chapter 2
At the Detention Center, I met the suspect in this case, He Tianying.
He Tianying was slender and very tall. Judging by his appearance, he was already in his early thirties, but his face still retained a boyish look, like a male college student; only his eyes were deep and calm, displaying a maturity completely at odds with his youthful features.
I asked him directly why he had sought me out, and he said it wasn’t important.
He simply looked at me and said, “Lawyer Lu, if you accept my commission, I will lay everything out for you.”
I replied bluntly, “The investigation is already over, and your criminal facts are clear. What else is there to lay out?”
He said, “There’s a lot more-enough to affect the verdict of this case.”
I was silent for a moment, then asked, “Have you colluded with someone?”
“No.”
“Are you trying to make a big headline?”
“No. Lawyer Lu, have you read too many novels?”
I asked directly, “Were you the one who killed them?”
“It was me,” he answered with unusual frankness.
“What? Say that again.”
“I was the one who killed them.”
Suddenly, I was intrigued. “I heard you’ve refused to confess ever since you were brought in, and now you’re admitting it just like that?”
He Tianying said calmly, “I have my reasons for not confessing to the police. But you’re my Lawyer, so I’ll be completely honest with you-no concealment whatsoever.”
“Uh, I haven’t agreed yet,” I scratched my head. “You’re the real culprit in this case, and I’ve also learned you have a serious Criminal Record. That’s very unfavorable for you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose the case,” He Tianying’s tone was gentle and firm. “I’ll also give you a generous fee.”
In the end, I signed the commission.
In fact, my attitude had already been decided before I met the suspect.
On one hand, I was a bit interested in this case; on the other, I was still young and unafraid of failure. My career as a Lawyer was just beginning-why define myself so early? It’s not as if I hadn’t studied criminal law in school.
Besides, as a newcomer with very little presence in the industry, it felt pretty good to be chosen so decisively.
Our Law Firm didn’t have any objections either.