The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie
Chapter 288: 288: Confirmation of Bones, Courtroom Drama (Second Update

Chapter 288: 288: Confirmation of Bones, Courtroom Drama (Second Update

The barrel burst open with a crash, and a heap of bones rolled out.

One piece rolled right to the feet of Luo Yinghe. She looked down, “Ah!”

It was a complete skull, with a nasal bridge, cheekbones, and two hollow eye sockets…

“Ah ah ah ah ah—”

Luo Yinghe screamed uncontrollably!

In the wine cellar, the screams echoed.

Zhou Xufang’s ears hurt from the noise. Pointing the flashlight at Luo Yinghe, he threatened, “Scream again, and I’ll knock you out.”

Normally pampered, Luo Yinghe had never seen bones before. Her face turned pale from fright, and she dared not scream again, covering her mouth with her hands as her shoulders trembled.

Once she calmed down, Zhou Xufang used the flashlight to inspect the bones on the ground one by one—legs, arms, ribs, all present.

Among the pile of bones was a metallic disc.

Zhou Xufang squatted down, picked up the disc, and shone the flashlight on it for a moment. The fingers holding the disc gradually turned white.

She was silent for a long time before carefully putting away the disc. Then she stood up and walked toward Luo Yinghe.

The wine cellar was eerily dark, and the approaching figure seemed bizarre, causing Luo Yinghe to feel frightened. Her legs trembled as she stepped backward, “What… what are you doing?”

She didn’t speak, just kept advancing step by step.

Luo Yinghe continued moving back as she turned pale with fright, stuttering and warily eyeing the black-clad “thief,” “What… what exactly do you want?”

What do I want?

She remained silent, her eyes behind the glasses shining with a faint red light.

Bang!

Luo Yinghe stumbled back to the furthest part, her back against the wine rack, no further place to retreat. In the chilling wine cellar, sweat continuously streamed down her forehead, “You—”

Zhou Xufang raised his hand and struck her, knocking her unconscious.

Thud!

Luo Yinghe fell.

It was then that Zhou Xufang removed his mask and hat, returning to the pile of bones. Her eyes red, she knelt down.

“I am Xu Fang.”

Her voice choked, she uttered those words, then kowtowed three times.

After kneeling for a while, she stood up, put the mask and hat back on, then picked up Luo Yinghe and carried her out.

Outside Luo Mansion, Ah Wan had just arrived and saw Zhou Xufang carrying someone out.

Ah Wan quickly ran over to help, “Let me carry her.”

Zhou Xufang said, “No need.”

What’s going on? His voice sounded strange.

“Ah Wan,” Zhou Xufang spoke earnestly, “can I ask you for a favor?”

Why so serious?

Ah Wan sensed something bad had happened, “Go ahead, why so formal?”

Zhou Xufang solemnly entrusted, “Guard the entrance to Luo’s wine cellar for me. Don’t let anyone in until after the trial is over. Then I’ll come over.”

She didn’t explain further.

Ah Wan didn’t ask more, “I’ll stand guard, don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

After expressing her gratitude, Zhou Xufang lifted Luo Yinghe into the car and drove away.

Imperial City People’s Court.

The judge was seated high, with juries on both sides, the public prosecutor represented the prosecution, Luo Changde and Luo Qinghe were the suspects, listed as the first and second defendants respectively.

After the prosecution’s statement, the second defendant Luo Qinghe’s trial lawyer, Jiang Chundong, called the witness Fang Dashun.

“Mr. Fang, what were you doing eight years ago?”

Dressed formally today, he replied, “I was a firefighter.”

Jiang Chundong immediately asked further, “The Luo family fire, was it your team who responded?”

“Yes.”

“How many victims were inside the fire scene?”

“Three.”

Jiang Chundong calmly asked, “Can you describe the situation of these three people?”

Mr. Fang truthfully said, “When my team and I went in, Tang Guangji was pinned under the flower shelf, and his body was already on fire.”

In the audience, Tang Xiang’s face remained calm, but her hand tightened on her knee.

Jiang Chundong then asked, “Was he still alive?”

Mr. Fang replied, “He had already stopped breathing.”

“And the other two?”

“The gardener Ah Bin was outside the greenhouse. Because he had inhaled too much smoke, he had already passed out. My teammate carried him out,” Mr. Fang glanced at the audience but did not see Zhou Xufang and continued, “There was also a teenager inside. When I went in, he was still breathing, but he was unconscious.”

Jiang Chudong methodically steered the questions towards his intended direction, “Did the child have any injuries? Was there any weapon or blood at the scene?”

“There was a pool of blood on the ground, no sharp objects were seen, and the child was also covered in blood,” Mr. Fang indicated a spot on his body, “There was a hole here, as if pierced by something; he was still bleeding when I arrived.”

Jiang Chundong nodded and turned to the judge, “Your Honor, I have finished my questions.”

At that moment, the first defendant, Luo Changde’s defense attorney, Du Shaoxing, stood up, respectfully bowed to the presiding judge: “Your Honor, I have a few questions.”

The judge nodded in allowance.

Du Shaoxing stood from his seat and walked to the witness, asking him, “Mr. Fang, how thick was the smoke in the greenhouse at the time?”

Mr. Fang, not understanding the legal ploys, simply told the truth, “It was very thick.”

Du Shaoxing then asked, “Was it blurry to see?”

“A little.”

“Could you have seen wrongly?” Without waiting for Mr. Fang to respond, Du Shaoxing quickly asked, “Could the victim Luo San have been struck by something in the fire, resulting in serious bleeding?”

Mr. Fang was unable to answer this.

Lawyers’ mouths, scary as ghosts!

“Moreover,” Du Shaoxing concluded, “May I ask, Mr. Fang, did you see my client, Luo Changde, in the fire?”

Mr. Fang shook his head without hesitation, “No.”

Du Shaoxing calmly smiled and turned to the judge, “Your Honor, I have finished my questions.”

Du Shaoxing, truly a master of his craft, with quick thinking on his feet that placed him at the top in the industry, had skillfully extricated Luo Changde with just a few questions.

In the defendant’s area, Luo Changde could not help grinning confidently.

Jiang Chundong was not in a hurry and slowly stepped forward to request, “Your Honor, please allow me to summon our second witness, Xu Pozhi.”

The judge consented.

The court clerk called the witness to the stand.

The second witness was Xu Pozhi. He entered the court and first glanced at Luo Qinghe. Luo Qinghe sat silently, his face gaunt, not uttering a word.

Jiang Chundong questioned him, “Mr. Xu, what was your name before?”

Xu Pozhi replied, “Wang Bin.”

Before he was recognized and taken back to the Xu Family, he had this name, following his mother’s surname and was called Ah Bin.

Jiang Chundong asked progressively, “What were you doing eight years ago?”

“I was a gardener at the Luo Family.” He turned to face the jury, exposing his prosthetic eye, “I received this injury during a fire at the Luo Family.”

The expressions of the jury members varied.

Jiang Chundong continued, “Can you elaborate on what you saw at the scene during the fire?”

Xu Pozhi said he could. His suit made him appear steady and trustworthy; the sinister look in his eyes subdued, and he began to narrate slowly, “I was just outside the glass greenhouse because a flower rack had fallen and injured my leg. I couldn’t move for a while, so I sat outside waiting for firefighters to rescue me.”

He paused, then continued, “There were three people inside at the time. Tang Guangji was carrying Luo Family’s foster son, Luo San, trying to get him out when Luo Changde entered. He picked up a piece of rebar in the flower house, knocked Tang Guangji to the ground, Tang Guangji kept protecting Luo San. During their argument, he was pushed onto the flower rack, which then fell on him. Luo San tried to pull him out, but being too young, he couldn’t manage it. In the midst of Luo San’s cries for help, Luo Changde panicked, grabbed a hammer, and drove the rebar into Luo San’s chest.”

Xu Pozhi spoke in great detail and logically.

Jiang Chundong asked, “Then what?”

Xu Pozhi glanced at Luo Changde, “Luo Changde buried the hammer and rebar under a flowerpot.”

Luo Changde, who had been smug before, now appeared solemn, frowning fiercely as he glared at Xu Pozhi.

After obtaining permission from the court, Jiang Chundong presented a photograph, a picture of the Luo Family’s greenhouse: “Was the murder weapon buried here?”

Xu Pozhi answered decisively, “Yes.”

With all questions complete, Jiang Chundong summarized and submitted a document, “Your Honor, members of the jury, this is the medical record of the witness Xu Pozhi from his surgery back then, and his identification, all proving he was one of the victims then, and the sole eyewitness to this murder.” After allowing the judge and jury to review the documents, he continued his statement, “The testimonies of both our witnesses clearly demonstrate one fact, the victims Tang Guangji and Luo San did not die from the fire, but from homicide.”

As he spoke, murmurs arose in the courtroom, especially from the jury.

Luo Changde was not as composed as Luo Qinghe and seemed anxious, calmed only by a glance from his attorney, Du Shaoxing, who signaled him to stay calm.

“Your Honor, members of the jury,” Jiang Chundong, holding a pen, pointed to the projector displaying two photos, “This is a rusted hammer, and this is a piece of rebar. Both pieces of evidence were discovered by the police in the Luo Family’s greenhouse. At the time, the defendant Luo Changde was also present, and he personally unearthed the evidence himself,” he turned to the audience, glancing at Luo Changde, “suggesting that he knew where the evidence was hidden.”

Jiang Chundong concluded by putting down his pen, “I have finished my statement.”