Chapter Summaries

Li Xuezhen arranged for Su Bai to speak at Nandu University of Law, where he taught students not to get trapped into proving their innocence. The lesson turned into a real consultation when a student revealed that his cousin faced a 400,000-yuan compensation demand after helping someone.

• Wang Kexin eagerly accepted Li Xuezhen’s annotated criminal law book, while Li Xuezhen privately wondered whether her own interest in criminal law meant she had gone astray.
• Li Xuezhen received spending money from Old Li and told him she had bought gifts for him and her mother with her wages.
• Yang Yu asked Li Xuezhen to invite Su Bai to speak at Nandu University of Law, and Su Bai agreed.
• Su Bai gave a talk to a packed conference room, discussing lawyers’ responsibilities and explaining why accused people should make the other side prove its allegations.
• A student told Su Bai that his cousin had helped someone and was now being asked to pay 400,000 yuan in compensation, prompting Li Xuezhen to hope they could take the case.

Su Bai took Zhang Dahu’s case after Zhang Long described how his cousin had been sued for 400,000 yuan by an elderly woman he had helped. At pretrial mediation, Su Bai rejected the mediator’s proposed compensation and challenged the Court’s apparent bias, leaving the case headed toward trial.

• At Nandu University of Law, Zhang Long told Su Bai that his cousin Zhang Dahu had helped Chen Meixia after she fell, paid her hospital bills, and was then accused of knocking her down and sued for another 400,000 yuan.
• Su Bai invited Zhang Dahu to contact White Jun Law Firm, then continued his talk and returned to the firm with Li Xuezhen.
• Zhang Dahu and Zhang Long met Su Bai, who reviewed the case, accepted the engagement, and advised that they could seek a public prosecution if they had evidence of extortion.
• Before mediation, Chen Meixia insisted on the phone that Zhang Dahu had pushed her and had to pay compensation.
• At the DC District Court, the mediator asked Zhang Dahu whether he would pay 400,000 yuan or settle for 200,000 yuan, prompting Su Bai to reject compensation, demand reimbursement and an apology, and accuse the mediator of failing to act impartially.

After mediation failed, Su Bai reassured Zhang Dahu and prepared his evidence for the upcoming civil trial, while teaching Li Xuezhen to take every accepted case seriously. The trial began at the DC District Court, where Zhang Dahu faced Chen Meixia and her relatives.

• Su Bai told Zhang Dahu not to worry about the failed mediation and gave him a recorder to document any further threats from Chen Meixia or her sons.
• Su Bai asked Li Xuezhen to obtain the relevant statements from law enforcement, and she used her connections to retrieve the documents.
• Presiding judge Qian Wei spoke with an old friend about the case and noted that the evidence had a slight problem.
• Before the trial, Su Bai reminded Li Xuezhen that lawyers had to give every accepted case their full effort, regardless of its size.
• Court staff led Su Bai, Li Xuezhen, and Zhang Dahu into the courtroom, where Chen Meixia and her relatives glared at them.

At Zhang Dahu’s hearing, Chen Meixia claimed he had knocked her down, while Su Bai challenged her changing account and argued the plaintiffs lacked evidence. The judge warned Su Bai when his questioning threatened to expose the inconsistency, and the hearing ended with the lawyers disputing who had to prove whether Zhang Dahu caused the fall.

• Qian Wei opened the hearing and verified the parties’ identities and representation, then Xiao Feng requested 400,000 yuan in compensation and legal costs for Chen Meixia.
• Su Bai denied Zhang Dahu was responsible, sought repayment of the medical expenses Zhang Dahu had advanced, requested an apology, and asked the plaintiffs to bear litigation costs.
• Chen Meixia testified that she had seen Zhang Dahu knock her down, and Su Bai questioned how she could remember his face despite her earlier account and reported condition.
• Qian Wei warned Su Bai not to interrupt Chen Meixia, then summarized the law enforcement evidence showing that Zhang Dahu had helped her and taken her to the hospital but that no one witnessed the fall.
• Xiao Feng argued that Chen Meixia had no reason to lie and that Zhang Dahu’s helping her supported the claim, while Su Bai insisted the plaintiffs had to prove their accusation.

Su Bai defended Zhang Dahu against Chen Meixia’s claim that he had knocked her down, but presiding judge Qian Wei relied on circumstantial reasoning to find Zhang liable for 400,000 yuan. After the judgment, Su Bai headed to the procuratorial review department with Li Xuezhen and Zhang Dahu.

• Su Bai challenged Qian Wei’s leading questions and argued that Chen Meixia had not proved Zhang Dahu caused her injuries.
• Qian Wei repeatedly questioned Zhang Dahu about why he took Chen Meixia to the hospital and paid her medical expenses, while Su Bai insisted Zhang had acted out of kindness.
• During deliberations, Qian Wei persuaded Zhu Yuanfang and Xie Mingyan to accept his view that Zhang was liable based on high probability despite the incomplete evidence.
• Qian Wei ruled that Zhang had knocked Chen Meixia down and ordered him to pay 400,000 yuan plus litigation costs and attorney’s fees.
• After the judgment, Su Bai took Li Xuezhen and Zhang Dahu to the procuratorial review department, leaving Qian Wei unsettled.

After Su Bai reported Judge Qian Wei for his ruling in Zhang Dahu’s civil case, prosecutors investigated and brought a public prosecution against him. The case was transferred to the Chang City Intermediate Court, where Qian Wei’s hearing was about to begin with Su Bai, prosecutor Guan Tong, and defense lawyer Liu Jun present.

• Su Bai submitted a request for supervisory review at the Procuratorate Department immediately after court, and staff later told Qian Wei’s court president that the ruling was under scrutiny.
• Qian Wei reassured Li that his judgment was proper, then learned the Procuratorate Department had summoned him for questioning.
• Eight days after the judgment, Su Bai submitted it as evidence, and prosecutors said they would bring a public prosecution against Qian Wei after confirming the evidence.
• Su Bai asked Li Xuezhen to request a transfer of the case, and the Provincial High Court moved it from the Nandu Intermediate Court to the Chang City Intermediate Court.
• The Chang City Intermediate Court scheduled Qian Wei’s hearing and planned to assess the validity of Zhang Dahu’s first-instance case alongside it.
• As the hearing approached, Su Bai and Li Xuezhen waited with prosecutor Guan Tong, while Qian Wei prepared to defend himself with lawyer Liu Jun.

At Qian Wei’s hearing, defense attorney Liu Jun argued that Qian Wei should be acquitted because the prosecution had not proved he intentionally perverted judgment. Su Bai challenged that defense by exposing how Qian Wei had misused the civil standard of high probability, leaving Qian Wei shaken as the hearing continued.

• Presiding Judge Ren Yuandong opened the hearing and confirmed the charges against Qian Wei.
• Prosecutor Guan Tong accused Qian Wei of perverting judgment in Zhang Dahu’s civil case and recommended three years in prison.
• Liu Jun argued that the evidence did not prove Qian Wei knowingly violated the facts and law, and requested an acquittal.
• Su Bai pointed out that Qian Wei had favored Chen Meixia despite insufficient evidence, while rejecting the other judges’ concerns and the burden-of-proof principle.
• Su Bai questioned whether Chen Meixia could have seen Zhang Dahu after being knocked down and accused Qian Wei of using high probability to justify a subjective, wrongful ruling.
• Qian Wei recognized that Su Bai had exposed the reasoning behind his civil judgment and fell silent.

Su Bai, Liu Jun, and Guan Tong argued over whether Qian Wei had deliberately perverted judgment when he ruled against Zhang Dahu. Presiding Judge Ren Yuandong remained unsure how to resolve the case as the three sides presented competing arguments.

• Ren Yuandong summarized the parties’ arguments and asked Liu Jun to answer Su Bai’s accusations.
• Liu Jun argued that Qian Wei had reasonably applied a high degree of probability because Zhang Dahu’s account lacked evidence and his actions defied common sense.
• Guan Tong countered that the decision should be assessed through objective facts, pointing to Qian Wei’s rejection of the other judges’ concerns, his reasoning in the written judgment, and his leading questions to Zhang Dahu.
• Su Bai anticipated Liu Jun’s response and noted that Guan Tong had already challenged the defense’s reliance on Qian Wei’s subjective state.
• Ren Yuandong considered the arguments of all three parties and remained uncertain how to decide the case.

During Qian Wei’s trial, Su Bai exposed contradictions in Qian Wei and Chen Meixia’s testimony about the evidence and the use of the high probability standard. During recess, the collegial panel agreed that Qian Wei had applied the wrong legal provisions, while leaving his sentence for later.

• Ren Yuandong questioned Qian Wei about his ruling against Zhang Dahu and his phone calls with Li Mu, while Qian Wei claimed he had relied on Zhang Dahu’s behavior and had not been influenced.
• Chen Meixia said she could not remember her earlier statements, and Su Bai used her answer to challenge why Qian Wei had still ruled in her favor despite recognizing problems with her evidence.
• Liu Jun argued that Qian Wei had not applied the wrong law, but the hearing went into a one-hour recess without the parties adding anything further.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen that the court would likely first find that Qian Wei had used the wrong legal provisions, though his intent and sentence remained to be decided.
• Ren Yuandong, Yin Wenhui, and Tang Lin discussed the case in chambers and agreed to find that Qian Wei had applied the wrong legal provisions when ruling in Zhang Dahu’s case.

The court found that Qian Wei had applied the law incorrectly in Zhang Dahu’s case and acted with subjective intent, despite his representative’s attempts to challenge the evidence. The hearing reached its final stage, leaving Qian Wei dejected as the parties raised no further objections.

• Ren Yuandong found that Qian Wei had applied the law incorrectly in Zhang Dahu’s case, and all parties said they had no objections.
• Guan Tong argued that Qian Wei showed subjective intent by disregarding the Collegial Panel’s advice and failing to recuse himself after discussing the case with Li Mu.
• Liu Jun challenged the claim that Qian Wei had knowingly applied the law incorrectly, while Su Bai pressed him on Qian Wei’s connection to Li Mu and his failure to recuse himself.
• Su Bai argued that Qian Wei’s claim of innocence could not outweigh the objective evidence and the harm caused by his rulings, and Qian Wei said he had no objections to the evidence.
• Ren Yuandong found that Qian Wei had acted with subjective intent, and all parties accepted the finding; Qian Wei looked regretful while Liu Jun remained silent.

Su Bai challenged Qian Wei’s plea for leniency, arguing that his deliberate misuse of the law had caused serious harm and deserved a severe sentence. The court sentenced Qian Wei to three years and six months in prison, overturned his ruling against Zhang Dahu, and left the elderly plaintiffs wondering whether they could still recover their compensation.

• Guan Tong asked the court to sentence Qian Wei to three years in prison, while Liu Jun sought leniency by emphasizing Qian Wei’s intentions and lack of other wrongdoing.
• Qian Wei admitted his ruling was wrong, apologized to Zhang Dahu, and asked the court to consider his original intentions when sentencing him.
• Su Bai rejected the defense’s appeal to personal feelings and argued that Qian Wei’s actions had undermined the law and harmed Zhang Dahu, urging the court to impose a severe sentence.
• After deliberating, Ren Yuandong, Tang Lin, and Yin Wenhui decided on a sentence of three years and six months.
• Ren Yuandong announced Qian Wei’s sentence and revoked his ruling in Zhang Dahu’s case; Qian Wei vowed to appeal, while Chen Meixia asked whether the compensation debt had been erased.

After Qian Wei received a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, he appealed, while Su Bai prepared new evidence to ensure the conviction stood. Zhang Dahu authorized Su Bai to pursue Chen Meixia and Li Mu, and a promotional video about the case brought attention to White Jun Law Firm.

• Qian Wei rejected his sentence and hired Liu Jun to appeal, expecting they could win an acquittal or suspended sentence.
• Su Bai and Guan Tong praised each other’s work, and Guan Tong invited Su Bai to observe the appeal hearing.
• Zhang Dahu told Su Bai to pursue Chen Meixia and Li Mu, and Su Bai agreed to submit supporting materials to the court and supervisory department.
• Li Xuezhen posted Wang Kexin’s video about Su Bai supposedly losing a case, and viewers shared the story of Qian Wei’s ruling and accused him of other misconduct.
• Liu Jun secured approval for Qian Wei’s appeal, and Su Bai sent Guan Tong new evidence that Guan Tong said would prevent Qian Wei from escaping conviction.
• Su Bai continued preparing a report against Chen Meixia and Li Mu, planning to submit it after Qian Wei’s appeal verdict.

At Qian Wei’s retrial, Guan Tong presented evidence of three additional criminal cases, and the court increased Qian Wei’s sentence to four years and six months. Afterward, Su Bai took Li Xuezhen to the procuratorial review department to report another case of obstruction of justice.

• Su Bai brought Li Xuezhen and Wang Kexin to observe Qian Wei’s retrial at the Chang City Intermediate Court.
• Liu Jun called a witness to argue that Zhang Dahu had knocked Chen Meixia down, but Guan Tong challenged the testimony as vague and contradictory.
• Guan Tong submitted evidence of Qian Wei’s criminal conduct in three other cases and requested a five-year sentence.
• The court found new facts of criminal conduct and sentenced Qian Wei to four years and six months in prison.
• Guan Tong thanked Su Bai for providing the evidence, and Su Bai returned to White Jun Law Firm with Li Xuezhen and Wang Kexin.
• Su Bai took Li Xuezhen to the Southern Capital Procuratorial Review Department and reported obstruction of justice.

Su Bai filed a supervisory report over Li Mu and Chen Meixia’s obstruction of justice, leading to an investigation and trial at Nandu Intermediate Court. Li Mu was sentenced to one year and six months, while Chen Meixia received three months of criminal detention with a suspended sentence; she rejected the verdict and disrupted the courtroom.

• Su Bai submitted review and supervision documents concerning Li Mu and Chen Meixia to the Supervisory Department.
• White Jun Law Firm gained attention among Nandu University of Law students, while Li Xuezhen impressed Wang Kexin with her courtroom stories.
• Supervisory Department officers arrived at Chen Meixia’s home with documents and took both Chen Meixia and Li Mu for investigation.
• The prosecution charged Li Mu and Chen Meixia, and the Nandu Intermediate Court found both guilty based on the evidence presented.
• The court sentenced Li Mu to one year and six months and Chen Meixia to three months of criminal detention with a suspended sentence.
• Chen Meixia protested the verdict, demanded a lighter sentence for Li Mu, and was restrained by Court Police after trying to pursue the judges.

After the first-instance verdicts in Zhang Dahu’s case, Su Bai accepted a difficult criminal case brought by Xie Jingmei and learned new developments in Lin Haoxue’s case. Li Mu’s appeal was rejected, and Chen Meixia was arrested after assaulting courthouse staff while protesting the decision.

• Chen Meixia cursed and threatened to fight in court until the court police restrained her, and Li Mu quieted her and promised they would appeal.
• Su Bai left the courtroom with Li Xuezhen after Zhang Dahu’s case was resolved, while Li Xuezhen celebrated the verdicts against Li Mu and Chen Meixia.
• Xie Jingmei visited White Jun Law Firm seeking representation, and Su Bai chose to take her difficult case himself.
• Jiangdu authorities identified and arrested the real killer in the case that had led to Lin Haoxue’s wrongful conviction, and they added charges against Hu Yulong.
• The Nandu Higher Court rejected Li Mu’s appeal, and Chen Meixia later injured a courthouse employee with her walking stick while protesting, leading court police to restrain her.

Su Bai took Xie Jingmei’s case seeking a harsher sentence for the man who killed her daughter, Fang Zhihui, and reviewed the trial records. He concluded that Wang Yuan, Fang Zhihui’s roommate, might also have committed a negligent crime, and prepared to appeal on that basis.

• After learning that everyone involved in Zhang Dahu’s case had been punished, Li Xuezhen celebrated the clean sweep.
• Xie Jingmei hired Su Bai to challenge the eight-year sentence given to the man who killed Fang Zhihui, after Wang Yuan refused to testify against him.
• Su Bai suspected Wang Yuan’s conduct might amount to a negligent offense and told Xie Jingmei she did not need to beg Wang Yuan to testify.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen obtained and reviewed the case files from the Su Capital Intermediate Court and the law enforcement agency.
• Su Bai called Xie Jingmei and proposed adding an accusation of negligence against Wang Yuan; Xie Jingmei agreed to follow his advice.
• Su Bai told Li Xuezhen to organize the case documents as they prepared to file an appeal.

Su Bai appealed the lenient sentence in Fang Zhihui’s case and helped trigger an investigation into Wang Yuan’s negligent conduct. Wang Yuan was taken in for questioning, and the chapter ended with Su Bai and Li Xuezhen waiting for the joint hearings to begin.

• Su Bai filed an appeal at Sudu High Court, which accepted it and opened a case based on evidence of Wang Yuan’s suspected negligent criminal conduct.
• Law enforcement officers served Wang Yuan with documents and took her in for questioning after she angrily threw the papers to the floor.
• Wang Yuan’s parents asked Xie Jingmei for a letter of forgiveness, but she refused and ended the call.
• Wang Yuan’s parents complained about Xie Jingmei and planned to hire a stronger lawyer.
• Su Bai and Li Xuezhen arrived early at Suzhou High Court for the joint hearings on Wang Yuan’s case and Xie Jingmei’s appeal.

At the Sudu High Court, Su Bai and the prosecution sought a harsher sentence for Wu Guoxing and a criminal judgment against Wang Yuan, while Su Bai challenged the claim that Wu Guoxing killed Fang Zhihui in a crime of passion. The hearing ended with Ye Hua considering how to answer Su Bai’s question about whether Fang Zhihui had provoked Wu Guoxing.

• Presiding Judge Zhou Guangyu opened the joint hearing of Wu Guoxing’s appeal and the case against Wang Yuan.
• Su Bai requested life imprisonment for Wu Guoxing, a determination of Wang Yuan’s alleged negligent offense, and closure of her platform account; he also stated that Xie Jingmei wanted no civil compensation.
• Prosecutor Wang Kai agreed that Wu Guoxing’s eight-year sentence was too lenient and recommended two years for Wang Yuan.
• Su Bai argued that Wu Guoxing’s killing of Fang Zhihui did not meet the legal requirements for a crime of passion because Fang Zhihui had been trying to dissuade him.
• Ye Hua agreed that Fang Zhihui’s killing was the defense’s claimed crime of passion but frowned as Su Bai asked what evidence showed that Fang Zhihui had provoked Wu Guoxing.

Su Bai challenged Ye Hua’s claim that Wu Guoxing’s killing of Fang Zhihui was a passion crime, and the court rejected that argument. The hearing moved on to the accusation against Wang Yuan.

• Ye Hua argued that Fang Zhihui’s lies and coldness had provoked Wu Guoxing and justified a lighter sentence for a passion crime.
• Su Bai challenged Ye Hua’s reasoning with a hypothetical and asked whether Fang Zhihui had committed serious wrongdoing.
• Ye Hua avoided answering directly, and Su Bai argued that Wu Guoxing should receive a severe sentence for intentional homicide.
• Zhou Guangyu questioned Wu Guoxing, who said he attacked Fang Zhihui because he was angry that she ignored him and heard Wang Yuan inside.
• The panel ruled that Wu Guoxing had not committed a passion crime because Fang Zhihui had done him no serious wrong and there was no legal causal relationship.
• Ye Hua raised no objections to the panel’s findings, and the court began arguments on the next issue concerning Wang Yuan.

The prosecution argued that Wang Yuan negligently caused Fang Zhihui’s death by failing to warn her about Wu Guoxing and delaying help, while the defense claimed Wang Yuan could not foresee the killing and was protecting herself. Su Bai concluded that the objective elements of negligent homicide were met, leaving the court to assess the arguments.

• After the ruling suggested Wu Guoxing would face a harsher sentence, Li Xin panicked and Wu Jianlei urged her to remain calm.
• Judge Zhou Guangyu opened arguments on whether Wang Yuan negligently caused Fang Zhihui’s death.
• Prosecutor Wang Kai argued that Wang Yuan knew Wu Guoxing was armed and coming, failed to warn Fang Zhihui, and delayed checking on her after the crime.
• Attorney Wei Hao argued that Wang Yuan could not foresee Wu Guoxing killing Fang Zhihui and had kept the door shut to protect herself.
• Su Bai judged that Wang Yuan met the objective elements of negligent homicide and waited for the judge to summarize the arguments.