CH 143

The applause stopped and Li Jingtian finally took his seat.

He nodded to the host and dragged the microphone in front of him. He looked weak, but his temperament was neither too humble nor overbearing. He didn’t even need a script. He faced the camera and spoke slowly.

“Today, I specially invited everyone to come here because of my business. I’m really sorry. Before I went on stage, I thought about a lot of things to say, including how to correctly state that I have proven my innocence. To tell you the truth, I even thought about how to say things that would make me appear more credible. For this reason, my company has drafted a great speech for me. Believe me, it was written professionally, but the moment before I got on stage, I felt I didn’t need it. My fans, including you, didn’t come to listen to some formulaic report, so I came here to say two things. First, I did not rape Xu Ran, and second, I didn’t have any role in the Ansheng International Mall throat-slitting case.”

After Li Jingtian made his two points clearly, he got up and bowed again. “I’m done.”

No one expected Li Jingtian’s speech to be so concise and straightforward.

It was also because of the simplicity that there was an unspeakable strength.

“How amazing,” Lin Chen said coldly.

“Have you figured out what to do?” Xing Conglian asked.

“No.”

“Eh, A’Chen Gege, don’t you have a plan?”

“What plan can I have?”

“But Professor Fu and that pervert have entered the venue. What do we want them to do? No matter what, we have to fight back since Li Jingtian is so arrogant!” Wang Chao clenched his fists.

“We don’t have any substantive evidence so far.” Lin Chen emphasized the word “substantive”.

“But… but…” Wang Chao pointed to the tough and confident singer on TV and said, “He’s right there. We have to do something.”

“That’s right.” Lin Chen nodded.

Following Li Jingtian’s brief speech, the press conference entered the question session.

Li Jingtian was familiar with the major media platforms. Most of the reporters who could enter were good friends with CA Entertainment, so the first reporter he picked naturally asked a question that suited him best. “Hello, Mr. Li Jingtian. I’m a reporter from LA International TV. My question is, it’s true that you experienced a very difficult few weeks after being accused of rape, but during that time, you didn’t hold any press conferences. What prompted you to come to the stage today and face the public?”

Hearing this question, Li Jingtian’s face was serious. He put down the cup of water and slowly said, “I’m very happy to answer your question. If you ask me why, I can tell you it’s because of my own selfishness. I am also a human. After all these kinds of unfair investigations, I will also feel resentful and don’t want to bear it any longer. Why should I bear these trumped-up charges? Of course I have to come out and explain everything.”

“I’m afraid your purpose is not so simple. You just mentioned ‘unfair investigation’. Are you protesting the investigation of our country’s police?”

“Actually, it can’t be called a protest.” Li Jingtian and the reporter matched each other tacitly, as if they were dancing in perfect harmony. “I know that the police in your country are only doing what they are supposed to do. To be honest, my reputation has been ruined after this incident. I’m afraid that it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry in the future, but what did I do wrong? Just because some prostitute accused me of raping her, do I have to be humiliated hundreds of times? Is this the so-called judicial justice of your country? Because, compared to a vulnerable prostitute, I’m a glamorous foreign star, so the police must think that I’m at fault. No, I don’t believe this is the so-called fairness and justice.” Li Jingtian took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t think the police should look at everyone with colored glasses, let alone identify us as criminals based on our identities. No matter if your status is high or low, you are entitled to the same investigation. This is true. This is the justice we all deserve.”

After Li Jingtian finished speaking, the audience was silent.

A criminal was talking about justice on stage. Was there anything more ridiculous than this? However, what was even more unbelievable was the reactions of everyone in the assembly hall, which showed that they seemed to be convinced by Li Jingtian’s words. Indeed, what Li Jingtian said made sense.

The person who interrupted the tranquility of the house was Lu Xu.

“That’s a beast wearing human skin,” the manager of the PR department of CA Entertainment, who had never done anything good, said.

Lu Xu’s words made Lin Chen recover from an emotion that questioned the rationality of the world. He took out his phone and made a call.

……

The phone rang abruptly. It was an absurd ringtone of agricultural heavy metal music, which was commonly used in the repertoire of square dancing by aunties or fringe drag racers in urban-rural areas.

Everyone in the entire conference looked at the source of the sound. Before the conference started, the host had warned everyone to silence their phones, so they all looked at him with anger and contempt. This kind of unqualified reporter was simply embarrassing all his colleagues.

However, the reporter-like person didn’t immediately stop the ringing. He pushed his seat away and stood up. What was unexpected was that he not only stood up but also walked up the aisle leading to the podium.

The music singing, “I love you. You don’t love me, you big bastard” was still playing. The host finally reacted and quickly picked up the microphone and shouted, “Sir, please abide by the venue etiquette!”

However, the other party didn’t have any intention of stopping. That person walked at an unhurried pace, as leisurely as if he were walking down a street covered with fallen leaves.

“Security, please escort this gentleman out of the venue,” the host angrily said.

As soon as his voice fell, the perpetrator happened to walk up to the reporter who had asked Li Jingtian his question earlier. He took the microphone from the dumbfounded reporter, nodded to the other party, and said, “Your question just now is really shameless!”

The embassy’s security had already rushed over. Just as they were about to capture the man, everyone suddenly heard the man speaking leisurely into the microphone. “Wait~ Actually, someone wants Mr. Li Jingtian to answer the phone.”

The first reaction of the security personnel was to snatch the microphone out of the reporter’s hand, but the man held it with a strange force. The moment he was pressed to the ground, everyone heard him say, “Hongjing Police is calling. Is Mr. Li Jingtian really unwilling to answer it?”

The venue fell into a deathly silence again. Even Mr. Li Jingtian, who had always behaved decently, had a frigid expression on his face.

The phone was still ringing.

Lin Chen held the phone and watched the live broadcast.

It was a completely deadlocked situation. The man who changed the situation was a man named Sheng Chenggong, because he did nothing.

It was hard to understand, given that, from another angle, Su Fengzi should have been taken down by Xinni’s security personnel before he even made it halfway to the stage, but he managed to walk safely under the podium and pick up the microphone from the first row of reporters.

Truthfully, for the staff of the Xinni Embassy, it was shameful for them to come forward to protect a citizen of their country who may have violated the law. For example, Mr. Shen Chenggong, the embassy military attaché who was previously subdued by Xing Conglian at lightning speed, thought so. At his level, there was no need to stand up for a noble son, but the orders of his superiors couldn’t be disobeyed. In short, it was difficult for a child from an aristocratic family to win goodwill wherever he went.

So when the phone rang just now, Shen Chenggong just chewed gum as he stood on the sidelines and didn’t give any orders, perfectly pushing the situation to a neutral point again.

Because of Shen Chenggong’s inaction, Su Fengzi had the chance to add one more sentence before the microphone was snatched away from him. “If you dare not talk to the police directly, it’ll look very suspicious on live TV.”

Li Jingtian finally recovered from his consternation. He was always good at hiding his emotions. He responded with a good temper, “Actually, you really don’t need to do this. If the Hongjing Police want to talk to me, they can do it at any time, but your attitude and methods just now are a bit rude.”

“Then, are you going to pick up… or not?” Su Fengzi asked indifferently. He was really good at dealing with people like Li Jingtian.

Li Jingtian’s face stiffened again. Everyone’s eyes were burning, as if expecting something.

Finally, Li Jingtian could only grit his teeth and say, “Of course. Please connect the phone.”

After the phone connected, there were about three seconds of silence.

Su Fengzi pointed the microphone at the phone’s speaker, but neither Li Jingtian nor Lin Chen spoke first.

Lin Chen took a step back and sat down on the sofa. He looked at the silent singer on the TV screen, and finally, just before Li Jingtian wanted to speak, he said, “Mr. Li Jingtian, hello.”

Lin Chen’s calm voice came through the speaker of the phone, then through the microphone. It wasn’t clear, but anyone at the scene could hear the solemnity in it.

“Consultant Lin, long time no see.” Li Jingtian nodded at the live broadcast camera with a gentle smile.

“Don’t be so polite. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since we last saw each other.”

“Yes, it really hasn’t been long. I still remember the humiliation you inflicted on me yesterday, so, choosing to talk to me at my press conference—do you want to humiliate me again?”

“Oh, because you just asked us a question, I have to answer.”

“What question did I just ask?”

“You asked us, what did you do wrong?” Lin Chen’s tone was full of sarcasm.

“I don’t understand,” Li Jingtian said.

“Indeed, it’s impossible for people like you to understand that anyone has the right to say no when it comes to sex. This power has nothing to do with gender, status, or identity. Whether it’s an intimate lover or a husband and wife, even a decent prostitute has the right to say no, and any sexual intercourse against their will is rape.”

Lin Chen’s voice was calm, as if he had transcended time and was expounding a kind of innate human power. Xing Conglian looked back at his friend sitting on the sofa and saw Lin Chen slowly open his mouth while bathing under the sun. He’d never felt stronger than he did now. Lin Chen was good—really good.

Whether it was in front of the TV or inside and outside the venue, many people were silent.

A woman knitting a sweater stopped her needle motion in her hand, and a girl wandering on the streets stopped and looked up at the big screen on the square. The reporter stopped their shutters, and the photographer stopped shaking their heads. Even the embassy security personnel restraining Su Fengzi let go.

Su Fengzi held up the microphone and stood upright.

Everyone was silent; everyone was no longer silent.

After Li Jingtian finally pinched the palm of his hand to the point of pain, he slowly said, “Consultant Lin, I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view, but I hope what you just said is not implicitly alluding to what happened between me and Xu Ran.”

Lin Chen interrupted Li Jingtian with a tone as if he couldn’t care less about what he had to say. “I’m just talking about the things you did to Xu Ran. It’s 12:10. Before we actually meet, you still have about an hour to consider turning yourself into the police for a lighter sentence.”

Li Jingtian frowned slightly, not feeling happy or angry. “I’m sorry. No matter how hard you force me, I won’t admit to these false charges. Because of your prejudices against me, for my own personal safety, I’m afraid I won’t see you.”

“You can try,” Lin Chen said.

Li Jingtian’s face tightened. “I thought we were having a good exchange. Did you just threaten me?”

Lin Chen said, “Huh, put away your hypocritical rhetoric. After an hour, there will be no need to maintain your facade. If I were you, I would carefully think about it in the next hour. Among the despicable, nasty, and disgusting crimes I have committed, did I accidently miss something, and it was found by others? Of course, you can also eat and drink and find a woman or two. After all, that may be the last two hours of your freedom. I hope you can cherish it.” Lin Chen paused and added, “Please understand, this is really a kind reminder.”

Li Jingtian wanted to retort, but Lin Chen had already hung up.

The media inside and outside the venue was in an uproar. They didn’t know what was going on, but just a phone call made them look at Li Jingtian differently.

Li Jingtian couldn’t hold back his expression anymore. He got up angrily from his seat and rushed off the stage, even forgetting to bow.

Shen Chenggong raised his brows, yawned, and waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to temporarily detain the fake reporter who made a scene.

The sun was still shining on Song Shengsheng’s house. Lin Chen slowly put down his phone and was silent.

Wang Chao suddenly asked, “A’Chen, won’t it take us an hour and a half to reach the Yongchuan Embassy?”

“Yes,” Lin Chen said lightly.

“Then why did you tell Li Jingtian he only has one hour left?”

“Because a long-delayed guillotine is frightening, anxiety-provoking, and brings out desperation. There’s no similar suffering in the world that can make people more likely to make mistakes.”

Hearing Lin Chen finish his words, Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen and stretched out his hand to him. He knew very well that their siege on Li Jingtian had already begun the moment Lin Chen decided to make that call.

Although there was no chance of winning, they had to move forward.

Lin Chen put his hand lightly on Xing Conglian’s palm and stood up.