Chapter Summaries

At Jordan's trial, Su Bai argued that public recognition established Jordan's right to his name in China, while Zhang Yuan argued that the right belonged only to Chinese citizens. The judges deliberated and leaned toward the plaintiff's position, leaving the court's ruling pending.

• Su Bai argued that Chinese media and the public recognized Jordan by that name, giving him a right to it under the law's definition of an identifying characteristic.
• Zhang Yuan countered that Jordan was not a Chinese citizen and therefore could not hold the right of name in China, but offered no legal interpretation beyond Article 99 of the General Principles of Civil Law.
• Liang Youcheng adjourned the trial for the collegial panel to deliberate, leaving Su Bai cautiously hopeful and Zhang Yuan and Xiao Youzhi worried.
• Lin Hai feared the judges might accept the plaintiff's argument, while Xu Fei mistakenly believed the recess meant Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. had won.
• In deliberations, Zhang Shulin, Feng Feng, and Liang Youcheng agreed that public recognition supported Jordan's position and that the defendant's conduct should not be tolerated.

The court ruled that Jordan held the right to the name Jordan, rejecting Jordan Sports Co., Ltd.'s argument and leaving the company facing a more difficult case. Presiding Judge Liang Youcheng then turned to whether the company's trademark infringed Jordan's portrait rights, and Zhang Yuan argued that the pose lacked distinctive features identifying Jordan.

• Presiding Judge Liang Youcheng announced that the plaintiff Jordan held the right to the name Jordan and rejected the defendant's arguments.
• Xu Fei reacted angrily to the ruling, while Lin Hai blamed the presiding judge and said the outcome of the case remained uncertain.
• Su Bai explained that establishing Jordan's name rights could support claims that Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. had used Jordan's fame and infringed his legal interests.
• Liang Youcheng asked whether the plaintiff had evidence that the trademark's pose had distinctive identifying features, and Su Bai said he did not.
• Zhang Yuan argued that the trademark depicted a faceless figure holding a table tennis paddle and that the pose did not identify Jordan or infringe his portrait rights.

Su Bai and Zhang Yuan delivered their final court statements in the Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. case, focusing on Jordan’s name rights and the disputed portrait-right claim. The court adjourned and said it would issue its judgment in a week, while Su Bai expected the plaintiff’s claims to be granted.

• Liang Youcheng asked Su Bai to provide concrete evidence that the Flying Man Pose trademark infringed Jordan’s portrait rights, and Su Bai admitted the plaintiff had none.
• Su Bai argued that Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. had used Jordan’s name and fame to sell products and should pay compensation and issue a public apology.
• Zhang Yuan argued that Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. had not intended to profit from Jordan’s name and asked the court to limit its responsibility.
• Liang Youcheng announced that the judgment would be issued in a week, then adjourned the trial.
• Li Xuezhen complained to Su Bai that the defendant had twisted the arguments, and Li Han asked whether the plaintiff would win.
• Su Bai told Li Han that he expected the court to grant all of the plaintiff’s claims.

The Supreme People's Court ruled that Jordan had the right to his name and granted the plaintiff's requested relief, prompting Jordan to prepare a public clarification. Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. faced an online boycott, falling sales, and a government order to change its name within three months.

• Li Han received the judgment from Su Bai and read that Jordan's name right was recognized, while the plaintiff's requested relief was granted and the defendant's claims were dismissed.
• Li Han thanked Su Bai, then prepared Jordan's clarification statement and contacted the media after Su Bai confirmed a straightforward statement would pose no legal problems.
• Jordan's clarification and disclosures about the judgment sparked online condemnation and calls to boycott Jordan Sports Co., Ltd.
• Xu Fei saw the company facing widespread boycotts and a one-third drop in revenue as competing brands promoted themselves.
• Xu Fei read a State Administration for Industry and Commerce notice ordering Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. to change its name within three months or face penalties and restrictions.

After Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. lost its case, Jordan refused to authorize the company to keep using his name, leaving Xu Fei fearing bankruptcy. At White Jun Law Firm, Li Xuezhen celebrated the firm’s growth and her bond with Su Bai, then found a new potential case involving Lao Wang’s family.

• Xu Fei asked Li Han to seek Jordan’s authorization for Jordan Sports Co., Ltd. to keep its name and sell products named after him, but Jordan refused, and Xu Fei feared the company would go bankrupt.
• Li Xuezhen told Su Bai about the failed authorization and the pressure facing Jordan Sports Co., Ltd.; Su Bai said the firm should focus on its own work and grow its short-video business.
• Old Li invited Li Xuezhen and Su Bai to celebrate a finished case, and Li Xuezhen was delighted to learn Su Bai had already agreed to meet.
• Li Xuezhen sent a red packet to the firm’s lawyers’ group, and Su Bai sent one too after Xu Xiang prompted him.
• A woman whose husband Lao Wang had been sentenced asked about hiring Su Bai, despite a relative warning her about legal fees and online scams.
• Li Xuezhen found comments about a potential case on the firm’s Short Video account and told Su Bai she had found another good case.

Su Bai agreed to represent Xiao Chunmei’s husband, Li Dong, after hearing that he had been imprisoned for confronting a hospital over allegedly ineffective drugs. After reviewing the case files, Su Bai and Li Xuezhen discovered an additional charge that Xiao Chunmei had not mentioned, leaving the reason for Li Dong’s sentence in question.

• Li Xuezhen showed Su Bai Xiao Chunmei’s account of how her husband Li Dong was imprisoned after demanding answers and refunds from a hospital.
• Su Bai decided to contact Xiao Chunmei and investigate the case before judging whether Li Dong’s sentence was excessive.
• Li Xuezhen called Xiao Chunmei, who agreed to retain White Jun Law Firm for Li Dong’s appeal.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen visited Xiao Chunmei, signed the authorization, and asked her about the case.
• Su Bai obtained the case files from the Yangshi Basic Court and found that they included an additional charge Xiao Chunmei had not mentioned.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen discovered that Li Dong’s fraud conviction had been omitted from Xiao Chunmei’s account, but Xiao Chunmei genuinely had not known about it because she missed his trial while receiving dialysis. Su Bai kept the representation for now and planned to meet Li Dong before deciding whether the case had grounds for further action.

• Li Xuezhen noticed that the case file showed Li Dong had forged an official seal and fraudulently obtained more than 168,000 yuan, facts Xiao Chunmei had not mentioned.
• Su Bai suspected Xiao Chunmei had been unaware of Li Dong’s fraud and told Li Xuezhen they would ask her about it the next day.
• Xiao Chunmei was shocked by the fraud conviction and explained that she had missed Li Dong’s trial for dialysis and had only been told he was sentenced to more than three years.
• Su Bai decided not to terminate the representation immediately and said they needed to meet Li Dong before deciding what to do.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen that they could not take the case if Li Dong had intended to evade medical expenses, but might proceed if he had acted out of desperation to help his wife.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen met Li Dong in the Yang City detention center and learned that he had forged the hospital’s seal after struggling to pay for his wife Xiao Chunmei’s treatment. Convinced that Li Dong’s sentence was excessive and that a doctor’s costly prescriptions and hints had contributed to the crime, Su Bai agreed to take the case and prepare a second-instance appeal.

• Su Bai showed Li Dong the retainer agreement, but Li Dong initially refused legal representation because he could not afford the fees.
• Li Dong explained that he forged the hospital seal to cover Xiao Chunmei’s medical bills after a doctor hinted at payment workarounds and prescribed increasingly expensive medicine that another hospital later said was ineffective and harmful.
• Li Dong said his legal aid lawyer had advised him not to mention the doctor’s hints at the first-instance trial, and he did not want to appeal or repay more than 160,000 yuan in medical bills.
• Su Bai reassured Li Dong that they could handle the case without upfront fees and argued that his three-and-a-half-year sentence was excessive.
• After leaving the detention center, Li Xuezhen urged Su Bai to take the case because Li Dong had been harmed by the doctor’s prescriptions and conduct.
• Su Bai agreed to represent Li Dong and told Li Xuezhen to prepare a second-instance appeal.

Su Bai argued Li Dong’s second-instance appeal, seeking to overturn the picking-quarrels charge and reduce his fraud sentence by showing that his conduct arose from a dispute over medical costs and pressure from his doctor. The hearing ended with Su Bai alleging that Lin Wenjie had hinted Li Dong should use a counterfeit seal, leaving Lin Wenjie stunned in court.

• Su Bai prepared new appeal arguments and evidence, and the Yang City Intermediate Court accepted Li Dong’s case and approved a public hearing.
• Vice President Wang told Lin Wenjie that he might be called to testify, and Lin Wenjie agreed to appear in court.
• The court opened Li Dong’s public second-instance hearing, where the prosecution asked the judges to uphold the first-instance judgment.
• Su Bai argued that Li Dong’s efforts to demand an explanation from the hospital did not constitute picking quarrels and provoking trouble.
• Su Bai acknowledged Li Dong’s fraud but argued that his limited use of the counterfeit seal and substantial legitimate payments showed little intent to defraud.
• Su Bai claimed Lin Wenjie had repeatedly urged Li Dong to buy expensive medication and hinted that he use a counterfeit seal, leaving Lin Wenjie stunned.

During Li Dong’s appeal, Su Bai argued that attending doctor Lin Wenjie had hinted that Li Dong should forge a hospital seal to pay his wife’s medical bills. Lin Wenjie and hospital lawyer Zhou Wei denied the accusation and challenged Su Bai to produce evidence, leaving the court to consider whether the claim could be substantiated.

• Viewers watching the public trial debated allegations that Lin Wenjie had urged Li Dong to forge an official seal.
• Presiding judge Wei Guoming asked Zhou Wei, the hospital’s lawyer, to respond to Su Bai’s claims.
• Zhou Wei questioned Lin Wenjie, who admitted prescribing expensive medication but said it was necessary and denied hinting at forgery.
• Zhou Wei argued that no objective evidence supported Su Bai’s accusation and that Li Dong might have misunderstood Lin Wenjie or made the claim to avoid responsibility.
• Su Bai remained calm as Zhou Wei argued that the hospital could not be implicated without evidence.

Su Bai argued that Li Dong’s fraud should receive a reduced sentence because unaffordable medical costs and Lin Wenjie’s costly prescriptions had pressured him into using a fake seal to pay for his wife’s treatment. The court overturned the finding that Li Dong had picked quarrels and provoked trouble, then turned to consider the fraud charge and its appropriate sentence.

• Zhou Wei argued that there was no evidence Lin Wenjie had deliberately sold expensive medicine or hinted that Li Dong should obtain a fake official seal.
• Su Bai presented hospital records and other circumstances to argue that Lin Wenjie profited from prescribing increasingly expensive medicine and that Li Dong had acted under duress to obtain treatment for Xiao Chunmei.
• Presiding Judge Wei Guoming asked the public prosecutor for further views on the finding of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and the prosecutor said there were no objections.
• Wei Guoming ruled that Li Dong had been defending his rights when he went to the hospital, so his conduct did not constitute picking quarrels and provoking trouble.
• Wei Guoming turned to the fraud charge and sought the hospital’s views on the seriousness and consequences of Li Dong’s conduct.

At Li Dong’s appeal hearing, Su Bai argued that Li Dong’s fraud arose from his inability to afford his wife’s medicine and asked the court to reduce his sentence. The arguments ended, and the courtroom awaited Presiding Judge Wei Guoming’s verdict.

• Wei Guoming asked the hospital to respond, and Zhou Wei argued that Su Bai’s claims lacked objective evidence; Wei rejected the objection because Su Bai had presented a statutory sentencing argument, not accused the hospital of wrongdoing.
• The prosecution gave a brief statement and maintained its recommendation to uphold the first-instance judgment.
• Zhou Wei said Li Dong had caused the hospital financial and reputational harm, while expressing sympathy for his family and asking the court to consider the hospital’s position.
• Viewers criticized the hospital’s statement, blaming the expensive medicine and Lin Wenjie’s prescriptions for Li Dong’s circumstances.
• Su Bai emphasized Li Dong’s low income, family responsibilities, and lack of intent to harm others, then asked Wei to consider those mitigating circumstances when sentencing him.
• After Su Bai finished his statement, the court arguments concluded and the parties awaited Wei Guoming’s verdict.

The collegial panel overturned Li Dong’s first-instance sentence and gave him three years’ imprisonment suspended for four years, while ordering him to repay 168,000 yuan. After the trial, Lin Wenjie sought Vice President Wang’s help, and Su Bai told Xiao Chunmei that Lin Wenjie could still be investigated.

• Wei Guoming, Wang Dong, and the other judge agreed to sentence Li Dong to three years’ imprisonment, suspended for four years.
• Wei Guoming announced the second-instance verdict, overturning the first ruling and ordering Li Dong to repay 168,000 yuan.
• Li Dong realized he would not have to go to prison, and Su Bai nodded to him.
• Lin Wenjie asked Zhou Wei whether the hospital would discipline him, then called Vice President Wang to explain himself and ask for help.
• Xiao Chunmei thanked Su Bai, then complained that Lin Wenjie had not been dealt with.
• Su Bai told Xiao Chunmei that Lin Wenjie could still be investigated.

After Li Dong received a suspended sentence, public attention to his case exposed allegations of overpriced hospital drugs and pressure on doctors, prompting official media scrutiny and investigations in Yangcheng. The chapter ended with Supervisory Department staff taking Vice President Wang away and stopping Lin Wenjie for investigation.

• Li Xuezhen reassured Xiao Chunmei that evidence against Lin Wenjie had been submitted to the relevant authorities.
• Online discussions of Li Dong's case raised questions about expensive hospital drugs, unnecessary prescriptions, and pressure on doctors to meet sales targets.
• A prominent media figure issued three pointed questions about the hospital, local regulators, and whether Li Dong represented other victims.
• The Health Commission and Supervisory Department announced a comprehensive investigation into Yangcheng's medical system and the personnel involved.
• Supervisory Department staff escorted Vice President Wang from the hospital and identified Lin Wenjie at the stairwell, stopping him for investigation.

After Lin Wenjie and Vice President Wang were arrested, Yangcheng authorities investigated hospitals and punished officials for widespread misconduct. Li Dong and Xiao Chunmei thanked Su Bai, explained that medicine refunds eased their debt, and prepared for Li Dong to testify against Lin Wenjie at a trial scheduled for the third of next month.

• Yangcheng's Supervisory Department announced an investigation into Lin Wenjie, while health authorities reported inflated medicine prices and penalties at multiple hospitals; officials were also investigated and removed from their posts.
• Li Xuezhen showed Su Bai the official notices and eagerly anticipated earning more Achievement Points as Su Bai estimated that thirty to fifty people might face consequences.
• Xiao Chunmei and Li Dong visited Su Bai, thanked him for securing Li Dong's suspended sentence, and explained that medicine refunds had reduced their repayment burden to about ten thousand yuan.
• Xiao Chunmei gave Su Bai five thousand yuan in lawyer fees, which he accepted, and Li Dong agreed to testify against Lin Wenjie.
• Su Bai advised Li Dong to answer the judge's questions truthfully at Lin Wenjie's trial, which was scheduled for the third of next month.

Lin Wenjie confessed to inducing patients to commit crimes and other offenses, and the court sentenced him to four years and six months in prison. After Li Dong's case boosted White Jun Law Firm's business, Li Xuezhen received an email about a case she realized was major.

• At Lin Wenjie's public trial, he admitted to inducing others to commit crimes and to other offenses, including duty-related crimes.
• The Yangcheng Intermediate Court sentenced Lin Wenjie to four years and six months in prison, and he raised no objection.
• Su Bai saw the system's influence progress from Li Dong's case increase by 3%, bringing it close to 100%.
• Li Xuezhen told Su Bai that White Jun Law Firm's commercial partnerships and criminal cases had increased.
• Li Xuezhen opened an email seeking representation and, after reading the details, recognized the case as major.

Su Bai agreed to investigate a serious case in which the alleged principal offender had been released without charges, and Wu Jiang decided to bring his daughter’s case to White Jun Law Firm. The chapter ended with Wu Jiang preparing to travel to the Southern Capital and insisting he would keep pursuing justice, even if he had to go to the Northern Capital.

• Li Xuezhen forwarded Su Bai an email about a case alleging that a group had forced women to have sex and that the principal offender had been released without charges.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to contact the listed client and verify the case before deciding whether the firm would represent them.
• Feng Lijian told Su Bai that the national Bar Association might select young lawyers for development, and Su Bai agreed to participate if the opportunity arose.
• Li Xuezhen contacted Wu Jiang, who confirmed his family wanted representation and planned to travel from Yun Province to meet Su Bai.
• Wu Jiang rejected relatives’ and friends’ pleas to give up, booked a flight to the Southern Capital, and vowed to pursue justice for Xiaojie.

Su Bai reviewed Wu Jiang’s daughter’s case and said that although it would be difficult, punishing the perpetrators was still possible. Meanwhile, Li Xiaoguo remained in hiding while his family tried to keep Wu Jiang from taking the case to Northern Capital.

• Wu Jiang gave Su Bai the detailed case file and asked whether his daughter could receive justice through the law.
• Su Bai read that Li Xiaoguo had been identified as the principal offender, then released without charges, and told Wu Jiang the case was difficult but not impossible to pursue.
• Li Xiaoguo complained to Auntie Wang about being confined and asked what his parents planned to do.
• Auntie Wang told Li Xiaoguo that Wu Jiang might go to Northern Capital and that his father had arranged to stop him from getting there.
• Li Xiaoguo agreed to stay quietly in the residential complex until the situation blew over.

Su Bai investigated the families and local connections of the four suspects who were taking the blame for Li Xiaoguo, hoping to find an opening when their trial began. He planned to wait for the prosecution, while Wu Jiang faced pressure and threats from Li Xiaoguo’s associates to keep him from seeking help in the Northern Capital.

• Su Bai reviewed information from Li Xuezhen about the four suspects and concluded that Lin Long had become the principal offender in Li Xiaoguo’s place.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen traveled to Kun City and discreetly questioned local residents, who said Li Xiaoguo had powerful connections and had escaped prosecution.
• Su Bai learned rumors that Lin Long’s parents had agreed to let him take the blame after Li Xiaoguo’s family promised he would not receive a death sentence and offered other terms.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen they would wait for the trial of Lin Long and Zhang Shanfeng before deciding how to proceed.
• Several men with ties to Li Xiaoguo threatened Wu Jiang at home and warned him not to go to the Northern Capital, invoking his injured daughter.

After Wu Jiang was threatened into abandoning his pursuit of Li Xiaoguo, he wavered but decided to keep Su Bai as his lawyer and see the case through. The trial of Lin Long and the other three began at Kun City Intermediate Court, where Su Bai prepared to challenge their agreement to take the blame for Li Xiaoguo.

• People warned Wu Jiang at home not to go to Northern Capital or continue pursuing Li Xiaoguo, using his daughter’s condition to pressure him.
• Wu Jiang visited his daughter in the hospital, then called Su Bai and asked whether ordinary legal procedures could punish those responsible.
• Su Bai told Wu Jiang that prosecuting Li Xiaoguo would be difficult but possible, and Wu Jiang decided to continue retaining him.
• Li Xiaoguo asked Auntie Wang when the trial would end, and she told him it should be over within a few days.
• The trial of Lin Long and the other three began at Kun City Intermediate Court, and Su Bai waited to see how the presiding judge and prosecution would handle the case.