He was changing the nature of the crime.
Since he couldn't deny it, he was trying to play it to his favor; these words would lead to a lighter sentence.
Anyone with a law background would understand his intentions.
That might be the reason Mother Li refused to sue.
She was afraid of these powerful men who were well versed in manipulating the law as they knew who they had to find when circumstances called for it.
In the end, a huge incident might be brushed off due to lack of evidence.
That wasn't even the scariest, but rather for the female to be judged critically during the hearing.
For instance, they could blame her usual behavior, calling it inappropriate, or insist that she had accepted money since there were traces of money being involved.
As such, the victim would have turned into a willing seller — no mother would allow her daughter to endure these accusations.