Chapter 32: The Punishment

November 3rd.

The Wang Biao case finally went to trial. All the major media outlets crowded around the courthouse, hoping to get first-hand news.

The bodyguards held back the swarm of reporters and escorted Qin Wu and Lin Jianyan into the courtroom, where Zhou Wanwan and her family were already seated in the plaintiff's seat.

They saw that Lin Jianyan's hands were shaking with excitement. Lin Jianyan smiled and nodded at them, comforting them with his eyes.

After Lin Jianyan sat down, he turned his head towards the defendant. Wang Biao's hands were handcuffed, and no one knew what he had been through in the past half month.

His eye sockets were sunken, his lips were dry and bloodless, his cheeks were slightly sunken, and he was trembling slightly, as if he had no strength to speak. His hair was messy and dry, like a bunch of lifeless weeds, scattered randomly.

When he saw Lin Jianyan, hatred suddenly burst out of his gray eyes. Then he saw Qin Wu beside him, and his body suddenly shrank. He lowered his head and was filled with deathly silence.

The prosecution and the defense sat on either side. Zhang Tao was sorting out the documents in his hands, his expression serious and focused. He was wearing a black lawyer's robe, and the white bow tie at the collar was particularly eye-catching. Because of the background of the era, he had a head of platinum curly hair.

The judge, dressed in a black robe, sat on the high bench. His eyes were stern and fair as he scanned the entire courtroom. He knocked the gavel gently, and the trial officially began.

In the court, Zhang Tao stood there, full of confidence, and listed Wang Biao's crimes one by one clearly, like a machine gun.

Wang Biao's lawyer sat aside with an expressionless face. He kept flipping through the documents in his hands, trying to find a point of rebuttal. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was in vain. The documents were flipped through, but he could not find any point of rebuttal.

Lawyer: ...Damn! This makes me look useless!

Wang Biao himself was surprisingly honest throughout the whole process. He kept his head down and said nothing. Perhaps he had suffered enough, or perhaps he knew he could not escape the blame.

The judge sat high up in the bench, watching all this, feeling relieved. He had never tried such a quiet case before, without unreasonable arguments or lengthy delays. Everything went so smoothly, making him feel extremely comfortable.

"Your Honor, I have concluded my statement. I hope that my statement will allow you to clearly see the various crimes committed by Wang Biao."

"The prisoner's behavior seriously violated the law and brought great pain and loss to the victim. I believe that the law is fair and will definitely make a fair judgment on him to maintain social fairness and justice and the dignity of the law."

As Zhang Tao finished his statement, the court fell into a brief silence. The judge tapped the gavel lightly and announced a recess, awaiting the final verdict.

The jurors discussed with each other and soon reached a consensus, and the judge announced the result.

The judge took the jury's opinion with a solemn look on his face. He glanced around the courtroom, which was immersed in tense expectation.

The judge stood up, cleared his throat, and announced the verdict in a steady and powerful voice, "After unanimous discussion by the jury, Wang Biao is guilty of heinous crimes and is now sentenced to life imprisonment. His accomplices, whose crimes were more serious, have been sentenced to more than five years in prison!"

When Wang Biao heard the verdict, his body trembled slightly, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. His face turned pale as paper, and his eyes were filled with despair and regret.

Uncle Zhou, Aunt Liu, and Zhou Wanwan hugged each other excitedly, choking with sobs, "Mom, it's finally, finally over——"

"Mom knows that we have finally come to the end of our hardship!"

People in the gallery stood up one after another, their faces filled with excitement, their eyes sparkling with cheers for justice, and their applause rang out like thunder, filling the entire courtroom with the enthusiastic sound.

Lin Jianyan and Qin Wu looked at each other, smiled and applauded.

Wang Biao was escorted out slowly, his heavy steps seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Seeing him being escorted out, the surrounding reporters swarmed over like a tide.

The microphones in their hands were like long guns and short cannons, eagerly reaching out to Wang Biao, as if to dig out the most valuable news from his mouth. The flash lights flashed one after another, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.

"Wang Biao, what do you want to say about this incident?"

“Do you regret what you did?”

The reporters' questions came one after another, noisy and urgent. They pushed and shoved, trying to occupy a favorable position in this chaotic scene, just to get a few words from Wang Biao.

There was a noisy sound in Wang Biao's ears. Countless questions came like a tide, but he seemed to have tinnitus and could not hear anything clearly. Those sounds seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, becoming distant and blurred.

He raised his head slightly, the scorching sun's rays were like thousands of golden needles, shining directly on him. The scorching light should have brought him warmth, but at this moment it only made him feel cold.

In a trance, he seemed to see the snowy night that he had abandoned when he was a child. That night, the wind was cold and the snowflakes were falling. The world was silvery white and the silence was frightening.

The little boy curled up in a corner, alone, with loneliness, fear and despair following him like shadows. The bone-chilling cold is still deeply imprinted in his memory.

Now, under the scorching sun, he felt as if he were in that cold snowy night again.

Wang Biao had a blank look in his eyes as he was pushed into the car.

Lin Jianyan said that they came out at this time. Seeing that they could not dig up any new news from Wang Biao, the reporters pointed their cameras at them again.

The flash lights flashed again, and the reporters rushed forward, fearing to miss any valuable images or sounds. They asked all kinds of questions at once:

"Hello, Mr. Qin. It is said that Wang Biao was arrested because he offended the gentleman next to you. Can you tell me the details of the incident?"

"Hello, lady. Did Wang Biao cause you serious injuries? Can you tell me more about it?"

"What is Wang Biao's verdict? Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the people behind him?"

Aunt Liu took off her coat and covered Zhou Wanwan's head, holding her against her chest. Lin Jianyan calmly waved to Abao, asking him to escort them back quickly.

He turned to the reporters and smiled coolly, stretched out his hand and pressed down, signaling them to be quiet. The reporters seemed to be shocked by his momentum and fell silent.

Lin Jianyan reached out and picked up the microphone closest to him and tapped it. "I know all the reporters are very concerned about this matter and are very curious."

"There are some things I can tell you clearly. Wang Biao deserved this fate. If you really want to know the details, you can stay in front of the TV on time tomorrow, or buy a copy of the official daily newspaper."

"I don't know what your original intention was when you became a journalist, but I want to give you a piece of advice. Journalism should not just be about chasing hot topics and creating gimmicks. Don't be blinded by profits and traffic and forget your professional ethics and social responsibilities."

"I'm done, thank you." Lin politely handed the microphone to the person in front of him.

The man took the phone blankly and looked at him without saying anything. Everyone had the same expression as him, looking at Lin Jianyan in a daze, as if they were shocked by his words.