The goal was to persuade their son to turn over a new leaf. On their end of the call, as Wan Feizhang and Wen Le listened, their expressions grew increasingly grim.

「Three days later.」

At the nursing home, the time for the court hearing had arrived.

Early in the morning, at the entrance of the nursing home, Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, and others gathered, ready to head to the courthouse to watch the show.

Secrets don't stay secret for long.

In the past few days, they had learned about some "dowry disputes" involving the deputy director's family. After being idle for so many days, they were all eager to join in the excitement.

"A dowry of 1.08 million! I wonder if they can get it back."

"They should be able to. I heard the deputy director asked Xiao Qin for advice several times. The defendant must be worried about how many years she'll get."

"Back when we got married, the dowry was less than two yuan. Now it's ridiculously high."

"Wait for me! If I find out who stole my walking stick, I'll thrash them to death!"

Qin Mu followed behind Zhang Qingyuan and the others. Listening to their discussion, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

As a caregiver, one of his duties was to look after these seniors and ensure their personal safety.

Even though this case had little to do with him, he still had to participate in this "entertainment activity" to prevent any accidents from happening to the dozen or so seniors.

The group set off from the nursing home, streaming impressively towards the courthouse.

Fortunately, the courthouse wasn't too far from the nursing home.

By 9:30 am, they had arrived at the courthouse and entered the Second Criminal Court.

The lawsuit in this case was for fraud.

Because the case stemmed from an escalated civil dispute, which was somewhat unusual, no public prosecutor's office was involved.

The one presiding over the trial… was still the Criminal Court.

"Come on, come on, our usual seats! Everybody find your spot, and don't just sit anywhere. Oh, and remember to save one for Xiao Qin; he usually doesn't sit with us."

"There's still half an hour until the trial starts, and neither the plaintiff nor the defendant has arrived yet. Whose trial is this, theirs or ours?"

"Their attitude is really unacceptable…"

Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, and others settled into their "usual seats."

They chatted idly while they waited, and even reserved the prime center seat for Qin Mu. They claimed it was the best spot they had found for watching the show, a place from which one could clearly see all the expressions and reactions of both the plaintiff and the defendant.

When it came to observing court proceedings, they had become quite the experts.

They could even call the nearby bailiffs by name.

Qin Mu was speechless. Watching Old Zhang and the others, he suddenly realized he wasn't the most familiar person with the courthouse!

After so many lawsuits, it was Old Zhang and his group who knew the courthouse best!

「At 9:50 am,」

Both parties and their lawyers were already seated in the plaintiff and defendant areas.

In the plaintiff's section sat Wan Zhongyuan.

Upon seeing Qin Mu, Zhang Qingyuan, and the others, he was visibly startled. This was entirely beyond his expectations.

"Go, Deputy Director!"

"So far, no one from our home has ever lost a case! You're sure to win too!"

"If worse comes to worst, let Xiao Qin sub in!"

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were also very enthusiastic, promising to cheer him on throughout.

Hearing these cheers, Wan Zhongyuan felt a mix of amusement and helplessness; his cheering squad seemed a bit too formidable.

In contrast, Yan Yeyun's section of the gallery held only a few scattered relatives.

In terms of pre-trial presence, she was already at a significant disadvantage.

And in the defendant's dock, Yan Yeyun, looking somewhat nervous, surveyed the courtroom.

This was her first time in court. There had been no pre-trial rehearsal, so to speak.

Zhang Wei patiently comforted her, "Don't be nervous. Just stick to what we discussed."

After saying this, he glanced over at Qin Mu in the public gallery and waved a greeting.

Yan Yeyun noticed this.

She asked cautiously, "Lawyer Zhang, those are the opposing party's supporters. Do you… know them?"

Zhang Wei smiled and said, "One of them is a friend, an old acquaintance."

Yan Yeyun was only half-convinced.

"Right, remember, during the trial, unless it's absolutely crucial, let me do all the talking. That way, you'll avoid falling into the opposing counsel's traps," Zhang Wei reminded her once more before the trial began.

By now, Yan Yeyun had abandoned the idea of continuing to demand the dowry and had also allowed the man and woman to meet.

This meant fraud was not involved. Criminal charges, therefore, were already off the table before the trial even began.

The lawsuit had become much easier to handle; at least his client wouldn't face jail time.

「At 10:00 am sharp,」

BANG—

Zhou Quanmin led the judicial panel into the courtroom, struck the gavel, and declared the session open.

He glanced across the courtroom.

He habitually glanced at the plaintiff's and defendant's seats. When he didn't see Qin Mu, he managed a small sigh of relief.

As long as Qin Mu isn't involved… the case probably won't be too troublesome.

However, a figure in the prime center spot of the public gallery then caught his eye.

This case might get complicated, he thought.

The recent case involving suing everyone online had left their entire court swamped. The workload had been enormous, dubbed the largest in their history.

He took a deep breath.

After the courtroom rules were announced, he looked towards the plaintiff's side. "This case involves a dispute over a dowry. Plaintiff, please present your statement of claim, the facts of the case, and your litigation requests."

He and the judicial panel had already reviewed the case details before the trial.

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