As soon as this footage was broadcast, an uproar instantly erupted in the courtroom and across the live online streaming room.
"It's a plot twist! A complete plot twist! I thought Lawyer Cheng was about to drop a huge dud, but he straight-up delivered a blockbuster!"
"You could argue that audio recordings can be faked, but there's no way this video is fake, right?"
...
The footage presented by Cheng Xin was crystal clear: the two hundred thousand dragon bills inside Ji Yanming's refrigerator had been planted by Wang Mingguo.
If those two hundred thousand dragon bills were supposed to be a bribe given by Cheng Xin, shouldn't they have been planted by Cheng Xin?
How on earth could they have been planted by Wang Mingguo?
Not only were the people at the scene and the viewers in the live stream dumbfounded, but Cheng Xin himself was extremely surprised.
Although he had guessed that the system would provide crucial evidence, he genuinely never expected the hidden reward from the system to be an absolute bombshell—it had even dug up footage from inside someone else's home!
Meanwhile, Su Tianhua's face was shrouded in gloom.
Wang Mingguo had clearly promised beforehand that he could easily send Cheng Xin away to prison.
Yet the man had turned around and provided footage proving that they had framed him.
What on earth were the Su Family paying all that money to feed these good-for-nothings for?
Don't tell me this is going to end up getting *him* thrown in jail instead?
Sensing that Su Tianhua's fury was reaching a boiling point, Wang Mingguo had no choice but to put on a bold face, slam his hand on the desk, and shout, "Your Honor, I object!"
"The cameras in Ji Yanming's house broke quite a while ago, and the footage for a solid half-month has been completely blank. How on earth did the defendant get footage from inside Ji Yanming's home?"
"I have reasonable grounds to suspect that this video was generated by AI!"
With that, he produced a document recording Ji Yanming's repair request for his home security cameras.
At that moment, he was inwardly muttering to himself.
It was strange. He had specifically sent people to tamper with Ji Yanming's home cameras earlier, so the footage for the seven days leading up to and following the incident should have been completely blank.
Even he didn't have the footage from that day, so where on earth did Cheng Xin get it?
If it wasn't an AI-generated video, what was it?
Wang Mingguo's counter-argument plunged the situation into an instant stalemate.
With AI technology as advanced as it was nowadays, the footage presented by Cheng Xin indeed had the potential of being AI-generated!
Although everyone in the courtroom fell silent at that moment, netizens in the live-streamed courtroom chat were arguing fiercely over whether the video was real or fake.
"I'm a programmer at Kefei, an AI development company. This footage is so damn lifelike; even the leading AI models our company trains can't produce anything this realistic. I bet a pack of spicy strips that this video wasn't generated by AI."
"I'm an HR worker at the same company as the guy above. I'll match that pack of spicy strips. If this video is AI-generated, I'll fire the guy above and hire Lawyer Cheng to come in and develop AI for us!"
"The hell? HR?!"
"Don't pop your head out if all you can develop is artificial idiots like Kefei. I've used foreign AIs, and the videos they produce can definitely reach the level of the footage Lawyer Cheng provided. There's a solid chance it's AI, alright!"
"Stop trying to debate whether it's AI using just the naked eye. Is no one else wondering where Lawyer Cheng got this video in the first place, just like I am? Shouldn't we analyze the source of the footage?"
...
In the courtroom, after a prolonged silence, the presiding judge asked Cheng Xin, "Defendant, do you have anything to add?"
By this point, Cheng Xin had been so infuriated that he couldn't help but laugh.
When he lacked evidence, people claimed the case was airtight against him; now that he had evidence, people claimed it was AI-generated...
He steadied his emotions and spoke solemnly, "First of all, the bank statements and the video footage I have presented are entirely authentic and by no means forged."
"As everyone can see, the bank statements I submitted are nowhere near enough to support me bribing Ji Yanming with two hundred thousand in cash dragon bills."
"And the video provided to me has shown very clearly that the two hundred thousand dragon bills in Ji Yanming's refrigerator were placed there precisely by the plaintiff's lawyer."
"As for whether the plaintiff's lawyer, Wang Mingguo, put two hundred thousand dragon bills in Ji Yanming's refrigerator as a bribe or simply to frame me, I honestly have no idea."
"If the plaintiff suspects that the footage I provided has been tampered with, judicial personnel are more than welcome to conduct an on-the-spot appraisal right now!"
With his gaze sweeping across the plaintiff's bench, Cheng Xin forcefully suppressed his anger and finished his final statement.
Upon hearing Cheng Xin's words, the presiding judge's expression flickered uncertainly.
The script arranged by the Su Family hadn't been written this way! Where on earth did Cheng Xin get this video?
If they actually held an on-the-spot appraisal and it turned out to be real, what would they do?
This was a high-stakes gamble, and he didn't dare take the risk!
If he lost the bet, not only would he face the fury of the Su Family, but he would also land behind bars.
His only option was to stall for time and ask the Su Family for instructions first!
The judge had no intention of giving Wang Mingguo a chance to speak either; if Wang Mingguo insisted on an immediate on-the-spot appraisal of the evidence Cheng Xin provided, only for it to be verified as real, wouldn't the whole thing blow up in their faces?
After pondering for a long time, he decided to issue a notice of adjournment.
The gavel struck, and the presiding judge rose to state, "Since the plaintiff and the defendant currently hold conflicting claims, and considering the complex conflict in the evidence chains submitted by both parties in this case, I have decided to suspend the trial. We will await the relevant court personnel to conduct a strict appraisal of the evidence submitted by the plaintiff and defendant today to ensure its authenticity and reliability."
"Once the relevant court personnel have appraised the evidence, I will transfer this case to the Supreme People's Court and issue a public announcement. The Supreme People's Court will deliver its verdict within five working days after the investigation results are released. Please await the good news."
Just like that? It's over? No on-the-spot appraisal?
An uproar broke out at the scene and in the live-streamed courtroom.
"No way, is it really over just like that?"
"At first, I thought Lawyer Cheng was going to get sent away, and then later I thought he pulled off a counter-attack against the wind, but it turns out this still isn't over?"
"What the hell is going on? Couldn't they have someone appraise it right on the spot? How does just calling an adjournment like this make any sense?"
...
People were clearly unsatisfied with the outcome handed down by the judge today.
Everyone had just been tuning in for the spectacle to eat melon seeds, dying for one side or the other to be straight-up sentenced and thrown in jail.
The trial had twist after twist, and just when they thought there was going to be an ending, the court announced that an investigation was still needed and the verdict would be postponed to another day. Truly, nobody could handle that.
Cheng Xin had anticipated the current outcome long ago.
Since the presiding judge had been bought off by the Su Family, he certainly wouldn't dare appraise the footage on the spot.
He had already guessed that Su Tianhua was throwing a helpless tantrum of rage at this very moment, and that the Su Family wouldn't let the matter rest here.
Cheng Xin concluded that once the footage he provided was taken away for appraisal, the Su Family would definitely get word that the video was real.
They would likely drop the lawsuit and resort to threatening him behind closed doors to settle privately.
Recalling the agony of his past life, Cheng Xin secretly clenched his teeth—no matter what terms the Su Family offered, he would never let them off easily.
He had already prepared himself to fight the massive powerhouse that was the Su Family.
Right now, Cheng Xin's only hope was that the Supreme People's Court would dispense justice for him.
Without paying any more attention to the situation at the plaintiff's bench, Cheng Xin walked calmly out of the courthouse.
Living a second life, looking back at how he had lived his previous life—accomplishing nothing and dying with deep resentment—it was all the height of irony.
Recalling the moment he obtained the system and what it had mentioned about acting on behalf of heaven to punish evil and promote good!
In this lifetime, with the help of the Lawless Outlaw System, Cheng Xin felt he needed to make a change.
Every heinous villain would ultimately face their day of judgment!
Stepping out of the courthouse gates, Cheng Xin heard the crisp notification sound of the system by his ear.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for advancing the main storyline.]
Outside the doors, a crowd of reporters swarmed forward the moment they saw Cheng Xin emerge.
"Lawyer Cheng, would you be willing to grant an interview to our South China TV station?"
"Lawyer Cheng, where did you get the video footage you presented in court?"
"Lawyer Cheng, Lawyer Cheng, do you know any inside information regarding Su Tianhua's rape case?"
...
A chaotic barrage of various questions from reporters came crashing down, catching Cheng Xin completely off guard.
These paparazzi reporters were trying to dig up a sensational scoop from his mouth!
Cheng Xin had no intention of answering any of the reporters' probing questions.
He knew very well that the moment he said the wrong thing in front of these people, these unscrupulous reporters would take things out of context and tamper with the facts to manufacture hot topics and fight for headlines.
Therefore, the best response was naturally to ignore them and leave directly.
However, the reporters had no intention of letting Cheng Xin leave. They surrounded him tightly, looking as though they wouldn't rest until they dragged something out of his mouth.
Seeing that this crowd refused to let him pass, Cheng Xin had no choice but to speak up in order to shake them off: "Thank you, reporter friends, for coming to the scene. I would love to answer everyone's questions, but unfortunately, I'm feeling unwell right now and would like to go home to rest for a while."
"Lawyer Cheng, answering a few questions won't take more than a few minutes of your time. Just answer everyone's questions."
A female reporter with a shrill voice shoved her microphone right up against Cheng Xin's lips.
Cheng Xin was utterly speechless. So not answering means I'm not allowed to leave, is that it?
Fortunately, the court security guards responsible for maintaining order at the entrance were just preparing to clear out the reporters blocking the doors. Cheng Xin decided to seize the opportunity to slip away.
"None of you from the television stations are allowed to block the way here."
"Make way, let the people inside the courthouse out."
Taking advantage of the moment the reporters' attention was drawn by the security guards, Cheng Xin spotted a gap in the crowd, broke away, and quickly fled the swarm of reporters.
"Wait a minute, Lawyer Cheng! You haven't answered our questions yet!"
"Stop shoving me, the guy's already running away!"
...
After shaking off the reporters, Cheng Xin hailed a ride and returned alone to an old apartment building, where he pushed open the doors of a law firm named "Xinhe".
Speaking of the name of the Xinhe Law Firm, the "Xin" was taken from Cheng Xin's given name, while "He" came from the given name of Zheng He, his college roommate and dorm-mate.
Back when they graduated from university, the two of them had joined forces with high aspirations to open this law firm together, swearing to make the name of the Xinhe Law Firm famous across the entire country.
Yet good times do not last. Half a month later, Zheng He died in an unexpected car accident. Cheng Xin attended his funeral and took on the heavy responsibility of carrying on and expanding the legacy of the Xinhe Law Firm all by himself.
The irony was that after a few years of grueling hustle, the name of the Xinhe Law Firm had indeed become famous nationwide—though it was infamous, notorious as a scandal-ridden law firm in the legal world.
As the industry rumor went: anyone whose backside was itching and wanted to go to prison was welcome to consult Cheng Xin's firm!
Having driven the law firm that once carried their dreams to such a state, Cheng Xin wouldn't even have the face to face his old friend down in the underworld.
With a hint of depression, Cheng Xin sat down in the chair at the law firm.
Feeling utterly bored, he pulled out his mobile phone, opened a short video platform casually, and began scrolling through clips.
As a result, several trending topics in a row were all related to the live broadcast of his court trial that very day.
The moment he opened the short video trending list, his own name ranked number one!
At that moment, Cheng Xin remembered that his account seemed to have tens of thousands of followers, most of whom were active anti-fans.
Previously, Cheng Xin would occasionally film short videos to publicize legal knowledge.
The short videos he posted received hardly any likes, but the comments section routinely broke ten thousand per video.
However, the comment section was filled entirely with mockery directed at Cheng Xin, recounting his dark history.
Opening his short video personal profile, Cheng Xin was startled to discover that his follower count had already reached two hundred thousand, and this number was still climbing steadily.
At that moment, Cheng Xin suddenly realized that he seemed to have gone viral!
The good news was that he was famous; the bad news was that he was "infamously famous"!
Originally, his reputation was merely stinking within the industry, but the live stream of that trial had instantly made the entire country aware of his "100%" loss rate. Who on earth would ever come to him to handle a lawsuit again?
This would never do!
Should he start a live stream to explain things to viewers nationwide?
Thinking of this, Cheng Xin opened the live stream and pointed the camera at his face.