Chapter Summaries

After the trial was postponed, Su Bai and Chen Le focused on finding the leftover poison as physical evidence, while Huang Xuemei continued to deny guilt. The prosecution uncovered new evidence and secured a resumed trial, and Su Bai believed Huang Xuemei would face punishment.

• Online debate over Huang Xuemei’s guilt put pressure on Chen Le and the Northern Capital Procuratorate Department to find direct evidence.
• Su Bai urged Chen Le to search for the unused chemicals Huang Xuemei had stolen, and Chen Le questioned Huang Xuemei again while she refused to confess.
• Chen Le used campus surveillance to locate the chemicals in a blind spot, then searched student clubs for witnesses and found a lead after nearly two months.
• The prosecution gathered new evidence and applied to resume the trial, while Wan Xiangdong reassured Huang Tao that Huang Xuemei could still leave the country if acquitted.
• Su Bai visited Zhu Yun in the hospital on the eve of the resumed trial and concluded that Huang Xuemei would not escape punishment.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution presented physical evidence linking Huang Xuemei’s stolen chemicals to Zhu Yun’s poisoning, and Su Bai argued that the evidence completed the chain of proof. Sun Zhengping ruled that Huang Xuemei had committed poisoning, leaving her father Huang Tao astonished and Huang Xuemei pale.

• Sun Zhengping reopened Huang Xuemei’s trial and invited the prosecution to submit new evidence.
• Chen Le presented evidence that chemicals Huang Xuemei had hidden on campus accounted for the amount missing after the poisoning and linked the stolen chemicals to Zhu Yun.
• Wan Xiangdong argued that the evidence was circumstantial and insisted there was no direct proof, while Su Bai countered that the complete chain of objective evidence established Huang Xuemei’s crime.
• Sun Zhengping overruled further objections and ruled that Huang Xuemei had poisoned Zhu Yun.
• Huang Tao reacted with astonishment, and Huang Xuemei turned deathly pale after the ruling.

After initially denying the charge, Huang Xuemei confessed to poisoning Zhu Yun and described how she carried it out, while claiming she had intended it as a joke. Su Bai argued that her actions showed premeditated intent and called for a severe sentence, leaving Huang Tao anxious about whether Wan Xiangdong could oppose it.

• After Huang Xuemei disrupted the hearing by claiming she was falsely accused, Sun Zhengping adjourned the proceedings.
• Wan Xiangdong told Huang Tao that the new physical evidence made acquittal unlikely and advised Huang Xuemei to confess and seek a lighter sentence.
• Huang Xuemei agreed to confess and, when the hearing resumed, described stealing the chemical, poisoning Zhu Yun, and hiding the remainder while insisting she had not intended serious harm.
• Su Bai challenged Huang Xuemei's claim that she was joking, arguing that she knew the chemical's dangers and had deliberately used a lethal dose.
• Su Bai requested a severe sentence, including the death penalty or a death sentence with reprieve, while Huang Tao watched anxiously and looked to Wan Xiangdong for a rebuttal.

At Huang Xuemei’s poisoning trial, her lawyer sought a lighter sentence and asked Zhu Yun’s family for forgiveness, but they refused. During court statements, Su Bai argued that Huang Xuemei’s confession and apology were self-serving and urged the court to punish her severely, leaving the case awaiting its verdict.

• Wan Xiangdong argued that Huang Xuemei deserved leniency because she had confessed, accepted punishment, and was a young student, and he asked to negotiate for the victim’s family’s forgiveness.
• Zhu Yun’s parents refused to forgive Huang Xuemei, and Presiding Judge Sun Zhengping rejected the request to pause the trial for negotiations.
• Sun Zhengping said the facts supported intentional poisoning and began the court statements; prosecutor Chen Le maintained the recommendation of a death sentence with reprieve.
• Huang Xuemei tearfully apologized to Zhu Yun’s parents and asked the court for a lighter sentence and a chance to make amends.
• Su Bai argued that Huang Xuemei was an adult, had continued her crime despite opportunities to stop, confessed only when conviction was unavoidable, and should receive severe punishment; the trial then awaited the verdict.

The court sentenced Huang Xuemei to death with a two-year reprieve for poisoning Zhu Yun, and Su Bai helped Zhu Yun’s family address their concerns after the first-instance verdict. The story left Su Bai surprised when the Northern Capital High Court accepted Huang Xuemei’s appeal.

• Sun Zhengping adjourned court so the Collegial Panel could discuss Huang Xuemei’s sentence, while Wan Xiangdong warned Huang Tao that she faced life imprisonment or death.
• Sun Zhengping announced that Huang Xuemei was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and Huang Xuemei broke down while Huang Tao demanded that Wan Xiangdong seek a different sentence.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen accepted the verdict, and Su Bai explained that establishing Huang Xuemei’s guilt before she could evade justice had been crucial.
• Liu Mei thanked Su Bai, described Zhu Yun’s ongoing medical needs and rejected Huang Tao’s requests for forgiveness, while Su Bai reassured her about a possible appeal.
• Li Xuezhen told Su Bai that Huang Xuemei had appealed and the Northern Capital High Court had accepted the second-instance case.

Huang Xuemei’s appeal failed, and the original judgment was upheld; after she apologized to Zhu Yun, the case was closed. A month later, Li Xuezhen found a new case accusing a so-called “100% Case-Clearing Detective,” and Su Bai began reviewing it.

• Chen Le told Su Bai that Huang Xuemei appealed using evidence of her close relationship with Zhu Yun, but the evidence could not change the judgment.
• At the second-instance hearing, Chen Le challenged Huang Xuemei’s claims by asking why she had increased the poison dosage, and the court upheld the original ruling.
• Huang Xuemei visited Zhu Yun in the hospital, apologized without asking for forgiveness, and left with the court police after telling Huang Tao not to say more.
• Li Xuezhen and Su Bai joined Feng Lijian and Old Li for dinner, while Old Li gradually accepted Li Xuezhen’s feelings for Su Bai.
• A month later, Su Bai learned that Zhu Yun was showing signs of improvement and that the Northern Capital branch had gained market share, while Li Xuezhen struggled to find a case.
• Li Xuezhen sent Su Bai a case seeking justice against a “100% Case-Clearing Detective,” and Su Bai found the accusations unusual.

Su Bai accepted Xu Xingwang’s case to overturn his conviction for robbery and murder and pursue a complaint against detective Wang Fang, whose near-perfect clearance record Xu said had been built through procedural violations. After reviewing the case file, Su Bai found that proving Xu’s confession was false would be difficult, while Wang Fang learned that Xu was accusing her and dismissed the claims for lack of evidence.

• Su Bai agreed to represent Xu Xingwang after learning he had spent nearly twenty-three years imprisoned for a crime he said he did not commit.
• Xu Xingwang told Su Bai that Wang Fang had violated procedures to force a confession after investigators failed to find enough evidence against him.
• Su Bai explained that they first needed to seek a retrial and overturn Xu Xingwang’s conviction before pursuing accountability against Wang Fang.
• After obtaining the case file, Su Bai found no physical traces linking Xu Xingwang to the crime and realized that proving his original confession false would require new evidence.
• Wang Fang received word that Xu Xingwang was accusing her of misconduct, but she dismissed the accusation because she believed he had no evidence.

Su Bai petitioned the Supreme People's Procuratorate to protest Xu Xingwang's conviction, and the River Capital High Court began a retrial after finding the new evidence valid. In court, Xu Xingwang described how Wang Fang had pressured him into confessing, but he had no objective evidence to support his account.

• Su Bai organized new evidence and petitioned the Supreme People's Procuratorate to lodge a protest in Xu Xingwang's case.
• The Supreme People's Procuratorate found the new evidence valid and sent the case to the River Capital High Court for retrial.
• Wang Fang learned of the hearing and recalled that the case had helped advance her career, while remaining calm about its possible impact on her reputation.
• The River Capital High Court opened the retrial, and Su Bai challenged the evidence used to convict Xu Xingwang, including the incomplete recovery of the stolen property.
• Xu Xingwang testified that he had merely found the gold chain and that Wang Fang had coerced him into giving a confession.
• Presiding Judge Lin Yuanfeng asked Xu Xingwang for objective evidence of unlawful interrogation, and Xu Xingwang had none.

At Xu Xingwang’s retrial, Su Bai challenged the conviction by arguing that the evidence was insufficient, while prosecutor Wei Hai stressed that Xu Xingwang had not substantiated his retracted confession or his claim about finding the gold chain. Presiding Judge Lin Yuanfeng began leaning toward the view that the case lacked enough evidence to convict, but the conflicting uncertainties left the verdict unresolved.

• Presiding Judge Lin Yuanfeng asked whether Xu Xingwang could prove that unlawful procedures had been used, and Su Bai acknowledged that he had no substantive evidence of procedural violations.
• Su Bai confirmed that Xu Xingwang wished to retract his original confession, while prosecutor Wei Hai argued that the retraction lacked objective support and innocence required evidence beyond disputing the confession.
• Su Bai argued that the gold chain Xu Xingwang sold did not establish guilt because Xu said he had found it, and Lin Yuanfeng asked for evidence supporting that account; Xu said he had none.
• Su Bai highlighted that most of the missing property was never recovered and that Xu had no known connection to the victims, arguing the evidence chain did not prove he committed robbery and murder.
• Wei Hai challenged Su Bai to provide objective facts, and Su Bai pointed to the unrecovered property and the absence of proof that Xu’s current account was false.
• Lin Yuanfeng weighed the missing physical evidence, the uncertain origin of the gold chain, and the unsupported claims about both confessions, but found the case difficult to decide.

The River Capital High Court acquitted Xu Xingwang after finding that the missing physical evidence left the case against him insufficiently supported. Su Bai and Li Xuezhen prepared to pursue accountability, while Wang Fang worried the wrongful-conviction ruling could affect her.

• Li Shang argued that the missing stolen goods left the evidence chain incomplete, and Lin Yuanfeng and the other judge agreed to acquit Xu Xingwang.
• The court set aside Xu Xingwang's earlier verdict and acquitted him of robbery and murder during a home invasion.
• Xu Xingwang felt relieved, while Su Bai said the remaining procedures could address the people responsible for the earlier conviction.
• Li Xuezhen asked whether they could pursue Xu Xingwang's other requests, and Su Bai agreed they could.
• Viewers focused on whether Wang Fang would be held accountable, and Wang Fang worried about the ruling's impact on her.

After Xu Xingwang’s wrongful conviction was overturned, an investigation substantiated that detective Wang Fang had used illegal interrogation methods, and the Procuratorate brought a public prosecution against her for dereliction of duty. At trial, Wang Fang’s defense challenged the lack of direct evidence, leaving Xu Xingwang anxious as the prosecution faced pressure to prove its case.

• A viral clip of Xu Xingwang describing Wang Fang’s coercion drew public scrutiny and prompted authorities to investigate the officers involved in his case.
• The Supervisory Department corroborated Wang Fang’s illegal conduct through evidence and colleagues’ accounts, then transferred her to the Law Enforcement Department; Xu Xingwang also asked Su Bai to pursue her prosecution.
• The Law Enforcement Department sent evidence to the Procuratorate, which initiated a public prosecution against Wang Fang for dereliction of duty at the Jiangdu Intermediate People’s Court.
• Wang Fang’s lawyer, Zhang Liang, denied that she had committed dereliction of duty and argued that Xu Xingwang’s account lacked direct evidence of unlawful interrogation.
• Xu Xingwang described being kept awake and tortured until he confessed, but Zhang Liang argued that his acquittal for insufficient evidence did not prove Wang Fang had coerced him and asked the prosecution to withdraw the case.

At Wang Fang’s trial, Su Bai argued that Xu Xingwang’s detailed account, along with witness statements, formed a chain of evidence proving her dereliction of duty. The presiding judge rejected Zhang Liang’s unsupported suggestion that Xu Xingwang might still have committed the crime, leaving the court’s view of Wang Fang’s culpability clear.

• Wang Lixuan objected to Zhang Liang’s repeated demands to withdraw the charges, and Li Qingyuan warned Zhang Liang to stop or be removed from the courtroom.
• Li Qingyuan summarized the dispute over whether direct evidence was needed to prove Wang Fang had coerced Xu Xingwang.
• Wang Lixuan cited Xu Xingwang’s colleague’s eyewitness testimony, and Su Bai argued that the victim’s and colleague’s statements, Wang Fang’s motive, and Xu Xingwang’s detailed account formed a chain of evidence.
• Zhang Liang argued that Xu Xingwang might have committed the robbery and murder but escaped conviction because of insufficient evidence.
• Su Bai challenged Zhang Liang to provide evidence for that possibility, and Li Qingyuan rejected Zhang Liang’s claim as unsupported by evidence or legal reasoning.
• Li Qingyuan summarized that Xu Xingwang’s detailed account and the witness statements supported the truth of his testimony and established Wang Fang’s dereliction of duty.

The court found Wang Fang guilty of dereliction of duty for coercing Xu Xingwang, despite her denials and lawyer Zhang Liang’s objection that there was no direct evidence. The finding stood, and the trial moved on to determining Wang Fang’s prison term.

• Li Qingyuan questioned Wang Fang about Xu Xingwang’s confession, but she denied coercing him and said she could not explain why he had confessed.
• Li Qingyuan found that Xu Xingwang’s testimony, colleagues’ testimony, and circumstantial evidence formed a complete chain supporting Wang Fang’s dereliction of duty.
• Zhang Liang objected and cited Article 55 of the Criminal Procedure Law, but Li Qingyuan rejected his argument and upheld the finding.
• Wang Fang shouted that the finding was unfair and disrupted the courtroom until Li Qingyuan warned her to stop.
• After order was restored, Li Qingyuan prepared to proceed to determining Wang Fang’s prison term.

The court considered Wang Fang’s confession and sentencing after finding her guilty of dereliction of duty for coercing Xu Xingwang into confessing. Su Bai argued that Wang Fang had knowingly framed an innocent man, and the court adjourned to deliberate before court statements and the verdict.

• Zhang Liang urged Wang Fang to confess and accept punishment after the court found her guilty, and she eventually agreed.
• Wang Fang confessed in court but began explaining that she had reasons for her actions before Li Qingyuan stopped her.
• Zhang Liang argued that Wang Fang had believed Xu Xingwang was guilty and requested a lighter sentence, including a suspended sentence.
• Su Bai argued that Wang Fang knew Xu Xingwang had been cleared of suspicion but pursued him to close the case, and Wang Fang’s colleagues confirmed they had informed her.
• Li Qingyuan adjourned the court so the panel could deliberate on the seriousness of the circumstances and sentencing before court statements and the verdict.

During the resumed hearing, the Collegial Panel decided Wang Fang’s dereliction of duty involved serious circumstances, and Su Bai argued that she had knowingly used Xu Xingwang’s life as a means to clear the case. The court sentenced Wang Fang to four years in prison and ordered her to publicly apologize to Xu Xingwang, who finally saw her receive punishment after twenty-three years.

• During the adjournment, the three judges discussed Wang Fang’s conduct and agreed that its circumstances were serious.
• Wang Lixuan recommended four years and six months in prison, while Wang Fang pleaded for leniency in her court statement.
• Su Bai demanded an explanation for Wang Fang’s knowingly wrongful conviction of Xu Xingwang and argued that her conduct warranted a serious classification.
• Li Qingyuan announced that Wang Fang was guilty of dereliction of duty and sentenced her to four years in prison, with a public apology to Xu Xingwang.
• Xu Xingwang became overwhelmed as the judgment fulfilled his long-held hope that Wang Fang would be punished.

After Wang Fang received a four-year sentence for framing Xu Xingwang, she planned to appeal while public attention prompted reports about other cases she had handled. The chapter ended with officials considering whether new evidence could support a prosecutorial protest and a heavier sentence.

• Wang Fang accepted her four-year sentence and planned to seek a second-instance trial, while viewers criticized the punishment as too lenient.
• Wang Xue instructed Southern Capital Media to publicize the case, and sensational reports about Wang Fang spread online.
• Xu Xingwang thanked Su Bai for clearing his name, and Li Xuezhen confirmed that his state compensation had been approved.
• Li Xuezhen showed Su Bai online comments comparing his 100% win rate with Wang Fang's 100% case clearance rate.
• Wang Fang hired Lawyer Li, dismissed her previous lawyer, and chose to pursue an innocence defense on appeal.
• Members of the Supervisory Department discussed new reports about Wang Fang's past cases and the possibility that prosecutors could seek a heavier sentence.

Su Bai watched Wang Fang’s appeal end with her sentence increased from four to seven years, then learned that Li Xuezhen had found a brutal murder case for the firm. The chapter left the firm preparing to represent the client seeking death sentences for every defendant.

• The prosecution presented new evidence and charges at Wang Fang’s appeal hearing, and the court increased her sentence to seven years.
• Wang Fang confronted Lawyer Li, who blamed the increased sentence on new evidence and her own failure to disclose details, before court police escorted her away.
• Su Bai saw that the system had reached 80% progress and continued overseeing White Jun Law Firm’s growth.
• Feng Lijian advised Old Li not to interfere in Li Xuezhen’s romantic life, and Old Li agreed to let Feng ask her about it.
• Li Xuezhen noticed Old Li and Feng Lijian asking about Su Bai and her love life, then searched for cases to handle at the firm.
• Li Xuezhen sent Su Bai a case about a couple tortured and murdered by a group, and Su Bai agreed to take it despite the client demanding death sentences for all defendants.

Su Bai took on Yang Tiejun’s case seeking death sentences for the four young defendants who had tortured and murdered his son and daughter-in-law. As the trial approached, Wang He learned that the case’s provincial-level attention made it impossible to secure special treatment for his son, Wang Wenyuan.

• Yang Tiejun hired Su Bai and asked him to pursue death sentences for all four defendants, refusing to forgive them.
• Su Bai assured Yang Tiejun that the crimes could warrant death sentences and began preparing for the first-instance trial.
• Su Bai learned that Wang Wenyuan had surrendered, a circumstance that could affect his sentence depending on the trial’s findings.
• The Intermediate Court accepted the case and notified the parties of the trial date.
• Wang He asked an influential friend to help Wang Wenyuan, but the friend said the case’s provincial-level impact made intervention too dangerous and advised relying on the trial’s sentence.

At the public trial, Zhang Liang recounted how Wang Wenyuan led the four defendants into Yang Fan and Hu Yunyun’s home, where they robbed, sexually assaulted, tortured, and killed the couple. The testimony enraged Yang Tiejun and the courtroom, while presiding judge Lü Penghui listened gravely as Su Bai watched from the victims’ lawyer’s seat.

• Wang He asked lawyer Wu Zhen about the impact of Yang Tiejun refusing to forgive the defendants, and Wu said the case would hinge on whether Wang Wenyuan was deemed the principal offender and how his surrender was assessed.
• Lü Penghui opened the public trial at the Dashui City Intermediate Court and asked Zhang Liang to explain how the crimes began.
• Zhang Liang testified that Wang Wenyuan proposed robbing Yang Fan’s home and led the group there, where they restrained Yang Fan and Hu Yunyun.
• Zhang Liang said Zhang Dali proposed assaulting Hu Yunyun in front of Yang Fan, and all four defendants took part; Wang Wenyuan inflicted injuries on her.
• Zhang Liang testified that Zhang Dali proposed killing the couple, Wang Wenyuan agreed first, and the four men killed Yang Fan before continuing to torture Hu Yunyun.
• Yang Tiejun shouted at the defendants as Zhang Liang described the crimes, while Lü Penghui listened solemnly and Su Bai watched from the victims’ lawyer’s seat.

The court heard Zhang Liang’s detailed account of the murders of Yang Fan and Hu Yunyun, then considered the defendants’ roles and the prosecution’s request for death sentences for all four. Wang Wenyuan’s lawyer argued that Zhang Dali should be named the principal offender, while Wang He watched anxiously for the court’s response.

• Zhang Liang explained that the four defendants stole valuables after the murders to make the crime look like a burglary.
• Zhang Dali claimed Wang Wenyuan had encouraged and signaled him to assault Hu Yunyun, but Zhang Liang, Yu Wei, and Wang Wenyuan disputed his account.
• Prosecutor Li Xiong identified Wang Wenyuan as the principal offender and recommended death sentences for all four defendants.
• Wu Zhen objected to Wang Wenyuan being classified as the principal offender and argued that Zhang Dali had taken the initiative in the murders and sexual coercion.
• Su Bai concluded that Wang Wenyuan’s role in planning and organizing the crimes justified naming him the principal offender, while Wang He hoped the judge would accept Wu Zhen’s argument.