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

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtroom.

Some people in the audience stared in disbelief and began to discuss among themselves.

In the dock, Zhou Haibo's face turned deathly pale, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Han Zhengming suddenly sat up straight, his lips trembling slightly.

Dean Chen Yongchang's expression finally changed completely.

A hint of panic appeared on his face!

If Lin Xuyang's previous words were a statement about his own experiences, then they were correct.

Those words that followed were all accusations against the school!

Are these things something you can just say casually?

If we're not careful, we could slap a really bad label on the school!

The chat in the official live stream exploded:

Holy crap!!! How dare they say that???

Opposing poverty alleviation? Opposing common prosperity? These are far too harsh accusations!

[First label someone, then convict them—this is the same old tactic!]

This is no joke; once it escalates to this level, no one can withstand it!

How could Lin Xuyang, a student, say such a thing?

There must be a mastermind behind this!

What does it mean to receive guidance from a master? This is nothing short of cunning guidance! It's so underhanded!

This is practically destroying the school!

I wonder if those guys on the other side can still sit still. Once this label is slapped on them, no one can take it off!

The murmurs from the audience grew louder and louder.

The presiding judge frowned, about to strike the gavel to maintain order.

Sudden……

"I protest!"

A voice came from the defendant's dock.

The pavilion fell silent as everyone turned to look at the source of the sound.

Principal Chen Yongchang stood up.

His face turned bright red, his eyes widened, and he pointed at Lin Xuyang in the witness stand, his voice trembling.

"Your Honor! This is malicious slander! The plaintiff is trying to frame the school!"

"Our school has been actively responding to the national poverty alleviation policy for over twenty years, and our work in supporting impoverished students has been commended by the province every year!"

"On what grounds does he claim we oppose poverty alleviation efforts? He's making baseless accusations!"

"I urge the court to stop such irresponsible remarks!"

He couldn't hold back any longer.

Lin Xuyang's words were like knives stabbing the most insidious wounds.

What is most important in a school?

In his view, it's not education, it's not students, it's fame!

If a school's reputation is ruined, what good is its excellent education or its large student body?

Lin Xuyang's words were purely intended to tarnish the school's reputation!

The atmosphere in the courtroom instantly became tense.

Another wave of comments flooded the official live stream chat:

The principal is panicking! He's panicking!

[Isn't that obvious? Who wouldn't be upset if this label were pinned on them?]

The question is, is he right? Is it true that the student grant was stolen?

[Facts aside, escalating this to this level is indeed a bit much...]

[Hey upstairs, I remember there's a giant Buddha statue in Leshan. Tell him to get up and you can go sit there!]

Presiding Judge Zhang Zhengyang frowned, about to speak.

Jiang Chen had already stood up.

"Your Honor, the defendant has spoken without permission and interfered with the witness's testimony. I request the court to stop him."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Chen Yongchang.

"Furthermore, you claim that we are maliciously slandering you. Do you have any evidence to support this?"

Chen Yongchang was taken aback, his mind racing.

"Me... do I even need evidence? He said we oppose poverty alleviation efforts, isn't that blatant slander?"

"Is it obvious?" Jiang Chen's tone remained calm.

"Legally, any accusation requires supporting evidence."

"You accuse us of defamation, then please provide evidence of that defamation."

"If you can't produce it, wouldn't your words just now constitute a defamation of the plaintiff?"

Chen Yongchang opened his mouth, but was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

He subconsciously looked at Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan's expression was very unpleasant; instead, he looked at him with resentment.

Interrupting without the lawyer's consent.

This will expose a weakness to the opposing party during the court proceedings!

He took a deep breath and stood up.

"Your Honor, my client was emotional and made inappropriate remarks. Please forgive him/her."

"However, the plaintiff's statements did exceed the scope of the facts of the case and rose to the level of political characterization, which is no longer part of the content that should be heard in this case."

"Defendant's representative".

Jiang Chen interrupted him directly.

"According to the Civil Procedure Law and related judicial interpretations, the parties and their agents have the right to make statements and arguments on the facts of the case in court."

"Our statements are entirely based on the plaintiff's personal experience and reasonable feelings, and we have not fabricated any facts."

"If the defendant believes that we have committed defamation, please provide evidence."

"Without evidence, please do not use terms such as 'beyond the scope' or 'political characterization' to interfere with the normal proceedings of the court."

"Furthermore, I need to remind the defendant's lawyer that if you speak on behalf of the defendant but cannot provide evidence, you yourself will also bear corresponding legal responsibility."

After saying that, Jiang Chen bowed slightly and sat back down.

Fang Yuan's face turned ashen.

He forced himself to sit back down without saying a word.

Continuing to say this will only leave a bad impression on the presiding judge!

The chat in the official live stream exploded again:

[Hahahaha! Jiang Chen completely silenced the opposing lawyer!]

There's no other way; if he continues to speak up for the principal, he'll have to stand with the principal through thick and thin!

[This is the veteran lawyer's caution! Fang Yuan doesn't want to be inextricably linked to the school!]

Why risk your life just to earn a little money in court fees?

Jiang Chen's silver tongue is even more impressive in court than in the live broadcast studio!

The key point is that what he said was reasonable and supported by evidence! If you want to refute it, then produce evidence; if you can't, then shut up!

Presiding Judge Zhang Zhengyang struck the gavel.

"Thump."

"The defendant is not allowed to speak without permission."

"A verbal warning will be issued this time."

He looked at Chen Yongchang.

"Furthermore, do you have any evidence for the defamation accusations you just made?"

Chen Yongchang's face turned bright red, his lips trembled for a long time, and finally he managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"No……"

He indeed had no evidence.

There was a moment of silence in the courtroom.

The presiding judge nodded.

"Since there is no evidence, the defendant should watch his/her words."

"The courtroom is a place for evidence, not for emotions."

"No further interference with the normal court proceedings is permitted."

"sit down!"

Chen Yongchang gritted his teeth and slowly sat back down.

His shoulders slumped, his face turned ashen, a stark contrast to the composure he displayed when he entered the courtroom!

Zhou Haibo glanced at him from the side, then lowered his head again.

Jiang Chen stood up again and looked at the presiding judge.

"Your Honor, I have finished asking my questions."

The presiding judge glanced at the documents and then turned his gaze to the defendant.

"Do any of the four defendants have any objections to the plaintiff's statements?"

None of the four spoke, clearly indicating that they lacked concrete evidence.

They were also afraid that if they rashly refuted him, they would get into trouble!

The presiding judge nodded and turned his gaze to Jiang Chen.

"Alright, now you may begin your defense!"