<h4>Chapter 869: The First ount</h4>
<strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi’s morale in court was so strong that it was extremely mesmerizing to watch her. Gu Yanran, however, was so traumatized that she was akin to a little animal hanging on for dear life.
Usually, for any other person, after being attacked and exposed so continuously like that, they would already be on the verge of giving up. However, Gu Nianzhi brought up the topic of what Gu Yanran cared about the most—the inheritance.
The moment Gu Nianzhi brought up the topic of inheritance, Gu Yanran braced herself once more and felt as ready as ever to take Gu Nianzhi on again. She could give up on everything except for the inheritance! That money was hers! Hers!
For those who did not go through those tough times when they were young, they would never understand her obsession with wealth.
Gu Yanran sat up straight, and her eyes cleared. She red at Gu Nianzhi and gritted her teeth. “Of course it is aplete list. Why? Lawyer Gu is unhappy with it? It was less than you had expected it to be? Sadly, I apologize. The Gus are not as wealthy as you think we are.” She made it sound as though snatching the inheritance was the only thing that Gu Nianzhi cared about.
Gu Nianzhi calmed down as well. “Oh, really? This... is really all of the Gu family’s inheritance? These are also all the resources that you, Gu Yanran, have been using?” Gu Nianzhi ced the inheritance list that Gu Yanran had submitted onto the defendant’s stand in front of Gu Yanran. “Look carefully again. There are some digits and a total at the back. I left the family when I was 12, so of course I would not know how much inheritance there was in the family. However, you should know very well, shouldn’t you?”
Gu Yanran’s eyshes batted. She looked at Gu Nianzhi, and the sparkle in her eyes vanished. “Left the family when you were 12? Ha ha... Yeah...” She looked at Gu Nianzhi like she had never seen her before. Her expression wasplicated.
It was like she felt evillyforted but also looked afraid of seeing Gu Nianzhi again.
Gu Nianzhi felt uneasy being looked at by Gu Yanran like that. She tilted her head to the side and did not look at Gu Yanran again. She asked calmly, “Isn’t that the case? Or are you making up stories again? If you are, please make them more convincing. Consider the time, location, and people involved. Do not only make up stories that seem to benefit you and forget about the rest of the characters that were supposed to be in your story.”
Gu Yanran chuckled. She looked straight ahead and stood up behind the defendant’s stand. She leaned forward and waved to Gu Nianzhi. “Lawyer Gu, do you think that you have any right to fight for the inheritance with me?”
Gu Nianzhi turned around and raised her beautiful brows. “Thew states that I have the right to fight. So whatever you or I think does not matter.”
“Really?” Gu Yanran stared at Gu Nianzhi’s face, like she was trying to drill a hole in it with her eyes. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Be content. Splitting this inheritance with you equally is already my biggest way of giving in. I feel so apologetic towards mother and father, as I had to give half of their inheritance to someone who is not from the family. However, in order to appease everyone and not let father be sad, I am willing to part with half of the inheritance. Gu Nianzhi, you are still not content?”
Gu Nianzhi’s full lips curled into a seductive smile. However, the moment she spoke, it went straight through Gu Yanran’s heart like a spear. “You said it like you have all the rights to the family’s inheritance. Gu Yanran, have you forgotten why we are here fighting the inheritancewsuit?”
Gu Yanran’s eyes narrowed immediately. “If not me, then you?! Dream on!”
“Well, I am not dreaming. I am fighting awsuit to get the court to decide how much inheritance I should be getting.” Gu Nianzhi did not feel like beating about the bush and wasting time with Gu Yanran anymore. She walked back to the intiff’s stand and produced a thick stack of documents. Turning to the judge with the documents, she asked, “Your Honor, may I borrow the projector in this courtroom, please?”
The judge made a wave to signal to the bailiff to help Gu Nianzhi set up the projector.
Gu Nianzhi looked at everyone in the courtroom before her gaze finallynded on Gu Yanran. “Defendant Gu Yanran, I have confirmed with you that the inheritance list that you submitted was everything that the Gu family has. ording to this plete list’ of assets, you listed that the inheritance included 11 bank ounts, 23 investment ounts, 45 properties, 103 antiques, 257 patents, and a total of 40 rented safe deposit boxes in different banks.”
Compared to the list that Ye Xuan had provided, the number of bank ounts, investment ounts, properties, antiques, and safe deposit boxes was two-thirds less than what was on Gu Yanran’s list. The number of patents was urate though, other than the ones that had already been sold. However, the biggest discrepancy was that the list Gu Yanran had provided did not mention anything about the investmentpany in the Cayman Inds.
Gu Yanran still nodded unwillingly. “This is already a lot. I don’t know why you are still so greedy...”
Gu Nianzhi almostughed out loud at Gu Yanran’s tone. She was really doing a great job pretending to be innocent. When it came to being greedy, who could surpass Gu Yanran?!
She gave the inheritance list to Gu Yanran and said, “There is your signature here. It’s real, isn’t it?”
Gu Yanran took a look. “It is my signature. If you do not believe it, you are free to go to the banks and investors to confirm it.”
Gu Nianzhi smiled. “I do not have to confirm it. Let’s just assume that they are real.”
“They are.” Gu Yanran, who had always cared about her appearance, rolled her eyes. “Why should I lie to you?”
Gu Nianzhi opened an excel file in theputer. She listed all the things on the inheritance inventory that Gu Yanran had included. There was also another column at the back of each categorybeled “Net Profit Then.”
Everyone in court looked at the form filled with numbers and shivered. They did not know what Gu Nianzhi had in mind to attack Gu Yanran with again...
Gu Yanran’s brows furrowed as well. “What do you mean by this?”
“Nothing much, just trying to calcte something for you.” Gu Nianzhi picked up aser pointer and pointed at the excel sheet on the projector and began analyzing. “ording to the inheritance list that was provided by defendant Gu Yanran, I calcted some ounts for her. The ‘Net Profit Then’ over here behind each category is calcted based on the interest rates that the banks have publicized and the profit made by the investmentpanies.
“Eleven bank ounts. The total amount is 25 million US dors. The total annual interest would then add up to one million US dors.
“Twenty three investment ounts. Each year’s profit was calcted ording to the annual performance report by eachpany. They all add up to one and a half million US dors.
“If the antiques are not sold, there will be no profit. The patents would be worth the most. Each year, the patents bring in 30 million US dors. However, ording to my father, Gu Xiangwen’s agreement, these profits from patents are not to be used yet. Therefore, the money could only be ced into funds to be used in investments, and these funds cannot be recorded as annual profit.”
Gu Nianzhi paused and waited for everyone to understand the information before continuing. “Therefore, ording to the amount that the defendant, Gu Yanran, provided, the amount that the inheritance could provide per year for spending was only four and a half million US dors.”
“Only four and a half million US dors? Gu Nianzhi, how proud must you be to talk like that? How much do you even make a year? And you think four and a half million US dors a year is so little?” Gu Yanran burst outughing and had a look of contempt on her face.
“An annual ie of four and a half million US dors would definitely be a lot for an average family. However, for you, the most wealthydy in Barbados, would it even be close to enough for you per year?” Gu Nianzhi turned the tables around, and her tone became sharp and firm. “Let us look at the most wealthydy in Barbados, defendant Gu Yanran’s annual expenditures.”
Gu Nianzhi disyed another excel sheet on the projector. “Please take a look, everyone. The most wealthydy in Barbados, Miss Gu Yanran, would spend at least one million US dors on fashion, luxury bags, shoes, skincare products, and makeup annually.
“If we were to include the money that you spent on jewelry and luxury cars, it would be close to three million US dors. On top of that, Miss Gu Yanran has her very own fleet of employees—her personal consultant, helpers, housekeeper, and team of bodyguards. These would cost the most. The sry that you have given them annually is almost three million US dors annually as well. Which means you are already spending six million US dors a year.
“Following that, let us look at your annual donations, party organizations, and gifts to political figures. Then, there is still the mansion’s maintenance and upkeep, the sries of professionals includingwyers, ountants, hairdressers, makeup artists, and fashion designers. Those would be a minimum of four million US dors a year.”
Gu Yanran turned pale again. Her fingers began to tremble. Her voice did not sound as strong anymore. “How did you get all this insider’s information?!”
“Insider’s information?” Gu Nianzhi tilted her head. “I got all this credit card information from the three biggest credit cardpanies in Europe and America. I have the statements from the banks, too. As long as I have a letter from the court, these organizations are more than happy to cooperate with me.”
Of course, Ye Xuan provided the credit card and bank statement information. Gu Yanran’s annual expenditures were also one of Ye Xuan’s main job scopes when he was in charge of the family’s finances.
“I shall not touch on the fact that you give some people money illegally. We will just look at the normal expenditures. Your annual spending has already exceeded ten million US dors.” Gu Nianzhi turned around and went to the defendant’s stand where Gu Yanran was sitting.
“Tell me, ording to the list that you have provided, where the annual ie is only four and a half million US dors, how was that amount able to support your expenditure of ten million US dors a year?!”
Gu Yanran’s eyes sparkled, and she tried to bluff her way through. “You have seen it. I am living in the negative. My savings has already been depleted...”
“Yeah, an expenditure of 70 million in seven years, but the savings ount that you provided only contained 25 million. Even if you were to spend all the savings, it would not be able to sustain your seven years of expenditures.” Gu Nianzhi knocked on the defendant’s stand. “I shall be nice and leave the sky high gifting and donations alone. No matter how we calcte it, the inheritance list that you have provided does not jibe with your expenditures to a huge extent.”
Gu Nianzhi estimated the amount on the inheritance list that Gu Yanran had provided based on how Gu Yanran liked things to be. She liked things to be royal and grand, and liked making herself look important. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi was able to estimate these amounts. Then, shepared the amount from the inheritance list, and it was obvious that there would be a huge discrepancy between the amount of inheritance and her spending. With that, she asked, “Where did your moneye from?!”
“Why should you care where my moneye from?” Gu Yanran still tried to be stubborn about it.
“If you are unable to let us know where the huge discrepancy between the inheritance and your expenditure came from, it will mean that you areundering money.” Gu Nianzhi looked at Gu Yanran seriously and smiled. “Compared to hiding your inheritance, moneyundering is categorized as a major crime in all countries. If your case is too severe, you could be sentenced to death.”