Crimson Instinct

High court, Beijing.

Rodey entered the courtroom with two officers walking behind him. A devilish smirk laced the corner of his lips as he saw Fu Ting's pitiful state.

His glance shifted to Xin Nianzu, and he slightly narrowed his eyes, scoffing at him.

Rodey stood in the witness box.

Wen Guiren said, "Your Honor, Rodey, and his gang was caught yesterday by the Army who tried to kidnap Mr. Xin. He is an important witness who has given his statement."

Xin Nianzu said, "Your Honor. But I don't have any record of his statement."

"That is because I just got the news during the break that when Captain Su Weiyuan and General Song interrogated him again, he admitted to something that would prove Fu Ting to be guilty."

Lin Zihao was perplexed.

Rodey was up to no good. But he had faith in Xin Nianzu and his skills.

Wen Guiren asked Rodey, "Please repeat your confession that you just gave an hour back."

Rodey laughed. "Ah, what should I say? You are so useless, Fu Ting."

The judge struck the gavel against the surface. "Mr. Rodey. Please follow the decorum in the court." 

Rodey raised an eyebrow. His signature devious smile appeared again. "Ah, such an elegant woman, aren't you? I always appreciate beauty."

The judge shot a fierce glare at him.

"Hey, easy woman. I am sure you would have been the hard-to-get type in your young days, right? I love women who give that challenge." He smirked.

Wen Guiren wanted to bang his head on the wall.

This was not the time to make enemies much less with the judge!

"Enough!" The judge roared. "This is a blatant disrespect of the court! This is the last warning. If you don't control your language, then I would be forced to sentence you on charges of this disrespect!"

Wen Guiren nervously looked at Rodey and desperately signaled him to stop.

Rodey simply shrugged.

Wen Guiren cleared his throat and quickly said, "Apologies, Your Honor. Mr. Rodey. We cannot waste the court's valuable time. Please tell the court what you know about Fu Ting."

Rodey showed a bored expression. 

Ah, such a pain, he thought.

"This bastard wanted his daughter dead, so he gave the bounty to kidnap and kill her in Natural Park."

"Language." The judge warned Rodey again.

Wen Guiren asked, "Please say everything from the beginning."

Rodey continued in a lazy tone. "He was drunk one day-"

"Which day?" Xin Nianzu sharply asked.

Rodey smiled. "Two days before the school trip. He was with his colleagues, I guess. I happened to be in the same bar. Fu Ting was too drunk, and he bumped into me. I was pissed off at him, but then I heard him muttering some curses."

Wen Guiren asked, "What did you hear?"

"He was angry at someone named Meili. I got interested because well…" he meaningfully looked at the judge, "that is my job. He could be a potential client, so I asked him who this Meili was. Did he want her dead? And he angrily looked at me and loudly said yes."

After a pause, he said, "In his intoxicated state, he said how he hated to have Meili as his daughter. He wished to get rid of her. And so, like a good man dedicated to his job, I offered that it could be possible."

Fu Biyu had enough. "Lies! These are all lies! Ting...Ting wot never do something like that!" Her body was trembling in rage and fear at the same time.

The judge said, "Mrs. Fu, please take your seat. You will be given a chance to speak as well."

Rodey leaned his right frame on the witness box. "Well, he told me about the school trip, and I found it as a perfect chance. Around three in the afternoon, Fu Ting made an excuse to go back to his room while, in reality, he took his daughter away from everybody's sight. We had our hideout in the park, but it was twenty-five minutes away, and Fu Ting couldn't afford to return that late. So he quickly killed her and handed her dead body to me to dispose of it."

He laughed. "This bas- oops. Fu Ting. I forgot I am disrespecting the court. Are you happy now, Madam judge?"

"Come to the point." She said.

"Well, Fu Ting was really excited," he chuckled. "You should have seen him when he killed her. Ah, there was pure happiness and madness in his eyes."

Xin Nianzu said, "Your Honor. I would like to cross-question Rodey."

She nodded.

"Look who it is. Mr. Xin Nianzu. Tsk tsk."

He ignored it and asked, "Why was the knife found in his room?"

"Because he was so stupid. After he killed Meili, he got scared to be found out and was conscious of how long he had disappeared. He didn't want anybody to get suspicious of him, so he just ran away, forgetting to throw the stupid knife away after telling me to deal with her body."

"And nobody saw him carrying a bloody knife?"

"Oooh...well we have our own secret passages, Mr. Xin. I had already told him how to come and go."

"Why did Fu Ting have to threaten Mr. Yan to create the fake bill?"

Rodey shrugged.

"He asked me for a gun out of the blue. He planned to do that. I had already made it clear that our gang would be only responsible for the kidnapping and murder. I wouldn't give a shit about his alibi. He had to think of that on his own."

Xin Nianzu bore his gaze into his. "If you helped my client with the murder, then why did you kidnap me? Why do you want him behind bars?"

Rodey spat his words in distaste. "Because I completed my part of the deal. But he couldn't hold onto his end. And that was-" he rubbed his thumb and index finger, "money."

He sneered. "Do you think we are a charity? It was give and take. We helped him in dealing with his daughter, and he would have to fill our pockets with cash. But then he started to give pathetic excuses for not being able to pay back. He wanted time. Hah! That was not the deal. So I told that cop, Tian Song, to arrest Fu Ting as his punishment. And well you... aren't you his defense? We didn't want any fucking lawyer to fight for him, so sorry pal, but we had to trouble you a tinsy tiny bit."

Wen Guiren said, "Fu Ting's accomplice has now admitted to the truth. They were in this together to kill Fu Meili."

Xin Nianzu interrupted. "Not yet, Your Honor. I would like to ask Mr. Yang a few questions."

Mr. Yang stood in the witness box.

Xin Nianzu asked, "Did your group visit the bar two days before the trip?"

"Yes. Like my other colleagues also said, we would often go out for drinks after work."

"Was my client drunk?"

He pondered for a moment. "Indeed, he was drunk. He was a bit more drunk than usual."

"Was he away from the group for a while?"

"Uhm...yes...he excused himself for the bathroom."

"Did you see him anytime with this man?" Xin Nianzu pointed at Rodey.

He shook his head. "No."

Wen Guiren said, "Your Honor. Naturally, the conversation would have taken place when Fu Ting was away from the group."

Xin Nianzu asked fully, knowing what the answer would be. "Your Honor. I ask the court to order the CCTV footage of that bar."

Mr. Yang slowly said, "...There are no CCTV'S, I guess. It is really just a small-end average bar."

Xin Nianzu said, "Your Honor, in that case, the prosecutor doesn't have the adequate evidence to prove that Fu Ting met Rodey that night. Rodey is lying. There are no phone records, either. And…" he smiled. "The prosecutor seems to forget one important thing."

Wen Guiren frowned.

Xin Nianzu went back to Rodey. "Are you sure that Fu Ting killed Fu Meili?"

Rodey narrowed his gaze. "What-"

"Or did Fu Meili see something she wasn't supposed to because of which she 'had' to be killed?" He cut Rodey mid-sentence.

Rodey tilted his head, scrutinizing Xin Nianzu.

Xin Nianzu said, "This is what the prosecutor is forgetting, Your Honor. There were dead bodies found buried in Natural Park, and Fu Meili lost somewhere around that area. Isn't it so obvious that she must have seen some crime happening there? Maybe Fu Meili saw the same people killing another victim. Maybe she saw a murder happening right in front of her eyes."

The judge adjusted her spectacles again and carefully said, "That makes sense."

Wen Guiren said, "But the defense cannot prove those claims. It is just an assumption. Unfortunately, Fu Meili is no more to testify."

Xin Nianzu smiled. "But there is another person who can testify. There is another witness who saw everything. Your Honor, please permit me to call Fu Meili's younger brother, Fu Jun, in the witness box."