Out of kindness, she sent a gift to the author, but the author’s return gift was mistaken for a bribe, leading to her dismissal from the magazine.
Zheng Zhihe asked Xiao Ni if she resented the female author, and Xiao Ni shook her head:
“Everyone has their own reasons.”
Han Qin, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, was known for her domineering personality. Authors contributing to the magazine were well aware that crossing Han Qin could end their future with the publication.
When circumstances overpower principles, many abandon their moral baseline.
Having a friend with an exceptionally high moral standard is a blessing, but most people are ordinary, compromising for survival. Xiao Ni didn’t hold others to lofty standards. When they met again in court, she remained calm, while the female author testifying for Han Qin avoided her gaze.
Zheng Zhihe had already gathered evidence and arguments, attributing Xiao Ni’s dismissal to Han Qin’s vindictive retaliation.
“Workplace bullying caused my client significant emotional distress.”
Zheng Zhihe explained clearly: after Han Qin’s failed negotiations in Rongcheng, she took her frustration out on Xiao Ni, reassigning her to proofreading and dropping hints to intimidate her, fearing Xiao Ni would expose her scheme against Wen Ying.
To cover one mistake, Han Qin made another, falsely accusing Xiao Ni of accepting bribes, resulting in her termination!
“Here’s the recording as evidence.”
When Zheng Zhihe presented it, Han Qin glared at Xiao Ni, as if she could devour her.
A traitor, a snake, using sneaky recordings like Wen Ying!
Xiao Ni could guess Han Qin’s thoughts. Facing her furious stare, Xiao Ni remained unfazed: so what if she recorded? It was her and Xiao Yu’s tacit understanding.
Han Qin’s new lawyer, surnamed Bai, signaled her to stay calm.
In court, it’s not about who shouts loudest. Throwing tantrums won’t do; evidence rules.
Zheng Zhihe accused Han Qin of workplace bullying and malicious framing, but Lawyer Bai countered that Xiao Ni had betrayed them, leaking Han Qin’s bottom-line offer, causing the failed negotiation and significant losses for the magazine.
“After being sacked, the plaintiff, Ni Sisi, quickly joined Rongcheng Publishing Group. As we know, some of their business conflicts with my client’s magazine. The plaintiff’s actions led to my client’s failure to sign a bestselling author, costing the magazine dearly.”
Had Han Qin secured Wen Ying’s contract, the profits from Teen Idol, now earned by Rongcheng Literature Press, would have belonged to the magazine.
Lawyer Bai presented Teen Idol’s sales data: a bestseller reprinted with 400,000 copies a month after launch, involving massive profits, enough to tempt some to abandon professional ethics!
An employee like Ni Sisi, even without the bribery scandal, deserved dismissal for dereliction of duty.
Leaking a boss’s negotiation bottom line was misconduct, as was accepting bribes. In short, Ni Sisi’s character was flawed.
Lawyer Bai didn’t underestimate Zheng Zhihe despite his youth, focusing his attack on Xiao Ni.
Xiao Ni seemed honest, easier to target than Zheng Zhihe.
Lawyer Bai noted she was from Shandong Province, questioning why, after losing her job, she didn’t seek work locally but went to Rongcheng, far away.
“As far as I know, the plaintiff has no relatives in Rongcheng or Sichuan to rely on. A young woman in her early twenties, leaving home for Rongcheng, how was she so sure she’d be hired? Was there some deal, a promise made to her?”
Zheng Zhihe refuted this: “People need to eat. My client was fired; can’t she look for work? She joined Rongcheng Publishing Group quickly because of her professional competence. Having discovered a bestselling author, no publishing group would reject her CV!”
Lawyer Bai insisted Xiao Ni answer herself.
The honest Xiao Ni asked, in her earnest tone, “Have you been to Rongcheng?”
“A few times for business,” Bai replied.
“What kind of city do you think it is?” Xiao Ni asked.
Bai thought seriously and answered honestly, “A city with a slow pace of life.”
Xiao Ni glanced at Han Qin, “At Aige, I was happy at first, but working with Editor Han became stressful. After being fired, I wanted a new city, a new life, so I went to Rongcheng. Is that illegal?”
No law prohibits citizens from working elsewhere!
Not just another province, work abroad if the paperwork’s legal.
Xiao Ni said working with Han Qin was stressful, clear evidence of workplace bullying.
Lawyer Bai was outmaneuvered by the honest girl. Zheng Zhihe nearly laughed, couldn’t laugh, he was a professional lawyer, trained to stay composed no matter how funny!
Bai tried to press Xiao Ni further, but Zheng Zhihe objected.
“These questions are irrelevant to this trial!”
If Han Qin and the magazine suspected Xiao Ni of betrayal, they should file a separate lawsuit. Today, Xiao Ni was the plaintiff!
The initiative returned to Zheng Zhihe.
He presented a second piece of evidence.
“The bribery accusation is baseless. My client has a habit of keeping receipts.”
Zheng Zhihe was thrilled, casting an admiring glance at Xiao Ni, even in court.
Xiao Ni was gentle and meticulous, highly organised, with a habit of keeping receipts. Sending ejiao cakes to the author was early in her job; a new editor’s salary wasn’t high, and the cakes were a significant expense. She kept the receipt not for reimbursement but to track her spending.
“She bought the ejiao cakes with her own money to care for the author’s health. The author, touched, sent ginseng tea in return, a normal gesture of reciprocity!”
The cakes and tea were of comparable value.
Zheng Zhihe submitted the receipt as evidence. Lawyer Bai countered, “What kind of evidence is this? It’s a story. The plaintiff is free to work elsewhere and buy ejiao cakes. Our witness never received them.”
Bai used Xiao Ni’s own logic against Zheng Zhihe.
She could work where she wanted and buy what she wanted.
If the witness denied receiving the cakes, who’s to say Xiao Ni didn’t eat them herself?
Zheng Zhihe had physical evidence; Bai had a witness.
Physical evidence needs a logical chain; a witness speaks for themselves.
Xiao Ni’s gaze remained clear, without blame or pleading. The female author testifying for Han Qin couldn’t meet her eyes.
Bearing false witness pained the author.
Xiao Ni had cared for her, sent her ejiao cakes, yet she had to deny it in court.
