Chapter 472 - 201: Husband and wife are birds of the same forest; when disaster strikes, they perish together!

On the other side, Ma Ming looked at the explanation Qin Mu had sent, feeling somewhat wistful.

As for Meng Lei’s predicament...

He actually felt no sympathy for him.

Pitiable people often have detestable aspects.

Ma Ming was truly disgusted by Meng Lei’s failure to repay his debts and his utter lack of credibility.

But now... Meng Lei was facing the misery of imprisonment. He had also squandered all his credit and personal relationships. Ultimately, he had lost his freedom and his wealth.

It had to be said.

This was truly ironic.

And for all of this...

Qin Mu had been ’instrumental’.

If it hadn’t been for Qin Mu’s behind-the-scenes guidance, they truly wouldn’t have known how to deal with such a deadbeat.

Meng Lei might even have continued to live a carefree life.

He could have been buying cars and houses, enjoying a happy family, a harmonious marriage, and a house full of children...

...

「Three days later.」

Jin City.

The nursing home.

Qin Mu arrived at the nursing home on time, before nine o’clock. He found Wang Dachui. Together with Wang Dachui, they set up a screen in the courtyard, preparing for the live broadcast of the court hearing.

After days of investigation, Meng Lei’s case was finally scheduled for its second hearing. The trial was set to officially begin at ten o’clock.

While they were setting up the screen, Zhang Qingyuan and the other seniors had already brought out small stools and settled in front of it. They were waiting for the live projection to begin.

"’Ah, Meng Lei. Such a fine young man, and he’s finally going to be sentenced.’"

"’If I’d had half his thick skin back in the day, I might be the richest person in our village by now.’"

"’I dreamt last night that he was acquitted. It startled me right awake!’"

"’You dreamed about him, too? I did as well...’"

"..."

The crowd sat in the courtyard, chatting away. Their conversation never strayed far from Meng Lei.

Listening to their discussion, Qin Mu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Meng Lei, about to stand trial, probably had no idea that so many people were thinking about him in a nursing home in distant Jin City.

Unbeknownst to him, he had become incredibly popular at the nursing home.

From the eighteen-yuan debt dispute to the recent fraud case, he had, by an overwhelming margin, become the new favorite of Zhang Qingyuan and the others.

One had to know, their previous favorite had been the villagers of Chen Family Village.

"Eh?"

Just as they finished setting up the screen, Qin Mu turned around. He suddenly spotted Wan Zhongyuan sitting upright in the crowd. Wan Zhongyuan held a handful of sunflower seeds, apparently prepared for a long wait.

As ten o’clock approached, the courtyard was filled with people. Over a hundred elderly people from the nursing home had found their respective spots and were waiting eagerly. The scene was quite spectacular.

For Meng Lei’s trial, many had even given up their spots to attend court hearings in person today. This just went to show how great Meng Lei’s "renown" was within the nursing home.

"The trial is starting, the trial is starting!"

At ten o’clock sharp, images finally appeared on the projection screen. It was the familiar Yangcheng Court, the familiar First Criminal Trial Court.

However, this time, besides Ma Ming, there was an additional seat for the public prosecutor. The previous hearing had established his criminal behavior. Consequently, the evidence collected by the public security organs was handed over to the public prosecutor, who would now formally accuse Meng Lei in court.

In the defendant’s dock, Meng Lei was no longer alone; an attractive woman, Tian Shulan, was also there.

As for the gallery, it was still empty. There wasn’t a single onlooker.

"’What’s going on? His wife has become a defendant too?’"

"’Meng Lei isn’t alone this time; he and his wife are facing trouble together.’"

"’Are there so few spectators in Yangcheng? The gallery is completely empty! Whenever we go to observe, we can’t find a seat if we’re even a little late.’"

"’No, wait, they seem to be arguing.’"

"..."

Watching the live broadcast screen, Zhang Qingyuan and the others suddenly became excited.

On the screen, they saw Meng Lei and Tian Shulan, seated close together in the defendant’s dock, suddenly start hurling insults at each other.

"’You borrowed that money! What does it have to do with me? Why did you have to drag me into this?’"

"’The money *I* borrowed? Who do you think I spent it on? Handbags, cosmetics, clothes—doesn’t all that cost money? Now that I’m going to jail, you want to wash your hands of it? Dream on!’"

Faced with Tian Shulan’s accusations, Meng Lei exploded. For the past few days, he had been detained by the public security organs and undergoing investigation. This court appearance was the first time he had seen Tian Shulan since his detention.

He had initially been able to control his emotions, but who would have thought that as soon as Tian Shulan saw him, she would start cursing him out.

"’Let me tell you, don’t think you’ll get away with this! You’re going to jail too!’" Meng Lei stared fixedly at Tian Shulan, enunciating each word.

But Tian Shulan merely scoffed, "’Me? Go to jail? I’ve hired the best lawyer in Yangcheng. You should worry about yourself. Let’s see how many years your legal aid lawyer gets you!’"

She had already received assurances from her lawyer. As long as she actively pleaded guilty and clearly explained her situation, she would likely only get a year or two. She also had a chance for a suspended sentence, meaning she wouldn’t have to serve time.

"’You!!’" Hearing this, Meng Lei was once again on the verge of exploding.

This time, since he had no money to hire a lawyer, he was once again being defended by a legal aid lawyer. Furthermore, as luck would have it, his lawyer this time was the very same intern lawyer from before, who had only recently completed his probationary period.

"’Mr. Meng, I admit I was a bit nervous last time; it was my first time formally handling a criminal defense. It’s different this time. I’ll definitely do my best to defend you,’ the legal aid lawyer said apologetically from the defense counsel’s table.

As Meng Lei listened, his eyes began to redden. His heart was filled with a sense of grievance, but he didn’t know who to confide in.

His luck... was simply too rotten.