An ominous beginning

In the criminal courtroom of the municipal intermediate people's court, the enormous national emblem gleamed with a cold, hard light, like an icy eye staring down at everything below.

The scarlet carpet was thick and sound-absorbing, soft underfoot. It swallowed every stray footstep, but could not swallow the oppressive feeling that filled the air, almost suffocating everyone present.

Although the trial was open to the public, the gallery was nearly empty, with fewer than twenty people scattered across the seats. Most were impassive reporters and a few people who looked like school staff. The emptiness made the courtroom feel all the more grim and cold.

In a corner of the front row, Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen were almost curled up in their wide seats.

Lin Jianguo wore an old jacket washed nearly white. Both hands gripped his knees so tightly that his knuckles had gone pale. Worry and anguish were etched into his dark face, and his eyes remained fixed on the entrance to the defendant's dock, as though all his hopes lay there.

Zhang Fen looked even more fragile. Her eyes were red and swollen, her complexion sallow, and she kept dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief already soaked through. Her other hand clutched the hem of her husband's jacket as though it were the last piece of driftwood in a storm. Every time the courtroom door opened or closed, her body trembled involuntarily.

In the back row, near the aisle, Zhang Qian sat alone in an inconspicuous gray trench coat, the brim of her hat pulled low enough to conceal most of her face.

Her arms were folded across her chest, and she leaned back slightly, looking relaxed. But her tightly pressed lips and the nearly imperceptible anticipation in her occasional glances toward the bench betrayed her nervousness and a certain expectation. Like a statue frozen in place, she stood apart from everyone around her.

At the prosecution table, prosecutor Chen Ming sat upright. He was about forty, wore black-framed glasses, and had a refined face that could not quite conceal his exhaustion.

The case file spread open before him was thin enough to make him uneasy. The main evidence consisted of a highly contested letter of repentance, the victim's inconsistent statements, and several pieces of so-called corroborating evidence from people who had not witnessed the incident themselves.

The case had reached trial largely because of his colleague Zhang Qian's persistence and the inexplicable storm of public opinion that had recently erupted online. He unconsciously picked up the bottle of mineral water on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a small sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, but it did nothing to quench the restless heat rising from his heart.

It was already the fifth time he had drunk water before the hearing. He took a deep breath, trying to look more serious and confident.

In stark contrast was Zhou Wenyuan at the defense table. His well-tailored dark gray suit was pressed without a single crease, and his gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses was sharp and calm, revealing the composure of someone seasoned by countless battles.

He carefully pinned his lawyer's badge to the neatest spot on his lapel, then folded his hands on the table, his bearing as steady as a mountain.

To him, today's hearing was more like a ceremony whose outcome had long been known. The weakness of the evidence, the flaws in the procedure, and the trump card in his hand-a recording that, though imperfect, was enough to shake the other side's testimony-all gave him absolute confidence that he could clear Lin Feng's name. He had even begun mapping out how to handle the media and initiate accountability proceedings after the not-guilty verdict.

"All rise!"

The bailiff's deep, resonant voice broke the courtroom's silence with unquestionable authority.

The side door opened, and Presiding Judge He Jing entered first. She was a woman of about fifty, with short hair, a stern, rigid face, and deep lines beside her mouth. Her steps were steady, and two younger jurors, a man and a woman, followed behind her.

Presiding Judge He walked straight to the center of the bench and took her seat. Her gaze swept over the courtroom like a searchlight, surveying everyone from on high. The two jurors sat on either side of her, looking somewhat reserved.

"Please be seated." Presiding Judge He's voice was level and devoid of emotion.

Everyone sat down with a rustle. Presiding Judge He picked up the gavel with practiced ease and brought it down, neither heavily nor lightly.

"Thump!"

The sound echoed through the empty courtroom, announcing the formal start of the trial.

"We will now verify the defendant's identity. Defendant Lin Feng, please stand."

As soon as she finished speaking, the small door beside the defendant's dock opened. Two tall bailiffs led Lin Feng out, one on either side of him.

He wore the standard blue detention center vest, and bright handcuffs encircled his wrists. Yet his steps were unusually steady, and his back was ramrod straight.

Days in custody seemed not to have worn down his resolve. Instead, they had made his eyes deeper, like two ancient wells, calm and undisturbed on the surface but roiling with hidden currents beneath.

Once he stood in the dock, he calmly surveyed the courtroom. His gaze paused briefly on his parents' haggard faces, and he gave a slight nod and a reassuring look before raising his head to meet the bench's gaze openly.

But the instant his eyes met those of Presiding Judge He Jing, something stirred in Lin Feng's heart. The way she looked at him was not entirely neutral and objective. There was a preconceived indifference, a businesslike detachment, and even... a trace of irritation, faint but hard to ignore, as though she were looking at an established "problem."

That intuition came from Lin Feng's powers of observation, far beyond those of ordinary people, and the keenness he had honed in desperate circumstances. Subtle as it was, it set alarm bells ringing softly in his heart. Something seemed wrong from the very start.

The proceedings continued step by step. After the clerk verified his identity, Presiding Judge He announced, "The prosecutor will now read the indictment."

Prosecutor Chen Ming stood, cleared his slightly constricted throat, picked up the indictment, and began to read. His voice was reasonably loud, but a careful listener could detect an almost imperceptible haste:

"...On XX month XX day, XX year, in the third-floor study area of the XX City Normal University library, defendant Lin Feng forcibly committed indecent acts against the victim, Sun Tingting, including embracing her and touching her buttocks... The facts of the crime are clear, and the evidence is reliable and sufficient... His conduct violates Article 237 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China and constitutes the crime of forcible indecency, for which he shall be held criminally liable according to law..."

He tried to make his tone sound firm, but the scant contents of the indictment left even him feeling less than confident.

When the reading was finished, Presiding Judge He looked at Lin Feng. "Defendant Lin Feng, what do you have to say about the criminal facts and charge alleged in the indictment?"

Lin Feng took a small step forward, his handcuffs clinking softly. His voice was steady and clear, neither loud nor soft, but everyone in the courtroom could hear him distinctly.

"Presiding Judge, I dispute both the criminal facts and the charge alleged in the indictment. I admit that I wrote that letter of repentance, but I only wrote it after my counselor, Teacher Li Jing, repeatedly urged me to do so and clearly suggested that, as long as I wrote it, the school would be able to smooth things over and the matter would pass.

"At the time, I lacked basic legal knowledge and only wanted to rid myself of unnecessary trouble as quickly as possible. That letter of repentance was not an admission to the conduct alleged by the prosecutor. I solemnly declare that I committed no indecent act against Sun Tingting."

His statement was clear and orderly, directly identifying the key inducement behind the letter of repentance.

Presiding Judge He recorded it without expression, offering no opinion.

The trial entered the courtroom investigation stage. Prosecutor Chen Ming began questioning Lin Feng, focusing mainly on the letter of repentance in an attempt to strengthen its probative value:

"Defendant Lin Feng, you just admitted that, after the incident, you wrote this 'letter of repentance' in your own hand and signed it and affixed your fingerprint. Is that true?"

"Yes, I wrote and signed it," Lin Feng answered.

"Then, in this document you wrote yourself, you explicitly stated that you 'engaged in improper conduct toward fellow student Sun Tingting' and 'deeply regretted it.' Isn't that an acknowledgment of your own conduct?" Chen Ming pressed.

Lin Feng explained patiently, trying to establish the truth. "Presiding Judge, Prosecutor, the reason I wrote those words was that Teacher Li Jing told me it was merely a way to express an apology to Sun Tingting and the school, with the aim of putting the incident to rest. She never told me it would become evidence in a criminal case.

"I considered it more of a compromise made under particular circumstances to resolve the dispute as quickly as possible, not an admission of guilt in the legal sense. The specific circumstances at the time were..."

He was about to describe in detail how Li Jing had induced him and the passive position he had been in, to show that the letter of repentance did not reflect his true intentions.

"Defendant!" Presiding Judge He suddenly interrupted, her voice rising sharply with obvious impatience. She frowned and shot Lin Feng a sharp look. "The court reminds you: answer the substance of the prosecutor's question directly! Do not make long-winded statements that have no direct bearing on the question! You only need to give the court a clear answer now. Did you write the letter of repentance? Do you acknowledge what it says or not? Yes or no?"

The sudden interruption was like a piece of ice thrown into water, sending the courtroom's atmosphere plunging to freezing point. It was plainly cutting off Lin Feng's avenue of defense, preventing him from explaining the crucial background.

Almost the moment Presiding Judge He finished speaking, Zhou Wenyuan raised his hand and leaned forward slightly. His tone was steady, but carried an unmistakable force.

"Presiding Judge, the defense objects! One of the central points of dispute in this case is the admissibility and probative value of this letter of repentance! The circumstances under which it was written, and whether it reflected my client's true intentions, directly affect whether the evidence can be accepted and the weight it can be given!

"My client has the right to give a full account of the specific circumstances in which he wrote it and the inducements to which he was subjected. This is by no means an irrelevant statement! It concerns the determination of the basic facts of the case!"

Presiding Judge He abruptly turned her gaze on Zhou Wenyuan, her face darkening. Without waiting for him to elaborate, she brought the gavel down with a thump and rejected his objection in a forceful tone:

"Defense counsel! The court reiterates the rules of courtroom conduct! The court will assess and determine the probative value of the evidence according to law! Please observe courtroom order and do not interfere with the normal questioning procedure! Defendant Lin Feng, answer the question just asked! Yes or no?"

Lawyer Zhou's first objection, grounded in reason and evidence, was dismissed so decisively that it was almost harsh.

Lin Feng looked deeply at the presiding judge's face, which was written all over with unquestionable authority, then glanced at Zhou Wenyuan, whose brows were tightly knitted and expression grave. He made no further attempt to explain, swallowing the words that had risen to his lips. In an utterly flat voice, he uttered two cold words:

"No."

The trial continued in a strange atmosphere that was clearly and extremely unfavorable to the defense. That ominous premonition hung over Lin Feng and Zhou Wenyuan like a dark cloud.