Chapter 744: Chapter 269: Eight Tribunals, The Court is Swamped!

BANG—

In the courtroom.

Zhou Quanmin continued to strike the gavel and looked toward the next defendant.

Subsequently, apart from Cheng Chuxiao and Han Tianming, the remaining fifteen individuals spoke one after another.

However, they were all extremely cautious and apprehensive. No one, like Cheng Chuxiao, refused to plead guilty in court. Each admitted their mistakes and expressed their willingness to apologize to Zhang Qingyuan, Qin Mu, and the nursing home.

"I have deeply recognized my fault. Today, I will post an apology on social media and notify everyone in the group chat to restore the nursing home’s reputation."

"Since the incident, I have been deeply regretful. Please give me another chance, Your Honor. I promise not to commit the same mistake again."

"For all the harm my actions have caused the plaintiff, I am willing to actively assume responsibility and offer them my sincere apologies."

"If possible, I will make a video tonight and publicly apologize to netizens across the web."

...

Everyone’s attitude was very proper; none dared to defy the law in the slightest, much less be arrogant enough to insist on their innocence.

But such reactions infuriated Cheng Chuxiao beyond measure. She stared intently at her former friends, her gaze filled with incomprehension. "You... you... you people..."

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, feeling as if she had been blind. They all appeared to be kind-hearted people, yet they consistently avoided discussing her dog’s death. Some even directly said her dog deserved to die. And yet, before they went to court, that wasn’t what they’d said. When disaster struck, each fled their own way. Today, she had truly experienced it.

Finally, twenty minutes later, everyone had made their final statements.

Zhou Quanmin announced in a deep voice, "The court will now recess for thirty minutes. After the recess, the verdict for Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen defendants will be announced."

With that, he stood up and, accompanied by the other members of the collegiate bench, left the courtroom, intending to discuss the verdict for Cheng Chuxiao and the others.

This case... the proceedings so far had made things quite clear. The crimes of Cheng Chuxiao and the others had been confirmed. Once their cases were concluded, the trials for the vast number of remaining defendants would proceed much faster. After all, the incident was triggered by Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen individuals; they were the principal offenders. The rest were all followers who had participated in the cyberbullying. Anyone who met the sentencing criteria could be sentenced accordingly.

「Jin City. The nursing home.」

"The verdict will be announced in half an hour? That Cheng Chuxiao truly refuses to repent."

"In her eyes, pets are indeed more important; she’s even willing to forsake her own father."

"Honestly, Han Tianming and his group seemed to lack backbone, cowering throughout the entire process without any respectable showing."

"One Cheng Chuxiao is enough of a spectacle; there are still over 15,000 defendants to go."

...

In the yard, people watching the paused live broadcast were pointing and commenting, unable to resist passing their judgments. As for Cheng Chuxiao, they felt no sympathy; some were even looking forward to the outcome. Half a month ago, when Cheng Chuxiao had caused a scene, they had witnessed her true colors. She had made such a big fuss over a dog yet had sent her own father to a nursing home. Even for the sake of her dog, she had been willing to bribe the staff of their nursing home. She had even gone as far as organizing a seven-day mourning ritual for the dog. It was utterly preposterous.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the yard, Wan Zhongyuan also withdrew his gaze and murmured, "We should have won the case."

Based on the current situation, their side’s chances of victory were high, and the defendants would face severe penalties; the sentences would not be light. From beginning to end, Qin Mu had no intention of letting these people off. Moreover, Han Tianming and the others had stated in court that as soon as the trial ended, they would immediately clarify the facts and announce them to the entire web.

In this way, their nursing home’s reputation would be restored at the fastest possible speed. This kind of public relations was the most effective—straightforward and more potent than any other method. Compared to their nursing home’s public relations department, it was far superior. None of the so-called rumor refutations or clarifications could compare to the effectiveness of an apology from the actual rumormonger.

At the same time, this incident had put the nursing home at the center of a storm of attention, becoming known throughout Jin City and even nationwide. Consequently, the fame of their nursing home had spread, receiving tremendous publicity. It was equivalent to saving a huge amount in advertising fees while expanding their renown—a massive net gain. For some time to come, the nursing home’s business would very likely grow rapidly!

And all of this was related to Qin Mu’s decisive actions. If it weren’t for Qin Mu, they would still be caught in a life-or-death crisis.

Thinking of this, he turned and looked at the head of the public relations department beside him. He snorted coldly. "Considering your public relations department’s recent performance in handling this incident, you should vacate your position."

The department head couldn’t help but smile bitterly upon hearing this but dared not say a word. This incident’s impact had been immense. He had tried every method he could think of, but none were as effective as Qin Mu’s single lawsuit.

As for Qin Mu taking his place, he had no complaints whatsoever, nor did he dare to. The people who had offended Qin Mu were still lining up outside the courthouse; the mere thought of it made his scalp tingle. One could oppose anyone... but it was best never to oppose Qin Mu.

「Zizhou. A high-end residential complex. In the study.」

Qing Lan watched the paused live broadcast and gently shook her head. "This Cheng Chuxiao... is truly a lost cause, intent on her own ruin."