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

Pei Yanzhou trembled and slowly stood up.

His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

Their previous arrogance was crushed in several rounds of questioning and evidence presentation.

Now all that's left is the fear of a long prison sentence!

He gripped the edge of the defendant's dock with both hands, opened his mouth several times before finally uttering a hoarse sound.

"I...I have nothing to say in my defense."

His voice was low and trembling with tears.

But the thought of potentially facing a 23-year prison sentence filled him with resentment.

"But that night... I really didn't mean to bully her!"

"I was drunk and confused, so I made a mistake."

"Twenty-three years... Your Honor, twenty-three years is really too long."

"I'm only twenty-two years old. If I serve twenty-three years in prison, my life will be ruined!"

"I'm my parents' only son, and they can't take it anymore..."

His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, and he buried his head deeper and deeper.

"I know I was wrong, and I'm willing to compensate you, no matter how much."

"I beg the court... I beg the court to give me a chance to reform and to give me a lenient sentence!"

From beginning to end, he didn't offer a single word of apology to the victim.

It's all a lie, no matter how you look at it.

I'm afraid of going to jail, afraid of ruining myself, and afraid my parents won't be able to handle it.

In the audience, Zhao Lei scoffed, his voice low, his eyes filled with disdain.

Even now, he's still thinking about himself and shows no genuine remorse whatsoever.

Is this a sign of regret?

This is just fear!

Pei Zhenbang sat in the front row, looking at his son's disheveled appearance, his heart clenched, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Pei Yanzhou kept his head down the whole time and didn't look over at all.

At this moment, the live stream chat was filled with mocking comments.

Crocodile tears! Why didn't you think of that sooner?

[Not a single apology, only feeling sorry for herself the whole time, that's just unbelievable!]

【Now you're scared? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you were bullying people!】

Twenty-three years is too long? Who can you blame for the lifelong trauma that this girl has suffered?

[Exactly, I feel this is relatively lenient. Decades ago, he would have been executed for hooliganism!]

That's true; decades ago, they really might have had a chance to execute him!

Pei Yanzhou stammered and muttered "please be lenient" a couple more times, then slumped down, unable to say anything more.

Song Mingyuan scanned the entire room, confirming that no one had anything to add, and then picked up the gavel and struck it heavily.

Boom!

The clear, crisp sound echoed through the courtroom.

"The court investigation, court debates, and final statements in this case have all concluded."

"Court is now adjourned for deliberation by the panel of judges!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two bailiffs quickly walked to the defendant's seat and took Pei Yanzhou's arms.

He instinctively struggled for a moment, then hurriedly looked up at Pei Zhenbang in the audience, his eyes filled with panic.

But the bailiffs didn't stop; they half-supported, half-escorted him out of the courtroom through a side door.

The people in the gallery did not leave immediately.

The army soldiers remained seated upright, their backs straight.

No one whispered among themselves; the tense expressions of the crowd relaxed slightly.

Zhao Lei tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips, his gaze fixed on the direction of the review room, awaiting the final result.

Pei Zhenbang sat frozen for a few seconds before finally standing up.

He left the courtroom with the general counsel and quickly walked to the end of the corridor to smoke.

He looked very anxious.

……

A few minutes later, in the deliberation room inside the courthouse.

The door was tightly shut, isolating it from all outside noise.

Presiding Judge Song Mingyuan sat in the main seat, with Judges Li Ping and Zhao Zhigang sitting on either side.

Three case files were laid out on the table, with the key evidence clearly marked.

Let's discuss the four points of contention.

Song Mingyuan opened the notebook and got straight to the point.

"First, is there enough evidence to establish the fact of rape?"

Judge Li Ping spoke first, her tone certain: "The facts are not in doubt."

"Hotel surveillance footage, the victim's medical records, the police report filed immediately after the incident, and witness testimonies from fellow passengers form a complete chain of evidence."

"Pei Yanzhou's own explanations are contradictory. At one point he says the victim was conscious, and at another he says he was too drunk to remember. His credibility is extremely low."

"This is sufficient to conclude that the crime of rape was committed while the victim was intoxicated and unable to resist; the charge of rape is accurate!"

"I agree." Zhao Zhigang nodded in agreement. "The facts are clear, the evidence is sufficient, and there are no doubts whatsoever."

Song Mingyuan nodded slightly and continued, "The second charge is obstructing testimony."

"How is the validity of a complete recording determined? Is it sufficient to constitute a crime?"

"I believe the recording is legal and valid," Li Ping said confidently. "It was recorded in a public negotiation setting, so there was no invasion of privacy, and it is not illegal evidence."

"The recording clearly shows that the payment of 300,000 yuan was made on the premise of signing a letter of understanding and withdrawing the report from the police. This is a typical case of bribery to obstruct witness testimony, and the charge of obstructing testimony is correct."

"Pei Yanzhou's subsequent counterclaim for extortion only confirms his malicious intent to evade punishment!"

The other two nodded, and Li Ping then changed the subject.

"Furthermore, Wei Changfeng's claim that 'internal guidance documents cannot be used as a basis' is untenable."

"The 'Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Judicial Protection for Families of Martyrs' were jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. They are judicial policies that courts nationwide should refer to and implement, and can certainly serve as a reference for imposing heavier penalties!"

Therefore, it can be seen that Wei Changfeng's lawsuit is nothing but a baseless accusation and has no basis for adoption.

Song Mingyuan continued with his third question: "The third one is the sentencing."

"The first-instance judgment was for twenty-three years. Isn't that excessively harsh?"

"It's not considered excessively heavy," Zhao Zhigang replied, pointing to the legal provision with his fingertip.

"The crime of rape is serious and carries a statutory penalty of imprisonment for ten years or more, life imprisonment, or death. The first-instance judgment of fifteen years is within the statutory range."

"Furthermore... the crime of obstructing testimony is serious, and according to the Eleventh Amendment to the Criminal Law, the maximum penalty is ten years imprisonment. The first instance trial resulted in eight years, which is also within the statutory sentencing range!"

In his view, such a sentence was not severe.

He paused for a moment, then emphasized his words.

"Moreover... the victims in this case were the families of martyrs, and there was also the aggravating circumstance of defamation of the victims afterward. The first instance court imposed a heavier sentence within the statutory range, which is in line with policy and legal provisions, and there is no excessively severe sentence."

"Furthermore, it must be made clear that only the defendant appealed in this case, and the principle of no increase in sentence on appeal must be strictly applied. Even if we believe the circumstances are more egregious, we cannot increase the sentence; we can only reduce it or uphold the original judgment!"

Song Mingyuan nodded: "That's right, the principle of not increasing the sentence on appeal is fundamental and cannot be changed."

He paused, then moved on to the final point: "The fourth one is the procedural issue."

"Is the live broadcast of the first trial a procedural violation, and should it be remanded for retrial?"