"I told you, that might just be Xiang Wanbin's wife's side of the story, not necessarily the truth..."

Zhang Wei lowered his voice and whispered another reminder.

When he told Niu Huan about this, he had repeatedly warned him not to act impulsively or let emotions dictate his actions.

After all, the matter had yet to be confirmed.

He had mentioned it mainly to prepare Niu Huan mentally, to prevent him from unknowingly playing the fool, happily fathering and raising someone else's child for over a decade.

Legally, this kind of infidelity carries no responsibility.

But as a normal person, he simply couldn't stand watching this happen.

"Old Xiang, tell me honestly, is there anything going on between you and my wife?"

From the defendant's bench, Niu Huan stared intently at Xiang Wanbin beside him and finally spoke his first words.

His statement stunned everyone in the courtroom, and all eyes turned to him.

Even Zhou Quanmin's eyelids twitched.

The court clerk, the bailiffs, the public prosecutor, Qin Mu, and even the elderly Zhang Qingyuan and others in the public gallery—everyone involuntarily swallowed.

This scene... unfolded too suddenly.

Even Xiang Wanbin hadn't reacted yet.

"Brother Niu... Brother Niu, what do you mean?"

He looked at Niu Huan, his face a mask of confusion, his eyes darting nervously.

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm asking you, did you or did you not sleep with my wife?"

Niu Huan clenched his teeth, angrily gesturing towards the gallery.

In the family section of the gallery, his wife was sitting there with her large pregnant belly, looking equally baffled and shocked.

"No such thing, Brother Niu! We've been brothers for so many years! I know better than to mess with a friend's wife. How could I do something so despicable...?"

Xiang Wanbin swallowed hard, denying repeatedly.

"No?"

Niu Huan trembled with rage.

He sneered, "Then tell me, why were you at my house on several occasions when I came home late from work?"

"Why has my wife replied to every single one of your social media posts?"

"Why does my wife turn to you whenever she has a problem?"

"Why..."

In front of everyone in the courtroom, he angrily confronted him, listing all his suspicions.

Seven days ago, he had learned of this from Zhang Wei and had been pondering it ever since.

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it all seemed.

There had already been signs between his wife and Xiang Wanbin, but he had been completely oblivious.

Those two... they were playing him for a fool!

"Brother Niu... Aren't we best friends? If Sister-in-law ran into trouble, of course I had to help..."

Xiang Wanbin's face flushed crimson, and he could only bite the bullet and explain.

Now everyone in the courtroom was watching them.

Niu Huan seemed to have thrown all caution to the wind, no longer caring about his reputation.

But Xiang Wanbin still cared. According to Zhang Wei's prediction, he had a chance to get his sentence reduced to one and a half years.

If this commotion continued in court, he'd lose all face.

BANG!

At this moment, the gavel struck, and the judge's solemn voice echoed once more.

Zhou Quanmin said sternly, "This trial concerns the automotive parts replacement case; discussion of unrelated matters is prohibited!"

"Defendants Niu Huan, Chang Yingcai, and Xiang Wanbin will now present their pleas in order, directly addressing the charges brought by the public prosecutor!"

Seeing this, Zhang Wei also hurriedly advised, "Niu Huan, now is not the time to dwell on this issue. Let's get through the trial first. You can deal with this other matter later; it's not too late."

Refusing to cooperate in court, defying the judge... the consequences are never good.

"Right, Brother Niu, let's deal with the trial first."

Chang Yingcai, beside him, also chimed in anxiously, his face etched with worry, almost on the verge of tears.

Niu Huan's actions alone... would directly affect him as an accessory.

Generally, the harsher the principal's sentence, the heavier the accessory's sentence will also be.

Niu Huan's self-destructive stance... It terrified him.

"Alright, then we'll deal with the trial first."

Niu Huan glared fiercely at Xiang Wanbin and took a deep breath.

Zhang Wei, overjoyed at his words, quickly handed him a prepared defense statement.

This defense statement was mainly aimed at refuting the public prosecutor's claims, arguing that the charge of theft was unreasonable. It sought to reclassify the alleged theft as misappropriation. This would shift the focus of the case, allowing Zhang Wei to then build a defense arguing against the misappropriation charge.

However, Niu Huan didn't even glance at the prepared statement. He looked up at Zhou Quanmin and the other members of the judicial panel, his expression utterly fearless.

He said, "I, Niu Huan, plead guilty in court!"

The moment he uttered those words, shock rippled through the courtroom. All parties present looked astonished.

The most shocked... was Zhang Wei. He stared at his client, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Niu Huan, looking calm, continued, "Regarding the actions described by the public prosecutor, I have no defense. I am willing to plead guilty, accept the punishment, and submit to the judgment of the law."

"My actions in stealing auto parts seriously infringed upon others' property and endangered their safety."

"I request the court to sentence me severely. Do not be lenient!"

As he spoke these words, Niu Huan was surprisingly calm, as if he had long been prepared to do this.

Beside him, Xiang Wanbin watched Niu Huan's unexpected declaration and was utterly baffled.

Suddenly, he couldn't understand.

The trial had just begun, and Niu Huan had already given up resisting.

He showed no desire for self-preservation, even actively asking for a harsher sentence!

Could it be... he's muddled with anger? he wondered, swallowing hard.

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