"Regarding this case, officials from the Lusen City Political and Legal Affairs Committee have praised him, and the judiciary has called it a one-of-a-kind case!"
"From an accusation of intentional homicide, to a lesser charge of intentional injury at the second hearing, this lawyer ultimately orchestrated a complete reversal, securing a ’not guilty’ verdict on his own merits. The defendant, Wang Qiang, was released on the spot!"
"Legal experts claim that no more than three such cases occur nationwide each year!"
"After the trial, reporters from major newspapers swarmed the defense lawyer for interviews. During this time, they asked an extremely tricky question: why did he choose to take on a case that seemed impossible to win?"
"And the lawyer’s response gives one pause for thought!"
On the television screen,
the Lusen News anchor paused for a moment. Then, his crisp voice carried through the speakers, reaching every corner of Lusen City.
"He only said..."
"Professional ethics!"
The two words fell with sudden force.
At that moment,
everyone following the case seemed to be frozen in time, staring blankly at their television screens, unable to process what they had just heard.
After a long while...
As if waking from a trance, their eyes went wide with astonishment.
"A win? Wait, that case... the defendant won?!"
"Not guilty... Did I mishear, or is there a mistake in the news script? How could this hellish case possibly end with an acquittal?!"
"Didn’t the defendant kill someone? I sympathize with him, but shouldn’t he get some kind of sentence for killing someone? What’s this about being not guilty?!"
"The Political and Legal Affairs Committee gave high praise... What did that defense lawyer do? How did he even get the committee’s attention..."
"..."
In a daze, cries of shock erupted from every corner.
Most people only watched two news channels: Yanjing News and their local news.
The Li Family Village case had been reported on the local news before, so many people knew about it.
But most had followed it with a sense of pessimism.
After all, if you killed someone, there was a 99% chance you’d be convicted. Not to mention, with Hu Guang and Wang Wei handling the prosecution, a comeback was seen as nearly impossible.
But...
What do you mean, some unheard-of lawyer just took down Hu Guang and Wang Wei?
And what’s this about it being a one-of-a-kind case?!
"Are these two anchors drunk? Is the Lusen City TV station that lenient? They can broadcast while drunk?"
Someone who had been eating dinner stared blankly at the TV, the food in their mouth forgotten.
Suspicious, he reached for the remote and switched to another local news channel.
But as the channel changed, two new anchors appeared on screen, only...
"Why is the Li Family Village case being called a one-of-a-kind case?"
"On our show tonight, we’ve invited a professor from the Lusen University Law Department. Next, let’s have Professor Wu analyze this not guilty defense for us..."
"..."
Watching the other live news broadcast, the viewers fell into deep thought.
He hadn’t misheard.
It really was not guilty.
But unlike the simple shock of the television audience, the internet was already in a frenzy over the case!
On all the new social media platforms of 2002, everyone following the case saw the official news and the court’s announcement. The number of comments was skyrocketing at an astonishing pace!
[Spinach-Loving_Cat: I’m totally floored. Yesterday I was just thinking we should crowdfund a better lawyer for Wang Qiang’s second trial. How is he declared not guilty today?!]
[Flowing_Waterfall: Is fake news this rampant nowadays?]
[Buying_Used_Wives: Am I still dreaming? Since when did defense lawyers in Dongguo have any say in criminal trials?!]
[Big_Bro: Didn’t everyone turn this case down, forcing it into legal aid?]
[Im_Li_Hei: Wait, what do you mean, out of a pile of garbage legal aid lawyers, one just pops up who can go head-to-head with the prosecution? Is he even a legal aid lawyer anymore?!!!]
[Gonna_Tickle_Your_Feet: Secretary, you have three minutes. I want a complete file on this defense lawyer!]
[...]
The year 2002 was an era of wild growth for the internet, a time when various platforms were carving up territory and fighting for user traffic.
Usually, the trending topics were filled with celebrity gossip or entertainment news, but today...
A criminal trial had shot to the top of the trending lists on multiple platforms!
And that was all it took.
Netizens who had been bored late at night and about to fall asleep took one look, and were instantly wide awake, staring at their computer screens in shock.
They immediately began furiously tapping on their keyboards, engaging in heated discussions in the comment sections, and the topic’s popularity surged at a visible rate.
It couldn’t be helped.
No matter how you looked at it, this case shattered people’s perceptions. Especially that lawyer. People were simply dumbfounded.
The most popular comment came from a netizen who was utterly bewildered.
[Im_Not_A_Muggle: Can someone please explain to me... what do you mean the defense lawyer had to fight nine people in a murder trial?!]
[Im_Not_A_Muggle: And what do you mean he won?! And won a complete victory at that?!]
[Im_Not_A_Muggle: And what the FUCK do you mean he’s a legal aid lawyer? Are all the legal aid lawyers in Lusen City on this level?!!!]
...
「Inside Jinmao Law Firm.」
The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the anchor’s voice echoing softly from the screen.
"Finally, let us thank these lawyers who silently uphold their professional ethics."
"Next, we report on another piece of news. Recently..."
The anchor’s calm voice droned on.
In the office,
three figures were deathly still. It was as if they had been turned to stone, not making even the slightest movement.
Until...
"GULP~"
In a daze, Section Chief Jin, who had been staring fixedly at the screen, swallowed hard. As he came back to his senses, a look of utter horror filled his eyes.
He whipped his head around to look at Section Chief Zhang of the criminal division beside him.
The other man was also wide-eyed with shock, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Not... Not guilty?!"
Section Chief Zhang clutched his head as if he’d just heard an unbelievable fairy tale, muttering to himself in a state of existential crisis.
He was a veteran of the legal world.
He naturally knew how difficult the Li Family Village case was. And it was precisely because he knew, that he had previously guessed Xu De’s victory would mean Wang Qiang getting a sentence of five, or maybe three years. A more decisive win might have been a suspended sentence.
This wasn’t him being conservative or looking down on anyone.
It was simply the reality of the judicial environment. The quality of a verdict often depended entirely on the judge’s personal attitude.
But he had never, ever expected...
"How could it be not guilty?!"
Section Chief Zhang held his head, racking his brains, but he couldn’t figure out what had happened.
Putting everything else aside,
just the letter of forgiveness and the settlement agreement mentioned in the news—he had no idea how Xu De had managed to get Li Youcai and Liu Cui to sign them!
"Wait a minute..."
Section Chief Zhang and Section Chief Jin suddenly came to their senses. They collected their thoughts, and their expressions turned grim.
They were starting to get angry now.
A lawyer like Xu De... if he had stayed at the firm, and if he could maintain even half of his current ability, and if they had built a good relationship with him, the resources that would have dripped from his fingers would have been enough to make them rich. But he had been driven away by that idiot Sun Hao...
Was it just Xu De who was driven away?
No, it was their futures! And if it was like this for them, what about for Director Han, the owner of the law firm...
The two men paused and subconsciously turned to look at Director Han.
And Director Han, at this moment...
"CRACK!"
A crisp sound came from his hand. It was the sound of a pen being snapped in two.
Director Han’s expression was darker than thunder. The fury in his eyes seemed to solidify as his chest heaved violently, his teeth ready to shatter from clenching them so hard.
"Director..." Section Chief Jin swallowed.
"Sun Hao... where is he?"
Director Han’s voice was a low growl.
"He’s... on sick leave." Section Chief Jin’s mouth twitched.
"Until when?"
"Tomorrow morning."
’Tomorrow morning, is it...’
Director Han’s eyes became bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms. His face turned crimson, his expression growing more and more savage as he could no longer contain his rage.
"CRACK!"
The broken pen pierced his palm, and blood mixed with ink dripped out, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.
"Tell him to get his ass over here and see me!!!"