Chapter Summaries

Su Bai challenged Penguin's defense of Happy Match-One, exposing tensions in its arguments about originality and common usage. The judge recognized Nanyou Studio's evidence supporting the originality of Crazy Match-Match-Match's gameplay, and Su Bai submitted a survey as the court moved toward deciding whether Penguin had plagiarized.

• Su Bai argued that Chen Chao's claims about the games' names and three-animal matching gameplay contradicted each other.
• Chen Chao defended Penguin by distinguishing its arguments about gameplay from its arguments about the game's name, then claimed research supported matching three animals.
• Presiding Judge Cao Liqiang identified gameplay plagiarism as the central dispute and asked whether Nanyou Studio had originally created the matching-three format.
• Su Bai submitted evidence of originality, while Chen Chao maintained Penguin's position but could provide no supporting evidence.
• Su Bai presented a survey in which twenty randomly selected passersby compared the games, and Cao Liqiang began examining it.

The court ruled that Penguin Holdings Co., Ltd.’s Happy Match-One was highly similar to Nanyou Studio’s Crazy Match-Match-Match and that its gameplay was suspected of plagiarism. Su Bai offered settlement terms over unfair competition, but Penguin rejected them, leaving the litigation to continue.

• Chen Chao moved to exclude passersby’s game reviews, and Cao Liqiang granted the motion.
• Cao Liqiang ruled that Penguin Holdings Co., Ltd.’s Happy Match-One was highly similar to Nanyou Studio’s Crazy Match-Match-Match and that its gameplay was suspected of plagiarism.
• Su Bai and Chen Chao both said they had no objection to the plagiarism ruling, while Chen Chao and Kong Hao worried about losing Penguin’s near-perfect record.
• Cao Liqiang asked whether the parties would continue litigating the unfair competition claim or settle, and Su Bai proposed a public apology, relisting Crazy Match-Match-Match, and compensation.
• Chen Chao rejected Su Bai’s settlement terms and requested that the trial continue, while Li Xuezhen told Su Bai she had stared the opposing lawyer into losing.

Su Bai presented evidence that Penguin could not justify removing Nanyou Studio’s minigame, and the court found Penguin liable for plagiarism and suspected unfair competition. Penguin was ordered to pay damages, remove its plagiarized game, restore the original minigame, and issue a public apology.

• Su Bai challenged Chen Chao to explain the removal and presented Penguin’s risk-control rules and an assessment showing Crazy Match-Match-Match met them.
• Chen Chao declined an on-site test, conceded that Penguin could not explain precisely why it had removed the game, and waived his closing statement.
• During their recess, Cao Liqiang, Jiang Hongyan, and He Yong'an agreed Penguin had lost and discussed the penalties.
• Cao Liqiang ruled that Happy Match-One plagiarized Crazy Match-Match-Match and ordered Penguin to pay Nanyou Studio 8,685,465.92 yuan and remove the game.
• Cao Liqiang found Penguin suspected of unfair competition and ordered it to restore Crazy Match-Match-Match and issue a public apology.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen won the infringement lawsuit against Penguin, prompting Lin Quan to encourage other game studios to stand up for their rights. Back at White Jun Law Firm, Su Bai anticipated new clients and growth, while Li Xuezhen worried that the firm’s success would leave her money without a purpose.

• Presiding Judge Cao Liqiang ruled against Penguin, and Chen Chao and Kong Hao worried about the consequences of losing the case.
• Li Xuezhen celebrated the victory with Su Bai, who told her to gather the documents and report the result to Lin Quan and Meng Xiaofan.
• Lin Quan told other game studios that a lawyer could defeat Penguin, then shared the judgment and drew excited responses from the group.
• Miao Shuijun reprimanded Chen Chao and Kong Hao after reading the judgment, then escalated the case to Penguin executives for a meeting.
• Su Bai returned to White Jun Law Firm and discussed the new contacts and cases the Penguin victory might bring, while Li Xuezhen fretted that her money would be less useful.

After winning against Penguin, Su Bai’s White Jun Law Firm gained consultations and secured a partnership with Nanyou Studio, while Penguin offered a settlement over Crazy Match-Match-Match. Su Bai then sued Penguin again for another studio, but Penguin settled that case too, leaving Li Xuezhen disappointed that she had lost another chance to hit Penguin.

• Su Bai received Lin Quan and Meng Xiaofan, handed over Nanyou Studio’s written judgment, and advised Lin Quan about Penguin’s proposed settlement.
• Lin Quan proposed a future partnership between Nanyou Studio and White Jun Law Firm, and Su Bai agreed.
• Nanyou Studio and White Jun Law Firm signed a contract, while another studio Lin Quan had referred decided to sue Penguin over copied game content.
• Su Bai prepared the new case and filed a complaint against Penguin at Nanshan Intermediate Court.
• Penguin’s legal department found the copying was severe, and its head warned Boss Ma that they could not confidently win.
• Penguin settled for far more than the studio had sought, and the studio withdrew its lawsuit while Li Xuezhen lamented the lost chance to hammer Penguin.

The White Jun Law Firm expanded by hiring Duan Liang and dividing responsibilities among its lawyers as civil and commercial work surged. Teacher Luo then referred Su Bai a complicated criminal case, and Su Bai eagerly agreed to take it on.

• Su Bai recruited experienced lawyer Duan Liang after the firm's caseload overwhelmed its existing staff.
• Su Bai assigned Xu Xiang to civil and straightforward criminal cases, Duan Liang to civil and commercial cases, and reserved difficult cases for himself.
• Two elderly people asked Luo Daxiang for help with a difficult criminal case, and Luo promised to find them a lawyer.
• Luo called Su Bai and emailed him an outline of the case.
• After reading the outline, Su Bai decided the challenging case suited him and became eager to handle it.

Li Xuezhen learned that Su Bai’s firm had taken a criminal case in the Northern Capital and eagerly prepared to travel with him. Su Bai studied the case’s uncertain allegations and planned to investigate before deciding how to pursue the client’s claims.

• Li Xuezhen lamented that she had no impressive cases to handle until Su Bai messaged her about the firm’s new case in the Northern Capital.
• Li Xuezhen packed for the trip, while Wang Kexin wondered whether Su Bai was a man.
• Su Bai reviewed a case in which a company allegedly had a plaintiff jailed for extortion after the plaintiff sought legitimate compensation, but he withheld judgment pending more details.
• Li Xuezhen asked Su Bai who they might send to prison, and he told her to focus on the client’s claims and study law.
• Li Xuezhen returned to her heavily marked administrative law book, hoping to be ready for future cases.

Su Bai traveled to the Northern Capital with Li Xuezhen to investigate Guo Xiaojun’s extortion conviction and discuss his appeal with the client’s parents. After hearing their account, Su Bai believed winning an acquittal should be straightforward and asked whether they also wanted compensation or had other demands.

• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to focus on criminal law, and she eagerly packed when he later invited her to the Northern Capital.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen met Professor Luo Daxiang, who explained that Guo Xiaojun planned to appeal his five-year sentence for extortion.
• Guo Wei and Liu Qing described how Guo Xiaojun sought compensation after unsafe powdered milk caused his daughter serious health problems, but the company had him prosecuted for extortion.
• Su Bai concluded that the first-instance judgment had serious flaws and said Guo Xiaojun should have little trouble winning the appeal.
• Su Bai asked Guo Wei and Liu Qing whether they wanted compensation or had any other demands.

Su Bai took on Guo Xiaojun’s case and reviewed the first-instance file to find the reason for the conviction. He spotted a problem with the evidence and prepared to speak with Guo Xiaojun before appealing.

• Guo Wei and Liu Qing told Su Bai they wanted justice for Guo Xiaojun, whom they believed had been framed, and signed a representation agreement with White Jun Law Firm.
• Su Bai decided to examine the case file before meeting Guo Xiaojun, explaining that his parents’ account might leave out important details.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen obtained the case file from the Northern Capital Lijiang District Primary Court, where a court officer described Guo Xiaojun as a pitiful man but declined to discuss the case further.
• Su Bai reviewed the first-instance judgment and supporting materials while Li Xuezhen organized the prosecutor’s and judges’ questions.
• Su Bai identified a problem with the evidence and told Li Xuezhen they should meet Guo Xiaojun and appeal the first-instance ruling.

Su Bai and Li Xuezhen visited Guo Xiaojun at the detention center, where Su questioned him about his wife’s accusation and discussed challenging his five-year sentence. Guo agreed with Su’s aggressive plan for the second instance, including accusing his wife of false testimony and seeking compensation from Aibao Milk Powder.

• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen went to the Fandou Subdistrict Detention Center to meet Guo Xiaojun, and Li got their request approved quickly with a cigarette.
• Su Bai asked Guo whether he had intended to extort Aibao Milk Powder, and Guo denied it and said his wife’s accusation was false.
• Guo admitted he had no evidence to prove he lacked that intention and anxiously asked Su whether he still had a chance in the second instance.
• Su told Guo the first-instance judgment had several problems and asked whether he was willing to part with his wife.
• Guo said he wanted his wife punished, so Su proposed challenging the judgment, accusing her of false testimony, seeking compensation from Aibao Milk Powder, and requesting supervisory review of the trial personnel.

Su Bai appealed Guo Xiaojun’s five-year sentence, accusing Ma Li of perjury and seeking compensation and an apology from Aibao Milk Powder. The livestreamed joint hearing began with Su Bai making sweeping demands against all three opposing sides, leaving Ma Li and the company alarmed.

• Su Bai explained to Li Xuezhen that suspicion alone could not establish misconduct by the first-instance judges and prepared Guo Xiaojun’s appeal.
• Su Bai filed the appeal, claims against Ma Li and Aibao Milk Powder, and an application to livestream the hearing; the court consolidated the cases and approved the livestream.
• Aibao Milk Powder prepared to fight the claims, while Ma Li called Dong Cheng after receiving a summons accusing her of perjury, and Dong Cheng reassured her and arranged a lawyer.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen entered the livestreamed second-instance hearing, where the court verified the parties and confirmed the grounds of the case.
• Su Bai requested that Guo Xiaojun be found not guilty, that Ma Li’s alleged perjury be examined, and that Aibao Milk Powder pay damages, apologize, disclose its conduct, and cover litigation costs.

Su Bai argued that Guo Xiaojun had not committed extortion because he sought compensation through a civil lawsuit and lacked malicious intent. The court provisionally found the first-instance evidence insufficient to prove extortion, leaving the final determination for the judgment.

• Dong Cheng urged Zhang Changli to ensure they won the lawsuit and continued watching the court broadcast.
• Guo Xiaojun described how his daughter became ill after drinking Aibao Milk Powder and explained that he raised his compensation demand after his wife’s advice and Aibao’s negotiations.
• Su Bai argued that filing a lawsuit to seek compensation could not constitute extortion, and the prosecutor questioned whether Guo Xiaojun knew the compensation laws or later developed criminal intent.
• Su Bai presented evidence that Guo Xiaojun had not known the relevant compensation limits and had consistently given the same account of events.
• Xu Chunxing ruled provisionally that the first-instance evidence did not establish that Guo Xiaojun committed extortion, and Guo Xiaojun became emotional with relief.

Su Bai won Guo Xiaojun’s appeal and then argued that Aibao Milk Powder contributed to Guo Xiaojun’s losses, securing the court’s agreement that its compensation negotiations helped prompt his five-million-yuan demand. The hearing turned to Ma Li’s alleged false accusation, leaving her uneasy as Su Bai focused on her.

• Xu Chunxing ruled Guo Xiaojun not guilty of extortion, overturning his five-year prison sentence, and the livestream viewers celebrated while Luo Daxiang explained the ruling.
• Xu Chunxing identified Ma Li’s alleged false accusation and Guo Xiaojun’s compensation claim against Aibao Milk Powder as the remaining issues.
• Su Bai requested 1,785,696.50 yuan from Aibao Milk Powder, and Fang Xuan argued that the company was not responsible for Guo Xiaojun’s job and emotional losses.
• Su Bai argued that Aibao Milk Powder had invited negotiations over compensation before accusing Guo Xiaojun of extortion.
• Xu Chunxing found that Aibao Milk Powder’s negotiations had indirectly contributed to Guo Xiaojun increasing his demand from 700,000 to five million yuan, and both sides accepted the determination.
• Su Bai turned his attention to Ma Li, who grew nervous while Wang Manting assured her that her accusation would not count as perjury.

Su Bai presented Ma Li’s false accusation and unexplained bank transactions as evidence that she had deliberately framed Guo Xiaojun. The court overturned Guo Xiaojun’s conviction, ordered Aibao Milk Powder to compensate him, and sentenced Ma Li to four years in prison.

• Su Bai argued that Ma Li’s accusation against Guo Xiaojun was false testimony, while Ma Li claimed she had acted to uphold justice and Wang Manting challenged whether she had any motive to frame her husband.
• Su Bai submitted Ma Li’s bank records and evidence of her repeated plans to divorce Guo Xiaojun, and Ma Li could not explain the unexplained expenditures.
• After deliberating, Presiding Judge Xu Chunxing and the other judges agreed to issue a judgment and complete further procedures afterward.
• Su Bai gave a closing statement urging punishment for those who undermined judicial fairness, while Wang Manting appealed to the court to consider Ma Li and Guo Xiaojun’s marriage and daughter.
• Xu Chunxing overturned Guo Xiaojun’s conviction, ordered his release, directed Aibao Milk Powder to pay compensation and apologize, and sentenced Ma Li to four years in prison.

After Guo Xiaojun was acquitted on appeal and Ma Li was sentenced to four years for perjury, Su Bai obtained Guo Xiaojun’s consent to seek review and oversight of the first-instance judgment. The authorities agreed to examine it, leaving Su Bai waiting for their review.

• Ma Li objected to her four-year sentence, and Wang Manting told her an appeal might only reduce it if Guo Xiaojun forgave her.
• Viewers in Luo Daxiang’s livestream discussed publicizing Aibao Milk Powder’s misconduct, while Dong Cheng worried that Ma Li’s conviction would expose her and the company.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen celebrated their victory, and Guo Xiaojun thanked Su Bai before turning away from Ma Li’s plea for forgiveness to reunite with his parents.
• Guo Xiaojun authorized Su Bai to pursue the final step of their plan after the appeal, and Su Bai requested review and supervisory examination of the first-instance judgment.
• The relevant authorities agreed to conduct a rigorous review, and Su Bai waited for the process to continue.

After Guo Xiaojun’s appeal succeeded, public outrage drove Aibao Milk Powder to the brink of bankruptcy and led to Dong Cheng’s prosecution. Su Bai explained the limits of the judges’ punishment, met with Guo Xiaojun and his parents, and discussed Dong Cheng’s likely sentence before Li Xuezhen asked about becoming a partner.

• Su Bai agreed to recruit two trainee lawyers to help Xu Xiang and Duan Liang manage White Jun Law Firm’s growing caseload.
• Online coverage and milk powder test reports triggered a boycott, forced Aibao Milk Powder to suspend production, and pushed the company toward bankruptcy.
• Prosecutors took Dong Cheng in for questioning over suspected malicious accusation and obstruction of testimony.
• Authorities found no procedural misconduct by the first-instance judges but removed them from their positions and barred them from adjudicative work; Su Bai explained the decision to Li Xuezhen.
• Guo Xiaojun and his parents visited White Jun Law Firm, thanked Su Bai, and discussed compensation, Ma Li, and Dong Cheng’s likely five-to-six-year sentence.
• After Guo Xiaojun left, Li Xuezhen asked Su Bai whether she could become a partner once she qualified as a lawyer.

Su Bai expanded White Jun Law Firm by recruiting two interns, including Li Xuezhen’s roommate Wang Kexin, who had applied without knowing Li Xuezhen worked there. After joining the firm, Wang Kexin teased Li Xuezhen about becoming Su Bai’s wife rather than his partner.

• Li Xuezhen recruited trainee lawyer candidates and coordinated interviews with Su Bai.
• Wang Kexin told Li Xuezhen she feared being rejected from another internship, then revealed she had applied to White Jun Law Firm.
• Li Xuezhen encouraged Wang Kexin and kept her own connection to the firm secret until the interview.
• Su Bai, Li Xuezhen, Xu Xiang, and Duan Liang interviewed the candidates and hired Wang Kexin and Wang Kangjie.
• Su Bai assigned Wang Kangjie to Duan Liang and Wang Kexin to Xu Xiang, bringing the firm’s legal staff to six.
• Wang Kexin questioned Li Xuezhen about working with Su Bai and offered to help her become his wife, leaving Li Xuezhen flustered.

Su Bai confronted the tea shop owner over overpriced tea and accepted compensation after Li Xuezhen’s forceful legal threats helped settle the dispute. Duan Liang then brought two business partnerships to White Jun Law Firm, while Li Xuezhen grew restless without a seventh case to handle.

• Su Bai took Li Xuezhen to the tea shop and challenged the owner over tea he had sold at an inflated price.
• Li Xuezhen warned the owner that she had recorded his statements and reminded him of White Jun Law Firm’s courtroom record, prompting him to pay tenfold compensation, provide free tea, and promise a public apology.
• Duan Liang proposed using his connections and Su Bai’s reputation to bring business partnerships to the firm, and Su Bai agreed to the plan.
• Duan Liang secured two business partnerships after the representatives met Su Bai, helping White Jun Law Firm expand.
• Wang Kexin tried to advise Li Xuezhen about Su Bai, but Li Xuezhen remained focused on studying criminal law.
• With no new major cases and her seventh trainee case still out of reach, Li Xuezhen grew dejected and considered returning to the tea shop.

Xiao Haibo referred Zhang Laichun’s complicated administrative and criminal case to Su Bai, who agreed to take it on with Li Xuezhen’s help. Zhang Laichun began explaining how building a bridge led to his detention, a conviction for picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and a huge fine.

• Xiao Haibo struggled to find a lawyer willing to handle Zhang Laichun’s case, which involved both administrative and criminal law.
• After seeing Xiao Haibo’s post about the case, Su Bai agreed to take it on and arranged to meet the client.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to prepare for the administrative and criminal case, and she eagerly reviewed her administrative-law materials.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen went to Haifang Law Firm, where Xiao Haibo introduced them to Zhang Laichun.
• Zhang Laichun began recounting how building a bridge led to his detention, conviction for picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and an enormous fine.

Su Bai took Zhang Laidong’s case after he was convicted for building a bridge and fined three hundred thousand yuan, then reviewed the first-instance file and met him in detention. The chapter ended with Su Bai preparing to challenge the conviction and administrative fine on appeal.

• Zhang Laichun told Su Bai that Zhang Laidong had been convicted of picking quarrels and provoking trouble after a bridge construction company reported his privately funded bridge and tolls, and had also been fined three hundred thousand yuan.
• Su Bai accepted the case, obtained the first-instance file from Nanchuan County Court, and found that the conviction rested on the alleged occupation of property and thirty thousand yuan in toll income.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen met Zhang Laidong at Nanchuan County Detention Center, where he said he mainly wanted to protect his child’s university education and challenge the unaffordable fine.
• Zhang Laidong reviewed the evidence and pointed out several problems in its wording, which Li Xuezhen recorded for Su Bai.
• Su Bai assured Zhang Laidong that the firm would do its best on appeal, and Li Xuezhen expressed confidence that they would win.