Me! A disgraced celebrity! Starting by seeking justice for impoverished students.

Zhang Hong, a prosecutor from the Provincial People's Procuratorate, stood up in response.

He was dressed in a prosecutor's uniform, with a solemn expression and a loud, powerful voice.

"Your Honorable Presiding Judge and Judges."

"Based on all the evidence in the first instance case file, the facts established in court, and the appellant's grounds for appeal, the prosecutor presenting the case hereby expresses the following opinion."

"First, the facts found in the original judgment were clear, and the evidence was conclusive and sufficient."

"Multiple sets of evidence, including surveillance video from the night of the incident, witness testimonies, the victim's injury assessment report, and the police report filed immediately after the incident, corroborate each other and are sufficient to prove that the victim was severely intoxicated and had lost the ability to sexually defend herself. The appellant took advantage of her vulnerability to commit sexual assault. The facts of the crime are clear, and the chain of evidence is complete and closed."

Upon hearing this, Wei Changfeng frowned slightly.

Unexpectedly, even after he appealed, the prosecutor still sided with the other party.

"Second, the crime of obstructing testimony is legally justified."

"The so-called 'voluntary gift' and 'classmate friendship' arguments are clearly contrary to common sense and contradict the evidence on file, and therefore cannot stand."

"Third, the original sentence was appropriate and the punishment fit the crime."

"The appellant's crime was heinous, causing severe psychological trauma to the victim. Afterwards, the appellant refused to plead guilty or show remorse, instead colluding with others to recant his testimony and falsely accusing the victim of extortion. His subjective malice was profound."

"The court of first instance exercised its discretion within the statutory sentencing range, sentencing the defendant to 23 years in prison for multiple crimes. This is in accordance with the principle of proportionality between crime and punishment, and there is no situation of excessively severe sentencing."

The more he talked, the more nervous Pei Yanzhou became, sitting there.

The latter kept touching his thighs with both hands, his palms were covered in sweat.

Fourth, the original trial procedure was legal.

"The court of first instance held a public hearing in accordance with the law. The online live broadcast is a normal measure for judicial transparency. The entire process strictly followed the legal procedures, and there was no situation of public opinion interfering with the judiciary or affecting the fair trial."

"The appellant's claim for a retrial has no factual or legal basis."

Zhang Hong paused, his tone becoming increasingly certain.

"In summary, the facts found in the first-instance judgment are clear, the evidence is conclusive and sufficient, the conviction is accurate, the sentence is appropriate, and the trial procedure is legal."

The prosecutor who appeared in court recommended to the appellate court: Dismiss the appeal and uphold the original judgment!

His words were well-organized and solid, supported entirely by evidence and legal provisions.

The soldiers in the gallery remained seated and silent, but they longed to clap and applaud.

Looking at Zhao Lei's tense expression again, it was clear that it had eased up a bit.

Pei Zhenbang's shoulders shrugged, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

The live stream chat exploded with comments!

The prosecutor's arguments were so well-reasoned! He refuted each point logically and with solid evidence!

Wei Changfeng's sophistry is utterly untenable in the face of a complete chain of evidence!

[It's recommended to dismiss the appeal and uphold the original verdict! Hearing this makes one feel reassured!]

I love this kind of evidence-based approach; it's much more effective than empty talk!

Song Mingyuan nodded slightly, picked up a pen and made a few notes on the record, then looked up and scanned the entire room.

"Based on the grounds for appeal and the opinions of the prosecutors who appeared in court, this court summarizes the key issues in dispute in this second instance as follows."

"First, whether the original trial court found the appellant Pei Yanzhou guilty of rape based on sufficient evidence and whether the sexual intercourse was against the victim's will."

"Second, whether the letter of understanding in question represents a false expression of the victim's will, and whether the appellant's actions constitute the crime of obstructing testimony."

"Third, was the original sentence of 23 years imprisonment for multiple crimes excessively harsh?"

"Fourth, whether there were procedural violations in the first instance trial conducted via live online broadcast, and whether the case should be remanded for retrial."

After reading the four key points, he glanced at both the prosecution and the defense.

"Do the appellant and their defense counsel have any objections to the points of contention summarized by this court?"

Wei Changfeng stood up and bowed slightly: "No objection."

"Does the original victim's legal representative have any objections?"

Shen Yi responded loudly, "No objection."

"Prosecutor, do you have any objections?"

No objection.

"Okay." Song Mingyuan put down his pen.

"During the court investigation phase, the appellant will first be questioned by the collegial panel."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze fell directly on Pei Yanzhou.

Although his tone was calm, it carried a sense of pressure.

"Appellant Pei Yanzhou, this court has a few questions for you. Please answer them truthfully."

"Did you actively encourage the victim to drink alcohol at the party on the night of the incident?"

Pei Yanzhou trembled, lowered his head even further, and whispered in defense, "No... I didn't specifically try to persuade her. We're all classmates, it's normal to drink together..."

"After the victim became intoxicated, who offered to take her back to her hotel? Her classmate offered to help escort her, why did you refuse?"

"I...I was just going that way, and I felt it wasn't safe for her to be alone as a girl, that's all." Pei Yanzhou's voice trailed off. "It's just classmates looking out for each other..."

Judge Li Ping picked up the conversation, her tone sharp: "Since it was just normal care between classmates, why not take her back to her school dormitory, instead of bringing her to the hotel room you booked in advance?"

Pei Yanzhou's face paled, and he stammered, "I...I drank too much at the time and didn't think that much...The hotel was nearby, so it was convenient to rest..."

"Why bring me to your own room instead of booking a separate room for me to rest?" Li Ping pressed on.

Pei Yanzhou broke out in a cold sweat, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "It was too late at the time, and I was afraid of troubling the front desk... so... so I just made do for the night."

In the audience, Zhao Lei's brows furrowed, his eyes filled with disdain.

They can't even come up with such a clumsy excuse, yet they dare to recant their testimony in court!

Presiding Judge Song Mingyuan continued to ask questions, directly addressing the core controversy.

"Regarding the 300,000 yuan, you claim it's a humanitarian gift and compensation for friendship between classmates. Why is this payment contingent on signing a letter of understanding and withdrawing the police report?"

Pei Yanzhou's eyes darted away, avoiding direct eye contact with the judge's bench: "It's not a prerequisite, it's just... I just wanted to make it up to her, and incidentally gain her forgiveness..."

"Did your father contact the victim first, or did the victim actively seek money from you?"

"Yes...it was my dad who had someone contact them," Pei Yanzhou said in a barely audible voice.

At the same time, he glanced at Pei Zhenbang in the audience.

"Since it was a voluntary gift, why did you immediately claim that the other party was extorting money and hold her legally responsible after the victim reported it to the police?"

Song Mingyuan said sternly.

Now, Pei Yanzhou was completely panicked.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. He subconsciously turned to Wei Changfeng for help.

Wei Changfeng frowned slightly, but could not answer for him.

He could only cough softly and give a reassuring look.