Chapter Summaries

After An County’s Supervisory Department failed to act promptly on Su Bai’s complaint about Hu Jun, Su Bai and Li Xuezhen appealed the villagers’ convictions and drew media attention to the case. The appeal court acquitted Zhang, Li, and Xue, and Su Bai ended the chapter taking evidence to the Provincial Supervisory Department to pursue the remaining complaints.

• Su Bai submitted a supervisory review request about Hu Jun, while Wang An and Hu Jun discussed the first-instance ruling and expected little consequence from the complaint.
• When An County’s Supervisory Department continued to say its investigation was ongoing, Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to contact the media and publicize his expulsion from court.
• At the Su Capital Intermediate Court, the appellate presiding judge ruled that Zhang, Li, and Xue had acted to defend their rights and overturned their convictions.
• After the acquittals, Su Bai monitored public discussion about Hu Jun’s conduct, Shun'an Co., Ltd.’s treatment of the villagers, and their unpaid compensation.
• Li Xuezhen and Su Bai helped bring the case to public attention, prompting the Supervisory Department to announce it would track the matter.
• Su Bai brought the evidence to the Provincial Supervisory Department, with Li Xuezhen accompanying him.

After public pressure prompted a provincial investigation, Hu Jun and other officials were implicated in corruption and judicial misconduct, and twelve people faced prosecution. As Su Bai prepared to attend the public trial, Wang An worried that the verdict might expose his own involvement.

• Su Bai left the provincial review department, while Wang An and Hu Jun believed their scheme to acquire land cheaply had succeeded.
• Online criticism grew, and the Provincial Procuratorate announced a thorough investigation into the An County case.
• Investigators examined the people involved and confronted Hu Jun with evidence that undermined his claims of innocent error.
• The investigation substantiated findings against twelve people, including Hu Jun, public prosecutor Ma Hu, and a Shun'an Real Estate deputy general manager, and charges were brought against key figures.
• The Su Capital Intermediate People's Court approved Su Bai's request for a public hearing, and Su Bai and Li Xuezhen waited for the trial to begin.
• Wang An feared the investigation might implicate him, though he had arranged for the deputy general manager to take the blame.

Hu Jun’s trial concluded with Su Bai arguing that his bribery was linked to his biased rulings and urging the maximum sentence. The court sentenced Hu Jun to ten years in prison, and he erupted in anger, refusing to accept the judgment.

• The prosecution charged Hu Jun, Ma Hu, and the others, recommending eight years for Hu Jun and three years for Ma Hu.
• Hu Jun’s lawyer argued that the bribery was unrelated to Hu Jun’s rulings and requested a reduced sentence, while Hu Jun refused to admit guilt and accept punishment.
• Su Bai challenged Hu Jun over expelling him from the earlier trial and argued that Lin Changtian’s bribes were connected to Hu Jun’s rulings for Shun'an Co., Ltd.
• The judges discussed Hu Jun’s conduct and decided to impose the maximum sentence.
• The court sentenced Hu Jun to ten years in prison, confiscated his illegal gains, and fined him fifty thousand yuan; Ma Hu received three years.
• Hu Jun protested the sentence, demanded that the High Court transfer jurisdiction, and shouted that he would not plead guilty as court police restrained him.

After Hu Jun received a ten-year sentence, Su Bai continued pursuing compensation for the villagers and criminal accountability for Shun'an Co., Ltd.'s coercive conduct. He filed a civil lawsuit and requested an investigation, while Wang An faced pressure to resolve the claims and resented Su Bai.

• Hu Jun shouted that he would not accept the judgment or plead guilty, but court police escorted him out after his trial ended.
• Wang An saw Hu Jun's ten-year sentence and the deputy general manager's two-year sentence, then called Brother Deng to ask whether the case would implicate him.
• Su Bai told Old Xue, Old Zhang, and Old Li that he would pursue compensation and advised them to use civil and administrative lawsuits if officials refused to act.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen filed a civil lawsuit in An County Court and requested that Law Enforcement open a case into Shun'an Co., Ltd.'s coercion of the villagers.
• Brother Deng ordered Wang An to find the compensation money and settle both matters, saying he would delay the case opening for a while.
• Wang An resented Su Bai for pursuing compensation and a criminal investigation, and wondered why he should return money he had pocketed.

Su Bai rejected Shun'an Real Estate's inadequate settlement offers and Wang An's bribe, then used the public civil hearing to expose the villagers' alleged coercion and underpayment. His presentation drew public attention and enraged Deng Hua, who feared the case would return to Trending Searches.

• Su Bai asked the court to mediate the compensation dispute, but rejected Shun'an Real Estate's offer of less than the stipulated amount.
• Shun'an's lawyer privately offered the villagers full compensation if they withdrew their lawsuit, and Su Bai warned them not to trust a private promise.
• Wang An offered Su Bai 1.5 million to abandon the villagers' case, but Su Bai refused and had him leave the law firm.
• Su Bai invited Luo Daxiang to comment on the public hearing, hoping publicity would pressure Shun'an to pay the compensation promptly.
• At the hearing, Su Bai detailed the underpayment and alleged coercion behind the land acquisition, prompting Judge Ren Xing to let him continue explaining the sequence of events.
• Deng Hua watched the hearing attract public attention, smashed a cup, and berated Wang An for letting the case risk returning to Trending Searches.

Su Bai used the hearing to expose Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd.'s forced land acquisition and unpaid compensation, then secured a judgment ordering the company to pay. The chapter ended with Deng Hua fearing that media coverage and public outrage could bring the Supervisory Commission's attention.

• Viewers watching Luo Daxiang's livestream grew angry as Su Bai explained the villagers' case and Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd.'s unpaid compensation.
• Chen Dayi tried to limit discussion of the land acquisition, but Su Bai challenged him to explain the low compensation and continued detailing the company's conduct.
• Su Bai asked the court to compel Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd. to pay the villagers' statutory compensation, while Chen Dayi said he had nothing to add.
• Ren Xing ruled that Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd. had to pay the plaintiffs the damages and compensation within the prescribed period.
• Deng Hua worried that media coverage and public outrage could draw the Supervisory Commission's attention to him.

After the trial, Su Bai helped secure compensation for the villagers while public pressure prompted investigations into Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd. The authorities arrested Wang An, Deng Hua, and other suspects, and Su Bai and Li Xuezhen anticipated severe sentences.

• After the trial ended, Deng Hua berated Wang An and told him to pay compensation and contain the fallout.
• Online reports sparked renewed public outrage over Shun'an Real Estate Co., Ltd., and the court froze the company’s funds to secure the villagers’ compensation.
• The villagers thanked Su Bai and refused Wang An’s offer to deny that forced requisition had occurred.
• The Provincial Supervisory Commission launched investigations, then officers took Wang An and Deng Hua in for questioning.
• Su Capital authorities released findings that named multiple suspects and said public prosecutions would follow.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen discussed the suspects’ alleged crimes and possible sentences, while Li celebrated the prospect of sending them all to prison.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen attended the closed trial of Deng Hua, Wang An, and their associates, where the prosecution detailed their crimes and recommended life sentences for both men. The court sentenced Deng Hua and Wang An to life imprisonment, bringing the case to a close, though Hu Jun had appealed his ten-year sentence.

• Authorities gathered evidence from people harmed by Wang An and Shun'an Real Estate, and the High Court transferred the case to Xudu for trial.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen observed the closed hearing as prosecutors presented charges against Deng Hua, who pleaded guilty and received a recommended life sentence.
• Wang An challenged his recommended life sentence and claimed Deng Hua had forced him to pay bribes, but the judge rejected his argument and his lawyer said it had no legal basis.
• The court sentenced Deng Hua to life imprisonment and lifelong deprivation of political rights, and sentenced Wang An to life imprisonment; the other defendants received terms of two to seven years.
• Su Bai considered the case resolved while Li Xuezhen left court glad that those responsible had been punished; Hu Jun had appealed his ten-year sentence.

After wrapping up the An County case, Su Bai agreed to take on a long-stalled case involving Zhang Cui’s daughter and transferred it to White Jun Law Firm in Southern Capital. Zhang Cui accepted his help, and the chapter left her with renewed hope that those responsible would face justice.

• The first-instance verdicts against Deng Hua and Wang An stood, and Su Bai told Li Xuezhen that the case counted as justice arriving.
• Su Bai checked the system’s progress, which had risen nearly three percent, while Li Xuezhen told Wang Kexin that she now saw practicing law as a pursuit of justice.
• Duan Liang asked Su Bai to take over a difficult case that threatened the reputation of White Jun Law Firm’s Northern Capital branch, and Su Bai agreed.
• Su Bai read the case file and learned that Zhang Cui’s daughter had been forced into sex and prostitution, later died by suicide, and that Zhang Cui had served two years in prison while seeking justice.
• Li Xuezhen called Zhang Cui, confirmed that Su Bai would handle the case, and reassured her that White Jun Law Firm would work to resolve it.

Su Bai investigated Zhang Cui’s old case concerning her daughter Zhang Yan’s assault and death, then traveled with Li Xuezhen to seek the original case records. He learned the accused, Wu Hao, had been released without prosecution after Zhang Yan died, while Wu Ye realized a well-known lawyer’s involvement could bring the case back to trouble his family.

• Zhang Cui told Su Bai that police had opened a case after Zhang Yan was assaulted but made no progress, and Zhang Yan’s depression worsened before she died.
• Zhang Cui explained that her daughter’s adult male classmate, Wu Hao, had been detained but released without conviction, with no public prosecution brought against him.
• Su Bai reassured Li Xuezhen that the case could be pursued if they recovered the original evidence and records.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen visited the Bai County Law Enforcement Unit, where a staff member refused to disclose the old case materials and could not explain why Wu Hao had not been prosecuted.
• Wu Ye confronted Wu Hao about Zhang Yan’s case, while Li Jing and Wu Hao insisted the matter had been settled and Zhang Cui should be punished for continuing to raise it.
• Wu Ye privately recalled using his connections to keep Wu Hao detained until Zhang Yan died and feared that a well-known lawyer’s involvement would revive the case.

Su Bai found that key records in Zhang Yan's old case had been lost and confronted Fang Ming after the officer threatened to detain him for asking questions. He filed a complaint with the Procuratorate Department and publicized the case, bringing renewed scrutiny to Bai County Law Enforcement as Wu Ye and Wu Hao reacted to the investigation.

• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen visited the Law Enforcement Department, where Fang Ming gave them only a thin set of records and claimed the important files had been lost.
• Su Bai demanded documentation of the missing records, and Fang Ming threatened to detain him for picking quarrels and provoking trouble; Su Bai challenged him to cuff him and explain the legal basis.
• Su Bai asked Li Xuezhen to identify the local Procuratorate Department, then filed a complaint seeking oversight of the Law Enforcement Department's handling of the case.
• Su Bai had Li Xuezhen post information about the case on White Jun Law Firm's and his personal short-video accounts, and public attention grew as people questioned the case and Zhang Cui's imprisonment.
• The Procuratorate Department accepted Su Bai's complaint, and a higher-level law enforcement agency ordered Bai County Law Enforcement to investigate and report results by a deadline.
• Wu Ye worried about the renewed investigation, but Wu Hao insisted that no evidence remained and that Zhang Cui's death meant no one could prove what he had done.

The prosecution tried Wu Hao for raping Zhang Yan and other offenses from four years earlier, while Wu Hao claimed their sex was consensual and challenged the evidence. Su Bai questioned the law enforcement personnel about missing case records and Wu Hao’s earlier release, leaving their past handling of the case unexplained.

• Geng Hao’s team took Wu Hao into custody, and prosecutors located the original case statements and filed charges after verifying the evidence.
• Wu Ye told Li Qing that the case might still end in acquittal if the evidence was insufficient, while the hearing was assigned to the Yong City Intermediate Court.
• Before the hearing, Zhang Cui worried that Zhang Yan’s death and the passage of four years had weakened the evidence, but Su Bai and Li Xuezhen reassured her.
• At trial, Wu Hao admitted going to the venue and having sex with Zhang Yan but denied coercion, claiming she consented and explaining his earlier statement as confusion.
• Li Xiao confronted Wu Hao with his original statement, and Wu Hao challenged the prosecution’s evidence and threatened to refer the matter to the Supervisory Department.
• Su Bai told the court that law enforcement had claimed the original case records were lost and asked the personnel involved why Wu Hao had been released; they struggled to answer.

Su Bai questioned Geng Hao about why Wu Hao had been released without charges, but the presiding judge set those procedural issues aside for later. Wu Hao then claimed Zhang Yan had consented, while Zhang Cui angrily denounced him, leaving Su Bai to confront the key evidentiary gap in the case.

• Su Bai pressed Geng Hao to explain why Wu Hao had been released without charges and why the case had not gone to the Procuratorate; Geng Hao cited insufficient evidence but could not answer further questions.
• Presiding Judge Yu Cheng told Su Bai to leave supplementary-evidence questions for after the hearing and allowed him to continue questioning Wu Hao.
• Wu Hao claimed Zhang Yan had been conscious, had consented to sex, and had voluntarily provided sexual services, and he denied coercing her.
• Zhang Cui shouted at Wu Hao and demanded that he be sentenced to death, while Wu Hao invoked the presumption of innocence and challenged the court to convict him based on the evidence.
• Su Bai recognized that Zhang Yan’s missing testimony created a crucial gap in the evidence and met Wu Hao’s challenging gaze.

Li Xiao presented Zhang Yan’s notebook and Ma Xue’s testimony to challenge Wu Hao’s claim that Zhang Yan had willingly gone with him, but Wu Hao’s lawyer argued the evidence was subjective and insufficient. As the case reached a stalemate, Su Bai requested an adjournment, signaling that he intended to continue pursuing Wu Hao.

• Yu Cheng warned Wu Hao to control himself and asked Li Xiao whether the prosecution had further evidence.
• Li Xiao presented Zhang Yan’s notebook and called Ma Xue, who testified that Zhang Yan had not liked Wu Hao and had seemed deeply distressed after the gathering.
• Li Xiao argued that Zhang Yan had not consented and that Wu Hao’s earlier account was false.
• Sun Shiyan objected that the notebook and Ma Xue’s testimony were subjective and could not prove the alleged crime.
• Zhang Cui grew distraught as the trial appeared to stall, and Su Bai reassured her before requesting an adjournment.

Su Bai argued that Law Enforcement’s handling of Zhang Yan’s case had left crucial evidence missing, and the judges granted a postponement so the Prosecution could investigate further. After the hearing, Su Bai submitted the case materials to the Supervisory Review Department, while Wu Hao’s family mistakenly took the adjournment as a sign he had been close to acquittal.

• Su Bai requested a postponement, arguing that Law Enforcement’s decision to drop Zhang Yan’s case and release Wu Hao needed investigation and could yield relevant evidence.
• Geng Hao objected that Law Enforcement had already submitted all its evidence, but Su Bai challenged the department’s authority to dismiss the case and declare Wu Hao innocent.
• Presiding Judge Yu Cheng and the other two judges agreed to postpone the trial so the Prosecution could supplement the evidence.
• Sun Shiyan told Li Qing that no verdict had been reached because the prosecution lacked sufficient evidence and the court had granted an adjournment; Li Qing took this to mean Wu Hao had nearly been acquitted.
• Su Bai reassured Zhang Cui that the postponement favored their case, then submitted Zhang Yan’s case materials to the Supervisory Review Department and alleged problems with the personnel responsible.

After the trial was adjourned, prosecutors investigated the officials who had mishandled Wu Hao’s case, uncovering Geng Hao’s confession and Wu Ye’s involvement. With supplementary evidence complete, the court scheduled another hearing, and Su Bai prepared Li Xuezhen for it.

• Geng Hao worried that his role in mishandling Wu Hao’s case would bring him to account, while Li Xiao and his colleague began investigating the Law Enforcement Department’s conduct.
• Su Bai had Li Xuezhen tell people online that the trial was adjourned while the prosecution supplemented its evidence.
• The prosecution investigated why the case had been dropped, and Geng Hao confessed that Wu Ye had asked him for help and disclosed the details of their dealings.
• Wu Ye was taken in for investigation, and Sun Shiyan told Li Qing that the arrests did not by themselves provide evidence to convict Wu Hao.
• After completing its supplementary investigation, the prosecution requested another hearing, and Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to prepare.

At Wu Hao’s resumed trial, Li Xiao presented supplementary evidence linking Wu Hao to Zhang Yan’s alleged coercion, and Su Bai argued that the officers’ accounts and Wu Ye’s hush-money offer supported the charge. Sun Shiyan could not explain why Wu Ye had offered 500,000 yuan, leaving Wu Hao’s defense without an answer.

• Yu Cheng resumed the trial, and Li Xiao presented statements from Geng Hao and Fang Ming along with evidence that Wu Ye had offered Zhang Yan’s family 500,000 yuan to withdraw their complaint.
• Sun Shiyan argued that witness statements and circumstantial evidence could not prove Wu Hao had coerced Zhang Yan without direct evidence.
• Su Bai challenged Sun Shiyan’s standard, arguing that the officers’ accounts were based on objective facts and could help establish coercion alongside the other evidence.
• Sun Shiyan questioned the reliability of the officers’ accounts, while Su Bai asked why Wu Ye had contacted Geng Hao and offered hush money if Wu Hao had committed no crime.
• Unable to explain Wu Ye’s offer without risking further legal trouble, Sun Shiyan fell silent and looked to Wu Hao, who had no answer.

Presiding Judge Yu Cheng heard Geng Hao testify that Wu Hao had admitted to forcing Zhang Yan to have sex, and Geng Hao supported his testimony with recordings of calls with Wu Ye. After deliberating, the court found that Wu Hao had coerced Zhang Yan, leaving sentencing as the next major issue.

• Yu Cheng questioned Geng Hao, who recounted Wu Hao’s admission and said he had recordings of calls with Wu Ye about covering up the crime and pressuring Zhang Yan’s family to withdraw the case.
• Li Xiao confirmed that the prosecution had verified Geng Hao’s account, and Yu Cheng adjourned the trial so the judges could deliberate.
• Yu Cheng, Lao Bai, and Lao Chen agreed that Geng Hao’s testimony and recordings provided circumstantial evidence sufficient to find Wu Hao guilty of coercion.
• After the trial resumed, Sun Shiyan argued that the court should rely on direct evidence, but Yu Cheng ruled that Wu Hao had forced Zhang Yan to have sex.
• Wu Hao was stunned by the ruling, while Li Xuezhen anticipated a severe sentence and thought Wu Hao deserved the maximum.

After the court found Wu Hao guilty of coercing Zhang Yan, the parties argued over his sentence. The prosecution and Zhang Cui’s lawyer urged the maximum ten-year term, while Wu Hao’s lawyer sought leniency, leaving sentencing still to be decided.

• Presiding Judge Yu Cheng asked whether anyone objected to the ruling, and Wu Hao protested while his lawyer, Sun Shiyan, declined to make a statement for him.
• Yu Cheng ordered Wu Hao to remain silent and moved the trial to final court statements after confirming the finding that Wu Hao had coerced Zhang Yan.
• Prosecutor Li Xiao argued that Wu Hao had coerced Zhang Yan and forced her to provide sexual services for profit, and requested the maximum sentence of ten years.
• Sun Shiyan accepted the finding of coercion but asked for a reduced sentence, citing Wu Hao’s youth, drinking, and weak awareness of the law.
• Su Bai rejected the request for leniency, citing Wu Hao’s repeated exploitation of Zhang Yan and his family’s attempt to use money and influence to suppress the case, and demanded the maximum sentence.

Wu Hao was sentenced to ten years in prison for forcing Zhang Yan to have sex with him and forcing her into prostitution, while Zhang Cui finally saw the result of her four-year fight. After reassuring Zhang Cui that the conviction was unlikely to be overturned, Su Bai offered to challenge her own earlier conviction, as Li Qing was misled by Sun Shiyan into planning an appeal and reporting the judge.

• Presiding Judge Yu Cheng announced that Wu Hao was guilty and sentenced him to ten years in prison, and Wu Hao protested the verdict.
• Zhang Cui broke down with relief and thanked Yu Cheng, Prosecutor Li Xiao, and Lawyer Su Bai for the judgment.
• Su Bai reassured Zhang Cui that Wu Hao was unlikely to overturn the ruling and offered to review her earlier conviction for picking quarrels and provoking trouble.
• Li Qing questioned Sun Shiyan about Wu Hao's sentence, and Sun Shiyan blamed the judge and prosecutor while encouraging her to appeal and assuring her that Wu Ye could receive a suspended sentence.
• Su Bai assigned Xu Xiang to handle Zhang Cui's follow-up case, and Xu Xiang passed the details to Wang Kexin.