Chapter 54

"Fang Rui, we can't stop Lin Qianjie's lawyer from getting him acquitted, and we can't stop Nie Yan from getting Lu Tian off the hook," Mu Mian consoled him. "It's fair. All we can do is reveal the truth.""Mu Mian, you don't understand. Sometimes prison is actually the safest place," Fang Rui sighed. "Do you think the Lin Family will let Lu Tian go? Only those with power and influence can exploit legal loopholes. Nie Yan is still too naive."

Mu Mian indeed didn't understand. She thought the world was so complicated. Why were there laws if so many people didn't obey them? Was it really that hard to follow the rules?

But she quickly figured it out. If there were no criminals, she and Fang Rui would be out of a job. Being unemployed meant no salary, no money to spend, and nothing to do every day. How boring and painful that would be.

"Alright, don't think about such complex issues," Fang Rui patted Mu Mian's head. "Otherwise your brain might short-circuit again."

"Fang Rui, my brain is perfectly normal. It won't short-circuit."

The Judicial Appraisal Center organized a team of experts to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of Lu Tian. They eventually issued a written report confirming that Lu Tian indeed suffered from dissociative conversion disorder.

One expert even scanned Lu Tian's brain and found organic changes, further corroborating that Lu Tian had a mental illness.

Shen Xiyin was also part of the expert team. She had raised objections, but they weren't accepted.

Previously, their Judicial Appraisal Center had already issued a report stating that Lu Tian suffered from dissociative conversion disorder. If they were to issue another report now saying Lu Tian didn't have this condition, their center's reputation would be ruined.

So Lu Tian had to be sick!

The Lin Family had also intervened, but they later gave up.

If Lu Tian went to prison, there was little they could do. But if Lu Tian entered a mental hospital, they would have plenty of ways to make her life a living hell!

Lin Qianjie had been killed by Lu Tian, and they didn't want Lu Tian to simply serve time in prison. That would be too easy for her.

Under the influence of various factors, the court finally made its ruling: "...As the defendant is a person with complete mental illness and lacks civil capacity, this court rules that the defendant Lu Tian's charge of intentional homicide does not stand... Lu Tian needs to be confined for life in Jiangzhou City's Qingshan Mental Hospital..."

Upon hearing the verdict, Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She felt incredibly elated; she had finally won a case! S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As Nie Yan was leaving the courthouse, she saw Fang Rui and Mu Mian waiting for her at the entrance.

"Fang Rui, Mu Mian, if you're here to condemn me, please leave! If you're here to congratulate me on winning this case, then you're welcome to join my celebration party."

Fang Rui sighed, "Nie Yan, you used to despise such despicable tactics."

"Fang Rui, justice belongs to the victors. I won this case, so I represent justice," Nie Yan's tone carried a hint of arrogance and self-satisfaction. "In the pursuit of justice, it's okay to use some tactics. I'll use despicable means to reach a bright outcome."

Nie Yan looked up at the azure sky, feeling only that the sunlight was too harsh. She seemed to have finally become the kind of person she used to hate the most.

But so what? Those in power could manipulate the law to exonerate themselves, so why couldn't she manipulate the law to save a poor girl who shouldn't be guilty?

The law was no longer sacred in her heart; justice would only belong to the victors.

"Is the outcome really bright? Lu Tian will have to live in a mental hospital from now on. That's a terrifying place. In prison, people aren't free, but at least their minds are free. But in a mental hospital, people are not free, and neither are their minds. Moreover, the Lin Family won't let Lu Tian off. Nie Yan, you know very well what Lu Tian is about to face," Fang Rui reminded her. "The only winner is you!"

Nie Yan's body stiffened.

Shen Xiyin had also warned Nie Yan not to pursue a not guilty plea, because the consequence would be Lu Tian being confined to a mental hospital for life, a fate worse than prison.

She had suggested that Nie Yan could use Lu Tian's mental illness to apply for a reduced sentence. But Nie Yan had refused. She even prevented others from seeing Lu Tian.

Was it really just about getting Lu Tian acquitted? Nie Yan found herself unable to answer this question.

Nie Yan quickly regained her smile, "It wasn't me who put her in a mental hospital, it was you. If you hadn't insisted on uncovering the truth, Lu Tian wouldn't have been prosecuted. You should be the ones feeling guilty! Doesn't a scumbag like Lin Qianjie deserve to die? Why did you have to catch the killer? Couldn't you have been incompetent just one more time?"

"A tragic experience is not an excuse for crime," Fang Rui retorted. "If you commit a crime, you should face the consequences."

"What about Lin Qianjie then? What consequences did he face?"

Fang Rui didn't know how to answer this question. The world was inherently unfair; for the same act, different people had to pay different prices.

Nie Yan was too extreme. Previously, she had been too righteous, too believing in justice. When her sense of justice crumbled, she swung to the other extreme.

"He was poisoned to death," Mu Mian answered softly. "That's the price he paid for his misdeeds. If he hadn't exploited legal loopholes, he would have only served a few years in prison and could have quickly come out to continue his wrongdoings."

This time it was Nie Yan who was left speechless. Mu Mian didn't understand anything; her thinking was too simple. She couldn't comprehend this complex world at all.

Fang Rui tried to console Nie Yan, "Your current mindset is problematic. You need to adjust it."

"Mu Forensic Doctor, Police Officer Fang, I hope we won't meet again," Nie Yan's tone carried a hint of sadness. "I'm now a criminal defense lawyer. I think if we meet again, we'll be opponents. I don't want to face opponents like you. But if we do meet, I'll still win!"

Fang Rui watched Nie Yan's retreating figure, feeling a bit regretful. Nie Yan had once been an excellent prosecutor.

At this moment, he suddenly found himself being hugged tightly by Mu Mian.

Fang Rui looked down at Mu Mian, "What's wrong?"

"I feel like you're very sad. But I don't know how to comfort you," Mu Mian sighed. "I'm not good at comforting people."

Mu Mian remembered the night they drank together. It was Nie Yan's darkest moment, but she still said she would become the best prosecutor.

Nie Yan ultimately couldn't realize her dream.

When did Nie Yan change? Maybe it was when she lost case after case to Lin Qianjie's lawyer, or maybe it was the night she attempted suicide. She didn't kill herself, but she killed her naive self and adopted a new persona to face this complex world.

"I'm just a bit regretful, but this is Nie Yan's own choice. I think that passionate Prosecutor Nie will forever remain in our memories."

Those who gaze into the abyss must also be wary of being swallowed by it.

"Fang Rui, did you get over your sadness so quickly?" Mu Mian's tone was a bit disappointed. She felt that hugging Fang Rui was quite nice, and she didn't expect him to be comforted so quickly.

"Do you want me to keep being sad about Nie Yan?"

"Of course not. I don't want to see you sad," Mu Mian reluctantly let go of his embrace.

She suddenly thought of a serious question: if Fang Rui died, she would only be able to hug a cold corpse. She didn't like hugging corpses. She seemed to not want his remains as much now.

Mu Mian immediately pushed this strange thought out of her mind. How could she not want Fang Rui's remains? Had her brain really short-circuited from overthinking?

"Fang Rui, I've lost another friend," Mu Mian mumbled dejectedly. "I finally made two friends, and now they're both gone. Sigh, making friends is so hard. Fang Rui, I'm so sad."

"Do you want me to hug you to comfort you?"

"If you sign this, I won't be sad anymore." Mu Mian quickly pulled out a donation agreement from her bag and handed the pen to Fang Rui. "Just sign it, write 'Fang Rui' right here."

"Mu Mian, it seems you're not sad anymore," Fang Rui stuffed the agreement back into Mu Mian's bag. "Let's go, we're heading back."

Mu Mian was dumbfounded. She compromised, saying, "Fang Rui, then just give me a hug. That way I won't feel so bad."

"Sorry, but that offer of a hug has been rescinded. You don't need comforting now!"

Mu Mian's face fell, looking like a bitter gourd. Indeed, one shouldn't be too greedy in life.

After winning this court case, Nie Yan's fame skyrocketed overnight. Suddenly, many parties involved in criminal cases sought her out as their defense attorney. She began a brilliant new chapter in her career in this fresh field.

However, she never went to see Lu Tian again.