Rise and Slay: From Scandal Queen to Academic Genius
Chapter 69: Defeating Them Step by Step

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Defeating Them Step by Step

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The reporters on the scene were all showing expressions of disbelief upon hearing Ji Xizhi’s words.

"You... you didn’t even hire a lawyer? And you dare to go up against Hangxing Entertainment???"

The reporters turned to look at the triumphant team of Hangxing Entertainment not far away and silently mourned in advance for Ji Xizhi.

Hangxing Entertainment over the years, aside from not having tangled with Tianzheng Law Firm’s Qi Zheng, most lawyers in the industry have lost to Hangxing Entertainment’s legal department.

Ji Xizhi is bound to lose miserably this time.

Ji Xizhi’s response was quickly broadcasted live to the whole internet through the reporters’ cameras.

This duel between Ji Xizhi and Hangxing Entertainment could be said to have grabbed the attention of the entire entertainment industry. When everyone heard that Ji Xizhi hadn’t even hired an attorney, they were all stunned.

[Damn it... might as well surrender directly, why even fight, Hangxing Entertainment is sure to win!]

[Don’t jump to conclusions so soon, Zhi Zhi may not necessarily lose, I believe in Zhi Zhi!]

[For the record, knowing the law is one thing, appearing in court is another, let’s disperse, it’s destined to lose, I don’t want to watch anymore!]

Early morning fans watching the drama saw Ji Xizhi approach Hangxing Entertainment with this attitude, and the screen was instantly filled with complaints, everyone thought Ji Xizhi was sure to lose.

Director Wang and a few others from the Dark Shark King Director Alliance were stunned when they saw Ji Xizhi’s words at the court entrance.

Especially Director Wang, who was surprised that Ji Xizhi, despite having a good relationship with Qi Zheng and having He Qing, didn’t hire a lawyer and went to court alone?!

They were driven frantic.

In the live broadcast, Ji Xizhi remained calm, showing no change in expression despite the reporters’ incredulous questioning.

President Zheng of Hangxing Entertainment had just finished an interview. He brought his legal team over and saw Ji Xizhi standing alone at the courthouse entrance.

He was not surprised at all.

After so many years at Hangxing Entertainment, how could he not know how much money Ji Xizhi had? Now that Hangxing Entertainment stopped her salary, where would she have the money to hire a high-priced lawyer!

But Ji Xizhi was stupid enough not to even seek free legal aid.

President Zheng chuckled, walked up to Ji Xizhi, reached out his hand, and asked, "Xi Zhi, long time no see, why didn’t you even seek legal aid?"

Ji Xizhi did not shake his hand, only glanced at him slightly and said calmly,

"For you, there’s no need."

Then she turned and entered the courtroom first.

President Zheng’s face stiffened.

He didn’t expect that even now, Ji Xizhi dared to stand her ground against him.

His facade of politeness was immediately torn apart, he glared fiercely at Ji Xizhi’s back, then turned and said to his team of lawyers, "Once Ji Xizhi loses, go ahead and file a lawsuit to make her compensate for the company’s losses!"

Hangxing Entertainment’s lawyer looked at Ji Xizhi’s demeanor and sneered, "President Zheng, rest assured, everything is ready!"

The court session began, and everyone took their seats.

The presiding judge announced the commencement of the formal trial of the dispute between Ji Xizhi and Hangxing Entertainment, quickly entering the court investigation stage.

Without even glancing at her script, Ji Xizhi calmly and confidently read out the complaint, her voice clear, her pace steady, resonant and powerful, and most importantly, logically clear and well-organized.

The lawyer for Hangxing Entertainment initially thought that Ji Xizhi would at most seek contract termination, but unexpectedly Ji Xizhi, apart from the termination, also demanded her years of labor earnings and compensation from Hangxing Entertainment.

This made him laugh.

So young, yet such a big appetite!

But before he finished laughing, the lawyer suddenly felt something amiss. This was clearly a novice in court, yet she seemed more experienced than a real lawyer. But seeing Ji Xizhi’s pretty face, he relaxed again.

He assumed Ji Xizhi must have consulted a lawyer in advance, but unfortunately, that was just ceremonial; when it comes to actual debate, without years of legal experience, these showy tactics are useless.

The lawyer for Hangxing Entertainment steadied himself for when Ji Xizhi finished her complaint, preparing to confidently start his defense.

...

Outside the courtroom, the hashtag #JiXizhiFightsAlone was exploding in popularity.

In Ji Xizhi’s fan group, everyone was shocked by her choice to fight alone in court.

The group was buzzing with discussions, full of worry.

[I heard from a little birdie that before the New Year, Hangxing Entertainment canceled her rental apartment, Ji Xizhi definitely has no money left for a lawyer!]

[Aaaah if only we knew earlier, I would have been willing to crowdfund for a lawyer for Zhi Zhi, sob sob this is too hard, really too hard!]

[Hangxing Entertainment has to die! I’m really going to explode with anger!]

[@HaHa do you know any inside info? I have some lawyer connections at home, can you help introduce them to Zhi Zhi?]

He Qing was at the law firm with colleagues watching Ji Xizhi’s court live broadcast.

Seeing the messages in the fan group popping up, he instinctively clicked in to take a look.

Then he saw everyone’s extremely worried messages.

Before He Qing could type an explanation in the group.

Director Wang’s frantic calls started coming through.

As soon as the call connected, it was just like the concerns in the fan group, but Director Wang was also full of anger questioning why he didn’t help Ji Xizhi, letting her go to court alone.

He Qing: "......"

He already knew about the previous incident with Zhao Ren from the boss, plus recently, while collecting materials under Ji Xizhi’s instruction, he found Ji Xizhi downright devilish compared to his boss Qi Zheng.

From then on, he knew, when Ji Xizhi went out to fight a lawsuit, there was no way she could lose.

He explained to Director Wang as best as he could, but Director Wang wouldn’t believe him, even vowing to sever ties with him.

He Qing felt bitter.

Seeing that the court time had passed, He Qing simply let it go, telling Director Wang to watch and see for himself.

In the fan group, he also reassured them with a single sentence, to wait for the trial result.

Then settled down to start watching the live broadcast.

In the court, the debate between Ji Xizhi and Hangxing Entertainment’s lawyers reached a heated phase.

Hangxing Entertainment’s lawyer skillfully presented evidence to the judge, "The company contract fully complies with laws and regulations, and the signing was voluntary and fair, with regular salary payments, no fraud involved at all."

"I object," Ji Xizhi smiled lightly and supplemented with a previous recording of Zhao Ren speaking in the car.

In the recording, Zhao Ren clearly mentioned Ji Xizhi’s twenty thousand appearance fee from the last show.

The lawyer for Hangxing Entertainment: "..."

They immediately presented other points, only to find that for every point spoken, Ji Xizhi would supplement with another piece of evidence.

Interestingly, the evidence and testimonies were all provided by their own company, including those from Zhao Ren and assistant Xiao Yuan.

Ultimately, Ji Xizhi even released footage of dirt filmed by the paparazzi sent by President Zheng of Hangxing Entertainment, and then requested for the witness to enter.

The lawyer for Hangxing Entertainment watched as Ji Xizhi used the evidence sent personally by President Zheng and Zhao Ren to defeat them step by step.

The lawyer for Hangxing Entertainment felt a suffocating sense of desperation.

Even as an elite, he couldn’t withstand one side’s continuous head-gifting, especially when the other party was a head-picking machine!

Moreover, it was an efficient head-picking, collecting only evidence beneficial to Ji Xizhi herself.

By this point, if Hangxing Entertainment’s lawyer still couldn’t confirm that Ji Xizhi truly understood the law, he’d be a real fool.

But now that he was certain, it was already too late.

Nothing could be done anymore.

```