"Return it to the other party?"

After hearing this, Chen Ping's face turned incredibly grim. He trembled with rage.

He had never expected his brother-in-law... to actually have gone behind his back and truly claimed the lottery prize! Now that the lottery ticket was implicated in a dispute, if it hadn't been claimed, everything would be easier to deal with. Even if he were to lose the lawsuit... according to the court's decision, the worst outcome would be to return the first-prize lottery ticket to Qin Mu. But if Xie Lianqing had rashly claimed it... then the nature of the matter would be drastically different, potentially implicating criminal offenses. At the very least, the criminal act was now fully established! If the other party wasn't willing to let this go, they could sue them into oblivion!

"Call him immediately!" he clenched his teeth and almost roared.

Xie Lili was startled, not understanding why her husband was so infuriated. Still, she hurriedly picked up her phone and called Xie Lianqing.

"Hello? Sis, don't worry. I've already cashed the money. After paying 20% in taxes, I netted 5.6 million. It's the first time I've ever held so much money."

"I'm coming back now; let's discuss how to distribute it..."

Over the phone, Xie Lianqing's voice brimmed with joy; he was extremely excited.

But upon hearing this, Chen Ping's face turned ashen. He wished he could smack his brother-in-law right then and there.

"Get your ass back here now!" he snatched the phone, furious beyond containment, and bellowed.

He then hung up directly.

Now that the prize money had been claimed and the taxes paid, returning it was undoubtedly impossible! And the crime had been established.

"Is it really that serious?" Xie Lili asked cautiously, looking at her husband's reaction.

"Serious?" Chen Ping sneered. "Looking at it now, your brother is beyond saving! The crime is indisputable."

Fortunately... he wasn't the one who had cashed the first-prize ticket. If the other party really wanted to pursue criminal liability, at most he could be considered as having attempted the crime. He could hope for a reduced sentence, or possibly even avoid punishment. But Xie Lianqing, who carried out the entire act... he would bear the heavy burden of being the 'principal offender' for a 'completed offense.'

"Ah?" Xie Lili's eyes widened upon hearing this. She quickly asked, "What if we return the money to Qin Mu?"

After his anger subsided, Chen Ping sighed and shook his head. "It's no use. Even if we return it to him, it wouldn't count as discontinuing the crime. At most, it could be considered a display of remorse, meriting a lighter punishment. The law is a place where logic matters. After assaulting someone, besides compensating for medical expenses, one still has to face criminal liability."

Then, he looked earnestly at Xie Lili and asked, "If both your brother and I were to go to jail, and you could only save one, who would you choose?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Lili was dumbstruck.

The question felt familiar, yet she couldn't bring herself to answer at that moment. One was her biological brother, from the same parents. The other was her husband. Faced with such a choice, she truly didn't know whom to pick.

"Can... can I save both?" she swallowed hard and asked tentatively.

"No, you can only save one!" Chen Ping stated coldly. He had completely lost hope in Xie Lianqing. If Xie Lianqing hadn't acted on his own, he wouldn't be in this predicament.

"I... I... I..." Realizing the gravity of the situation, Xie Lili was so terrified she stumbled over her words, on the verge of tears.

BRRRING—

Just then, Chen Ping's phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed it was the head of a small department at the provincial lottery center.

"Hello, is this Chen Ping?"

"Congratulations, your lottery outlet sold a first-prize ticket! We've arranged for TV stations, newspapers, and some new media outlets to give you a spotlight interview and a special feature."

"When are you and the prize winner available?"

"Hello? Hello? Are you still listening?"

Chen Ping gripped his phone, his recently calmed composure shattering. It never rains but it pours. At this moment... how could he dare accept an interview? Wouldn't that be the same as telling Qin Mu and the prosecutor's office that he had embezzled the first-prize lottery ticket? Before, he certainly would have accepted with pleasure. But now...

He could only clench his teeth and tell the caller that he had some personal matters to resolve and asked them to postpone the interview.

After hanging up, he took a deep breath and dialed Zhang Wei's number again.

...

「Meanwhile, at the law firm.」

Zhang Wei frowned as he saw the second call from Chen Ping. He had just turned down the man's request for representation. Unexpectedly, just over an hour later, he was calling again.

"Hello? Junior, it's not that I don't want to help you, but civil litigation really isn't my specialty."

After answering the call, he still declined politely. All these years... he had primarily handled criminal cases. He had hardly ever taken on civil representation. His understanding of civil matters definitely couldn't compare to lawyers specializing in civil litigation. He didn't want to mislead his junior.

However, on the other end of the line, Chen Ping gave a bitter laugh. "Actually, Senior, my case... might involve some criminal risk. How about this: I'll come to your firm now and explain in detail."

After a brief exchange, Zhang Wei sent over his law firm's address.

An hour later, Chen Ping rushed to the law firm. With some hesitation and internal conflict, he told Zhang Wei the entire story of the case from beginning to end.

At this point, he had completely run out of ideas and could only trust the lawyer.

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