Chapter 145: Doubt
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Did Luo’s Workshop threaten and force the reporter, Chen Jianbai, to fabricate false evidence to restore their reputation? Or, did Chen Jianbai purposely distort the facts and publish fake news to defame Luo’s Workshop? Jiangcheng TV Station is now bringing you a live broadcast of the public trial to settle this matter once and for all!”
Jiangcheng TV Station was broadcasting the whole public trial, and they were not the only ones. Various other major media news outlets were also launching their live update pages for the event. The infamy of this incident had not just spread throughout Jiangcheng, but across the entire Hua Nation like a storm. People who had never heard of Luo’s Workshop before were now very much aware of the company’s existence.
The discussions on the internet were particularly heated.
“Needless to say, it’s got to be that reporter, Chen, making up fake news to discredit Luo’s Workshop in a bid for attention. I’m supporting Luo’s Workshop!”
“That’s bullsh*t. I think that Luo’s Workshop has done something bad stuff and now they’re trying to profit from it. This is just like when scandalous female celebrities get caught by the paparazzi sleeping their way to the top, then pretend like nothing happened, and use lawsuits to protect their reputations. It’s so d*mn disgusting.”
“It’s fine to have an opinion in a public discussion, but can you keyboard warriors just stop arguing, chill out, and watch the live broadcast?”
…
There was vocal support for all sides, as well as many neutral parties. The number of threads in the comments section of QQ News was already in the tens of thousands. This event had quickly grown into the hottest topic of the day.
[Huaye University]
Huang Ruoran was in her dorm room, staring in surprise at one of her roommates’ laptops. The roommate was especially interested in current affairs. The public trial of Luo’s Workshop against Chen Jianbai was being broadcast live on the 16-inch screen.
Huang Ruoran had beautiful hair, long and sleek eyebrows, and a gorgeous nose. Her jade-like cheeks flushed slightly pink.
She had never expected to see Xiao Luo’s friend, Zhang Dashan, on a live broadcast of a public trial. Ever since Xiao Luo had left Huaye without a word to anyone—including herself, Chu Yue, and their English major peers—they had been eagerly keeping an eye out for news of his whereabouts. The appearance of Zhang Dashan on the video screen during the live broadcast was undoubtedly the key to finding Xiao Luo.
“Luo’s Workshop?!” Huang Ruoran whispered the phrase to herself, embedding the two words into her memory.
[Chongshan House]
Chu Yunxiong and Ge Zhongtian were sitting on a sofa and sipping tea while watching the Jiangcheng channel.
Chu Yunxiong turned his head to ask, “Zhongtian, would you like to know how Luo dealt with the group of reporters who were causing him trouble?”
Ge Zhongtian took a small sip of tea then placed his teacup down. “I’d be glad to know the details!”
“He accepted their request for an interview and gathered all of the reporters in the auditorium. Then, he left them stranded there for an entire day without giving them a second thought. During that time, because they were not employees of Luo’s Workshop, they were barred from entering or leaving the auditorium and forced to wait in their anxiety. Don’t you think it’s immoral?”
As he spoke about the steps that Xiao Luo had taken against the reporters, Chu Yunxiong could not stifle his laughter. He would not have expected Xiao Luo to have the audacity to take such drastic measures. Though it had not been a glamorous move, it was undeniably effective.
“That is going too far,” Ge Zhongtian replied, pale with shock. “But I’m curious about why the reporters didn’t sue him for infringement of their freedom once they got out?”
Chu Yunxiong answered gleefully, “Before he let them go free, Luo had already conducted full background checks on their address and family members. He even read out all this information in front of them, so they were all scared stiff. They didn’t dare write anything negative about Luo’s Workshop after that, so suing Luo is simply out of the question.”
“Xiao Luo is using threats and intimidation. That’s illegal, you know,” Ge Zhongtian pointed out, furrowing his brow.
Chu Yunxiong shook his head in disapproval. “Oh, listen to you, you’re just too inflexible. Sometimes, to achieve a certain objective, you need to take these kinds of extreme measures. Look, even though they’re not in the clear yet, there have already been some subtle s.h.i.+fts in their favor.”
“I don’t think that Luo’s Workshop will emerge victorious,” Ge Zhongtian said seriously. “I’ve crossed swords with Fu Heyu before. He’s very good with words, and his ability to turn the truth on its head is something I can’t match. Now that Luo’s Workshop doesn’t even have a proper lawyer, they will lose this lawsuit.”
Chu Yunxiong was all smiles as he picked up his cup of hot tea and took a sip, saying, “Okay, aren’t you just feeling upset because Luo didn’t ask you to represent Luo’s Workshop as their lawyer?”
With his inner thoughts thus exposed, Ge Zhongtian’s elderly face flushed red. He had been doing his homework for this case, waiting for Xiao Luo to ask him to jump on board. After all, Chu Yunxiong regarded this young man highly, so he’d also wanted to lend a helping hand. Moreover, he had something of a personal grudge against Fu Heyu, so the stars were aligned for him, and he just needed an invitation to partic.i.p.ate. In the end, however, he had not been invited, so it stood to reason that he was depressed.
“Let’s just watch the proceedings here from the sidelines!” Chu Yunxiong sighed deeply as he put down his teacup.
…
Just then, Xiao Luo was sitting in a café not too far from the courthouse. He had ordered a coffee, opened up his laptop, and pulled up the TV stations’ website, where the public trial was broadcasting. He wore a slim-fitting casual suit in white and was sitting up straight in his chair. A headset dangled around his neck, connecting him to Zhang Dashan in real-time.
“Officer Gu, is it okay for you to watch me like this?” He adjusted the video quality and the volume of his headset, then lifted his head to look at the woman seated opposite him.
The woman had a head of short, black, and l.u.s.trous hair that was neatly styled. Her features were elegant. Her eyes were slightly lidded, and her eyelashes were slender. When she was not blinking, she almost looked like a painting of a beauty stirring.
The woman was Gu Qianlin!
She was not wearing her police uniform and was dressed in a plain white top and tight black jeans. She wore a pendant around her neck, and her delicate collarbones were clearly visible. However, that was all that could be seen, as the top she had on was conservative and prevented anyone who wanted to see more skin from doing so.
She began to question him, “Xiao Luo, answer me honestly. Where were you on the twelfth night of this month from 10 o’clock to midnight? And what were you doing during that time?”
The twelfth just happened to be the day of the b.l.o.o.d.y incident at the Jiangcheng docks, now referred to as the “Nine One Two” incident. Having checked the Skynet surveillance system, she had discovered a very suspicious figure in the surveillance area more than two hundred yards away from the docks. However, she had been unable to distinguish any facial features. The image was too blurry.
She had suddenly been reminded of the suspicious figure she’d seen in the footage when she b.u.mped into Xiao Luo earlier that day. Whether because of the figure’s height or build, something about it seemed to correspond very well with Xiao Luo. Furthermore, Xiao Luo was armed with powerful abilities, so she seriously suspected that the figure in the footage was Xiao Luo himself. In other words, the calm and calculated killing machine from that night could very well be sitting right in front of her eyes.
“The twelfth was a pretty long time ago now. I need to think about it.” Xiao Luo shut his eyes and thought for a moment, then answered earnestly and a.s.suredly, “I was at home sleeping!”
“Who can verify your alibi?”
“I’m single, and though I have a friend who lives with me, I think on that particular day he stayed out all night drinking at the bar, so I don’t think anyone can prove I was there,” Xiao Luo said, shaking his head.
Gu Qianlin was feeling a little exasperated. She did not believe what Xiao Luo said, but she could not detect any clues from his micro-expressions to suggest that he was lying. She was unable to determine whether the figure from that day had indeed been Xiao Luo.
“I still have things to do, so you can do as you please, Officer Gu!”
Xiao Luo smiled a little as he said this. Then, he put on his headset. The public trial had officially begun.