Published at 6th of January 2021 03:05:07 AM
Gu Nianzhi carefully recalled her first visit to the Huo family compound at the end of the year before last year .
At that time, Luo Jialan was still called Huo Jialan . She was the good daughter and butler of the Huo family .
Song Jinning had been mentally deranged for more than a decade . The grandmother of the Huo family had passed away, and Huo Guanchen hadn’t taken another wife, whileGrandfather Huo’s head nurse, Zhang Feng, had an ambiguous status . Therefore, on the surface, she was the only female heiress of the Huo family .
Song Jinning was completely taken care of by her two housekeeping staff, Auntie Xing and Auntie You .
Gu Nianzhi frowned slightly and said, ” … When Mrs . Song’s condition was exposed, Luo Jialan wailed loudly, then pointed at Mrs . Song, and yelled at me . ”
“She said, ‘I won’t let you take her away! I won’t let you take that bitch away! Do you know that my mother killed herself by swallowing sleeping pills because of her? ! Why does she have the audacity to pretend to be mentally insane after doing all those shameless things?? —— Isn’t she just mentally insane? ? Hasn’t she lost her memory ? I’ll make her stay mentally insane for the rest of her life ! Lose her memory for the rest of her life! Pay for what she did to my mother! ‘
“Could these words be her subjective motive for intentionally killing someone?”
Gu Nianzhi added, “There were also two housekeeping staff who took care of Ms . Song at the time, Auntie Xing and Auntie you . These two must know more about the truth . ”
He Zhichu’s expression didn’t change as he pointed out in a professional manner, “Based on this sentence alone, at most, it was ‘intentional injury’, and not ‘intentional murder’ . ”
Gu Nianzhi raised her eyebrows, “The distinction between intentional injury and intentional murder is still in the defendant’s subjective consciousness . If she knew that her actions would cost the other person’s life, then it would be intentional murder . If she knew that her actions would only cause the other person to suffer a certain amount of harm, then it would be intentional injury . We just need to prove that her actions would’ve caused Mrs . Song’s death, and not just harm . ”
“Yes, that’s a good starting point, but how do you prove that her actions had the direct effect of causing Mrs . Song’s death? ——After all, Mrs . Song hadn’t died . She had been ill for more than a decade and had even recovered . ” He Zhichu’s words are always so rational and precise .
After discussing the case with a veteran professional like He Zhichu, Gu Nianzhi felt inspired .
She continued to follow this line of reasoning . “The direct consequences of Luo Jialan’s actions would’ve resulted in the death of Madam Song . Whether or not Madam Song is really dead isn’t relevant . Just because Madam Song isn’t dead doesn’t mean we can completely rule out the motive and possibility of her killing intentionally . ”
He Zhichu smiled and nodded . “That’s interesting . Continue . ”
“I’ll gather information to prove that Luo Jialan’s ‘care’ for Ms . Song all these years wasn’t to facilitate her recovery, but to murder her with a soft knife . Her real motive was to murder her . ”
Gu Nianzhi still remembered the narrow and low bedroom she had seen on the top floor of the Huo family’s mansion . Song Jinning had lived in that oppressive environment for more than ten years .
For a woman who had suffered severe physical trauma and shock to her brain and had suffered a complete mental breakdown, such an environment would definitely make things worse . It was impossible that it was actually for her psychological treatment .
He Zhichu took out his phone and wrote a few notes on the memo . He asked again, “Alright, even if a subjective motive is established, what about the physical evidence and the witness?”
“I’ll seek out Major General Huo for the physical evidence . The most important witnesses are Auntie Xing and Auntie You . Those two are the housekeepers who have been taking care of Ms . Song for many years . ”
“Yes, Auntie Xing and Auntie You are the key . If you use them well, they will be very important witnesses, but if you don’t use them well, your accusation will not stand up in the absence of physical evidence . ” He Zhichu tried to fill in the gaps in Gu Nianzhi’s thoughts, and quickly helped her formulate a complete plan .
If they followed this procedure, they would at least be able to settle the case with the police and the courts . They would be able to successfully file a case and file a public prosecution .
” … You have to be careful . The prosecutor for this kind of case is the prosecution office . You have to follow the legal procedures very strictly . You can’t let Huo Shaoheng get involved . Once he makes a move, I believe that Luo Jialan’s lawyers won’t let this go . They will attack you for “abusing your power for personal gain’ and ‘using your power to bully others . ”
Huo Shaoheng was in a high position of power, and the victim on the plaintiff’s side was his biological mother . If he spoke, the people of the prosecution side wouldn’t dare disobey him . It was even possible that they would immediately file a case and a lawsuit .
However, in a modern Internet society where news spread rapidly, such a method was simply too foolish .
If the other party caught them in the act and stirred up negative sentiments on the internet, even falsehoods would appear like the truth .
Therefore, Huo Shaoheng had to stay out of it . Other than providing Gu Nianzhi with the evidence in his hands, he couldn’t interfere in any other aspect .
Gu Nianzhi thought about it carefully and smiled, then said, “We won’t do anything illegal, but I won’t pretend that Major General Huo has nothing to do with this just to avoid suspicion . After all, she is his mother . If he really stayed out of it, those people would also attack him for being ‘inhumane’ . “—— If they want to launch a cyber war on me, hehe, the netizens will teach them how to behave… ”
When He Zhichu saw Gu Nianzhi’s sly and fearless expression, he felt ambivalent inside .
He was eager to see Gu Nianzhi in high spirits and charge forward courageously, but she was acting like this because of another man, so He Zhichu felt very bitter inside .
The two of them discussed the matter for the entire morning . He Zhichu looked at his watch and said, “Are you hungry? I’ll go make dinner . ”
Gu Nianzhi was surprised . “Professor He can cook?!”
Didn’t he always order takeout and drink red wine?!
He Zhichu: ” … ”
“It’s just cooking . How hard can it be? ” He had secretly read many tutorials online and had wanted to give it a try for a long time…
He Zhichu’s expression was unsightly . He stood up from the sofa “Wait here . ”
He strode towards the kitchen on the first floor .
How could Gu Nianzhi just wait there?
She had to watch as He Zhichu cooked .
Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stood up and followed He Zhichu into the kitchen .
She walked back to He Zhichu’s side and carefully observed his expression . She asked with a smile, “Professor He, what do you want to cook?”
“… Egg Fried Rice . ” He Zhichu didn’t even look at Gu Nianzhi . He continued, “Don’t follow me . How am I supposed to cook if you come in?”
He Zhichu glared at Gu Nianzhi and blocked her from entering the kitchen .
Gu Nianzhi saw that He Zhichu was adamant about not letting her into the kitchen, so she thought about it and decided not to insist .
She stopped at the kitchen door and turned around to say, “Then I won’t go in . Good Luck, Professor He!”
He Zhichu: ” … ”
Gu Nianzhi returned to the living room and sat down . She took out her phone and looked at the workflow that He Zhichu had prepared for her .
She had to admit that He Zhichu’s plan was very well thought out and complemented her own plan very well .
She was so focused on her work in the living room that she lost track of time .
Gu Nianzhi waited until her stomach was growling with hunger before she turned to look at her watch .
It had been almost an hour and a half since He Zhichu had entered the kitchen .
What kind of egg fried rice taked an hour and a half to make?
Egg Fried Rice in sumptuous Manhan style?
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t suppress her curiosity . She put away her phone and stood up . She tiptoed to the kitchen door to get a peek .
Just then, the shrill sound of the smoke detector alarm sounded throughout the villa .
Beep! Beep! Beep!
It sounded like police cars and ambulances were racing down the street with sirens blaring and all coming towards this house .
Gu Nianzhi felt as if her ears were about to go deaf .
Panicked, she quickly ran to the kitchen .
Before she even reached the door, she was shocked to see the thick smoke coming out of the kitchen .
“Professor He? Professor He?!” Gu Nianzhi rushed through the thick smoke and saw He Zhichu holding a spatula while wearing a grey apron . He stood in front of the induction cooker with a flustered expression .
Gu Nianzhi pulled him away and quickly glanced into the pot .
What were those dark blobs?!
Where was the egg-fried rice?!