In the name of love

Pay attention to.Seeing the people and reporters filing into the court one by one, Yulu looked up at the Omaga watch in his hand, feeling even more anxious.

No, you won't really want him to fight, will you?Wait, the crime of forced sexual intercourse is numbered in the criminal law...

"Sorry, am I late, senior?"

Just as Yulu was about to bite the bullet and walk to the defense stand, Ji Lan's voice sounded behind him.Yulu had to admit that he had never looked forward to hearing this voice so much as at this moment.

"Ji Lan! You scared me to death! I thought I had to be replaced this time, but you..."

He turned around, but was surprised. Ji Lan's face was wearing a mask for some reason. Yulu saw that his face was pale, his eyes were slightly black, and his hair was a little messy. When he spoke to Yulu, he still said " Ha chirp" and sneezed.

"Uh...you have a cold?" Yulu was taken aback, it was the first time he saw Ji Lan in such a distressed state.

Ji Lan nodded slightly, her voice was a little hoarse, "Well, I'm afraid I caught a cold yesterday. I didn't notice that it was already September, and the temperature dropped a lot at night. I'm sorry, this kind of thing happened before the oral debate. "

All the audience members took their seats one by one. Looking around, the total of [-] seats was almost half full. It seemed that the news was very effective. The women's group that Yulu had just seen was sitting in the left corner, each holding a He is holding a notebook with a serious look on his face.

Yulu found his fingertips trembling a little.He didn't know how long he hadn't felt this way, before the trial.

"No problem? I mean, it sounds a little serious..."

"Well, there's no problem." Ji Lan's attitude was as calm as usual, and Yulu saw him slowly take off his mask, revealing the other half of his face.I saw that his face was still pale, but his lips seemed to be slightly rosy due to the pressure.

The words Ji Lan said to him popped up in Yulu's head, and he quickly looked away from those lips.

Since Ji Lan looked as if she hadn't mentioned that invitation, in fact, Yulu was willing to delete that sentence from her head, as if nothing had happened.

And now is not the time for delusional estrus, Yulu told himself.

The freedom of a man's life is in their hands.

"Let's go, Senior Yu." Ji Lan said in a hoarse voice, facing the whispering court.

Yulu and Ji Lan reported to the recorder and went in to sit on the defense bench.Not long after, Ai Ting also came in. Wearing a balance brooch and the same sharp suit as last time, he walked towards the prosecutor's seat with great vigor. Yulu saw that he was sure of winning, as if he was here today to prepare The appearance of returning triumphantly, even the chin is raised.

The clerk had already taken his place under the judge's bench, and the interpreter who was not in use was sitting beside him.The bailiffs half-closed the heavy courtroom doors and stood by the open door.

At this time, the door of the witness lounge on the opposite side of the courtroom suddenly opened, and a man came out pushing a wheelchair.Sitting in the wheelchair was the victim's mother and the first witness today, Ms. Wu.

But the one pushing the wheelchair was another man, who had never been seen in the previous court session.The man was quite tall, but his figure was very slender. From the jagged white hair, it could be seen that he was not young, and he might have reached the fifty mark.

The man lowered his head, as if he was talking to Ms. Wu, and smiled from time to time, probably trying to calm her down.As a witness, Ms. Wu seemed to be slightly comforted, and frequently responded to the man's words.The man was wearing a dark blue suit with the wisteria badge of the New York State Bar Aids Association pinned to his chest.

"The victim's mother seemed to apply for legal aid. She heard that her deceased husband had some connections with the legal circle, so she had knowledge about it. She applied for an attorney from the International Legal Aid Association, which was strongly recommended by prosecutor Aiting. Assist her in handling communications with the prosecution."

Yulu heard Ji Lan talking in his ear.

"I remember that agent's name is Luo or something...but I haven't met him in person."

Yulu didn't answer because he saw the man talking to Ms. Wu for a while, then slowly raised his head.I saw that he had exquisite facial features, a tall nose bridge, a slender face, and the same deep dark brown eyes as a magazine model, except that the glasses were different from Yulu's memory. The man wore silver-rimmed glasses, More calm and elegant.

That's Sam.Even though we haven't seen each other for eight years, even if the photo is sealed in the back of the drawer, Yulu still recognizes him clearly in the instant of the photo.

The message written behind the postcard suddenly appeared in his mind: I almost forgot to mention it, but I will go back to T City in September due to business, it would be great if we could meet up.

Coming back for something, Yulu stared at that strange yet familiar face, her fingertips trembling so much that she couldn't think.The man pushed the mother in the wheelchair to the waiting seat for witnesses, and sat down on the seat beside him. He always had a friendly smile on his face, and his demeanor was just like meeting Yulu in the rehabilitation center back then. , that kind of meticulous tenderness.

exactly the same.Except for the slight age gap, Yuli almost thinks that time has turned back, and he is still the little boy who can't stand up by himself, longing for the person he looks up to reach out.

"Sam..." Yulu murmured.But Sam didn't seem to notice his existence at all, and he was talking to the person he was helping now.

Ji Lan seems to have also noticed the existence of Sam, but it has been nearly five years since they graduated from Cornell, and Sam resigned as a visiting professor in their third year of studying abroad.He looked uncertainly at the man who was still whispering to Ms. Wu, and whispered to the trembling Yulu:

"Senior, is that person..."

At this moment, the door behind the judge's seat opened, and the three judges of the collegial panel walked out slowly in their robes.The young female judge who presided over the preparatory court last time was one of them. She sat on the right side of the bench.

Except for her, the two judges are all men, the middle one looks very senior, with white hair on his head, and the left one is a very serious looking young judge with black-rimmed glasses on his face.

These three people will be the ones who decide Ye Chang's fate, Yulu's throat can't help but choke.

Everyone in the court stood up to pay tribute, and Ji Lan and Yulu also stood up from the defense bench.

"Please be quiet."

The three judges took their positions, and the older judge knocked on the gavel on the table and said in a steady voice:

"Defendant Ye Chang is suspected of aggravating forced sexual intercourse. Today is the first oral argument in this case. I announce that the trial will now begin."

The people watching sat down again, only Ai Ting, who was opposite, still stood upright, because today's witness questioning started from the prosecution side.

Seeing that Sam was still talking to Ms. Wu in a low voice, Yulu was in a mess in his heart.Not just the fact that Sam suddenly appeared in court, but also the fact that he actually sat across from them. Yuli had too many questions to ask, and all the courtrooms besides Sam suddenly didn't make sense.

Yulu's five senses were all blocked, and he only stared at the man he had stared at for more than ten years.

At this moment, the door at the back of the courtroom opened, and Ye Chang walked in with his head bowed, accompanied by two bailiffs, one on the left and one on the right.Yulu saw him with a blank expression, staring blankly at one side of the court, and did not move after standing still in the dock.Obviously he is the protagonist today, but he seems to be completely out of it, Yulu can't help but sigh.

"It seems that there are more people who came to observe today. Please be sure to abide by the order of the court. Thank you." The female judge on the right has always maintained a bright attitude.

"Today is our first oral argument court, first of all, the defendant Ye Chang."

The female judge named Ye Chang.He raised his head, but his eyes were not focused.

"You have been accused by prosecutors of sexually abusing a ten-year-old boy. Throughout this trial, you may maintain your right to remain silent, to confess against your will, and to request The court investigates the evidence in your favour. And at the end of the trial, we will let you express your views on the case to your heart's content."

The female judge spoke kindly.

"These are your rights, can you understand?"

Ye Chang's expression was still a little dazed, Yulu saw Ji Lan stand up straight, and gave Ye Chang an encouraging look.Ye Chang's wrist shook in the restraint, and then he nodded his head involuntarily.

"Then now, the prosecution and the defense are invited to state the gist of the prosecution and the defense. Prosecutor Ai, please excuse me."

"Your court, the honorable defense, and our folks here."

Ai Ting quickly opened his remarks with a loud voice, "Before you understand what kind of case this is, I want to tell you a little story. Many years ago, when I was a new prosecutor, I once I have taken over a case, and in that case, just looking at the file evidence makes people feel horrible."

"It was a homeless man in his 40s who was suspected of sexually assaulting a little girl who was coming home from school. Because the girl's father was working late that day and their family was a single parent, no one came to pick up the little girl. The little girl I had no choice but to go home alone, and thus embarked on a road of no return.”

"The homeless man caught the little girl in the middle of the road, dragged her into a bamboo forest near his home, and brutally raped her."

Ai Ting's voice was as loud as a war drum.Some of the women who were watching made a soft cry, as if they had been moved by Ai Ting's words.

"If it's just sexual assault, it's fine. The homeless man couldn't use his sexual organs to penetrate the girl's undeveloped vagina, so he took a nearby iron bar and poked it into the girl's lower body, causing the girl to burst into the stomach and lie on the bed. rule