Chapter 61 – Reconciliation and Substantiation

—[Mr. Bian, good news! The house you had your eye on last year, the landlord is eager to swap it out and has slashed the price by 500,000 yuan!

[There are already three parties negotiating with him; from the sound of it, there could be another reduction of 200,000 yuan. Are you free in the coming days? We can arrange a meeting with the landlord!]—[Xiao Bian, I have some bad news to tell you. The child’s recovery isn’t going well, they’re still hospitalized.][I know you didn’t violate any rules, rescue operations in bumpy conditions inherently carry risks, and the fault doesn’t lie with you. But the child’s parents insist it was your mistake that caused the issue, making things difficult for the company.][Apologize to the passengers, deduct this year’s bonus just to make a statement, and the company will handle all compensation. Let’s consider this matter settled, okay?]The messages came in almost simultaneously. Bian Ji sat hugging his knees on the sofa, staring blankly at his phone on the coffee table without moving.

He didn’t feel like replying to any of the good or bad news. After experiencing so many ups and downs, Bian Ji had come to deeply understand the phrase “do one’s best and leave the rest to fate.” His philosophy now was essentially to live if he could, die if he couldn’t.

Regardless of the consequences, he had done everything he could to remedy and explain the situation. Overthinking it wouldn’t help.

Director Li wasn’t as patient as he was. Around two in the afternoon, after repeated text bombings failed, he simply called.

Bian Ji, who hadn’t slept through the night since waiting for these messages, was napping when the ringtone woke him up, so his voice carried a hint of irritation. “Who is it?”

Director Li heard that he sounded like he had just woken up and said anxiously, “How can you still sleep! Have you seen the investigation results?”

“Saw the WeChat, didn’t check the intranet, what’s up?” Bian Ji rubbed his eyes, got up to open the window, trying to wake himself up.

Director Li forwarded the PDF file directly to him. “I’ve downloaded it, take a look.”

Bian Ji was too lazy to open it. “Not interested, I can guess the result.”

Director Li asked, “You know again?”

Bian Ji said half-jokingly, “Sacrificing me won’t damage the company’s interests, yet it can soothe the passengers’ emotions. If I were the company, I’d award whoever came up with this idea.”

Director Li was speechless, after all, the other party was right. He could only say helplessly, “Bian Ji, there has never been a question of sacrificing anyone. I’m already working with the company to ensure that you’re given priority in all evaluations and awards next year, as compensation.”

Bian Ji snorted coldly. “Director, do you really think these little tricks will satisfy the passengers?”

The line fell silent for a moment.

Bian Ji cleared his throat and continued, “Insufficient rescue personnel is due to the company cutting the number of attendants; having to perform CPR by attendants is because no specialized rescue equipment is provided. With so many factors piled together, the company sends just me to apologize. If you were the passenger, would you accept it?”

“…” Director Li, after much thought, reached the same conclusion, “No.”

Bian Ji sat back on the sofa, looking out at the vast sky, feeling strangely unfamiliar with it for the first time.

“So, Director Li,” Bian Ji opened the investigation results document, laughing indifferently, “Asking me about the investigation results is actually meaningless.”

Director Li sighed deeply and said helplessly, “Understood. I’ll contact legal affairs.”

As expected by Bian Ji, the child’s parents were not satisfied with X Air’s handling proposal, claiming they would sue X Air demanding compensation for all medical expenses plus high damages for emotional distress.

X Air had a professional legal team and a mature process for dealing with passenger lawsuits. But for Bian Ji, the party involved, this was the first time he had encountered such an incident.

Subconsciously, he wanted to ask Yan Ankuo for advice, but after several unanswered calls, he remembered that Yan Ankuo was preparing for court, so he turned to Nie Hang to ask if he knew any other lawyers.

Nie Hang had just learned of this from other colleagues and was first shocked that things had taken such a turn, even more shocked that Bian Ji hadn’t gone to his family for help.

Bian Ji wasn’t one to mix personal and business matters: “He mainly handles divorces and labor disputes, not related to my case.”

Nie Hang was puzzled. “Have him find someone who is relevant then!”

“No need, I can’t always rely on him for help,” Bian Ji said.

Nie Hang found it strange. “What’s wrong with that? He’s a lawyer, and your boyfriend, who else would you go to?”

“One thing is one thing,” Bian Ji insisted. “He’s been busy enough lately.”

Seeing that he couldn’t persuade him, Nie Hang shook his head helplessly and tried to help him find a solution. “Last time, Brother Yuan went to court and met quite a few people from law firms. Should I have him find someone for you?”

Bian Ji nodded. “Sure, thanks.”

Qiao Yuan was efficient and righteous. Soon, the new lawyer’s WeChat was forwarded.

Qiao Yuan: [Xiao Bian, this Lawyer Chen is very adept at handling disputes, you can talk to him.]Bian Ji: [Thanks, Brother Yuan! There’s been too much going on recently, I’ll treat you to dinner later!]Qiao Yuan: [No problem, let me know if you need any help anytime.]Bian Ji arranged to meet Lawyer Chen at a cafe. The ride was bumpy all the way, cut off twice by two SUVs when overtaking, and he hit every red light on the way, arriving at the cafe in a pretty bad mood.

However, when he saw a stranger, he automatically switched to a warm social mode, greeting the other party with a smile. “Hello, Lawyer Chen, I’m Bian Ji.”

Then he pointed to the woman beside him. “This is Tang Xiaoge, the legal affairs manager of X Air.”

“Hello.” Lawyer Chen shook hands with the two of them and sat down, quickly getting to the point. “Mr. Bian, could you please describe your actions at the time again?”

Bian Ji had recounted this process no less than three times, speaking very fluently. Lawyer Chen followed his rhythm and took notes, also asking for the company’s handling notice.

“Mr. Bian, your rescue procedures were proactive and compliant throughout. Moreover, the General Principles of Civil Law protect the rights of emergency rescuers, so the excessive impact on the child caused by turbulence and other uncontrollable factors cannot be attributed to you — this is also what the third-party investigation showed.”

Listening to Lawyer Chen’s description, Bian Ji felt that this was a very gentle person, with a different temperament from Yan Ankuo, Lin Yu, Wen Hongyu, etc., belonging to the category of those who guide patiently, likely very suitable for negotiations or guidance.

“However, out of humanitarian considerations, it is reasonable for the company to provide partial compensation to the injured party,” Lawyer Chen looked at the computer screen with some difficulty. “It’s just that the amount proposed by the passengers is indeed on the high side.”

The medical expenses added up to over 100,000 yuan, but the young couple, desperate to protect their child, demanded a total of 600,000 yuan in compensation. The legal department assessed it and felt it was too high, refusing to agree.

Manager Tang said, “That’s right, so the company feels it can’t accept it. Now there’s also the issue that public trials, especially medical cases, may not be good for the company’s reputation.”

Bian Ji didn’t speak, but Lawyer Chen understood. “So, you want to reach an out-of-court settlement?”

Tang Xiaoge and Bian Ji exchanged glances and nodded.

“I understand, this is the best choice for both parties,” Lawyer Chen’s mind worked quickly, quickly coming up with a set of arguments. “For you, a flight accident occurred not long ago, and now a medical event has broken out, which is indeed bad. For Qian Feng and the others, the process of responding to a lawsuit is complicated and lengthy. As long as the terms can be negotiated, they probably don’t want to spend too much energy on this matter either.”

Bian Ji spoke up then. “Does Lawyer Chen have any suggestions?”

“I can try to contact Ms. Wang and Mr. Qian to see what their fundamental demands are,” Lawyer Chen turned to look at Tang Xiaoge. “Of course, before that, I need to hear your thoughts — the acceptable bottom line and approach.”

Tang Xiaoge and Bian Ji exchanged a glance. Knowing that as one of the parties involved, he shouldn’t get too involved, Bian Ji found an excuse to get up and leave. “Say whatever you need from me, I have something to do and will go home first.”

“Take care.”

Before leaving, Bian Ji glanced at the clock hanging in the cafe, it was already eleven o’clock. He had been living in chaos recently and hadn’t seen his boyfriend for over half a month, nor did he know how Yan Ankuo was doing.*

The hour hand pointed to eleven, the bailiff’s hammer fell, and the court reporter’s keyboard tapped rapidly.

Yan Ankuo’s trial was not an easy one to fight.

The opposing counsel immediately presented evidence of Liang Jingliang’s infidelity during marriage, arguing that his post-marriage property, position, and resources all came from the Gu family, and that he had committed acts of misconduct, attempting to transfer post-marriage joint property. Therefore, the opposing party questioned whether he had intentionally proposed divorce after Gu Huixin received her inheritance. Therefore, they argued that Liang Jingliang could only divide the subsequent appreciation of the property and the equity solely in his name.

Yan Ankuo insisted that the opposing party’s doubts were unsupported by evidence, the accusation of intent could not stand, and that the inheritance was obtained by Gu Huixin during marriage, belonging to joint property, which should be divided according to civil law.

In the latter part of the trial, the judge determined that Liang Jingliang’s divorce plot was the focus of the case, the most critical factor being the fact and timing of Liang Jingliang’s infidelity.

Yan Ankuo pulled up the evidence provided by the appellant earlier and pointed, asking, “The appellant uses this audio and video file from March 2023 to prove that Mr. Liang Jingliang was already cheating on a third party, Wang Xi, last year, so he chose to propose divorce in December, which was intentional division of the estate. Then, where did these pieces of evidence come from?”

The opposing lawyer answered calmly, “It was from the hotel surveillance.”

Yan Ankuo then produced his own materials and said, “This is the surveillance footage I obtained from the same room at W Hotel. You can see that the camera is in the corridor, diagonally opposite the door, and can only capture the entrance.”

As he spoke, he compared the evidence provided by the opposing party. “This is the surveillance perspective provided by the appellant. The camera is almost directly opposite the door and the bed, able to fully capture the objects inside the room.”

Yan Ankuo put away the evidence, his face as cold as ice. “Why is there such a big difference in perspective?”

The appellant’s lawyer whispered a few words to Gu Huixin, then nodded and said, “This surveillance was filmed last March, and there’s already been a gap of more than half a year since the defendant obtained it. During that time, the hotel received a complaint saying the camera angle invaded guest privacy, so they changed the surveillance location from then on.”

Yan Ankuo pursued the question, “This model of camera is X-012, and checking the brand information shows that it can only save three months of data. How did the appellant preserve the files from six months ago and submit them as evidence?”

The appellant’s lawyer seemed prepared, confidently saying, “The appellant contacted the hotel last March and exported and copied a copy at that time.”

Yan Ankuo took a slight breath, knowing that the other party had fallen into a trap. “To preserve surveillance requires a court investigation order and authorization documents from relevant departments. In March, Mr. Liang had not yet proposed divorce, and the case had not yet been established. How did Ms. Gu foresee and contact early, and how did she obtain the surveillance from the hotel?”

The opposing lawyer panicked for a moment, turned around and consulted with Gu Huixin for a few seconds, then said into the gooseneck microphone, trying to maintain composure, “The appellant sensed something was wrong early on and knew that Mr. Liang often stayed at W Hotel, so she contacted the hotel security in advance. In March, Mr. Liang frequently stayed at the hotel, so the appellant applied to the hotel to view the records. Because the two were still married at the time, Ms. Gu only provided her personal ID and was allowed to view the surveillance.”

Yan Ankuo pointed to the newly retrieved image. “But when we went to the hotel for research, we found that there was a clear sign in the surveillance room: Without authorization from the public security organs, the use and duplication of surveillance records is prohibited.”

Gu Huixin’s face paled, her hands twisted together, sweat pouring down.

Yan Ankuo continued, “In March, Ms. Gu and Mr. Liang were still tied to a kinship card, so we could see the consumption records at that time. In mid-March, she made multiple transfers to an account ending in 4XX9, totaling 100,000 RMB. And this account is under the name of the hotel’s security manager.”

Yan Ankuo cleared his throat. “In other words, we have reason to doubt that this surveillance record was illegally obtained by bribery without the authorization of the police and judicial authorities.”

The opposing party immediately countered, “No! The funds between Ms. Gu and the hotel’s security personnel are irrelevant to this case! And she provided detailed personal identification and reasons for retrieval, without infringing on the privacy of other guests!”

Yan Ankuo was equally combative, his words becoming faster and faster, causing Liang Jingliang to applaud on the side. “Then does Mr. Liang Jingliang belong to the hotel’s guests? Was his video and audio recording submitted to others without the hotel’s verification procedures? Is this an infringement of privacy?”

The representative stood up agitatedly. “I don’t think so!”

Yan Ankuo glanced at the judge, noticing that the person on the stand was frowning, already having a sense of the situation.

There was no need to dwell on this question. Yan Ankuo changed his approach and pressed his advantage, saying, “The hotel’s past surveillance is stored hourly, with each video ranging from 1000MB to 1500MB in size. Why is the video provided by the appellant only 610MB? Has this video been edited or modified?”

“This is related to the compression of the storage quality. The appellant absolutely did not edit or tamper with the evidence in any way.”

“Earlier, it was mentioned that the hotel’s surveillance is overwritten every three months, so the appellant was unable to provide the original carrier storing the audio-visual material. Since that’s the case, how can the appellant prove that the evidence has not been edited or tampered with?”

The appellant’s attorney tugged at his tie, angrily saying, “Then the defendant should apply to the court for an appraisal! We have no obligation to prove ourselves!”

Gu Huixin, tortured by the loss of loved ones and the estrangement of her partner, was already mentally exhausted. Hearing a series of counter-questions, her spirit nearly snapped, and she suddenly stood up cursing, “Animals… you’re all animals!”

Her lawyer handed her a tissue and asked softly, “Do you want to continue? You can apply for a five-minute recess.”

Gu Huixin struggled to shake her head, pointing at Yan Ankuo. “No need… tell him… the surveillance is real… definitely not modified… I swear on my life!”

The woman’s tears poured down, the muscles near her dark circles, obvious due to fatigue, twitched, yet her expression was surprisingly restrained and strong. Yan Ankuo looked at her from afar, his heart moved, and hurriedly lowered his head.

But in this person’s eyes, compassion seemed to last only a second. He searched for a while in the densely packed tip strips of the dossier, cleared his throat, and returned to his expressionless state, slowly summarizing:

“According to civil litigation law, evidence collected in violation of legal procedures, copies that cannot be verified against the original, reproductions, and audio-visual materials with doubts cannot be used as evidence to determine the case.

“Therefore, if the appellant has no other evidence to prove the marital misconduct of the defendant, then the claim that Liang Jingliang’s share of the property distribution should be reduced for that reason should not be upheld.”

These words seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Gu Huixin could no longer hold on and, facing the camera recording, let out an “ah” and collapsed into hysterical crying.