Chapter Summaries

Su Bai challenged Presiding Judge Ma Qiao’s warning and argued that the court was suppressing his lawful right to defend Xiao Haibo. After Ma Qiao refused to withdraw the warning, the prosecutor sought a two-year sentence, and Su Bai condemned the case’s unexamined evidence as illegal, leaving the livestreamed hearing at a tense impasse.

• Wang Mo, Ma Qiao, and Li Huan struggled to respond after Su Bai raised concerns about the legality of the evidence.
• Ma Qiao warned Su Bai that he could be removed from the hearing, but Su Bai demanded the legal grounds and argued that he had not disrupted proceedings.
• Ma Qiao refused to withdraw the warning and moved the hearing on to the parties’ court statements.
• Shi Xiujie accused Xiao Haibo of perjury based on witness testimony and recommended two years of imprisonment.
• Xiao Haibo asked Su Bai to make his statement, and Ma Qiao allowed it.
• Su Bai argued that the prosecution relied on unexamined illegal evidence, then Ma Qiao fell silent as the panel faced the public scrutiny of the livestreamed trial.

Su Bai defended Xiao Haibo against a perjury charge, and the court acquitted him after rejecting the prosecution's evidence. Xiao Haibo authorized Su Bai to pursue the people responsible, and they went to file for supervisory review.

• The collegial panel discussed the case and agreed that the evidence could not support a conviction, so Ma Qiao acquitted Xiao Haibo.
• Shi Xiujie and Xia Guangming were stunned by the verdict, while Xiao Haibo thanked Su Bai for his defense.
• Su Bai asked whether Xiao Haibo wanted to take further action against the prosecution, the panel, and Xia Guangming, and Xiao Haibo gave him full authority.
• Xia Guangming apologized to Xiao Haibo outside court, but Xiao Haibo refused to forgive him and left with Su Bai and Li Xuezhen.
• Su Bai, Xiao Haibo, and Li Xuezhen submitted paperwork to the supervisory review department.

Su Bai and Xiao Haibo pursued supervisory reviews and a case against Xia Guangming, while court and prosecution officials involved in Xiao Haibo’s trial were also investigated. Xiao Haibo then represented nearly thirty victims in a class action against Wanli Limited Company, winning a major claim that left the company facing a serious crisis.

• Su Bai and Xiao Haibo requested a case filing over Xia Guangming’s suspected false accusations and perjury, and law enforcement later took Xia in for questioning.
• Deng Jun refused to pay Xia the promised money, and Xia regretted not trusting Xiao Haibo before authorities arrived at his home.
• Supervisory personnel took Ma Qiao, Wang Mo, and Li Huan for questioning over alleged misconduct in Xiao Haibo’s trial.
• Su Bai learned that Wanli Limited Company had tried to silence Xiao Haibo because other victims were seeking his help, so Xiao Haibo gathered nearly thirty claimants for a class action.
• Xiao Haibo’s restored lawyer qualification allowed him to challenge Wanli’s illegal fundraising in court and seek repayment of 120 million, while the company’s reputation and business prospects suffered.
• Ma Qiao, other panel members, prosecutors, and Xia Guangming faced prosecution, and the High Court was assigned to hear the case.

Su Bai delivered a court statement urging severe punishment for judicial officials who knowingly abused their authority, and the court sentenced Shi Xiujie, Ma Qiao, Li Huan, Wang Mo, and Xia Guangming. Back at the firm, Li Xuezhen found a likely genuine new case involving a young man who had been jailed and brought it to Su Bai.

• Xia Guangming’s attorney argued that his cooperation and exposure of others’ crimes warranted a reduced sentence, while Shi Xiujie’s defense could not refute the prosecution’s evidence.
• The attorneys for Ma Qiao, Li Huan, and Wang Mo sought reduced sentences by arguing that the panel had not convicted Xiao Haibo and that their misconduct had caused no serious consequences.
• Su Bai argued that the defendants had knowingly endangered judicial fairness and called for severe punishment rather than leniency.
• The court sentenced Shi Xiujie to five years, Ma Qiao to three years, Li Huan and Wang Mo to two and a half years each, and Xia Guangming to eight months.
• Xiao Haibo offered Su Bai tea after the hearing, and Su Bai returned to the firm with several boxes.
• Li Xuezhen reviewed a case lead from a worried parent whose recently graduated son had been jailed, judged the information likely genuine, and brought it to Su Bai.

Su Bai agreed to represent Guang Youzhi, a recent graduate charged with intentional injury after intervening in an assault. He learned Guang Youzhi planned to plead guilty because of intimidation over civil compensation, persuaded him to cooperate with a not-guilty defense, and assigned Li Xuezhen a difficult task before the trial.

• Su Bai accepted the potential case Li Xuezhen brought him, and Guang Tian and Huang Haixia later met with him about their son Guang Youzhi.
• After questioning Guang Tian and Huang Haixia, Su Bai confirmed the case appeared genuine and reassured them that he would prepare a not-guilty defense.
• At the detention center, Guang Youzhi told Su Bai he intended to plead guilty, but Su Bai discovered he feared retaliation and enormous civil compensation.
• Su Bai persuaded Guang Youzhi that the compensation would likely be manageable and that he could avoid prison, then questioned him about the incident and the person who warned him.
• Outside the detention center, Li Xuezhen suggested reporting the intimidation, but Su Bai told her to wait and assigned her a difficult task ahead of the trial.

At Guang Youzhi’s criminal trial, Su Bai argued that his client had injured Wang Qiang while acting bravely to stop Wang Qiang from harassing a young woman, and therefore should bear neither criminal nor civil liability. Wang Qiang’s lawyer dismissed the defense, leaving the court’s response unresolved.

• Before the hearing, Su Bai asked Li Xuezhen if she had completed her assigned tasks, and she assured him everything was prepared.
• Wang Qiang sought over two million in compensation and a heavier sentence for Guang Youzhi, while Presiding Judge Qin Yong began the hearing and the prosecutor presented the case.
• Guang Youzhi admitted the prosecution’s account of the fight, and Tang Liang recommended five years in prison for intentional injury causing serious harm.
• Zhang Shuo presented Wang Qiang’s demand for 2,167,000 in compensation and argued that Guang Youzhi deserved a heavier sentence despite his voluntary surrender.
• Su Bai entered a not-guilty defense, arguing that Guang Youzhi had acted bravely to stop Wang Qiang’s harassment and should bear no liability for the injuries.
• Wang Qiang grew furious at Su Bai’s argument, but Zhang Shuo reassured him that the judge would reject it.

Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s claim that Guang Youzhi’s act of bravery and the serious injury he caused were separate matters. The court recognized Guang Youzhi’s conduct as acting bravely for a just cause, and the trial continued with the dispute over whether his actions constituted intentional injury.

• Tang Liang argued that Guang Youzhi had intentionally caused serious injury and that acting bravely for a just cause did not erase criminal liability.
• Su Bai asked the court to determine whether Guang Youzhi had acted bravely for a just cause, citing law enforcement materials and the bullied woman’s statement.
• Qin Yong questioned Guang Youzhi, who said he had intervened to help the woman and stop Wang Qiang from bullying her.
• Qin Yong ruled that Guang Youzhi’s conduct constituted acting bravely for a just cause, and Zhang Shuo told Wang Qiang that the ruling could affect sentencing.
• Tang Liang argued that the act of bravery did not make Guang Youzhi’s serious injury of Wang Qiang lawful or remove the charge of intentional injury.
• Su Bai argued that Guang Youzhi had initially acted to stop Wang Qiang’s unlawful conduct and only fought back after Wang Qiang attacked him, so his actions did not constitute intentional injury.

Su Bai argued that Guang Youzhi’s serious injuries to Wang Qiang resulted from defending himself after Wang Qiang fought back, while Tang Liang maintained that Guang Youzhi’s initial use of force constituted intentional injury. Their courtroom dispute left the question of Guang Youzhi’s criminal responsibility unresolved.

• Su Bai argued that Guang Youzhi’s initial punch had caused little harm and that the serious injuries followed Wang Qiang’s counterattack.
• Qin Yong invited the Prosecution to respond, and Tang Liang challenged Su Bai’s argument, saying Guang Youzhi had deliberately struck first and could have intervened without using force.
• Su Bai cited evidence that Guang Youzhi had questioned the woman and verbally reprimanded Wang Qiang before intervening physically.
• Tang Liang argued that Guang Youzhi’s sense of justice did not excuse the intentional injuries, while Su Bai said the serious harm occurred only when Guang Youzhi defended himself.
• Su Bai pressed Tang Liang on whether Guang Youzhi should have avoided intervening, leaving Tang Liang unable to answer without implying that people performing acts of bravery bore criminal responsibility.

Su Bai challenged Tang Liang’s claim that Wang Qiang had acted in justifiable self-defense, prompting the judge to reject the prosecutor’s statement. After the court adjourned, the panel discussed whether Guang Youzhi’s actions while intervening against Wang Qiang could be justified, but Qin Yong had not yet decided how to rule.

• Su Bai argued that Wang Qiang could not have acted in justifiable self-defense because he was committing, not suffering, an unlawful infringement, and Tang Liang could not answer.
• Qin Yong rejected Tang Liang’s statement about Wang Qiang’s self-defense after confirming that the prosecutor knew the legal limits on the defense.
• Zhang Shuo argued that Guang Youzhi had no grounds for self-defense or necessity, while Su Bai maintained that Guang Youzhi had first intervened to stop Wang Qiang and later acted defensively.
• Qin Yong prevented Tang Liang from adding more arguments and adjourned the hearing, leaving both sides uncertain about the likely verdict.
• In the panel’s discussion, Li Xiu said Guang Youzhi’s initial intervention might not have been intentional injury, while Wen Baojun said acquittal was possible if the actions had a legal basis.
• Qin Yong listened to the judges’ views and continued considering the case without reaching a decision.

Su Bai argued that Guang Youzhi had acted to stop Wang Qiang’s unlawful assault and should be acquitted, while Wang Qiang should bear most of the civil liability. The court found Guang Youzhi not guilty and ordered him to pay 5,687.6 yuan, but Wang Qiang and Tang Liang remained dissatisfied and considered further action.

• Su Bai clarified that Guang Youzhi’s first strike stopped Wang Qiang’s unlawful infringement and that his later counterattack was self-defense.
• Tang Liang argued that Guang Youzhi and Wang Qiang had been mutual combatants, but Qin Yong overruled him, warned him, and barred him from speaking further.
• Zhang Shuo sought consideration of Wang Qiang’s serious injuries, while Su Bai argued that Wang Qiang bore responsibility and that his compensation demands were excessive.
• The collegial panel ruled Guang Youzhi not guilty and assigned him ten percent civil liability, ordering him to pay 5,687.6 yuan and dismissing Wang Qiang’s lost-earnings claim.
• Wang Qiang decided to appeal, and Tang Liang considered bringing another prosecution; Su Bai told Li Xuezhen they could fight again in a second instance if one proceeded.

After Guang Youzhi was acquitted, Su Bai’s supervisory review request led to Tang Liang being investigated and transferred to a reservoir post, while Wang Qiang sought a way to overturn the ruling. The chapter ended with Wang Qiang agreeing to Zhang Shuo’s plan to pressure a woman to change her testimony for a second-instance hearing.

• Tang Liang prepared to challenge Guang Youzhi’s acquittal, but Director Xu told him to cooperate with a supervisory review after someone reported him.
• Guang Tian and Guang Youzhi thanked Su Bai for securing the acquittal, and Su Bai reassured them that he would handle any second-instance hearing.
• Su Bai revealed that he had submitted the supervisory review request before the trial, and online discussion criticized the prosecution while praising the judgment.
• The review found no other misconduct by Tang Liang, but Director Xu barred him from seeking a second instance and transferred him to Reservoir Subdistrict as a clerk.
• Wang Qiang asked Zhang Shuo how to imprison Guang Youzhi, and Zhang proposed getting a woman to change her testimony; Wang Qiang agreed to try.

Wang Qiang arranged for Shen Yi to change her testimony, and Zhang Shuo appealed Guang Youzhi’s acquittal, leading to a second-instance trial. As the hearing began, Su Bai unexpectedly requested an adjournment because of alleged procedural violations.

• Zhang Shuo warned Wang Qiang that changing testimony and overturning the first-instance judgment would be difficult, and Wang Qiang said he would make the arrangements himself.
• Wang Qiang offered Shen Yi 800,000 to testify and told her family he would pay another 200,000, while Zhang Shuo prepared an appeal.
• The Intermediate Court accepted the appeal after finding flaws in the first-instance judgment, and Law Enforcement took Guang Youzhi for investigation.
• Media outlets covered Guang Youzhi’s renewed detention, and online commenters debated why he had been arrested after being acquitted.
• At the livestreamed second-instance hearing, Zhang Shuo relied on Shen Yi’s changed testimony, and Su Bai requested an adjournment over alleged procedural violations.

At Guang Youzhi’s second-instance trial, Su Bai challenged Sun Yi’s accusation and demanded proof that she and Wang Qiang had known each other before the incident. The prosecution produced only a written certification, leaving Wang Qiang’s lawyer Zhang Shuo alarmed as the evidence came under attack.

• Su Bai questioned Sun Yi about her changing account, her relationship with Wang Qiang, and why they had not disclosed knowing each other at the first trial.
• Wang Qiang denied coordinating with Sun Yi, while Su Bai asked the prosecution to establish their relationship with a complete chain of evidence.
• Prosecutor Lin Yu said the investigation had found they knew each other, and Wang Qiang submitted a written certification as evidence.
• Su Bai objected that the certification did not prove how Wang Qiang and Sun Yi knew each other and asked the court to reject it.
• Wang Qiang asked Zhang Shuo to defend the certification, but Zhang Shuo realized Wang Qiang had misunderstood his instructions and worried about the resulting mess.

Su Bai challenged the source of Wang Qiang’s certificate, and Sun Jun ruled it invalid and adjourned the trial so the prosecution could verify the evidence. After viewers discussed possible fabricated evidence online, Su Bai and Li Xuezhen headed to the Supervisory Review Department with evidence to submit.

• Zhang Shuo admitted that Wang Qiang’s certificate lacked a verifiable source, while Su Bai argued it might have been fabricated.
• Sun Jun ruled the certificate invalid and adjourned the trial until the prosecution supplemented and verified the evidence.
• Wang Qiang asked Zhang Shuo how to proceed, and Zhang Shuo suggested adding an account of how Wang Qiang and Sun Yi had met.
• Su Songsong explained online why the witness might have committed perjury, and viewers debated who might face consequences.
• Li Xuezhen asked Su Bai about their trip to the Supervisory Review Department, and Su Bai confirmed they would arrive soon with the evidence.

After the investigation exposed Wang Qiang and Sun Yi’s perjury, Guang Youzhi was freed and the prosecution charged those involved. The court sentenced Wang Qiang to seven years and Sun Yi to three, while Zhang Shuo was acquitted for lack of evidence, prompting Wang Qiang to attack him in court.

• Su Bai requested supervisory reviews, briefed Guang Youzhi, and waited as Lin Yu investigated the case.
• Lin Yu found that Wang Qiang had paid Sun Yi and persuaded her family to pressure her into giving false testimony, after which the prosecution withdrew the charges against Guang Youzhi.
• While under arrest, Wang Qiang implicated Zhang Shuo, but the court found insufficient evidence to convict Zhang Shuo of perjury or instigation.
• The court sentenced Wang Qiang to seven years in prison and Sun Yi to three years, while Zhang Shuo was acquitted for insufficient evidence.
• Wang Qiang blamed Zhang Shuo for his sentence and charged at him, but court police pinned him to the floor.

After Zhang Shuo’s trial ended without an acquittal, Su Bai promoted Li Xuezhen to partner at White Jun Law Firm while letting her remain his assistant. Su Bai then found a potential wrongful-conviction case and assigned Li Xuezhen to verify it, leaving the firm poised to investigate.

• The court ordered the prosecution to supplement its evidence against Zhang Shuo, while Wang Qiang and Zhang Shuo were escorted out of the courtroom.
• Su Bai promoted Li Xuezhen to partner after she received her Lawyer's Qualification Certificate, and she signed the agreement while keeping her assistant duties.
• Li Xuezhen told Wang Kexin and Old Li about her promotion, and the firm celebrated her new partnership.
• Su Bai reviewed case inquiries and found a lead alleging that a defendant had been sentenced to death despite evidence not pointing to him.
• Su Bai assigned Li Xuezhen to contact the party involved and verify the suspected wrongful-conviction case.

Li Xuezhen verified Meng Tang’s report of a possible wrongful conviction and Su Bai’s firm took Meng Ziyi’s appeal. After the detention center and court obstructed their efforts to meet Meng Ziyi and inspect the files, Su Bai finally spoke with him and saw scars suggesting he had been coerced into confessing.

• Li Xuezhen confirmed the case was genuine, and Su Bai agreed that White Jun Law Firm would represent Meng Ziyi.
• Meng Tang told Su Bai that officials had repeatedly blocked his local lawyer from visiting Meng Ziyi, and Su Bai traveled with Li Xuezhen to Yun Province to investigate.
• Detention center staff delayed Su Bai’s request to meet Meng Ziyi, while court staff initially stalled access to the case files; Su Bai’s review uncovered discrepancies between the evidence and Meng Tang’s account.
• Li Xuezhen contacted a senior schoolmate in Kun City’s judicial authorities, enabling Su Bai and her to meet Meng Ziyi, who said he had been falsely accused.
• Meng Ziyi denied voluntarily confessing and showed Su Bai scars on his arm; Su Bai and Li Xuezhen decided to prepare an appeal to the Kun City High Court.

Su Bai argued Meng Ziyi’s appeal with new evidence that his confession had been coerced by abuse in detention, but Presiding Judge Guan Dongfeng rejected the request to retract it without further inquiry. The hearing continued with the court treating the alleged inmate violence as a mere conflict, leaving Su Bai and Li Xuezhen facing a judge who appeared unwilling to address the procedural violations.

• Fang Yilong reassured an associate that Meng Ziyi’s case had no problems and that procedural violations would not change the judgment.
• Li Xuezhen posted the case on the law firm’s and Su Bai’s short-video accounts, drawing public attention, while the High Court rejected Su Bai’s request for a public hearing.
• Guan Dongfeng opened Meng Ziyi’s second-instance hearing, and Su Bai argued that Meng had no time or motive to kill Gu Qiao and Xie Wei.
• Guan Dongfeng said Meng’s earlier confession and witness statements contradicted the defense’s account, and Su Bai confirmed that Meng wished to recant.
• Su Bai presented Meng’s scars and said fellow inmates had beaten and threatened him into confessing, but Guan Dongfeng dismissed the request to retract the confession as an alleged conflict between inmates.
• Li Xuezhen watched Guan Dongfeng’s ruling in indignation, believing he had chosen to disregard the procedural violations.

At Meng Ziyi’s appeal hearing, Su Bai challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that key evidence was missing and that Meng Ziyi’s confession had been coerced. Presiding Judge Guan Dongfeng remained skeptical and pressed Su Bai to explain the confession, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Su Bai argued that Meng Ziyi’s confession and related evidence may have been coerced, but Guan Dongfeng rejected the claim for lack of direct proof.
• Su Bai pointed out that investigators had found neither the murder weapon nor evidence of how Meng Ziyi traveled to the crime scene, and argued that the prosecution’s evidence was incomplete.
• Bai Haojie suggested Meng Ziyi had deliberately concealed physical evidence, and Su Bai countered that this theory lacked factual support and made little sense.
• Su Bai said Meng Ziyi had confessed because inmates beat and tormented him, and asked the court to accept his retraction and order further investigation.
• Guan Dongfeng questioned why Meng Ziyi had confessed if he had not committed the killings, and Su Bai replied that guilt had to be determined from evidence and again requested dismissal of the charges.
• Li Xuezhen watched as Su Bai challenged the court and vowed internally that White Jun Law Firm would not allow an unjust conviction.

At Meng Ziyi’s second-instance trial, Su Bai challenged the lack of physical evidence, but the judges debated whether to convict him anyway. After Meng Ziyi pleaded his innocence and showed his injuries, the court delayed its verdict for five working days, leaving Su Bai preparing to take the case to the Supreme People's Court Procuratorate.

• Su Bai argued that the court could not safely rule without the missing murder weapon and other physical evidence, so Guan Dongfeng adjourned the hearing for the panel to discuss the issue.
• In the discussion room, Zhang urged the panel to convict Meng Ziyi, while Xu warned that the case might be a miscarriage of justice and called for further investigation.
• After the adjournment, Guan Dongfeng moved the hearing to court statements instead of addressing Su Bai’s request to investigate the evidence further.
• Meng Ziyi showed his injuries and said he had confessed because of pressure, insisting that he had not killed Gu Qiao and Xie Wei.
• Guan Dongfeng ended the hearing and said the verdict would be announced after five working days; Su Bai suspected a harsh sentence and considered submitting materials to the Supreme People's Court Procuratorate.