Lin Yue

Biodata

Background and History

Lin Yue studied law from childhood and graduated from Waterwood University. Her father, Lin Guodong, is a law professor; she lives with him and her mother, Su Xin, at a Taoist temple where he sought peace amid mental-health difficulties. Despite her playful temple-inspired introduction to Xu De, she is not a Taoist priest 11 14 16.

She first meets Xu De while trying to feed a scavenging child who repeatedly avoids her. Xu gets the child to accept food by making his motives seem less mysterious, an approach that surprises her. When Xu evades her question about his name, she responds with a deliberately extravagant title of her own 4.

As Wang Mei’s lawyer, Lin Yue wins a ruling granting the mother custody of Li Yang. The ruling does not immediately bring him home: Li Youcai and Liu Cui retain physical control of the child and try to use Wang Qiang’s criminal case to force Wang Mei to surrender custody. Lin Yue initially sees exchanging custody for a letter of forgiveness as the safest way to reduce the danger to Wang Qiang 10 12 13 15.

Xu De instead proposes bringing Li Yang to Wang Mei and using the grandparents’ loss of leverage to change the negotiations. Lin Yue challenges both the plan’s legality and its risks, checks Xu’s written reasoning against the law, and asks her father to review it. Though still uneasy, she joins the nighttime trip to Li Family Village with Xu and Wang Chao. They bring Li Yang back to Wang Mei 18 21 31 32.

After reviewing Xu’s preparations for Wang Qiang’s resumed hearing, Lin Yue agrees to join the law firm he proposes founding with her and Wang Chao. She later watches the hearing from the gallery as Xu contests the prosecution’s account 40 42 44 49.

Appearance

Lin Yue is described as a striking young woman with willow-leaf brows, red lips, clear eyes, and pale skin 4.

• She initially wears her hair in a bun secured with a hairpin, a style Xu De mistakes for a Taoist priest’s 4.
• For Wang Mei’s custody hearing, she wears a black professional suit and ties her hair in a ponytail 10.
• She wears a coat and scarf against the cold when leaving Jinmao Law Firm 19.

Personality

Lin Yue is compassionate but cautious. She tries to help the scavenging child and takes Wang Mei’s custody fight seriously, yet refuses to treat Xu De’s confidence as proof that his plans are safe. She repeatedly tests his arguments and worries about the consequences for both the family and her own legal career 4 12 18 21 31.

She is also independent and persistent: after failing to find a flaw in Xu’s custody argument, she seeks her father’s judgment rather than dismissing the question. Her playful side appears in the grand title she invents on meeting Xu, though his habit of repeating it embarrasses her 4 11 21.

Abilities & Skills

Family-law representation

• Wins a ruling awarding Wang Mei custody of Li Yang 10.
• Recognizes that a favorable ruling alone may be difficult to enforce quickly while the grandparents refuse to hand him over 13 15.

Legal analysis

• Identifies possible trafficking and abduction objections to Xu De’s plan to retrieve Li Yang 18.
• Studies the relevant law and obtains an independent review from her father before participating 20 21.
• Assesses the sharply different outcomes possible in Wang Qiang’s criminal case, while acknowledging that she cannot confidently conduct his defense herself 12.

Case coordination

• Finds the helpers Xu De requests for the trip to Li Family Village and accompanies the group despite fearing a confrontation with villagers 30 31.
• Continues the trip after falling and injuring herself on the village’s rough road 32.

Relationships

• Xu De — Fellow lawyer and collaborator. She questions his methods, helps carry out the plan to reunite Wang Mei with Li Yang, and agrees to become his prospective law-firm partner 18 32 40.
• Wang Mei — Custody client. Lin Yue wins her custody ruling and helps bring her son home 10 21 32.
• Wang Chao — Acquaintance whom she recruits to help retrieve Li Yang; he later joins her and Xu De in their proposed firm 19 31 40.
• Lin Guodong — Father and law professor. She asks him to scrutinize Xu De’s analysis of the custody plan 20 21.
• Su Xin — Mother, who encourages Lin Guodong to offer their daughter legal guidance 16 20.