Chapter 13: Let''s Just Steal the Child! |
The moment his words fell.
Lin Yue jumped right out of her seat, staring at Xu De in pure disbelief.
What did he mean by stealing the child?
Wasn''t that just human trafficking? And since when was human trafficking not illegal!?
"Hey, why are you getting so worked up? There are people around trying to get things done. What if you scare them?"
Xu De felt the confused gazes of the crowd around them and looked at the shocked Lin Yue with deep dissatisfaction.
Lin Yue: ?
"Excuse me, why don''t you consider whether or not you''ve scared me?"
Lin Yue pursed her lips and ultimately sat back down, though she immediately shifted her chair outward as if trying to distance herself from Xu De.
Lin Yue took a deep breath and slowly said, "Let''s put aside whether it''s legal or not for a moment."
"I''m more confused as to... why you would steal a child for no reason?"
With that said, She widened her clear eyes, looking at him in total confusion.
The court had already concluded the hearing regarding the custody of Wang Mei''s child, resulting in a complete victory; Wang Mei had obtained full custody.
Even if Li Youcai and Liu Cui refused to hand the child over... they could simply apply for compulsory enforcement from the police later on, and the child would still be returned.
Therefore...
No matter how you looked at it, stealing the child was a completely redundant move.
However...
"Do you really think that, with Wang Qiang currently under arrest, the custody rights are secure?" Xu De suddenly asked.
"This..."
Lin Yue hesitated slightly before shaking her head. "They can''t be."
"Why can''t they be?"
Xu De sat in his chair, showing no signs of nervousness, looking completely relaxed as he spoke with assurance.
Without waiting for her to answer, he provided the answer himself.
"Because Li Youcai and Liu Cui believe that, to Wang Mei, the child could never compare to Wang Qiang''s life-or-death crisis!"
This was a fact.
If Wang Qiang''s case continued toward a desperate outcome, Wang Mei would absolutely trade the custody rights in exchange for them changing their testimonies.
In other words, winning the custody case was useless.
The main issue was still Wang Qiang''s case. If Xu De performed poorly, Lin Yue would be left with empty sorrow, all her hard work having been for nothing.
This was also why she was willing to converse with him for so long; their interests were already firmly bound together!
Just as Lin Yue was lost in thought.
Suddenly.
Xu De spoke up once more.
"Then have you ever thought about... why they would propose this condition?"
"You have to understand, Li Erniu was their own flesh and blood, and they have a deep, blood-soaked grudge against Wang Qiang!"
"Logically, they should only want Wang Qiang dead!"
"Yet right now, they only ask for the child in exchange for letting Wang Qiang go... Don''t you find that strange?"
The moment those words were spoken, Lin Yue paused, her eyes widening slightly.
He was right.
The child was their grandson, but Li Erniu was their biological son whom they had raised for thirty years!
Wang Qiang had sliced his stomach open, yet Li Youcai and Liu Cui remarkably didn''t feel much sorrow. They were even using his death to blackmail them for custody!
If Lin Yue were in their shoes, even if it meant risking her own life, she would definitely find a way to make Wang Qiang pay with his life!
Why was this?
"Because of ignorance."
"Lijia Village is incredibly backward, and Li Youcai and Liu Cui are the most archaic of the archaic!"
Xu De didn''t dawdle, decisively providing the answer.
He crossed his right leg over his left, a fleeting sneer appearing on his face.
"Li Youcai and Liu Cui care about their descendants, but they only care about having a so-called ''continuation of the bloodline''!"
Put it this way.
The more ignorant a person is, the more of an almost manic obsession they have with ''carrying on the family line.''
This point would be felt quite deeply among the younger generations of later years, such as those born in the 90s and 2000s.
Some parents will constantly push for marriage. They want you to get married and have kids, to have a plump little boy to continue the so-called bloodline. As for why...
Is there a throne to inherit?
Or a massive business empire to hand over?
Neither!
But they simply must execute this so-called ''carrying on the family line,'' even if it means breaking your future path to success or forcing you to bear parenting costs you cannot afford.
In short, no matter what... they will force your head down and make you breed!
Once you have a child, you ''gain face,'' you ''can stand up straight,'' and you ''have completed the mission''!
Not having a child means you are unfilial! A rebellious child! A disgrace! It makes one unable to lift their head in public!
Is there any logic to it? No logic at all. But if logic existed, there wouldn''t be any so-called ''ignorance.''
"Among them are the most fanatical."
"They only view children as tools to continue the bloodline. Although there might be some emotion involved, this emotion is nothing more than a byproduct of ''carrying on the family line.''"
Xu De''s eyes revealed a sense of indifference.
From the moment Li Erniu died, he knew that Li Youcai and Liu Cui were exactly this kind of people!
Once these words fell, Lin Yue instantly understood. Immediately, all the incongruities regarding Li Youcai and his wife were explained in her mind.
A hint of astonishment crept onto her face. Covering her mouth, she murmured,
"So, even though Li Erniu was their child, they don''t feel heartache over his death."
"Because the bloodline was passed on; they have a grandson!"
Xu De nodded. "Exactly."
"Li Youcai and Liu Cui are already in their sixties and have lost the ability to reproduce."
"Their only son is dead, and they only have one grandson."
"Once they lose this grandson... to them, it is tantamount to their family line being completely severed!"
Even if the child was taken away by Wang Mei and lived perfectly fine.
In the hearts of Li Youcai and his wife, it would be no different from the child being dead and their family line being wiped out.
"To sum up, we can draw a conclusion."
Xu De took a deep breath. Looking at Lin Yue, he continued explaining methodically, neither rushed nor slow:
"Currently, there are two cases: Wang Qiang''s criminal case and the custody case."
"Our primary demand concerns Wang Qiang''s case, while Li Youcai''s demand is the custody case."
The needs of both sides were entirely different.
This was also why Chen Wei, the lawyer from Yang Teng, believed he could achieve a win-win situation with Xu De, where everyone got what they needed!
But here came the problem.
"Now that we understand their objective, let''s return to the initial question."
In a flash, Xu De''s gaze sharpened, reining in the entire topic and bringing it back to the very beginning.
"[Why must we steal the child!?]"
"Before answering that question, I need to pose another one."
"Namely."
"[On what grounds do they dare to threaten us, when clearly both sides have demands!?]"
As the two questions were laid out, Lin Yue''s recently organized thoughts instantly dissolved into a jumbled mess, her mind buzzing.
That was right.
The other party wanted the child; without the child, their family line would end.
On their side, Wang Mei didn''t want her father to die; if he died, she would live the rest of her life in agony.
Clearly, both sides had their reservations, and their demands were equally immense... yet Li Youcai dared to openly threaten them. On what grounds?!
"Because of the urgency brought about by time!"
Xu De remained direct, offering his answer with absolute certainty.
Lin Yue froze, her graceful brows furrowing slightly, her eyes brimming with confusion.
She leaned her upper body slightly toward Xu De, strands of her hair falling loose as a faint scent of gardenias drifted into his nose. She asked in puzzlement:
"What urgency?"
"It means that due to the different timeframes of the two cases, the urgency of the mindset and demands differ."
Xu De was not beguiled by her beauty; his mind remained crystal clear. He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Wang Qiang''s case is imminent."
"Half a month... at most half a month. The trial opens on November 9th, and by then, there will very likely be a verdict on whether Wang Qiang lives or dies!"
"In contrast, what about the matter of the child''s custody?"
In half a month, Wang Qiang would face a life-or-death crisis. At that time, if he was sentenced to death... and if they failed to appeal for a second trial, he would truly be dead!
They had merely half a month!
Meanwhile, the child''s custody...
"Even though it was ruled half a month before Wang Qiang''s case, how long is the actual enforcement period?"
Xu De tossed the question back. "Lawyer Lin, you wouldn''t happen to not know, would you?"
Lin Yue paused.
As a professional lawyer, she naturally understood what he meant.
Custody cases were incredibly drawn-out.
First, after the court awarded custody to Wang Mei, it would grant Li Youcai and Liu Cui a fulfillment period. This was the timeframe to comply with the verdict and hand the child over—let''s say, one month.
After one month... if the deadline passed and Li Youcai still refused to hand him over?
Then they could only apply for compulsory enforcement from the police. However... usually, it would take a year past the deadline, or even two or three years, before the police would actually step in with force to take the child away!
Lin Yue remained silent for a moment before finally saying dryly, "Two... two or three years."
"I won''t say three years, and I won''t even say two years."
Xu De shook his head, drawing a direct comparison between the two timeframes.
"Let''s assume compulsory enforcement happens after just one year!"
"That means Li Youcai still has an entire year. Only after a year will they finally experience the feeling of ''having their family line severed,'' while we..."
His voice grew somewhat somber as he spat out a sobering number.
"Only have fifteen days!"
Fifteen days against one year.
Li Youcai was in no rush, but Wang Mei was incredibly desperate.
In a business mindset, the more desperate you were, the greater your demand, which made it all the easier for others to manipulate you and engage in practices like last-minute price gouging!
"This is why, despite the mutual demands, they dare to threaten us directly!" Xu De stated.
Lin Yue froze, then fell into silence.
Looking at it now, This was a dead end.
The enforcement periods of the two cases were entirely different. Unless Dongguo were to change its laws on a whim, they would always be far more desperate than Li Youcai!
But that was obviously impossible.
"Hmm... why did Lawyer Lin zone out again?"
Beside her, Xu De raised an eyebrow and lowered his head, trying to give her a little reminder.
Lin Yue snapped out of her daze. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her delicate features revealing a hint of despondency.
"It''s nothing. I just feel that this case is a bit difficult..."
Difficult?
"Where is the difficulty?" Xu De paused.
Hearing this, Lin Yue also blanked out.
He had explained it all so thoroughly himself, and the time constraints were impossible to change... How could he not know what the difficulty was!?
"Forget it, we''ll talk about that later. Anyway, let''s take the problem back to the very beginning."
"Namely, [why I must steal the child!]"
Xu De didn''t care about what she was thinking. He waved a hand, steering the conversation back to the start.
"Because I need to..."
"Artificially manufacture urgency!"