"What did he say? What did he say?"

On the defendant’s bench, Zhang Qingyuan saw the situation and hurriedly asked anxiously. He noticed that after the opposing attorney had finished speaking, Qin Mu and Chen Tiankuo’s expressions turned even uglier. Clearly, it wasn’t anything pleasant.

"The other side said... your donation wasn’t because of your faith, but because you had previously committed numerous evils, were extremely cruel, and killed without blinking an eye..." Chen Tiankuo’s mouth twitched as he faithfully repeated George’s words.

Zhang Qingyuan, after hearing this, trembled with anger. His face turned livid as he glared at the opposing attorney. Anger steamed within him. Today, I’ve finally seen what’s meant by black being called white. Indeed, once an attorney opens their mouth, anything can be made up. Goddamn ’extremely cruel’!

So it seems my donation... wasn’t because of my faith, but because of guilt, and I wanted to atone with these things. The key point is... what the attorney said actually makes sense. There’s no regulation stating that a non-believer can’t make a donation.

"The opposing attorney is formidable," Chen Tiankuo sighed, offering his opinion in a low voice. "Among all the lawyers in Ames City, he has the best eloquence. His litigation skills are exceptionally high, and he can always find loopholes."

Knowing that the opposing attorney was George... I gave up resisting and resigned myself to playing the role of a translator. Even if I were to step up, I’d only be crushed. He had worked with George a few times and knew full well George’s eloquence and skills in litigation. Turning black into white, and the dead into the living... all of these were just a piece of cake for him.

This case isn’t going to be easy to handle now, he thought, glancing at the judge and noticing the judge nodding all along. The judge’s expressions and demeanor... have said it all. If nothing unexpected happens, the other party will win the judge’s support with this argument.

Meanwhile, at the attorney’s bench, Qin Mu was also startled by George’s performance. This level... has already exceeded that of the vast majority of lawyers I’ve encountered. First-rate eloquence, first-rate train of thought. He won the judge’s favor as soon as he opened his mouth.

But... this somehow excited him, giving him the feeling of meeting his match. Apart from facing Zhang Wei... I’ve rarely felt this way.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at George and said, "Since the opposing attorney stated that our client signed voluntarily and there was no deception involved, I would like to ask the opposing party a few questions, may I?"

As he spoke, he looked at the judge. After discussing with the other members of the jury, the judge nodded. "You may ask questions, but the examination must be based on basic facts, and there must be no leading or deceptive questioning."

This was a pre-trial conference where both parties could speak and cross-examine freely. This way, they could also clearly understand the case, offer an appropriate settlement proposal, and strive to end this civil lawsuit.

The basic principle of questioning, however, did not allow for setting traps or leading the person being questioned. Many plots in films and TV shows, where individuals are tricked into confessing to crimes without evidence through clever wordplay, are not recognized in law. Neither the statutory law system nor the case law system supports such an approach. This amounts to obvious inducement and has no legal effect.

Because... if such a process were legal, in theory, an excellent psychologist could make anyone confess to their crimes! A slip of the tongue induced by such methods cannot simply be judged as evidence.

Qin Mu nodded and turned his gaze back to the plaintiffs, Xu Liming and Zhao Wan. He slowly asked, "You say that our client voluntarily signed the donation agreement. How did you describe its contents to our client?"

On the plaintiffs’ bench, Xu Liming’s mouth curled into a cold sneer. He spoke lightly, "I simply told them that the church was holding a donation drive recently, and anyone interested could sign. The rest of them signed voluntarily; I’m not very clear about the details."

I anticipated this point early on. I also consulted with George about the wording to ensure nothing went wrong. I don’t believe Qin Mu can get anything out of me, Xu Liming thought.

But after hearing the answer, Qin Mu smiled slightly. "So, what you mean is, all the signatures on those agreements were made voluntarily, and aside from our client, everyone else paid their donations, right?"

Xu Liming scoffed and casually replied, "Yes, only Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua regretted it after signing and have been unwilling to pay the donation."

Qin Mu’s questions... aren’t substantive at all. And there’s no attempt to lead me on. It’s as if he’s helping me accuse Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua, he thought.

However, Qin Mu’s next sentence stunned him.

"Well then, I have here handwritten statements from the other twenty-seven members of the tour group demanding public disclosure of the whereabouts of their donations. Can you do that?"

Xu Liming swallowed nervously, frozen on the spot. He had not expected Qin Mu’s next question to be about tracking the donations! This direction... Not only had I not considered it, but George hadn’t either! Those donations... they long since quietly lined our own pockets. A portion was shared with the tour group, and another part was given to George as a kickback. That’s why George is putting in so much effort to represent us in this lawsuit!

"Your Honor, these twenty-seven elderly members of our tour group each paid twenty thousand yuan as donations to the church."

While Xu Liming was still in a daze, Qin Mu’s voice continued to echo in the pre-trial chamber.