Chapter 254: Called Research Investment, Actually Sugar‑Daddy Gifts

Jiang Lai never expected to see so many familiar faces in the courtroom, and even Luo Jiaai was there.

Next to Luo Jiaai sat a girl under twenty; when she asked, she learned she was Luo Jiaai's cousin, who had recently met a boy on a dating app, quickly confirmed the relationship, rushed into a romance, and even considered a flash marriage.

When her whole family wouldn't listen, Luo Jiaai decided to bring her cousin to the court to watch the proceedings: the morning was about reclaiming marital community property, and the afternoon featured a divorce lawsuit.

Luo Jiaai also didn't expect the morning plaintiff to be Jiang Lai, froze for a moment, and said to Jiang Lai, "Everything is going smoothly."

Jiang Lai nodded, "It will."

In the gallery sat many people: her elders, her friends, her colleagues, Doctor Chi who had helped her, and beside Doctor Chi sat Miss Fu.

Also present was Ke Zhongyu, who had shed his coat and vest, wearing only a snow‑white shirt.

His sculpted face, deep eyes, and innate aristocratic aura were not only instantly noticeable in the crowd but also exuded steadiness and reliability everywhere.

In a brief glance, Jiang Lai saw determination and trust in his eyes.

He firmly believed she could remain composed during the trial and personally win this contest for herself.

Jiang Lai withdrew her gaze.

The civil courtroom was solemn and dignified; the deep‑brown plaintiff and defendant benches were clearly delineated, and the seal shone brightly at the center.

On the plaintiff's side, Jiang Lai sat upright, her clean face showing no anger, only a steady resolve in her eyes.

Today she was here to demand justice for her marriage that had been trampled for four years.

On the defendant's side, Lin Shutong arrived fashionably late; as she sat down, Lin Fu, Lin Mu, and Gu Yinxue also took their seats in the gallery.

Originally no one from the Ji Family had arrived, but a minute before the session officially began, Ji Lao was ushered in by his driver, took a seat at the back, his expression solemn.

When Lin Shutong saw this, her pupils suddenly contracted, and even her delicate makeup couldn't hide her agitation.

On the right side of the defendant's bench sat Shen Xun, eyes lowered, unwilling to meet Jiang Lai's gaze; the former gentle courtesy had vanished, leaving only awkwardness and evasion.

"All rise!" the clerk's crisp voice broke the brief silence.

"Boom—" the gavel struck, the presiding judge sat with a solemn expression, his steady voice resonating through the courtroom as his gaze swept: "Court is now in session. Verifying parties' identities..."

After the identity check, the judge's gaze narrowed slightly and he formally began the inquiry: "Plaintiff, state your claims, facts, and reasons."

Under everyone's watch, Jiang Lai rose slowly, not leaning on Zhong Lü beside her, but constantly recalling Zhong Lü's admonition, her eyes fixed on the bench.

Her voice, clear and steady, rang through every corner of the courtroom.

"Presiding Judge, judges, I request: 1. To confirm that during the existence of my marriage with Shen Xun, his monthly transfers of three million yuan to defendant Lin Shutong under the name of 'research funding', as well as the subsequent gifts of property, cars, and precious jewelry after his return, are all invalid."

"2. Order defendant Lin Shutong to return in full all the aforementioned funds and assets, with Shen Xun bearing joint liability."

"3. Declare Shen Xun the principal wrongdoer, entitled to no share of the marital community property."

"4. The entire litigation cost of this case shall be borne by the two defendants."

She paused, her gaze shifting to the defendant's bench, showing neither anger nor a roar; the words that followed were as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"I have been married to Shen Xun for four years; we signed no prenup, and every earnings after marriage belong to our joint property. Apart from the three thousand yuan monthly allowance he gives me, my entire salary each month subsidizes the Shen family. Yet Shen Xun concealed from me that he repeatedly, in large sums, gifted our marital assets to an extramarital third party under the guise of 'private research investment', which in fact is sugar‑daddy gifting."

When Lin Shutong heard the words 'sugar‑daddy gifts', she nearly leapt up in fury; if not for the lawyer restraining her, she would have been charged with disrupting court order.

Jiang Lai ignored Shen Xun's pallid face and Lin Shutong's resentful stare, and continued to plead according to the script Zhong Lü had given her.

"He disposed of marital community property without authorization, gravely infringing my legal rights. Defendant Lin Shutong, knowing the funds lacked reasonable consideration and originated from marital assets, still maliciously accepted them; she is far from a bona‑fide third party."

"I am appealing to the court today seeking fairness, demanding that those who maliciously transfer assets and destroy a marriage pay the price they deserve."

When her words ended, the informed parties in the courtroom fell silent, while uninformed onlookers like Luo Jiaai were stunned, and whispers rippled around.

Three million a month to the mistress? Yet only three thousand to the legal spouse?

This is no longer a matter of ten or a hundred times, but a thousandfold!

Ridiculously exaggerated.

Utterly outrageous.

Luo Jiaai wants to see what kind of stunningly beautiful mistress could captivate a man into shelling out three million each month, not just annually.

"Silence," the judge's gaze shifted to the defendants, "Defendants, please answer the plaintiff's claims."

Lin Shutong immediately rose, forcing herself to stay calm, and retorted, "I am not a third party; Shen Xun and I are friends, in an investment partnership!"

"We have a written investment contract; those funds are research project expenses, the house and car are returns from project cooperation! I was unaware he was married, let alone that this was marital community property, and I have no obligation to return the full amount!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced at Shen Xun and instinctively lifted her hand to touch her own abdomen.

Shen Xun caught sight of the gesture, feeling deep remorse, lowered his eyes and said, "I acknowledge the investment relationship; the transfers were my personal investment decisions, unrelated to marital assets, please…"

His voice faltered: "Judge, please dismiss the plaintiff's request for property division."

Not dismissing would mean none of that money could be allocated from the original marital community property, leaving it all to Jiang Lai.

He had already liquidated assets, reduced to taking a taxi to the court, and his father urged him to consider his family.

Jiang Lai did not glance at Shen Xun, but stared at Lin Shutong, her mind swirling with every piece of evidence she had examined these past days.

"Friends? Not a third party? Just a partnership?" she retorted, "Then how do you explain the chat logs on your phones, the hotel records, the photos of embraces and kisses? And how do you explain your pregnancy report?"

Lin Shutong was startled—where had Jiang Lai obtained the pregnancy report?

Jiang Lai: "Based on the timeline in the pregnancy report, the conception occurred during the divorce cooling‑off period between me and Shen Xun, which still counts as the marriage's duration, unless the child in your womb is not Shen Xun's."

Lin Shutong was left speechless, her chest rising slightly.

Because that child is Shen Xun's; after returning, she had been intimate with only Shen Xun.

Lawyer Meng gave Lin Shutong a look.

Lin Shutong mentally ordered herself to stay calm, refusing to answer Jiang Lai's question, and continued to assert that the three‑million‑a‑month were investment funds, for which she had no obligation to return.

Jiang Lai countered, "Are you certain that all the three million monthly investment funds Shen Xun sent you were spent on research?"