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

After presenting and examining the three sets of evidence, Zheng Kun took a deep breath.

"The respondent has requested two witnesses to testify in court: Li Jun, the project's full-time safety officer, and Wang Gui, the foreman of the steel reinforcement team, to prove the course of the accident and the wage agreement!"

"permit."

The chief arbitrator instructed the court clerk to summon the witnesses.

Soon, the two men entered the arbitration tribunal one after the other.

One was wearing the project department uniform, and the other had dark skin and was clutching a safety helmet; they were safety officer Li Jun and foreman Wang Gui.

"Witness Li Jun, state your identity information."

"Reporting to the arbitrator, my name is Li Jun, and I am a full-time safety officer at the Pei's Construction Industrial Park project. I have been employed here for two years and three months."

After the court clerk verified the identity information, the chief arbitrator said solemnly, "Witnesses must truthfully state the facts in court and must not commit perjury; otherwise, they will bear corresponding legal responsibility. Do you understand?"

"I heard you clearly."

Li Jun nodded, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Now recount what you know about the accident."

Li Jun cleared his throat: "On the morning of the accident, I was inspecting the work area on the third floor when I saw Lin Jianguo tying steel bars to the edge without a safety rope."

"I reminded him to tie it on, but he said it was troublesome and would get in the way when he was working, and he wouldn't listen to my advice."

"I was busy inspecting fire safety elsewhere when I came back and heard that he had fallen!"

After saying that, he added, "Our safety training has always emphasized the importance of wearing safety harnesses; he violated the rules himself!"

"Did the respondent raise any questions?" the chief arbitrator asked.

Zheng Kun: "No."

Did the applicant ask any questions?

Jiang Chen slowly stood up, his gaze falling on Li Jun.

"Witness Li Jun, I ask you, what time did you arrive at the third-floor work area on the day of the accident?"

"Around... nine o'clock."

"What time is it? The patrol log says the third floor was patrolled at 9:10, right?"

Li Jun paused for a moment, then mumbled, "More or less."

"Second question: What is the length of the edge of the work area on the third floor? How many safety ropes are provided in total?"

"This... I can't remember, but they were all paired up anyway."

"Can't remember?" Jiang Chen's tone rose slightly. "As a full-time safety officer responsible for the safety management of the work area, you can't even remember how many safety ropes are on duty?"

"Or is it that there simply weren't enough?"

"No! It's enough!" Li Jun quickly retorted, but without much conviction.

"The third question is, you said you reminded Lin Jianguo, but is there a written rectification notice? Is there any video or video recording of the scene? Are there any testimonies from other workers present?"

"I... I only reminded him verbally, there's no record of it."

"A verbal warning?" Jiang Chen chuckled. "So, you say you gave a warning, but there's no evidence to prove it; it's all just your word?"

"Furthermore, you are an employee of the Pei Group, receiving a salary from the company, and are managed by the company. You have a direct interest in this case. Do I need to elaborate on the credibility of your testimony?"

A barrage of questions, pressing him relentlessly.

Li Jun's forehead was covered in sweat, and he stammered, unable to speak a complete sentence.

Pei Zhenbang sat beside him, his face growing increasingly grim.

Zheng Kun frowned, but couldn't refute it.

The stakes involved are objective facts.

"Witness Wang Gui, step forward to make your statement."

Foreman Wang Gui rubbed his hands together as he stepped forward, even more nervous than Li Jun.

"My name is Wang Gui, and I am the foreman of the steel reinforcement team."

"Regarding the salary, it was stated when we signed the contract that it would be settled at the end of the year, and we could also get some living expenses during the year."

"Lin Jianguo's fall was due to his own carelessness; he wasn't wearing a rope!"

Jiang Chen still stood up and asked a question.

"Wang Gui, let me ask you, did you collect money from the project office on the 15th of each month to give the workers a portion of their living expenses?"

"Yes... but that's living expenses, not wages."

"Living expenses are deducted from your salary, right?"

"right."

"So, your salary is calculated monthly, but it's deducted and paid at the end of the year, right?"

Wang Gui paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously, "Yes..."

He knew he'd messed up as soon as the words left his mouth, and quickly added, "No, the contract said it would be settled at the end of the year!"

Jiang Chen ignored his attempt to salvage the situation and continued, "Are you aware of the wages owed to the workers?"

"How much is owed in total, and for how long?"

"Well... I'm just a worker, I don't know."

"I don't know?" Jiang Chen took out a screenshot of the team group notification. "This is the message you posted in the team group: 'The company is experiencing financial difficulties, and salaries will be temporarily suspended.' Did you post it?"

Wang Gui's face turned pale, and he stammered, "It was...it was the project department that asked me to send it."

"So, the fact is that wages are owed, and the fact is that payments have been temporarily suspended, right?"

"I……"

Wang Gui was completely speechless, his head bowed low.

The two witnesses have finished their questioning.

Not only did it fail to serve as evidence, it also revealed its weaknesses and was full of loopholes!

Pei Zhenbang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his fingers were clenched so tightly they made a cracking sound.

Just then, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke up: "Arbitrator, the applicant shall submit an additional piece of evidence in court."

"The Emergency Management Bureau of Xucheng District issued one copy each of the 'On-site Inspection Record' and the 'Order to Rectify within a Time Limit' for the construction site in question."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned.

Zheng Kun suddenly looked up: "Arbitrator, the opposing party submitted evidence in court, which does not comply with the time limit for presenting evidence!"

The chief arbitrator glanced through the materials and said in a deep voice, "This evidence involves the core facts of the case and is an official document issued by a state administrative agency. This court permits its submission."

"The respondent may provide their comments on the evidence later!"

"Clerk, read aloud the core contents of the inspection record in court."

The clerk picked up the document and read it aloud: "On-site inspection record of Xucheng District Emergency Management Bureau, inspection date: May 10, 2026."

"Inspection Location: Work area of ​​Building 3, Pei's Industrial Park Project; Inspection Findings: Hard guardrails were not installed at the edge of the work area as required, safety netting was missing, workers were not adequately equipped with safety protective equipment, and safety management records were not standardized..."

"Ordered to rectify within a specified period, with a rectification period of seven days."

The official documents are all accurate and irrefutable.

The audience erupted in uproar.

"So the safety measures really weren't in place!"

"The safety supervision department has already issued a rectification order, yet they still say the workers are in violation of regulations?"

"This Pei family member is incredibly adept at blatant lying!"

"..."

Zheng Kun's expression changed, and he forced a smile as he testified: "The respondent has no objection to the authenticity and legality of the document, but objects to its relevance and purpose of proof."

"The rectification notice is a general requirement for the overall safety management of the construction site, not for the determination of responsibility for this accident, and has no direct causal relationship with Lin Jianguo's injury."

Despite saying that, his confidence was clearly somewhat diminished.

With the safety inspection report right here, the claim that they "fulfilled their safety management obligations" is no longer tenable.

After listening to the evidence presented and examined by both parties, the chief arbitrator asked several key questions based on the case file: the actual wage payment cycle, the number of safety ropes provided, and the situation of the personnel present on the day of the accident.

Both sides answered each other's questions, and the facts became clearer and clearer through the back-and-forth.

"Do either party have any new evidence to submit? Do they wish to request new witnesses to appear in court, or request expert opinions or on-site inspections?"

The chief arbitrator surveyed the entire room.

Jiang Chen: "There is no applicant."

Zheng Kun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "The respondent did not."

The chief arbitrator nodded and slammed his gavel down.

"Thump!"

"The court investigation phase of this case has concluded."

"Now, we will proceed to the court debate stage."

"The applicant will present their arguments first, followed by the respondent. Both parties may take turns debating the points of contention!"