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The reporters were discussing animatedly, which made Autumn Wind even more afraid. Their presence was unintentionally amplifying her opposition to Liu Jian in court.
Just the thought that her testimony for Zhou Ringuo could potentially make the front page tomorrow sent chills down Autumn Wind's spine.
She stepped away from the group of reporters, contemplating whether to go home. She certainly didn't want to cause any more trouble for Liu Jian. Standing by the roadside, she kept looking out, and when she glanced at her watch, she thought that if a taxi passed by within a minute, she would leave this place.
As she counted down, a taxi indeed approached. She waved her hand, and the car stopped. Just as she was about to open the door, her phone rang. The caller was a woman who identified herself as Zhou Ringuo's Proxy Lawyer Assistant.
"Is this Autumn Wind, Sister Qiu? Your court appearance time is approaching; have you arrived? Mr. Zhou will be very disappointed if you cannot appear today..." Before Autumn Wind could respond, the woman continued with a long string of words without pausing or showing any emotion, like a machine broadcasting a pre-set message.
He would be disappointed? Is that a threat? Hearing the woman's words left Autumn Wind silent on the line.
"Sister, are you still taking a taxi?" the taxi driver asked as he rolled down the window.
"I..." Autumn Wind was startled and instinctively nodded, then shook her head.
The taxi driver grumbled and drove off quickly.
At that moment, the woman on the phone spoke again: "Sister Qiu, where are you right now... If you don't show up, Mr. Zhou will really have to apologize to you..."
"He..." Autumn Wind wanted to question loudly but had to suppress her emotions and replied softly, "I'm at the courthouse entrance; I'm going in now..."
"Okay. Sister Qiu, I'll send someone to meet you at the entrance..."
"No need; I'll go myself..."
"Alright, on behalf of Mr. Zhou, thank you..."
Autumn Wind turned around and walked toward the courthouse again. At that moment, a reporter recognized her. "Isn't that Liu Jian's girlfriend? Why are you here to support Liu Jian...?"
Autumn Wind dared not look up in response; as she walked, she took out sunglasses, a mask, and a hat from her bag to disguise herself.
However, after entering the courtroom, Autumn Wind's mind began to feel hazy, and she almost forgot how she had found the right courtroom. She also forgot how she had walked into the trial.
She only remembered that when the judge's words for her to testify rang in her ears, she saw Liu Jian's shocked face before her.
After glancing at Liu Jian, Autumn Wind hurriedly lowered her head. Before doing so, she caught a glimpse of Zhou Ringuo. Zhou Ringuo wore a sly smile, looking as if he was certain of victory.
However, Zhou Ringuo overlooked two points: first, he completely underestimated Liu Jian's abilities; second, he was entirely unaware that all the information related to Autumn Wind in Shaolan's possession had been bought by Chen Shanni, and that Chen Shanni and Qiu Mowen had already reached some sort of consensus.
Even if Chen Shanni and Qiu Mowen had not reached an agreement, given the current opposition between Chen Shanni and himself, it would still be difficult for him to obtain photos that could control Autumn Wind.
Despite Liu Jian's look of astonishment, he could not hide his brilliance as an excellent lawyer. He quickly found a flaw: Autumn Wind had only worked as Zhou Ringuo's third assistant in the mainland, and her testimony could only reflect Zhou Ringuo's loyalty during that time; it could not serve as evidence that he had not cheated.
The outcome of the trial was predictable. Zhou Ringuo did not gain any advantage; instead, his wife's side found strong evidence that dealt a heavy blow to him.
After finishing her testimony, Autumn Wind did not leave immediately. She squatted alone at the stairway, waiting for Liu Jian to appear, imagining his loud questioning and Zhou Ringuo's future entanglements with her.
She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. Tears began to fall uncontrollably.
After an unknown amount of time, the courtroom door opened. First came the staff, then Zhou Ringuo and his lawyer, and finally Liu Jian and Zhou Ringuo's wife.
Autumn Wind stood up from the stairway. She wanted to step forward to speak but found her legs frozen in place. Liu Jian immediately noticed her presence; he leaned down to say a few words to his client before walking toward Autumn Wind.
As Liu Jian approached closer, Autumn Wind felt an urge to escape. She turned her head to one side and involuntarily took a step back.
In her anxiety, Liu Jian finally reached Autumn Wind. She lowered her head, unable to look at him.
A gentle voice rang in her ears again—soft yet tinged with a hint of reproach—“Why didn’t you tell me about what happened just now…”
Autumn Wind kept her head down, too afraid to look up at Liu Jian. Her heart churned with a reality she could not face: Why didn’t I tell you? Would you believe me if I said I was being blackmailed with indecent photos?
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt; tears spilled out again, but she did not want Liu Jian to notice and simply lowered her head even further.
The scene resembled a bird drenched in rain, which made Liu Jian feel a pang of reluctance. He sighed heavily, "Alright, it's okay. If anything happens in the future, you must tell me!" He gently patted Autumn Wind's shoulder. If it weren't for the lawyer's attire, he would have wanted to pull Autumn Wind into his arms and cherish her properly.
Seeing that Liu Jian was neither angry nor continuing to blame her, Autumn Wind felt even worse. The pain mixed with guilt pierced her heart like a thousand arrows. She slowly lifted her head, presenting her tear-streaked face to Liu Jian.
Upon seeing Autumn Wind's pitiful appearance, Liu Jian felt an immense ache in his heart. He wanted to say something but sensed a figure approaching from behind.
Autumn Wind also noticed someone coming closer. She slightly turned her face and finally saw the person's features—it was none other than Zhou Ringuo, wearing a wicked smile.
Autumn Wind's heart, which had been pierced by guilt, suddenly felt as if it were filled with water, causing a sharp pain from the swelling.
Yet her body seemed nailed in place; she could only watch as Zhou Ringuo drew nearer without being able to move.
"Ding ding," the phone in Autumn Wind's pocket rang, vibrating violently and jolting her back to reality.
Autumn Wind quickly regained her composure, thinking of how to deal with Zhou Ringuo while sliding her phone.
As she opened the message, Zhou Ringuo had already reached them and said, "Oh... if it weren't for the reporters outside reminding me, I almost forgot that Autumn Wind knows you, Lawyer Liu... Ah, how silly of me to ask Autumn Wind to testify for me..."
"Mr. Zhou, please don't say that. I assure you with my profession that until now I truly did not know about Autumn Wind being your witness..." Liu Jian shifted his gaze from Autumn Wind to Zhou Ringuo and said seriously.
"Lawyer Liu, there's no need to be nervous... I naturally believe that Autumn Wind won't do anything against you... right, Autumn Wind?" Zhou Ringuo provoked her, reminding Autumn Wind that he held something over her.
However, what he did not expect was that when Autumn Wind lifted her head, she seemed like a different person. Aside from the two streaks of tears on her face indicating her recent emotional distress, there was no trace of negativity left.
Autumn Wind appeared radiant; her eyes sparkled with light as she spoke gently yet sharply, "Yes, if you hadn't come to remind me now, I might have forgotten our agreement."
"You..." Zhou Ringuo was taken aback by Autumn Wind's reaction; he never expected her to dare rebut him like this. "What do you mean by that..."
"It means nothing... I just feel that as your witness testifying for you, not only did you fail to thank me, but your words also carried a hint of blame. That puzzles me..." Autumn Wind continued to counter him, each word sharp as a blade.
"Do you have an agreement between you two?" Liu Jian interrupted Autumn Wind.
"Yes... I suddenly remembered that when Mr. Zhou dismissed me, he told me not to let anyone know it was you who fired me, but just now in court, you admitted it was you who let me go... This shows how unkind you are..." After finishing, Autumn Wind stared at Zhou Ringuo.
"You... just wait for me..." Zhou Ringuo was a bit flustered by Autumn Wind's words.
"Don't be so angry... It was all just a joke. Now that we're in the same company... Mr. Zhou, we should help each other out..." Autumn Wind winked at Zhou Ringuo.
Zhou Ringuo was taken aback; mutual care? Could it be that Autumn Wind had some dirt on him? He thought for a moment and suddenly remembered that his assistant had a good relationship with Autumn Wind. Could it be that the assistant had told her something detrimental about him?
Thinking of this, Zhou Ringuo immediately changed his demeanor, smiling broadly: "Autumn Wind is right; after all, we are colleagues in the same company... Ah, I thank Qiu Dajie for her kindness..." He slightly bowed to Autumn Wind, then forced a smile at Liu Jian and turned to walk toward the hall.
Seeing Zhou Ringuo's arrogance diminish, Autumn Wind let out a slight sigh of relief. She put away her sharpness and smiled apologetically at Liu Jian.
Did she really just tell Autumn Wind something? Of course not. Autumn Wind's reaction stemmed from the earlier message: everything has been taken care of, no need to worry.
Although it came from an unfamiliar number, the signature was from "Qiu Mowen," so Autumn Wind knew it was sent by Qiu Mowen.
It should be that Qiu Ruolan informed Qiu Mowen about Zhou Ringuo threatening her. So, didn't this mean Qiu Mowen knew about her photos? No, it was more serious; Qiu Mowen already had those photos in hand...
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