Great Lawyer Zhou Brings Help in the Snow
The autumn wind in the northern city was especially bleak. It swept up the dead leaves on the ground and sent them swirling against the weathered walls of a small roadside hotel.
Lin Jianguo squatted beside the road outside the hotel, a cheap cigarette between his fingers. The smoke was choking, but he seemed oblivious, merely staring blankly at the passing traffic. Zhang Fen sat on a plastic stool beside him, her eyes swollen red like walnuts. Clutching a soaked handkerchief, she silently wiped away her tears.
Over the past few days, they had been everywhere they could think of and begged everyone they could turn to, only to meet cold refusals, formulaic responses, and the words that drove them to despair: "Wait for notice." Unable to see either their son or a lawyer, they were shut out as if by an invisible wall. They cried to heaven, but heaven did not answer; they called to earth, but earth did not respond. The meager savings they had brought were quickly dwindling under the expenses of the provincial capital. Despair and bewilderment rose like a freezing tide, nearly swallowing them whole.
"Old Lin... what... what are we supposed to do now...?" Zhang Fen's voice was hoarse and thick with tears.
Lin Jianguo took a hard drag on his cigarette, and the smoke made him cough violently, bringing tears to his eyes. He pounded his chest, his voice dull. "...I'll go back to that petitions office... that clerk yesterday seemed to..."
Before he could finish, a black Audi A6L glided silently to a stop at the roadside. It was dignified and understated, yet utterly out of place beside the shabby little hotel. The door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He wore a well-tailored dark suit and gold-rimmed glasses, and carried himself with a composed, scholarly air.
The man's gaze swept over the area and landed unerringly on Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen. Just the right measure of sympathy and gravity showed on his face. He walked over and gave a slight nod. "Excuse me, are you Lin Feng's parents, Mr. Lin Jianguo and Ms. Zhang Fen?"
Lin Jianguo stood up warily, shielding his wife behind him as he sized up the distinguished-looking man who had appeared so suddenly. "And you are?" He suspected the school or some department had sent someone to fob them off again.
"My surname is Zhou, Zhou Wenyuan." The man took a business card from the inner pocket of his suit and offered it with both hands. "I'm a lawyer."
Lin Jianguo hesitantly accepted the card. It was made of stiff, high-quality stock and bore the words "Zhou Wenyuan, chief partner, Wenyuan Law Firm." Below them was a long string of titles and honors, including "director of the provincial lawyers association's criminal law committee" and "top ten outstanding young lawyers." The sight left him dazzled.
"A lawyer?" Zhang Fen raised her head too. A faint, disbelieving spark of hope flashed in her eyes. "You... can you help our Xiao Feng?"
"I learned about Lin Feng's case, and I was deeply shocked and outraged," Zhou Wenyuan said, his tone sorrowful and sincere. "If you two don't mind, I'd like to represent him for free and get justice for him."
Free?
Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen were stunned. Had a meat pie fallen from the sky? Such a good lawyer had come to them of his own accord, and he would work for free? How could a great lawyer whose consultation fee a family like theirs couldn't normally afford...
Lin Jianguo grew even more wary. He held the card out to return it, his tone stiff. "Lawyer Zhou, thank you for your kindness. But we... we can't afford you. Besides, in this case... the other side has connections, we..." He shook his head, his face full of bitterness.
Zhou Wenyuan did not take the card. Instead, he adjusted his glasses, his voice growing gentler. "Mr. Lin, you misunderstand. I'm not doing this for commercial purposes. I simply... cannot stand by and watch a young man be wronged like this, and I cannot condone certain people's abuse of power. It goes against my professional convictions. Please believe that I'm sincere."
His words sounded fine, but Lin Jianguo and his wife had struggled at the bottom of society for years. They knew full well that kindness never came without a reason. Zhang Fen quietly tugged at her husband's sleeve, her eyes full of worry and suspicion.
Zhou Wenyuan seemed to see their doubts and did not press them. He simply left the card. "You can think it over, or... you can ask around about me. I'm staying in room 1808 at the Jin Jiang Hotel downtown. I'll be there for the next three days. Once you've made up your minds, you can come find me anytime."
With that, he gave a slight bow, turned, and drove away, leaving Lin Jianguo and his wife holding the gold-stamped business card, bewildered in the wind, their hearts full of immense hope and even deeper confusion.
Over the next two days, Lin Jianguo and his wife, still half doubtful, did find ways to ask about him.
They went to the city's largest Xinhua Bookstore and found the law section. Sure enough, in a thick directory of lawyers, they found Zhou Wenyuan's name and profile, along with a photograph. It was unmistakably him.
They also cautiously sought information at the reception desk of a law firm that looked reputable. The moment the receptionist heard Zhou Wenyuan's name, she was filled with respect. "Lawyer Zhou is a leading figure in criminal defense in our province. His cases are all major, important cases..."
They even happened to see a report about Zhou Wenyuan attending a legal seminar in a section of the local legal affairs newspaper when they were buying a paper.
Everything pointed to one thing: Zhou Wenyuan was a genuine great lawyer, famous and formidable!
Immense joy and incredulous excitement washed over the couple, who had been on the verge of despair. They practically ran back to the little hotel, clutching the business card as though it were their last lifesaving straw.
"Old Lin! It's true! It's true! Xiao Feng can be saved! He can be saved!" Zhang Fen was so excited that she spoke incoherently. Tears welled up again, but this time they were tears of hope.
Lin Jianguo's hands were trembling too. He nodded vigorously, his eyes growing hot. "Come on! Let's go to the Jin Jiang Hotel! Right now!"
Room 1808 at the Jin Jiang Hotel.
Zhou Wenyuan received the overjoyed couple. He listened patiently to everything they knew, although he had already learned most of it through the deathsworn network.
"I have a basic understanding of the situation," Zhou Wenyuan said, his expression grave. "This is a textbook case of a false accusation and frame-up. The other side is exploiting procedural loopholes and its network of connections to try to pin the charge on him. We'll fight back resolutely."
He took out a tablet and opened an audio file. "This is a key piece of evidence we have at present. It came from... a certain source."
A recording played in the room. In it, Sun Tingting and her best friend admitted to the frame-up as if boasting about it, mentioning the guaranteed graduate admission spot and her uncle among the school leadership.
Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen trembled all over as they listened, both furious and excited. "That's it! That's it! This can prove my son is innocent! Give it to the police, quickly! Give it to the court!"
But Zhou Wenyuan gently shook his head and turned off the recording.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Lin." His tone held a legal professional's composure and helplessness. "As evidence, this recording has legal flaws. It cannot directly prove that the person speaking is Sun Tingting without a voiceprint analysis, and the other side will very likely apply to have it excluded as illegally obtained evidence. For now, it can only serve as a supplementary reference and influence the judge's personal assessment of the evidence. It isn't enough to decide the direction of the case on its own."
Seeing the couple's eyes dim at once, he continued, "But please don't worry. Even with only this, combined with the other circumstances, there's still a strong possibility that the procuratorate will ultimately find the evidence insufficient and decide not to prosecute."
His tone shifted, and his brows knitted tightly. "However, I learned through some friends in the judicial system that Officer Zhang Qian, who's in charge of this case, has a very... resolute attitude. She has already requested detention at the maximum time limit, and she is extremely likely to request supplementary investigations twice in the future."
He looked at Lin Feng's parents, his voice heavy. "That means that even if the evidence is ultimately found insufficient, Lin Feng may still have to... remain in custody at the detention center for more than half a year."
"Half a year?!" Zhang Fen screamed and nearly fainted. Lin Jianguo hurried to support his wife, his own face turning deathly pale.
Meanwhile, in cell 107 of the detention center.
Lin Feng had his eyes closed, but his consciousness was closely connected to Zhou Wenyuan's.
[Master, that's the situation. The evidence is weak, and the process may be maliciously dragged out.]
Lin Feng calmly asked in his mind, Lawyer Zhou, with this, can we countersue Sun Tingting for defamation? Can we accuse Zhang Qian of abusing her authority and perverting the law for personal gain?
Zhou Wenyuan was silent for a moment before replying, [It'll be difficult. Sun Tingting insists she never said those things, and the recording cannot serve as strong evidence. Although Zhang Qian's conduct is morally questionable, she is still operating within the procedural framework, so it would be difficult to establish that she committed abuse of power. At most, it's a problem with her work attitude.]
Lin Feng fell silent for a moment. The path of the law was narrow indeed.
[Keep all the evidence safe,] he finally instructed. [Wait for my next plan.]
[Understood,] Zhou Wenyuan replied. [I'll also continue to apply pressure through some friends in the police, procuratorate, and courts, and do my best to shorten the process.]
In the real world, Zhou Wenyuan reassured Lin Feng's parents. "Please don't despair just yet. I'll do everything I can. First, I'll formally submit the paperwork for my appointment, apply to meet with Lin Feng, and review the case files. That's our first step."