Chapter 36: Playing Both Sides!

After watching the three-minute video, Huang Jianren’s parents, who had been arrogant and aggressive just moments before, withered like frost-bitten eggplants. Their momentum vanished instantly, leaving them in a state of utter bewilderment.

Cao Kun, meanwhile, maintained his calm and breezy demeanor, as if everything had remained firmly under his control from the very beginning. Under the gaze of Huang’s parents, he methodically put away his earphone cord and took a sip of the coffee in front of him. Only then did he look at them and speak.

"The woman in the video is named Bai Jing, and she is Wang Yifu’s wife."

"So, do you understand the ins and outs of this whole matter now? Because your son and his accomplices gang-raped Wang Yifu’s wife first, Wang Yifu went to settle the score with your son. It’s just that he had been drinking at the time, lost his sense of proportion, and accidentally beat him to death."

"In a situation like this, if Wang Yifu were to hire a decent lawyer, how do you think the court would rule?"

Huang’s parents stared blankly at Cao Kun, neither saying a word.

Cao Kun smiled faintly and continued: "Under these circumstances, the judge would certainly hand down a lenient sentence. After all, your son assaulted someone’s wife first. As for the death penalty or life imprisonment, you can forget about those; they are absolutely impossible."

"I’ll take a bold guess: if the lawyer performs averagely, Wang Yifu will likely get between three and ten years, most likely around eight or nine. If he behaves well and gets a sentence reduction, he could be out in five or six years. And that’s just with an average lawyer. If the lawyer is good, he might only get three or four years, and with good behavior, he could be out in about two."

"So... do you two understand now?"

Cao Kun wasn't just spouting nonsense. Having spent ten years in prison, he had seen far too many such cases. He recalled a fellow inmate named Zhang Wei, a man from the countryside whose parents had both passed away, leaving him to support his younger sister. Because there were few ways to make money back home, he went out to work, leaving his sister alone to study. Later, she was raped by a local hoodlum. When Zhang Wei returned and learned the news, he was furious. However, fearing that his sister’s reputation would be ruined before she could be married off, he didn't call the police.

Still, the incident left Zhang Wei deeply troubled, and he drank heavily during that period. One day, while drunk, he ran into the hoodlum. As the saying goes, enemies meeting face-to-face ignite even greater hatred; he went straight for the guy.

He accidentally beat him to death!

Zhang Wei’s case was very similar to Wang Yifu’s current situation. In the end, Zhang Wei was only sentenced to five years. With good behavior, he was released after serving just four years and three months. Cao Kun could list a whole string of similar cases. As long as the judge had a sense of humanity and the lawyer was competent, cases involving such specific provocations would never result in heavy sentences.

Therefore, Cao Kun was not trying to scare them. Wang Yifu’s case could be interpreted in many ways. If blown out of proportion, it could mean the death penalty. But if handled correctly—presenting this video, having Bai Jing testify, and hiring a sharp lawyer to weave this story together—Wang Yifu wouldn't be sentenced for long at all.

As Cao Kun finished speaking, a strange silence fell over the three of them. Both of Huang’s parents were dumbfounded, not knowing what to say or do. Their own son had been beaten to death, and the perpetrator might only serve two or three years? How could that be? Had their son been beaten to death for nothing? No one could accept such a thing!

Finally, Huang’s mother spoke, her voice trembling: "Impossible. Kid, stop talking nonsense. How could a murder case result in such a light sentence? Is my son’s life not a life? Is it worthless?"

Cao Kun shrugged and smiled. "Madam, I regret to tell you that sometimes, human life is indeed worth very little."

"Let me give you an example so you can understand." Cao Kun looked at a woman passing by outside the window. "If your husband were molesting this lady, and I happened to step in to stop him but accidentally used too much force and killed him, how do you think I would be sentenced?"

Huang’s mother opened her mouth but couldn't answer; she didn't know.

Cao Kun smiled slightly. "You probably think I’d have to serve a few years, right? But in fact, not only would I not be sentenced, I would likely be commended for acting in the public interest."

"By the same logic, when your son and those other two men were molesting Wang Yifu’s wife, if I had appeared and accidentally killed all three of them while intervening, their deaths would have been in vain. I wouldn't have to pay a cent in compensation, nor would I bear any responsibility. I might even receive an award for bravery."

"So, Madam, do you still think your son’s life is valuable? You must understand that the law protects good people, not scum like your son who force themselves on others. As long as I hand this video over to the police, Wang Yifu will not receive a heavy sentence, and your son’s death will have been entirely for nothing!"

The silence returned. Huang’s mother looked at Cao Kun with resentment, wanting to retort but finding no words. Finally, Huang’s father spoke, staring into Cao Kun’s eyes.

"Young man, you said that if you hand over the video, Wang Yifu won't receive a heavy sentence and my son’s death will have been in vain, right?"

Cao Kun nodded calmly. "Absolutely true."

"And what if you don't hand it over?" Huang’s father probed.

At this, the corners of Cao Kun’s mouth curled up. "Mr. Huang, you truly are a businessman; you’ve hit the nail on the head."

"Obviously, if I don't hand it over, Wang Yifu will face a heavy sentence—either the death penalty or life imprisonment. Whether he lives or dies depends entirely on whether you two provide a letter of forgiveness."

Realizing that Cao Kun had laid his cards on the table, both parents understood perfectly. Whether or not Cao Kun released the video depended entirely on whether they knew how to play the game.

Huang took a deep breath. "Young man, let’s stop beating around the bush. Name your price. My son cannot have died for nothing."

Cao Kun didn't hesitate, holding up three fingers. "3 million!"

"Give me 3 million, and this video remains between us. Anything less, and this video will be at the police station today."

"Also, I have one more requirement: you must not let Wang Yifu receive the death penalty. That is to say, you must provide a letter of forgiveness, based on the price I discussed with you earlier—800,000."

After hearing this, even though Huang’s father was a businessman who had seen his share of storms in the marketplace, he couldn't help but gasp.

Damn! Playing both sides? He never expected that this seemingly harmless, sunny young man would turn out to be such a ruthless character!