0034 Exclusion Rules

The C District Procuratorate works from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with a two-hour lunch break.

Zhai received this WeChat message from Qu Zhong shortly after returning to his office from lunch.

At five o'clock sharp, he went to the hotel room he had booked in advance to wait for her.

Qu Zhong's appointment time was not fixed, probably because the working hours of lawyers are not fixed, so Zhai always waited for her.

However, today, he didn't have to wait long; Qu Zhong arrived quickly.

As soon as she entered the room, she bent down to change into her slippers. Just as she stood up, Zhai Shi pressed against her from behind and hugged her. His soft lips brushed against Qu Zhong's ear, his breath hot as if he were whispering, "I missed you so much."

After confessing his feelings to her in the car that day, he didn't ask for any reply from her, as he usually doesn't ask or say much. He didn't want to put pressure on her or add to her burden, or perhaps he was afraid that things would backfire and scare her away.

Only at times like these would he express his longing and love for her without reservation.

It's like filing a lawsuit against a specific administrative act while simultaneously requesting a review of an illegal regulatory document.

It is logical, with clear distinction between primary and secondary points, and is beyond reproach.

The hug from behind was warm and reassuring, like an airtight cocoon, encircling Qu Zhong. When she was held like that, Qu Zhong felt as if she had transformed into a merchant unloading cargo from a ship, the cargo in her hands representing her complex emotions.

The delivery method is CIF.

Zhai was not only her buyer, but also her destination port.

She didn't need to do anything; she just had to give him her heart. For better or for worse, he would accept it all.

Thinking this, Qu Zhong felt a surge of emotion and subconsciously stood on tiptoe, reaching back to cover his cheek, specifically his chin.

Her action was like a switch, causing Zhai behind her to tremble. He began to nibble on her earlobe, then slowly kissed her downwards, his hands, which had been quietly around her chest, began to knead her more passionately.

Zhai had turned the room's heating up very high beforehand, and Qu Zhong could feel her body temperature slowly rising. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her back without her noticing, and she felt a tingling sensation in the back of her neck, as well as a slight weakness in her legs.

She involuntarily tilted her head back to receive his kiss, while desperately clinging to the last vestiges of her consciousness: "No... Zhai Shi, don't rush... I have something to give you..."

Zhai was still immersed in her soft neck and didn't want this entanglement to end, but he still managed to muster his senses and reply, "Hmm? What is that?"

"What you want."

"With this, you'll be able to write Duan Ningqi's indictment very quickly."

Upon hearing the words "indictment," Zhai paused and stopped what he was doing.

He released her, turned her around, his eyes dark and his head slightly hot: "You asked me out because of this case?"

It wasn't because I wanted to see him.

Qu Zhong frankly admitted: "Not entirely, I'm just giving it to you as well."

Zhai's eyes were lowered, the dim light casting small shadows beneath his thick, long eyelashes. Silence was like a trap he had set during the interrogation; Qu Zhong was his interrogated party.

His expression was extremely serious. Qu Zhong stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered his voice to a whisper and tentatively asked, "Are you angry?"

"Yes." The slight grievance he had felt earlier silently unfolded in her question. Zhai Shi's heart felt like a loaf of bread expanding in an oven, and he admitted directly, "A little."

He's angry.

Ever since he received her message at noon, he had been in a state of absentmindedness.

She gave him a sense of expectation, which was incredibly sweet.

He longed to skip the entire restless afternoon and have her standing in front of him immediately.

So when Qu Zhong told him that her desire to see him wasn't entirely pure and that she had ulterior motives, how could he not be angry?

But he also said from the bottom of his heart that being angry was only a little bit.

This annoyance is nothing compared to seeing her, hugging her, and kissing her.

Qu Zhong looked into his eyes, made a quick assessment, and felt that his emotions didn't seem to have reached the point where he needed to be coaxed. She did indeed have something more important to give him.

So she lowered her head and took a USB drive out of her coat pocket: "Here you go."

The USB drive contained recordings of her phone conversations with Duan Ningqi, along with Duan Ningqi's confession.

She didn't record the conversation intentionally; it was just a habit she developed when she was an intern lawyer.

During her internship, Qu Zhong not only handled criminal cases, but also assisted in handling other types of cases, including civil and commercial litigation, labor arbitration, administrative litigation, and a host of non-litigation tasks such as reviewing contracts and drafting agreements.

All of these tasks require her to maintain close contact with judges and clients, such as calling judges to inquire about case progress and client needs.

To ensure he doesn't miss any detail in a call, Qu Zhong records every call and deletes them regularly.

Unexpectedly, this habit of hers would play a key role in Duan Ningqi's case.

"With this in hand, conviction and sentencing will proceed naturally."

Her meaning was already quite clear, and Zhai probably guessed what was on the USB drive as well. He remained unmoved, his attitude unequivocal: "I can't take it."

"Why?" He refused to accept it, and Qu Zhong wanted to pry open his palm and put the gift on it, completely forgetting that a gift is a legal act between two parties: "What are you afraid of? It has nothing to do with you. I gave it to you voluntarily."

Zhai replied calmly and firmly: "Don't be foolish. Giving it to me won't help. You know that illegal evidence must be excluded."

"What do you know?" Qu Zhong looked at him with incomprehension: "How is it illegal evidence? This is not something you obtained through torture."

“Collected in violation of legal procedures.” After saying that, his Adam’s apple bobbed, as if even he himself felt it was a far-fetched statement.

Qu Zhong grew a little anxious: "Can't you just consider it a clue provided by a concerned citizen?"

Zhai shook his head and tried to persuade her to retract her statement: "Even without this, I can still convict her."

Qu Zhongcai didn't believe it. The defense knew exactly how much leverage the prosecution had: "How can it be determined? The evidence is clearly insufficient, and we will soon apply for a psychiatric evaluation for Duan Ningqi."

"Then let's get it checked. Qu Zhong, the experts aren't pushovers; they can't hide whether someone is sick or not."

He was downplaying the issue; her true intentions were clear. She lost patience and involuntarily uttered things a defense attorney should never have said:

"But why go through all this trouble? If you just accept this, you can directly file a public prosecution. Whether you want him to serve a life sentence or the death penalty, you can write it down with a stroke of your pen. It's good for you, for the victim, and it gives society an explanation. Why don't you want a win-win-win situation?"

She spoke with righteous indignation, as if she had already considered all the consequences, but she forgot about herself.

After he finished speaking, Zhai seemed to wake from a dream. His tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed during the few seconds of silent eye contact. He straightened his clothes and, before walking towards the door, uttered his last words:

"Qu Zhong, I haven't seen you today."