Chapter 14

 When Zhen arrived at the police station, she saw the media crowding outside. As soon as they saw her, they all swarmed around her.

"Did the police find crucial evidence? Is Song Yi really the culprit?"

"Is this related to the Tang Shang case?"

Despite it being late at night, Zhen wore sunglasses, a scarf, and a sun hat, her collar raised high as she swiftly maneuvered through the crowd. The past few months had been enough to make her hate reporters.

In the interrogation  room, Song Yi, with her head lowered, appeared visibly distressed. She lacked her usual air of pretense or commanding presence, and upon seeing Zhen, her voice trembled, "Lawyer Zhen..."

"I know everything," Zhen sighed. "Song Yi, you've concealed too much. You claimed you never entered the room where the incident occurred during your first visit to Ecstasy, but the police found your hair on the curtains. This is highly incriminating. What really happened?"

"I don't know what to say," her voice was low.

"I have time to wait for you," Zhen slowed her speech. "Song Yi, remember, only when you tell the truth can I truly help you."

Song Yi rested her forehead on her hands for a moment before speaking, her voice carrying a hint of loneliness, "I'm sorry, I have a twisted mind. I hate rapists  like Lin Ziyi, so I rushed into the crime scene. You don't know how satisfying it was to see him die so miserably!"

At this point, a ruthless smile appeared on her lips.

"I understand," Zhen pondered for a moment. "Now I need you to explain why the lie detector went haywire. The police will investigate, and I don't want to be caught off guard again."

Under the bright lights, Song Yi's face turned terrifyingly pale. "Lawyer Zhen, I've put you in a difficult position, haven't I? I'm truly sorry."

"I don't need your apologies; I just want to defend you."

Song Yi hesitated for a second, her expression gradually becoming desolate. "Do you know? I never wanted to be an actress. Acting isn't being myself; it's wearing a mask in front of the media and fans. Sacrificing a lot for exposure and success. But for me, it was okay. I had nothing to sacrifice before entering this circle."

She smiled faintly, very calmly. "I liked to paint; I wanted to be an artist. But at 16... I'll never forget that day, coming home late, passing through an alley... There were six of them, one of them was fat and repulsive. I felt my stomach being squeezed... "

"Song Yi, you don't have to go into these details," Zhen couldn't meet her eyes, lifting her gaze and feeling the sting of the lights.

"They couldn't get in no matter how hard they tried," Song Yi continued on in a nonchalant manner. "They tried arbitrarily, one by one. I was in so much pain that I wanted to dig out my heart. I cried and called out for my mom in pain. As a result, the word mom was used vulgarly. They succeeded; I never thought time could be so prolonged, splitting second by second into infinity. After it was over, they insulted me further by urinating on me. I bled continuously, my insides were torn apart. I was in the hospital for a long time. My mother had no recourse; those people were influential in our small town, and the police lied with their eyes wide open. My mother was desperate and held up a banner to appeal for grievances, only to be beaten. She sat quietly and drank medicine to commit suicide, thinking that it would attract attention, but it didn't .

Zhen clenched her fists, her temples throbbing with pain. The societal tragedy from the news was now right in front of her, filling her with indescribable grief and anger.

"Living is truly difficult, it’s really painful!" Song Yi smiled, "But I'm not as brave as my mother. I’m afraid of death, so I entered the adult industry, earned money to change my face, and switched to modeling. I was even more beautiful back then, believe it or not?"

She turned to Zhen, who was speechless.

"It's because I'm owed an explanation, a judgment, that I stand on Tang Shang's side. I understand everything about her and resent Lin Ziyi and his group. I didn't go to the bathroom; I was worried that Lin Ziyi would do something bad again. But no matter what I saw or heard, my feelings at that moment, ah," she closed her eyes slightly, exhaling a long breath, a satisfied smile playing on her lips, "so relaxed, so excited, so happy. That was truly the happiest day of my life. Looking back now, my life doesn't seem so tragic. Do you think I would hand over someone who brought me joy to the police?"

Zhen had always told herself not to let emotions cloud her judgment as a lawyer, but in this moment:

"Song Yi, even if you've committed murder, I won't let you face the consequences."

"You..."

"Before meeting you, I spoke with Si Gui. Your situation doesn't look good, and she told me that if it wasn't you who did it, you need to reveal who you saw. But now, listen carefully, if you don't want to talk, then you don't have to tell anyone, including me," she promised, "As for dealing with the police, leave it to me."

"But justice..."

"Fuck justice!"

The interrogation room had soft lighting, reflecting on Song Yi's bare face. Compared to her radiant on-screen appearance, she exuded an indescribable freshness and purity. Zhen sat beside her, expressionless.

Before the questioning, Si Gui stated, "Miss Song, we found a wine-red-tipped black hair, identical to yours. We conducted an elemental comparative analysis with your hair yesterday, and the result matched. You claimed you didn't go to the crime scene; how can you explain this now?"

Officer Lin added, "At this moment, we are giving you a final chance to be a witness. Otherwise, once you become a defendant, the irreversible damage to your career and reputation will be substantial. So, please cooperate with me..."

"Are you threatening me?"

"If that's how you choose to understand it," Lin didn't mince words. "Miss Song, we sympathize with your past, but we believe you have enough motive to commit murder. If this case attracts public attention, the one who will suffer the most is you. Even so, you refuse to cooperate with us?"

"Thank you for rubbing salt on my wounds," Song Yi sneered, appearing indifferent yet assertive. Her demeanor was noticeably different from the last time she was questioned, where she followed the rules and seemed uneasy.

Si Gui glanced at Zhen, who remained calm and indifferent. However, Si Gui knew that Song Yi's transformation was entirely thanks to Zhen.

They had overlooked it. From the moment they suspected Song Yi based on her hair, they should have interrogated her immediately. But they didn't, and in that gap, Zhen had managed to fortify Song Yi.

Officer Lin asked, "Can you explain the hair issue?"

"Somebody framed me. Officer Lin, has Lin Ziyi not made enemies before? Are there not people who wanted to kill him? Just because he recently got involved in a big case, do you automatically assume that whoever killed him must be related to Tang Shang? Perhaps someone with grievances against him in other aspects have been trying to mislead you? Are you willing to rule out that possibility?"

The police couldn't rule it out, leaving Officer Lin momentarily speechless. Si Gui thought Zhen had indeed done her homework.

Shaking her head, Song Yi said, "Moreover, we found a witness who saw you enter that corridor."

Upon hearing this unexpected news, Song Yi remained calm, "The words of a witness may not necessarily be accurate."

Si Gui recalled the recent lie detector test and asked, "Miss Song, either you are the murderer, or you know the murderer. One of these must be true, right?"

Song Yi glanced at Si Gui, and based on her expression, Si Gui made a judgment, "Yes."

Song Yi was not surprised; she calmly stated, "If you suspect me, I want to make it clear that your evidence is enough to label me as a major suspect but not enough to convict me. Even if it goes to court, I'm not afraid. If you want to threaten me, all I can say is, see you in civil court."

This statement was definitely not something Song Yi came up with on her own. Si Gui looked at Zhen.

"Miss Song, you claim you didn't commit murder, but the murderer left your hair to frame you. In this situation, you still protect the murderer, which is unjustifiable both emotionally and logically," Si Gui wasn't one to beat around the bush.

Song Yi remained unperturbed, nodding, "Why do you want to catch the murderer?"

"Crimes must be punished. To maintain social justice."

"Coincidentally, that's also why I don't want you to catch the murderer," Song Yi smiled. "Lin Ziyi and his gang raped and killed Tang Shang; they deserved to die. But what did you police do at that time? Did you punish the evildoers? No, on the contrary, you let them go free, leaving many who believed in justice disillusioned. And now you talk about fairness? Yes, you're in a tough spot. They have powerful backgrounds, and you have to bow to reality. But after bowing to the powerful and abandoning your principles, you have no right to talk about justice to ordinary people. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, is that what you should be doing? What about those three rapists who were with Lin Ziyi? Are they not suspects? Do you dare to interrogate them the way you're pressuring me?"

Si Gui fell silent. She knew that all these words were coming from Zhen.

"In that case, we can only go through a criminal trial," Officer Lin said. "Additionally, the crimes he committed will be legally judged, but it doesn't warrant death."

"He may not deserve death, but what about the ones he tormented? Do they deserve it? Will he repent? No. Lock him up for two or three years, and what about the victims? Is their suffering a joke?" Song Yi's face remained expressionless, but her empty eyes held a layer of mist. "This kind of punishment is a slap in the face, a slap to the innocent victims who believed in the legal system! Do you dare to look at the stars of the deceased at night? When you were collecting Tang Shang's body, did you dare to look into her eyes?"

"If you haven't protected me, don't expect me to abide by your rules," she finished each word heavily, her nails gripping the edge of the table.

Her lips twitched, and a fierce and insane smile appeared on her face. "So, I won't say a word. I haven't killed anyone, so what am I afraid of? If you want to threaten me, bring it on. If I were to plead, if I were to say I'm afraid, then I deserved to be gang-raped back then!"

Si Gui's hair stood on end, goosebumps covering her body. Her face turned pale, while Officer Lin remained heavy and silent, unable to lift his head.

Song Yi's low, harsh, and sorrowful accusations echoed in the narrow interrogation room.

No one spoke, only the silence of profound grief and sorrow.

After a while, Song Yi released her grip, slowly leaning back in her chair. She remained expressionless, calm, with tears silently streaming down her face.

This round of interrogation ended like this.

Zhen remained silent throughout, only speaking at the end, "My client applied for release on bail pending trial."

When leaving, Zhen asked Si Gui, "Have you...?"

"Absolutely not! I guarantee, physical evidence and testimonies, nothing is fabricated!"

"Alright, I believe you. So, see you in court." Zhen pursed her lips, ready to leave, but Si Gui stopped her, "Zhen!"

"What is it?"

"Did Song Yi's words... did you teach her?"

"Yes."

"So, you..."

"I unreservedly stand on her side."

Si Gui felt a strange sadness, "Zhen, aren't you venting your anger?"

"Venting what anger?"

"Tang Shang. Have you truly moved on from Tang Shang's case?" Si Gui furrowed her brow, looking at her with deep concern. "After spending four months with her day and night, she poured all her misery, sorrow, resentment, and despair onto you without holding back, not to mention her death. Have you spoken to a psychologist?"

"I don't need to !" Zhen turned away. "I am as heartless as you think, and I am not as conscientious as you think I am."