The moment the clock struck, Lin Qiutong and Song Guanliang were successively brought to the courtroom.
In just one week, Lin Qiutong had undergone a dramatic transformation.
As glamorous as she had been as a celebrity, she was now as disheveled and haggard, appearing several years older.
As she entered, her eyes scanned the spectator seats, and upon spotting Shen Chi Yan, they seemed to lock onto him, unable to shift away.
However, seeing the coldness and unfamiliarity in Shen Chi Yan's eyes, and then looking at Song Qinian by his side, her face contorted.
"Hurry up!"
Seeing Lin Qiutong hesitate, the person behind her gave her a push. She gritted her teeth and walked to the defendant's stand.
When Lin Lanxing saw Lin Qiutong, her eyes behind her sunglasses flickered slightly, but her expression remained impassive. Lin Qiutong's agent, on the other hand, clenched his fists tightly.
Next, Song Guanliang was also summoned.
"Nian Nian, it's Daddy..."
Liu Xiaohan became agitated again, reaching out to grasp Song Qinian's hand. Seeing that Shen Chi Yan had been holding Song Qinian's hand all along, she sheepishly withdrew her own.
Song Guanliang's lawyer was Zhang Jiale, a top lawyer from Shen Zhengcheng's firm. He had handled countless cases, and while not undefeated, he was experienced, meticulous, and absolutely reliable.
The trial began swiftly. After both sides submitted their documents, the defense began.
All the evidence was presented one by one, including certifications, physical evidence, and clues found from other dashcams.
Afterward, Zhang Jiale approached Lin Qiutong.
"Defendant Ms. Lin Qiutong, five years ago you falsely accused my client, Mr. Song Guanliang, of kidnapping and extortion, leading to his unjust imprisonment for three years. Can you explain why you did this?"
Lin Qiutong feigned fear, shaking her head and crying, "I did not frame him. I don't know anything. I am innocent!"
Song Qinian's brow furrowed tightly. The evidence was laid out before them, yet Lin Qiutong was still trying to deny it.
At this moment, Lin Qiutong's lawyer stepped forward. "Your Honor, I also have a witness who can prove that Ms. Lin Qiutong is innocent."
The judge nodded. "Summon the witness."
To everyone's surprise, the person who entered was Shen Qiwen.
Lin Qiutong also seemed taken aback by Shen Qiwen's appearance, staring blankly for a long time.
As Shen Qiwen entered, he looked deeply at Lin Qiutong, smiled slightly, and mouthed the words "Don't be afraid."
Lin Qiutong's mind suddenly flashed back to what her lawyer had told her that last day. When she got to court, she just had to insist she didn't frame Song Guanliang, and they would handle everything else.
Thinking that Shen Qiwen had found a way to save her, Lin Qiutong cast a triumphant glance at Song Qinian.
So, she wanted to send her to jail!
Heh... dream on!
Lin Qiutong's lawyer approached Shen Qiwen. "Mr. Shen Qiwen, can you present the evidence proving that Ms. Lin Qiutong did not frame Mr. Song Guanliang?"
Shen Qiwen nodded and addressed everyone present, "The one who actually framed Song Guanliang was not Lin Qiutong, but me!"
A gasp swept through the spectator seats.
Song Qinian glanced at Shen Chi Yan, who patted her hand. "Observe the situation."
Lin Lanxing clenched her fists, while a flicker of confusion and disbelief crossed Lin Qiutong's face.
Shen Qiwen's dark eyes fixed on Lin Qiutong as he slowly continued, "I love Lin Qiutong. The first time I saw her, it was love at first sight. She was the only light in my dark life. Do you know that feeling? When you've been in darkness for so long, and then one day, a beam of light shines upon you, you are overjoyed, wanting that light to shine on you forever, so that through her, you can see the beauty of the world."
"When you gradually emerge from the shadows because of that light, thinking that the light belongs only to you, you suddenly discover that she is pursuing someone else. Wherever he goes, she follows, and he only shone upon you briefly."
"When I discovered that the person Lin Qiutong liked was Shen Chi Yan, I was jealous and furious. Later, I learned that Shen Chi Yan liked Song Qinian, so I thought, if I can't have happiness, then no one else will."
"I knew Song Qinian's father, Song Guanliang, was a truck driver. That day was very special. Lin Qiutong wanted to confess to Shen Chi Yan, and Shen Chi Yan wanted to confess to Song Qinian. To prevent Lin Qiutong from confessing to Shen Chi Yan, I arranged for Song Guanliang to haul goods for me in advance, plotting to have Song Guanliang kidnap Lin Qiutong, and even used his phone to send a ransom text to the Lin family."
"After that, I went to stop Shen Chi Yan from confessing to Song Qinian. Time was too tight, and I didn't have time for meticulous planning, so I used the car accident."
As he spoke, Shen Qiwen glanced at Shen Chi Yan in the spectator seats. "Brother, you didn't expect it, did you? The car accident that day when you went to confess to Song Qinian was actually caused by me. I'm sorry for making you lose your memory for so long, forgetting the woman you loved most."
Shen Qiwen said he was sorry, but his face showed no remorse, not even a hint of regret.
"I never intended to harm Lin Qiutong, but she was too unfortunate to have been bedridden for three years. Coupled with Shen Chi Yan's amnesia and my thorough cleanup, no one knew that those two accidents were my doing."
Lin Qiutong's lawyer asked, "Then why did you frame Song Guanliang?"
"Because Song Guanliang is Song Qinian's father. If he kidnapped Lin Qiutong, the Lin family would not let him off. If the Shen family knew that Song Qinian had such a father, they wouldn't let her marry into the Shen family. As long as Shen Chi Yan was unhappy, my objective would be achieved."
Afterward, Shen Qiwen also presented evidence of him arranging for Song Guanliang to haul goods and personally carrying Lin Qiutong from her room to place her in Song Guanliang's car.
All the events of that year were orchestrated by Shen Qiwen, with Lin Qiutong having little direct involvement, which gave Shen Qiwen this opportunity.
No one had expected the case to progress so smoothly.
After both lawyers delivered their closing statements, they awaited the judge's verdict.
The judge and jury deliberated for a long time before reaching a conclusion: Lin Qiutong was acquitted and released, while Shen Qiwen, for framing Song Guanliang and intentional homicide, was taken into custody.
As Shen Qiwen was led away, his eyes never left Lin Qiutong. Seeing her staring at him blankly, he revealed an extremely gentle and reassuring smile. "Tongtong, raise our child well."
No one had anticipated such a drastic turn of events. Lin Qiutong herself had not expected Shen Qiwen to save her in such a manner.
He had taken all the blame upon himself!