"How about this? You should find another attorney. If you still have questions, feel free to consult me for free."

After a brief conversation, he hung up the phone.

「…」

Lottery Shop.

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Chen Ping listened to the busy tone on the phone, his expression souring.

He hadn't expected Zhang Wei to resist the temptation and turn down a 220,000 yuan agency fee!

It seems I can only seek help from another senior... he sighed softly, preparing to continue calling other acquaintances.

As for the 220,000 yuan lawyer's fee... he wasn't worried about it. With 7,000,000 yuan already in hand, 220,000 wasn't much.

Just then, at the entrance of the lottery shop, four people dressed in Procuratorate uniforms walked in. They also showed their work credentials.

Chen Ping was momentarily stunned. He quickly nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"The thing is, the court is going to deal with the civil dispute between you and Qin Mu in two days to determine the ownership of the first and fourth prizes," one of the officials said seriously. "However, some evidence cannot be obtained by individuals alone, so our Procuratorate is intervening in the evidence collection. Please cooperate with us."

Chen Ping's face changed slightly. "Evidence collection?"

"Yes, this is an evidence investigation order."

Then, the four individuals presented a document granting permission to investigate.

Chen Ping swallowed hard. Looking at the document stamped by the law enforcement agency, he felt darkness envelop his vision. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The... the Procuratorate is involved?"

In his view, this civil dispute was similar to defaulting on a debt. Even if it went to court, it would be just the two parties presenting evidence and making statements in defense. In this situation, Qin Mu had no evidence to prove the ownership of the fourth and first prizes. Civil litigation has always been governed by the principle that "he who asserts must prove." Even if the other party was suspicious, without evidence, he wouldn't necessarily lose the lawsuit! But now... he hadn't expected the Procuratorate to get involved!

"The fact is, your lottery business operates in the public domain; it's not merely a personal dispute. The other party faces difficulties gathering evidence. Therefore, the Procuratorate has an obligation to intervene and assist in the investigation. Please cooperate with our evidence collection!" one of the Procuratorate personnel patiently explained, thinking Chen Ping didn't understand the law. "Of course, some of the evidence collection work may involve the lottery center. If necessary, we will go there for verification."

Listening to their patient explanation, Chen Ping felt his scalp tingle.

He had calculated everything. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was the Procuratorate's involvement! This put him completely on the defensive. Knowing the law, he dared not refuse the Procuratorate's investigation and evidence collection. A direct refusal... might even be construed as obstruction of official duty. That would bring criminal liability!

Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as the four Procuratorate personnel settled in, accessing his lottery's backend data and other relevant information, as well as the store's surveillance footage from the month before and after the incident.

"Eh? Why is the surveillance footage for this day missing?" one of the personnel then noticed.

According to lottery regulations, every lottery shop must be equipped with surveillance cameras. In some large cities, the lottery centers handle the installation, while in some smaller shops, the owners themselves are responsible for it.

Seeing this, Chen Ping quickly stepped forward to explain, "It was recording that day, but it suddenly went missing for some reason. It was probably a machine malfunction."

"Malfunction? No worries. We'll take the storage device back with us," one of the Procuratorate officials said, nodding in understanding. "Our department has specialized equipment that can restore lost or damaged data."

These few short sentences made Chen Ping turn pale. He couldn't help asking, "Can it... really be restored?"

"Of course," one of them replied. "Technology is so advanced nowadays that any stored data, unless physically destroyed, can at least be mostly recovered."

Chen Ping was left speechless.

「Three hours later.」

The Procuratorate personnel, having collected all the backend evidence, relevant lottery participant information, and surveillance footage, left the lottery shop.

Chen Ping slumped into his chair, his back drenched in a cold sweat that soaked his T-shirt.

"It's all over... it's all ruined..." he muttered.

His wife, Xie Lili, was equally pale and crying in distress. "Didn't you say you understand the law? How did you not know the Procuratorate would get involved?" she sobbed. "What do we do now? Are you going to be arrested?"

Chen Ping clenched his teeth, his expression grim. Still, he forced himself to remain calm. "What's there to fear?" he said. "At most, it's just a civil dispute. Worst comes to worst, we'll just give up the 7,000,000 yuan! How could I, someone who understands the law, send myself to prison?"

Up to this point, he hadn't committed any serious crime; he had only concealed the first prize. If the court determined the ownership of the first prize, he could simply return it to Qin Mu. There would be no criminal charges. At most, he would face a warning, administrative fines, and detention.

"Right, where's your brother?" he then asked, taking a deep breath. He hadn't seen Xie Lianqing all day. The first-prize lottery ticket... was still in Xie Lianqing's possession.

Xie Lili wiped the tears from her eyes. "Him?" she said. "He mentioned yesterday that he was worried delays might cause unforeseen problems, so he went to the provincial capital to claim the prize. If we get the money and return it to them, do you think they'll drop the lawsuit?"

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