Roses in Flames

Inside the interrogation observation room.

Ye Yuntang and the top lawyer hired by the Zou family stood there.

They watched the video playing on the big screen.

Ye Yuntang's eyes were already red with anger.

Her heart felt particularly heavy and painful.

For the deaths of Lingxi, Teacher Huihui, and Teacher Sun.

It's such a waste, so infuriating, and so heartbreaking.

"Attorney Wang, are you sure you still want to represent a monster like Zou Xu in court? Just because he's young doesn't mean you can use him as a shield for his wanton killings!"

Attorney Wang frowned.

When Lingxi jumped off the building, the Zou family bribed the local police, so the matter wasn't thoroughly investigated.

Lingxi had no relatives or friends, and under the arrangement of the Zou family, she was quickly cremated.

Later, after Jiang Su returned to the neighboring city, he caused a stir for a while, but it was all suppressed by the Zou family.

Everyone believed that Lingxi had jumped to her death.

He had some doubts at the time, but since the Zou family's top lawyer was involved, he didn't bother to investigate.

A girl with no background, gone and gone.

He never imagined that the girl had suffered such horrific abuse and torment before her death.

"And Teacher Huihui, she didn't fall on her own at all, she was tripped by Zou Xu and fell down. If Zou Xu and the others had called for an ambulance earlier, there might have been a chance to save her, and she and her unborn child wouldn't have died."

Ye Yuntang took a deep breath, her finger trembling as she pointed at Zou Xu in the interrogation room, "The Juvenile Protection Law protects victims, not monsters like Zou Xu who wear human skin."

Attorney Wang closed his eyes briefly. "I will no longer take on the Zou family's case."

Zou Xu's parents waited anxiously outside. Seeing Attorney Wang emerge, they rushed forward, saying, "No matter the cost, we must get our Zou Xu out of here! He's still a child; he can't have a criminal record!"

Attorney Wang glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Zou and said in a cold voice, "From now on, I will no longer accept any commissions from your Zou family."

"What did you say?" Zou's mother's voice suddenly turned shrill. "We paid you such high legal fees, and now you're just saying you won't take the case? Do you not want to work in this industry anymore?"

"Whether he's a scoundrel or not, I will never defend such inhuman evil again!" Attorney Wang looked sharply at Mr. and Mrs. Zou. "Your son wasn't just being playful; he's a complete monster! Bullying and humiliating classmates, intentionally harming a pregnant woman, deliberately pushing someone to their death—every single one of his acts is outrageous, and he shows absolutely no remorse. He's not a child anymore; he's a beast in human skin!"

Mr. Zou was furious, his face turning ashen. "Attorney Wang, it seems you really don't want to work in this industry anymore. I'll have you blacklisted immediately!"

Attorney Wang said nothing more and quickly left.

It was precisely because Zou Xu had such indulgent parents that he became reckless and ultimately went down a path of no return.

He made a mistake, but instead of educating and correcting him, his parents used money and connections to smooth things over, making him feel that he could act lawlessly and that all life could be trampled on at will!

……

The evidence against Zou Xu for his crimes is conclusive, and no matter how hard Zou's parents try, they will be unable to get him out of the police station.

Furthermore, the Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection also dispatched an investigation team to a neighboring city to conduct an investigation.

This investigation revealed that the Zou family not only spoiled their son, but also used bribery to win over a group of public officials to act as their protectors.

The deputy director of the Linshi police station, the principal of the Third Middle School, and the director of the education bureau were all implicated.

A month later, the case was settled.

Zou Xu was convicted of intentional homicide and intentional injury and sentenced to life imprisonment with deprivation of political rights for life. Zou's father and mother were convicted of bribery and harboring a criminal and sentenced to ten and eight years in prison, respectively.

The dozen or so public officials involved in the case were also sentenced according to the severity of their crimes.

When Jiang Su learned in prison that the truth of the case had come to light and that those who had harmed Lingxi, Teacher Huihui, and Teacher Sun had been punished accordingly, tears of relief streamed down his face.

……

Police station canteen.

Ye Yuntang, Xiao Lin, Xiao Wei, and Song Che ate together.

Everyone has been very busy lately, and we haven't had a meal together in a long time.

Song Che couldn't help but say, "I heard that Zou Xu is having a very bad time in prison. Ever since his crimes became known in the cell, all the prisoners have been scorning him."

Not only during his exercise time, some people would deliberately pick a fight with him, kicking him in the waist from behind and making him fall flat on his face, but others would also steal his food, leaving him hungry. Furthermore, several perverted prisoners would often corner him in the toilet, punching and kicking him, verbally abusing him, and even physically assaulting him.

Zou Xu cried, struggled, and begged for mercy, but no one came to save him, and in the end he could only cry in despair.

The blind spots of the prison's surveillance system seemed to have become his nightmare.

His body was covered in bruises every day, and his former arrogance and conceit had vanished. He was like an abandoned stray dog, his eyes filled with regret and fear.

He finally understood the despair Lingxi had felt back then, and the helplessness of crying out to heaven and earth in vain.

The prison guards were not entirely unaware of the situation, but Zou Xu's crimes were so heinous that they felt no sympathy for him.

Xiao Lin pursed his thin lips and said, "The evil he sowed back then has finally borne evil fruit. This is the retribution he deserves, and also the most silent consolation for the deceased."

This kind of torment was hundreds of times more painful than that of Zhao Jiashu and Luo Zilin, who died directly.

As the group was talking, Cheng Lei suddenly walked over with a tray of food.

When Song Che saw Cheng Lei, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. "You dare to sit next to the boss?"

Seeing Cheng Lei lower his head, looking as if he dared not look at him, Xiao Lin's deep eyes remained calm. He reached out and patted the seat next to him. "Lei Zi, come and sit down!"

"Boss, he was almost bribed by Qin Feng," Song Che said with dissatisfaction.

Ye Yuntang glanced at Xiao Lin, then at Cheng Lei.

While investigating the campus case, she felt that Cheng Lei was acting strangely, but she had been too busy lately to ask him.

"What exactly happened? Lei Zi shouldn't have betrayed Captain Xiao, right?" Ye Yuntang asked.

Xiao Wei also put down her chopsticks and looked at Cheng Lei and Xiao Lin with a curious expression.

After pulling Cheng Lei to sit beside him, Xiao Lin said in a deep, cold voice, "Lei Zi, you tell them."

Cheng Lei nodded, and said somewhat ashamedly, "My mother was sick a while ago and needed a lot of money. Qin Feng came to me and was willing to help me pay that money, but he made a condition that I side with him. I... wavered a bit at the time, but then I remembered how good the boss had been to me, so I took the initiative to tell the boss about it. Without saying a word, the boss gave me some money, which solved my urgent problem. Later, the boss asked me to provide information to Qin Feng as he instructed, and I did as he said."

Cheng Lei's shoulders trembled slightly, and his eyes reddened. "I shouldn't have wavered at all back then. I always feel like I've let the boss down."

Xiao Lin patted Cheng Lei on the shoulder, "It's better to admit your mistakes and correct them than to hide them. You took the initiative to be honest with me, which means you can hold on to your bottom line."

Song Che glared at Cheng Lei. "If you need money, why didn't you tell us? Even if we didn't have much, we would have scraped together some for you."

Cheng Lei choked up, "Our eldest brother's family isn't well-off, and you're not much better off. I just didn't want to trouble you." Then, as if remembering something, Cheng Lei looked up at Xiao Lin, "Big brother, where did you get such a large sum of money to lend me?"

Ye Yuntang blinked.

It seems that she's the only one in the team who knows Xiao Lin's true identity?

Seeing that Xiao Lin remained silent, Cheng Lei added, "By the way, boss, I have something on Qin Feng, look at this—"