An Ugly Performance and a Trial Out of Control

The echo of Presiding Judge He's "no" seemed to linger in the courtroom, its icy finality completely blocking Lin Feng's attempt to explain the background of the written confession. The air in the courtroom seemed to grow even more stifling.

Zhou Wenyuan's expression was grave. He took a deep breath and quickly communicated with Lin Feng in the depths of his consciousness:

[Master, something's wrong. The presiding judge's bias is even more obvious than we expected. Should we submit the recording as evidence now? Even though it can't serve as direct evidence, it could at least undermine the credibility of Sun Tingting's testimony and send a signal to the presiding judge and the spectators.]

Lin Feng stood in the defendant's dock, his eyes lowered to his handcuffed hands. He responded calmly in his mind, his voice utterly without emotion:

[There's no need. The recording itself requires her cooperation in a voiceprint analysis before its authenticity can be confirmed. A secret recording made by one party has too many legal flaws, and she can simply deny it in court.

If we submit it now, given this presiding judge's attitude, she'll most likely exclude it outright on the grounds that it was obtained illegally and cannot be verified. She might even turn around and accuse us of using improper methods to obtain evidence.

Its only use is to influence the judge's personal conviction, but as things stand, her "conviction" was formed long ago. Whether we submit it or not won't have much effect on the outcome.]

Zhou Wenyuan fell silent for a moment, knowing Lin Feng's assessment was correct. [Understood. Then we'll stick to the original plan and focus on attacking the weak links in their chain of evidence.]

[Mm.] Lin Feng gave a brief response.

After the brief exchange, the trial continued. Prosecutor Chen seemed to feel the pressure as well. His subsequent questions grew more cautious, even somewhat hesitant.

"Summon the victim, Sun Tingting, to testify."

Guided by a court bailiff, Sun Tingting walked in. She wore a simple, elegant white dress and meticulous natural-looking makeup, yet had deliberately made herself look haggard. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen, and she walked slowly, as though under immense psychological pressure. She stood timidly in the witness stand and swept her gaze across the courtroom. When her eyes briefly met Zhang Qian's, she paused almost imperceptibly.

After she was sworn in, Prosecutor Chen began his questioning. Sun Tingting immediately slipped into character. Tears flowed before she spoke, and in a choked voice, she haltingly began recounting the "ordeal" she had rehearsed countless times.

"That day... I was reading on the third floor of the library... by the window... it was very quiet... and then I felt... felt someone behind me... touch... touch my... butt..." At that point, she covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking violently as she sobbed too hard to speak.

Only after Prosecutor Chen "comforted" her did she "fight back her grief" and continue. Her account was even more "rich" and "specific" in detail than the video she had previously posted online. She did her utmost to play up her "terror," "helplessness," and "humiliation," portraying Lin Feng as a sleazy pervert who had used underhanded means to take advantage of her when her guard was down. Her performance was highly compelling, and some spectators were already casting sympathetic and angry looks.

Zhou Wenyuan listened calmly, taking notes on the key points. When it was the defense's turn to cross-examine her, he stood up. His tone was mild, but his questions were pointed.

"Ms. Sun Tingting, according to your statement, the assault took place on the relatively quiet third floor of the library, with other students nearby at the time. May I ask why you didn't immediately scream or call for help the moment you felt someone touch you?"

Sun Tingting clearly hadn't expected the question to be so direct. She froze for a moment, and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and said tearfully, "I... I was scared stiff... my mind went blank... I couldn't make a sound at all..."

"Scared stiff?" Zhou Wenyuan pressed. "But as we understand it, you're normally outgoing, not a timid or cowardly person. When subjected to such a serious assault, an instinctive scream is a normal physiological response. Are you certain you were completely unable to react at the time?"

"I... I was just scared..." Sun Tingting began evading the question, repeatedly insisting that she had been scared.

Zhou Wenyuan turned to another key point. "You claim that after the assault, you immediately told your counselor, Ms. Li Jing. But according to Ms. Li Jing's testimony"-he had obtained a summary of it beforehand-"she advised you to let the matter rest and suggested that Lin Feng write a confession to resolve it.

"Do you believe that handling it this way amounted to the university tacitly treating this as a dispute that could be resolved through internal mediation, rather than a serious criminal offense?"

"I... I don't know... Ms. Li said that, so I listened..." Sun Tingting shifted the responsibility onto her counselor.

"Presiding judge!" Prosecutor Chen, acting for the prosecution, couldn't help rising to his feet. "Defense counsel's question is leading!"

Presiding Judge He immediately struck her gavel. "Defense counsel, watch how you conduct your questioning! Do not ask the victim leading questions!"

Zhou Wenyuan's expression did not change. "Presiding judge, I'm only verifying the victim's true state of mind at the time and her understanding of the nature of the incident. That bears on how this case should be classified and whether its subsequent handling was reasonable."

But Presiding Judge He paid him no heed. "This court has already warned you! Ask your questions directly, without adding commentary!"

Zhou Wenyuan's cross-examination was interrupted time and again, greatly diminishing its effectiveness.

Next, the counselor, Li Jing, took the stand. Her testimony was carefully measured, and she did her best to distance herself from the matter. She stressed that she had acted "for the students' sake" and had "hoped to settle a minor matter quietly." She admitted advising Lin Feng to write a confession, but insisted that he had "agreed to it himself," implying that Lin Feng had tacitly admitted he was in the wrong.

During the examination of evidence, Zhou Wenyuan prepared to submit a written application. He briefly explained that a recording existed which might prove Sun Tingting had falsely accused Lin Feng, though he did not play it. He asked the court to give it consideration and suggested a voiceprint analysis.

Before he could finish explaining the grounds for his application, Presiding Judge He interrupted him with extreme impatience:

"Defense counsel! Was the recording you mentioned obtained legally? Can you prove it has a direct connection to this case? If you cannot present clear, legal, and verified evidence in court, this court cannot accept your oral description alone, nor can it initiate any kind of analysis procedure! Court proceedings must abide by the rules of evidence!"

Her tone was full of contempt and brooked no challenge. She gave Zhou Wenyuan no chance whatsoever to explain or argue his case. She even skipped the application submission process altogether.

Lin Feng watched it all with a cold eye. The presiding judge was no longer merely showing favoritism; she had practically joined the prosecution, personally stepping in to clear obstacles from its path.

By this point in the trial, the atmosphere had grown exceedingly strange and oppressive. Prosecutor Chen's expression grew increasingly uneasy, and several times he even lowered his head to look at the case file, as though he too found the scene somewhat awkward.

At the final stage, the presiding judge personally questioned Lin Feng. Her questions were full of assumptions and moral judgment:

"Defendant Lin Feng, you are a university student who has received a higher education. You should know propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. In the face of fellow student Sun Tingting's painful and detailed account, as well as your teacher's testimony in court, you still refuse to admit guilt and show not the slightest remorse. How do you explain yourself?"

"Do you believe that as long as you refuse to admit it, the law can do nothing to you?"

Each question was sharper and more leading than the last. She was not trying to establish the facts at all, but presuming him guilty.

Zhou Wenyuan repeatedly rose to protest. "Presiding judge, your questions are loaded with assumptions and are unfair to my client!" But every protest was bluntly overruled by Presiding Judge He on the grounds that "this court is conducting its questioning in accordance with the law."

Lin Feng had listened calmly throughout, occasionally giving a brief "no" or "that's not true" in response. But as the presiding judge openly favored the other side and pressured him again and again, the chill in his eyes gradually deepened, until it became a distinct trace of mockery.

Presiding Judge He once again asked in that condescending tone, as though she had already found him guilty, "Defendant, at this point, do you truly not think you did anything wrong? Have you considered admitting guilt and accepting punishment, to give yourself a chance to turn over a new leaf?"

Lin Feng raised his head and looked straight into the presiding judge's eyes, full of prejudice and impatience. The corner of his mouth lifted in an undisguised, mocking sneer. His voice was not loud, but it landed in the silent courtroom like a block of ice, reaching everyone's ears clearly:

"Presiding judge, it looks to me like you already decided on the verdict long ago. You even came up with both the questions and the answers for me. Since you've gone so far to help, why bother going through the motions of questioning me? Why not just hand down the verdict and be done with it? It'll save everyone time."

"How dare you!"

Presiding Judge He's face instantly turned ashen, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snatched up her gavel and slammed it down, producing an ear-piercing crash! Her finger trembled with rage as she pointed at Lin Feng. "Defendant Lin Feng! How dare you openly show contempt for the court and insult a judicial officer! Bailiffs! Take him away! Court is adjourned for ten minutes!"

An uproar swept through the courtroom! Zhou Wenyuan closed his eyes, knowing the worst had happened after all. Prosecutor Chen stared at Lin Feng in astonishment, then looked at the furious presiding judge, his expression complicated. Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen went pale with fright.

Lin Feng, however, merely stood there calmly and let the bailiffs approach, as though he had not been the one who had just spoken those earth-shattering words. As he watched the presiding judge fly into a rage, only icy indifference remained in his eyes.

This trial had long since lost the meaning it was supposed to have.