Me! A disgraced celebrity! Starting by seeking justice for impoverished students.

Although Fang Yuan had a considerable reputation, Jiang Chen was not afraid.

On the contrary, I felt a little excited.

To face such a seasoned veteran in your first lawsuit is a rare opportunity for practical experience!

"Let's go."

He ignored Fang Yuan and the others, and led Lin Wan and Lin Xuyang directly up the steps.

His expression revealed a hint of impatience!

A few minutes later, inside the courtroom.

In the plaintiff's seat, Jiang Chen sat down and placed his briefcase on the table, which contained a thick stack of documents.

Lin Wan and Lin Xuyang sat next to him.

The four defendants sat down in the dock.

Zhao Tianyu was on the far left, head down, his expression not very good.

Next to him was Zhou Haibo, whose eyes were red and swollen with dark circles, as if he hadn't slept well for several days.

Next to him was Han Zhengming, dressed in a suit and tie, with a calm expression, exuding the air of a leader.

On the far right is Principal Chen Yongchang.

He was in his early sixties, with gray hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and had a refined appearance.

Although he was sitting in the dock, he remained composed.

It was as if this wasn't a courtroom, but his office!

Fang Yuan sat in the defendant's seat, reviewing the materials with a focused expression and without making any unnecessary movements.

He didn't look at Jiang Chen once throughout the entire process.

It wasn't a deliberate avoidance, but rather a genuine indifference.

For him, Jiang Chen's existence only has a certain influence on public opinion and does not affect his ability to fight this lawsuit.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments!

Look at the expressions on the faces of those people in the defendant's dock. Except for the student and the counselor, everyone else is so calm!

[Is that principal still laughing? What's he laughing at!]

Fang Yuan didn't even look at Jiang Chen; how much did he look down on him...?

What kind of expression would a seasoned lawyer with 23 years of experience have when watching a newcomer appear in court for the first time?

[Jiang Chen, keep it up! Don't let their momentum intimidate you!]

Calm down! Courts don't judge by appearances, they judge by evidence!

After everyone was seated, the recorder stood up and began reading the court rules.

"According to the 'Rules of the People's Court of Huaxia,' all personnel involved in court proceedings must obey the presiding judge's instructions, respect judicial etiquette, and abide by court discipline. The following rules must be followed!"

"First, no clapping, shouting, making noise, or moving around freely is allowed."

"Second, smoking, eating, and making or receiving phone calls are prohibited."

"third……"

"..."

"Everyone rise! Please welcome the presiding judge and judges to the courtroom."

After the regulations were read out, it was the judges' turn to enter the courtroom.

Everyone stood up.

The side door at the front of the courtroom opened, and three people slowly walked in.

Leading the way was Judge Zhang Zhengyang, around fifty years old, with a serious expression, wearing a black suit.

He walked to the center of the dock and sat down, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, exuding an air of authority without anger.

On the left is Judge Liu Min, in his early forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a calm expression.

On the right is another judge, Zhao Qihang, who is in his thirties, with a handsome face and focused gaze.

After the three of them sat down, Zhang Zhengyang struck the gavel once.

"Thump!"

"Please sit down."

Everyone then took their seats.

Some netizens flooded the chat in the official live stream and started introducing the topic.

[Let me introduce you. The presiding judge is Zhang Zhengyang, the head of the Civil Division of the Dongning Intermediate People's Court. He's notoriously strict and inflexible!]

[The judge on the left is Liu Min; she used to work in the criminal court and is extremely meticulous in her cases!]

The one on the right is Zhao Qihang, a young judge who was just promoted this year. He's said to be very capable!

[Wait... a criminal court? Isn't this a civil case? Why is there a criminal court judge?]

[Didn't you read the official report? This case involves illegal detention; it's a combined civil and criminal case being tried!]

[So that's how it is! No wonder there are so many judges!]

What does "joint trial" mean? Can someone explain it to me?

In short, civil compensation and criminal prosecution are tried together, without having to go through two separate lawsuits. Generally, the criminal part is tried first to determine whether a crime has been committed, and then the civil compensation part is tried.

[Understood! Thank you, class representative!]

Presiding Judge Zhang Zhengyang opened the case file on the table, his gaze sweeping over the plaintiff's seat and the defendant's seat.

"Now verifying the identity of the person involved!"

He looked toward the plaintiff's seat.

"Plaintiff, please state your name and identity."

Jiang Chen stood up: "Plaintiff's attorney, Jiang Chen, is a practicing lawyer."

"The plaintiff is Lin Xuyang, a freshman at Dongning Teachers College."

"The plaintiff's family member, Lin Wan, Lin Xuyang's sister."

The presiding judge nodded and looked toward the defendant's dock.

"Defendants, please present your statements in turn!"

Fang Yuan stood up: "Defendant's representative, Fang Yuan, practicing lawyer."

"The defendant..."

He paused for a moment, glanced at the four people next to him, and then slowly introduced them.

"Zhao Tianyu, a freshman at Dongning Teachers College."

"Zhou Haibo, counselor at Dongning Teachers College."

"Han Zhengming, Dean of the School of Law, Dongning Teachers College."

"Chen Yongchang, President of Dongning Teachers College!"

The four people nodded in turn, each with a different expression.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong, the presiding judge's gaze fell on the plaintiff's seat.

"Plaintiff, you may now state your claims!"

Jiang Chen stood up and took a document out of his briefcase.

"Good morning, Presiding Judge and Judges. The plaintiff in this case, Lin Xuyang, hereby files the following lawsuit against the illegal acts of Dongning Normal College in the selection process for the student aid grant, and against the illegal restriction of his personal freedom by the defendants Zhou Haibo and others."

"First, we request the court to hold defendant Zhao Tianyu legally accountable for obtaining national student aid funds by submitting false materials; to hold defendant Zhou Haibo legally accountable for abusing his power, assisting in the substitution of student aid recipients, and illegally restricting the plaintiff's personal freedom; and to hold defendants Han Zhengming and Chen Yongchang legally accountable for abusing their power and protecting and condoning such behavior during the student aid selection process!"

"Secondly, I request the court to order all defendants to jointly compensate the plaintiff for personal injury and mental distress caused by illegal detention, including medical expenses, nutrition expenses, lost tuition fees, and mental distress damages, totaling RMB 500,000."

"Third, we request the court to find that Dongning Normal College engaged in internal collusion, deceived superiors, and resisted the inspection team during the scholarship selection process, and to transfer the relevant evidence to the discipline inspection and supervision department!"

"Fourth, we request the court to order the defendant to publicly apologize to the plaintiff in provincial-level or higher media outlets to eliminate the negative impact and restore the plaintiff's reputation!"

"Fifth, we request the court to order the defendant to bear all litigation costs of this case, as well as the plaintiff's reasonable expenses incurred in connection with this case, such as travel expenses, accommodation expenses, and meal expenses!"

Jiang Chen finished reading and put down the document.

There was a moment of silence in the courtroom.

Even the presiding judge was taken aback by the lawsuit's request, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

These lawsuits...aren't there too many of them?

In the dock, Principal Chen Yongchang's smile slowly faded.

He looked at Fang Yuan, wanting to see if he had the confidence.

Fang Yuan looked directly at Jiang Chen, calmly scrutinizing him.

Upon hearing these legal claims, he realized that Jiang Chen seemed to be an opponent he needed to take seriously.

The viewers in the live stream went wild!

[Five hundred thousand! Holy crap, Jiang Chen really dares to ask for that much!]

I can understand compensation for emotional distress and lost tuition fees, but what about travel expenses? Do they even have to pay for the hotel? Hahahaha!

Jiang Chen's story flowed so smoothly; he didn't seem like someone experiencing courtroom proceedings for the first time at all!

Of course he's a lawyer! He's licensed!