Chapter Summaries

After the judgments in Chen Bin’s case and the Wandai Co., Ltd. lawsuit were announced, Wang Li rushed to White Jun Law Firm to ask Su Bai to defend Zhang Tongwei, who had been detained for more than forty days over an accusation of forced sex. Su Bai began seeking details, concerned that the case’s circumstances seemed suspicious.

• The authorities announced that Xie Liang received five years and six months in prison, Liang Xingyuan received a combined seven-year sentence, and participating Wandai Company offenders received sentences of one to three years.
• Su Bai reflected that Chen Bin’s case was over, then received an urgent call from Wang Li about Zhang Tongwei.
• Wang Li told Su Bai that Zhang Tongwei’s fiancée had demanded a share of his premarital assets, then accused him of forcing sex after he refused.
• Wang Li said Zhang Tongwei had been held in custody for roughly forty-three to forty-five days, and Su Bai noted that this exceeded the usual thirty-seven-day period before an arrest approval decision.
• Su Bai reassured Wang Li and began asking about the case, suspecting that something was abnormal about the accusation.

Su Bai investigated Zhang Tongwei’s fiancée Xiao Lili’s accusation that he had forced her into illicit sexual relations and heard how she had demanded money and property before reporting him. After meeting Zhang Tongwei’s father, Su Bai agreed to represent him, though the case’s exact evidence remained unknown.

• Wang Li told Su Bai he believed Zhang Tongwei would never force a woman and said Xiao Lili had sought money from Zhang Tongwei’s family.
• Su Bai explained the case to Li Xuezhen and cautioned her to focus on evidence rather than a client’s account.
• Su Bai, Li Xuezhen, and Wang Li visited Zhang He, who described how Xiao Lili had demanded ownership of the family’s three apartments and 300,000 in cash before reporting Zhang Tongwei.
• Zhang He said Xiao Lili’s family threatened to withhold forgiveness and take Zhang Tongwei to court unless they received the money and property.
• Su Bai reassured Zhang He that Zhang Tongwei was unlikely to face serious consequences without conclusive evidence and agreed to represent him.

Su Bai investigated Zhang Tongwei’s case, rejected mediation and a letter of forgiveness, and prepared to argue for acquittal. As the hearing began, Xiao Lili expected Zhang Tongwei to be convicted and hoped to demand an apartment from him.

• Su Bai questioned Zhang Tongwei in the detention center and learned that Xiao Lili had threatened to accuse him during sex, while Zhang Tongwei said he had not taken her words seriously.
• Su Bai told Zhang Tongwei to explain his account clearly at trial and asked Li Xuezhen to investigate the Southern Capital DC District Court’s connections and safeguards.
• Su Bai refused the court’s offer to mediate because he believed a letter of forgiveness would only reduce Zhang Tongwei’s sentence, not secure an acquittal.
• Li Xuezhen reported that the court could assign a new judge to ensure fairness, and Su Bai began preparing for trial.
• Xiao Lili and her mother planned to attend the hearing and demand an apartment if Zhang Tongwei sought their forgiveness, while Xiao Lili expected him to be convicted.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen entered the courtroom with Zhang Tongwei as Xiao Lili watched them, confident that the case would go her way.

At Zhang Tongwei’s rape trial, the complainant’s lawyer demanded a harsher sentence and 200,000 yuan in compensation, while defense attorney Su Bai challenged the evidence and questioned why Xiao Lili’s mother had secretly recorded Zhang. The hearing left those questions unresolved, and Su Bai warned the complainant’s lawyer that speaking for Xiao Lili could expose her to legal responsibility.

• Prosecutor Zhou Ran argued that Zhang Tongwei had forced Xiao Lili to have sex and recommended a three-year prison sentence.
• Legal aid lawyer Chen Le challenged the recommended sentence and demanded 200,000 yuan in compensation for Xiao Lili.
• Su Bai entered a plea of innocence, questioned the recording made by Dong Zhu, and asked why Xiao Lili had reported Zhang after they had previously had sex multiple times.
• Presiding Judge Li Yongchun summarized the established facts, including that Zhang and Xiao Lili were engaged and that she had shown unhappiness during sex.
• Chen Le defended Dong Zhu’s recording and Xiao Lili’s right to refuse sex, then accused the defense of disrespecting women’s rights.
• Su Bai warned Chen Le that speaking for Xiao Lili could make her legally responsible if the testimony was recanted, but Chen Le remained confident Xiao Lili would not lie.

At Zhang Tongwei’s trial, Su Bai questioned him about his encounter with Xiao Lili and challenged the prosecution’s recording as unlawfully obtained evidence. The hearing ended with Chen Le arguing that Xiao Lili’s accusation proved she had not consented, drawing disapproval from the courtroom.

• Su Bai asked Zhang Tongwei to describe the evening with Xiao Lili, and Zhang said she had invited him over, hinted at sex, then verbally refused while he continued without using violence or threats.
• Su Bai requested playback of Dong Zhu’s recording of her questioning Zhang, in which Zhang admitted Xiao Lili had said she did not want sex but denied forcing her.
• Su Bai asked Xiao Lili and Dong Zhu to respond about force and the undisclosed recorder, but both remained silent.
• Su Bai argued that the recording violated Zhang’s privacy and that the prosecution should withdraw its accusation because he had used no violence or threats.
• Chen Le countered that Xiao Lili’s refusal meant Zhang knew she did not consent, then cited her decision to bring him to court as evidence of her wishes.
• The presiding judge and others frowned at Chen Le’s argument about Xiao Lili staking her chastity on the accusation, and Su Bai chose not to respond.

Su Bai argued that Xiao Lili’s accusation against Zhang Tongwei was motivated by a dispute over property, while the court excluded Dong Zhu’s covert recording and found the evidence insufficient. Zhang Tongwei was acquitted, and Su Bai turned his attention toward investigating possible false litigation and fraud.

• Presiding Judge Li Yongchun ruled that Dong Zhu’s recording was inadmissible because it had been made without Zhang Tongwei’s consent and concerned his privacy.
• Xiao Lili testified that she had verbally refused Zhang Tongwei but had not resisted physically or provided evidence of threats, violence, or injury; Chen Le argued that she had feared his reaction.
• Su Bai challenged Chen Le’s claim that Xiao Lili had no reason to accuse Zhang Tongwei and argued that her actions and her family’s compensation demands were tied to his property.
• During deliberations, Duan Lanlan and Zhang Qi said the evidence did not support conviction, and the panel agreed to acquit Zhang Tongwei.
• The court ruled that Xiao Lili had acted voluntarily, excluded Dong Zhu’s recording, dismissed the prosecution’s case and Xiao Lili’s compensation claim, and acquitted Zhang Tongwei.
• Chen Le reassured Xiao Lili that she could appeal, while Su Bai considered investigating possible false litigation and fraud.

After securing convictions in Xiao Lili’s fraud case, Su Bai accepted a new high-profile case involving Dongbo’s alleged piracy and improper videos, focusing on a defense for its boss, Wang Bo. The chapter ended with Su Bai reviewing evidence and preparing for trial.

• Su Bai gave Zhang Tongwei documents to help him file a case against Xiao Lili, and an investigation found she had defrauded several men through marriage.
• At trial, Xiao Lili pleaded guilty, Dong Zhu received seven years and six months in prison, Xiao Lili received six years, and Chen Le received a suspended sentence and lost her lawyer’s license.
• Su Bai declined Wang Li and Zhang Tongwei’s invitations to celebrate and began handling Dongbo’s case after Sun Han retained him to seek a reduced sentence for her husband, Wang Bo.
• Su Bai asked Li Xuezhen to test Dongbo’s media player, then met Wang Bo once to gather information and review issues before the trial.

At Wang Bo’s trial, Su Bai argued that Dongbo’s media-player functions did not prove intentional distribution of obscene material. He challenged the prosecution’s evidence and reasoning, leaving Prosecutor Shen Xiang unable to answer as the trial continued.

• After the court set Wang Bo’s trial date, Su Bai and Li Xuezhen prepared to defend him at the Upper Capital Intermediate Court.
• Prosecutor Shen Xiang presented evidence that Dongbo stored and distributed large quantities of obscene videos, then sought a sentence of more than ten years for Wang Bo.
• Su Bai argued that Dongbo merely cached content users chose to play and that Wang Bo lacked the intent required for the charged offense.
• Wang Bo admitted he knew users watched obscene videos on Dongbo, but said the company could not control users’ choices.
• Su Bai questioned expert witness Zhang Yu about how he classified the server videos, then compared Dongbo to decompression software that could also play obscene videos.
• Su Bai asked whether the prosecution’s reasoning would make the people responsible for all media players criminally liable, and Shen Xiang fell silent.

During Wang Bo’s trial, Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s incomplete chain of evidence and argued that Dongbo’s distribution of obscene videos did not prove Wang Bo acted intentionally or for profit. The judge asked the prosecution to supplement its case, leaving the trial unresolved.

• Shen Xiang’s questions about Dongbo’s distribution drew attention to other video-player companies and sparked debate among livestream viewers.
• Wang Bo testified that he learned of the obscene videos six months earlier and used staff reviews and software detection to remove them, but could not prevent every instance.
• Shen Xiang argued that Wang Bo knowingly failed to supervise Dongbo and asked the presiding judge to make a determination.
• Su Bai objected, pointing out that the prosecution had not established a profit-making purpose or completed the chain of evidence.
• Presiding Judge Yang Yaodong summarized the parties’ positions and invited Su Bai to explain the evidentiary gaps before Shen Xiang supplemented the prosecution’s case.

Su Bai challenged Presiding Judge Yang Yaodong for asking questions that favored the prosecution, prompting an adjournment while the collegial panel reviewed the arguments. When the hearing resumed, Shen Xiang argued that Dongbo indirectly profited from obscene videos by attracting users who watched its advertisements.

• Yang Yaodong questioned Su Bai about Wang Bo’s responsibility and motive for creating Dongbo, and Su Bai argued that Dongbo earned advertising revenue rather than profits from obscene material.
• Su Bai accused Yang Yaodong’s question of being subjective and targeted, requested that it be disallowed, and rejected the presiding judge’s view.
• Yang Yaodong adjourned the hearing for half an hour, then discussed the case with Song Keren and Xiao Dong in the collegial panel’s discussion room.
• After the hearing resumed, Yang Yaodong asked the prosecution to respond to the defense’s two arguments.
• Shen Xiang argued that Dongbo attracted users seeking obscene videos and then profited from their viewing advertisements, creating an indirect connection between the videos and its advertising revenue.

During Wang Bo’s trial, Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s claim that Dongbo attracted users by distributing obscene videos, arguing that users chose it for its playback technology. The dispute stalled over the lack of evidence, until Shen Xiang submitted testimony from Dongbo’s market supervision supervisor that appeared to support the prosecution’s case.

• Shen Xiang argued that Dongbo’s ad revenue was indirectly linked to its suspected distribution of obscene videos, establishing a profit motive.
• Su Bai questioned Shen Xiang and argued that Dongbo attracted users with its fast searches and high-quality playback rather than by distributing obscene videos.
• Yang Yaodong asked Wang Bo to explain Dongbo’s technology, while the defense rejected the claim that users commonly knew Dongbo disseminated obscene videos because the prosecution had shown no evidence.
• Yang Yaodong asked Shen Xiang whether the prosecution had evidence to answer the defense’s argument.
• Shen Xiang presented testimony from Dongbo’s market supervision supervisor stating that users liked using the company’s software to watch short videos, and Yang Yaodong regarded it as support for the prosecution’s claim.

The court found that Dongbo had primarily attracted users by distributing obscene videos, while the prosecution and defense argued over whether Wang Bo knowingly allowed the distribution through inadequate oversight. The chapter ended as Su Bai awaited the presiding judge’s decision and Li Xuezhen noted that the Supervisory Department was just over an hour away.

• Yang Yaodong ruled that Dongbo primarily attracted users by distributing obscene videos, and both Shen Xiang and Su Bai raised no objection.
• A Xuanteng executive told President Liu that Dongbo was unlikely to recover, and Liu asked to hear how many years Wang Bo would receive.
• Shen Xiang argued that Dongbo’s shortage of reviewers and inadequate monitoring showed that Wang Bo had allowed obscene materials to circulate.
• Su Bai countered that the prosecution had not proved Wang Bo’s intent, and Wang Bo said staffing costs and technical limits explained the inadequate oversight.
• Shen Xiang asked Yang Yaodong to determine Wang Bo’s intent based on circumstantial evidence, while Su Bai challenged the request as contrary to the presumption of innocence.
• Li Xuezhen quietly told Su Bai that the Shangdu Intermediate Court was an hour and eight minutes from the Supervisory Department.

At Wang Bo’s trial, Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s demand that Wang Bo prove his innocence, and the court later found the evidence insufficient to convict him. The first-instance proceedings ended with Wang Bo acquitted, while Su Bai and Li Xuezhen left without filing for supervisory review.

• Su Bai argued that the prosecution’s request violated the presumption of innocence, and the court adjourned until the afternoon.
• During the lunch break, Yang Yaodong discussed the evidence with Song Keren and Xiao Dong, who opposed using the reviewers’ statements to prove Wang Bo’s intent.
• Li Lin criticized Shen Xiang for arguing that Wang Bo should prove his innocence, and Shen Xiang acknowledged that the chain of evidence was incomplete.
• At the resumed hearing, Shen Xiang gave a brief statement, while Wang Bo apologized for Dongbo’s harmful impact and said he would respect the court’s verdict.
• Yang Yaodong ruled that the evidence did not establish Wang Bo’s intent to knowingly allow the distribution of obscene materials and found him not guilty.
• Li Xuezhen was disappointed that the court had not convicted Wang Bo, and Yang Yaodong left after giving Su Bai a long look.

After Wang Bo’s acquittal, online accusations of misconduct prompted an investigation, while Su Bai expanded White Jun Law Firm and reassured Li Xuezhen she could become a lawyer and remain his assistant. The chapter ended with Li Xuezhen hearing that a man had been arrested in another province for allegedly spreading rumors about a company and suspecting an abuse of power.

• Yang Yaodong delivered a not-guilty verdict for Wang Bo, and Shen Xiang proposed protesting it despite lacking new evidence to complete the chain of evidence.
• Online discussions turned against the prosecutors and court, and netizens uncovered allegations that Yang Yaodong had accepted money and property, prompting an investigation by authorities in Upper Capital.
• Wang Bo and Sun Han thanked Su Bai, paid his legal fees, and arranged for their new company’s legal work to go to White Jun Law Firm.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen she could become a full-fledged lawyer while continuing as his assistant, and she eagerly agreed.
• Li Xuezhen received a message from an account named Outlaw asking Su Bai to help his son, who had been arrested in another province over alleged rumors about a company.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen took Qin Bao’s case after learning he had been arrested across provincial lines and charged for publishing an article criticizing Anyao Group’s health supplements. After meeting Qin Bao and preparing for trial, Su Bai confronted a court that refused to livestream the proceedings and considered challenging the case through jurisdictional and supervisory review if Qin Bao was convicted.

• Li Xuezhen brought Qin Bao’s case to Su Bai, who agreed to represent him after reviewing the allegations and verifying the case with Qin Wei.
• Su Bai learned that Qin Bao had published an article warning that Anyao Group’s supplements could harm consumers after his father became ill while taking them, and that Qin Bao had been detained and publicly prosecuted.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen traveled to An City, where Qin Bao told Su Bai he would not admit to wrongdoing and described his time in detention.
• Liu Haitao heard that Anyao Group’s sales were recovering after the company renamed its flagship product and changed its sales channels and advertising.
• The court rejected Su Bai’s request to livestream Qin Bao’s trial, prompting Su Bai to consider challenging the case through a transfer of jurisdiction and supervisory review if Qin Bao was convicted.

At Qin Bao’s trial, Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s test report after it contradicted his own findings about Tranquil Spirit Medicinal Wine. The presiding judge deferred review of the report’s legality until after the hearing, leaving Su Bai to face a trial he believed relied on fabricated evidence.

• Before the trial, Judge Du Ming hinted that Su Bai should soften his defense in exchange for a lighter sentence, but Su Bai refused and recorded their conversation.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen entered court, where the prosecution accused Qin Bao of damaging Anyao Group’s business and product reputation and sought the maximum two-year sentence.
• Anyao Group’s lawyer Zhou Huashan requested a public apology and 2.65 million in compensation.
• The prosecution presented an institutional test report claiming Tranquil Spirit Medicinal Wine was safe, while Su Bai said his own report supported Qin Bao’s claims.
• Su Bai challenged the legality of the prosecution’s report and applied to verify its source, but Judge Du Ming postponed the review until after the hearing.

Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s evidence and the court’s handling of Qin Bao’s case, but Du Ming rejected his objections and pressed ahead with the trial. Su Bai then raised alleged procedural violations during Qin Bao’s arrest and demanded an investigation and adjournment, leaving the court to decide whether to continue.

• Su Bai demanded proof that the prosecution’s test report had been lawfully obtained, and Du Ming produced documentation showing its source.
• Su Bai questioned the An City testing agency’s report and requested independent testing, but Du Ming rejected the request because the defense’s report lacked Physical Evidence Bureau confirmation.
• Su Bai withdrew his objection to the test report, allowing Ma Wu to argue that Qin Bao had spread rumors and damaged Anyao Group’s reputation and sales.
• Su Bai objected that major procedural violations had occurred during Qin Bao’s cross-provincial arrest and asked the court to investigate and adjourn the hearing.
• Du Ming refused to pause the trial, so Su Bai pressed him to say whether the court would investigate the alleged illegal conduct before proceeding.

Su Bai secured a transfer of Qin Bao’s case from Ancheng to Hohhot, where independent testing confirmed Qin Bao’s claims about Tranquil Spirit Medicinal Wine and the Prosecution withdrew its charges. Qin Bao left detention cleared of the accusation and chose to pursue a supervisory review, prompting an investigation into court and prosecution personnel.

• Du Ming adjourned Qin Bao’s trial after Su Bai objected to the procedures and evidence, and Su Bai applied to the Supervisory Department and the Grassland Province High Court for review and transfer of jurisdiction.
• The Supervisory Department initially rejected Su Bai’s request for supervision, while Liu Haitao learned that Qin Bao’s trial had been delayed but believed the case posed no immediate threat to Anyao Group.
• The High Court transferred Qin Bao’s case to Hohhot after the Provincial Procuratorate identified major objections to its facts and evidence, and Su Bai arranged for a new appraisal.
• An independent testing agency found that the Tranquil Spirit Medicinal Wine’s effects and ingredients matched Qin Bao’s post, and the Prosecution withdrew its case for insufficient evidence.
• Su Bai brought Qin Bao out of the Hohhot Detention Center, and Qin Bao agreed to pursue a supervisory review.
• Su Bai submitted new evidence to oversight authorities, which began investigating the court and prosecution personnel involved in the case.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen followed the investigation into Qin Bao’s case as evidence against twenty-nine people led to a public trial in Hohhot. After the Prosecution recommended prison terms for Du Ming, Ma Wu, Fang Shijun, and Feng Xiang, Su Bai argued that their conduct was particularly serious and deserved harsher sentences.

• Li Xuezhen posted an update on Qin Bao’s case, and the provincial authorities arranged investigations and trials outside An City’s jurisdiction.
• Investigators completed evidence gathering against twenty-nine people, and the principal defendants were sent to the Hohhot Intermediate Court for a public trial.
• Li Xuezhen watched Du Ming, Ma Wu, Fang Shijun, and Feng Xiang take the defendants’ seats as Xu Hao opened the hearing.
• Cao Xue presented charges and recommended prison sentences for Du Ming, Ma Wu, Fang Shijun, and Feng Xiang.
• Su Bai argued that the defendants’ deliberate misconduct and the wrongful conviction made their circumstances particularly serious, and he sought harsher sentences.

At the hearing, Ma Wu pleaded guilty while Fang Shijun and Feng Xiang contested their abuse-of-authority charges. Su Bai challenged their lawyer’s defense by questioning their unlawful cross-provincial arrest, leaving the defendants unable to answer as the hearing continued.

• Su Bai asked the court to find Du Ming’s circumstances serious and impose a heavier sentence.
• Ma Wu admitted his crimes, accepted punishment, and asked the court for leniency.
• Lin Shen argued that Fang Shijun and Feng Xiang had acted within their authority and had only violated administrative procedures.
• Cao Xue argued that the officers knowingly broke cross-provincial arrest and identification rules, amounting to abuse of authority.
• Su Bai questioned who had authorized the arrest and argued that the officers had unlawfully exercised powers they did not possess.
• Lin Shen asked Fang Shijun and Feng Xiang to answer Su Bai’s questions, but neither could respond.