Chapter 201 - 123: Magical Bombardment

The harm from sleeping pills is different from physical trauma.

How is it different?

The harm from sleeping pills is invisible!

One could argue the child had accidentally ingested them. The dosage was high, but not enough to cause foaming at the mouth, so the child would have looked just like they were sleeping.

But...

Physical trauma is different.

Bruises are on the surface. You can see them on the body when dressing, washing up, or bathing.

How could one possibly fail to notice such a large area of bruising?

And if they were seen...

Then why wasn’t it investigated!?

In the courtroom, seeing that the defendant, Yang Chunping, remained silent for a long time, Xu De finally looked away from her and toward the judge’s bench.

"Your Honor."

"I ask you, can this behavior be considered caring for a child!?"

"I ask you, which shows a greater disregard for the child? The defendant’s laughable accusation of ’cold violence’ against my client, Wang Yu, or the reality of a drug overdose and intentional injury!?"

As he finished speaking, the presiding judge, Wang Cheng, frowned, his expression solemn.

’Is there even a comparison?’

’To be honest, even a stepmother wouldn’t do this!’

"This..."

On the bench, the three of them began to confer privately.

"How tragic. That child is truly pitiful, ending up with a mother like that..."

The lay assessor, Liu Guo, sighed. He could barely stand to look at the photos, let alone imagine what the child who suffered through it must have felt.

The other two nodded and sighed as well.

Seeing this, although she couldn’t hear their words, Sun Li’s heart sank with growing anxiety from her place at the defendant’s table.

’The crux of a divorce case, the core issue, isn’t infidelity or fault. It’s the child! Losing the child is tantamount to losing half the case!’

’If Yang Chunping didn’t get custody of the child in this trial... there would be no child support. The judge would have no reason to award an extra twenty percent of the assets to Yang Chunping for child-rearing. What’s more, she was the party at fault, and without the child to consider, her fault would not be overlooked!’

’In that case... the 70/30 split she had originally envisioned... would very likely remain 70/30, but the seventy percent would go to the husband!’

’And that was just the start. That wasn’t even factoring in what happened to the child. If all of that was taken into account...’

’Damn it, damn it! Did he bribe someone at the police station? How did he get such a detailed report...’

Sun Li cursed inwardly, not sparing Yang Chunping from her wrath either.

’To think she made such a colossal mistake and still took my advice to file for divorce, still wanting to fight for assets... She didn’t even tell me any of this, expecting to counter him completely unprepared...’

Right now, Sun Li wanted to tear her client limb from limb!

At this critical juncture, backed into a corner, Sun Li suddenly found a flash of inspiration. She latched onto a point and said anxiously:

"Your Honor, these injuries were not caused by my client!"

"Your Honor, the opposing counsel never once said that these injuries were inflicted by Yang Chunping!"

"It was a third party... It was Guo Tu!"

"My client was confused! She mistook the child’s bruises for Mongolian spots!"

"Plus, the child is too young to articulate what happened, and my client was deceived by others. It’s perfectly normal that she couldn’t tell the difference right away!"

Babies can have Mongolian spots.

Their appearance is somewhat similar to bruises.

If you observe a one or two-year-old baby, you’ll find that their bottom is bluish-black, as if they’ve been hit.

But if you see this, don’t panic. It’s not from being hit.

It’s a normal phenomenon called Mongolian spots, which are essentially congenital benign pigmented spots. The incidence rate among Asians is 80% to 90%.

They commonly appear on the lumbosacral region and buttocks, but can also be found on the lower back, shoulders, and limbs.

Therefore...

"Mongolian spots fade between the ages of three and five!"

"Wang Xiaoyu is exactly four years old, right in the period when Mongolian spots gradually fade. Therefore, based on common knowledge and subconscious assumptions, it is highly likely that an ordinary person would mistake them for Mongolian spots!"

Sun Li’s forehead was beaded with sweat, which plastered her long hair to her skin, but she couldn’t be bothered with that now.

She seized on this point and said through gritted teeth:

"Your Honor."

"In conclusion, the child’s physical problems were not caused by the defendant!"

"She is also a victim—the mother of a victim!"

"And for the past four years, it is clear that the defendant, Yang Chunping, has been the one washing the child’s clothes, feeding them, bathing them, and keeping them company!"

"Therefore, regarding the child’s psychological well-being..."

"It is clearly more appropriate to grant custody of the child to the defendant, Yang Chunping!"

The moment she finished speaking, the three people on the bench paused, their brows furrowing.

Judge Wang Cheng fell into thought.

It had to be said, the potential people displayed when pushed to their limits was often astonishing.

Sun Li’s argument and the angle she had found were both excellent.

First, the ’trauma’ and ’drug overdose’ the child suffered were, fundamentally, not caused by Yang Chunping.

Second, she had provided a reasonable explanation for why they weren’t discovered.

All in all, if you looked at it this way, from the perspective of ’familial companionship,’ Yang Chunping truly hadn’t committed a major error.

However...

Xu De’s ability to react in court clearly surpassed Sun Li’s!

Xu De spoke again, his tone no longer polite. Every word dripped with aggression.

"You claim your client personally took care of everything for the child—bathing, housing, meals, and clothes."

"Let me ask you something."

"Which one of those things didn’t require the plaintiff’s contribution!?"

"Back when the child was still on formula, they went through one can a week. One can costs two hundred yuan. Let me ask the defendant, could you have afforded that on your own?"

"Does that not count as the plaintiff’s arduous contribution!?"

"You are erasing the plaintiff’s contributions and deliberately exaggerating your own!"