Chapter 54 Personal responsibility for one's own actions is the cornerstone of modern criminal law.
"Xiao Nuan, the question you raised does indeed touch upon the conflict between emotion and law that frequently arises in legal practice. I will briefly analyze it from both a legal and professional perspective:"
The principle of personal responsibility.
This is the cornerstone of modern criminal law.
Whoever commits a crime shall bear the corresponding criminal responsibility.
Subjective intentions, even if motivated by good intentions to save lives, are evaluated separately from objective actions and the harmful consequences they cause.
Motives may influence sentencing considerations; for example, judges may consider leniency within the statutory range, but they can never be grounds for acquittal.
Otherwise, the law will lose its fairness and deterrent effect.
The determination of joint crime.
If the 'partner' you mentioned was merely aware of the fraud but did not participate in planning or carrying out the fraud, nor did they participate in the distribution of the spoils or provide other substantial assistance, such as providing an account or assisting in transferring funds, then legally it would be difficult to determine that they constituted an accomplice.
Failure to report a crime may constitute a crime under certain specific charges, such as harboring or shielding a criminal, but the punishment is usually much lighter than that for the principal offender.
The subjective desire to share the burden cannot create a non-existent crime.
Emotional dilemma.
This is indeed a heartbreaking and difficult reality.
However, the law's duty is to uphold fairness and justice in society as a whole, judging the behavior itself, not the story behind it.
Behind every crime there may be misfortune, but the law cannot turn a blind eye out of sympathy; otherwise, it would be unfair to other law-abiding citizens and damage the authority of the law.
Perhaps it's not about pursuing the unrealistic and legally unfounded demand for 'equal punishment for equal crimes'.
The key factor is that: First, the suspect sincerely confesses and repents, actively returns the stolen goods and makes restitution, and strives for the victim's forgiveness. This is an important mitigating circumstance in sentencing.
Second, the intervention of the social assistance system. For such a serious illness, one should seek help from formal social assistance channels and charitable organizations, rather than taking risks. Although the process may be difficult, this is the only legal and sustainable path.
In summary, we can sympathize emotionally, but we must uphold the bottom line legally.
Encouraging them to resolve the issue through legal channels, guiding them to recognize their mistakes and actively make amends, is the responsible attitude towards everyone.
Seeing Xu Zhixian's rational, clear, and even somewhat cold reply, Su Xiaonuan fell silent.
She knew that Xu Zhixian was right, and that his answer best reflected the spirit of the law and the reality of the situation.
But the heavy feeling that permeated my heart did not lessen in the slightest.
The law provides its answer, but the complexity of human nature and the helplessness of fate cannot be fully encompassed by the law.
Xu Zhixian's reply was followed by a simple question: "Xiao Nuan, why are you suddenly asking about this? Have you encountered any specific cases?"
Su Xiaonuan looked at the screen and sighed softly.
Now that I've asked and received a professional answer, there seems to be no need to hide anything.
She organized her thoughts and briefly recounted in the group chat how she had encountered the girl who stopped her car and cried at the amusement park entrance, along with what she knew about the situation.
After the message was sent, there was a few seconds of silence in the group.
Qin Haoran was the first to jump out, his tone as exaggerated as ever, but the content was surprisingly reliable: "Holy crap! Something like that happened?! That little brat dared to stop your car? Are you alright, little cook?!"
He then added: "Alright, don't worry about this anymore, leave it to us. We'll verify what the girl said, and if it's true, we'll see if we can contact social assistance or charitable organizations to help within the bounds of the law. But the case itself will proceed as usual. Just don't contact her privately anymore, to avoid trouble."
Zhao Liming followed up succinctly: "Agreed. Leave it to us."
Lu Zheng seemed to have been watching the whole time, and finally only replied with one word: "Mm".
Seeing that they all said so, Su Xiaonuan felt a little more at ease.
She replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you. I won't get involved anymore."
As soon as I left the group chat, a new message popped up on WeChat; it was from Anran.
An Ran: "Xiao Nuan, what are you doing? What kind of work have you been busy with lately?"
Su Xiaonuan looked at the question, her fingertip pausing for a moment at the top of the screen.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to tell the truth, though she slightly obscured the specific nature of "setting up a stall": "I'm not busy with anything, I guess I'm... unemployed at home, not working for the time being." She sent a meme of a lazy bum lying down.
An Ran replied almost instantly, with an urgent enthusiasm: "Unemployed? That's perfect! What kind of job are you looking for? I'll help you arrange it! Our company, or my friend's company, which industry do you prefer? Position and everything else are negotiable!"
Feeling the undisguised concern and eagerness to make amends in An Ran's words, Su Xiaonuan felt a warmth in her heart, but also a bit amused and exasperated.
She quickly replied, "No, no! Really, no need to trouble yourself, Anran! I'm currently... um... running a small business on my own, with flexible hours, which is quite nice. I don't plan to change jobs for now."
She didn't dare to say directly that she was a street vendor, not because she felt ashamed, but because she was afraid that An Ran's spoiled and protective nature would lead her to take over a shop or do something even more outrageous if she found out.
An Ran's phone displayed "typing..." for a while before sending a message, her tone tinged with disappointment and reluctance: "Really not needed? Okay then... but feel free to contact me anytime you want to work! Definitely!"
The moment Su Xiaonuan finished reading the message, a real-time notification popped up on her phone from her bank's app—
"Your account ending in XXXX received a transfer of 100,000.00 yuan at XX:XX. Balance..."
Su Xiaonuan's eyes widened instantly!
One hundred thousand?!
She almost thought she was seeing things, and checked the numbers and those zeros twice!
She immediately switched back to WeChat and, sure enough, saw a message from An Ran that followed: "It's not much money, take it and spend it. Don't be stingy, buy some good food and pretty clothes. Consider it... an apology gift for not being by your side these past few years. Don't return it! I'll get angry if you do! [○｀Д′○]"
Seeing An Ran's domineering yet somewhat childish "threat," Su Xiaonuan was both amused and exasperated, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Touched by Anran's unreserved kindness, I also felt that the gift was too heavy a burden.
She quickly typed: "Anran! What are you doing! Really, you don't need it! I have money! Take it back!"
An Ran: "No way! Take it if I give it to you! It's my sister, I spoil her! It's only right! If you say you want a refund again, I'll block you for a month!" She added a puffed-up cat emoji.
Su Xiaonuan: "..."
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