Justifiable Defence Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Justifiable Defence Synopsis
Duan Hongshan, a seasoned prosecutor at the city procuratorate, is assigned to handle a case where an abused woman kills her husband in self-defense. He is joined by Fang Lingyuan, a young prosecutor from the provincial procuratorate, who is dispatched to assist in the investigation.
As they delve deeper, the two discover that the case is closely linked to a school excessive self-defense case from fourteen years ago—one that Duan himself had handled, involving defendants Li Mufeng, Mei Zheng, and Jiang Ting.
Guided by facts and the law, while balancing justice, human compassion, and legal principles, the prosecutors ultimately arrive at a fair and precise legal judgment.
Justifiable Defence Recap
Episode 1 Recap
A man named Duan Hongshan, covered in blood, arrived at the Duanke Town Police Station on the morning of April 28, 2023, and announced he was turning himself in for murder. He identified himself as a prosecutor. Days before this, Prosecutor Duan Hongshan was leading the investigation into the death of Zhang Yuan, a 32-year-old man. The suspect was Zhang Yuan's 31-year-old estranged wife, Jiang Ting, who had sought a divorce citing domestic violence.
Zhang Yuan, armed with a boning knife, had come to Jiang Ting's residence on April 17th after dinner. The forensic report placed his time of death around 10:40 PM, consistent with the time Jiang Ting spent doing laundry afterward. Both Zhang Yuan and Jiang Ting were alumni of Wuyan Third High School. Duan and his colleagues, including Ding Yi, worked on the case. Duan even took possession of Jiang Ting's fish tank, as it was her only concern.
Duan visited Jiang Ting in the detention center. She was questioned about the multiple stab wounds. Jiang Ting couldn't fully explain why she stabbed Zhang Yuan seven times, particularly the six subsequent stabs after the first, stating she wished she had only stabbed him once for it to be justifiable defense, but feared he would have killed her if he survived.
She described her life as having "derailed" during the 28 minutes she spent hanging laundry after the incident, longing for her life to return to normal. She recounted Zhang Yuan's extreme paranoia and how he used trivial matters, such as her not peeling asparagus when cooking, as pretexts for abuse and violence.
During a flashback, she described how Zhang Yuan, wielding a knife, attacked her, cornered her on the balcony, and threatened to kill her, forcing her to instinctively defend herself. Jiang Ting expressed confusion about the legal definitions of her actions, feeling lost about her future, but her primary concern was the welfare of her fish, pleading with Duan to care for them.
Recognizing the case's complexity, Chief Prosecutor Gong proposed a joint meeting to gather perspectives and balance legal principles with public sentiment to reach the best judgment. During the meeting, opinions varied. Some argued for excessive defense, seeing the initial stab as potentially defensive but subsequent ones as exceeding necessary force due to the timing, means, intensity, and resulting harm. Others leaned towards intentional homicide, focusing on the motive and the severity of the injuries.
Duan argued that under stress, actions within seconds are instinctive, not deliberate, supporting excessive defense, or even justifiable defense. He emphasized that the danger Jiang Ting faced was not isolated to that night but was a persistent threat throughout their three-year marriage, escalating after their separation. He presented a hypothetical to his male colleagues, asking what choice they would make if cornered with a knife, reaffirming his inclination towards classifying the case as justifiable defense based on the current information.
While discussing the case, new information arrived about a potential eyewitness, Mei Zheng, who worked at an aquarium. Mei Zheng claimed she saw the incident from her apartment across the street. She stated she saw Zhang Yuan with a knife, about to stab Jiang Ting, and instinctively shone a flashlight beam into his eyes, causing him to momentarily stop. In that moment, Jiang Ting stabbed him.
Mei Zheng explained she delayed reporting because she feared her intervention with the flashlight would implicate her in the case, coming forward only after learning about Jiang Ting's story through the media and feeling sympathy for her. The effectiveness of her flashlight across the 60-meter distance between the buildings was questioned until it was suggested she used a powerful diving flashlight, capable of illuminating nearly 100 meters underwater.
If her testimony about the blinding light was accurate, it would lend significant support to Duan's view of justifiable defense. Chief Prosecutor Gong reminded Duan of a case he handled 14 years prior concerning excessive defense—the case of Li Mufeng, who was convicted of intentional assault resulting in death and sentenced to four years. Gong suggested Duan might compare the cases.
Ding Yi later examined the Li Mufeng case file, discovering that Mei Zheng had also been a witness in that case. Further complicating matters, the Procuratorial Supervision Office received an anonymous report alleging that Duan Hongshan had maintained a close, long-standing relationship with Mei Zheng, who was a party involved in his case from 14 years ago.
The report claimed Duan was now conspiring with Mei Zheng and Jiang Ting to commit murder and intended to abuse his position to ensure Jiang Ting's acquittal under the pretense of justifiable defense. Amidst a heavy rain, Duan and Ding Yi went to the building opposite the crime scene to test the visibility and the flashlight's range.
While Ding Yi was ascending the building towards the floor Mei Zheng claimed to be on, an unexpected light beam flashed towards them from the opposite building before Ding Yi had reached the intended spot. The following day, Duan met with Chief Prosecutor Gong and the new Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Fang Lingyuan, who had arrived from the Provincial Procuratorate.
Fang Lingyuan revealed that "she" had been the one who shone the light from the 15th-floor hallway the previous night, confirming Mei Zheng's account about the diving flashlight's reach across the distance, even in the rain. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan immediately questioned whether classifying Jiang Ting's case as justifiable defense was hasty, given the provincial office's attention to the case.
She challenged Duan's assessment of the entire act as a whole, particularly regarding the stabs inflicted after Zhang Yuan was incapacitated, arguing it should be considered harm to life rather than a continuous defensive action. Duan maintained that Jiang Ting was in a state of crisis and unable to make rational judgments, viewing the subsequent stabs as part of the overall instinctive reaction to prevent further harm.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan then presented a significant hypothesis: she suspected a third party, knowledgeable in law, had intervened and potentially orchestrated the murder by exploiting the justifiable defense clause. She connected this suspicion to Jiang Ting and Mei Zheng's possible knowledge of the justifiable defense law, which they could have gained from being witnesses in the 2009 Li Mufeng case, a case that Duan Hongshan himself had prosecuted.
It was then revealed that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan's line of questioning and hypothesis were based on the allegations contained in the anonymous report received by the Procuratorial Supervision Office.
Episode 2 Recap
Duan Hongshan was taken to the police station for questioning. Regarding the incident at the East Suburb Fishery where he reported accidentally killing someone, Duan Hongshan remained silent and did not speak a word. He confirmed his personal details, including his name, date of birth, address in Xingfuli Complex, and occupation as a prosecutor.
The officers confirmed the report he made at 6:30 AM on the 28th, arriving at Duanke Town Police Station covered in blood, stating he had accidentally killed someone at the East Suburb Fishery. They asked for the victim's identity, his relationship with the victim, and why he was at the remote fishery, but he offered no response, his silence noted as being quite practiced.
The day before the incident, at Prosecutor Gong's office, Fang Lingyuan saw a fish tank that belonged to Jiang Ting, which had been entrusted to Duan Hongshan to raise and then moved to Gong's office by Duan Hongshan. Later, Duan Hongshan accompanied Fang Lingyuan to the detention center to verify details with Jiang Ting. On the way, Duan Hongshan mentioned Fang Lingyuan being a graduate of Wuyan Third High School and asked if she knew Jiang Ting.
Fang Lingyuan hesitated before saying she wasn't familiar with her. During the meeting, Fang Lingyuan asked Jiang Ting why she was so certain she would be acquitted, given there were no records of her consulting a lawyer. Jiang Ting replied that she was told there was an eyewitness. Fang Lingyuan warned her that the witness's testimony could potentially harm her case.
Jiang Ting became agitated, insisting it was impossible and that she was innocent and had committed no crime, thus could go home. Fang Lingyuan then brought up the fish in the tank, identifying them as blue gourami and mentioning their sensitive nature to light and oxygen levels, which could lead to stress-induced death. She noted that Jiang Ting kept them on the balcony in direct sunlight and asked if she wasn't afraid they would die.
Fang Lingyuan commented to Duan Hongshan that Jiang Ting's reaction to seeing her made it seem like they were not as unfamiliar as she claimed. Jiang Ting suggested Fang Lingyuan should ask her instead. As they left, Fang Lingyuan stated she had somewhere else to go. Fang Lingyuan went to a diving center to find Mei Zheng. She directly questioned Mei Zheng about knowing Jiang Ting, suggesting she was Jiang Ting's neighbor and had given her the blue gourami fish.
She also brought up Mei Zheng knowing Duan Hongshan and Li Mufeng and having a close connection with them, asking what this had to do with the case. Mei Zheng denied understanding Fang Lingyuan's implications and suggested Fang Lingyuan issue an official summons if she had more questions instead of questioning her without evidence. Fang Lingyuan then revealed that Duan Hongshan had been reported, that the allegations were unfavorable to him, and that they were closely related to Mei Zheng.
Mei Zheng insisted she had no connection to the report. Fang Lingyuan left, telling Mei Zheng she knew where to find her if she had anything more to say. That evening, Mei Zheng waited at a small bar, but the person she was expecting did not arrive. Li Mufeng gave a glass ball to Duan Hongshan's daughter, Yingying. Duan Hongshan told Yingying that if Li Mufeng ever approached her again, she must tell him.
Later, while closing a window, Duan Hongshan noticed a person standing outside in the rain, covered completely by a raincoat, staring motionless at their house. After ensuring Yingying was settled, Duan Hongshan said he was going out to meet a friend and left the house. At the bar, Mei Zheng waited until late but the person never appeared. The next morning, Yingying found that Duan Hongshan was not home and discovered another glass ball in the living room.
Yingying went to her mother, Lei Shuang, at the law office, telling her that her father was missing. Lei Shuang tried contacting him but his phone was unreachable, and he hadn't shown up at work, which was unusual for him, especially since he had promised to be at Yingying's interview that afternoon. They decided to report him missing.
Meanwhile, Mei Zheng went to see Fang Lingyuan, stating she had waited for Duan Hongshan at the bar the previous night, but he never showed up or answered his phone. Mei Zheng asked what would happen to Jiang Ting if she stopped testifying. Fang Lingyuan replied that the real question was whether Mei Zheng actually saw everything and if what she claimed was the truth.
Mei Zheng countered by asking if Jiang Ting's testimony fourteen years ago was necessarily the truth, suggesting it had caused her considerable hardship, possibly leading her to work as a diver at an aquarium. She asked if being a fish seemed preferable. Upon learning Duan Hongshan was missing, Fang Lingyuan went to the police station to retrieve surveillance footage of his movements.
The footage showed him leaving his residential complex at 8:30 PM and heading northwest, walking along a commercial street, passing through a tunnel where he paused briefly before disappearing. His last known phone call's location was also traced. Fang Lingyuan followed this lead to a building which turned out to be Li Mufeng's studio, where he creates glass products. Fang Lingyuan pretended to be interested in buying a fish tank and was shown one.
She then directly asked if it was identical to the one sold to Jiang Ting, which Li Mufeng denied, stating he would remember if Jiang Ting had bought it from him. Regarding Duan Hongshan, Li Mufeng confirmed he had visited the previous afternoon. Li Mufeng recalled Jiang Ting from school and her testifying in his past case, which Fang Lingyuan noted she was now handling as a justifiable defense claim regarding Jiang Ting killing her abusive husband.
Li Mufeng expressed gratitude for only being sentenced to four years in his case, which followed Fang Lingyuan's ruling fourteen years prior that it was excessive defense. He denied reporting Duan Hongshan and noted how their professions, glassmaking and prosecution, both involve creating something that can shape a person's life, requiring extreme care. Because Duan Hongshan had contacted Li Mufeng just before disappearing, the police brought Li Mufeng in for questioning until Duan Hongshan was found.
Li Mufeng was released after Duan Hongshan appeared, seeing him arrive at the police station covered in blood. Duan Hongshan signed his statement and was held at the Yuyan District Detention Center. Upon returning to his studio, Li Mufeng faced stares and whispers from surrounding residents, reminding him of his previous time in detention. Although Duan Hongshan had turned himself in, he remained silent about the victim's identity, the motive, and the circumstances of the incident.
Outside the prosecutor's office, families involved in his past cases gathered, expressing doubts and demanding answers. Lei Shuang visited Duan Hongshan and he asked her to take care of Yingying, which Lei Shuang accepted, acknowledging her as their daughter. Lei Shuang then offered to serve as his defense attorney on the condition that he sign over custody of their daughter. Duan Hongshan refused the condition but stated that he acted in justifiable defense.
Lei Shuang detailed a possible scenario for his defense: being knocked unconscious and abducted on the night of April 27th, waking up tied to a platform fifty meters above the sea at the East Suburb Fishery, being repeatedly tortured, and finally fighting back for his life when the captor discovered his escape attempt and tried to kill him.
She instructed him to emphasize that the injuries were inflicted by the other party and that their DNA would be found on the knife due to a fierce struggle. She told him to present this account to the police and leave the rest to her in court, warning him to say only what he needed to say during interrogation and avoid causing trouble.
She threatened that if he didn't sign the custody agreement, Yingying would be the daughter of a murderer. Duan Hongshan maintained he would not sign, insisting he acted in justifiable defense. A prosecutor discussed the challenging nature of Duan Hongshan's case, particularly because of his profession, acknowledging the public's expectation of prosecutors being flawless and the potential for his crime to erode public trust in the legal system.
Episode 3 Recap
When questioned by the police, Duan Hongshan requested water and stated he did not know the deceased, claiming the man had kidnapped him and intended to kill him. Recounting the night, Duan said that after dinner, around 8:30 PM, he went out to meet an old friend but declined to reveal the friend's name citing privacy.
He described passing a ring toss stall, winning a Rainbow Dash doll he intended to take home for his daughter, who loved Twilight Sparkle and slept with a doll of that character nightly. He then turned into a dark alley where he was hit on the back of the head. He woke up the next morning tied up at the East Suburb Fishery, unable to move.
Duan recounted that his captor called the place a "maritime court" and himself the "judge" who would push Duan overboard if found guilty. The captor emphasized that no one knew Duan was missing, noting Duan had missed work and his daughter's school interview. Duan then deliberately hit a pillar to leave his DNA at the scene.
He offered his captor two choices: either the captor would eventually be found if he continued, or he could release Duan, and Duan would help create a plausible story to cover the incident. At this point, the captor reacted angrily, calling Duan a liar. He then presented a live stream, identifying himself as Zhou Delong and Duan Hongshan as the Director of the First Procuratorial Department of the Wuyan Procuratorate.
He read comments from viewers calling Duan corrupt and suggesting he should be killed, accusing the law of protecting the rich over ordinary people. Zhou Delong identified himself as the father of his son Lin, stating Lin had died on the 28th, referencing the Case 6. 28 from 14 years prior. Duan managed to break free from his restraints during a struggle and obtain a dagger. Zhou Delong told him to run, but Duan was struck and fell.
As Zhou Delong approached with a pickaxe, Duan, fighting back, stabbed Zhou Delong. When asked why he killed Zhou instead of simply escaping after freeing himself, Duan stated that Zhou Delong had been trying to kill him.
Asked if he remembered the case involving Zhou Delong's son, given Zhou Delong mentioned his son's death was due to him, Duan said he had handled 4370 cases and interrogated thousands of suspects over his 20-year career and maintained a clear conscience in every one. Police informed Duan that their crime scene investigation contradicted his account: they found no bloodstains on the railings or metal plates, and no signs of a struggle at the scene.
Furthermore, they confirmed with the streaming platform that there was no livestream on the date Duan mentioned, despite his insistence that over 5000 people were watching. Police also reported that neither the deceased's phone nor Duan's phone was found at the scene, and even if recovered from the water, data restoration would be difficult. They pressed Duan on the consequences of concealing information, but he insisted his actions were justifiable defense.
Mei Zheng contacted the police to provide information, identifying the deceased as Zhou Delong, the father of Zhou Lin, the student who had died 14 years prior. News reports stated that Prosecutor Duan from Wuyan City had voluntarily surrendered to police at the Duanke Town Police Station, admitting to killing someone, drawing significant attention. The body found at the East Suburb Fishery was confirmed to be an East Suburb Fishery truck driver.
The report noted that Duan had driven a fishery delivery truck to the police station to surrender and was now in lawful detention. Prosecutor Gong informed Fang Lingyuan that Duan Hongshan had begun to confess and that Zhou Delong died from a single stab wound to the chest. Fang Lingyuan visited Zhou Delong's former rented residence as part of the investigation, finding it messy with various materials about Duan Hongshan posted on the walls.
Later, while Fang was dropping off her daughter, Duan Yingying, she learned from Ding Yi that police were investigating the house next door, which Fang realized was Zhou Delong's residence. A police officer confirmed to Fang that Zhou Delong was also the source of the anonymous report against Duan Hongshan, prompting Fang to note the striking coincidence of the reported person killing the reporter.
The situation at the Procuratorate was tense, with many people from cases Duan Hongshan had previously handled gathered there, highlighting the principle that prosecutors are accountable for their cases for life. Colleagues discussed the difficulty of the case involving a chief prosecutor claiming justifiable defense after killing his accuser, noting the high public scrutiny and public opinion challenges. Meanwhile, Duan's daughter, Yingying, faced ostracism from classmates aware of her father's situation and appeared distressed after seeing news about him.
Fang Lingyuan met with Duan Hongshan in the detention center. She asked about his initial silence. Duan explained that, as a prosecutor, he understood the significance of a suspect's first statement as the key to their "maze," but when in the position himself, he was unsure what to say, feeling like he was in a self-imposed dilemma or playing a chess game against himself. Fang suggested his silence was deliberate.
Duan maintained his actions were justifiable defense based on his prosecutorial experience and argued he should not be charged with excessive defense, predicting a court would rule it justifiable defense. When Fang asked who kidnapped him, Duan claimed he hadn't figured it out yet. Fang provided a hint, mentioning the Case 6. 28 from 14 years ago, which Duan had handled, involving the deceased Zhou Lin and suspect Li Mufeng.
Duan didn't recall anyone from that case matching his kidnapper's age. Fang revealed the kidnapper was Zhou Lin's father, Zhou Delong. Duan expressed surprise, recalling only meeting Zhou Lin's mother and later learning the parents were divorced. Fang stated that Duan's killing of Zhou Delong could be interpreted as justifiable defense or intentional homicide disguised as such.
Duan then clarified that Zhou Delong orchestrated the kidnapping with the intent to either destroy Duan's present by killing him or destroy his past by being killed by Duan. Duan asserted that Zhou Delong used the Case 6. 28 from 14 years ago as leverage, like a fulcrum, to challenge all his previously settled cases, aiming to ruin his reputation and undermine public trust in the justice system. Lei Shuang, Duan Hongshan's lawyer, visited him.
She told him the case was complicated and his identity special, advising him to provide a truthful account, suggesting his actions constituted justifiable defense. She presented agreements for the transfer of custody of his daughter, Duan Yingying, and a real estate transfer agreement, noting she had adjusted the visitation schedule on the custody agreement to once a week.
Duan questioned why, and Lei Shuang stated she no longer acts impulsively and prepares backup plans, mentioning the apartment is old but meant for Yingying. She asked about his confidence in winning and offered alternative representation if he wasn't sure. Duan then revealed the kidnapper was Zhou Delong, Zhou Lin's father. Lei Shuang stated she didn't care who it was, but the proximity of the crime scene to Duan's house indicated a deliberate, premeditated kidnapping.
She offered to waive her fee and said the agreements could be signed after he was released, taking his silence as acceptance. Lei Shuang later met with Li Mufeng, whose case she and Duan Hongshan handled 14 years prior. She asked if he harbored any resentment towards Duan. Li Mufeng replied that without Duan, his situation might have been worse, acknowledging Duan had tried to assist him after his release.
When Lei Shuang asked if Zhou Lin's family hated Duan, Li Mufeng was unsure. Lei Shuang then revealed that Zhou Delong, Zhou Lin's father, had kidnapped Duan and was killed by him in defense. She noted the apparent contradiction in Zhou Delong hating Duan more than Li Mufeng.
Li Mufeng confirmed Zhou Delong hated him and had threatened him after he was released but declined to provide details, suggesting she share the information with investigators instead, as she was Duan's lawyer. At the East Suburb Fishery, police requested assistance from local divers to search underwater for critical evidence like phones, keys, or knives, citing a lack of skilled divers and challenging conditions due to rain. Mei Zheng volunteered to dive despite the weather.
While searching underwater, she located an item, implied to be a phone, but concealed it before surfacing, reporting to the officer that she found nothing. Meanwhile, in the detention center, prosecutor colleagues discussed Duan Hongshan's state, noting he appeared like any other new suspect despite his two decades as a prosecutor and former directorial position. They recalled his past statements emphasizing that prosecutors should always remain calm, rational, and objective, questioning if his current demeanor was feigned.
Episode 4 Recap
On the night Duan Hongshan was abducted by Zhou Delong, there was a full moon. A fisherman explained that this meant no one was present at the East Suburb Fishery because the farm-raised yellow croakers kept there cannot be exposed to light, not even moonlight, or they turn silver and lose value. This absence of people made the fishery a suitable location for Zhou Delong to bring Duan Hongshan.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan received news that one phone had been found, believed to be the one Zhou Delong used for livestreaming, based on Duan Hongshan's description. Recovery of data from the seawater-damaged phone was difficult, but the technical team was working on it. Fang Lingyuan asked who found the phone and was told it was a pretty female diver brought in from the aquarium.
Later, Fang Lingyuan questioned Duan Hongshan again about the time it took him to drive from the fishery to the police station, which he stated was forty-three minutes in the victim's car, precisely measured by the duration of a song playing on the music player. She noted that fishermen at the site claimed the drive took at most thirty minutes and that they hadn't heard any calls for help.
Fang Lingyuan questioned if he had taken a detour to delay help for a severely injured person, suggesting he might have intended to temporize. Duan Hongshan denied delaying, stating he had just survived a life-or-death struggle, was injured and it was dark and raining; taking a little longer was reasonable, and he clearly understood the conditions for justifiable defense, wouldn't intentionally put himself at a disadvantage. Fang Lingyuan pressed him on whether he knew Zhou Delong.
Duan Hongshan reiterated that he only knew Zhou Lin's mother from the original case and did not know Zhou Delong before the kidnapping. Fang Lingyuan then told him Zhou Delong lived right next door, listening in and spying on him, suggesting Duan Hongshan might have acted first to protect his daughter.
Duan Hongshan insisted he had never met Zhou Delong before the abduction and stated he couldn't prove this, just as he couldn't prove he didn't bring the knife into the library. Fang Lingyuan informed Duan Hongshan that photos found at Zhou Delong's home showed frequent contact between Duan Hongshan and Mei Zheng recently. Duan Hongshan did not respond to this. Fang Lingyuan concluded the case had many suspicious points that needed time to sort out.
She also informed him that families from over twenty cases he had handled previously had come back to the procuratorate, calling him a murderer and demanding appeals and retrials, leading to an investigation by the Provincial Procuratorate. She noted his family, including his daughter Duan Yingying, were now regarded as the suspect's family and were likely having a difficult time at school. After facing difficulties at school, Duan Yingying went to Li Mufeng.
She asked him to take her to see her father at the detention center. Standing outside, she asked Li Mufeng if her father had really killed someone. He told her he believed Director Duan only acted to protect himself and it was an accidental killing.
When she mentioned others calling her father a murderer and a bad person, Li Mufeng explained that killing someone doesn't necessarily lead to conviction, and even if convicted, it doesn't automatically mean a person is bad. Duan Yingying commented that she used to think distinguishing good from bad was easy, but no longer felt that way.
Fang Lingyuan went to Mei Zheng and showed her the photos found at Zhou Delong's house showing her frequent contact with Duan Hongshan, asking for an explanation. Mei Zheng stated she had answered everything fourteen years ago and this wasn't the place for such questions, pointing out that the photo wasn't from fourteen years ago.
Mei Zheng commented that in Wuyan, if you want to avoid someone, they'll never find you, but if you want to see someone, you can do so within a day. She questioned what a single photo could prove. Fang Lingyuan countered that one encounter might be a coincidence, but not multiple encounters, including those not photographed. Mei Zheng was then called away.
Fang Lingyuan visited Li Mufeng at his glassware workshop, stating she wasn't there officially but just to find him. She admired his seaweed glasswork and pointed out a bubble. Li Mufeng communicated with his master via sign language, and the master, visibly angered, took the piece and smashed it, explaining it was a work ethic of striving for perfection. Fang Lingyuan apologized to Li Mufeng for habitually suspecting him in the past.
Li Mufeng accepted her apology, saying he was used to suspicion but hadn't expected an apology, having thought "you people" never apologized. Fang Lingyuan responded that they were human, made mistakes, and should apologize when they did. Later, Fang Lingyuan spoke with Prosecutor Gong about the case. She stated that some evidence was still missing.
Prosecutor Gong asked for her thoughts, and Fang Lingyuan replied that if it was justifiable defense, Duan Hongshan should be acquitted, but if it was murder, she would prosecute. She dismissed rumors that Duan Hongshan had broken down in detention, describing him as a calm, objective, rational, and excellent prosecutor capable of enduring. She stated her sole concern was the truth, even if it wasn't easy for everyone to understand.
Prosecutor Gong noted that Duan Hongshan was similar to her fourteen years ago. Fang Lingyuan reiterated the truth's importance and that the law would provide the answer once it was found. Prosecutor Gong mentioned there were a few days left before the decision on approving the arrest and she would hold a hearing on May 8th, believing it to be the fairest approach.
Li Mufeng came to see Fang Lingyuan at the procuratorate, stating he wanted to help prove Duan Hongshan acted in justifiable defense by showing that Zhou Delong had intended to harm him. He showed Fang Lingyuan a text message from Zhou Delong saying, "I'll kill you sooner or later, just you wait." Li Mufeng explained that Zhou Delong had sought him out after his release from prison, threatening to never let him go.
Six months prior, Zhou Delong found his store and threatened to kill him, Duan Hongshan, and Mei Zheng, calling them his enemies and saying he wouldn't let them go. Li Mufeng believed Zhou Delong was resentful that Li Mufeng only received a four-year sentence and that Duan Hongshan was commended for the case. Neighbors intervened during the confrontation at the store. Li Mufeng stated that if Duan Hongshan hadn't fought back, he might have been killed.
Ding Yi submitted a recusal application to Prosecutor Gong, citing regulations that prevented his continued involvement in Duan Hongshan's case. However, Prosecutor Gong informed him that after review by the Provincial Procuratorate and the Party committee, his recusal was not required, and he should diligently assist Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan. Fang Lingyuan interrogated Duan Hongshan again. She noted his previous statement that Zhou Delong desperately chased and attacked him and that he stabbed Zhou Delong in the chest.
She pointed out that the autopsy confirmed a fatal stab wound to the chest, but despite claiming a desperate struggle, Duan Hongshan only had scrapes on his body and face, with no knife wounds. She questioned how he could inflict a single fatal stab wound instinctively without knowing where he was stabbing, suggesting it might have been too coincidental or even deliberate. She asked if he would risk his career to kill someone over a complaint letter.
Duan Hongshan then proposed a hypothesis that everything, from him taking Jiang Ting's case, to the anonymous report, to his kidnapping, was orchestrated by someone connected to the fourteen-year "6. 28" case. He described this person as skilled in law and strategy, particularly knowledgeable about justifiable defense, and capable of deliberately bringing people with killing intent together like dangerous chemical reagents.
Fang Lingyuan noted this description sounded like Duan Hongshan himself, but he countered that he was the chemical, not the one who mixed them, and that he also desperately wanted to find this person to clear his name but couldn't while in detention, so he was sharing his thoughts with his prosecutor. Meanwhile, Jiang Ting was in detention, repeatedly calling for an officer and asking who was handling her case, wondering if Duan Hongshan had abandoned her.
When she was told Fang Lingyuan was now in charge, she became highly agitated, believing Fang Lingyuan was deliberately trying to harm her and prevent her from going home as revenge. Officers tried to calm her as she became increasingly distressed, crying out that she was dying and wanted to go home. She was scheduled for psychological counseling.
Episode 5 Recap
As Ding Yi analyzed the case details on a board, Fang Lingyuan joined him. They discussed the connections between the three cases: Li Mufeng killing Zhou Lin for Mei Zheng fourteen years prior, Jiang Ting killing her husband Zhang Yuan fourteen years later, and Duan Hongshan killing Zhou Delong, who was Zhou Lin's father and had been living next door to Duan Hongshan, presumably harboring resentment towards Li Mufeng and Mei Zheng.
They also noted that Jiang Ting had testified against Li Mufeng and Mei Zheng fourteen years ago, claiming an emotional entanglement between them, but Mei Zheng had testified for Jiang Ting fourteen years later. Duan Hongshan had been the lead prosecutor in both the earlier Li Mufeng case and the later Jiang Ting case. Ding Yi initially believed everyone was connected to the original case, but Fang Lingyuan pointed out they were all linked to Duan Hongshan.
Fang Lingyuan stated her goal was to uncover the truth and announced they would investigate the three cases jointly. Fang Lingyuan met with Li Mufeng to discuss the events of fourteen years ago. Li Mufeng recounted that after finishing the college entrance exam, he frequented the library. On the day of the incident, he heard cries for help from the reading room and found Zhou Lin assaulting Mei Zheng.
Acting impulsively, he pushed Zhou Lin away and tried to flee with Mei Zheng, but Zhou Lin, armed with a stick, caught up and struck him on the back of the head. Zhou Lin continued to beat and kick him after he fell. In the midst of the beating, a knife fell to the ground. Terrified and unable to defend himself otherwise, he grabbed the knife and fought back.
He confirmed that both he and Mei Zheng had called for help, but due to it being a holiday, the rain, and the lack of people in the library, no one came to their aid. He explained that he and Mei Zheng were from the same school, she was a year ahead, and they had never spoken, only vaguely recognizing each other. He clarified that saving someone's life did not require romantic feelings.
He admitted that Duan Hongshan had prosecuted him for excessive defense, resulting in a four-year sentence. While he had initially blamed Duan Hongshan, he had eventually come to accept the outcome. Fang Lingyuan later reviewed Mei Zheng's statement from the time. Mei Zheng described going to the library during the university break to return books. She mentioned the librarian was distracted.
Zhou Lin trapped her by using a wheeled bookshelf to block her in, then approached her with a wooden stick, his expression terrifying, and was about to assault her. She screamed for help. Li Mufeng arrived and tried to pull her away, but Zhou Lin knocked Li Mufeng down with the stick and continued to violently beat him. Mei Zheng, terrified, curled up in a corner.
She saw a knife fall before Zhou Lin could attack Li Mufeng again, and saw Li Mufeng pick it up and stab Zhou Lin. She stated the day was chaotic and she only remembered these events. Discussing the two accounts with Ding Yi, Fang Lingyuan noted that while they were largely consistent, there were subtle differences in details.
She posed a hypothetical question: what would they do if someone who had severely wronged them in the past later needed their help, and they could prove their innocence? Ding Yi suggested he would remain silent if the person had truly harmed him. Fang Lingyuan drew a parallel between Li Mufeng testifying for Duan Hongshan and Mei Zheng testifying for Jiang Ting, suggesting Li Mufeng's action might stem from gratitude if he felt Duan Hongshan had been lenient.
She concluded that the crucial point was understanding whether Li Mufeng felt gratitude or resentment towards Duan Hongshan fourteen years ago. Li Mufeng traveled by bus to the provincial capital for an exhibition. The bus was stopped for a routine police check, and Li Mufeng was singled out and questioned after his identity revealed his past record. Other passengers on the bus reacted with visible discomfort and whispered about his history. Before the exhibition, Li Mufeng visited his mother.
He told her about his exhibition nearby and offered tickets, hoping she and her family could attend. His mother responded with coldness, stating she was busy but would try to go. She asked about the potential for prize money and the chance to compete internationally if he won. When her husband and their younger son arrived, their conversation turned to the younger son's future school prospects, specifically the English special class at Experimental Middle School.
His step-father expressed concern that Li Mufeng's criminal record might negatively impact his half-brother's school applications, including potential future government positions, despite having been told by the police it might only be an issue for government jobs. Li Mufeng apologized, but his mother told him he didn't need to apologize to her; he only owed himself an apology, referencing her previous statement about him misleading her in the past.
Fang Lingyuan went to see Li Mufeng's mentor, showing him a photo of Zhou Delong. The mentor initially claimed not to recognize him. However, Fang Lingyuan mentioned that Zhou Delong had visited the workshop about six months prior and damaged one of the mentor's glass pieces. The mentor then confirmed the visit, recalling that Zhou Delong had threatened to kill him, Duan Hongshan, and Mei Zheng before breaking his work.
He added that only he had the right to damage his own creations. Fang Lingyuan and Ding Yi discussed the mentor's confirmation of Zhou Delong's visit and threats, which contrasted with Li Mufeng's earlier statement, suggesting Li Mufeng might have committed perjury. Fang Lingyuan decided to speak with Duan Hongshan first. She met with Duan Hongshan, remarking on his reputation as an excellent prosecutor.
She asked for the basis of his excessive defense ruling in Li Mufeng's case fourteen years ago. Duan Hongshan explained that Zhou Lin was armed with a stick, while Li Mufeng had a knife. He maintained that Zhou Lin's stick was not a lethal threat, and Li Mufeng's use of a knife to kill exceeded the necessary force for defense. He reiterated that Li Mufeng claimed the knife was not his but could not prove its origin.
Duan Hongshan also noted that Li Mufeng's first choice for college was the School of Law at the University of Politics and Law, that he had already been accepted, and had judicial study books at home, suggesting a deep understanding of the law, specifically the concept of justifiable defense, and implying Li Mufeng might have been trying to manipulate it.
Fang Lingyuan then directly addressed Li Mufeng's recent testimony about Zhou Delong threatening him, Duan Hongshan, and Mei Zheng, labeling it a "false testimony" and a "lie easily exposed." She questioned why Li Mufeng would offer such testimony that was easily disproven, suggesting it was because Li Mufeng had always believed he acted in justifiable defense and felt Duan Hongshan had ruined his life by convicting him.
At the exhibition, Li Mufeng saw his mother, step-father, and younger half-brother admiring his artwork, piece number nine. They praised its concept, structure, and execution, calling it the best piece they had seen. Li Mufeng watched them with a smile. Fang Lingyuan approached him and asked him to accompany her. She informed him that giving false testimony was a punishable offense, questioning why he lied when he knew he had a text message from Zhou Delong proving the threat.
Li Mufeng admitted the threat message was real but explained he fabricated the rest because he feared his life being in danger would not be taken seriously, referencing his previous experience where his life was not deemed threatened despite the circumstances. He stated that only one person had genuinely cared for him: Duan Hongshan.
He revealed that after his release from prison, when he was jobless, homeless, and abandoned by his parents, Duan Hongshan had quietly introduced him to his current mentor and helped him find work. Duan Hongshan had also encouraged him to enter the current competition.
Li Mufeng shared that Duan Hongshan had told him that fourteen years ago, justifiable defense was a "dormant legal provision," which was why the court couldn't find him not guilty, but that now Duan Hongshan wanted to revive the issue of justifiable defense. Reflecting on this, Li Mufeng commented that if viewed from this perspective, his artwork was "nothing special," and the concept of using a cage to represent his prison experience seemed "dull" and "crude." Li Mufeng then returned to the exhibition floor, his work now subject to scrutiny and devalued by others aware of his criminal record. Mei Zheng appeared nearby.
Episode 6 Recap
At the school broadcast station, Duan Yingying was preparing to deliver a speech on being a law-abiding citizen but was unexpectedly replaced. Later, in the school hallway, Yingying discovered that her drawing, which included her father's portrait, had been vandalized with a skull and a knife.
She returned to the broadcast station and, using the school's public address system, demanded that the student responsible apologize, stating they had violated her father's rights of portrait and reputation under the Civil Code, not just school rules. Ms. Lei confronted the school principal seeking an explanation for the incident with Yingying's drawing and the removal from the speech. The principal apologized, citing difficulties due to Director Duan's current situation, and mentioned that speaker replacements could happen.
Ms. Lei, expressing her anger, insisted that the student who vandalized the drawing must publicly apologize to Duan Hongshan's daughter, Duan Yingying, in front of the entire school. Later, in the car, Yingying found the letters she had written to her father in her mother's possession. She asked why her letters were being kept, and Ms. Lei explained that letters with pictures couldn't be sent in.
Yingying, upset, asked if her father was a murderer because teachers and classmates thought so. Ms. Lei firmly denied this, assuring Yingying that she would use facts to prove everyone else was wrong and that her father was not a murderer. Fang Lingyuan spoke with Duan Hongshan, asking if he had encouraged Li Mufeng to participate in a glass art competition. Duan Hongshan confirmed his interest in Li Mufeng and other individuals related to the case, including Fang Lingyuan.
He admitted to wanting to see the legal concept of justifiable defense reactivated. He explained that it had become a "spare legal provision" due to misuse in the 1980s, leading the judicial system to apply it strictly. Duan Hongshan argued that times have changed and it is now an opportune moment. He questioned the purpose of law enforcement if they hesitate to recognize people's right to self-defense during critical moments.
Analyzing the case, Fang Lingyuan decided Li Mufeng did not seem like the mastermind and removed his name from their list of primary suspects. Ding Yi, however, found Li Mufeng suspicious, noting he admitted to giving false testimony and said Duan Hongshan had helped him in the past. Fang Lingyuan felt the Jiang Ting case had brought together everyone with a motive for murder and suspected someone had planned everything.
She recalled Jiang Ting's statement that Zhang Yuan suspected her of cheating because he thought someone else had been in her home, emphasizing this was a significant detail. Fang Lingyuan and Ding Yi investigated how Zhang Yuan could have found Jiang Ting's new address, noting that mailboxes in her apartment building required keys and parcels were delivered directly to doors.
They concluded it was unlikely Zhang Yuan found the address on his own, especially since Jiang Ting claimed she had not contacted anyone from her past or used her old phone for months. They strongly suspected a third person had provided Zhang Yuan with Jiang Ting's location. Reviewing Jiang Ting's statement further, they focused on her comment that Zhang Yuan suspected she didn't cook dinner that night because she had peeled the asparagus, something she never did.
They interpreted this inconsistency in her cooking habit as further evidence that someone else was involved and had planned the events. Jiang Ting, however, denied any planning, stating her actions were a reaction to Zhang Yuan attacking her, which she maintained was justifiable defense. During her interrogation of Jiang Ting, Fang Lingyuan questioned her motive for having the new knife sharpened so excessively if she wasn't planning to kill someone.
Jiang Ting claimed the old knife was broken and she simply bought a new one. Jiang Ting insisted she cooked the asparagus despite Fang Lingyuan pointing out the inconsistency. As Fang Lingyuan was leaving, Jiang Ting commented on how nice her outfit looked, reminiscing about similar outfits and recognizing Fang Lingyuan from school, calling her "Class monitor." This interaction revealed they were classmates. Jiang Ting requested a lawyer and hired Ms. Lei.
Ms. Lei initially hesitated, mentioning her focus was on her ex-husband Duan Hongshan's case. Jiang Ting argued that their situations were connected; her being ruled justifiable defense was crucial to proving Duan Hongshan's innocence against the report filed against him. If she was convicted of intentional homicide, the report against Director Duan would appear true.
Ms. Lei remarked on Jiang Ting's clear reasoning but questioned why she endured years of domestic and mental abuse, resorting to murder as the only solution. Ms. Lei then expressed her personal view that men who abuse their wives deserve to die. Ms. Lei discussed the case with Duan Hongshan, who expressed concern about Fang Lingyuan, feeling she was determined to see Jiang Ting found guilty. Duan Hongshan asked Ms. Lei to observe Fang Lingyuan closely.
Ding Yi also investigated Fang Lingyuan and Jiang Ting's connection after learning they attended Wuyan Third High School. By looking through old school photos online, Ding Yi found a graduation picture showing both Fang Lingyuan and Jiang Ting, believing that uncovering their past secrets might change the outcome of the cases. Duan Hongshan, meanwhile, asked Ms. Lei about their daughter, Yingying, and if she was facing difficulties at school because of his situation.
Ms. Lei assured him that Yingying was strong and resilient, like both of them, and would fight back if provoked. Ding Yi later asked Fang Lingyuan if she knew Jiang Ting and Zhang Yuan from Third Middle School. Fang Lingyuan denied knowing them well and refused to help Ding Yi investigate this connection, stating it was related to the case.
Episode 7 Recap
When Ding Yi asked Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan about her connection to Jiang Ting and why she hadn't disclosed it, Fang explained that her sole intention in this case was to uncover the truth, not to deliberately secure a conviction against anyone. After being transferred back from the provincial capital, Fang Lingyuan visited her family home. Her room remained largely unchanged after her long absence.
Inside the wardrobe hung a dress identical to one worn by Jiang Ting, her former class monitor. Fang's father, a tailor, had made her a dress after seeing a similar design commissioned by a customer, though he used different fabric. This incident became a catalyst, with Jiang Ting leading and encouraging classmates to bully Fang, resorting to both verbal abuse and physical aggression.
Later, at a class reunion, some former classmates who had participated in the bullying gossiped about Fang behind her back, but noted her changed demeanor, acknowledging she was no longer the vulnerable person she once was. During her visit home, Fang Lingyuan unexpectedly encountered Li Mufeng, who was picking up clothes from her father's tailor shop, located near his glass workshop. As they talked, Li Mufeng brought up a question from the bar exam ten years prior.
He recited the question verbatim and asked for Fang's interpretation. Disagreeing with her approach, he then stated the official standard answer from that year, surprising Fang. Li confessed that he had received a recommended admission to university and had once aspired to become a prosecutor.
When Fang couldn't give him a definitive answer regarding his own case – whether he was guilty or innocent if viewed as a subjective legal question – Li Mufeng, having reflected on how the guilty verdict had irrevocably altered his life, formally submitted an appeal to the procuratorate, steadfastly maintaining that his actions constituted justifiable defense. Chief Prosecutor Gong Ping convened a meeting to discuss Li Mufeng's case, noting the surge in appeals following suspicions surrounding Prosecutor Duan Hongshan.
Fang Lingyuan argued strongly for holding a public hearing, emphasizing the high public interest in the fourteen-year-old "6. 28 Library Murder Case" and viewing the hearing as a crucial opportunity to rebuild public trust in the procuratorate. Gong Ping agreed, appointing Fang Lingyuan to preside over the upcoming hearing. Meanwhile, Li Mufeng went to the aquarium to see Mei Zheng. She seemed reluctant to see him, but he explained he only wanted to know if she was living well.
He informed her about his appeal, but Mei Zheng expressed little hope for its success, noting the difficulty of changing things after so many years. Li recalled that many years ago, after his early release, he had tried to contact her about appealing, but she hadn't opened the door. Mei Zheng apologized for her past actions, but Li assured her he understood, acknowledging that seeing him then would have been painful for her.
He suggested her presence at the hearing could significantly improve his chances. Lei Shuang informed Duan Hongshan about the public hearing, pointing out that if Li Mufeng's appeal was successful, it would mean the original case handled by Duan was a wrongful conviction. Duan instructed Lei Shuang to remain calm, assuring her he could manage the situation, though Lei acknowledged her competitive nature and fear of losing.
Ding Yi later pointed out to Fang Lingyuan that Lei Shuang was listed among the hearing participants, explaining that she had been Duan Hongshan's assistant prosecutor fourteen years prior and was thus considered a relevant party to the case. The public hearing for Li Mufeng's criminal appeal commenced, with Mei Zheng in attendance and Duan Hongshan observing remotely. The public was also able to view the proceedings live.
After confirming he had no conflict of interest with the hearing participants, Li Mufeng's hearing officially began. A video recording of the original trial, where Duan Hongshan prosecuted Li Mufeng, was played. In the recording, Li described going to the library, seeing Zhou Lin assaulting Mei Zheng, intervening, and the ensuing fight. He stated that during the struggle, a knife fell to the ground, and fearing Zhou Lin would use it against him, he grabbed it and defended himself.
The original prosecutor highlighted the police investigation findings: neither Zhou Lin, Li Mufeng, nor Mei Zheng had brought weapons to the scene. The knife was a librarian's fruit knife that had been misplaced and fell when the bookshelf was knocked over during the fight. They argued that Zhou Lin's stick was not lethal, but Li Mufeng's use of the knife exceeded the limits of self-defense.
Li had mentioned that Zhou Lin was known for fighting in school, while testimony from classmates at the original trial suggested Li Mufeng harbored dark thoughts and resented Zhou Lin, alleging suspicious behavior shortly before the incident. Li Mufeng reiterated his request for a retrial to overturn his guilty verdict, arguing that his actions were clearly justifiable defense against a threat to his life.
He contested the original ruling of excessive defense, emphasizing the fundamental difference between being found guilty and innocent, and the lasting impact of being labeled a murderer. He challenged the panel to consider what an ordinary person would do when facing imminent danger. The hearing then called Mei Zheng as a witness. When asked if she remembered Zhou Lin, she confirmed she did.
However, she denied that Zhou Lin had harassed or attempted to assault her, stating they were merely classmates and he was a good person. She revealed that the person who had been threatening her was actually Zhang Yuan, and that Zhang Yuan had been present at the scene, hidden behind a book. Li Mufeng was visibly shocked by this revelation, stating he had been unaware of Zhang Yuan's involvement for fourteen years.
Mei Zheng maintained that her testimony was the truth and presented her old phone, containing harassment messages from Zhang Yuan, as evidence. Due to this new evidence, Chief Prosecutor Gong Ping announced a temporary recess.
Watching the live stream, Duan Hongshan recognized the significant shift in the case and viewed it as the start of a prolonged legal battle, musing on the different motivations driving each participant in the hearing: Li Mufeng seeking to clear his name, Gong Ping aiming to restore public trust, and Fang Lingyuan pursuing the truth. Ding Yi observed that Mei Zheng's purpose was to publicly refute the rumors that had plagued her for fourteen years and clear her name.
Episode 8 Recap
At the procuratorial hearing, petitioner Li Mufeng stated he also wished to know the most authentic situation regarding the incident fourteen years prior, acknowledging the new evidence and doubts that had emerged. Witness Mei Zheng confirmed that the Zhang Yuan she mentioned as the fourth person at the scene was indeed the victim in the Case 4. 17 where Jiang Ting killed her husband.
Original investigators from the case explained that their investigation at the time had exhausted all methods, including questioning the library staff and everyone present, leading to testimonies that established the legal fact that only three people were present. They based their original determination on these facts and stated that Mei Zheng's claim fourteen years later without concrete evidence could not be accepted as proof of Zhang Yuan's presence.
During questioning by the hearing officers, Li Mufeng denied seeing Zhang Yuan at the scene at the time of the incident, expressing his own confusion as to why he didn't see him if he was there. Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan then presented evidence of Li Mufeng's library card from the second half of his senior year, showing he visited the library for eighteen consecutive days, borrowing books and returning them the next day.
She pointed out the rapid return of complex books like "Five-Year Compilation of National Judicial Exam Questions" and "Quantum Mechanics," suggesting borrowing was a pretext. She proposed the library card served as a secret code between him and Mei Zheng to meet, implying a romantic relationship.
Fang Lingyuan hypothesized that on the day of the incident, Li Mufeng entered the library, saw Zhang Yuan and Zhou Lin attempting to assault Mei Zheng, rushed to fight Zhou Lin, and killed him with a knife, whether for self-preservation, righteous anger, or a pre-planned act with Mei Zheng. Li Mufeng countered that this was mere speculation and insisted he had never met Mei Zheng at the library before the day of the incident.
Stating that the case involved more than one suspicious point and more than one person pretending, Fang Lingyuan introduced a special witness, Jiang Ting. Someone, recognizing Fang Lingyuan's likely strategy given their history, correctly predicted Jiang Ting would be called to revisit the past events and speculated that if Jiang Ting stuck to her original testimony, she would be putting herself in a difficult position.
This person recalled Jiang Ting's past description of Mei Zheng as a "tart" who seduced men like Zhou Lin and Li Mufeng, making them believe they were her boyfriend, and who might have deliberately orchestrated their fight to get rid of them, especially as she was reportedly getting close to a university professor. This was dismissed as something "everyone said."
In her testimony at the hearing, Jiang Ting was asked if she personally witnessed Li Mufeng and Mei Zheng meeting secretly or kissing in the library. She stated Li Mufeng and Mei Zheng were close and that the library had lax rules, allowing couples to meet. She claimed to have seen them together in the library looking at certain books and had heard others saw them kissing in a secluded area.
When pressed on when she personally saw them kiss, she repeated, "Everyone said so." She admitted her testimony was based on hearsay and that she did not personally know Li Mufeng or Mei Zheng. A recollection then showed Jiang Ting speaking to Zhang Yuan after the incident, expressing fear about talking to the police.
Zhang Yuan reinforced the negative view of Mei Zheng, calling her a "tart" known throughout the school who seduced boys, leading to the fight and death, advising Jiang Ting to tell the police this "truth." When Fang Lingyuan indicated she wanted to discuss Jiang Ting's husband, Zhang Yuan, Jiang Ting became agitated, accusing Fang Lingyuan of intentionally trying to frame her for murder.
After being told to control herself, Jiang Ting denied knowing much about Zhang Yuan's high school days, only his name on academic rankings, and strongly denied he had violent tendencies, questioning why she would marry a violent person. She affirmed she was strongly against violent behavior.
Fang Lingyuan then produced a dress and recounted how Jiang Ting, as her class monitor in high school, led and incited other students to bully, humiliate, and beat her for three years simply because she wore a similar dress made by her tailor father. Jiang Ting denied bullying Fang Lingyuan, claiming they barely spoke after previous issues. Fang Lingyuan clarified that inciting others also constituted bullying. Jiang Ting attributed the actions to the other students.
Fang Lingyuan explained that not all bullies are outwardly menacing; some are seemingly kind, popular, and accomplished, subtly isolating victims and acting more recklessly because others find it hard to believe they could do such things. She identified Jiang Ting and Zhang Yuan as such bullies. Presenting Zhou Lin's autopsy report from fourteen years prior, Fang Lingyuan revealed extensive tattoos on his body were meant to cover up numerous cigarette burn scars underneath, evidence of past bullying.
Mei Zheng confirmed she knew about this. A recollection showed Zhang Yuan getting Zhou Lin to burn himself with cigarettes, framing it as a "ritual" and "testament to our friendship," threatening to end their friendship if Zhou Lin refused. Mei Zheng recalled asking Zhou Lin if he needed help, but he claimed it was voluntary. Mei Zheng surmised that Zhang Yuan likely sent Zhou Lin to the library on the day of the incident.
Fang Lingyuan elaborated that Zhang Yuan used Zhou Lin's loneliness and desire for friendship as leverage, controlling him with phrases like "Aren't we friends?" , which Zhou Lin cherished even at the cost of his life. Zhang Yuan's kind facade was a mask; he controlled Zhou Lin, bullied Mei Zheng, and abused Jiang Ting.
Fang Lingyuan questioned if Mei Zheng had known all this for fourteen years but hid it to protect Li Mufeng from a heavier sentence, given that Zhou Lin was not the true instigator. Li Mufeng stated that Zhang Yuan's presence, unknown to most except Mei Zheng, was not a valid reason for classifying his actions as excessive defense. Fang Lingyuan then called upon Duan Hongshan, the original prosecutor in the case, suggesting he held the answers.
Duan Hongshan described the case, based solely on the crime scene, as a simple conflict leading to death by stabbing, but complex to reconstruct due to inconsistent accounts and lack of evidence. When asked if he knew about Zhang Yuan's presence, he stated he was unaware; evidence in the case file was the only basis for establishing legal facts.
He explained his excessive defense ruling was based on Li Mufeng being under unlawful harm (hence defensive properties) but exceeding necessary limits causing significant harm. Zhou Lin had no motive to kill and used a non-fatal stick, while Li Mufeng used a deadly knife resulting in Zhou Lin's death. Li Mufeng challenged this, asking why stopping unlawful harm was framed as a conflict and why a knife on the floor during an assault wasn't considered life-threatening.
Duan Hongshan addressed why it wasn't special defense, stating that based on Mei Zheng's testimony and scene evidence at the time, they could not confirm Zhou Lin was actively committing rape, a prerequisite for special defense. He maintained he would stand by his original determination without new evidence presented at the hearing.
Duan Hongshan commended Li Mufeng's courage but emphasized the importance of distinguishing defense from excessive defense to protect brave acts while not encouraging the casual use of deadly weapons. He felt his ruling at the time was the "most righteous choice" at that "crossroads" to prevent others from resorting to deadly force. He acknowledged the case changed Li Mufeng's life and was now changing his own, echoing Fang Lingyuan's sentiment about handling lives, not just cases.
Following this, Li Mufeng announced his withdrawal of the appeal, causing confusion among attendees. The hearing concluded. Afterward, someone asked Duan Hongshan if Li Mufeng hated him for ruining his life; Duan Hongshan interpreted Li Mufeng's withdrawal as his answer through action. Distressed, Duan Hongshan later dreamed of Li Mufeng, who was in prison like him.
In the dream, Li Mufeng confronted him with words similar to those Duan Hongshan might use, pointing out that Zhou Delong was elderly, terminally ill, and physically weaker, yet Duan Hongshan chose to stab him to death instead of escaping, which far exceeded the limits of justifiable defense. Li Mufeng repeatedly demanded to know "On what grounds" Duan Hongshan claimed his actions were justifiable defense while Li Mufeng's were not, despite Duan Hongshan being a prosecutor who knew the law.
Waking up, Duan Hongshan recounted the dream to Lei Shuang, saying he and Li Mufeng were alike in believing themselves innocent but unable to prove it. News reported the conclusion of Li Mufeng's appeal hearing, noting its high viewership. After prison, Li Mufeng faced significant obstacles; his criminal record prevented him from passing political background checks required for college entrance exams (despite a high score) and the national judicial exam.
He also faced discrimination in housing, with a landlord asking him to move out after police inquired about his past. News summaries later highlighted Duan Hongshan's explanation during the hearing that his ruling of excessive defense aimed to prevent copycat incidents in schools. Li Mufeng and Mei Zheng met again. Mei Zheng apologized for not telling him about Zhang Yuan's involvement, admitting it was unfair. Li Mufeng responded that knowing or not made little difference to him. Mei Zheng apologized again, stating it was her only remaining secret. Li Mufeng then left. Afterward, Mei Zheng was shown burning intimate photographs of herself and Jiang Ting.
Episode 9 Recap
A new inmate, identified as number 033 Wang Hao, was brought into the detention center and assigned to the care of Duan Hongshan and Qiao Guan. Wang Hao quickly spread the word about Duan Hongshan among the other inmates, identifying him as a prosecutor who had killed someone. At home, Fang Lingyuan returned to her parents.
Her father had gone out for a delivery despite her repeated suggestions to hire someone or use delivery services due to the dangers of biking alone. Her mother mentioned how her father had gone out early specifically to buy something because Fang Lingyuan looked thinner. During dinner, her mother brought up past events, and Fang Lingyuan apologized to her father for something related to a dress, saying she was okay now and no longer wanted to wear a new dress.
In a conversation with Prosecutor Gong, Fang Lingyuan discussed the hearing for Jiang Ting's case. Evidence presented suggested that Zhang Yuan likely had a history of domestic violence. If Jiang Ting's actions were deemed justifiable defense, then Zhou Delong's complaint against Duan Hongshan would be unfounded, and it would support that Duan Hongshan's handling of the case fourteen years prior was correct.
Fang Lingyuan noted the coincidence of these events seeming to clear Duan Hongshan, wondering if she was seeing the whole truth and if her own investigation was sound, acknowledging that people change. She also questioned Prosecutor Gong about her relationship with Jiang Ting and whether it influenced her taking the case. Back in the detention center, the inmates' attitudes towards Duan Hongshan shifted after Wang Hao's revelations.
During recreation time, Qiao Guan directly confronted and struck Duan Hongshan, blaming him and other prosecutors for his father's death. When questioned, the other inmates, including Wang Hao, falsely claimed Duan Hongshan had provoked Qiao Guan by cursing first. Later, Fang Lingyuan met with Duan Hongshan. She showed him a phone, which he confirmed was the model Zhou Delong used during his livestream.
Fang Lingyuan pointed out that Zhou Delong was sixty-seven years old and had cancer, suggesting he posed no threat to Duan Hongshan's life. Duan Hongshan countered that Zhou Delong's actions were premeditated and planned, and that he was ambushed, leaving him no choice but to fight back to survive. He argued that with an incomplete chain of evidence, the law dictates favoring the suspect.
He also expressed his belief that his status as a prosecutor was preventing his release, fearing that the public would question the judicial system for protecting its own if he were let go. Lei Shuang informed her daughter, Duan Yingying, that her father, Duan Hongshan, was sick and couldn't come home because he was in the detention center, which has its own doctors. Yingying was upset, saying her father rarely gets sick and must be suffering.
Lei Shuang suggested that although they couldn't visit him, Yingying could write him a letter. Yingying mentioned writing before but her mother had hidden it, resolving to write another one. Lei Shuang later met with Duan Hongshan and proposed applying for bail based on his health issues, so he could see Yingying. Duan Hongshan refused, stating he wished to terminate her representation and defend himself.
When Lei Shuang questioned his decision, mentioning all she had done for him, he brought up the case from fourteen years ago, suggesting Zhou Delong's revenge was a result of her inadequate follow-up and explanation of the legal reasoning to Zhou Lin's mother back then. Lei Shuang countered that she had paid a heavy price for that case over the past fourteen years, losing her prosecutor job and daughter's custody, having to rebuild her career as a lawyer.
She accused him of planning this, perhaps using her. Duan Hongshan took responsibility, admitting his fault lay in not knowing how to choose the right people over the years. He stated the matter needed a conclusion after fourteen years. Lei Shuang acknowledged his intention to defend himself but urged him not to give up, emphasizing that he was Yingying's father and she wouldn't allow her daughter to have a murderer as a father.
Li Mufeng went with Duan Yingying to Duan Hongshan's house to look for envelopes and stamps for her letter. Yingying wanted to draw a picture for her father, and Mufeng encouraged her. While searching, Mufeng found a stack of postcards addressed to Duan Hongshan, all from Mei Zheng. He also found an aquarium ticket stub and secretly put it in his pocket. Yingying asked Mufeng if anyone had written to him when he was in prison.
In the detention center, Duan Hongshan signed two documents: a House Transfer Agreement and a Custody Transfer Agreement with Lei Shuang. He noted that he had changed the visitation terms in the custody agreement to allow Lei Shuang to see their daughter once a week. Lei Shuang stated she would take everything left for Yingying. Recalling his time in prison, Li Mufeng remembered receiving a letter that contained a Proof of Leave of Absence.
Later, in the rain, Li Mufeng was waiting for a ride when Fang Lingyuan arrived on a bicycle. She offered him a ride, but after riding a short distance, her bike chain fell off. As they stood in the rain, she gave him her umbrella. Fang Lingyuan asked Li Mufeng if he had found closure regarding his past.
He replied that it wasn't quite closure, but he had given himself accountability by withdrawing his appeal, which helped prove Duan Hongshan's original handling of his case was correct and that Zhang Yuan was the real bully. Mufeng then showed her the aquarium ticket stub he found at Duan Hongshan's house, mentioning that Duan Hongshan divorced four years ago, which was also when he started contacting Mei Zheng frequently.
Fang Lingyuan recalled Mei Zheng claiming she hadn't been in contact with Duan Hongshan and that Mei Zheng was the one who had found the phone submerged in the water. Reflecting on the connected events, from the Jiang Ting case to the anonymous report against her and her abduction, Fang Lingyuan felt it was all orchestrated, as if someone was mixing dangerous chemicals. She believed that finding this person would reveal the full truth.
Episode 10 Recap
Confined, Duan Hongshan reflected on his situation, explaining that while isolated, he could rearrange information brought by Fang Lingyuan to uncover new possibilities. He pointed out that Mei Zheng claimed to have witnessed the entire incident, using a flashlight beam to distinguish between two knives, yet Jiang Ting's testimony never mentioned this light. This discrepancy led him to two conclusions: either Mei Zheng didn't use a flashlight, or she didn't witness the murder at all.
Duan Hongshan speculated Mei Zheng might have anticipated Zhang Yuan would find Jiang Ting, intending to incite Jiang Ting's revenge so she could later testify that Jiang Ting acted in justifiable defense, thus completing a perfect revenge. He pondered whether Mei Zheng simply sought Zhang Yuan's death or aimed to implicate Jiang Ting as well. Regardless, he believed the most critical evidence lay with Mei Zheng, who served as the crucial link connecting Li Mufeng's and Jiang Ting's cases.
Fang Lingyuan later interrogated Mei Zheng, observing her nervousness. When Fang Lingyuan mentioned that unlike other classmates, she wouldn't cook for Jiang Ting, she was pointedly implying that Mei Zheng had, which could suggest conspiracy. Mei Zheng retorted that her contact with Jiang Ting shouldn't automatically be interpreted as a premeditated revenge plot. Fang Lingyuan urged Mei Zheng to confront her past, emphasizing that one should not remain perpetually bound by it.
When pressed on whether she had conspired with Jiang Ting, Mei Zheng denied any plan and challenged Fang Lingyuan to provide evidence. She explained that she merely wanted to help Jiang Ting escape her dire situation. Her initial plan was to install a recording device to capture Zhang Yuan's domestic abuse, enabling Jiang Ting to file for divorce. While both women anticipated Zhang Yuan would eventually appear, they did not expect his early arrival.
Mei Zheng described discovering Zhang Yuan on Jiang Ting’s balcony assaulting her, prompting Mei Zheng to record the incident on her phone. Upon reviewing the blurry video footage, Fang Lingyuan noted the absence of the "beam of light" Mei Zheng had mentioned in her testimony. This suggested Mei Zheng had likely committed perjury, which explained why she had specifically singled out Zhang Yuan during the hearing.
The situation posed a complex legal challenge: while Mei Zheng's actions might constitute "preparation for a crime" due to the deviation from her original plan, the objective evidence regarding Jiang Ting's actions remained ambiguous, making it difficult to determine her culpability. Fang Lingyuan presented the blurry video to Jiang Ting. Jiang Ting initially denied being the person in the video but changed her stance when told the footage could be restored, vehemently insisting her actions constituted justifiable defense.
After Fang Lingyuan encouraged her to be truthful, Jiang Ting recounted her relationship with Mei Zheng. They met at a bus station where Jiang Ting was struggling with her child. Mei Zheng, upon learning of Jiang Ting's plight, helped her settle in and even gifted her a blue gourami fish to bring some life into her home.
Jiang Ting described receiving a distressing phone call from Zhang Yuan, which caused her to lose control and grab a knife to confront him. Mei Zheng intervened, advising her that if Zhang Yuan initiated the confrontation, her actions would be deemed "justifiable defense." Jiang Ting admitted she believed she was trapped in that abusive situation forever. Fang Lingyuan arranged for independent third parties to analyze the video footage frame by frame.
Following their reports, she convened a joint meeting of prosecutors. During the meeting, various subjective interpretations of the video emerged. While some argued Jiang Ting’s initial stab might be justifiable, they contended that the subsequent six stabs constituted intentional assault, as Zhang Yuan was already incapacitated. Fang Lingyuan countered by highlighting Jiang Ting's severe emotional distress, having endured nearly twenty harassing phone calls daily from Zhang Yuan for months, and suggested the knife could have been a tool for self-defense.
Fang Lingyuan argued that the concept of "justifiable defense" should encompass situations where unlawful harm is imminent or danger persists after an initial attack, advocating for the "last opportunity" principle. She urged her colleagues to consider Jiang Ting's five years of domestic abuse and the profound fear she experienced. In such extreme circumstances, she argued, one cannot calmly assess the precise number of stabs necessary, as the abuser might retaliate if not fully incapacitated.
Fang Lingyuan concluded by emphasizing that their work involved human lives, not merely legal cases, and that the law must never yield to wrongdoing. Therefore, she recommended that Jiang Ting's actions be classified as justifiable defense and that no prosecution be pursued. After Jiang Ting's release, her lawyer, Lei Shuang, picked her up. In the car, Jiang Ting noticed spicy strips in the back seat.
She ate them freely, reflecting on how her mother used to forbid her from eating such snacks and had used her to please superiors. Upon returning home, Jiang Ting found her mother, who expressed shame over the incident and admitted she had never visited Jiang Ting in detention because of it. Jiang Ting firmly declared she would not return to her mother's home and forced her to leave.
Later, at the beach, Jiang Ting tearfully apologized to both Mei Zheng and Fang Lingyuan. She showed them the scars on her body, expressing that her ten years with Zhang Yuan had been her retribution. She vowed to live with guilt and dedicate her life to atoning for her past mistakes, specifically mentioning the harm she had caused to Mei Zheng and another person years ago.
Episode 11 Recap
Fang Lingyuan informed Duan Hongshan that Jiang Ting had been released, a development that brought Duan Hongshan one step closer to his own acquittal. Duan Hongshan affirmed that all his actions during the handling of Jiang Ting's case were legal and compliant, serving as proof that the allegations against him were unfounded. He then posed a question to Fang Lingyuan, asking for her definition of the law. Fang Lingyuan echoed the question back to him.
Duan Hongshan articulated that the law embodies humanity's collective expectation for a better life and represents a consensus that, though born from fiction, genuinely constrains people in their real lives. He explained that for ordinary individuals, the law is invisible and intangible yet ubiquitous like air; while its true boundaries might not be fully understood, these very boundaries determine what constitutes a crime and how it should be sentenced.
Fang Lingyuan then pressed Duan Hongshan on who had disclosed Jiang Ting's home address to Zhang Yuan. Duan Hongshan initially deemed the question irrelevant to her case, but Fang Lingyuan reminded him that as the former lead prosecutor for Jiang Ting's case, judicial accountability was a lifelong commitment. Fang Lingyuan stated her suspicion that Mei Zheng was the most likely person, as she was the only one privy to Jiang Ting's address.
However, Fang Lingyuan also presented Li Mufeng as another possibility. She theorized that Li Mufeng, wishing to protect Mei Zheng from involvement in the dispute, might have secretly provided the address to Zhang Yuan. This would have allowed Zhang Yuan to forcibly enter Jiang Ting's home while Mei Zheng was absent, thereby disentangling her from the incident.
Fang Lingyuan recalled that at the public hearing, Mei Zheng had personally unveiled a secret from fourteen years prior, publicly declaring Zhang Yuan as her enemy. Fang Lingyuan noted that while individuals in such situations tend to make statements that benefit themselves, Mei Zheng did the opposite. Fang Lingyuan believed Mei Zheng's actions were driven by a desire to protect another person under suspicion.
She used an analogy of two severely wounded individuals severing each other's hands, an act that appears to be mutual harm but is, in reality, a desperate measure of mutual survival through amputation. Fang Lingyuan concluded that while she had considered numerous possibilities, she never guessed the underlying motive was love. Duan Hongshan then revealed that fourteen years ago, Li Mufeng had considered pleading guilty.
He had asked Duan if Mei Zheng would be compelled to testify about the attempted rape, declaring that he would rather accept punishment than have her describe the assault in court. Despite Li Mufeng’s consistent insistence that he barely knew Mei Zheng, Duan speculated that Li Mufeng might not have even realized his own deep feelings for her. Fang Lingyuan visited a rice noodle shop from her youth, ordering her usual bowl with extra chili.
The owner recognized her and offered her some corn. As she ate, Fang Lingyuan's thoughts drifted back to her high school days, when classmates bullied her. They found her eating alone, teased her for trying to leave, and insisted she add vinegar to her noodles. After they departed, Fang Lingyuan, holding back tears, asked for more vinegar. The kind owner advised her to clean her face before going home so her parents wouldn't worry.
When Fang Lingyuan went to pay, the owner told her a young man had already settled her bill. She looked over and saw Zhou Lin. Later at home, Fang Lingyuan deliberately ruined her new dress with a knife. The next day, she brought the knife to school, but when faced with a strict security check, she turned and went next door instead. In high school, Mei Zheng had tutored Zhang Yuan in English.
After he confessed his feelings for her and was rejected, he began to manipulate the socially isolated Zhou Lin, encouraging him to "deal with" Mei Zheng. Bullying at the school was not just physical but also involved social exclusion, with students like Zhou Lin being common targets. His profound loneliness ultimately proved fatal. Other students were overheard gossiping about Mei Zheng with vulgar insults, suggesting she was promiscuous and needed to be taught a lesson.
Following a traumatic incident, a crime scene was established with a body covered by a white sheet. Horrified students remarked that they had just seen the victim the day before. From a distance, Fang Lingyuan observed her knife in an evidence bag. Later, a teacher spoke to Jiang Ting, explaining the school's new strict management protocols. The teacher called Mei Zheng a "jinx" and advised Jiang Ting to be objective and concise if questioned by the police.
However, before speaking with the police, Jiang Ting met with Zhang Yuan. Influenced by him, she delivered a false statement, claiming Mei Zheng was promiscuous and had been seen with older boys. Jiang Ting alleged that both Zhou Lin and Li Mufeng believed they were Mei Zheng's boyfriend and that their fight was a result of this rivalry, insinuating Mei Zheng might have deliberately instigated it to get rid of them.
During a later interrogation, Duan Hongshan asked Mei Zheng to recall what Zhou Lin did to her in the library on June 28, 2009. Mei Zheng tearfully recounted how Zhou Lin had trapped her between bookshelves, grabbing her hand and refusing to let go. Terrified, she continuously shouted for help, but he remained silent with a frightening expression.
As Duan attempted to summarize her testimony, Mei Zheng broke down, pleading with him to stop and expressing her desperate wish to forget that day. She tearfully admitted that her mistakes over a decade ago had hurt both him and another woman. Meanwhile, Lei Shuang visited Li Mufeng at his glass studio, encouraging him to hold a solo exhibition and offering to handle the logistics. She remarked that his ability to not hate Duan Hongshan was itself a remarkable feat.
Li Mufeng later examined various venues and selected the Wuyan Art Museum, expressing a desire to "get back up where you fall." The investigation continued. When asked if anyone else had been to her house before Zhang Yuan's intrusion, Jiang Ting recalled Zhang Yuan’s comment about how he cooks asparagus, noting that he would have found her eventually but simply arrived earlier than expected. This prompted Fang Lingyuan to reiterate the crucial question: who really gave Zhang Yuan the address?
In another line of inquiry, investigators successfully recovered data from a mobile phone, only to find it completely empty, as if brand new. Fang Lingyuan found this odd, as Zhou Delong had supposedly used it for livestreaming. A search for cloud storage registered to Zhou Delong also came up empty. Concluding that this information was definitively wrong, Fang Lingyuan asserted that they needed to return to the East Suburb Fishery.
Episode 12 Recap
Fang Lingyuan, posing as a representative from Huasheng Supermarket, visited the East Suburb Fishery. She told a worker she had already spoken with a "Mr. Zhang" and was just there to see the site and take photos. She later explained to her colleague that this pretense was necessary; the police's recent investigation had frustrated the workers, who wouldn't cooperate if they knew her true identity.
Noticing a dolly, she deduced how the physically weaker Zhou Delong managed to move Duan Hongshan, realizing the fishery was the most familiar and advantageous location for him. Fang Lingyuan later questioned the discovery of the phone, recalling that Mei Zheng claimed to have found it "outside the breeding area." Fang Lingyuan found this improbable; if the phone was dropped during the fight inside the breeding area, it wouldn't have drifted so far.
She considered that Zhou Delong might have thrown it to destroy evidence, but this contradicted his decision to livestream the event. She concluded that the person who found the phone, Mei Zheng, was lying. Fang Lingyuan visited Mei Zheng, who appeared nervous. When questioned, Mei Zheng insisted the phone she gave the police was the one from the water and that she simply wanted to help Duan Hongshan, who had previously helped her.
Fang Lingyuan then asked why the phone's data was completely empty and proposed a scenario: Mei Zheng, knowing Zhou Delong's plan, used Duan Hongshan to get rid of him. Fearing incriminating evidence on his phone, she swapped it with an identical, empty one before turning it in. Mei Zheng challenged her for having no proof. As Fang Lingyuan left, she pointedly noted the new glass wind chime by Mei Zheng's door.
After Fang Lingyuan departed, Mei Zheng went into her room, where Li Mufeng was waiting. Their history dates back to high school, where they had mutual feelings. However, Li Mufeng was sentenced to four years for assault after protecting Mei Zheng from an attacker. Despite having a bright future, he stated he would have defended anyone in that situation.
While he was in prison, Mei Zheng sent him a letter saying she had dropped out of school, adding, "Now we're the same." In the present, Li Mufeng is a glass craftsman and Mei Zheng a diver, and though they rarely met, they kept track of each other. In a tense flashback, Mei Zheng is seen urging someone to "Kill him."
Having learned of her dangerous plan, Li Mufeng provided Jiang Ting's address to Zhang Yuan, a citizen journalist who was searching for her and had filmed Duan Hongshan's arrest. Fang Lingyuan told Duan Hongshan that after attempting data recovery, the phone was found to be completely empty.
Duan Hongshan, however, vividly recalled the hateful comments from the livestream, such as "Without your fancy title, you're nothing," and insisted that the internet would retain traces of the broadcast even if the phone was wiped. He urged her to investigate the online comments and gave her a letter for Prosecutor Gong. Gong immediately identified it as a resignation letter, deducing that Duan Hongshan was preparing to plead not guilty.
Fang Lingyuan later told Gong that the evidence was insufficient for a murder conviction and concluded that Duan Hongshan's strange behavior meant he was protecting someone. After finding Zhou Delong's real phone at Mei Zheng's home, Li Mufeng left without a word. Mei Zheng chased him to his glass workshop and confessed everything. Tearfully, she explained how unfair his past sentence felt and that she had been waiting for a chance to do something for him.
She admitted that while the real phone could save Duan Hongshan, she desperately wanted to "erase everything." Understanding her anguish, Li Mufeng took the phone. At her plea to "destroy it all," he smashed it with a hammer and threw the pieces into a furnace. As they watched the flames, Mei Zheng leaned on his shoulder. When she asked why he was so good to her, he replied, "Because we're the same kind of people."
With the public hearing for Duan Hongshan's case approaching, a key piece of evidence was missing: the exact cause of Zhou Delong's death. At her parents' house, Fang Lingyuan found an invitation to the "Li Mufeng Glass Art Exhibition." Her father recalled Li Mufeng's promising academic start before his life was derailed by prison, stating he didn't seem like a killer and his past actions were likely self-defense.
At the exhibition, Fang Lingyuan met Mei Zheng and asked about a piece called a "Prince Rupert's Drop," or "glass tear." Mei Zheng explained its meaning, learned from Li Mufeng himself, was "Love." She added that his art, long overshadowed by the events of fourteen years ago, was finally seeing the light, symbolizing "a love that was delayed 14 years."
Episode 13 Recap
Duan Yingying, during an interview for school admission, reflected on the profession of a prosecutor. She shared her initial misconception that prosecutors were the "bad guys" often portrayed on television. However, after her father became entangled in a complex case, she came to understand that while the public often focused solely on the outcome, only her father and his colleagues truly cared about the underlying reasons and what he had endured.
She expressed her belief that loosening the criteria for justifiable defense was a necessary adaptation to modern times, as public legal awareness had grown significantly. She concluded with conviction that her father would be cleared. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fang Lingyuan, while on a phone call sorting out an issue with her mother's new phone, instructed her subordinate, Xiao Zhou, to quickly note down a phone number for an urgent task. Soon after, the hearing for Case 4.
28 commenced, presided over by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Xu Jinghuai. He explained that the purpose of the hearing was to gather opinions from various parties—including community, fishery, public security, legal representatives, and experts—to ensure a fair and legal resolution of the criminal case. Fang Lingyuan was introduced as the prosecutor in charge of the case. The hearing began with questions regarding Duan Hongshan's claim that Zhou Delong livestreamed his kidnapping and abuse.
Duan Hongshan confirmed he remembered Zhou Delong's phone model and identified the device. However, a technical examination revealed the phone was new and contained no livestreaming content, which seemed to undermine Duan Hongshan's key testimony. Fang Lingyuan then demonstrated a crucial piece of evidence concerning the phone: its discovery location. Using a reconstructed model of the fishery, she showed that while the struggle and Zhou Delong's death occurred in one area, the phone was found eight meters away.
Duan Hongshan claimed he didn't notice it fall during the struggle due to the narrow walkway and Zhou Delong's violent movements. Fang Lingyuan, however, argued this distance was abnormal. She presented fishery data showing the crime scene was a breeding area enclosed by fishing nets and demonstrated that a phone could not pass through the small mesh. An investigation, confirmed by the fishery owner, revealed new nets had been installed just a week before the incident, ruling out any holes.
Fang Lingyuan posited that someone must have thrown the phone with significant force over the 3. 5-meter-high net, likely to destroy evidence. She concluded that it could not have been Duan Hongshan, as the phone would have been the most direct and effective evidence to prove his claim of justifiable defense. A hearing officer questioned if Zhou Delong himself might have thrown it, but Duan Hongshan stated he didn't see Zhou Delong make such a move.
Another officer suggested Zhou Delong might have only pretended to livestream to mislead Duan, or that Duan fabricated the story entirely. Duan Hongshan retorted that inventing such a detail would be counterproductive. A hearing officer expressed skepticism, noting Duan Hongshan's extensive experience as a prosecutor should make him adept at proving his own innocence, implying he might be manipulating them. In a separate scene, Mei Zheng and Li Mufeng discussed a painting of a leopard.
Li Mufeng saw a trapped creature, while Mei Zheng perceived a leopard that was trying to break free and had already succeeded, a metaphorical discussion highlighting their different perspectives on confinement and liberation. Returning to the hearing, Fang Lingyuan brought up another significant discovery. Fourteen years prior, a procedural flaw during the separation of Zhou Delong and his wife meant that legal counsel was not properly provided to both parents.
This oversight led Zhou Delong to misdirect his hatred towards Mei Zheng. Years later, after Li Mufeng's case, Duan Hongshan, who had been searching for Zhou Delong, discovered hateful notices about Mei Zheng posted near a university. Believing Zhou Delong was responsible and might return, Duan contacted Mei Zheng to offer help and to try and locate Zhou Delong. Mei Zheng confirmed that Zhou's father had visited her before and that she, too, had been trying to find him.
However, she told Duan that Zhou Delong would not return, as she was leaving school due to the constant harassment. A hearing officer acknowledged that while it was clear Zhou Delong had kidnapped Duan Hongshan, only Duan's testimony existed regarding what transpired afterward, leaving no direct evidence to disprove intentional homicide. Fang Lingyuan presented compelling evidence of Zhou Delong's premeditation: he had been living in the same residential complex, unit, and floor as Duan Hongshan, separated by just one wall.
Surveillance devices, weapons, and extensive materials related to Duan Hongshan, including photos, were found in Zhou Delong's home. The landlord confirmed Zhou Delong began renting the previous year, solidifying the claim of a long-planned attack.
When a hearing officer asked Duan Hongshan if he had ever seen Zhou Delong, Duan admitted he might have, recalling seeing a person resembling Zhou Delong standing in the rain outside his building on the night of April 27th, though he wasn't certain at the time. This led some hearing officers to conclude that it was plausible for Duan Hongshan to have developed murderous intent towards Zhou Delong, whether for self-preservation or to protect his family and career.
They suggested this was a case of intentional homicide where Duan used his legal knowledge to escape punishment. Duan Hongshan countered that surveillance footage didn't show Zhou Delong because he was ambushed. He explained that as the prosecutor in charge of the Jiang Ting case, he received an urgent call from Mei Zheng requesting a meeting.
Duan deduced that Zhou Delong, who had been monitoring Mei Zheng, likely knew about their meeting and set an ambush, thus explaining his absence from surveillance. Further investigation revealed that in the entire Xingfuli Complex, only a handful of residents had ever seen Zhou Delong, suggesting he deliberately avoided detection. A prosecutor highlighted Duan Hongshan's meticulous and objective approach to past controversial cases, such as Li Mufeng's appeal, asserting that he prioritized fairness and justice for every individual.
However, a hearing officer maintained that an experienced prosecutor like Duan should have managed a legitimate self-defense scenario more effectively, particularly by proving the life-threatening danger or his attempts to escape. Fang Lingyuan challenged this, questioning whether a prosecutor should be expected to remain completely emotionless and rational in all life-or-death situations. The hearing then focused on Duan Hongshan's actions immediately following the stabbing.
He confirmed that after stabbing Zhou Delong, he drove Zhou Delong's car directly to the nearest police station to report the incident and preserve evidence. A prosecutor presented calculations: the distance from where Duan was abducted to the fishery was 25 kilometers, and from the fishery to the police station was 7 kilometers, totaling 32 kilometers. However, the car's odometer showed 35 kilometers when Duan reported the incident, an unexplained excess of three kilometers.
Duan Hongshan attributed this to poor visibility and bad road conditions due to rain. The hearing officer countered that the day's precipitation was not heavy rain and should not have significantly impaired visibility. Duan Hongshan argued that having just escaped a life-threatening situation and being unfamiliar with the area, taking a wrong turn was understandable. When pressed about being nervous yet still noticing the mileage, Duan explained it was his professional habit to observe details at a scene.
The hearing officer expressed doubt about the sincerity of his fluctuating claims of nervousness and composure. The discussion shifted to Duan Hongshan's opportunity to escape. A hearing officer questioned why Duan, after freeing himself, didn't flee. Duan explained that he tried, but the fishery was surrounded by iron nets, leaving no way out. He clarified that after disarming Zhou Delong, he first tried to use the knife to force him back, not to stab him.
However, Zhou Delong continued his frenzied attack. With a head injury, bleeding, and his leg caught in a fishing net, Duan Hongshan stated his life was in imminent danger, making it impossible to think calmly. A hearing officer suggested Duan might have killed Zhou Delong because Zhou's actions, such as filing official complaints against him, threatened his career and family. Duan firmly reiterated that he acted in self-defense as Zhou Delong was attacking his head with an iron hook.
Another hearing officer expressed deep skepticism, pointing out Duan's inconsistent descriptions of his emotional state—claiming to be nervous when it was convenient, yet clear and rational when it benefited his account. This heightened suspicion that Duan had killed Zhou Delong and then fabricated a story of justifiable defense. A law professor on the panel stated that while the officer's theory lacked evidence, so did Duan's narrative.
Without concrete proof, his actions could not be definitively ruled as justifiable defense, and the investigative authorities vowed to continue their inquiry. Outside the hearing, Mei Zheng and Li Mufeng discussed the case. Li Mufeng believed that, regardless of the outcome, the case had drawn public attention to the concept of justifiable defense. Mei Zheng pondered if Duan Hongshan was now trapped by the very law he sought to uphold, noting the ambiguity of legal provisions.
She wished laws could be as clear as traffic lights. Later, a hearing officer questioned how, if it wasn't intentional murder, a single stab could have been so precisely fatal. Duan Hongshan cited a five-year-old precedent, the case of Guo and Diao, where a man who was habitually abused killed his tormentor with a single stab during an assault.
Duan argued that expecting someone in extreme panic and fear for their life to accurately judge the threat level or the appropriate measure of self-defense was unrealistic. The hearing officer dismissed this as sophistry. Duan Hongshan concluded by referencing Procuratorial Case No. 47, an official analysis of another justifiable defense case, questioning why his own situation, which had clear parallels to established precedents, was being treated differently.
Episode 14 Recap
The hearing concerning Duan Hongshan's actions began with prosecutors grappling with a challenging question: could they, in good conscience, believe his claim of justifiable defense and grant him substantive justice without concrete evidence? It was emphasized that legal facts require proof, warning that without it, the public would perceive any acquittal as officials protecting their own.
Duan Hongshan admitted that while he had always tried to "put himself in the defendant's shoes" when prosecuting cases, he now realized he had never truly achieved it. Only when faced with a gleaming knife himself did he understand the impossibility of calmly recording evidence or calculating the exact degree of his counter-attack. The debate then turned to the nature of his profession, questioning whether a prosecutor was merely an abstract concept or a fallible human being.
A participant voiced the public's likely perspective, finding it difficult to accept that a man's death could be justified solely on Director Duan's word. Fang Lingyuan then presented Duan Hongshan's resignation letter, which he had submitted earlier in an attempt to separate his personal situation from his professional identity.
This move was met with skepticism, with a hearing officer noting that the judicial authorities would not approve his resignation, as a judicial officer's status can be an aggravating factor under certain legal provisions. In his final statement, Duan Hongshan acknowledged the deeply ingrained societal belief of "a life for a life" and the natural empathy for the deceased. However, he posited that in such cases, the true victim is often the one forced to fight back.
Expressing pessimism about his own outcome, he hoped his case would clarify the legal provision of justifiable defense for the public and make the prosecution system realize its standards for judging it had been too harsh. He argued that since no victim can be perfect, the choices they make under life-threatening duress must be accepted. He stated his belief in justice, yet acknowledged that absolute justice, like a perfect circle, exists only as a concept.
Within the legal system, justice is relative and flawed, and he concluded by accepting both the justice of judicial procedures and this flawed justice. Fang Lingyuan then spoke, emphasizing that "light is visible because someone shields you from the darkness." She highlighted Duan Hongshan's past role in shielding many from darkness, yet now he struggled to bring light to himself.
She questioned the fairness of him facing a harsher moral judgment simply because he chose to believe in the law years ago. As prosecutors, she asserted, they are not only pursuers of criminals but also protectors of the innocent, obligated to speak for the weak. She promised to continue pursuing the truth, recalling someone once told her, "We're not just handling cases; we're handling people's lives."
Despite her impassioned plea, the hearing officers initially concluded that with no evidence to prove a defensive motive, Duan Hongshan's actions must be deemed criminal. Just as the verdict was about to be finalized, Fang Lingyuan interrupted, revealing the existence of a video in cloud storage.
She explained that a comment from clerk Ding Yi had sparked an idea, prompting her to have an assistant check the cloud storage registered with Zhou Lin's phone number, which was used by Zhou Delong. The footage played, clearly showing Zhou Delong initiating the violent attack on Duan Hongshan. As the video concluded, the rain outside stopped. The hearing then formally ruled that Duan Hongshan's actions in the 4.
28 homicide case at the East Suburb Fishery were justifiable defense, and he would not be approved for arrest. Relieved, Fang Lingyuan remarked that they had finally reached "the exit of this maze," affirming her belief that Duan Hongshan had wanted them to discover the truth. After his release, Duan Hongshan reflected on his time in detention, trying to understand events from a suspect's perspective.
He realized the mastermind's true motive was to place him and the entire prosecution system on opposite ends of a scale. Fang Lingyuan revealed she had suspected he was protecting someone and eventually realized he was protecting the system itself. She suggested the mastermind sought revenge on the law and the prosecution system, possessing a profound understanding of legal matters and a meticulously crafted plan.
Duan Hongshan admitted he had guided Fang Lingyuan to uncover the truth, deliberately reciting specific, partially fabricated comments from the livestream to help her identify the mastermind who had put him in such a perilous situation. Emerging from the detention center, Duan Hongshan, now in his prosecutor's uniform, was greeted by Ding Yi and other colleagues who offered him a ride.
He declined, stating he needed to walk as his body was stiff from sitting for so long, and opted to take a public bus home. Along the way, he was splashed by a passing water truck, and as he chased after it, a rainbow appeared in the mist. Meanwhile, at the Wuyan Art Museum, Mei Zheng found Li Mufeng packing his artwork. She congratulated him on his award and handed him an envelope containing a train ticket.
Mei Zheng explained she had resigned and wished to leave Wuyan with him for a place with more possibilities, suggesting they could open a glassware shop by the sea where he could create art and she could teach diving. She promised to wait for him at the station. Back home, Duan Yingying tenderly blew dry Duan Hongshan's hair and covered a wound on his head with a cartoon bandage. Observing this heartfelt moment, Lei Shuang silently tore up an agreement.
Duan Hongshan later visited Li Mufeng at his glassware workshop, seeking help to make a glass checkers set as a gift for Yingying, who had been accepted into Wuyan Third High School. As Li Mufeng began teaching him, he revealed his motive: he wanted Duan Hongshan to face the same circumstances he had endured. He pointed out that despite the outcome, their situations were still different, as Duan Hongshan was ruled to have acted in justifiable defense.
Li Mufeng challenged Duan Hongshan's previous assertion that prosecutors determine a person's fate, calling it arrogant. He challenged Duan Hongshan's authority to decide fates and questioned the basis for a legal principle like justifiable defense to be "put to sleep and revived" on command. He then demanded to know if reviving the principle was based on societal expectation or Duan's personal one, and why he, Li Mufeng, had to be the sacrifice.
Duan Hongshan responded by contrasting two views of law: as a mere tool used for personal benefit, or as a belief, where one seeks its inherent justice and authority beyond utilitarian motives, trusting it as the true path to justice. At the train station, Mei Zheng waited for Li Mufeng but realized he wouldn't come.
She admitted to herself that while she had wanted to stop his plan, she knew that only by seeing the outcome of Duan Hongshan's case could Li Mufeng truly understand the sentencing recommendation he had received fourteen years prior.
Episode 15 (Ending) Recap
Duan Hongshan reflected on how the case involving Li Mufeng fourteen years prior significantly impacted Wuyan City, leading to a drastic reduction in student fights causing injury or death and the near disappearance of campus bullying. He noted that teachers began to reflect, students became more cautious, those who were bullied learned the limits of resistance, and bullies witnessed the direst consequences. However, Li Mufeng countered, questioning what societal changes had to do with his own ruined life.
He explained that while Duan Hongshan was only detained for seven days, he himself endured four years in prison. Despite his efforts to reform and his naive hope for a new beginning, the label of "murderer" stuck with him. He was unable to secure employment, couldn't pass political screening for the bar exam, struggled to rent a place, and was constantly stopped by police. Even his own mother refused to see him.
Feeling utterly hopeless and considering suicide, Li Mufeng was saved by Zhou Delong. Zhou Delong, deeply affected by his son Zhou Lin's death, often experienced mental instability and would sometimes mistake Li Mufeng for Zhou Lin. He firmly believed Mei Zheng was responsible for his son's death and harbored a strong resentment towards her, extending his hatred to Duan Hongshan for persistently assisting Mei Zheng, perceiving their relationship as inappropriate.
When Li Mufeng sought a chance to compensate him, Zhou Delong retorted that compensation was due from Mei Zheng, who he believed seduced his son, and from Duan Hongshan, the prosecutor he deemed unable to distinguish right from wrong. Zhou Delong admitted his own fault for not spending enough time with Zhou Lin, which he felt gave others the opportunity to harm his son. He described vivid dreams of his son, standing covered in blood and reaching out for him.
When asked what he would have done if Li had been the one stabbed years ago, Zhou Delong declared he would have died to atone to Li's family. Convinced Mei Zheng was problematic, he pressed Li Mufeng for the truth about his son's death. Li Mufeng informed Zhou Delong about Jiang Ting's case, mentioning that Duan Hongshan intended to rule it as justifiable defense, likely influenced by Mei Zheng's testimony.
Convinced this was false testimony, Zhou Delong vowed to report Duan Hongshan and remove him from his position. Diagnosed with terminal cancer and having only two months to live, Zhou Delong urged Li Mufeng to devise a plan. His greatest fear was dying before seeing Duan Hongshan face consequences, revealing that his heart had died with his son until he met Li Mufeng, who reminded him of Lin and provided companionship.
With only one goal left—to make Duan Hongshan pay—Li Mufeng presented a plan that Zhou Delong praised as perfect, allowing for revenge and a challenge to the legal system without direct involvement. Duan Hongshan later recalled that on the afternoon of his abduction, Li Mufeng had visited his daughter, Duan Yingying, at her school. Li gave her a glass ball, ostensibly as a good luck charm for an upcoming interview.
Unbeknownst to Duan, the glass ball contained a listening device, allowing Zhou Delong to monitor his home from a nearby location. The plan culminated at the East Suburb Fishery, where Zhou Delong held Duan Hongshan captive. Following Li Mufeng’s instructions, Zhou used a fake livestream application on a phone to stage a public "trial," aiming to coerce Duan into admitting his perceived error from fourteen years ago.
A fake stream was used to avoid leaving digital traces that could lead police to them. During the staged event, Zhou Delong accused Duan of being a corrupt prosecutor, while Li Mufeng, watching from his car, fueled the "chat" with inflammatory comments like "That corrupt official deserved to die." When Duan Hongshan insisted that the law protects everyone, not just the rich, the confrontation escalated.
Duan managed to break free, grab the knife from Zhou Delong, and fatally wound him in self-defense before escaping to report the incident. Later, Li Mufeng arrived at the scene and threw the phone used for the fake stream into the water to destroy evidence. While investigating, Fang Lingyuan observed a piece of glass art, a Prince Rupert's Drop, at a museum.
She learned it contained molten platinum, a component commonly used in cell phones, and realized Li Mufeng's "hiding in plain sight" tactic involved melting his own phone into the art piece and publicly displaying it. She confronted Li Mufeng, referencing specific comments posted during the fake livestream, such as, "If the law won't punish him, then we will."
She noted that the insults Duan Hongshan had recited during the broadcast were the very same ones Li Mufeng himself had faced fourteen years ago. Mei Zheng revealed to Li Mufeng that she was aware of his manipulative actions, including his deliberate disclosure of Jiang Ting's address to Zhang Yuan to keep her out of their trouble. She explained that she had seen Li Mufeng and Zhou Delong together outside Duan Hongshan's residence, which led her to suspect their connection.
When Duan Hongshan was later kidnapped, she correctly surmised Li Mufeng's involvement and realized the entire situation was his design. To aid him and draw him out, she intentionally changed her phone. Mei Zheng declared that they were now accomplices, then abandoned her train ticket and went to the police.
Duan Hongshan, back at the Wuyan Municipal People's Procuratorate, prepared to report on the case, reflecting on his journey from wearing a prosecutor's uniform to a detention center vest and back to his office within seven precious days. He thanked Fang Lingyuan, who in turn thanked him, recalling his closing statement from Li Mufeng's case fourteen years prior.
She cited Duan Hongshan's words about the duty of legal professionals to clarify legal boundaries to prevent crime, saying the speech had opened her eyes and saved her life. This referred to a time in her youth when she was bullied and had considered retaliating with a knife, which she ultimately discarded. Duan Yingying's life at school also returned to normal after her father was cleared.
As a result of the events, Li Mufeng was suspected of unlawful detention, and Mei Zheng was suspected of aiding in the destruction of evidence; both cases were transferred to the procuratorate for legal review.
