a retainer agreement with Yang Huan.
He was now, legally, the official litigation agent for the plaintiff—the victim’s side—in the No. 18 Middle School Case!
Afterward, Xu De wasted no time in setting his plan into motion.
His first target was Lv Guangjun, but the first person he needed to see was...
Liu Jingqi!
...
...
「That day, 12:30 PM」
「Lusen City Detention Center」
TAP... TAP...
A woman in a yellow uniform, her hands cuffed, was escorted by two police officers toward the "Lawyer Meeting Room."
The meeting room was barely two meters wide, smaller than a bathroom, and divided by a wire mesh barrier.
CLANG!
One officer unlocked the barrier, and the other pushed Liu Jingqi inside.
"Keep the conversation civil. No aggressive behavior."
SLAM!
Liu Jingqi didn’t seem angry. She walked in, sat at the interview table, and looked around with an amused and curious gaze, showing no trace of nervousness.
Suddenly, a figure sat down in front of her, on the other side of the barrier.
"You’re Liu Jingqi, right?"
The newcomer was Xu De, with Wang Chao and Lin Yue standing behind him. He studied her.
Judging by her appearance alone, it was hard to associate the girl before him with the savage, ruthless face of a bully—let alone a killer.
But the fact was, this seemingly harmless girl had indeed killed someone.
Looking at Liu Jingqi across the table, Xu De’s eyes quickly swept over her nose, cheekbones, and forehead before he retracted his gaze and said coolly,
"Do you know who I am?"
Liu Jingqi glanced him up and down, then dismissively lowered her head and began picking at her fingers, completely ignoring him.
Seeing this, Wang Chao frowned and couldn’t stop himself from speaking up.
"He’s talking to you!"
Liu Jingqi looked up, a hint of annoyance on her face.
"You know who I am, but you still ask. Are you stupid or something?"
Wang Chao’s anger flared. He pointed at her. "You—!"
Xu De raised a hand to stop him, then turned his attention back to Liu Jingqi.
"Yang Jiale is dead."
Liu Jingqi kept picking at her fingers, casually replying, "So?"
Xu De’s brow furrowed slightly.
"You... have no regrets? No remorse?"
"It’s not just Yang Jiale. Her mother, Zhao Li, is also dead. Don’t you have anything to say?"
At his words, Liu Jingqi froze.
She slowly raised her head, an emotional expression on her face. After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"I... I’m so sorry..."
"I shouldn’t have..."
As she spoke, Liu Jingqi fell silent.
But a few seconds later,
"Ha! You didn’t actually think I’d say that, did you?"
In an instant, her expression twisted into a sneer. She leaned back in her chair, looked at the three of them, and said nonchalantly,
"What do the dead have to do with me?"
"And that... that brick-hauler. What does her death have to do with me?"
"Did I kill them? They’re dead, so what? Stop trying to pin it on me."
At her words, the expressions on Wang Chao and Lin Yue’s faces turned grim.
This person before them... she wasn’t just talking.
She genuinely believed the deaths had nothing to do with her!
"Let me tell you something. The police can analyze the trajectory of the fall to determine whether someone was pushed or fell by accident."
"Furthermore, Yang Jiale’s body had numerous injuries and bruises, and your fingerprints were found on the weapon at the scene."
Xu De continued, his expression unchanging.
"You can’t get away."
As he finished speaking, a look of disdain crossed Liu Jingqi’s face.
"Who are you trying to scare?"
"You really think I’m that easy to frighten!?"
She dropped the act, straightening her back and lifting her chin, her eyes filled with contempt.
"Lawyer Zhang told my mom," she said.
"I didn’t kill her. At most, it’s intentional injury resulting in death."
As she spoke, Liu Jingqi leaned forward slightly, an irrepressible smile spreading across her face.
"Do you know how old I am? Do you know what my official records say?"
"The most I can get is ten years. Besides, I wasn’t the only one there. They can’t pin all the blame on me, can they?"
"Lawyer Zhang said,"
"...even if they convict me, I’ll only get a few years. I just have to pretend to be on my ’best behavior’ in there, and I’ll be out in three!"
She laid out her trump cards as if the people in front of her didn’t matter at all.
And the reality was just as she described.
Given her circumstances, a severe sentence would be difficult to secure.
This was especially true since the evidence at the scene only pointed to assault, making a murder conviction difficult.
"Anyway, the worst that can happen is just three years."
"I’ll only be nineteen in three years. My criminal record will be sealed, so it won’t show up on my permanent file. Besides, Yang Jiale and her mom were just nobodies from the gutter. In half a year, no one will even remember they existed."
"I can even still go to college."
"So..."
Liu Jingqi spread her hands, her tone feigning innocence as she added nonchalantly,
"...why should I apologize? It’s not like I’m the one who killed them."
Wang Chao’s face was livid. He couldn’t hold back any longer and lunged forward.
"You—!"
Fortunately, Xu De stood up and blocked his path.
He glanced back at Liu Jingqi and spoke slowly.
"This concludes our meeting."
"I hope you maintain this attitude."
Liu Jingqi rolled her eyes, sneered, and said gloatingly,
"Ever heard of Zhang Wei? He’s a Gold Medal Lawyer!"
"My mom spent two hundred thousand to hire his entire team, you know."
Xu De said flatly, "See you in court."
With that, he turned and left with Wang Chao. Before she followed, Lin Yue seared Liu Jingqi’s face into her memory.
The moment they were outside the detention center,
Wang Chao couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out cursing,
"That animal! What a goddamn animal!"
"Damn it, and that Zhang Wei is a piece of shit, too! Two lives were lost, and he’s still planning to argue for her innocence! What a fucking scumbag!"
Lin Yue remained silent, but the look in her eyes was just as dark.
It was clear that, if she could, she would have gladly performed a funeral rite for Liu Jingqi herself—to send her on her way.
Xu De, however, showed little emotion. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and took a long drag.
Then he spoke.
"This attitude is good... This is exactly the attitude we need."
As he said this, he actually chuckled.
’It’s good that she won’t plead guilty.’
’It’s good that she’s so arrogant and defiant!’
’This is the only way... to ensure a heavy sentence!’
Now that her attitude had confirmed she was guilty of both bullying and murder, then...
"It’s time to make an example of Lv Guangjun!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu De pulled out his phone without a moment’s hesitation.
He had spent the past few days collecting everyone’s contact information, and now he instantly found the number for Lv Guangjun.
He pressed the call button.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
A moment later, the call connected.
"Hello?"
A somewhat weary voice came through the speaker.
Hearing it, Xu De’s tone suddenly shifted, softening considerably. As if chatting with an old friend, he said with a smile,
"Hello... is this Teacher Lv?"