"I want to sue them for the crime of misappropriation!"

"Furthermore, there's the crime of bill fraud…"

Qin Mu continued, restating the two charges.

He had found out about these charges from the procuratorate's investigation and evidence collection.

Ever since he increased his luck value, he had basically won with every lottery ticket.

The worst was the sixth prize.

There was even one time when he won 270,000 yuan for a second prize.

"Considering all the above, I request the court to handle this justly, ensure both individuals receive the punishment they deserve, and uphold the solemnity of criminal law!"

Subsequently, he once again revised his litigation claims. He demanded that Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing return 7,270,000 yuan in prize money and additionally pay 170,000 yuan for mental distress, lost wages, and nutritional expenses.

The words had barely left his mouth when, from the defendants' bench, Xie Lianqing suddenly couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up to retort, "This is a court of law! Don't be so outrageous with your demands!"

"Your first prize and second prizes—do you think they're exempt from taxes?"

"We have to pay a 20% income tax! If we repay all the money we received, that should be enough, shouldn't it? Aren't you just extorting us?"

"In this court, I could sue you for extortion!"

Just moments ago, from the defendants' bench, he had heard the series of new litigation demands Qin Mu added.

He had subconsciously ignored the previous charges; what concerned him most was the issue of returning the prize money and compensation.

The 7,000,000 yuan prize money he cashed in had already incurred 1,400,000 yuan in taxes.

Adding the previous second prize... all things considered... it definitely wouldn't exceed 6,000,000 yuan!

Yet Qin Mu had directly demanded the pre-tax prize money!

"Shut your mouth!"

When Chen Ping saw how his brother-in-law reacted, his face turned even grimmer.

Being legally knowledgeable, he wasn't yet focused on whether the prize money should be returned pre-tax or post-tax.

Right now, his mind was consumed by the two charges Qin Mu had mentioned.

Just as Senior Brother Zhang had predicted, the other party, even without a lawyer, had precisely pinpointed these two charges.

"Brother-in-law, don't stop me! If we lose the case, so be it, but we can't just take this loss lying down!"

Xie Lianqing, however, was utterly furious. He continued to argue vehemently, glaring at Qin Mu. "We admit to fraudulently claiming your prize money, but you can't be so shameless! Isn't repaying you in full enough? You still want to make such an outrageous demand?"

From the plaintiff's bench, Qin Mu looked at Xie Lianqing and said calmly, "Before it was claimed, wasn't the first prize worth 7,000,000 yuan?"

Xie Lianqing was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"And what you misappropriated, wasn't it a lottery ticket worth seven million and two yuan?"

Xie Lianqing swallowed nervously.

"Is there a problem with me asking for seven million yuan? I've even waived the odd two yuan for you," Qin Mu stated indifferently, then continued.

Xie Lianqing was immediately incensed, his mouth agape. For a long moment, he had no idea how to counter.

Instinct told him that everything Qin Mu said was pure sophistry.

But he genuinely couldn't find a way to refute it.

"Order in the court!"

In the courtroom, the judge saw the case escalating. After a brief consultation with the other judicial officers, they also decided to escalate the case and reopen the hearing.

Based on the current situation, the crimes Qin Mu was suing for... indeed had corresponding factual bases.

BANG—

The gavel struck.

"Now, as this case is quite complex, after deliberation by the judicial panel, we will proceed with a criminal hearing!"

The entire case was immediately escalated to a criminal proceeding right there in court.

Seeing this, Chen Ping's face turned instantly deathly pale.

The scenario he had dreaded most had finally occurred.

The other side... clearly had no intention of letting them off.

Although both these charges were criminal offenses, one was a crime handled by private prosecution, and the other by public prosecution.

Currently, no one had formally pressed these criminal charges against them.

Logically, they should only have to bear civil liability for infringement.

But if Qin Mu was the one to press the issue... the consequences would be incredibly severe!

"Brother-in-law, what's wrong with your face? You look so pale," Xie Lianqing remarked, still not grasping the severity of the situation.

Chen Ping shot him a fierce glare and said irritably, "I'm begging you, please just keep quiet later!"

After saying this, Chen Ping turned to Zhang Wei behind him. "Senior Brother Zhang, I'll have to rely on you for what comes next."

Zhang Wei nodded. "Don't worry. This is my area of expertise."

During the earlier civil litigation phase, he had barely lifted a finger.

But now... he stood tall and confident, brimming with vigor, as if he had returned to a familiar battlefield.

...

「Four hours later.」

In the courtroom, after a heated defense session, both sides had made their final statements. The judge then announced a temporary adjournment, leading the other judicial officers into the deliberation room at the back of the courtroom.

"Senior Brother Zhang, how confident are you? How many years do you think we'll get?" Chen Ping swallowed hard, his face etched with extreme anxiety and nervousness.

He had followed Zhang Wei's instructions to the letter during this phase, without making any mistakes.

As a law graduate, he had learned about criminal trial procedures in his classes many years ago.

He never, ever imagined that one day, he himself would be the one subjected to a criminal trial.

Beside him, Xie Lianqing finally realized the gravity of the situation. Fright turned his body limp, and he too looked nervously at Zhang Wei.

"Based on your performance in court…" Zhang Wei took a deep breath and, drawing on his experience, gave an estimated sentence: "It should be within fifteen years."

"Fifteen years?"

Upon hearing this, both Chen Ping and Xie Lianqing felt their vision go black. It was as if the entire world had suddenly lost all its color.

「Half an hour later.」

The court session resumed. After deliberation, the judicial panel had the judge announce the verdict of the case.

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